Problem: Article: If you want to create a sculpture or keepsake, you'll need to let your clay dry. This kind of clay dies out pretty quickly, but it's best to leave it untouched for at least 2 days to make sure it's fully dry. You can preserve your clay for a few weeks by keeping it in an airtight container. Make sure you leave the clay in the container whenever you're not playing with it, as it will dry a little bit whenever it's exposed to the air. For instance, you can use a plastic bag with a zipper or a Tupperware container. For extra longevity, place the clay in the refrigerator.
Summary: Allow the clay to air dry for 2 days to preserve your model. Store unused clay in an airtight container.

Problem: Article: Lay the canvas out flat on your work surface and center the frame on top of it. Take a minute to smooth out and clean up the canvas as much as possible before you get started. Make sure that the grain of the canvas is lined up straight with the stretcher bars on the frame. If they don't, the bars will twist and two opposite corners will lift up. Start with the longest side of the canvas closest to you and fold it in. Insert three staples in the center of that side of the frame, along the bottom edge of the frame. In other words, you want to wrap the canvas all the way around the bar and start fixing it onto the bottom edge of the frame. The canvas around the corners should still be quite loose. You'll tighten it up later. Rotate the canvas and frame, or move around the table to the opposite side and do the same thing. Pull the canvas tight, fold it over the frame, and insert three more staples into the stretcher bar on the opposite side. You always want to secure the canvas from the middle to the corners. Never start inserting staples close to one of the corners, or the canvas will twist slightly on the frame, making it pooch out. If you're trying to stretch an ungessoed canvas, it's common to use a spray bottle to gently dampen the canvas with some water, which will help to tighten the canvas as it dries. After you've fixed the long sides to the canvas, mist the canvas gently to promote shrinkage as you work. Go to one of the unstapled sides and give the canvas a good solid pull, fold it over, and insert two staples, attaching the canvas to the frame. Do the same thing to the other short side. Go back to the first side you started stretching and work from your center staples out to each corner. Pull a piece of loose canvas, stretch it down, and insert a staple. Go slowly, stretching a little bit from the opposite side of the bar at a time. Continue pulling and stapling pieces of the canvas moving around the canvas edges in the same order as before. If you want, you can staple near the corners and then place a staple between the center and the corner instead. Continue until you have about four inches of unstapled space from the corners. Tuck one side of the corner under the other, pulling tight, so that one straight edge is just even with the corner. Pull the corners very firmly. This is the final tightening, making it the most important. Be firm and even. Sometimes, it's helpful to make a little slit along a diagonal in the canvas, to help stretch it tight and make it flush with the sides in the corner of the frame. You want the corners to look as clean as possible, so follow the shape of the canvas and cut it if necessary. Go around the canvas and pound all your staples with a hammer to make sure everything is flush with the frame. You don't want rough staples around the edges while you're working. If you see a need for more staples, take a minute to fix a few more in.
Summary: Center your frame on the canvas. Stretch the longest sides of the canvas first. Wet the canvas gently, if necessary. Stretch the shorter sides. Stretch the corners. Fold and staple the corners. Finish stapling the canvas.

Problem: Article: There is a reason why people say breakfast is the most important meal of the day: your body fasted all night and reduces hunger throughout the day. Reports show that skipping breakfast leads to more snack breaks in the afternoon. Nighttime eating syndrome (NES), a disorder associated with overnight eating and waking at night to eat, is clinically recognized as an eating disorder. Eating breakfast every day reduces the chance of experiencing this disorder. Studies also show that skipping breakfast leads to weight gain, hypertension, insulin resistance, and elevated fasting lipid concentrations. Skipping meals has the same impact as skipping breakfast. Although people believe skipping a meal will help with weight loss, the exact opposite is true. It will lead to more snacking and greater weight gain. There's nothing wrong with an afternoon snack, just make sure it is a fruit, vegetable, or lean protein like chicken breast or fish. These healthy snacks will control hunger until dinner and they have added value: vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that is good for your body. Avoid sugary products and drinks because they will not satisfy your hunger and you will most likely continue snacking throughout the day. If you want fat, eat healthy fats that will decrease the consumption of sugars and avoid overeating in the late afternoon. Mindful eating techniques are used to prevent overeating. The way it works is to concentrate on every step of eating one piece of food, which makes you conscious of portion size and slows down the race to finish your meal. The purpose of mindful eating is to not engage in other activities like watching television or playing on the computer while you are eating. These distractions interfere with your ability to realize how much you are eating. An example would be eating a raisin or other dried fruit that you can hold, feel its texture, see its color, smell, and taste it. As you eat the raisin, follow the same procedure as you swallow it. By eating the raisin, you have experienced the wide range of senses in a mindful manner, taking note of how meaningful the exercise is. Try to spend at least twenty minutes per meal to chew and swallow your food so that you chew and digest it completely. How many meals you eat on a daily basis depends on your fitness goals, lifestyle, and manageability. There are benefits to eating a few meals a day and for up to eight meals per day. The key is to find a nutrition system that optimizes your health. Eating more frequently, like six to eight meals per day, does not provide a significant increase in your metabolism or in fat loss. For example, if you eat three meals a day at 1,000 kcals each and six meals at 500 kcals each, they both equal 3,000 kcals. In short, energy levels remain the same and, therefore, several meals a day does not provide additional benefits to controlling appetite. Eat more frequently when you trying to add muscle and strength to your body or if you have diabetes. Eat less frequently when concentrating on fat loss or if you have a busy lifestyle. The best approach is to eat when you are hungry and stop when you are satisfied.
Summary: Eat breakfast every day. Snack on healthy foods. Eat mindfully. Match nutrition to your physiology.

Problem: Article: Model good sportsmanship for younger players by accepting defeat with grace, applauding your fellow players for clever moves, and offering to help other players if they are stumped. Showing that you value your time spent with your family members more than you value winning the game will set a good example for the rest of your family and take the focus away from winning the games. Family game night is a great time to engage in casual conversations with your family members. Playing a game helps to relax people and you may find your family opening up to you about things that they might not usually talk about. Make sure that you listen well and enjoy these little conversations throughout the evening. To get the most out of a family game night, it should be a repeat affair. Keeping game night on your schedule and encouraging your family members to do the same will demonstrate that you value this time with them. Over time, it may continue to be something that your whole family looks forward to as a time to bond and have fun! Try to hold your game night on the same day and time each week and prioritize it in your schedule.
Summary:
Be a good sport. Enjoy the conversations. Make game nights a regular activity.