Sex is everywhere in popular culture. If a TV show, movie, song, or music video raises an issue related to sex, seize the opportunity to have a conversation.  If a show is talking about teen pregnancy, you might  initiate a discussion about contraception. If a music video seems to glorify sex, you could start a conversation about the importance of consent. This should not be a one and done chat, but an ongoing conversation that you return to often in daily life. Chat when you’re doing chores, cooking dinner, or riding in the car.  These moments can make communication easier because they feel more casual.  Try to be respectful of your teen’s privacy and potential embarrassment about sex by not holding such discussions around friends, siblings, or significant others. To keep your teen engaged, you should treat your discussion as a two way conversation. Encourage your teen to ask questions, and talk to them instead of at them. Try to understand your teen’s concerns, pressures, and challenges.  Clarify if you aren’t sure what your teen is asking. Say “Do you mean...?” or “Can you repeat that? I want to be sure I understand what you’re saying.”  Don’t laugh when your teen asks a question. It could make them shut down. Don’t skirt around uncomfortable topics. Get everything out that needs to be said, and answer your teen’s questions as honestly as possible. If you feel uncomfortable or don’t know an answer, it’s perfectly fine to admit it. If you aren’t sure about an answer, offer to look it up. Or, you and your teen could research the question together! Tell your teen that they can always come to you with any questions or concerns they have about sex. After every talk, let them know you’re happy that they reached out to you. Say something like, “I’m so happy that you felt comfortable coming to me. It means a lot.”
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One-sentence summary -- Use pop culture as a starting point for conversation. Take advantage of daily moments to talk about sex. Have a conversation, not a lecture. Be honest and direct in your discussion. Keep the door open for future conversations.


Pack a lunch and strike out for adventure. Look up local parks in your area and choose a scenic trail. You don't need to go on an epic hike--just strolling around a small, local park can be a gratifying encounter with nature. Go to the ocean or a nearby lake, spread out your towel, and soak up some sun. You can swim, play beach volleyball, frisbee, or just relax and read a book. Beach comb and look for sea glass and shells and use them in an art project later. If you don't have a sled you can use a piece of cardboard, a laundry basket, or the lid of a plastic container or big trash can.  Try ice skating. Initiate a snowball fight. Most museums have a free day, either once a week or once a month. Try getting there early, since lot's of other people are bound to have the same idea. Check with your local library for free museum pass. Some libraries have single-day passes to museums and other attractions in your area that can be used any day of the week (you may have to reserve them in advance). Ask your friends to bring one of their favorite films, pop some popcorn, and settle in for a lazy day of good cinema.  Set up a backyard film festival. Hang a white sheet in your back yard, borrow a projector, and cover the ground with blankets so you can watch movies under the stars. Ask your friends to contribute by bringing some snacks and sodas. Hosting pot-luck style will keep you from spending lots of money on food and drinks. Experience the great outdoors without leaving your neighborhood. Set up a tent, toast marshmallows over a backyard fire or grill, and tell spooky stories. If you get too cold or freaked out in the night, you can just go inside to the comfort of your own bed. in your house or room. You'll be amazed by how re-energizing it can be to change up the placement of the furniture in your house. You'll be giving your house a makeover without spending a dime.
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One-sentence summary -- Go for a hike. Have a beach day. Go sledding if it's a snowy day. Visit a museum on a free day. Host a film festival. Camp in your backyard. Rearrange your furniture


Hold a level on the ground and against the wall to find the floor’s highest point. Measure up the wall about 48 in (120 cm) or 19 1⁄2 in (50 cm) above a lower cabinet. Mark this spot with a pencil and draw a straight line through it all the way across the wall.  Use a ruler to trace any lines. You want to keep them as straight as possible since you’ll use them as references when hanging the cabinets. When you’re finished tracing the line, you can use a level to check it. Using a tape measure, note the dimensions of the cabinets. The line you drew earlier represents their bottom edge. Measure up from it to sketch the cabinet’s height. Then, use the ruler to make a 2nd straight line all the way across the wall so you can keep the cabinets level later. When hanging multiple cabinets, always start with the corner cabinet if there is 1. Otherwise, start with the leftmost cabinet. The cabinets need to be screwed into the wood studs in the wall. The easiest way to find them is with a stud finder purchased from a home improvement store. Mark these spots in pencil so you know where to hang the cabinets.  Another way to find the studs is to knock on the wall. You’ll hear a lower, fuller sound when hitting a stud instead of empty space. If you can’t find the studs, you can do it by drilling partway into the wall about every 16 in (41 cm). You’ll have to repair these spots with spackling or another substance before hanging the cabinets. First, measure the length between the studs, then transfer this onto the cabinets. The cabinets will have a thick support rail on the top and bottom. There should be 1 mark on each of both rails. Some cabinets will have another one of these thick support rails in the middle that you should also mark. At the home improvement store, pick up a 1 in × 4 in (2.5 cm × 10.2 cm) ledger board or wall cleat. Line the board’s top edge up with the bottom line you drew. Use 1 1⁄4 in (3.2 cm) drywall screws to secure it to the wall. This board ensures the cabinets are level upon installation.  If you have a friend who will hold the cabinets as you install them, you don’t need a ledger board. Instead of a ledger board, you may also use a cabinet jack. Set the cabinet on the jack and raise the jack up so you can reach the cabinets while you work.
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One-sentence summary --
Measure up from the floor to find where the cabinets will rest. Outline where the 1st cabinet will hang. Mark the stud locations on the wall. Mark the length between studs on the cabinets’ backs. Hang a ledger board on the bottom line you traced.