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British schoolchildren sit up to 70 exams and tests before they reach their GCSEs. But there are ways to ease the stress at exam time.

What a child eats and drinks in the run-up to exams can influence how clearly they think and how happy they feel. A balanced diet with lots of fruit and vegetables, fish and complex carbohydrates such as brown bread and beans will help them concentrate and think clearly. Too much high-fat, high-sugar and high-caffeine food and drink such as cola, chips, burgers and chocolate can make studying harder.

Sleeping well and for long enough to feel rested, around six to eight hours for most people, will help thinking and concentration. Allow half an hour or so for kids to wind down between studying, watching TV or using a computer and going to bed to help them get a good night's sleep. Regular exercise also helps them sleep better. Cramming all night before an exam is usually a bad idea.

Parentline Plus advises parents to be flexible around exam time. When a child is revising all day don't worry about household jobs that are left undone or untidy bedrooms. Staying calm yourself if they're a bit moody can help. Help a child to revise by making sure they have somewhere comfortable to study.

Remind your child that feeling nervous is normal. Nervousness is a typical reaction to exams, says teachernet. All students will feel it. The key is to put these nerves to positive use. Being reminded of what they do know and the time they have put into study can help them feel confident that they can reach their potential.

Support group Childline produces a handy leaflet on beating exam stress. "Keep things in perspective," says Rosanne Pearce, a senior supervisor. "Listen to children, give support and avoid criticism." Before they go in for a test or exam, be reassuring and positive. After each exam, encourage a child to talk it through with you. Then move on and focus on the next test, rather than dwelling on things that can't be changed.

Having definite objectives will help you to work towards your goals. Break them down into smaller ones as you work towards your ultimate goals. It is much better than having everything going round in your head and being unsure whether you are actually carrying out your plans.

Keep abreast of what your competitors are doing. Many times I talk to people who are in business and yet have no idea even of who their competitors are.' Also find out about your customers. Who are they? What and why do they purchase from you? This will.help you to get more of the right type of customers.

On a regular basis you need to continuously review and monitor your progress and where you are. Monitoring the progress means that if something isn't working you can modify it immediately. This will help you to take your business to the next level.

Get help from experts - use their knowledge to help you grow your business. Recruit a PR person, a bookkeeper, an admin person etc. Check out the expert advice and list of recommended experts contained in the Business Essentials section of the Mums in Business website. Ensure you have the support network

- family, friends and of course Mums in Business.

We often get lost in our businesses, especially when it is new, so try and take time out for yourself on a regular basis. Treat yourself to lunch with friends, get your hair/nails done, play golf, go shopping etc. Every one of us has the ability to achieve our goals and dreams. So believe in yourself, believe that you can do it

and with help and support from your friends and family this is possible.

Museum of the Early Middle Ages Viale Lincoln, 3.

Tel. 0654228199.

Opening hours: 9a.m. -1.30 p.m. Closed: Mondays.

Admission: € 1 , reduced € 1 .

Items from the late Antiquity and from the early Middle Ages.

In this museum you will ...

Wax Museum

Piazza S.S. Apostoli, 67. Tel. 066796482.

Opening hours: 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Admission: €8, reduced €6. 110 statues of celebrities.

In this museum you will ...

National Museum

Via Merulana, 248. Tel. 0646974831.

Opening hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 9 a.m. — 2 p.m.,

Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and holidays, 9 a.m. -7.30 p.m., Closed: Mondays. Admission: €6, reduced €~.

Material from excavations in the Middle and Far East.

In this museum will you...

National Museum of Popular Art and Traditions

Piacca Marconi, 8. Tel. 065926148.

Opening hours: Tuesday- Sunday 9 a.m. — 8 p.m. Closed: Mondays.

Admission: €4, reduced €2.

Costumes and aspects of the traditional Italian life.

In this museum you will

Central Museum of the Italian "Risorgimento "

Complesso del Vittoriano, Via San Pietro in Carcere.

Tel. 066793526. www.risorgimento.it

Opening hours: 9.30 a.m. - 6.30 p.m. Closed on the first Monday of the month. Admission: free.

The great rooms inside the Vittoriano host over 500 works of art, old photographs, relics and arms telling of the unification of Italy from the beginning of the 19th century to the end of the First World War. Historical documentaries are subtitled in English.

In this museum you will ...

The Virginia War Museum

See one of the nation's largest collections of military posters, plus uniforms, insignia, weapons, vehicles, and photographs — a collection of more than 60,000 artifacts from 1775 to the present: U.S. military history comes out of the history book in this visually exciting museum filled with military memorabilia. 247-8523.

Admission: €8

In this museum you will ...