Parenting classes are in the news, not only for parents with totally out of control children, but also for ordinary, anxious parents who find that applying simple parenting skills can result in happier children & calmer, more enjoyable home lives.

In the child-centred age of fast food, television & computer games, when family structures are less clearly defined than in the 50s & 60s, it can be more difficult for parents to take a positive, long-term view of what they are trying to achieve with their children. Not everyone wants to go to parenting classes, but everyone can benefit from what's taught there. So Cassandra Jardine has drawn on the experience & skills of Britain's two top teachers to provide the practical tools that all parents can use immediately.

This easy-to-use guide will explain why your child behaves as he/she does & will offer sensible strategies for ensuring a happy home-life, & well-balanced kids.



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In the busy, stressful life of the modern woman, there could be more feelgood mileage from running up a tray of muffins or baking a cake than in almost any other cooking. But we're so busy making efficient, 'modern' food, that we too easily forget, what Nigella demonstrates in this mouthwatering & deliciously reassuring cookbook, that actually it's not hard to make a cake, that the appreciation & satisfaction it brings are out of all proportion to the little effort involved. A domestic goddess has to maintain her cool when faced with pastry
- but with Nigella's guidance even shortcrust pastry can be pretty pain-free. Here at last is the book which understands our anxieties, feeds our fantasies & puts cakes, pies, pastries, preserves, puddings, bread & biscuits back into today's kitchen & our lives. Everything from cup cakes to certosino, from brownies to bagels, from peach cream pie to pizza, chewy amaretti to Blueberry boy-bait, from baklava to a Barbie cake, as well as children's cooking, Christmas baking & other family treats.
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Nigella shows that there can be more feelgood mileage from running up a tray of muffins or baking a sponge cake than in almost any other cooking
- & that it's not actually hard! A domestic goddess has to maintain her cool when faced with pastry, it's true- but with Nigella's guidance even shortcrust pastry can be pain-free. How to be a Domestic Goddess is the book that understands our anxieties, feeds our fantasies & puts cakes, pies, pastries, preserves, puddings, bread & biscuits back into today's kitchen & our lives. Everything from cup cakes to chocolate cakes, from brownies to bagels, from gooseberry-cream crumble to double apple pie, from pizza to pistachio macaroons, scones & muffins to cheesecakes & steamed syrup sponge, from baklava to a Barbie cake, as well as children's cooking, Christmas baking & other wonderful family festive treats.
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How to be a Gardener Book One, available at long last in paperback, is the fastest-selling gardening book of all time with sales in excess of 600, 000 copies.

In How to be a Gardener Book One, Alan Titchmarsh draws on his knowledge & passion for gardening, & his many years of experience, to give you a comprehensive guide that explores every aspect of your garden & how it works.

In this, the first of two volumes, Alan starts with the basics that every gardener needs to know. He

Includes:: information on how plants work & what they need to survive, as well as advice on where to begin if youre a first-time gardener.

Released to coincide with How to be a Gardener Revisited, a reversioned series of HTBAG 1 & 2 featuring new footage with Alan Titchmarsh in January 2005.

In setting out the basic gardening principles & explaining the hows & whys, Alan gives the novice confidence & increases the skills & understanding of more experienced gardeners, too.









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How to be a Gardener Book Two available in long last in paperback is the hugely successful follow up to the fastest-selling gardening title of all time.

Having set out the basic principles of gardening in Book One, this second volume takes an in depth look at all areas of designing & planting your garden.

Alan's love of gardening & years of experience really come to the fore as he demonstrates how to create a garden to be proud of. Covering both design & plants, the chapters include boundaries & climbers, patios & containers, borders & perennials & water & wildlife gardens.

Released to coincide with How to be a Gardener Revisited, a reversioned series of HTBAG 1 & 2 featuring new footage with Alan Titchmarsh in January 2005.

With its perfect balance of practical advice & inspirational ideas, How to be a Gardener Book Two gets to the very heart of gardening &, together with How to be a Gardener Book One, provides a complete reference manual for any garden owner.







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Stepfamilies are currently the fastest growing family type in the UK, with current estimates suggesting that 1 in 10 of all families are now stepfamilies. Yet despite the ever-growing number of stepfamilies, there remains a dearth of information & support for them.

How to be a Happy Stepmum provides the first step in this support by guiding stepmothers through the pitfalls of adapting to stepfamily life; firstly by identifying what type of stepmother they are & then by addressing each of the recognised factors related to becoming a successful & happy stepmother.

Based on sound research & written by an expert in the field, this book is essential reading for all stepmums.



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Being a beauty editor is a bit like being a doctor: wherever you go people are always asking ' What should I do about this patch of dry skin?'; ' What's the fashionable eyebrow shape?'; ' Do the latest anti-ageing creams really work?' But Baird-Murray has turned this to her advantage to write the first book that gives you the inside track: the knowledge that only models & the best connected people in the industry can hope to have. Packed with practical information, the book tells you how to get the hairstyle you want, & the colour; explains which shampoos & hair treatments work & why; discusses skin care routines & facials (including fillers & fixers); key make-up tips from the best make-up consultants in the world, right down to how to choose the right perfume. If you've ever wanted to look just a little bit better this is the book for you! ...

Making Slough Happy is made by award-winning independent production company Optomen, with prime-time programming on BBC2, transmitting in November 2005.

One of the boldest social experiments ever undertaken, this unique television event brings happiness experts from all fields & gives them just four months to make the town of Slough happy.

A fact: Although genes & upbringing influence about 50% of our happiness, circumstances (income, living environment) only affects 10%. The remaining 40% is accounted for by our outlook on life, something we all have the power to change for the better.

A simple happiness exercise: keep a diary & once a week write in it things for which you are thankful over the past week. Thats it. This is a simple but highly effective technique people who did it over 6 weeks reported a significant increase in their sense of happiness & satisfaction.

Published against the series, How to be Happy combines the very latest research with advice & exercises from the experts to give you the truth about happiness & practical ways to increase your own happiness"a.







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