And, no, they’re not the same Gerber who make mashed peas for infants. This durable canvas carry case contains an array of 7 heavy-duty zombie-thwarting instruments, including a machete, axe and LMF II Infantry Blade. Keep it close to your backup gasoline and drinking water; $350, GerberGear.com.
Great View
Forget Instagram. If you iPhone users really want to take your photos to the next level, pick up the iPhone Lens Dial. This wonderfully weird-looking gadget contains 3 lenses compatible with your iPhone camera: a wide angle, fish eye and telephoto. The lenses rotate on an easy to manipulate dial and are housed in a slim, aircraft-grade aluminum case. It’s a slick way to take your camera shots from amateur to pro. Available for IPhone 4 and 4S only; $249, Photojojo.com.
Staying In Love
I often talk to couples wanting to recover that spark they once had, or the tingling feeling that’s no longer present. There are strategies that can help!
• Cherish and Respect: The core emotional need of a woman is to be cherished. A man’s core emotional need is to feel respected by his wife. When he comes home, he wants to feel there is at least one person in the world who thinks he’s got what it takes.
• Be Friends: The bride and groom should become “beloved friends.” Each person validates and respects the other person’s feelings and needs. Validation means: What’s important to you is important to me.
• Safe Zone: Agree to keep one basic rule at the beginning of your marriage: No matter how upset you are, never launch a verbal attack. Fighting with insults only contaminates the relationship. Instead, follow the following time-tested strategies: Listen, compromise, repair and express gratitude.
• Strong Boundaries: Set strong boundaries that show you value your marriage and don’t allow anyone or anything to weaken your relationship. That means meeting your spouse’s needs before anyone else’s, coming home with enough time left for quality time, and planning the occasional date night.
• Pleasure Time: Marriage is ultimately about making each other feel good on a daily basis. If she says she likes roses, don’t bring her sunflowers. If he likes chocolate cake, bake him brownies not a keylime pie.
›Lisette Beraja is a Psychotherapist, LMFT & Founder of Beraja Counseling Center. For more than 10 years, she’s provided guidance and counseling to individuals, families and couples. She’s also a Florida Supreme Court Family Mediator and an 11th Judicial Court approved Parenting Coordinator; 305.858.7763; BerajaCounseling.com.
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.
If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
— Albert Schweitzer
Basic Instinct
Babies are born unafraid — except for two things: falling, and loud noises, both of which are coded into their DNA for survival. The fear of spiders or tapioca pudding comes later, from experience.
Dirty Job
Snapping turtles were once used for a gruesome task: finding the bodies of drowning victims. The turtles would be tied to a rope, which would stop moving when the scavengers found something for lunch.
Messy Inbox
Wonder why your inbox is cluttered? You should be glad it isn’t worse. Studies show that 97% of email sent in the world is spam, the majority of which advertise drugs targeted at a particular part of the anatomy.
