New Year’s resolutions
What New Year’s resolutions are you planning for Jan. 1, 1999? Perhaps you haven’t thought about them yet?
New Year’s resolutions, whether serious or not, recognize some aspect of our lives we would like to change. Each year my resolution is to eat healthier and it usually doesn’t get past the first day, the New Year’s Day family gathering.
What are our chances of making the change happen over the long haul? According to research by three clinical psychologists, J. O. Prochaska, J. C. Norcross and C. C. DiClemente, successful change unfolds through six predictable stages.
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In their book, Changing for Good: A Revolutionary Six-Stage Program for Overcoming Bad Habits and Moving Your Life Positively Forward, published in 1994 by Avon Books, they tell us that each step involves different approaches, techniques and coping skills. Each stage is crucial for success. For example, if we try to plunge directly into stage four without stage one, two and three, we will fail. (My guess is that most New Year’s resolutions do plunge directly into stage four.)
The stages of change:
Stage one – precontemplation: At this stage we are not even thinking about change. A significant event – a health crisis, a special birthday or a reunion moves us on to the next stage.
Stage two – contemplation: We acknowledge a problem. We might read about our problem or talk about it to others, but never get around to doing anything about it.
Stage three – preparation: We enter this stage when we begin to make a solid commitment to change. The focus switches from the problem to solutions. If our problem is health related, we will talk to our doctor; if it is a weight problem, we seek the help of a nutritionist; and if we want to spend more time with family, we list all our activities and prioritize.
Stage four – action: We purposely modify our life and substitute good habits for poor ones. This may involve joining a program, buying differently or doing whatever it takes to make the change.
Stage five – maintenance: We enter the maintenance stage when we have accomplished the change that we set out to make. The challenge then becomes to continue the change.
Stage six – relapse: Relapse occurs if we abandon the new habit. It’s common to cycle forward and backward through the stages. For instance, we may be doing well in the action stage when a crisis in another area of our life shifts us back to the contemplations stage. The key to recovering from the relapse stage is to review the unsuccessful change attempt, learn from it and try again.
Good luck with your New Year’s resolutions. Remember the six stages for change and follow through step by step. Be sure the resolutions are specific, realistic and measurable. Think of all the demands of energy and time. Monitor progress and reward ourselves for even the smallest achievements. A year from now we will have fulfilled our 1998 resolutions.
Toy trivia
Did you know?
- Over 50 million Mr. & Mrs. Potato Heads have been sold since the original product was introduced 46 years ago.
- Binney & Smith, maker of Crayola products, produces more than two billion crayons each year, an average of five million daily. That’s enough to circle the globe four-and-a-half times or make one giant crayon 35 feet wide and 400 feet long.
- 102 million is how many different ways there are to combine six eight-stud Lego bricks of the same color, 1,060 ways for the three eight-stud bricks, and 24 ways for the two eight-stud combination.
- More than 3.2 billion little green houses have been set up since the game of Monopoly was introduced in 1935.
- Nearly one billion Barbie dolls (including friends and family) have sold since 1959. Placed head to toe, the dolls would circle the earth more than three-and-a-half times.
- Two Barbie dolls are sold every second somewhere in the world.
- Canadian girls own an average of seven Barbie dolls. That compares to eight in the United States, seven in Italy and five in Germany and France.
- Since 1968, more Hot Wheels toy cars have been produced than vehicles manufactured by Ford, General Motors and Chrysler combined.
- The first Tonka trucks – a steam shovel and a crane – were made in 1947, in the basement of a small schoolhouse in Mound, Minnesota, by Mound Metalcraft Company.
- If you line up the number of Tonka trucks made in the last 50 years, they would stretch from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Vancouver more than five times.
- The Mighty Tonka Dump Truck, the most popular Tonka truck, was introduced in 1964 and is guaranteed for life.
Games born
These are childhood games by Hasbro Family of Companies. Match up the game name to their release date.
1. Parcheesi a. 1956
2. Scrabble b. 1966
3. Monopoly c. 1939
4. Sorry! d. 1943
5. Chutes and Ladders e. 1935
6. Yahtzee f. 1870
7. The Game of Life g. 1966
8. Memory h. 1931
9. Twister i. 1960
Answers: 1f; 2h; 3e; 4c; 5d; 6a; 7i; 8g; 9b.
Problems with a toy
If there is a problem with a toy you have been given this Christmas, what can you do?
The Toy Report encourages you to correspond with manufacturers and distributors with respect to missing parts, broken pieces or any other concerns which may arise.
Many manufacturers operate replacement parts services through their consumer relations departments.
If an address or phone number has been lost from the toy’s package, the 1999 Toy Report lists several pages of toy manufacturer addresses and phone numbers. The Toy Report is available at public libraries and book stores.
Song request
Thanks to M.C., Saskatoon, for sending some information for J.T., Fort Nelson, B.C., regarding the words to the song Christ was born in Bethlehem (sung three times), And in a manger lay.”
She found it in Sing for Joy, A Song Book for Young Children, compiled by Norman and Margaret Mealy, published by Seabury Press, 1961 and in The Treble Caroler arranged by Ruth Heller, published by Schmitt, Hall and McCreary Co.
Both books only printed the first verse and suggest that children make up other verses to tell the story. If these two books are any indication, it may be difficult to find the words for other printed verses.
Does anyone have these additional verses for J.T.?
In the Easter section of Sing for Joy, the editors used the same tune with these words: Christ our Lord is risen (sung three times); And lives forever more.”
They comment that children can make up other verses such as: “He rose on Easter morning” and “He came to his disciples.”
Readers’ help needed
Dear TEAM: I own a “Scharpf” laundry spinner that needs repair. There seems to be no one who can help me. I heard from my brother, who gets The Western Producer, that some time ago you published the name and address of someone who repairs and sells these spinners. I would really appreciate it if you could send me the name, address and phone number. – P.P., Brooks, Alta.
Dear P.P.: I’m sorry, we have not been able to find the address or phone number of someone who repairs these spinners. It couldn’t be found in The Western Producer records. Repair depots that I phoned said the company is no longer in business. Can any of our readers help?
