INPUT ARTICLE: Article: For most types of oats, like quick-cooking or rolled oats, an average serving size is about cup (45 g). If you're preparing instant oatmeal, simply open the package and dump the contents into the bowlthey're pre-portioned, so there's no need to do a lot of measuring. Use level scoops with a dry measuring cup to portion out loose oats. Stick the oats in the microwave and heat them on high power. For softer, creamier oatmeal, set the cook time to 1 minutes. If you'd prefer a thicker bowl, up the time to 2 minutes, or even slightly longer. If you're making a heartier kind of oatmeal, like traditional rolled or steel-cut oats, you may need to increase the cook time to 2-3 minutes to make sure they're tender.

SUMMARY: Pour the oatmeal into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave the oatmeal for 1-2 minutes.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Most falls and injuries occur with new or inexperienced skateboarders. If you have some practice under your belt before talking to your parents about getting your own skateboard, you can point to that experience to justify why you're ready for your own board. Start slow when learning how to skateboard. Ask your more experienced skateboarding friends for guidance and advice about how to maneuver and use the board properly. Use the experience on your friend's board to practice falling safely. Skateboarding really does carry the risk of serious injury to the body, especially the head and arms. Promise to wear all the appropriate safety gear, including a helmet, elbow and knee pads, wrist guards, and appropriate shoes. Choose a helmet that fits snugly on your head. It should not be too tight or too loose, and sit low on your forehead. The straps should form a "V" around your ears. Skateboarding is not recommended for children younger than five. If you're between the ages of six and ten, you should agree to supervision from a family member or trusted adult. Agree to accept your parents' safety instructions. Promise to avoid doing risky stunts. Don't lie to your parents just to convince them to buy one for you. For example, don't say you will always wear a helmet if you aren't planning to once you get a skateboard. If you do this, your parents will probably just return the skateboard. Skating in the street can be dangerous, and skating in certain locations can be illegal. Do not skate in the street or use homemade skate ramps. Only use your board in approved public areas or skateparks. If your parents only want you skating around the neighborhood, promise them that you will not go anywhere else.

SUMMARY: Learn to practice on a friend's skateboard. Demonstrate your commitment to safety. Make sure your parents know you will only skate in safe areas.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Setting goals is an important skill that many successful people employ to help jump start their motivation. Setting a goal better enables you to focus on the specifics of completing a task, while also helping you to organize all the tools you will need to accomplish your goal. One of the best parts of successful goal setting and completion is feeling increased confidence and self-efficacy once you have accomplished your goal. Setting goals is a great way to give your life plan a boost. It allows you to make your goals or steps specific, measurable, assignable, realistic, and time bound (SMART). It is important to use SMART goal planning in order to understand how close or far you are to obtaining a certain goal. If your goal is to work toward building a healthier life, don't just say I will eat more vegetables. Turn it into a SMART goal by saying I will eat two servings of vegetables per day for 30 days starting on Monday. This makes the goal specific so you have a guideline to follow. It is also measurable because you know what you are trying to aim for, it's realistically achievable, and you have a time frame. There are a few ways you can make your goals concrete and achievable. To begin with, write the goal down. This makes the goal more real than if it's just in your head. Make sure to make it specific. If you follow the SMART format, you should already have specific goals. Formulate your goals with positive language. If you want to lose weight, say something like, "Eat healthier and lose five pounds," instead of, "Stop eating junk and being fat." Order your goals by their priority level. If you have multiple goals, there's no way you can do everything at once. Decide what is attainable now, what can wait, and what may take longer. You should keep goals small enough that you can achieve them within a reasonable time period instead of years down the road. If you have large goals, break them into smaller goals so you achieve goals along the way and feel accomplished.

SUMMARY: Learn the importance of setting goals. Use the SMART goal method. Make your goals concrete.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: This is a freeware conversion program by Macroplant, which you can download from macroplant.com/adapter/. As long as you download from Macroplant, you won't need to worry about adware or browser toolbars. Adapter is completely free, and is available for Windows and Mac. You can also click the "Browse" button in the main Adapter window to find the file on your computer. You can add multiple files to the conversion queue. It may take a few moments to load longer WMV files. This will select the AVI preset for the conversion. This will open the Settings pane. The "Directory" section will allow you to select the location that the converted file will be saved to, as well as the file name. The only setting you may wish to change is the "Quality" setting. "Medium" is the default setting, which will result in a small file size but with some quality loss. If you want to keep the exact same quality as the original, select "Very High (Lossless)." This will result in a larger AVI file. You can also use the Settings pane to trim the video clip or add a text overlay. Your video file will be converted according to your settings. The time this takes will vary depending on the size of the original file, your quality settings, and the speed of your computer. You'll find the converted file in the location you selected, which is the same as the source WMV file by default.

SUMMARY:
Download and install Adapter. Drag your WMV file into the Adapter window. Click the drop-down menu and select Video General Custom AVI. Click the Gear button. Select the output location and file name. Select the video quality you want from the "Resolution" section. Click "Convert" to begin the conversion.