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Your Lifestyle, Your Relationship: Development or Destruction?

May 3, 2013 by ·

There are, and never will be, any set rules for dealing with a relationship that’s on the rocks. Every relationship is unique, and the circumstances will be dictated by the two unique characters involved. So I’m not going to be telling you anything that will make the process easy here, okay?

What I will be doing is suggesting ways you can talk, so each can understand what the other is thinking. Because the one thing that is sure is that if you don’t talk, it’s liable to end up messy.

Like any problem in life, the first step towards resolution is actually acknowledging there’s a problem there in the first place. That means one of you being brave enough to suggest talking about it; and that’s a really hard thing to do, because what you’re doing is opening a can of worms. Naturally, you’re going to be scared about where it’s all going to lead, but that’s no reason not to do it.

Talk about your feelings and why you think things have been going wrong; perhaps you’re bored or bringing the stress of work into the home. Money – or, more precisely, the lack of it – is also often a cause of strife. Then again, it might just be that living together hasn’t been the bed of roses you imagined it would be.

Remember particularly that this should not just be about what you think. Make sure you listen carefully to what your partner has to say and try to see things from his or her point of view. You may not – in fact, almost certainly won’t! – agree, but their perception of the relationship is just as important as yours and you need to give it equal credence.

The first thing you need to establish between you are your thoughts on whether you want your relationship to carry on. If you both agree that it’s worth fighting for, then you need to decide what you’re going to do differently.

Too many relationships fall into a pattern, usually after you move in together, whereby everything becomes a routine of work and sleep. So maybe you should think about establishing some special time just for the two of you; in other words, start dating again! Perhaps you should also think about spicing up your sex life a bit; remember when everything was new and exciting? Try looking for that feeling of adventure and discovery again. Even just making sure you each spend a few minutes each day talking about what’s happened at work can make a difference; not only does it mean you’re actually communicating, it also gives you a chance to share problems, successes, frustrations and triumphs.

Whatever you decide to do, you need to be as sure as you can that you’re both happy with the plan and willing to put the time and effort into following it through and doing everything you can to make it work. If you’re not, then you have to talk about the alternative. And that’s important – there’s no halfway house here. Because if you carry on the way you’re going, and just stay together because you’re scared to contemplate being alone, then things will just get worse.

It may be at the end of it that you decide that you can’t carry on together. If so, try to make the split as painless as you can (it will be better for you both in the long run), and if that means you just pack everything (if you need to, get some boxes from a packaging company like www.davpack.co.uk) you own and move out there and then so be it. Relationships which end badly usually do so because frustrations, resentments and disagreements have been allowed to fester. If you can realise at the right time that a relationship has no future, then you may still be able to save a friendship.

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With:

Easy tips to make your next move simpler

May 1, 2013 by ·

The warm spring and summer months of the year can mean only one thing: moving season is upon us yet again. If your current apartment lease is up between May and August or you are just planning on moving from one home to the other, one thing that you definitely want to do is make sure you’re prepared. Moving all of your personal belongings and other items from one location can definitely be time consuming, but it certainly doesn’t have to be as frustrating or as stressful as a lot of people make it out to be. By following just a few basic steps now you can avoid a whole world of hassle when the big day comes and maybe even save yourself a little money in the process.

Begin by making a list of everything that you need to do to move from one place to the other successfully. When it comes to something as important as moving, no item is too small for inclusion on the list. Separate your list into three categories: what needs to be done before the move, during the move and after. Getting all of your supplies ready and packing your belongings is something that you need to do before the process actually begins. The move itself encompasses items like hiring any moving companies that you may be using. After the move you’re going to need to get the utilities from your old home or apartment transferred over to your new address.

Make sure that you have plenty of supplies. You may think that you know exactly how many boxes you need, for example, or exactly how many rolls of packing tape that you should buy. However, you always want to have extra supplies so that you don’t end up needing to make an emergency trip to the store in the middle of all the other hassles inherent to the actual moving process.

Color coordinate each room of the house for easy moving and organization. If you choose “orange” as the color for your kitchen, for example, make sure all of the boxes with kitchen appliances and other items are marked with an orange label. You’ll be able to get all boxes to their appropriate locations quickly and easily upon arrival.

Keep things together. Sorting everything into individual boxes won’t do you any good if you don’t keep all of the items for each room in the same general area. Also, make sure that you’re packing valuable items as thoroughly as possible. Any potentially fragile items like artificial Christmas trees, for example, may need to be transferred into a new box before the big move. Cardboard boxes get flimsy over the years so a move is an excellent opportunity to replace ones that are currently in storage.

Always pack ahead. The importance of packing ahead simply cannot be overstated enough. Even if you think it’ll only take you an hour to pack all of the items in your closet, for example, you should still do so during the days leading up to the move as opposed to on the actual day. Additionally, even if you think it’ll only take an hour it will likely take more.

Instead of packing your luggage along with the rest of the items, use your items to transport your personal belongings during the movie. Suitcases and other types of luggage are designed for storage purposes. It doesn’t make any sense to treat them as personal items when you could be treating them as storage supplies and saving yourself a little money.

Finally, keep all of your important documents where you have easy access to them. You’ll likely have to present a copy of your lease to utility officials when they come to turn on services like electricity and even the Internet connection in your new home. Don’t pack those important documents with the rest of your items where they can get lost. Put them in an envelope and keep them nearby.

About the author: Dawn Altnam lives in the Midwest, and she is currently a freelance writer. She enjoys following business trends along with personal tips and tricks to make everyday life easier. Follow her on Twitter! @DawnAltnam.

Filed Under: Lifestyle

Effective Ways To Change Your Lifestyle This Summer

April 17, 2013 by ·

JackWelch says this:”Control your own destiny or someone else will.”

There is nothing worse than being stuck in a vicious circle of life. It gives a feeling of hopelessness, frustration and isolation. You sometimes have the feeling that life is going nowhere. Do not despair; it is incredibly easy to make decisive changes even over the summer. Take a notebook and a pen and start by doing the following:

Make a plan. Where do you want to be in a year or even a month’s time? Look at all areas of your life, such as: wealth, career, health, personal growth, family and friends, relations, fun and recreation. What would be ideal for you? Take a few moments to write what you want in all these areas and put it somewhere you will see frequently throughout your day.
Step out of the norm – change your habits this summer. If you normally do things in a certain way, try to make things happen and do things differently. The monotony can lead to boredom and frustration. So shake things up. It can feel a little strange at first, but it feels good to embrace new routines in your life.

Be active – Move, take up some form of exercise. Exercise releases endorphins, more commonly known as the happy drugs. Take the stairs instead of the elevator when going to work, go for a 10 minute walk during lunch or get up early and go to the gym before work. Anyway that you can adapt your lifestyle, do it. If you are very busy and the idea of  heading to the gym for an hour causes more stress than pleasure, then try something else. If you are a parent, you can combine activities to spend time with your children. Who knows, you may have to use a child support phone number to get assistance. Make the commitment to do some form of exercise every day from now on.

Congratulate yourself for your accomplishments, no matter how big or small they are, even if it is a “mistake” (my philosophy is that there is no such thing as mistakes, only experiences you can learn from). This could be a pat on the back or just buying yourself something that you’ve always wanted.

Adopt a positive mindset. Concentrate on all the positive things in your life rather than the negative. You can start by keeping a journal stating things you are grateful for. Every day, write a list in your notebook of all the things in your life you feel good about When you focus on gratitude, you are focusing on abundance and this opens the way for more to come.

Calm your mind – spend a few minutes every day taking deep breaths while relaxing or listening to a guided meditation. Some people enjoy walking meditation where you focus on the weight of your feet on the ground and all the sounds around you as you walk.

Follow these simple steps. Print these tips and commit to at least one of them every day. Soon you will see light at the end of the tunnel.

Filed Under: Lifestyle

Top Money-Saving Tips for Spring

April 15, 2013 by ·

With winter out of the way, you may be looking to reduce your outgoings and spring clean your finances. Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do to save money this season, so put your penny-pinching cap on and use these handy tips for inspiration.

Have your boiler serviced

We might have had an extremely chilly start to the year, with Easter Sunday being the coldest on record, but that doesn’t mean we should let our energy bills spiral out of control. A simple boiler service will ensure everything’s working efficiently and could save you a lot of money in the long-run. To prepare for next winter, it’s also worth taking out central heating insurance for financial protection so you’re organised well in advance.

Adjust your heating settings

While we’re on the subject of heating, don’t forget to readjust your settings as the days get warmer (which we all hope they will). There’s no point in cranking up the thermostat when it’s nice and sunny outside, so just keep an eye on the weather. As most heating systems come with programmers and controls, you can also set your radiators to warm up at certain times of the day, helping you to save money in the long run.

Implement green strategies

Believe it or not, going green does not just mean recycling a coke can once in a while or taking old clothes to a charity shop. There are many other things you can do round the home, so find out how to become more eco-friendly and save money in the process. Everything from turning lights off when you leave the room to reducing your water consumption can help and you could even grow your own vegetable patch.

Spring clean on a budget

If you’ve been stuck indoors all winter, a spring clean could be just what you need and it doesn’t have to cost the earth. Sure, many cleaning products are expensive, but everyday ingredients are just as effective and can be significantly cheaper. Lemon juice, for instance, can be used to shine work surfaces and floors and olive oil makes a great furniture polish. Baking soda can eliminate bad odours and when combined with white distilled vinegar will help keep your water pipes clear.

Swap skills

If you have some DIY jobs that you can’t manage yourself you could join or start your own ‘skill swap’ scheme, if you have a skill in demand whether that be hairdressing, computer skills or plastering, you could offer your skill to a friend, neighbour or colleague in exchange for something you need such a some car maintenance or window cleaning, it could end up saving you hundreds of pounds.  

Save winter tyres

If you live in an icy part of the world you’ll probably have to put fresh tyres on your car each year to make sure the tread is deep enough to grip the road but now that spring is in full swing it’s a good idea to save the deep tread on these tyres for when the ice returns next winter and swap them for summer tyres. If you are going to put old tyres back on your car make sure the tread is at a legal depth, use a 20 pence piece to gage the depth.

Whether you take out heating cover with a company like HomeServe or try your hand at a budget spring clean, you could save a wealth of cash down the line.

Filed Under: Lifestyle

5 tasks to add to your spring cleaning checklist

April 12, 2013 by ·

The first hints of spring bring with them the desire to throw open the windows, enjoy the fresh air and do some cleaning to get rid of the months of staleness that have accumulated in the home. Your spring cleaning checklist probably already includes the usual list of tasks, like deep cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms, vacuuming the upholstery and wiping down the walls and baseboards. This spring, consider adding these five tasks you may have forgotten about.

1. Dust house plants. Your living plants act as a natural air purifier, but only if they’re clean. Take a look at plants now and repot any that have outgrown their pots. Using pots with drainage systems helps reduce the chance of mold. In addition, use the inside of a banana peel to wipe down the foliage. The moisture will absorb dust, the oil shines the leaves, and you’ll end up leaving behind a tropical scent.

2. Organize holiday decor. The area where you store holiday decorations is probably overflowing with miscellaneous boxes, thanks to the post-holiday rush to put everything away again. Take the time to organize your decorations by holiday, putting everything in containers that will protect the decorations. Purchase specialized storage bags for things like wreaths, your pre-lit Christmas tree and fragile ornaments. Having the right size container also reduces clutter in your storage spaces.

3. Clean the fans. You’ll be using the fans frequently as it warms up outside but it’s not quite time to turn on the air conditioner. Climb a sturdy stepladder and use a damp cloth to wipe down the blades of your ceiling fans. While you’re up there, check that the fan is set to turn counter-clockwise for summer cooling. Wipe the vent registers with a feathered dusting cloth, too. Lastly, tackle the dust in your bathroom exhaust fan with a can of compressed air.

4. Organize outdoor toys. If you have kids, they have loads of outdoor toys they’re getting excited to use again. Rather than tossing them all out in a big bin — or worse, a pile — organize them first. Sort through and remove anything they’ve outgrown so you can donate it to others. Then organize the remaining items by type, like balls, sand toys and water toys. Put them in labeled bins on an outdoor shelf to make it easy to keep toys corralled all summer.

5. Sort through your medicine cabinet. Winter cold and flu season is over, so take a look at that overflowing medicine cabinet. Organize medications by type, checking all of the packages to ensure they’re not past their expiration dates. Make a shopping list, too, so you can restock the medications you used most. Lastly, if you have any leftover prescription medications you didn’t finish using, dispose of these rather than keeping them.

Taking care of these spring cleaning tasks now will help you freshen your home so you can better enjoy it with family and friends this summer. If spring cleaning feels a little overwhelming, remember that you don’t need to have a whole weekend set aside to get spring cleaning done. If you don’t have a large block of time, just tackle one project each day until everything is finished.

About the author: Dawn Altnam lives and works in the Midwest, and she loves to read about organizing the home along with writing her own tips for others. She enjoys spending time with family, reading up on technology and traveling.

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Personal Development

Pregnancy Skincare: 2 Key Chemicals To Avoid

April 11, 2013 by ·

When you’re pregnant it can be a daily worry to know just what you should and shouldn’t be eating and drinking. Along with all the other supplements and vitamins that pregnant women need to remember to take, it can be mind boggling remembering what is and what isn’t safe for your skin.

Especially when pregnant, many women apply a lot of skin cream in the efforts to stop their skin from drying up,  as well as avoiding the dreaded stretch marks. What’s important to consider when pregnant is to learn what you should avoid, and to ensure you don’t get scared away from cosmetics and skin products.

It is important to remember that all cosmetics go through rigorous testing to ensure that they are safe for human use, however a lot of common products contain chemicals that some scientists would advise mothers to be to steer away from. When stopping use of these products it is wise to note that if you intend on breastfeeding you shouldn’t begin using them again until you have finished nursing.

So, what chemicals should pregnant women look out for on the back of labels? We’re going to have a look at what they are in this article so you can be sure that whatever you buy will be safe for both you and baby.

Cosmetics
It is important to watch what make up you wear when you’re pregnant, and many women don’t know what to look out for. Many brands include ranges of ‘oil free’ make-up, these are usually marked with “nonacnegenic” or “noncomedogenic”. All this means is they don’t contain any oils and are subsequently fine to use.

As we will explain below, a lot of other types of foundation, powders and lipsticks can be packed with nasties. There are two main ones to avoid:

Salicylic Acid

This is a very weak acid that is used to help various skin problems, including acne. You’ll usually find it in skincare products such as cleansers and toners as it has the ability to cut through facial oil as it gets right into pores.

It has been noted that in its oral form, high doses have lead to defects as well as a variety of complications. Doctors are cautious of okaying it in its topical form to women because of this. Body peels and face masks that contain salicylic acid are even more of a concern as they ‘soak’ into the skin.

Look on the label for: Salicyclic acid, Beta Hydroxy acid, BHA.

Retinoids

Retinoids are powerful anti-aging moisturisers that are well marketed as having many wrinkly busting qualities. Retinoids themselves are a derivative of Vitamin A, they have the ability to quicken the renewal of your skin (by speeding up cell division).

It has been shown in study that pregnant women who are exposed to a high level of vitamin A during pregnancy can be harmful. Specifically, any oral retinoids (Accutane or other oral acne treatments), are to be avoided. They have been known to lead to birth defects and should be all together a no-go.

Look On The Label For:
Retinyl palmitate, Retinol, Retinyl linoleate, Retonoic acid, Renova (tretinoin), Differin (adapelene), Tazorac and avage.

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: , ,

Romancing Your Life via Text Messages

April 11, 2013 by ·

Gone are the days when we used to sit beside a landline waiting for someone special’s call. Now, all you have to do is punch in some words on your cellphone, hit the send button and voila! Your message is sent to your beloved in not time. According to a survey conducted by Pew Institute, there has been a drastic increase in number of text messages in the U.S., from 14 billion in 2000 to 188 billion in 2012.

The estimates indicate that mobile phone users of ages 18-29 send and receive 88 messages daily on average. However, the number reduces with the increase in age, but daily texting at age 65 and above still exceeds in number than the voice/phone calls made. The rapid increase is also because of lower text message rates and free text apps for smartphones, where users mostly end up being victim of text message spy. In another poll conducted by the TIME, 32% of the respondents said text messaging was their preferred mode of communication, rather than calling, even if they know the person really well.

Benefiting from Texting

In a study made by Amanda Klien, a graduate student at Towson University, the researcher conducted exhaustive interviews from her sample – four males and six females of ages 23 to 30 years old – to find out the effect of text messaging on their relationship. The participants at time of interviews were at different stages of relationship; single, dating, exclusive relationships and married.

Participants were quite happy with their texting behavior. In all the interviews conducted, participants agreed that texting was a quick, easy and convenient way to communicate with their partners. A participant admitted that texting allows him to stay in touch with his partner while at work, while another said it is a convenient way of making plans and informing their partner about important details.

Almost all the respondents believed that texting is an ideal way of exchanging information with their partners and keeping in touch with them throughout the day; particularly at times when they cannot talk to them on the phone. When inquired about the information they share with their partners through texting, they said every kind of news about their work, family, personal thoughts and issues and feelings were easy to share through texting. They even have huge fights via text messaging, which are resolved later  by having face-to-face communications.

Killing the Romance

However, Kien’s research revealed that it was not the preferred way of communication between two people who are in a romantic relationship. Participants strongly suggested face-to-face communication as the best tool of conveying one’s feelings and messages, while marking text messaging as an alternative to exchange important information only. They gave following reasons for their preference for face-to-face communication over text messaging:

-       Text messages do not express the sender’s true thoughts and emotions, which are really necessary in building up a relationship.

-       The essence of an instinctive text is minimized by editing it further or even written by someone else in some cases.

-       Text message senders are not open with their partner, as they can omit, rephrase their opinions and views which hide the truth behind sugar-coated words.

-        Although text messaging can be useful in earlier stages of a relationship or meeting a new person, but continuing your relationship will only make you feel awkward when faced with the concerned person.

-       Partners are in habit of looking into each other’s mobile phones. Therefore, the written text – if needed to be hidden from the partner – may become source of rift between the partners and jeopardize their relationship.

-       With the innovation of emoticons and animated pictures in the text messages, one forgets that these images cannot substitute their facial expressions and vocal expression and neither fulfill their physical void in the life of the partner.

-       There is no set pattern or etiquette defined – length of message, time of sending the message, time of response – to interact with another person through text messages. Moreover, in absence of any verbal or facial response everything is left to the words, which may fail to make an impact on the receiver.

Author Bio:

Natalia David is a well-known technology writer. She has written a lot of articles on PC and mobile spy software as well as spying applications as spy text. She can be contacted @NataliaDavid4.

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: ,
5 Everyday Addictions Kids Pick Up from Mom and Dad

5 Everyday Addictions Kids Pick Up from Mom and Dad

April 11, 2013 by ·

When people say that children pick up on things like sponges, they’re not lying. Kids looks up to their parents as role models and usually want to be just like them. While this is a good thing for those who have mothers and fathers that aim to set good examples, it can be a very dangerous situation for those whose parents have extremely bad habits or addictions. From simply living in the same house and seeing the same repetitive things on a daily basis, children feel as though some of these addictions are just a normal part of everyday life. These are five of the most common everyday addictions that children pick up for mom and dad.

 

Television and Internet Addiction

In this day and age, it can be extremely easy to get addicted to watching the television or playing games on the computer/internet. Because most people have televisions and computers within their homes, it can be hard to limit the amount of time that your children have access to these electronics each day. Parents who become addicted to sitting in front of the television set or the computer screen day in and day out are very likely to have their children grow up this same way. Break this addiction to electronics today by encouraging your children to get up and go outside to play. Set limits for the family, and be a good example.

 

Addiction to Food

Food addictions commonly run in the family. When kids see their mom and dads indulging in their favorite sweets or savory foods all day long, they want to do the same thing. Overeating may be used as some sort of crutch for an underlying issue. Not only is this bad for parents, but children who grow up with this addiction are more likely to develop obesity, diabetes and may even have early heart attacks. Know that your eating habits will likely transfer to your children.

 

Overspending

Overspending and gambling are terrible addictions that many families face. Because you may want nice things, it leads you to make purchases that you are not really able to afford or that could send you into debt. Kids will easily pick up on this addiction early in life, feeling as though it is okay to spend money that you don’t have. This can set them up for disaster in later life. If you or a family member are struggling with a serious addiction, contact a professional and find your guide to addiction recovery.

 

Caffeine and Coffee Addictions

While it is not terrible to have a little bit of coffee or soda with caffeine every once in awhile, it is not something that should be had multiple times per day. Parents who drink coffee every morning or multiple caffeinated beverages throughout the day may be showing their children that it’s alright to drink these beverages that can be bad for your health in large amounts. Make sure you limit the family’s intake of caffeinated beverages, and never set a double standard.

 

Author Bio

This article was written by Dixie Somers and coauthored by Stanley Martinson. Dixie gets her inspiration for writing from her three young girls and wonderful husband.

Filed Under: Lifestyle
It’s More than a Habit: How a Bad Habit Affects Your Health

It’s More than a Habit: How a Bad Habit Affects Your Health

April 11, 2013 by ·

There are so many different types of addictions in this world, and many of them can affect your health now and in the future. You simply need to turn on the television to see multiple shows dealing with some sort of addiction. Drugs, alcohol, tobacco, shopping and hoarding are just a few of the addictions that paralyze people physically and monetarily.

Drugs

Many habits truly hurt your body physically. According to Freedom Treatment Center, There are countless reports detailing the immediate and long-term damage that chemical addictions can have on your body, but they also do detrimental damage to your psyche as well. The mental anguish can truly deteriorate one’s mental capacity in such a way that all the addict wants to do is find a way to get the necessary chemicals. These bad habits force many otherwise good people to act in criminal ways. The health related illnesses affecting the world are often times due to the misuse of some legal and illegal chemicals.

Hording

Other addictions, like hoarding, can hurt you both physically and mentally as well. A hoarder may have so much stuff that it is physically impossible to have enough good quality air in the room. The person will begin to breathe toxins that can ruin a healthy person rather quickly. The desire to hoard hurts the mental health as well as the physical. Apart from the mental and physical harms, hording also severely hurts one’s social life as having people over to your house becomes impossible and embarrassing.

Shopping

Shopaholics face similar problems because they feel the urge to buy everything no matter what it costs that person or the family. The stress of buying things even when you do not need them is a real problem. This tends to create huge financial burdens that will impact the lives of the person. The mental health of the person and the family is destroyed when material goods take the place of food or necessary medicine for the family. This has a negative physical impact on the body if the problem continues.

The fact of the matter is that every addiction can cause physical and mental health problems. Every person on this earth has only one life to live, and that person must find a way to get rid of the addiction. Many studies have been done that demonstrate the health related side effects of every type of addiction. In one way or another, the addiction will eventually impact the person’s physical health. The mental health of the addict will also suffer, and it is imperative to quit the habit to live a healthy lifestyle.

Author Bio: Annette Hazard wrote this with Stanley Martinson. They both write and educate on the negative impact of drugs on the individual and family.

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: ,