Revolutionary New hearing aid accessories to Make Life Easier
Dependent upon your needs and lifestyle preferences some of the latest models of hearing instruments have features and benefits that will make life so much easier.
The most significant advances in hearing aid technology have been with microphones and “gateway” type devices.
Twin microphones enable the hearing aid processor to adjust its directional response to improve the detection of speech in the presence of background noise. There exist many levels of sophistication in the directional microphone ranging from press button activation to automatic start up and the capacity to adapt to a changing sound environment. The real benefit to the user of this technology is the ability to relax and listen to the conversation without stress and worry.
Gateway type devices are a “link” between a sound source such as a TV, MP3 play, stereo, home or mobile phone. The gateway device receives the signal, usually by Bluetooth from these devices and converts into “packet” data for the hearing aid to amplify and channel into the wearers ear. The real benefit to the wearer is seamless connectivity to numerous electronic devices used everyday.
Remote controls also exist to give the user more personal control over their hearing instruments as they may prefer.
The above models are all available to trial at your local Hearing Clinic. To find out more or Book a ‘Road-test’ of the latest devices, click here or call 1800 062 880
10 car games to play with your kids/grandkids
Being a backseat passenger may be a regular part of your child/Grandchild’s routine, but it doesn’t have to be boring. In addition to singing songs, all preschoolers enjoy playing games in the car. These activities allow you to interact while you drive, and reinforce developmental skills as they grow. Most of the games can be played with more than one child at the same time. Here are some favourites.
“I Spy.” Each of you takes a turn looking outside for something of a certain colour for the other person to identify. The first player says something like “I spy with my little eye something red,” which could be a stop sign, a fire engine or another object. The other player calls out possible objects until discovering the correct one.
Alphabet Hunt. Have the youngster look for each letter of the alphabet on the signs and license plates you pass during your journey.
Phonics Game. Have your child think of words that begin with the “sound” of a particular letter of the alphabet. For the letter b, for example, ask your child to think of words starting with the sound “buh.” For more advanced players, think of a word for each letter of the alphabet.
Spelling Bee. For your beginning speller choose simple words, such as “hat,” “cat” and “rat.”
Rhyming Time. This rhyming and phonics game is appropriate for older preschoolers. Chant the following to a simple tune: I’m thinking of a word that rhymes with house, it starts with an “m” so it must be “_____.”
Follow My Rhythm. Chant a simple rhythm for your child to repeat. As she becomes more able to follow your lead, slowly make the patterns more complex. If you’re musically inclined, create a short rhythmic tune for your child to imitate.
Guess My Number. Tell your child you’re thinking of a number between one and 10, or between any two numbers, depending on your child’s knowledge. Each time your child guesses a number, say whether yours is higher or lower than the one guessed, until your child arrives at the actual number.
Counting Game. Ask your child to count 10 blue cars, 10 stop signs and so on. Older children can keep score with a pencil and a small notebook.
Story Together. Create a story together with your preschooler. Start with an intriguing first sentence then have fun with the plot as you take turns narrating the next parts of the story.
Twenty Questions. Think of a person, place or thing and offer clues. For younger children, clues can be obvious. “I’m thinking of the town where Grandma lives.” “I came to your birthday party and my first name begins with C.” Older kids can tolerate more frustration, so clues for them can be more complex. The clue “The seventh book about me will be the last in the series” could be followed with “My best friends are Ron and Hermione.”
Once you get in the habit of playing games, being in the car can become a special time together. Connecting through games is also a natural precursor to the car ride conversations you’ll be eager to have as the child grows.
Amaze your family with these ‘cool’ Christmas recipes
The way this summer started, It’s more than likely going to be hot on Christmas Day, so we’ve compiled a few of our favourite tips for eating ‘cool’ this year.
Make your tree ‘good enough to eat’ with these great Christmas tree cookies
This basic sugar cookie dough recipe can also be rolled into balls, dropped from a spoon, or baked in a pan to make bar cookies. But for the holidays, it's a wonderful to roll and cut out into tree shapes because they’re not too delicate (no tiny pieces to break off) and they’re simple to decorate, too. Simply shake collared sugar over them before placing them in the oven. Start the dough about an hour ahead of time so it has time to chill.
Ingredients
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups unsifted all-purpose flour, plus additional flour for the work surface
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Green and red coloured sugar
• Green and red hard candies
• Green and red gumdrops, cut into tiny pieces
Cooking Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with the sugar for two minutes or until creamy with an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.
- In a large sifter, measure the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Sift this over the egg mixture and beat on medium speed until a soft dough forms. If the dough seems a little sticky, beat in two to three additional tablespoons of flour. Scrape the dough out of the mixing bowl and form it into two balls. Cover and chill for one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 10 to 15 minutes before you plan to use it. Knead briefly on a floured work surface. When the dough is fairly pliable, roll it out with a floured rolling pin to about 1/8-inch thickness.
- Cut out cookies using a tree-shaped cookie cutter. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to the baking sheet. Sprinkle the cookies with red and green coloured sugar.
Bake the cookies for eight to 10 minutes, rotating the pan once, or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden and the tops are barely firm. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
9. Continue rolling, cutting out, and baking cookies until all the dough is used.
Mix it up on the day this year with Cold served Apple glazed turkey
Apple-glazed turkey is a snap to make and a delight to eat. A sweet glaze with a touch of heat that takes just a minute to make, is brushed on the turkey just before it's removed from the oven. Make Christmas Day easier on yourself, and consider cooking the Turkey the day before, and serving chilled, it's delicious!
Ingredients
• 1-12 pound turkey
• ½ cup apple jelly
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼-½ teaspoon ground red pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
Cooking Instructions
- Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Remove giblets and neck from cavity. Place giblets and neck (not the liver) in the roasting pan. Place rack in pan and put turkey on rack.
- Roast turkey until the skin is browned, about 2½ -3 hours. Tent turkey with aluminium foil. Continue to roast until temperature in thickest part of thigh is 175 degrees F., about ½ hour more.
- In a small pot, melt apple jelly. Stir in cinnamon and pepper to mix. Brush turkey with apple glaze and broil 4 inches from heating element about 3 minutes, until browned and bubbly.
Remove turkey from oven, tent loosely with aluminium foil, and let rest 30 minutes before carving. Refrigerate for Christmas Day.
Preparation Time:
10 minutes
Cooking Time:
3 - 3 1/2 hours
Ready In:
3 hours and 40 minutes to 4 hours and 10 minutes
Servings: 12
‘Finish them off’ with Strawberry Kiwi Pavlova Tart
An impressive indulgence at your holiday table, these tasty fruit pavlova tarts are as pleasing to the eye as to the palate. You may want to try a variety of fruit and berries, such as blueberries, peaches, raspberries and mango.
Ingredients
• 3 egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup (175 mL) sugar, divided
• 2 teaspoon (10 mL) cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) vanilla
• 1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) powdered sugar
• 12 fresh strawberries, quartered or sliced
• 2 ripe kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
Cooking Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and grease it lightly.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer until they start to form very soft peaks. Add 1/3 cup (75 mL) of the sugar, a spoonful at a time, while beating the mixture constantly until it forms a stiff and glossy meringue. (The mixture should be stiff enough to form a peak when you lift the beater out of the bowl.)
- In a small bowl, stir together the remaining sugar and the cornstarch. Very gently fold this mixture into the meringue using a rubber spatula and being careful not to deflate the foam. Finally, fold in the vinegar and the vanilla.
- On the prepared cookie sheets spoon out 8 mounds of meringue, four on each sheet with plenty of room between them. With a spoon, form the mounds of meringue into free-form tart shells, about 3 inches in diameter with the sides slightly higher than the middle. (They will expand somewhat as they bake.) Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, then turn off the oven and let cool in the oven for 3 hours.
No more than an hour before serving, beat the cream with the powdered sugar until it forms soft peaks. Place a dollop of whipped cream into each pavlova shell. Top with the prepared fruit, arranging it attractively.
Print and play these free Sudoku Puzzles
Have you finished today's newspaper Sudoku and crave more? Everyone knows that keeping your brain active is great for you. Get your game fix here! Print free Sudoku puzzles in Easy, Challenging and Difficult skill levels.
Below are a number of puzzles for you to print and play in PDF format and requires Adobe Reader for viewing.
Download – Sudoku Puzzles
- Sudoku 1
- Sudoku 2
- Sudoku 3
Download - Sudoku Answers
- Sudoku 1
- Sudoku 2
- Sudoku 3
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