When you first get a pet rat, give him at least a week to get used to his new surroundings (and to you). Your rat needs to feel comfortable and safe before he will respond to training; rushing into this will not produce the results you're hoping for. Sit near your rat's cage for 5 minutes at a time, several times a day and talk softly to him. This will help him get used to your presence and voice. Once he knows you are not a threat, he will be more receptive to training. Avoid making loud sounds or sudden movements near your rat while he's adjusting to his new home. Place a hand inside his cage while holding treat and let him come to you to get it. After doing this enough times, your rat will learn that he can trust you and will also associate you with positive feelings (from treats and affection). He will also become used to coming into contact with you, which is a prerequisite for shoulder training. Use a soft voice and handle/pet him gently when he approaches you. It could take him a while to approach you at first (several minutes), but be patient. Don't give up on this because you think it's taking too long. This could teach your rat that if he waits long enough you will go away. Once your rat is comfortable with this, hold the treat just outside his cage to get him to come out and get it. Ideally, you will have him take a treat from your hand every time you approach his cage for at least the first several days after beginning this process. This reinforces the association between your presence and treats and will quickly make him want to be around you. Healthy treats that rats usually love include banana chips, plain Cheerios, sunflower seeds, plain yogurt, and peas. Be careful not to overdo it with the treats; over-feeding can lead to your rat becoming overweight, which is not good for his health. Clicker training is an effective way of teaching animals (including rats) to associate the sound from the clicker with a reward. The easily identifiable click signals to your rat that a treat is soon to come as a result of his behavior. The click sound must come immediately before the reward in order for your rat to learn this association; time this to occur just as he's about to take the treat. Your rat will learn this association most quickly if you also wait for him to do something on his own, then click and reward him immediately. This teaches your rat that he is in control of this game. Rats can understand simple voice commands, so long as you consistently use them. This trick helps when it comes time to shoulder train because you will be able to keep him near you just by calling his name. Say your rat's name whenever you hand him a treat. After doing this for a while, hold the treat away from him a little and say his name. Eventually, he will know to come to you when he hears his name, even if you are out of sight when you call him. Other simple verbal commands can be helpful too, such as "no" and "come." Work these in when appropriate.

Summary: Let your rat get used to his new home. Let your rat approach you. Hand feed your rat often. Use a clicker device. Teach your rat his name.

You need to embrace the age that you are at. If you are eleven, you have a couple more years until you are really in the depths of puberty. There is no need to feel self-conscious that you don't have leg hair, or that your voice hasn't dropped. All this will come in time. Honesty is the best way to earn somebody's respect. If you learn that she is only interested in horseback riding, you should not drop all your passions to afford a saddle. Let her determine if your interests are compatible. If you are trying out different activities and unsure what you wish to pursue, keep trying things out. It helps later in life if you begin practicing a hobby young in life like piano, dance, soccer, drawing, or even film making. Just take a chance if you want to do something. As you begin to enter into your adolescent years, friend groups become more important as family life decreases. Try to avoid fighting with your family during this transitional period. Don't ditch your friends because you don't think they're cool anymore. Stay true to who you are and keep your friends in on who you have a crush on. If they are good friends, they'll help you figure out ways to get this girl to start to notice you. If you are in the wrong friend circle, they could ridicule you for your crush and start nasty rumors. Leave hazardous friend circles for the friends that respect and enjoy your company.

Summary: Avoid trying to act older. Have a hobby that you enjoy. Keep your friends close.

Major changes to your home and schedule cannot be discussed in bits and pieces. Set aside some time in everyone's schedule to talk about renovation plans. Understanding the "why" behind any action is a good way to build support for a plan. Let your family know that the decision to renovate is based on your desire to stay in the home for a long period of time, or because you need a finished basement for extra family space or due to some other issue or problem that needs resolving. Invite questions and talk openly. You do not have to give your kids a spreadsheet with line item details, but let them know that a lot of money will be spent and they might need to earn their own money or cut back on some of the things they want. Give your family members time to adjust. You do not want to announce a major kitchen renovation the day before the family fridge is torn out. Put together a timeline so everyone knows what to expect. Caution that the renovations might take longer than expected. Instead of telling your family members how everything will look, solicit their input. If they get to have a say in the color that goes on the walls or the tile that gets put on the new floors, they will be more receptive and helpful.

Summary: Call a family meeting. Discuss the reason for your renovation. Talk about how the renovations will impact the family budget. Discuss the timing of events. Ask for ideas.

Sugar cookie cutout dough works best for cookies on a stick because it is stiff enough to hold and the favor is mild, so you can decorate it with just about any kind of frosting or candies that you want. You can make a basic sugar cookie cutout dough from scratch, buy a sugar cookie cutout dough mix, or buy some premade sugar cookie cutout dough in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Prepare the dough according to the recipe or package instructions before you get started. It is best to use cold dough because it will hold its shape better when you cut it out. Make sure that you refrigerate your dough for at least an hour before you use it. You will probably need to preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a common temperature for many cookie recipes. However, it is important to check the cookie recipe or cookie dough package before you set the temperature on your oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or grease it with non-stick cooking spray. This will help to prevent the cookies from sticking to the tray. Arrange the cookies so that they are about an inch or two apart. Follow your recipe's instructions for baking the cookies. A common baking time for cookies is about 10 minutes. However, your recipe may call for a longer baking time. Check the recipe or cookie dough package to be sure. Set a time so that you will know when to take the cookies out of the oven. Don't forget to use oven mitts when you place the cookies in the oven and when you remove the tray from the oven.
Summary: Mix the cookie dough. Place the cookies on a cookie sheet. Bake the cookies.