Spring-Cleaning

Six steps to help you spring-clean your mind, body and emotions.

Spring officially arrives tomorrow! After the long, cold winter months, springtime brings a promise of nicer days. The season makes us want to throw open our windows and enjoy some warmth.  Springtime also gives many of us the desire to clean things up. This year, though, why stop with just the house? Let's also bring some order to our mind, body and emotions.
Here are some ideas to help get started:

Reconnect-
*** with nature.
Try to spend some time each day in the sunshine. Walk to work  or walk your dog. Take a book to the park, sit under a tree, and read. Outdoor activities will provide the healthy vitamin D your body needs after a long winter.

*** with friends and loved ones.
Call a friend you haven't seen for a while and meet for lunch. Take your family on a hike. Plan, prepare, and eat a meal together as a family. Loving relationships refresh our emotions.

Pare down:
*** the clutter because an organized home leads to  an organized mind. Go through your clothes, and give away anything you didn't wear last season. Then pledge to give away one clothing item for every new one you buy. Look through your old magazines and newspapers. If they are a month old and you haven't read them, the odds are you never will. Get in the habit of cutting out articles you want to keep. Then throw away the rest of the paper. (Studio Classroom magazine is the exception! You'll want to keep it for future study and review.)

*** your spending. If you don't have a budget, now is a good time to make one. A budget will help you eliminate needless spending. You'll be surprised how much you can save in just a short time.

*** your weight. Replace all your junk food with healthy snacks. Spring is also a great time to begin exercising.

Unplug
***electronic devices and the television. During the winter, it's easy to spend hours each day in front of a screen. But spring's nice weather seems to invite us outside. Why not set aside a few hours, leave all electronic devices at home and go out. You may be surprised how free you'll feel without non stop texts and phone calls.

Clear
***your mind. Treat yourself to a spa. Or create your won spa at home with a warm bath scented candles and soft music. Allow yourself to completely relax, and feel your worries slip away.

Join
***a new group. Sports teams, dance classes, photography clubs, etc. help you meet new people and learn new skills.

Go
***to a museum, play or concert. These events will stretch your mind and feed your soul. Why not welcome spring this year with a freshly cleaned home and a renewed mind and body!


Grammar Tips:
Get in the habit of cutting out articles you want to keep.
"get in the habit of "= "develop the habit of ".
Get in the habit of recycling.
How do I get in the habit of exercising every day?
Becky got in the habit of chewing her nails whenever she felt nervous about her work.

Vocabulary Tips:
warmth (n)-温暖，亲切，热情。 warm (adj)-温暖，
*Surrounded by the warmth of the fireplace, the girl fell asleep.
*We would never forget the warmth of the town's people.
reconnect -重新连结，使再结合。 "connect"连接，连结， -, "re"-再一次
*The electricity will be reconnected in five minutes. 恢复电力供应。
*We have to reconnect with our previous suppliers to get sufficient materials.
refresh - 使振作精神，重新得力，更新，使恢复体力。"re"- “再一次，"fresh"-精力充沛
*I refreshed myself with a walk in the woods.
*A glass of iced tea can refresh you right away.
pare down -削减，减少。reduce, make things less to living only with neccessary things. "pare"-削皮，减掉
*We have to pare down our expenses by 10% then we will be able to pay all the bills.
*The manager pared down the advertising budget.
clutter-杂物，零乱的东西，杂乱的东西。stuff that does not look nice, most are unused.
*Dad spent a whole weekend to clear out the clutter in the garage.
*His dorm room is full of clutter.
odds - 机率，可能性。
*If you begin your business without careful planning, the odds of succeeding are very poor.
*What are the odds our team will win?
*The odds are that this product will be very popular.
unplug - 拔掉电源。"un"-“不”， "plug"-接通电源。
*Sean unplugged all the appliances before leaving the house.
*Dad decided to unplug our TV so we would have more quality time.
set aside-留出来，空出来，拨出，挪出，放在旁边。 save them for something.
*Vince always sets aside one hour everyday to exercise.
*Tanya and her husband set aside some money every month for their children's education.
scented -有香味的，芳香的 scent- 香味good smell.
*The scented tissures are very poplular, especially among femals.
*These scented candles were one of our wedding gifts.
electronic - something use  electricity to work.
spa - a place provide people a nice, pretty and calm feeling, people fell relax and enjoy.
renew- make new that can last longer.
pledge-promise.

Chat Room:
spring-春天，春，弹簧，弹跳，跳躍
Spring officially arrives tomorrow!
spring chicken -春鸡，小鸡， 年轻人。通常用在否定句，“不再年轻了” 当年纪大的人不服老，还常和年轻小伙子们打蓝球，体能，行动跟不上年轻人了。可说"You are no spring chicken."
No spring chicken - 不再年轻了
You are no spring chicken.不再年轻了
spring to mind-突然的（跳）出现在脑海中
spring a surprise on you -突然提出某事让你惊讶。
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habit -嗜好，习惯。
have a habit - "have" 养成，有
I have a bad habit.
in the habit -特定的习惯。
I'm in the habit of drinking coffee every morning.
Get in the habit of cutting out articles you want to keep.
break the habit = kick the habit - 改掉习惯。
by force of habit - 出于习惯性的，习惯性的。
You wake up early by force of habit. 习惯性的早起，虽是假日，也自然的因习惯性而早起。
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slip away - 悄悄地溜走。usually use this idiom in a situation that "you don't want to be there"
slip - 轻轻的，悄悄地，没人注意的滑 （溜）走。逃走。
Allow yourself to completely relax and fell your worries slip away.
slip away-逃走，悄悄溜走。
slip away from the police. 坏人从警察面前逃溜走。
slip out 不告而别，神不知，鬼不觉地离开（有心的）。与 slip away 意思相近。机会悄悄地溜走。

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