Prepare a baking pan by greasing it lightly with non-stick cooking spray, butter, or shortening. You could also line the baking pan with aluminum foil instead of greasing it with cooking spray. Use a serrated kitchen knife to cut the squash in half lengthwise. Dig out the seeds and stringy pulp. Make sure that the squash is clean before using it. The skin of an acorn squash should be scrubbed with a vegetable brush under running water to remove dirt and debris. Use a heavy metal spoon or ice cream scoop to dig out the seeds. Both halves should be cut-side-down in the pan. Do not stack the halves. They can touch, but they must not overlap. Cook the two halves until the flesh feels tender when poked with a fork or paring knife. Do not cover the squash as you cook it. Temporarily remove the squash halves from the oven and brush the cut sides with the melted butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired, and return them to oven for another 15 minutes. Note that the squash halves should now be cut-side-up inside the pan. You can enjoy this squash as is, or you can mash it or use it as a base for other recipes requiring pre-cooked acorn squash.

Summary: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius). Cut the acorn squash in half. Transfer the acorn squash to your prepared baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Brush the squash with butter and continue baking. Serve as desired.

Of all five senses, eyesight is the sense that you depend upon the most. Despite this, few people insure their eyes or get eye exams, almost taking their sight for granted. One of the greatest adversaries to your eyes is the sun. With dangerous UV rays, glare, and carcinomas, the sun damages the eyes considerably over time. Carcinomas of the eyelids, like squamous and basal cell, spread rapidly and are typically found in people who have a history of sun exposure. Melanomas are linked to intense, intermittent sun exposure and if not treated promptly can prove lethal. Transitions lenses adapt to the sun's brightness and protect the eyes from potentially fatal damage by darkening the lenses of your glasses. Constant adjustment to changing light can cause eyestrain and fatigue. Your lenses have to filter all the sunlight that comes into contact with your eyes making them work hard and wears them down quickly. Although eyestrain by itself does not have long-term consequences, it can severely aggravate your eyes making you tired and reducing your ability to concentrate. Transitions lenses protect your eyes allowing them to stay relaxed and comfortable throughout the day. Glare and squinting are related but glare is far more dangerous, especially if you are driving or walking along a road. Glare, caused by excessive sunlight, forces you to either squint or look away because it is blinding. Without proper protection, this distraction can cause a serious accident. Good vision is important to safe driving. Driving without protection against glare from the road, snow, or other cars is a treacherous proposition. Make sure you use the sun visor, keep your windshield clean, rest your eyes from squinting, and look into Transitions Drivewear sunglasses, which cuts glare considerably. Drivewear lenses rapidly adapt to glare while you are driving your car making them the perfect answer for driving safely. Most windshields are treated with UV protection, so most normal Transitions lenses may be less effective behind the wheel (as they respond to UV light, which will already be filtered by the windshield). Drivewear, however, uses ambient light and will get darker depending on light conditions. The earlier you begin to protect your eyes against the sun the better. In other words, it is never too early to protect your vision. Children are even more susceptible to the harmful effect of UV radiation than adults. Children under the age of ten have a greater chance of getting photokeratitis, which is sunburn of the eye, and UV-related retina problems because their eyes are not as efficient at filtering UV rays as adults' eyes. Without proper eye protection, your child could suffer red eyes due to sunburn, non-stop tearing, burning or itchy eyes, or severe eye pain and spasms. Transitions eyewear blocks 100% of UV radiation, providing safety for your children's eyes.

Summary: Don't ignore your eyes. Avoid squinting. Prevent glare while driving. Protect your eyes early.

You should never bribe a child to get them to do what you want. This teaches them a terrible behavior, which is that listening to you is negotiable. There will be many times when the temptation is strong but you should do whatever you can not to give in. Sometimes this means letting your child throw a tantrum in a grocery store and that's okay. The other customers will have a rough few minutes and go on with their lives but your child will learn good behavior for a lifetime. For example, when they throw a fit in the store about wanting a candy bar, don't say that they can have cake when they get home if they stop crying. All this does is teach them that if they cry at the store, they'll quickly earn themselves a treat. When your child does do something bad, do not give them attention for that behavior. This teaches them that in order to get your attention, they need to be naughty. Instead of acknowledging this behavior, even to yell at them, ignore them. When paired with hugs, kisses, and attention for good behavior, your child will quickly learn to behave. A bad example would be: grabbing their hands and yelling at them for doing something wrong or making them sit next to you for misbehaving at church. Instead, completely ignore them when they start throwing a tantrum. If you're at home put them in another room and then close the door. It doesn't need to be locked or slammed, it just needs to break contact. This will show the child that yelling is not the way to get your attention. Remember that to your toddler, the world is very big and pretty much 24/7 stress. Imagine how you feel when your boss makes a major change to how things work in your office. Now multiply that times thirty and imagine it happening every day for years. That's what it's like for your toddler. You have to be understanding and try not to overwhelm them with too many changes at once. Introduce schedule, lifestyle, and home changes gradually. You should also try to keep to a routine. When you have a routine, your child knows what to expect as is better able to handle small and gradual changes, like learning to use the toilet. For example, don't start potty training the same week they start at a new pre-school. In fact, waiting as much as a month before making another change can be necessary. Wait until they seem comfortable with one change before making another. If you have older children, you may be frustrated that your toddler doesn't do what the older child does or did. However, it's important to remember that your toddler hasn't learned those behaviors yet and won't be ready for them for awhile. Be ready to accommodate and work with their individual needs. For example, your toddler will probably need to have a different bedtime routine than an older child. They will probably wake up earlier and should not be expected to quietly entertain themselves on a weekend morning while you try to sleep in. Another common trigger for tantrums in toddlers are issues with stimulation. When they get bored, they don't have the mental ability that adults do to keep themselves entertained. Be understanding of this and try to find ways to keep them stimulated while you're out and away from the toys that usually keep them occupied. Keep a favored toy only for boredom emergencies, when you know you're both going to be stuck for awhile. This will keep your child entertained. You want to avoid making them overstimulated too. Too much stimulation, especially right before bed, can be a bit much for them and lead to breakdowns. Having a bunch of your friends over, making a major scheduling change, or even letting them watch TV can leave your little one feeling lost.
Summary: Do not bribe your child. Do not give them attention for bad behavior. Do not overwhelm them. Do not hold them to expectations for an older child. Avoid leaving them under stimulated.