Guide To Massaging New Born Babies

Newborns simply love to be touched and cuddled. The skin to skin touch helps you and your baby bond, comforts your baby when she is upset or uneasy with gas or colic problems. Hence, touch is a critical part of growth and development.

The massage strokes used on adults are completely different from the strokes to be used on newborns. You can adapt the adult strokes to massage your child. Just make sure that your strokes are lighter on them. The younger they are, more delicate and smaller will be the strokes be.

It is ideal that you take your child either on your lap or lay him on any kind of elevated soft surface such as few thick towels put together. Be very gentle while massaging. If your child cries or does not enjoy it, stop massaging till it feels comfortable about the whole thing.

Massage steps for the front of the body

- Lay the child on the back. Start by stroking gently the face, move to the middle of the forehead and temples

- Stroke the cheeks from nose to ears and back moving down to the chin. Gently stroke the area around the eyes.

- Stroke the front of the body along the arms. Make clockwise circles around the navel with both hands. Do gentle wringing action across the abdomen and up the body.

- Take one arm at a time, start stroking from shoulder to hand to fingers. Massage the hand, squeeze and rotate each of the fingers in turn. Do the same for other arm.

- Take one leg at time. Do a gentle wring or squeeze up the leg and stroke down the leg. Do the same for other arm.

Massage steps for the back of the body

- Lay the child stomach down. Stoke up and over the back and along the arms.

- Do a gentle kneading on the child's shoulder

- Do a gentle wringing stroke all over the body. Massage the rear side with gentle kneading or pinching strokes.

- Slide smoothly down the spine alternating with both the hands. Start from the base of the neck and move to working down to the base of spine.

- Gently stroke the legs, bending the knee up and working all the way to the foot.

- Hold the anklebone between your fingertips and move both the hands in circular motion.

- Squeeze the heal with one hand and use the thumb of your other hand to massage the sole of the foot.

- Massage the toes by gentle squeezing, rotating and pulling it in turns. Hold the foot firmly between your hands for few seconds. Repeat the same for massaging the backside of other leg.

Lastly, turn the baby over and give it a final massage in two strokes. Start from one foot up the leg, across the lower abdomen and move down the other leg. Do light strokes from the top of head right down to the feet.

To massage the baby having gas or digestive problems, use the I Love You technique.

- Lay the baby on the back and undress it completely or just leave the diaper on.

- Use two or three fingers of your right hand to trace the alphabet I on the right side of the abdomen with gentle, yet firm movements.

- Next do a gentle stroke from left to right across the baby's abdomen and then do a small downward stroke along the right side of his stomach forming upside down L alphabet.

- Last, stroke up from the left side of your baby's hipbone moving towards the left side of the abdomen, across the baby?s body from left to right horizontally along the stomach and finally finish by stroking down the right side in the same manner, forming the U alphabet in upside down direction.

Kevin Pederson, Webmaster of sites related to Massage Therapy, a combination of science and art, provides a relaxing experience by artistic hand strokes on the body to rejuvenate the mind and body and eliminate stress scientifically.

10 Tips for Peaceful Crafting with the Kids

Are you looking for ways to keep craft time with your children simple and fun? If so, I hope you will put some of the following suggestions to use.

1. Find the craft the kids want to make and then make a list of all the supplies you will need to make the craft.

2. If you do not have everything on hand add the supplies you need to your shopping list so you will not forget them.

3. Put a plastic table cloth down where you will be crafting.

4. Have all supplies laid out before you announce craft time to your kids.

5. Use non-toxic paints, glues, etc.

6. Have wet wipes and paper towels handy for spills.

7. Always try to have extra supplies in case something is lost or torn, etc.

8. Let them wear old clothes so you will not be stressed out over ruining what they are wearing.

9. Show the kids how to do the craft but let them do it in their own way. If you insist on it being perfect then you might as well do the craft yourself and forget about having craft time with the kids. It also makes the children think that everything has to be perfect and that their best is not good enough. Sometimes little hands need help but you know you have gone too far when you are the only one left at the craft table.

10. Have fun! Don't worry about a little paint on their hands & faces, take pictures instead.

I hope you will try these suggestions for a stress free craft time with your children. Show them how to have fun, they will learn how to be stressed out way too soon anyway.

Angela Billings is the founder of Home and Family Ezine and offers recipes and tips for better living. http://www.homeandfamilyezine.com

Turn Your Dog into the Perfect Family Companion

A well-trained dog will make a much better family companion. This is especially true in households with young children or elders. Proper dog training has been known to cut down on common problems such as biting, jumping, and messing up in the house.

Whether you are training your dog yourself, or hiring someone else to train it, there are 5 basic commands that every dog must master. These include sit, stay, down, and heel. One of the most important ones, however, is simply the word no. You cannot properly train your dog without gaining their respect. This one simple word can save you a ton of hardship.

Now, you may be wondering how to establish this vital element of respect. Keep in mind that dogs are pack animals. They continually look to their pack leader to tell them what to do. The key here is to set yourself up as the pack leader.

If you don?t establish yourself as the dominant leader, you will run into a variety of behavior problems.

Dogs were originally trained by humans to do important work. By providing your dog with basic obedience training and ongoing training sessions, you are giving them an important job to. This alone can alleviate boredom and neurotic behavior.

Don't forget to provide your dog with plenty of play time. It is important to always incorporate fun things into every dog training session. This crucial time strengthens the important bond between you and your dog.

For more information on proper dog training, visit http://www.stickyarticle.com/dog-training

Archiving Our Families

?We do not remember days. We remember moments.? Casare Pavese

A couple of weeks ago, a dear reader emailed me for help on documenting her family?s life and history. For several generations, we knew this as ?stuffing pictures in shoe boxes.? If we were super-organized, we used photo albums.? Today, we call this ?scrapbooking.?

The fastest growing hobby in our country?with more than 25 million Americans, or 1 in every four households, participating?it didn?t even exist as an industry eighteen years ago, when I first contemplated how I would document and organize our own family photos?or ?memories? as they are now called. Less than ten years old as an industry, scrapbooking holds more than 52, 000 sites on the Internet; over 4,000 retail stores support this multi-billion dollar industry and even traditional stores such as office supply giants, pharmacies, groceries, and gift shops all carry a sampling of scrapbooking products. The maze is?to me anyway?completely overwhelming. To even partially navigate its many avenues both exhausts and bewilders me.

When you calculate the time and expense required to not only take quality photos (a high quality 35 mm camera, digital camera, and video camera are all practically required paraphernalia), it boggles one?s mind to add in the additional cost of documenting your pix once developed. The average ?scrapper? spends $50 per month on her hobby, or roughly $600 a year in supplies. Scrapbook papers generally cost anywhere from 10 cents a piece to upwards of 50 cents a piece (while browsing online sites I came across some fabulous specialty papers for my ?military enthusiast son,? so I purchased papers with a military theme; they cost 45 cents a pop plus shipping) Add to that the cost of stickers, brads, and trinkets?all totally adorable in their own rite?and your personal scrapbooking arsenal just escalated another couple hundred degrees.

And what about ink pads and rubber stamps? Gotta have those, too. At anywhere from a couple dollars to ten to twelve dollars for a decent stamp?as well as several dollars per each ink pad (gotta have all those wonderful colors, you know!)?you?re by now in this stuff too deep to escape fiscally unscathed.

And we haven?t even gotten to embossing yet.

Oh, geez.

So what?s a rocket mom to do? Practically speaking, at what point do you jump onto the scrapbooking craze while maintaining all of the other parenting strategies deemed so important in raising brilliant kids? I mean: can you really instill a musical heritage into your kids, immerse them into sports and exercise, and shape their character and help them to become more spiritually mature?and scrapbook all at the same time? Are there really enough hours in the day to get in a good workout at the gym, get dinner on the table?and scrapbook? Can you add community service to your calendar as well as add colorful borders to your family photos? And is it really possible to hammer in that decorative brad (which seriously requires a good whack on the kitchen cutting board) and keep the baby down for a nap all at the same time?!?

OK. Enough already. Here?s my advice on getting your arms around the whole scrapbooking/creative memories/documenting-your-family-history thing:

? Find an organizational scheme that you think you can stick with over the next dozen years or so. Trust me: motherhood, while certainly easier in some ways over the years, does not get any less demanding. You just shift areas in which you spend your time. Time, money, and energy are your three most valuable resources today?and they will continue to be until the day you ?go up.? So find a system to which you believe you can reasonably commit. If the whole idea of scrapbooking each and every page of your baby journals wears you out (as it would me), then switch to a system that is less creatively taxing. My personal choice: photo albums from Exposures. (www.exposures.com) They?ve been in business long enough that I trust they?ll be there as long as we all still need their stuff. The last thing you need to worry about while selecting a system is the possibility of changing it mid-stream. I researched their product line until I was nauseous. I wound up using over-sized, attractive three-ring binders (offered in three different colors) that work perfectly for our family. I buy a few at a time so I know I?ll never ?run out.? I also buy their archival scrapbook paper, and use old-fashioned photo corners for every picture. You might want to look for albums that are offered in a variety of colors, in case you?d like to color-code your family. (see http://www.selfhelpcenters.com/family.asp#1 for my recent article ?Color-Coding Your World?)

? Decide if you want to be a ?documenter? or a ?scrapper.? There?s a world of difference here. ?Documenters? organize their pictures once retrieved from the store (pharmacy, Costco, etc.) and then put them into albums. Sure?you can add titles, captions, dates, and quick journal entries. You can even use color! But you don?t spend an inordinate amount of time on each page. ?Scrappers,? on the other hand, make each page of photos a veritable work of art. They use artsy background papers; crop each photo; add beautiful borders; make great use of sticker art, brads, and trinkets; and punch designs to coordinate with the page theme. You should decide which path you?re likely to travel down as soon as possible. Like it or not, you need to get your system?a system, any system?down before you take the plunge, as each system requires a hefty financial commitment. (The only inexpensive alternative is to buy cheap albums from a discount store (with those old-fashioned non-archival magnetic pages) and throw in your photos. You wouldn?t do that, I?m sure?)

? Start collecting art and craft supplies. Regardless of which system you use, your children?s happy childhoods require that you spend time ?doing art.? Make regular art days part of your family?s weekly schedule. Those rubber stamps and ink pads that you?re picking up on sale now will become a wonderful collection down the road. Let?s face it: you need colored markers, pencils, pens, paints and papers anyway. They all add to your children?s artistic development. So perhaps documenting or scrapping your family?s memories will be part of your regular art day for the next few years. OK?so you?re not going to take up sculpting for awhile?or oil painting, rug hooking, or knitting. That?s alright. Just stay on track, keep picking up supplies, continue to browse art supply stores, and purchase fun stuff as you see fit. If you find yourself drawn to fancy papers and expensive stickers?go ahead and splurge. You?re going to need some of this stuff anyway, so try to make thoughtful and purposeful buying decisions rather than compulsive ones!

? Try to stay on top of things. But don?t beat yourself up if you fall behind. I always tried to use holidays and summers to catch up with my albums, but with major moves in four of the past six summers, those plans went to pieces. So I am terribly behind in organizing and documenting my family?s life. OK. So life goes on. I just commit that when I have time I?ll renew my photo journey. It?s a process. It?ll never be finished?so I don?t let myself get all whacky over it. If possible, though, you should come up with some system: perhaps you are on the ball enough that each and every time you pick up pix from the developer, you immediately put them into albums. You?d get an extra cherry in your sundae at my house. Perhaps after you pick up your pix you throw them all into a large drawer, with the hopes of organizing them one day. (That?s been me these last few years.) OK. So that?s a system, too. Just be sure that ?one day? isn?t too far into the future, promise?!?

? Figure out where this all fits into your family?s direction. You may be committed to too many things?professionally and personally. This may simply have too small a role in your family?s ?purpose.? The commitment of energy alone to the whole scrapping thing might wear you out, leaving you feeling totally unglued and unable to do the other things in which you are truly passionate about! That?s OK!!!!! Maybe this just isn?t your time!!! Stop beating yourself up. You may prefer to use your fingers teaching your child to finger-paint, your lap rocking your newborn, and your energy driving your kids to music lessons. You might rather use your discretionary funds supporting a missionary rather than spending it on pretty background papers for family photos. I can?t tell you what?s right for you. I can only help do the heavy lifting. So I?ve done the research, evaluated some of the options, and am presenting them to you for your ultimate decision. I can help to equip you?and encourage you?to propel you to excellence. But in the end, this is your archiving. Above all, don?t stress about this. Spend time your kids first and foremost?and these decisions will fall easily into place in due time.

Carolina Fernandez earned an M.B.A. and worked at IBM and as a stockbroker at Merrill Lynch before coming home to work as a wife and mother of four. She totally re-invented herself along the way. Strong convictions were born about the role of the arts in child development; ten years of homeschooling and raising four kids provide fertile soil for devising creative parenting strategies. These are played out in ROCKET MOM! 7 Strategies To Blast You Into Brilliance. It is widely available online, in bookstores or through 888-476-2493. She writes extensively for a variety of parenting resources and teaches other moms via seminars, workshops, keynotes and monthly meetings of the ROCKET MOM SOCIETY, a sisterhood group she launched to ?encourage, equip and empower moms for excellence.? Please visit http://www.rocketmom.com.

4 Principles to Follow to Avoid Credit Card Debt During the Holiday Seasons

The holiday season has arrived. It is time to celebrate, make merry, and have fun. Travel plans have been made, lists of gifts for family and friends have been drawn up, and arrangements for parties are in full gear. It is indeed the season to be jolly, but also the season when spending runs wild.

Business people usually cash in on the holiday seasons to maximize their sales and profits. It will be high season for them. They will stock up, price up and smile all the way to the bank. They know that people will be less restrained in their suspending than at any other time. It possible that you may be among the many who have suffered post-holiday season financial stress, and want to make sure it does not happen again. Your success in this will be determined by how well you control three critical factors: your increased rate of spending, the manner in which you finance that spending, and the heavy financial demands that follow in the subsequent month.

Financing Using Plastic

With holidays like Christmas or the New Year seeming to come round too quickly, people often find they have not saved up enough for their celebrations. Moreover, budgeting is an alien concept during this and spending can spiral out of control. To cover the inevitable shortfall in resources, the credit card is an obvious attraction. There are advantages to using the card to finance your expenditure:

i) It gives you free access to about a month?s credit.

ii) It gives you the temporary ability to spend beyond your current means.

iii) It allows you to track your expenditure.

iv) You do not have to carry lots of cash around with you.

Use of credit card, how ever, does carry with it significant dangers if it is not carefully controlled. Research indicates that spending could increase by up to 35% when using a credit card compared with using cash. Here are some key principles to help you guard against running into credit card debt trouble.

1. Spending Plan

If your spending is going to exceed your income for the festive month, consider cutting intended festive expenses, or other expenses, to stay within your income. I am assuming you have drawn up your spending plan for that period. That?s where a credit card comes to the rescue. Though not readily apparent, the use of your credit card can create distortions in the management of your finances. Unless you are monitoring your spending in both cash and credit, there is a danger that you will be uncertain whether or not you are living within your means. It would therefore be unwise to begin using a credit card if you are not in control of your finances, that means using a spending plan.

2. Debt to Income Ratio

Do not forget that use of your credit card adds to your indebtness. In managing your financial affairs, one of the key indicators to watch is your debt-income ratio. This is monthly debt repayment as a percentage of your monthly after-tax income, and raises a red flag when you tinker with too much debt. A ratio of over 20% is becoming unhealthy. If you already have credit card debt that is overdue, do not add to it.

3. Bridging Finance

Use of a credit card is ideally a means of short- term financing of your operations. That means settling any debt incurred using your card within days. Paying the minimum balance will not do. If you are not confident that you can pay it off in full, you wound do yourself a huge favor by not using a credit card. Should you decide to go ahead and use a card, you need to be prepared for extra costs in interest and penalties associated with extended credit. This adds to your expenses, and you need to be ready to be ready to reduce other regular expense to accommodate this, otherwise you run the risk of creating ongoing hard-core debt

4. Net Worth

Credit card debt incurred during the festive season is usually for consumer spending- paying for your holiday, buying gifts, entertainment, traveling expenses, etc and creates what is known as consumer debt. This kind of debt adds to your liabilities, but contributes nothing to your assets. Your net worth is reduced to the extent of consumer debt incurred. Shrinking net worth is not good for your financial health. So do have yourself a happy holiday. But as you go about it, finance it in a way that gives you the comfort that you won't be debt-laden the following month.

Gerald Njuguna is the owner of http://www.CreditCardPerfection.com, a site which teaches people on how to apply for a credit card. Visit the site, view more information on credit cards and apply online.

Industrial Vacuum Cleaner Buying Tips

It is good to invest in a good industrial vacuum cleaner. Not only will a well-made one be your constant partner in ridding your home or office of unsightly dust and dirt, but it will also be your longtime ally in your combat against germs and diseases.

Thus, when choosing an industrial vacuum cleaner, you have to place each option against a list of guidelines, so that you are that you are getting value for your money. Industrial vacuum cleaners can be quite expensive, so you have to be careful with your choice.

Here are some things you need to look into when you're hunting for the perfect industrial vacuum cleaner.

1) Check its suction power.

This is probably the most important feature you should check when buying an industrial vacuum cleaner. You can test how strong its suction power is by running your hand under it, or testing it at the appliance showroom on different kinds of dirt and objects. The appliance center will gladly assist you in this, and, if they're really confident about a certain product, will not hesitate to throw a host of different things on the floor so you can see how effective the cleaner is.

The box also always contains information about how powerful its suction capabilities are (look for the sign that says 'motor amperage'), but nothing still beats trying the product out for yourself. Also, no matter how powerful its suction is, it would go to waste if the suction pipeline has a lot of holes, so you should check this out, too.

2) Check its filters.

You want to buy an industrial vacuum cleaner that has hepa filters. Why hepa filters? This kind of filter reduces the amount of dust and dirt that your cleaner spits back into the air. There are vacuum cleaners that allow for disposable hepa filters, which you can change with every cleaning session. However, if you want to save a little, get hepa filters that are washable, instead.

Here's an important tip: Do not be fooled by industrial vacuum cleaners that claim to have effective dust sensors, because, more often than not, these do not work. These dust sensors claim to know if you have already thoroughly cleaned your carpet. So far, none of the reviews on dust sensors on industrial vacuum cleaners have said anything good about their effectiveness and reliability.

3) See how noisy it is.

The industrial vacuum cleaner you want is something that does not whirr too much and cause a great disturbance. It is the common characteristic of industrial vacuum cleaners to be noisy. Choose the one with the least amount of noise. These can be more expensive, but, at least, they won't cause a major disturbance.

Vacuum cleaners are a standard tool you need around the house, but today there are many different kinds of vacuum cleaners, and many different special features to choose from. Learn how to shop for Vacuum Cleaners and learn about the best vacuum cleaner for you.

Photovoltaic Systems Clean Electricity From the Sun

As people search for alternatives to fossil fuel energy, solar energy emerges as one of the cleanest and most practical sources of electricity. Solar panels can be installed on rooftops or any area that receives a lot of sunshine. The solar panels consist of a photovoltaic system that converts the energy of the sun into electricity. The word Photovoltaic is a conjuction of the old Greek word Photon meaning light and Volt, the force that makes electrons move

Photovoltaic systems have existed since the 1950s but only in recent years has the technology matured to the point of making it a viable alternative to power utilities. Indeed, most solar systems do not replace the utility company instead they work in conjunction with it to produce extra electricity that can be fed back into the grid.

One of the main problems with solar power is storing it for use during non-daylight hours. Batteries can be used but they are expensive and have a limited life span. As an alternative, excess solar electricity can be fed back to the power utility company for a credit, and then power can be drawn when needed. In a sense, the utility company becomes the storage device.

Most municipalities have legislation requiring power utility companies to accept electricity produced by solar panels or wind turbines. This system benefits everyone there is less dependency on fossil fuel power plants and electricity costs are reduced for owners of photovoltaic systems.

This is called net-metering, the specifics depend on your location and utility company. A disadvantage of these grid connected systems is that there invertors disconnect in case of a power faillure. This is a quite logical demand from the utility companies point of view. Their engineers have to know for sure that the grid they are working on is really dead. But from our point of view it can be a nuicance. The solution is a grid connected system with battery backup.

Photovoltaic cells produce electricity by using specially treated materials such as silicon that convert light into power. They can be of almost any size and are suitable for providing electricity for small items such as calculators or watches right up to complete industrial complexes. Because they can be wired together, an array of solar cells can produce enough electricity for residential or commercial needs.

The main requirement, of course, is sunlight. This makes solar power most practical for southern areas such as California and Arizona. But it can also be used in more northerly areas as a backup power system. As the technology advances, photovoltaic cells are able to produce usable amounts of electricity even in low light conditions.

Hans is author of http://www.alternative-energy-guide.com/ come and profit from our energy saving knowledge

What You Need to Know About Helping Senior Citizens

Introduction

The baby boomers is the population which haven taken birth after second world war till 1965 when there was a tremendous increase in birth rate due to the social and economic development in the USA. Now this population is going into the old age and thus bringing a burden to the nation as the country has to take care of not only the food and shelter but also the medical care. Rather medical care is in a way more important as they are prone to many diseases not only infectious because of their lowered immunity but also non ?communicable ones such as Diabetes Mellitus, Myocardial Infarction, Stroke, etc. not to speak of those other mental disorders such as Depression, Parkinson?s disease, Alzheimer?s disease, etc.

Current problem

There is more than 35million population in USA that is more than 65 years as per the latest Census Bureau report. This is nearly 12 % of the whole population and this is supposed to more than double in the next 50 years or so requiring the nation provide for their well-being. At present, it is said, that the disabled and elderly account for only around 20% of Medicaid spending but they account for more than 75% of the Medicaid spending on the prescription medicines. There is yet another set of problems. There is a progressive decline in the renal function of the elderly. The enzymes needed to metabolize the drug are less and have they have sensitivity towards certain drugs. They also have lesser free fluid volume. These and many other factors make the elderly especially susceptible for drug toxicity. Also adverse drug reactions are much more common in the aged population than others.

Buying cheap drugs

There are certain federal and other non-governmental plans available that help the senior citizens to buy the drugs cheaper. These are:

1.Medicaid

When president Lyndon Johnson signed the Medicare and Medicaid act in 1965 it marked a new era for the health care in USA. For a minimum amount, which is called a co-payment or some deductions, one can avail this facility. Nearly all states provide this facility to their population. You just have to fulfill certain their requirements.

2.Drug store discounts

Certain seniors are allowed a discount on their prescriptions, which can help them majorly.

3.Medicare drug discount cards

This is available for that elderly population who are not entitled for benefit under the Medicaid program.

4.Medicare prescription assistance programs

This type of program is available in nearly all states although they may differ in the eligibility requirements.

5.Online buying

People may buy the drugs online through the Internet but the only drawback is that they have to rely on the seller and in that process they may get duped by getting second grade items or by their money.

6.Buying from Canada

Some people prefer to buy their medicines from Canada, which has health policy a bit different from that of USA and hence provides a market for cheaper drugs. FDA does take it seriously if one buys them in small amounts.

7.Charities

There are certain charitable institutions, which help the elderly and the destitute in having their medicines, which at times they, give free of cost.

8.Others like state prescription fund, LCD, prescription drug credit program, subsidies, PAAD, PACENET,

Options available besides drugs

Besides the above options available for getting cheaper drugs there are other options like living in an extended health care facility or long term care facility or assisted living where people can not only live a normal healthy life but also get treatment if the need arise.

Tia arora writes helping senior citizens topics. Learn more at http://www.seniormedhelp.com.

Veggies For Your Pets?

Vegetables in your dog?s diet, and minor amounts in your cat?s diet, can enhance their health and provide a rich and diverse supply of nutrients, enzymes, healthy fibre and antioxidants. In the wild, dogs and cats would have acquired plant foods through the semi-digested remnants in the stomachs of their prey; vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.

Canines possess a greater ability to break down plant matter and synthesize relevant nutrients therein. Because of this, although classified as carnivores, they are in fact omnivorous and are not solely reliant on animal meat for sustenance. Wolves can be observed eating fallen fruit and berries, and first consume the stomach and intestines of their prey where plant foods can be found.

Felines on the other hand are obligate carnivores and are unable to manufacture essential nutrients from plant matter. These include the amino acids taurine and arginine, and the fatty acid arachidonic acid. Unlike omnivores cats also cannot convert vitamin A from beta-carotene in plants and need animal-derived sources of vitamin A such as liver. Accept for smaller prey which cats eat whole, in the wild the stomach and intestines tend to be avoided, yet organs such as heart, liver and lungs are enjoyed.

Cats require a lot more protein in their diet than dogs and are in no way adapted to digesting carbohydrates. In the wild vegetable matter in their diet is minimal and in a semi-digested state in the guts of their prey. Cats can rely pretty much entirely on protein and fat for energy conversion, both being converted into glucose by the liver, and other essential nutrients can be gained through meat, soft tissue and bones.

Thankfully pet owners are beginning to move away from toxic, poor grade and species-inappropriate commercial pet food. Natural, holistic, homemade and raw diets are being favored, which can include healthy plant-based ingredients (not grains however, which are used as cheap fillers in commercial products and ill-suited the physiology of cats and dogs). The beauty with homemade meals is that you can ensure fresh quality ingredients and easily incorporate vegetables and fruit.

Where dogs can eat around 30% plant foods in their daily diet, cats only require around 5-10%. With both, ensure veggies are blended well as they do not easily digest cellulose. This also makes it easy to mix the vegetables with the rest of the homemade meal. As cats only require a very small proportion of veggies in their meal, you can blend veggies and freeze the mix in an ice-cube tray, defrosting one cube a day for their meals.

Include a range of vegetables and always aim to include something green. Green vegetables contain chlorophyll which is cleansing and detoxifying. Chlorophyll is a great liver ally, assisting in the removal of toxins and heavy metals from the body and also shows anti-carcinogenic potential. Human studies in China have found that chlorophyll may help delay the onset of symptoms of liver cancer caused by mycotoxic grains as are sometimes found in commercial pet foods.

You can use throw away vegetable parts such as outer leaves, ends and stems or left over cooked vegetables that you don?t consume. Raw is always preferable however as nutrient and enzyme content is maximum.

You can supplement your dog or cat?s diet with superfoods such as kelp or alfalfa (the latter more suited for dogs) and algae such as chlorella and spirulina. These are very alkalizing however and as dogs and cats in particular require an acidic diet, only very small amounts are advisable. Always research dosage amounts before giving any kind of supplements.

Vegetable Choices

You can experiment with most vegetables. Try any of the following: carrots, celery, chard, spinach, avocados, kale, squash, watercress, cabbage, turnips, broccoli, peas, green beans, cauliflower and asparagus.

Some below-ground vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes are included here. These are higher in sugar content however and as such should be used in smaller proportion to any above-ground vegetable choices. You can add some occasional fruit also such as blueberries, bananas, apples, papaya or pear.

As a note, raw onions are not friendly on your pet?s digestive system and can be dangerous to their health so should be avoided. Garlic is also a health risk for cats, though minor amounts occasionally in your dog?s diet may serve as a natural flea repellent, be sparing however as the sulphides in garlic can be detrimental to the blood cells of animals. I also avoid tomatoes, peppers, cucumber and potato.

Nuts and seeds can also be a valuable addition to your pet?s diet, containing healthy oils (walnuts and flaxseeds are particularly high in omega-3 oils), as well as vitamin E and minerals such as selenium (a powerful antioxidant particularly high in Brazil nuts).

You can grind your nuts and seeds before adding to your pet?s meal. Only small amounts are needed; for larger dogs aim for one nut or a few seeds a day, smaller dogs and cats every few days.

If you would like to change your pet's diet to a healthy, holistic, species-appropriate diet or are embarking on a natural homemade or raw food diet research the area first as nutritional balance is essenital.

Copyright 2006 Sylvia Riley

NATURAL NUTRITION GUIDE FOR DOGS AND CATS: http://www.pet-nutrition-guide.com MIRACLE SUPERFOODS: http://www.miracle-superfoods.com

How to Set Healthy Limits at Work

Back in college, I wrote for a five-day-a-week, award-winning campus newpaper. My skills were growing and I was earning a reputation as a solid reporter.

I was miserable.

If I wasn't in class, I was out inverviewing sources or toiling in the newsroom. I missed seeing my friends at the dorm, got little sleep and swigged Maalox to get through the afternoons. And still my desk editor pressured me to be more productive.

Then an adult advisor gave me an insight I've never forgotten:

AN ORGANIZATION WILL TAKE AND TAKE AS LONG AS YOU KEEP GIVING. IF YOU WANT LIMITS ON WHAT YOU GIVE, YOU HAVE TO SET THEM.

This insight has come to my rescue over and over again. It didn't matter what the organization was: a place of employment, a faith community, a volunteer group. Setting healthy boundaries on what I gave was MY job, and no organization would do it for me.

Not that it's easy. Setting limits can be scary, especially when your job is at stake. Workplaces vary widely in their responses to employees' attempts to set limits.

The cold, hard reality is that you can't always do that where you are, says Linda Koch, a recruiter for Flexible Resources, Inc., of Stamford, Connecticut.

Having a strong track record as a valuable and accommodating employee helps.

In addition, experts say, you might:

--Put your proposal in writing.

--Be specific about what you want your new schedule to look like.

--Think like your boss. Show how you will meet goals and handle emergencies when your new limits go into effect.

--Support your proposal with business reasons rather than your personal reasons.

--Anticipate objections.

--Give your boss plenty of time to review your proposal.

You could even offer your proposal as an experiment, Koch suggests.

The good news is that technology is allowing workers to keep up productivity with less face time. Meanwhile, employers are gradually learning that allowing employees greater flexibility boosts motivation and loyalty.

Back in college, I didn't have any strategies for setting limits. I just pushed through my fear, marched up to my desk editor and said I was going to go home every day by 4 PM.

PERIOD.

That conversation took every ounce of my strength. To my amazement, though, the sky didn't fall! I was fortunate to be taught a lesson that guides me to this day.

Everyone needs healthy limits. If you're giving too much, why not take at least one small step today to establish the limits that work for you?

(c) Norma Schmidt, LLC

Norma Schmidt is a parent of two and a former Lutheran minister. Her career includes serving as a pastor, campus minister and cancer center chaplain. She has also worked with children with disabilities. Norma offers workshops on parenting and on living with serious illness. Her writing has appeared in Coping with Cancer magazine. Download her free report, 61 Great Ways to Teach Kids about Money? and look through her other articles by going to http://www.ParentCafeOnline.com

Learn The Proper Use Of Patterns Textures And Fabrics In 5 Easy Steps

We want to help you formulate a design that is not only beautiful but personal. Now that we have empowered you with a better understanding concerning the element of color and what an important part it plays in decorating.

We want to take you through the next basic step. What is the next basic step? The next basic element you need to decide on when embarking on your decorating project, is the proper use of patterns, textures and fabrics.

1. The first step in choosing your pattern is to find an inspiration pattern piece. It can be anything from a favorite piece of fabric, a painting, an heirloom throw, a quilt, or even a piece of clothing.

Your inspiration pattern piece will serve three specific purposes that will set the tone for your room...

A. The first purpose for your inspiration pattern is to find one of the palest shades, which will be best used on the walls.

B. The second purpose for your inspiration pattern is to pull some of the medium hues for use in your flooring, area rugs, draperies and other upholstery items.

C. The last, reference to your inspiration pattern is for the purpose of pulling the deepest hues. Which will be applied and distributed throughout the room. In the form of accessories, pillows, flowers, candles etc.

2. The second step is to decide on two or three different patterns, two being the minimum. Most designers believe that like accessories patterns too should be introduced in three's.

All patterns must have the same core or background color. Keep in mind they can be a mix of floral's, solids, stripes or any other pattern that appeals to you. The key is to make sure they all have the same core or background color for uniformity.

For example, you can combine a floral of six colors with a check pattern that incorporates three of those colors, and a jacquard fabric that's just one of those colors. Be sure to mix and vary the scale, from the smallest pattern to the largest of the patterns for a balanced look.

3. The third step is to make sure that you are working with the same intensity of color. If you have decided on vibrant color palette, such as jeweled tones, stay away from muted color backgrounds.

4. The fourth step is to make sure that you create a balance in your room through the use of patterns. Distribute your patterns throughout the room for a smooth transition. Avoid placing all your pattern pieces together, this would throw the entire space off balance.

5. The next step is to consider your choice of fabrics. Fabrics can communicate formality or simplicity. For instance, if you have decided on the use of damask fabrics, the style that you are communicating is one of formality and elegance. Therefore it would be a mistake to incorporate fabrics that are considered casual or informal such as denim fabrics. Whatever fabric you choose keep it unified with complimentary fabrics and patterns.

I urge you to experiment with mixing paisleys with stripes and plaids with floral's. If the thought of multiple patterns in a room, scares you, at least offset the solid fabrics with the use of color and texture.

Many people play it safe by having few patterns and mainly solids in a room. If you are sticking with solids, do not stay tone on tone. At least add a pop of color and some texture for visual interest.

For example: Let's say you are using a muted blue micro suede comforter on your bed, and prefer solids to patterns. Add layers of color and texture through the use of accent pillows. Add different size pillows using other complimentary colors. Such as silver, black, pink or any other favorite color you wish to incorporate.

Always keep in mind that any color you introduce must be spread throughout the room at least three times. Also choose complimentary fabrics such as satin, beaded or sequenced fabrics that will add more texture and coordinate well with the micro suede fabric being used on the bed.

It has never been easier to coordinate patterns, textures, and fabrics as it is today. Designers have made the mixing process easy for us. Walk into any home store or department store and you will find an abundance of choices Using two, three, even four patterns all designed to exist harmoniously together in one room. All you have to do is choose the color palette you like.

Tip: If it's calm and peaceful atmosphere you desire, go for blue, lavender or green. Or use them all together, these colors all work well with one another.

Want to create the most beautiful home in your neighborhood without breaking the bank? Go to http://www.HomeDecoratingSource.com for resources to help you meet all your indoor and outdoor decorating needs.

Home Security Discuss Your Home's Security With A Professsional Surveyor

Security should be one of the most important considerations for your home. Why fill your home with your personal effects and decorate it if the home can be so easily burgled? It makes more sense to have a security system fitted that will deter intruders and send them elsewhere.

This article is designed to give you an idea of the sort of intruder alarm protection you'll need in a private house. It does not replace the advice of a professional Security Surveyor/System Designer from a reputable security installer. The article will give you a degree of understanding and help you to discuss your home?s security with a security professional.

Christie Intruder Alarms (CIA) consider that the best way to protect residential property is by using trap protection. Trap protection is a strategy for protecting a property without fitting sensors in every room.

Statistics show that villains rarely break in through windows at the front of a house. They are even less likely to stay in one room and leave through the same front window; they are more likely to go straight to the master bed room. So fitting sensors in the rear rooms of the house and in the hallway is often considered sufficient for the ground floor.

Also as kitchens have heat sources (boilers, fridges, ovens, washing machines and such) and hard surfaces, they are generally considered unstable areas and rarely contain items of value. Therefore, as a rule, a kitchen should not be protected with PIR.

Through our 35+ years of experience, we have learnt that even dual technology detectors are unsuitable for kitchens, as the microwave motion sensor will detect movement through glass, thin walls and will even be triggered by water moving in pipes.

There are various reasons for adopting a trap protection strategy. The first is to limit the false alarm potential of a system and the more detectors a property has, the higher the false alarm potential. All detectors (even the top of the range ones that CIA use) sometimes false alarm. These false alarms are becoming increasingly onerous due to the new hard line that Police Forces are taking regarding attendance. False alarms result in withdrawn Police attendance.

Another important factor is cost - using a good quality sensor would make it expensive to protect each room.

As external alarm boxes are a good deterrent, just having an alarm system installed by a recognized intruder alarm installer should deter most villains, whether they are opportunists or professionals. After all, burglars don?t know whether or not your system is monitored by a central station who will alert the Police in the instance of an alarm - it's easier for them to go next door or somewhere that doesn't have an alarm system.

Burglar Alarms

Burglars, and indeed any intruders, are overwhelmingly deterred by a burglar alarm (or, as we say in the trade, an 'intruder alarm') more than any other form of home security. It is better to take preventative measures as opposed to the 'shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted'. You are far more likely to be burgled if you have been burgled before. Villains are renowned for returning to the same properties.

Break-in's are a unfortunate fact of life. Being broken into in a residential property is obviously more distressing than a burglary in the work place and although vandalism is rare, the loss of sentimental artefacts can be most upsetting.

As the Number One security installer in the South of England, Christie Intruder Alarms (CIA) use a combination of detection devices. The most popular devices are the PIR (Passive Infra-Red) detectors, magnetic reed contacts, breaking glass detectors, infra-red beams, pressure pads, case wiring, vibration detectors and dual technology sensors (sensors that combine Passive Infra-Red with Microwave or Ultrasonic detection).

Always choose a company that has been awarded the prestigious NSI NACOSS Gold Medal. The Gold Medal is only awarded to companies who consistently deliver an outstanding performance in security management.

NSI is an acronym of the National Security Inspectorate. Formerly known as NACOSS, the NSI is an independent, not-for-profit approvals body providing inspection services for the security and fire industries.

Monitoring - Alarm Receiving

For complete peace of mind, many people choose to have their intruder alarms monitored. If an alarm is monitored, then, when it detects an intruder it automatically sends a signal via the phone line and/or cellular network to an ARC (Alarm Receiving Centre - these used to be referred to as Central Stations or Monitoring Stations) and the appropriate action is taken. CIA uses Southern Monitoring Services (SMS) Ltd ? http://www.smon.co.uk.

New Police/Constabulary Service guidelines (the ACPO Policy on Response to Security ? ACPO are the Association of Chief Police Officers of England, Wales and Northern Ireland) state that the Police will now only attend monitored alarms that confirm alarm activations (unless installed pre October 2002).

Confirmation is received when a second detection device is triggered during the same intrusion; therefore, something is definitely on site and moving around.

On receiving the first activation, the ARC will notify a keyholder but if a second detection device is triggered in the same activation, this confirms to the ARC that ?something? is definitely on site and moving around, and the Police are instantly alerted.

If an intruder is detected, a signal is sent from the alarm system using either a standard digital communicator, BT RedCare, BT RedCare GSM or CSL DualComm, via the phone line and/or a cellular network.

A standard digital communicator works by sending signals via the ordinary analogue telephone network, as does BT RedCare, however, with RedCare the ARC are alerted if the phone line fails, either through attack or a genuine line fault, as the line is constantly monitored.

BT RedCare GSM and CSL DualComm send alarm activations via the phone line and a cellular network to for increased security. These forms of signalling are ideal if your insurance company requires your alarm to transmit ?confirmation? signals after a line cut.

Your home is your greatest asset. Why leave it vulnerable when it clearly pays to have your house protected by security professionals.

Christie Intruder Alarms (CIA) Ltd headquarters are in Waterlooville, Portsmouth, Hampshire. We Install and Service anything you will ever need to protect your home and your business, including; Intruder Alarms, Fire Alarms, CCTV, Access Control, Locks, Safes, Fire Extinguishers and Fire Extinguishing Systems (Gaseous or water), Ram-raid and car park barriers, bar and grilles and all manners of Physical Security. Visit our website at http://www.ciaalarms.co.uk

How To Pick The Perfect Pet

Deciding to own a dog is a large responsibility that should be well thought out and planned. First you need to think about the cost to owning a new pet, they not only need to be feed every day, but also need to be taken to the vet for yearly check ups and vaccinations, and need monthly flea and heartworm prevention. This prices for these differ greatly when comparing a large breed dog to a small breed dog. The next step you need to take is deciding on which breed would be best for your lifestyle there are hundreds of dog breeds and each one has different requirements. Some dogs need a lot of exercise and time to run while other dogs are perfectly content sleeping on the coach all day! Some dogs need to be groomed on a regular basis while other just need an occasional bath. You also want to take into consideration the attitude and personality of the breed some need to be socialized to different situations much more that other breeds while a golden retriever will handle anything you through at him a bull terrier will not with out the proper socialization. There are a variety of places that you can get information on different types of breeds, try looking up breed books in your local library or even going to your local animal shelter and discussing breeds with an adoption counselor. The counselors are there to help people determined which breed would work best for them. You also want to take into consideration health concerns each breed may have. All breed have different genetic diseases and health concerns that should be researched and discussed with a veterinarian before purchasing that particular breed.

Once you have decided on the breed of dog you would like you need to research where to purchase this pet. The best place to start is your local animal shelter or rescue group. There a thousands of animals given up to shelters and rescue groups each week. Each breed has its own rescue group so if you are having problems finding the particular breed you want at your local shelter try using that breeds rescue group. You may have to travel out of state to find a particular rescue group. If you are set on a particular breed and want a pure breed puppy you will want to pick a responsible breeder. As I stated earlier each breed has its own genetic concerns, there are many breeders that take these genetics into consideration and do multiple genetic testing on each pet before deciding to breed them. You can find information on the tests that should be done on each pet through your local veterinarian. Be sure are ask the breeder if they perform these types of tests and for the results before making any commitments.

Once you have picked your breed and the place you are getting your new companion make sure the first place you visit is your local veterinarian to be sure your pet is healthy! Good luck in finding your perfect new companion!

Cathy?s website Paw Prints Boutique is dedicated to pets and their owners. Providing pet lovers with the most fabulous Pet Accessories, including dog beds, pet carries, dog collars and more. This articles co-author is Cathy?s daughter Rachel she has a bachelors degree in Zoo Science. For the last two years she has been working as a small animal Veterinarian Assistant and is currently going to school through Purdue University for her Veterinary Technology degree.

Why Hiring a Painting Contractor Makes Good Sense

When deciding on whether or not to hire a painting contractor, there are several things to keep in mind. At the top of the list is the fact that a licensed house painting contractor has two things many homeowners do not; experience and expertise.

Painting and decorating projects require specialized skills. One good reason why persons pay for the services of a professional painting contractor when it comes to painting the interior or exterior of their home. Time restraints, convenience, safety, and health are among other considerations.

Safety and Health Comes First

Climbing on ladders and painting can be hazardous work; so is working with solvents and dust inhalation. Professional contractors are ?safety conscious,? and experienced to handle these situations. Home owners who opt to do the painting themselves risk unnecessary injury.

Houses built before 1978 may have been painted with lead-based paint, proven to pose serious health risks when scraped and sanded in preparation for repainting. Dust and paint chips from lead-based paint are a health threat to exposed individuals; working around lead-based paint, therefore, represents another safety hazard.

A licensed, professional contractor painting commercial or residential buildings that have lead-based paint have been trained to take precautions to protect you and your family from these health risks. They are also trained to protect themselves and their employees.

Quality Work Guaranteed

Finally, a house painting contractor will prepare surfaces properly for painting. Poorly prepared surfaces affect the appearance and quality of the new paint. To properly prepare surfaces for repainting is time consuming, but yields great end results, and increases durability of newly painted surfaces.

A qualified painting contractor is also familiar with the different types of paints, when to use what product, and how to apply each.

For other tips on selecting the right contractor, read the article, ?Home Improvement; Guidelines for Selecting a Contractor? at Handy Canadian.com.

Max Sheppard is Co-Owner of HandyCanadian.com: where homeowners locate professional contractors, and qualifying contractors acquire new leads.

Healing Aloe Vera Plants Are Easy To Grow and Provide Health Benefits

Aloe Vera , known as the healing plant, is easy to care for indoors or in the garden. It is a drought tolerant succulent which grows well in dry shade to part sun. Its bright green stalks grow up to 1 foot long and up to 2 inches thick They usually have creamy white stripes or dots along the leaves. Aloe plants grow upright and spread with time by creating clumping offsets. Perennial aloe produces dramatic, bright orange flowers on long stalks in the spring and summer. Used medicinally aloe vera gel is beneficial for burns, minor cuts, scrapes, insect bites and other skin irritations.

Water-wise aloe is great for xeriscaping in dry gardens with other succulents and cacti. They don't mind heat as long as they don't get too much sun. Aloe does best in light or dappled shade on the porch or on the windowsill. It is even reliable in dry shade. One to two hours of direct sun is plenty. Dark brown or orange spots on the leaves is a sign of sunburn. Aloe vera is easy to care for and only needs water once a month or when the stalks become shriveled. Planted in the ground, it can tolerate more drought and will grow slightly larger. Aloes are cold hardy to about 45 degrees. Mine have survived a light dusting of frost, but they have overhead protection. I wouldn't leave them outdoor in the open if Jack Frost visits your area frequently. Indoors, they are suited to the hot dry conditions of the average home. They will tolerate a few hours of sun a day, but should be fine anywhere with lots of bright, indirect sunlight.

Aloe vera plants form offset pups and will eventually become a clump. Mine started out in a small 4 pot from the nursery. Normally, you should repot plants in a slightly larger pot. But I planted my aloe in a huge 12 pot, knowing it would fill in. Who has time to repot their plants all the time? To keep the pot from looking empty, I planted a small trailing succulent around the edges. They have similar cultivation needs, so they get along great and look terrific. You can see an aloe vera picture and even download the wallpaper on my succulent webpage at theGardenPages.com. After the first year, my aloe created lots of offsets and filled in the pot nicely. The new shoots are easy to tease out from the main plant so I can repot them or give them to friends.

Aloe vera is famous for its healing benefits and is commonly grown in kitchen gardens to help with minor burns and other skin problems. To use aloe, work with one inch chunks cut from the tips of the leaves. Peel off the spines and cut open the chunk. Squeeze out the aloe juice and pulp onto sunburns or other skin irritations. Spread it around with your fingers or the aloe peel. It will feel cold on burns. The juice may feel sticky at first, but will eventually dry out, leaving a slight green tint. Apply 1 - 2 times a day to cool off burns and help heal skin. I was amazed at how well it worked on my baby's diaper rash when nothing else helped. First, I'd slather the skin with aloe gel, then put the remaining pulp into his diaper and wrap it all up like a little burrito. Usually the rash was cleared up in a few hours. Fresh is best, studies suggest aloe starts to loose its properties within an hour of picking.

Healing aloe vera is an easy to grow plant indoors or out, with outstanding health benefits and makes a great addition to any garden.

Laura Zinkan tends a gardening website at http://www.theGardenPages.com where you can read growing tips and lore about succulents and native plants. Drop by to smell the flowers, see lots of photos and even download garden wallpapers. Laura is a busy mom with a small yard in southern California so she expects a lot out of her plants. She also has a site called http://www.AngelCityArt.com where you can share her vision of Los Angeles and California with photos and essays. Copyright ? 2005 by Laura Zinkan. Proper credit must be given with reprints of this article. All rights reserved under U.S. and international law.

Dog Grooming: Caring For the Ears

Dogs ears are prone to infection as you might already have noticed if you have a dog with problem ears. If your dog keeps getting infections here is some information that might help you deal with chronic ear infections.

Dog ear infections are usually called Otits Externa; this means an infection in the outer ear. (Otis Interna means an infection of the inner ear). Outer ear infections account for 90% of the infections in dogs; making ear infection the most common infection for a dog to be treated for. Ear mites can often accompany ear infections.

Dogs with allergies may experience more ear infections than other dogs. It can be caused by wax build up inside the ear. It can also be caused by long hair blocking the passage of air and creating a buildup of not only wax but also dirt and debris.

Regular ear cleaning will also get the pet used to having his ears handled which will make it easier to administer treatment.

You can prevent these infections by cleaning your dogs ears well and as part of your regular grooming regime. Cleaning your dog's ears is simple and you only need a soft cloth and some ear cleanser. Lift the ears and massage some cleanser into the ear this should loosen the dirt.

Regualr ear cleaning is a powerful preventative measure; particularly if you have a dog who is at a high risk for ear infections. Ear infections are more common in dogs that swim often for example. Water inside the ears can be a problem for dogs who are essentially not designed for water.

You can spot an ear infection on your dog by looking for the following tell tale signs:

-smelly ears

-discharge

-excessive head shaking

-swelling

-redness in the ears

If your dog seems uncomfortable or is excessively scratching their ears it's probably causing a great deal of distress. If you pet is scratching too hard this can even break blood vessels and cause swelling and bleeding.

You can try cleaning your dogs ears with white vinegar to remove dirt from the ear and promote the growth of good bacteria. Use the vinegar in the same way as the ear cleanser - pour it on and wipe gently inside the ear with the cloth or cotton. This might help ease the infection or even clear it up if the problem was not too severe to start. If the infection is serious its time to call the vet. It can be cleared up easily. Most often the dog will need some antibiotics to help clear the problem.

If your dog has recurring ear infections the vet might suggest that you clip the hair around the ear or the vet might clip the hair around the ear. This often helps. If the problem is more extreme than that the vet might suggest surgery to allow for easier drainage of the ear canal.

Some breeds are more prone to chronic ear infections than others any breed of dog with large ears or particularly small ears will get ear infections easier than some other breeds. Now that you know what to look for you should be able to detect ear infections before they become a serious problem

Steve Allison is a third generation of professional dog breeders along with his brother Gary. It all started with his grandparents in 1970 with the Boston Terriers and has expanded to Maltese, Yorkshire Terriers, Pugs, Shih Tzu?s and Pomeranians. He is also actively involved with dog rescue and has a website that showcases the puppies they occasionally has for sale at All My Puppies Online Steve is also the co-author of two consumer guides, Carpet Secrets and Moving Secrets Guide.

How To Train A Puppy In 3 Easy Steps

Think about how to train a puppy first and foremost if you bring a new puppy into your home. She's not a toy, so don't treat her like one. Make your new puppy welcome. Her new home will have strange sounds and smells, which she will have to get used to. This takes time. Here are my 3 easy steps on how to train a puppy with the least possible hassle.

1. Establish the basics first. Decide on her diet, the brand for dogfood she will have. You may have to change this, but choose carefully and it will probably be alright. Decide on where her bed is going to be. Don't change this location if possible. This is her comfort place, just like your bed is to you, so choose a quiet, peaceful corner that she can feel is hers.

2. Use the same words or short phrases for the same expected results. For example, go potty for her toilet, and then always take her to the same spot in the garden, and here's dinner for her main daily meal. Repetition in the same tone of voice, followed by the same action, is one of the keys to getting the same result with a young dog.

3. Do not heavily chastise your puppy, or shout at her, regardless of how bad a mess she has made, or how badly chewed the carpet is. Show your displeasure by being cool towards her. Frown and say little without any cuddles. This, coupled with lots of hugs and happy words when she does something right, will usually get the message across to her.

Don't worry about how to train a puppy. It's not rocket science. Just use common sense, and if you're stuck, you can get an expert book guide to help you. There's plenty of excellent ones available. Above all, have fun -- your puppy deserves it!

Did you find these tips useful? Get 7 Bonus Gifts and learn a lot more about how to train a puppy from this resource, http://www.3minuteguides.com/trainpuppy.html

John Coutts is an experienced author who researches and writes on a variety of popular subjects.

Alone for the Holidays?

Being alone is a challenge for many people. This challenge may loom especially large during the holidays if you are single or newly divorced and without family around you. Holidays are a time to share love, and many people end up feeling depressed when they do not have people around with whom to share love. If you are in this situation, what can you do to make the holidays joyous rather than depressing?

The key phrase here is SHARE LOVE. Too often people think in terms of getting love rather than giving and sharing their love. They don?t realize that it is the act of giving their love that is so very fulfilling.

Gail had grown up very lonely in an emotionally distant family, with parents who did not freely give their love and relatives who were also cold and distant. She had married an emotionally distant man, and after 7 years of more loneliness, had decided to leave him. This was her first holiday season alone.

Gail decided that she was not going to be alone and lonely again this holiday season. She did some research on service agencies that needed volunteers and discovered a women?s shelter in her area for women and their children who were hiding from physically abusive husbands. The shelter was badly in need of funds for food, which Gail didn?t have. What she did have was the time to help gather food. Each day, after her job as a secretary, Gail went around to the markets in her area until she found some willing to donate Thanksgiving dinners for the mothers and their children. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, she spent her time at the shelter cooking, decorating, serving, and having Thanksgiving dinner with these brave women who had left their abusive husbands to save themselves and their children. It was the best Thanksgiving she ever had! By choosing to share her love with people who needed her, she felt filled with love.

Gail had such a fulfilling experience that she found a small part-time job in addition to her regular job so that she could afford to buy presents for the children at the shelter for Christmas. She had such fun buying presents for the children and watching their joyous little faces as they opened them on Christmas day! Gail felt anything but alone and lonely.

Gary was in a similar situation to Gail. He was single, had been an only child to parents who were no longer alive, and had no close relatives. His janitorial business did not give him much opportunity to make friends. Gary had spent many lonely holidays feeling isolated and depressed, and decided a few years ago to do something about it.

Gary loved animals. As a child, his dog had been his main connection with love. After some research, Gary discovered that there was a wonderful animal shelter within a half-hour of his home ? a shelter that loved and cared for animals and didn?t euthanize them. Gary started to volunteer one day a week on the weekends ? cleaning, feeding, playing with puppies and kittens, helping to interview people who wanted to adopt a pet, and getting to know the other volunteers. He found that he really connected with the people who volunteered there. Many of them were loving people who were deeply devoted to caring for animals. As his friendships developed, he found he had a new sense of family centered around the shelter. Thanksgiving and Christmas were now sometimes spent with the other volunteers who did not have families, and sometimes with the families of some of the volunteers. Gary?s life had become full and fulfilling. The last I heard, he was dating a woman who also volunteered at the animal shelter.

No matter what your life situation is, you can always share your love with others. Instead of feeling alone and lonely this holiday season, open your heart to giving. There are many people and animals out there who would welcome your love.

About The Author

Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is the best-selling author and co-author of eight books, including Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By You? She is the co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding healing process. Learn Inner Bonding now! Visit her web site for a FREE Inner Bonding course: http://www.innerbonding.com or mailto:margaret@innerbonding.com. Phone sessions available.

margaret@innerbonding.com

Baby Shower Favors Today's Trends

Baby showers have always been one of the nicest ways to celebrate the arrival of a precious new life. Traditionally, a baby shower was a small gathering of relatives and close friends of the mother-to-be held at a favorite aunt?s house. The party was usually a surprise, the guest list was all female, refreshments consisted of punch and cake, gifts of baby clothes were in yellow and light green and guest party favors, if given at all, consisted of a few mints wrapped in tulle.

Baby Shower Favors and Ideas for Creative Showers

Times have changed! Today there are office baby showers, coed baby showers and large luncheons at upscale restaurants. Most expectant mothers take part in the planning of the shower or at least have some input into the guest list, registries are used for gift-giving, the sex of the baby is usually known by the time the shower is planned, and baby shower favors are an important part of the event!

Finding unique baby shower favors is as much a part of baby shower planning today as organizing the guest list, finding the perfect location and choosing the menu. Internet businesses have made the task easier for the hostess with offerings that include candles, chocolates, soaps, ornaments, plantable seed favors, custom-made favors, favors imported from Europe, magnets, baby-themed cookies, frames and tea and coffee favors. Baby shower party favors can be almost anything you imagine!

Themed Baby Shower Centerpieces and Baby Shower Favors

From the invitations to the decorations, the centerpieces and especially the baby shower party favors, most hostesses start with an overall theme. Whether baby shower favor ideas start with the baby?s nursery colors or as based on favorite themes ? Noah?s Ark, nursery rhymes, rubber duckies, teddy bears, rocking horses, elephants, bunnies or baby carriages ? everything is coordinated. Whatever the choice of theme or favor, however, emphasis is being put on making the baby shower favors special and customized by personalizing them in some way, usually with personalized ribbon. The result of all this planning is a beautiful event with themed baby shower favors and centerpieces that reflect the joy surrounding the arrival of a new life.

For adorable baby shower favors, both affordable and unique, as well as centerpieces and personalized ribbon to complete the favors, A Little Favor would be the perfect place to start your online shopping. Linda Reiser is the owner of A Little Favor, a company that specializes in elegant and affordable favors for wedding receptions, baby and bridal showers, christenings, parties and special events. She is always happy to give advice on current trends in baby shower favors and centerpieces. Visit her website at http://www.alittlefavor.com.