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Many young children start loving school in the early years of elementary school but eventually transform into grumbling older children who would rather be somewhere else doing something other than sitting at their desks all day. It’s understandable – the older our kids get, the more pressure they feel academically. The work becomes more difficult and expectations rise. They may find that they clash with a teacher or become the target of a tyrant.

There are many reasons a child might suddenly hate school, but there are some things we can do to ease their frustration or anxiety.

Listen and empathize

When your previously school-loving child first announces that they now actually hates school, your first instinct may be to push the claim back. The answer with “Oh, you don’t mean that”, “You don’t hate school, you just had a bad day” or “But all your friends are there” doesn’t serve anyone.

Think of it this way: When you had a bad day at work and you went home to go to your partner’s house (“I don’t like my boss; I hate this job”) and your partner said, “Come on this is not true. You would not feel properly heard and validated. You are more likely to feel dismissed – and kids feel the same way when we try to convince them that they don’t really feel the way they say they do.

Instead, acknowledge their feelings and get them to open up by writing back what you hear from them, empathizing, and actively listening. Say things like, “It sounds like you’ve had a rough day – do you want to talk about it?” or “That must have been very frustrating; what happened next? ”can encourage them to share their experiences.

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Even if you confirm your feelings, be careful not to fuel the fire with emotional responses like, “You’re right – your headmaster can be a real idiot at times; I’m sick of the way he treats you. “This is not productive and, as Sue Browder writes Reader’s Digestwe can actually make certain situations worse by reacting to them, especially if they are already anxious:

Unfortunately, parents can feed a child’s fears through the way they react. With younger children, watch as they say goodbye in the first few days of school. A company “Have a nice day and I’ll pick you up at 2:30 am!” is more confidence-building than “don’t worry, I can be there in ten minutes if you need me”.

Listen and be empathetic – but resist turning emotionally about what you are experiencing.

Try the “magic wand technique”

If the problem is small enough, a magic wand (of some sort) may be all you need to enhance your experience. This idea comes from Alana Pace at Parenthood from the heart::

After listening to your child, express their worries, anger, and fears. First, empathize. Then ask him what would he do if he had a wand that would help him go to school and be in school better? He may choose to make friends, have a better relationship with his teacher, or it could be something simple that makes him feel empowered.

When my son started crying when it was time to go to school, we used this technique. His wand request was for me to wake up with him (I usually stayed in bed when he woke up at 6:30 a.m. until just after 7:00 a.m.). He also asked my husband or me to pack his backpack. These differences alone stopped the months of crying.

And even if the problem is bigger than making a few adjustments to the morning routine, this can be a great way to put the problem first so you can start …

Brainstorm solutions together

If your child hates school simply because it is boring, you can empathize with them, but there are probably few ways you can make it more fun for them. But there are many other reasons for their misery that something can actually be done about.

Sometimes kids hate school because they don’t have friends. If so, you can work on developing their social skills, such as For example, by role-playing at home so they can practice introducing themselves to other children or asking other children to play during break. Or, you can enroll them in an after-school activity that will allow them to meet other children with common interests.

If they hate school because they are having trouble keeping up with work, try to find out why. They may need glasses or tutoring – or they may even have an undiagnosed learning disability. Talk to the teacher about what he noticed in the classroom. If you are conflicting with a teacher or other student to a disruptive degree, it may be time to speak to the teacher or involve the school principal in order to more effectively address the problem.

Photo: Tatjana Baibakova (Shutterstock)

Do “ugly” product subscriptions actually reduce food waste and save you money compared to shopping at a discount store? Not quiteThat’s mostly marketing – but they’re still relatively cheap, reliable, and a convenient way to get vegetables delivered to your doorstep.

What are ugly product boxes?

The great players are Imperfect foods, Misfit market and Hungry harvestand they’re similar to subscription food boxes like Hello Fresh or Blue Apron, except that, as the names suggest, they focus on misshapen or out of spec items that are otherwise perfectly edible.

As with regular subscription grocery boxes, the groceries you choose (some of these boxes also contain other groceries like meat) are delivered to your doorstep every week. However, you can also opt out and skip weeks.

Do these boxes really reduce food waste?

All three boxes claim to use food that would otherwise be wasted. Imperfect Foods pledges to “help build a kinder, less wasteful world”. Hungry Harvest says they are “eliminating unnecessary and avoidable food waste” and Misfit Markets claims that they are “offering excellent prices on organic products due to inefficiencies within the food system”.

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But, as we mentioned earlierAlthough these subscription boxes are dependent on products of the second class, so do food services, food banks and groceries in the lower price range – which also compete in the same place as these subscription boxes. Real “ugly” products are really only made into juice, jam, baked goods, salsa, soups or guacamole.

Food waste is a real problem, of course, but that’s a problem related to overproduction, especially with crops generate a flood of products in a short time and are wasted. Plus, these ugly product boxes make up a tiny part of the grocery market. Whatever the impact of these companies, they are minimal in terms of size.

are these boxes cheaper than a grocery store?

It is comparable to the prices you find in discount grocery chains (as opposed to Wegmans or Whole Foods, for example). There is a Choice of optionsIn general, however, these boxes cost anywhere from $ 20 to $ 30. The shipping cost is about $ 5.

Most reviews suggest that there is a cost over the equal than shopping in a grocery store, although you can get a few breaks here and there for certain items (less for the prepackaged items). This can be seen when I compared Imperfect Foods prices to a discount grocery chain in the same area where the box was delivered:

• Bag of kale, chopped: 65 cents more expensive
• Asparagus: 2 dollars cheaper
• Green pepper: Same price
• A pound of red potatoes: Same price
• One avocado: 11 cents cheaper
• Carrots: 50 cents cheaper
• One pound of ground chicken: 50 cents more expensive
• Unhardened Turkey Francs: $ 2 more expensive

Of course, the value also depends on the quality of the products available in your region. So you have to try these boxes out to really know which option is better. Also, consider shipping costs and the inability to make your own selections by hand, as these could potentially negate the savings you would get on grocery prices.

Bottom line

Despite some overhyped marketing, ugly product boxes can still be a good and affordable option if you want the convenience of having products delivered to your doorstep at a reasonable price. For what’s worth it, two Lifehacker employees subscribe to Ugly Product Boxes and are happy with what they get (one says they eat more products, another says it helps plan meals for the week) . So if you think the cost is reasonable, it is definitely worth a try. However, it is unlikely to be a major nuisance in terms of food waste prevention. Or you can save a lot of money.

Do you still have tech from 2009 or something? Maybe an old CPU or motherboard that sits in a box in your closet “just in case” you need a backup? What about a Dell? If you or someone you care about is still using a Dell computer made between the start of Barack Obama’s first term and now, make sure you don’t need an important security update that has just been deleted.

The update resolves a vulnerability with the Windows driver dbutil_2_3.sys, which Dell says may have been installed on your Dell Windows operating system while using Firmware Update Utilities, Dell Command Update, Dell Update, Alienware Update, and Dell System Inventory Agent or Dell Platform Tags, even if you are using a Dell notification solution to update drivers, BIOS, or firmware for your system. “

It is highly recommended that you use a handy Dell utility to remove this driver and install updated software that will prevent the unwanted driver from showing up on your system at a later date. According to Dell, this vulnerability, which has a severity rating of 8.8 out of 10, could result in privilege escalation, denial of service, or information disclosure. (It is worth noting, however, that an attacker would need “locally authenticated access” to their computer in order to take advantage of this vulnerability – either in person or through some form of malware / phishing / RAS exploit.)

First, download and run the Dell Security Advisory Update – DSA-2021-088. usefulnesswho should find and remove dbutil_2_3.sys for you. You can also search for this file manually. It could occur in one of two places:

• C: Users AppData Local Temp
• C: Windows Temp

If or when you find the file yourself, just hit Shift + Delete to banish it in the dark.

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You can also wait until May 10th and then perform a regular system update with any Dell built-in toolsLike SupportAssist or Dell Update, the DSA-2021-088 utility will be installed and run automatically. You’ll need to run one of these tools anyway to install the newer firmware update mentioned above, which will prevent this older, vulnerable driver from making its way back to your system.

To keep it simple I would probably just wait until May 10th. Find and install any system updates you want Dell to run this week. If it doesn’t, you are in luck and your system is not affected. (You can also check to see if finding your specific Dell system in the 380 affected Dell PCs affects you on this page.)

For security reasons, run your update tools next week, whether or not you find your system on this list. It never hurts to have the latest PC you can get – software and firmware. The silver lining for all of this? According to Dell“The company is unaware that this vulnerability has previously been exploited by malicious actors.” So this is not a type of update, but one that you want to address.

Photo: Michelle Lee Photography (Shutterstock)

Rice vinegar (or rice wine vinegar) is a staple ingredient used in a wide variety of Asian dishes, and there are many different types. It’s much milder than white vinegar (at about half the acidity), can be made from white, brown, black, or red rice, and it can also be flavored with other ingredients like sugar, salt, and MSG. Seasoned rice vinegar makes a great one Two ingredient cucumber, a bomb salad dressing, and exquisite sushi rice (although it’s good on any rice in my opinion).

The taste of white rice vinegar can vary depending on the style – Japanese rice vinegars tend to be more sensitive than their Chinese counterparts. Brown rice vinegar is made from unpolished brown rice and has a darker, roasted color and a few other nutrients.

Red rice vinegar is made from fermented rice, which gives it its color and slight sweetness. Some brands have a distinctive wine-like taste. According to The woks of lifeRed rice vinegar is “probably the least used type of rice vinegar in Chinese cuisine,” but it has some very specific, very delicious uses, such as: B. roasted Chinese pigeons, dipping sauces and as a finisher for soups.

Black rice vinegar is made from fermented black sticky rice (or sticky rice) and other grains like sorghum, millet, and / or wheat. There are Chinese black rice vinegar and Japanese black rice vinegars, and both have a distinct smoky taste and a deep, dark color. It’s a fantastic seasoning – just sprinkle on top and you’re good to go – as well as a great base to dip sauces and stir fries together.