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2. Maintaining Your Weight Loss Goals
3. How to Get Rid of Bad Breath Completely

Millions of women stuggle with bad breath and search for a secret bad breath cure. But the there are many bad breath tips that get at the cause of the problem and don’t just simply cover it up.

Here is a great article that discusses natural ways to get better smelling breath:

Five Bad Breath Home Remedies

However, there are many reasons for this condition, and rather than using over the shelf solutions, such as mouthwash which can do more harm than good, that do not always work, you can try some bad breath home remedies to get rid of the …

Publish Date: 06/09/2010 14:23

http://www.vjad.net/home-improvement/home-improvement/orthodontics-five-bad-breath-home-remedies

Here is a video about getting rid of bad breath:

Always start by going to a dentist for a checkup to make sure you don’t have an oral infection. It is alway a good idea to have your teeth professionally cleaned too.

After this you can start a good oral hygiene program and avoid all smelly foods like garlic. Be sure to brush your teeth after every meal and at least twice a day and always before bed.

Make sure you have a new toothbrush and a good quality toothpaste.

Get started today and you can have a fresher mouth and clean smelling breath right away.

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3. Vitamin D Reduces Cancer Risk

Be sure to get a rain barrel diverter or learn to install it on the water rain barrel that you build. A rain barrel diverter attaches to your existing downspout gutter system and funnels the rainwater into your waiting water rain barrel.

Use food grade barrels if you plan to drink the water in an emergency (filter or treat it first!). Also, a filter in the diverter is nice to have to keep the water clean. Keep the system closed to avoid breeding insects.

Learning about building or buying a rain barrel – the rain barrel “how to” is easy with all of the information available.

Check out all the following information about rain barrels:

How to Build a Rain Barrel

I love my rain barrels. I have 4 barrels setup around the house. After many changes, I settled on this rain barrel design. It is well designed and …

Publish Date: 02/15/2009 16:33

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Build-a-Rain-Barrel/

Here is a really cheap system for a rain water garden system:

DIY Cheapest Rain Barrel System EVER

Build your own rain barrel at home. Watch now.

Publish Date: 05/27/2010 18:50

http://manducagroup.com/diy-cheapest-rain-barrel-system-ever/

Watch these videos about rain barrels:

Take the time to learn about water rain barrels. You will have water for your garden and also water for you and your family in an emergency. Get started today!

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1. Emergency Preparedness Tips: Water
2. How to Make a 72 Hour Emergency Kit

We are all different so my kit will be different than yours. It is also a great idea to have 2 weeks of supplies instead of just 3 days. This is not hard to do and will give your family much needed extra security.

Start the process by checking out some of these resources:

Getting Started In Emergency Preparedness: Week Fourteen …

Others call them get out of Dodge bags (GOOD), and others call them 72-hour kits. I am going to call them emergency evacuation kits. They all serve the same purpose, to get you away from trouble. You will need one for your car, one for your work, and one for your home. When I say you, … http://www.72hours.org/go_bag.html. Wikipedia – Bug-Out Bag. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bug-out_bag. make sure you read the links within the article. Alpha Rubicon – Backpack Survival …

Publish Date: 05/29/2010 4:30

http://gsiep.blogspot.com/2010/05/week-fourteen-emergency-evacuation-kits.html

72-Hour Emergency Kit | Homeland Survival

72-Hour Family Emergency Supplies Kit The 72-Hour Emergency Kit should be individually tailored to meet the basic survival needs of your family for three.

Publish Date: 01/31/2001 16:00

http://www.homeland-survival.com/emergency-kits/72-hour-emergency-kit/

How to Keep a 72-hour Kit Up-to-Date: A Guide on Replacing old …

Most people do not have a 72-hour kit or any other emergency preparedness items stored for an emergency situation. It is very important to have a 72-hour kit, but the problem with the kits is that they have to be consistently updated. …

Publish Date: 02/17/2010 13:44

http://homemanagement.suite101.com/article.cfm/how-to-keep-a-72-hour-kit-up-to-date

Remember to provide some sort of personal defense because you never know what type of crime might break out in an emergency. You may never need it – but if you do – you’ll be glad you planned ahead.

Consider bright flashlights, pepper spray, whistles for all children, stun guns or whatever type of defense weapon you think you can handle. The most important way to protect yourself is to avoid trouble in the first place. Keep a low profile and don’t advertise that you have supplies. Be alert at all times.

Here are some videos about making a 72 hour emergency kit:

The most important thing is to get started today. Get some containers and start collecting what you need for each person. Remember to update them regularly. Put a note on your calender to check your kit every 6 months.

Just think how good you will feel when you have accomplished this task of making a 72 hour emergency kit for yourself and your family. Now keep going until you have 2 weeks and you will be much safer.

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2. How to Build a Water Rain Barrel

Also, it’s a great way to save money by producing some of your own food at home. These tiny greens sell for big bucks at the store too.

Here is information on growing microgreens the easy way:

Craftzine.com blog : Grow Your Own Microgreens at Home

You can grow fresh & healthy microgreens right in the comfort of your own home. All you need is a sunny window sill and a few simple materials. Depending on what you decide to grow, you could manage to have weekly or biweekly crops of …

Publish Date: 04/08/2010 13:00

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2010/04/grow_your_own_microgreens_insi.html

Microgreens: Growing these veggies can be beneficial for your …

Growing Microgreens? Here’s some tips to help you along the way to ensure that your lettuce, endives, beets, herbs, onions, chives, and all of the like grow to their potential. … Your home for gardening tips, advice and discussion. …

Publish Date: 04/26/2010 13:45

http://gardeningchannel.com/tips-for-growing-microgreens/

How to grow microgreens and sprouts at home | Chicago Botanic …

Benjamin Carroll shows us how to grow microgreens and sprouts at home. It’s a quick and easy way to get fresh healthy food even in winter! View the.

Publish Date: 01/29/2010 12:19

http://www.chicagobotanic.org/grow/adult_education/how-to-grow-microgreens-and-sprouts-at-home/

Other folks are excited about microgreen too. Here are some tweets about microgreens:

By tracysheridan at 05/29/2010 12:02

By Healthsh at 05/28/2010 21:04

There are some great video tutorials about growing microgreens too:

Here is another microgreens video:

Enjoy growing microgreens at home! It’s a great hobby that produces quality food to eat!

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Try Natural Products First

Of course, before you ever use your steam cleaner you should consider whether the stains can be removed with simple detergents and other stain removal substances that you already have. You will be amazed at how many stains can be eliminated totally with natural things like vinegar or lemon juice. If that doesn’t work, you can try alcohol. They also make special enzyme solutions specifically for cleaning up after pets. It’s always a good idea to get as much cleaning done as possible, whether with these products for stains or with a vacuum for dirt, before busting out the steam cleaner.

Here is one tip that works surprisingly well for pet stain situations. As soon as you can after the stain is made, mix together a single teaspoon of normal store-bought ammonia with ½ cup of tap water. There are a few ways you can apply it to the stain. For instance, you could put it in a bottle and spray it on. Or you could just slowly pour it on directly. It’s your choice, but remember not to soak the backing of the carpets in the process. Once you’ve carefully applied a layer of the liquid to the entire area of the stain (and maybe the area around it, for good luck), get some tissue or paper towels to dry it up.

Steam Cleaner Works Well on Old Pet Stains

It goes without saying that if the stain has been around for a while, you may have more trouble, but don’t worry. Even old and hardy pet stains can be removed if you use the right products and refuse to give up.

It should be clear by now that one of the most important things to do is to make sure your carpet cleaner machine also offers a cleaning solutions specific to pet stain problems. Don’t neglect this during the shopping process! Examine different brands like Hoover to find the best steam carpet cleaner available that will do the best job cleaning your carpet and making your home and life healthier and more comfortable.

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Many people are convinced, completely convinced, that carpet cleaning is hard. These people will even pay hundreds of dollars to have someone else do the carpet cleaning for them. The truth, though, is that the real difficult part of carpet cleaning is finding a good carpet cleaning machine. Once you have a good steam cleaner or other machine, the worst part is over and you can relax because these machines are easy to use.

Take the Advice of Someone You Can Trust

A dry extraction system can be effective on some stains and dirt. These work by spreading a detergent and then vacuuming the dirt up. Dry foam carpet cleaners, by comparison, applies a foam to the carpet and then sucking up the foam with a wet vac. Upright steam carpet cleaners, meanwhile, look like big vacuums. They spray a detergent deep into the carpet fibers for a maximum clean before extracting all the liquid and dirt into a built-in tank.

Go to people you trust and ask them what carpet cleaning products they recommend. They may share some ideas you never would guess. Even better, go online and look for the carpet cleaners with the best customer reviews. This is often a good indicator of the quality of the carpet cleaning machine and whether it will work for you.

Clean Carpets Mean Better Air Quality in Your Home

Since one of the main benefits of carpet cleaning is improved health for you and your family, you also want to make sure that the carpet cleaner you select doesn’t use dangerous, toxic chemicals. Done right, with the best machine and detergents, you can eliminate unhealthy dirt and dust in a positive way. Your house will look cleaner and your lungs will thank you for the improved air quality!

With a good system, it is possible to clean your carpets well on a regular basis, so that your floors are never dirty again. If that sounds like a great way to live for you, what are you waiting for? As we head into a new season, this is the perfect time to get started on carpet cleaning. And if you take the advice above to heart then finding a good carpet cleaning machine won’t be a hassle–it could even be fun.

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How do they work? In a nutshell, a steam cleaner vacuum shoots a combination of hot water and a detergent out onto the carpet, which does most of the washing. Then all the liquid is sucked (“extracted”) back out into the carpet cleaning machine. Some of the machines get a little fancier, adding features like brush rotation to really get at the dirtiest parts of the carpet for a penetrating deep clean.

Not Your Mother’s Carpet Cleaner

As you might expect, the carpet steam cleaner has come a long way since its inception. Many of the first machines had a hose connected to some water supply. You hooked the hose up to a container of detergent and the two fluids were combined when you opened the valve. Some people still use these today, but most prefer the newer self contained cleaners.

The canister steam cleaner is one such machine. These have a standalone hose, but built-in tanks and motor. You hold a nozzle in your hand and wave it around to get all parts of your carpet. Ultimately, canister steam cleaners suffer from the flaw of inconvenience. Unlike other carpet cleaning products they’re hard to store and hard to start using. In particular, trying to move them–say, from your garage or closet to your living room–is much harder than it should be.

Upright is Your Best Choice

What’s the alternative, then? For most people, it’s the self contained upright steam cleaner. These are like the ones mentioned earlier in this article, that work a lot like a vacuum cleaner. You could think of them like a vacuum cleaner “times 100″–just as easy to use but with so much more power. (Even so, let’s not insult the vacuum too much. It’s still an important part of effective carpet cleaning and should be done first to get the most obvious dirt.)

An upright steam cleaner includes a tank, motor, nozzle and so on–all built in to the main machine. You just grab it and push it slowly around the floor for a deep, high quality clean that lasts ages. The cleaning detergent is funneled automatically to a nozzle where it is sprayed and brushed vigorously into the carpet. And to cap it all off, they usually also include a detachable brush and nozzle that you can use when the need arises.

Now You Can Clean Your Carpet on a Whim

Whether you go with an upright steam cleaner or something else, here’s a parting tip: Carpet cleaning is best done regularly. You might even work it into your routine and do it even when the carpets don’t look dirty yet. With upright steam carpet cleaners it’s more than easy enough to do as often as you like and it’ll lead to more effective carpet cleaning in the long run–as well as healthier lungs for you and your family and cleaner and longer-lasting carpets for your home.

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2. Choosing the Right Carpet Cleaner the Easy Way
3. Carpet Steam Cleaning Tips
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House Rules to Keep Dirt Out

Carpet cleaning machines are easy and effective but like they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Why not make some house rules about dirt? You could have people wipe their shoes on a mat before coming inside, or even have them take their shoes off completely.

Doing these simple things can seriously reduce how dirty your carpets get in the first place and make your life easier when it comes time to use the carpet cleaning machine.

Deal With Carpet Spills With a Carpet Steam Cleaner

Also, act quickly if you spill something on your carpet. Most small spills can be cleaned up with water, vinegar or inexpensive cleaning products that you can get at the store. Different products work best with different types of spills. For bigger or more serious spills, you may want to grab your carpet cleaning machine and give the spot a once-over, but this isn’t always necessary. The main thing to remember is that the sooner you clean up a spill the simpler it’ll be to keep your carpets clean.

Vacuum Often to Keep Dirt Under Control

Now, it’s easy to get so excited about carpet cleaning machines that you forget about the boring old vacuum cleaner. But the vacuum is an important part of effective carpet cleaning. Don’t forget to vacuum thoroughly on a regular basis with a quality machine. Do it from multiple angles to make sure you get all the dirt. Later on when you pull out the carpet cleaner, you’ll be glad you already got the big stuff with the vacuum.

Home Carpet Steam Cleaners To the Rescue

But in the end, these are only partial cures. To completely clean your carpet you’ll need what’s called a deep cleaning. You can hire someone to do that for you, or you can use your own deep cleaning machine. Many people opt to pay someone else to clean their carpets because they mistakenly think it would be hard to do themselves. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Prolong Carpet Life With Steam Cleaning

Did you know a clean carpet lasts longer and stays in better shape? Replacing a damaged carpet is costly and time-consuming, so avoiding this from the start is a great decision. But the benefits go way beyond this and can dramatically improve your quality of life. Carpet cleaning is a great step toward better health for you and your family–and there’s nothing like a clean house to brighten your mood.

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2. Steam Cleaner Vacuum: Hot Water Power Machines
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4. Hoover f5914900 SteamVac with Clean Surge Review

My carpets had not been cleaned in a long time and they really needed help and fast. I hate renting those monster steam cleaners from the grocery store and the so-called professional carpet cleaners don’t always get the job done very well (I’ve had bad experiences with various services).

So I was asking a lot from the f5914900 but based on the huge number of reviews at Amazon I felt like the Hoover f5914 900 steamvac clean surge might be my answer!

I Really Love This Machine

Before I tell you all the nitty-gritty details about the Hoover f5914 900 first let me assure you that my steam cleaner arrived in record time and boy did it get the job done!

My husband and I had a really fun time using it. We started in the foyer because that was a really high traffic area and I figured if the Hoover f5914-900 could handle this job it will handle anything.

What a joy and what fun to see all of the dirt in the dirty water tank! If it’s getting all this dirt out then it must be getting the carpet really clean.

And the handle-mounted trigger releases a surge of cleaning fluid onto the carpet for extra deep fiber cleaning. It also has strong spinning brushes that scrub the carpet fibers.

What a Difference

But the real thrill is comparing the part you’ve cleaned with the part you have not cleaned yet. What an amazing difference. The stains and smells are gone!

We did the entire front of the house the next evening – it was a breeze and really impressive.

So I definitely love it and consider it one of my best purchases because now I’m living in a house with clean carpets I feel good about. This means less allergens, less toxic junk that comes in from outside and no more embarrassing dirt.

From Now On – Clean Carpets For Me

And best of all I can keep them clean. I plan to do the traffic areas monthly and everything else twice a year. It’s that convenient.

I can promise you that if you get one of these (and be sure it’s this model) you will never regret it.

Hoover has done a great job making this job as easy and mess free as it can be. The details and features of the Hoover F5914-900 SteamVac with Clean Surge are as follows:

“The powerful 12-amp motor combined with five spinning brushes that operate at either high or low speed lift the usual dirt and grime out of carpets.

By pulling on the trigger in the comfortable upright handle, this deep cleaner releases the included carpet/upholstery cleaner and hot tap water.

For more stubborn stains or for high-traffic areas, this SteamVac also has a Clean Surge feature, which sends an extra blast of cleaning solution into the stain by simply pressing a button on the handle.

When cleaning is complete, release the trigger and the SteamVac forces hot air into the cleaning path so you can do a few dry strokes over the stain.

This deep cleaner has two separate water tanks to keep clean water apart from dirty water.

The top tank holds the detergent and 1 gallon of hot water and automatically mixes the two so you don’t need to get your hands wet.

The lower tank holds the dirty solution picked up from the carpet and unlatches to easily pour out into a sink or toilet without spilling.

For cleaning stairs or upholstery, this deep cleaner has a long 8-foot hose and a special stair/upholstery nozzle that scrubs out spots.

Other features of this deep cleaner include:

A brush indicator, which informs you that the brushes are spinning;

An on/off foot pedal; a handle release pedal;

A 27-inch wraparound cord.

The Hoover SteamVac is covered by a full one-year warranty.”

Source: Amazon.com

Hoover f5914900 SteamVac with Clean Surge is a fantastic steam cleaner and I would recommend it to anyone. I would be very surprised if the professional carpet cleaners manage to stay in business. I know I won’t be needing their services anymore and you won’t either if you get one of these power-cleaning machines.

Articles related to Hoover f5914900 SteamVac:

• Hoover Vacuum F5914900 Sale – Hoover Vacuum F5914900 Sale. Powerful 12-amp motor; deep cleans with hot tap water and carpet solution, Five spinning/scrubbing brushes clean carpets, upholstery, bare floors, Clean Surge feature gives extra burst of cleaning solution …

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Why do we do this and how can we stop?

These memories can be from the distant past or maybe even last week. But the common factor is that they upset us and make us feel bad.

Only One Good Reason to Focus on Bad Memories

Usually focusing on the past is a waste of time and hurtful. But there can be an important reason to take the time to think about what and why certain things happened.

What are some reasons that it make sense to focus on past situations that make us angry, sad, helpless, guilty or whatever bad feeling you get?

Protect Yourself From Now On

The only reason to do this – and even this reason will be short-lived – is in order to learn the lesson we need to learn so we never have this happen again.

So it’s okay to think about it from the standpoint of “never again will this happen to me!” and then actually making a strategy to protect yourself.

Now only memorize the strategy and the empowered feeling you get when you are helping yourself and putting your best interest as a top priority.

Example: Whenever (insert name here) starts putting me down I will quickly hang up the phone or leave the room. I will use my feelings to judge when to do this. Anytime I feel BAD I will activate this strategy.

Note: Using our feelings as warning systems works well around passive-aggressive type people. They are so skilled at hiding attacks behind a “nice” image that you must rely on your feelings to protect yourself.

So now you have a protective strategy. But what if you start running the same old bad feeling – bad place tape through your head again and again. What will you do?

You will have a strategy for this too!

Pick a New Tape to Run

The best thing I know to do when old tapes insist on filling our head with thoughts that are not helpful is this: replace them with memories or thoughts that make us feel good.

But sometimes we feel like NOTHING feels good and it seems like there are NO good replacements. What to do then?

Look around and find the littlest thing you like – even a bit. For example, I love the beautiful blue color of the sheets on my bed and also the color in a quilt I have. Just looking at it makes me happier. I know it’s a small thing but it gets me in a slightly better mood.

Feeling Better Now

From this better feeling place I can easily think of something else I feel happy about – like my cozy new socks or my cuddly little dog.

Now I’m feeling like I’m sort of lucky to have these things. In other words, I’m starting to feel much better and stronger.

Other ideas: looking at nature is always good and it’s always available too.

It’s a good idea to make a list of things you like when you’re feeling good already. Only list things that make you feel 100% good. Make sure there is no hint of feelings of envy, self-pity, jealousy or any other negative feeling.

Be sure that most of these good things on your list are simple pleasures. Remember – the small and simple things often bring us great joy.

Now when the bad times come you will have your “good things list” ready to help you. You are taking care of yourself ahead of time.

The idea is to start very small and look for just one tiny thing we like. As we start small we can move into a place of greater joy where all the bad memories of the past are exposed as traps and snares leading to our downfall.

The Most Important Lesson of All

Realizing this, we learn that the most important lesson of all is to stay away from these bad and useless memories. They don’t serve our best interests at all.

Remember this: no matter what anyone else tells you or what has happened in the past – you have the power to choose what you think about and focus on today. Always choose the thing that makes you feel better, more strong and powerful.

Practice this every minute of the day. It gets easier the more you do it and the wonderful thing is this: your life will be filled with more of what you’re thinking about now – happiness and joy.

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1. Want More Happiness? Pamper Yourself!

Many women take wonderful care of their families and think nothing of sacrificing to pamper others. But when it come to ourselves we often never get around to the same nice treatment.

So much of our life is spent working or managing day to day responsibilities. Often the technology in our life means that we are always plugged into more information about things to do or things happening in the world that are distressing.

Take Care of Your Body

We even abuse ourselves by working too long, not relaxing, sitting at the computer for too many hours. Eventually we start to feel the pain of all of this abuse.

We aren’t happy anymore and it’s confusing because we seem to be doing so much.

The reason is this: we long to be cared for – but we wait for someone else to care for us.

It’s time to stop that kind of thinking and realize that we can give ourselves all the pampering we need and want.

The first step to pampering is to take care of your body.

Feel Good Ideas

Here are some ideas to get you started:

A soothing bath

Splurge on a pedicure

A relaxing massage

A good novel in bed

Enjoy a favorite treat

Walk barefoot in soft green grass

Take a nap in the sunshine

Go out at night and look at the stars

Do What Feels Best to You

Everyone has unique ideas about what is the best way to pamper yourself. The important thing is to add your favorites into your schedule every week.

It only takes a few minutes to do these body-friendly activities. So get started today and watch your happiness increase as you treat yourself with the love and respect you deserve.

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In fact, wire closet organization systems are designed to be both cheap and high quality. They have many benefits, and depending on your situation may be exactly what you need.

Let’s say you have a lot of things to store but you don’t expect to be using the same closet for very long. A wire closet storage system gives you an ideal mix of portability and stability. The different components are designed so you can easily move them around and reimagine your closet as often as you like, and so you can quickly remove the whole system if you have to move. Of course, this makes them perfect for college dormitories and for apartments.

Wire Closet Storage Systems

Wire closet storage systems come in a couple types. Some are installed by mounting a track inside the closet wall and placing the wire closet shelving or baskets lengthways on it. The good thing about this set-up is that it’s easy to change later and to fine-tune to get it just right. Plus, you end up having to make less holes in the wall. Other wire closet storage systems work by mounting the different products to the wall separately using screws, braces and other accessories that are easy to locate in most stores.

Do you have something heavy you need to store in your closet—a collection of thick books, for instance? With a few exceptions, wire closet storage systems are sturdier than other systems and are built to hold anything. There are exceptions to this though, so be careful to check individual products for maximum weight limits. The last thing you want is for your closet organization system to collapse.

Wire Storage: Not For Sweaters

Be warned, however, that wire storage is simply a bad idea for sweaters and some other kinds of clothes. Why? Well, the wires leave marks sometimes. Consider whether this might be an issue with the things you need to store before you decide on a wire closet organization system.

Now, of course, style is an important quality in any closet organization system. When some people hear “wire” they think it will be ugly. Nothing could be further from the truth. You can get wire closet organization kits in many attractive colors, with epoxy coatings, matching any closet decor. If you can’t find the color you want, you can always get a can of spray paint and recolor them in minutes.

Wire Closet Organizers are an Inexpensive Solution

Wire closet organizations systems are high quality, stylish and they work amazingly well, but of course the important thing is price. This is where wire systems really stand out. If you dream of getting creative and organizing a closet that you can be proud of, but have a budget to stick to, go with wire products. They’re sold online and in most home improvement outlets.

You can get your chaotic closet under control right away. Think about it. That depressing mess doesn’t have to be in there. With a wire closet organization system, you clean it up fast and inexpensively.

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1. The Best Closet Organization System for Your Lifestyle
2. Easy Closet Organization Tips

Now that you’ve decided, though, you might already be feeling overwhelmed. Don’t worry, with a few good tips you’ll be well on your way to closet organization heaven. Here’s the first thing you should know… it doesn’t matter how big a closet is. What matters is what you do with the space you have!

Divide and Conquer Your Closet

Divide the job up into tiny chunks that are simple to do on their own. If you get too wrapped up in the “whole” of everything that’s involved in closet organization you can quickly start to feel like you’ll never get done. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Just pick one tiny thing to do each day and before you know it you’ll be done.

Step one is getting rid of what you don’t need. In order to figure out what you need and don’t need, take everything out of the closet. Look at each thing individually. Be as brutal as you can when it comes to purging old things you don’t need.

This may be very hard for you. There are people who can throw stuff out without a second’s thought, but most of us aren’t like that. Remember, if you really want to keep something you can. Especially if it has sentimental value for you. Closet organization should always be a happy thing.

Keep Only What You Love in Your Clothes Closet

If you’ve got a lot of clothes think hard about how much of it you actually wear. A good rule is that if you haven’t put it on in the last twelve months, it can go. Also, look for stuff that no longer fits you. It can go too.

You’ll probably find that you’ve shoved some things into the closet just because you didn’t know where else to put them. Now that you’re dedicated to closet organization, it’s time to take these things and find a better place for them, somewhere other than the closet. Closets have a very specific role in your home and you should remove anything that seems out of place in it.

Whatever you decide to get rid of you, put aside for now. There are lot of options for what to do with it all, including throwing it out, donating it or putting it in garage storage. But that can wait. As for the things you decided to keep, gather all of it together and put it in a nice container somewhere else in the house.

Design Your Dream Closet

Next, sit down with a pen and paper and write down everything you’re going to want in your custom closet design. Let’s say you’re crazy about hats. If you’ve got lots of them, you’ll need to dedicate a lot of space for that. You might decide to dedicate some closet shelving just to your favorite novels. Anything goes here–it’s your closet after all.

Once you know what you need to put in the closet, get out a measuring tape and find out how wide and deep it is. This will help you estimate just how much closet shelving, racking and other closet accessories to set up.

Now you can think about what style you want to go for. Here you also need to consider what you’re willing to spend. It’s easy to go crazy buying the coolest and most expensive closet organization products but set a budget. Once you’ve decided on a style and budget you’ll have a better idea what materials you’ll need to buy.

Basically, closet organization is about two things. The hard part comes first when you throw out everything that isn’t important to keep. The fun part comes last but it’s well worth it–that’s when you get to be creative and organize what’s left.

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1. The Best Closet Organization System for Your Lifestyle
2. Wire Closet Organizers: Low-Cost Storage Solution

A Closet for Your Lifestyle

Many kits and systems are available, but I want to emphasize that you should only purchase the one that fits your needs. This is important because what works for other people won’t necessarily work for you. All of us have an individual “style” that we feel most comfortable with. The system you come up with for organizing your closet needs to take that style into account.

You might find that one of the existing closet organization systems is a perfect match for your organizational style. But then again, you might not. In this case you might be better off coming up with your own closet organization system. How? Well, there are a lot of possibilities.

The Unique Closet

One idea is to buy individual closet organization products and mix them together as your own system. But this isn’t easy, especially if you’re trying to get everything to fit together just right. If this idea appeals to you, though, keep one thing in mind. Make sure all the closet organization products you pick come from just one company! Otherwise you’ll get a real headache trying to get everything to work together.

Build Your Own Closet Kit

But a simpler and more fun alternative is to craft a closet organization kit of your own making. It’s the same basic idea as mixing together individual products but with some major differences–and major advantages.

What you do is this. Get in touch with a company who provides custom closet organization kits. Send the company an email describing your closet. Include pictures so they can see what they’ll be working with. They’ll send you back some mock-ups of what they think you should do. If you agree with the closet organization plan they give you, then they make and ship it to you.

You’ll have to put a little more thought into this, obviously, than you would just buying a closet organization system at the store. But in the end it’s usually cheaper and you get a better fit for your particular closet and personal style.

Getting Help With Closet Organization

Let’s say you like the idea of a custom closet organization kit, but think it sounds overwhelming. Consider finding a closet organization consultant. This is a person who does this kind of thing all the time. The downside to this option is that it costs way more money. The upside is that it costs way less in time and energy. A good consultant will drop by your house and examine the closet in person. They’ll talk in depth with you about what you want. They’ll even have it installed for you.

With all these options for closet organization, the idea is basically the same. You want a neat, well-organized closet that makes you smile every time you look at it. Achieving this goal is so empowering. It’s really worth the money and effort it takes to do it right. What are you waiting for?

Related posts:

1. Easy Closet Organization Tips
2. Wire Closet Organizers: Low-Cost Storage Solution

What is needed is an easy way to get a firm grip on what’s important to us and make sure we don’t get off track. Spending our time on what we decide will improve our life is critical.

Here is a super easy plan to stay organized. It’s low tech and flexible – but before you change it too much try to remember it’s best to just keep it simple.

Step 1: The Master Lists

You will need two notebooks. Label one of these “master list home” and the other “master list business/work/school”.

Every morning take a few quiet minutes and write down everything you can think of regarding what needs done or remembered in your life. Empty your head of all of the big and little details. Write in both of the master lists.

These master lists are valuable so don’t take them out of the house unless you are sure they are safe!

Step 2: The Weekly List

At the beginning of the week sit down with a blank sheet of paper. At the top list the days of the week.

Referring to your master lists pick 20 tasks to accomplish for the week and divide them up over 5 days. You need 10 tasks for home and 10 for business.

You will have 4 tasks per day – 2 from the home master list and 2 from the business master list. These can be anything big or small as long as you want to get them done this week. Balance little tasks with big tasks so the time frame is realistic.

Post this weekly list near your desk so you will always have a visual reminder of your plans for the week.

Note: If you are trying to do something new that has been hard for you – making this “to do item” very small is a good idea. Very small changes lead to long term success. For more information on the see this article: http://www.hersuccess.com/success-habits/productivity/personal-kaizen-how-to-achieve-your-goals-the-easy-way/

Step 3: The Daily List – Life Change Begins Here

Every morning sit quietly with a blank sheet of paper at your desk and look at the weekly plan you posted. Write down the 2 tasks from home and 2 tasks from business that you want to get done today. Be honest about the amount of time to do these.

Now you have 4 tasks to do today. These are your carefully thought out actions that you decided were important – the actions that will move your life in the direction you want. Get it done and you are headed for success!

Feel free to add any information you need to accomplish these tasks to this daily list. Maybe you need a phone number or address to get the job done. Write it down here.

A good idea is to add an inspirational reminder to yourself or maybe a quote you like.

Fold this daily list into a small size and carry it with you as you get your tasks done. Make notes on the back of this paper whenever you think of something you want to add to your master lists the next morning when you do Step #1 again.

Step 4: General and Special Lists

As you go through life you will have other types of lists, notes and various paper items that need to be kept safe and accessible. Maybe you are working on a specific project at home and you have notes regarding it.

Here is what to do:

All other lists and notes get put in a file folder, labeled and inserted into a portable file case. Create simple categories as dividers to make them easy to find. Don’t get complicated here – remember the easier it is to do the more likely we will do it. So just toss them in a file folder and into the case and be done with it.

Step 5: Use Your Cell Phone Calender for Appointments

Nearly everyone has a cell phone with a calender function. Set it to pop up a reminder the day before appointments and the day of the appointment. These appointments will also be mentioned in your master lists, weekly and daily lists too. But the cell phone is a handy reminder so always use it.

So here is the supplies list for this simple and effective organizing system:

2 notebooks
Notebook paper
File folders with all left or right tabs
A file folder case
A cell phone with calender function

That’s it!  In a nutshell – you do the master lists and daily list EVERY day. You do the weekly list WEEKLY.  It’s simple. Get started on this easy time management and organizing system today. We are not getting any younger so the sooner you start taking control of your time – the sooner you’ll be living the life you’ve always wanted.

Related posts:

1. 5 Ways to Be More Productive
2. How to Turn Your Dreams into Reality
3. Personal Kaizen: How to Achieve Your Goals the Easy Way

It can make you feel hopelessly stuck.

What if there was a way to make those changes stick – and it was so easy it was almost effortless? This surprising concept comes from the Japanese philosophy Kaizen. Kaizen means tiny little baby steps towards your goals.

Whenever we make changes in our life our subconscious notices and gets freaked out. It’s afraid that we’ll get hurt doing something new or upsetting. The result for us is that we feel fear. This fear may be very obvious to us or it may be at a level we don’t even notice.

But even if this fear is at the subconscious level it will thwart our new plans for change. To us it simply looks like we screwed up again.

But what actually happens is we revert to our “default mode” which is basically all of the habits we’ve developed over the years. Often these habits are the opposite of what we need in order to see positive change. So our subconscious is happy – everything stays the same again.

Personal Kaizen to the Rescue

Little did we know our subconscious was just “helping us stay safe”. This is a powerful force to overcome – but we can do it because now we have a sneaky tool called Kaizen.

Since we do control our conscious mind – we can make ourselves take small, micro-actions without tripping the built in fear alarm of the subconscious. The reason this works is because small changes don’t alert our subconscious to take action to preserve the status quo.

How small are these micro-actions? I’ll give you an example to get you started.

Let’s say you want to lose weight. You know that you want to keep a food diary but you always seem to forget (default mode). What’s the one thing you can think of doing that is so small your subconscious won’t feel threatened?

Everyday you will record breakfast only. Do just this one thing until it is simply your habit. Breakfast is always recorded in your little notebook. It’s just your way. It’s also a great meal to record first – since it’s so important to eat breakfast if you want to lose weight.

Create a New Comfort Zone

Once our subconscious gets comfortable with these micro-actions the fear alarm is less likely to be activated. And these small actions eventually turn our default mode into a powerful force of good habits that move us faster and faster towards our ideal life.

So in the future as we make bigger changes and our fear alarm is tripped, our default mode will be working in our favor – not against us.

These small micro-actions of improvement grow over time like compound interest in our lives. We make tiny deposits of “change” and then eventually we see big rewards (success).

The great thing about this is that we can do this in all areas of our life that we want to change – with very little effort each day. Start now to think of tiny little actions to improve relationships, health, career and self confidence.

Small Change is Best

But remember – these changes must be extremely small. The smaller the better! This is supposed to be fun – not work. Our new motto is “if there is pain – there is no gain”. Never stress yourself again over change. It’s a process and you’re on your way now.

With Kaizen micro-actions we can “trick” our brain into doing what we know is best for us – exactly what we want. And best of all – it doesn’t require us to do much all at once – so it’s simple to get started. Try the Personal Kaizen method for a fun and easy way to success.

Related posts:

1. Super Simple Time Management and Organizing System
2. How to Turn Your Dreams into Reality
3. 5 Ways to Be More Productive

1) It’s cheaper and healthier to make your own shiny hair rinse using natural items you already have in your kitchen.

The following common beverages are useful for more than just drinking. For beautiful shiny hair prepare about 1 – 2 cups and pour over your hair:

Blondes: Chamomile tea

Brunettes: Coffee or Black tea

Redheads: Cranberry juice

Leave on your hair for 10 minutes and then quickly rinse out.

2) Talcum powder or cornstarch: makes a dry shampoo. Shake on and brush out gently.

2) Witch hazel or lemon juice: a fantastic toner for your skin. Apply with a cotton ball.

3) Tea bags: Steep the bags and then chill them in the fridge. Put over your eyes to get rid of puffiness.

4) Baking soda: Use with your toothpaste to add extra whitening.

5) 3% Hydrogen Peroxide: This is useful if you have acne. Apply with a cotton ball. You can also swish some in your mouth to whiten your teeth (never swallow hydrogen peroxide!). Then brush as normal.

Natural beauty solutions are as close as your cupboards – and they are effective and healthy too.

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1. How to Create an Easy and Elegant Holiday Hairstyle

What separates people that are living the life they have always wanted from those who remain dreamers only?

In a word: ACTION!

You must take action in your life if you want to achieve your dreams. You must do something!

What should you do first? What bothers you the most about your life? How will you change this one thing? What would be the very first action you would need to take?

You must do this thing first.

This will set the momentum. As you see success in this one small thing you will build your confidence.

With more confidence in yourself you will be able to take action faster and more efficiently.

Success = Confidence

Confidence = Success

You want to get on this path as soon as possible so start out with a small action that you know you can do quickly.

You will feel great about yourself and be eager to pick the next action. Keep doing this and you will see amazing changes in your life.

Be a doer, take action – dreams are great – but all dreams require productive action to bring them into reality.

Related posts:

1. Personal Kaizen: How to Achieve Your Goals the Easy Way
2. 5 Ways to Be More Productive
3. Super Simple Time Management and Organizing System

It’s possible to live without food for weeks but you can only live without water for a few days before you begin to die.

If you have water you can stay healthy while you make your plan for survival. Other tips in this series will cover many areas of preparedness you need to consider.

But for now – go out and purchase enough cases of water bottles for your family for 2 weeks of drinking water. Get four water bottles for each person per day for 14 days. That’s 56 bottles per person. Most of these cases have 24 bottles in them. So a little more than 2 cases per person.

If you have 4 people in your family buy 10 cases. Get them on sale to save money. My local Walmart has water cases for less than $3.00 each.

As you can see, this is all easy to do and very inexpensive. Label each water case with the date you purchased it.

After about 6 months start rotating in a new case of water each month and using the old case. This keeps everything fresh and ready. Remember to put the date of purchase on the new water.

Keep all of your water supplies in a secure, cool and dark location.

Water for hygiene will come next, but right now get the life saving drinking water safely stored away.

Also, always keep your preparedness plans confidential. You don’t want 50 thirsty and desperate people at your door in a crisis looking for your family’s precious life saving water.

Taking this critical step in protecting your family is a major accomplishment and a great start to your family emergency preparedness plan.

Related posts:

1. How to Make a 72 Hour Emergency Kit
2. How to Build a Water Rain Barrel

Who would have thought Mick Jagger was a brilliant financial advisor? Turns out though, he has it right.

Check out these great tips for getting what you need on a shoestring:

1) Learn conscious spending. Stop mindless spending. Start ranking all your discretionary spending on a “joy factor”. Only spend on high ranking items for greater satisfaction.

2) Enjoy a side benefit of less spending money: you’ll learn about the simple joys of life that give big pleasure. Think about what small things bring you delight. Fill your day with these.

3) Visit the beach or park in your town and enjoy as much nature as you can consume. All for free.

4) Learn the art and joys of creating and packing a perfect picnic. Invest in a good thermos or two for coffee and hot entrees.

5) Take a photography day trip. (Bring that picnic meal you made in tip #4) Everyone takes their digital cameras and takes as many great shots as possible. Take extra memory cards. Print them out and frame them for inexpensive yet invaluable art work for your home.

6) The most important investment of all is relationships. Staying home watching movies, day trips around town, cooking together and playing games all give you a chance to reconnect with your family.

7) Start a weekly or monthly potluck tradition with extended family and friends. Have theme nights like Italian or Mexican and watch the fun happen. Be sure to appreciate everyone’s offering to the meal.

These tips are just a few ideas to get you in the right mindset. The timeless truth is that you’re already rich in the most important things and everything you need – you already have.

1) Find out where all the upscale second hand shops are in your town. Check Google Maps to make finding them easy and fast.

2) Look for consignment stores. These shops have the best name brands. Often they are very selective in the designer clothing they accept.

3) Check out vintage shops. This is where you will find clothes from days gone by – that have come back in style. Also look for vintage jewelry and other accessories.

4) Take some time to look around eBay. Many people sell beautiful clothes, shoes, handbags and jewelry that they no longer need. Often they just need the money and are willing to accept low offers. You may snag a designer item for a really low price.

5) Keep your eye on your local Craigslist for super bargains in clothing and other accessories. Once again these can often be quite a deal.

6) Let your family, friends and neighbors know you are looking for quality clothing that they don’t want anymore. If offered something accept it graciously – even if it’s not what you want. Let them know it would be great for a friend of yours or you can alway donate it – but you’ve avoided alienating them. Their next offer might be perfect for you. The danger in this suggestion is that the person may ask for the item back and you won’t have it. So do this at your own risk!

7) Local garage sales are always fun and if you look for sales in upscale neighborhoods you may come away with a fantastic steal! I once found a beautiful designer coat at a garage sale for $2.00! Many people have stopped me in public to comment on it. You may have to go to a few sales before you hit the jackpot – so don’t give up too soon.

8) Watch your local paper for estate sales. These are often entire wardrobes up for sale. Plan to arrive early to get the best selection.

9) Find out when the churches and schools in your area hold their annual fundraising sales. Many of the families donate beautiful items with inexpensive prices. And you will be helping a good cause while getting a bargain yourself.

10) Thrift stores often have a mix of clothes and accessories. These are not usually high quality because the thrift stores themselves take the best items and sell them on eBay or Craigslist instead of in the local store. But you might get lucky – who knows?

You don’t have to break your budget to look fabulous and fashionable. Take the plunge into alternative shopping and find those rare gems that will round out your wardrobe in style and elegance at an affordable price.

I have had great success planting and growing strawberries in my container garden. You’ll find that it’s easy to plant and grow delicious sweet red strawberries on a patio, deck or balcony.

Strawberry shortcake, chocolate covered strawberries, strawberry jam, strawberry smoothies, strawberry pie, strawberry cake, strawberry muffins, the list could go on and on…

Is it any wonder that the strawberry is one of the most beloved berries of all?

And the best part is how easy it is for you to have your own pots of strawberries right outside your door – just waiting for you to enjoy them in the best way of all – fat, ripe, and sweet – freshly picked and eaten with only a quick rinse of water.

It’s easy to grow strawberries in containers but keep a few guidelines in mind:

- Buy strawberry plants from a garden center or an online garden merchant in the spring and plant them as soon as possible after receiving them.

- The method of planting strawberry plants is very important for a successful strawberry crop: The point where the root meets the first leaf stem is the “crown”. Plant so that the crown is exactly at the soil line. Don’t cover the crowns with soil. (If you do this right the hardest part is over!) If you are using a strawberry jar add a bit of soil to the bottom of the jar – insert strawberry plants (from the inside to the outside of pot) in the lowest holes. Add soil and keep going in this manner. Plant a few plants in the opening at the top.

- Keep strawberry plants watered, give them lots of sunshine, and use a good organic fertilizer regularly.

- Harvest your berries as they ripen. Store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and don’t wash them until just before using.

Once you have learned to plant strawberry plants you will enjoy experimenting with the many healthy and delicious ways to use your fresh, organic container-grown strawberries!

Related posts:

1. Grow Container Garden Salad Greens the Easy Way
2. Container Gardening Guide 101
3. How to Grow Your Own Microgreens at Home

Here’s what I do:

First decide how many heads of lettuce you need in a week. Let’s say you want four heads of lettuce every week.  Make four holes in the soil of your properly prepared container.

Drop 2-3 seeds in each hole. (You actually only want one lettuce plant per hole but I use extra seeds just to be safe – thin with scissors if you end up with several sprouts.) Cover the seeds with soil and mist gently with a spray bottle of water.

Then every 10-14 days repeat this procedure with another container.

You’ll have a steady supply of fresh salad greens each week and it will be exactly the right amount. No more waste!

Bonus Tip: Lettuce is a cool-season plant so choose seeds that are heat resistant. Also, as the days get warmer move your containers to an area protected from the hot afternoon sun and always give your lettuce plants lots of water and fertilizer.

Related posts:

1. How to Grow Delicious Strawberries in a Container Garden
2. Container Gardening Guide 101
3. How to Grow Your Own Microgreens at Home

What does it mean to have a slow metabolism? It has to do with how fast your body converts the food you eat into energy. To put it another way, it’s how fast you “use up” or “burn” calories. Everyone’s metabolism works at a different rate.

This rate is decided by many things, some of which are out of your control—your DNA and age, for instance. But there are many other contributors to your metabolism which you can control.

Through a few simple lifestyle changes you can revitalize your system, making weight loss easier and faster.

A Good Breakfast Speeds Weight Loss

The first thing to consider is how you eat. When you are very busy or stressed, you will be tempted to skip breakfast. Eat something anyway! When you skip breakfast, your body assumes that food is scarce. It will then try to preserve energy (fat) by slowing your metabolism.

By comparison, when you DO eat something, your body assumes food is plentiful and speeds up your metabolism, burning fat faster. To a lesser degree, this goes for lunch and dinner too—but breakfast is critical.

Next, be smart and decide ahead of time what meals you will eat. Plan to eat smaller meals many times per day. The traditional three-meal day is actually not good for your metabolism. It may seem counterintuitive but you can lose weight faster by eating more often.

In addition, you should avoid certain foods that will negatively affect your metabolism, and eat more of certain foods that will positively affect it. In particular, stay away from sugar, which is used by the body to store fat, and try to eat more spicy foods, fruits, vegetables and legumes.

Drink Lots of Water

Just as important is staying hydrated. Drink lots of water. Here’s a tip: Carry a water bottle with you and drink from it regularly. Water cleans out your body and helps your organs function more efficiently, which leads to a better metabolism. Tea can also be beneficial to your metabolism, especially green tea.

Lastly, you can improve your metabolism by building muscle. The more muscle you have on your body, the faster you can burn fat. Women are often concerned that muscle-building exercises will make them look less feminine. This is a myth. Moderate exercise two to three times per week will improve your metabolism and overall health tremendously without damaging your appearance. In fact, toning up your body will only make you look better!

You CAN lose weight and have the body you want, but you must commit to doing whatever it takes. Don’t let a sluggish metabolism get in your way. Follow the simple advice above to boost your metabolism. Begin allowing yourself to live the life you’ve always wanted.

Related posts:

1. Maintaining Your Weight Loss Goals
2. Lose Weight and Get in Shape at Any Age
3. How To Stop Emotional Eating

When it comes to stress, you’re far from powerless—there are a number of positive habits and behaviors you can use to effectively manage your mental state and bring your stress under control.
The first thing to remember is that your mental state is your responsibility.

The simple truth is you can’t control how your boss acts. You can’t control what your partner says. You can’t control the driver who cuts you off in traffic. But you can control yourself.

Others will do what they do, but how you respond to them—whether you take it in stride or freak out—is your decision alone.

Take a moment to consider how you have been responding to the stressors in your life. Almost everyone has some habit they turn to when life gets rough—what’s yours?

Do you reach for a cigarette or alcoholic beverage? Do you take your stress out on others? Do you overeat? Though they might provide short term relief, these behaviors are ultimately self-destructive. They hold you back from what you really want—a peaceful, balanced and abundantly healthy mind and body.

Learning to Relax

So what can you do? Next time you notice yourself feeling like the sky is about to fall, quickly and effectively bring your thoughts into positive alignment with one of the following simple techniques:

* Deep breathing. When you become stressed, take a moment and pay close attention to your breathing. Shallow breathing leads to greater stress and more negative physical responses. So breathe deeply instead. Let your stomach expand and contract as you breathe in and out.

This is called diaphragmatic breathing. Count the seconds as you breathe in—one, two, three, four. Hold for another four seconds. Then exhale slowly, for eight whole seconds. Keep doing this until you relax.

* Mental imagery. If you observe your thoughts during stressful situations, you may be surprised by how negative they are. These thoughts create a kind of feedback loop that only reinforces your negative emotions and causes you to feel even more stressed. One way to break this pattern of negative thinking is with positive mental imagery.

Visualize the calmest, happiest and most comfortable setting you can imagine, and mentally place yourself right into the middle of it. It might be a warm sunny beach with a calm breeze, or a peaceful afternoon in your coziest chair. Whatever it is, picture it as vividly as you can.

Make it real. Involve all your senses—what do you see, smell, taste, hear, feel? Smile inside, and become involved in the scene as it unfolds.

* Muscle relaxation. It might sound counterintuitive, but to relax, sometimes you have to tense up! But only for a moment—tense and relax different parts of your body beginning and the top of your head and continuing down. Include your eyes, neck, jaw, shoulders, legs, feet and any other part of your body that feels tight. Tense up, then let go, and feel the tension flow out of you as you relax.

* Biofeedback. With biofeedback, you learn to control your mood through careful attention to your mental and physical state. The training is simple and inexpensive and can even be done at home using easy-to-use feedback equipment. If you want to, you can also schedule an appointment with a trained biofeedback practitioner who will walk you through techniques used to reduce and eliminate the negative effects of stress on the body.

The great thing about these techniques is that with practice they become almost effortless and so easy that you can use them in anywhere. When things get crazy and your life is most stressful, you might not be able to find a comfortable, quiet place to unwind, but you can still use these relaxation techniques to manage your emotions and reclaim control of your mental state.

Making this kind of real positive change is never easy, but it can save your life. Your health depends directly on how you manage your stress. So take a deep breath, and start helping yourself let it go.

Related posts:

1. What is Anxiety?
2. How to Understand Anxiety and Depression

1) Manage your energy by drinking more water, take a short walk in nature everyday, breathe deeply and get at least 8 hours of sleep each night.

2) Focus on one thing at a time. Multi-tasking is a recipe for burnout. Focused energy is like a powerful laser beam – the job gets done and it gets done well.

3) Declutter your mind by making lists of things to do using an organized system. Declutter your environment by regularly getting rid of anything you are not using anymore. Keep everything orderly in mind and matter.

4) Set firm limits for your time online. How much time will you allow each day for email, news websites, social websites and other time stealing monsters? This is a big issue for productivity and you must confront it.

5) Decide each day what 5 things you will accomplish that day. Limit yourself to just 5 main things each day and make sure that at least one of those is something that will move you closer to your ideal life. At the end of a year you will have done 365 things to reach your desires!

Related articles about productivity:

• Productivity Boosters (smallbusinessbranding.com)
• Home Office Design Ideas and Tips That Every Web Worker Needs To Know (makeuseof.com)
• Help! My Life is Running Me (workitmom.com)
• Lifehacking: How to be more productive. (slate.com)
• Productivity Tricks from the Stars [Workflow] (lifehacker.com)

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1. Super Simple Time Management and Organizing System
2. How to Turn Your Dreams into Reality
3. Personal Kaizen: How to Achieve Your Goals the Easy Way

1) Only talk and think about the things you like. Devote most of your head space and mental real estate to what you love and desire in your life. Positive Thoughts = Positive Stuff. Underrated good things like joy, peace, contentment will be yours.

2) Never talk and think about the things you dislike about your life. You may have to take action to deal with them but resist giving them any head space. If your spending a lot of time thinking about bad things you will end up with more bad stuff. Negative Thoughts = Negative Stuff.

3) Stop complaining because this means you are violating rule number #2 which will lead to more of what you are trying to limit in your life: the stuff you want less of – the bad things.

4) Start living like a successful person. Dress nicely, smile often, stand up straight and look other people in the eye when you talk.

5) Stop trying to be perfect. We all have cracks “to let the light in”. People that seem perfect are obnoxious. The important thing is this: Are you doing YOUR best?

6) Motivate yourself daily with inspiring video, music, books, articles, and uplifting people. The internet makes this really easy. Make a habit to start everyday with inspiration.

7) Enjoy your life today. Most of what we want we can already have with very little money. The simple things are what give us true pleasure. Determine what makes you feel joy and start including these into your daily life.

8) Spend time in nature. Studies have proven that people feel much better when they are looking at nature. Get outside everyday for a short walk or to sit on a park bench and just absorb the good feelings.

9) Stop comparing yourself to others. The only thing that you need to concern yourself with is doing your very best in life. Be honest about this. Are there areas in your life that you are purposely holding back your best?

10) Do more of what works and less of what isn’t working. Everyday take a few minutes to ask yourself two questions: What did I do today that worked really well to get me closer to the kind of life I want? What did I do today that weakened my attempts to change my life for the better. Each day try to have more of what works and less of what does not work for you. This personal insight will change your life for the better.

Related articles about getting the life you want:

• Want to Save Money in the New Year? (abcnews.go.com)
• The power of gratitude, a year-round gift (cnn.com)
• Personal Meaning Is An Inside Job (boomercafe.com)

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If you have ever seen a wildlife documentary where the lions are chasing the herd of antelope – you will remember that it is always the straggling antelope that has become separated from the herd that is attacked. The lions never go after the aware and prepared antelope. Human attackers are very similar. Easy victims are always selected.

Human attackers may be the handsome date that has slipped a drug in your drink when you were not looking. Never drink anything you did not order yourself and never leave your drink unattended. Take your drink with you to the restroom. Also do not rely on a female friend to watch your drink. Watch out for yourself and don’t depend on others to protect you.

Drinking to the point of intoxication makes you the human equivalent of a straggling antelope. Don’t do it. Limit yourself to one drink  – but then switch to a non-alcoholic beverage. If you want something mood altering go for something high caffeine. This will help you remain alert and prepared to defend yourself.

If you notice that you feel uncomfortable when you are out somewhere – immediately pay attention. This is your intuition warning you to be very alert. Prepare to leave as soon as possible without putting yourself in danger. Think carefully about the best way to handle the situation and then do it. Delaying is ignoring your gut feeling which is trying to get you to act now.

When you are out in public stay in areas that have lots of other people and lots of bright lighting. Make sure that you appear confident – a woman in control and with a purpose. Look around as you walk so that potential attackers realize you are paying attention.

Walk on the side of the street facing traffic so you are able to see any vehicle that stops near you immediately. If a vehicle stops near you to ask for directions or any other reason be aware that this is how many kidnappings take place.

Vans with sliding doors are especially dangerous but every car has a trunk that you could be thrown into. Don’t let anyone get close enough to you to do this! It is better to risk being shot in the open as you run than it is to allow anyone to get you into a vehicle.

Have you ever seen a frightened cat? Did it wait around to find out any specific information about the threat? No! It ran away immediately and fast. A cat on the move is nearly impossible to catch. The lesson here is to get away from danger the second your intuition and gut feeling warn you something is wrong.

Try to dress in clothes and shoes that will allow you to run away quickly.  Carry your keys to use as a weapon. An inexpensive and useful weapon is a corkscrew with a wooden handle that you can wrap your hand around. Pepper spray is especially good to have with you ready to use. A blinding bright flashlight is good too.

Never worry about embarrassment. Better to be considered rude or paranoid than to end up a polite rape victim. Carry a cell phone and call 911 if you sense danger. Know your location at all times so you can give the dispatcher the information about where you are.

Taking responsibility for protecting your personal boundary is an effective way to avoid sexual assault. Simply by doing this you create the appearance of a well-protected woman. Any potential attackers will usually move on in search of easier victims – instead of you.

Related articles about sexual assault

• How To Avoid Date Rape (howcast.com)
• Man admits eight-hour sex attack (news.bbc.co.uk)
• Women at Arms: Another Peril in War Zones: Sexual Abuse by Fellow G.I.’s (nytimes.com)
• Suspect identified in kidnapping of Phoenix girl (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Crime prevention for women starts with you and the decisions you make to avoid dangerous situations and prevent them from happening.

This home security tip for women might save your life:

When someone comes to your front door that you were not expecting do NOT answer it.

Have a wide angle peep hole installed in your front door so you can see who it is. Now here is the important part: You will be tempted to open the door!

Don’t do it.

Even if it looks like a person that would be okay. Anyone can get access to a uniform. A bad guy knows that a white van and a uniform type outfit will fool many people. A woman might have a man with her hiding nearby. Teenagers may be involved in neighborhood crime.

Some of the reasons a person might try to get into your home are:

To harm you in some way.

To steal from you.

To see what you have inside of your home of value.

Or all of the above.

If you did not invite someone to your home you are not required to answer the door! Pretend you are not there.

Make this a firm rule for yourself and your family so you remember. Put a note on your door to remind yourself if necessary.

In addition make sure you have a good lock on your door and use it at all times. Keeping safe is about protecting your own boundaries at all times. Learning to be aware of safety in your everyday life is a great way to take care of yourself.

Related articles about Home Security:

• Robbery prevention from Seattle Police (magnoliavoice.com)
• Pinnacle Security Offers its Top 5 Tips for Staying Safe at Home (prweb.com)
• Crime Prevention Week: November 1 – 7, 2009 (newswire.ca)

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To make matters worse, we choose as a society to stigmatize depression and those who experience it often avoid seeking help for fear of being labeled mentally ill.

Although some types of depression require professional treatment, most all of us feel sadness and emptiness at certain times in our lives. Normal depression often occurs as a response to life circumstances and usually diminishes with time and activity.

More severe and chronic bouts of depression may require psychiatric evaluation and treatment. Though medication is sometimes prescribed, depressive episodes can often be successfully treated with counseling and a solid support system of family and friends.

Left untreated, depression can drastically affect a person’s quality of life. Feelings of loneliness and melancholy can make it difficult to break out of depression. This kind of suffering can often spiral into a deeper and more dangerous physical and emotional illness.

Self confidence, disposition, effective work life and the ability to reason effectively can all become casualties of depression. The resulting strain from can have harmful effects on relationships with loved ones and associates, all leading to further depression and negative self esteem.

Effective treatment may include psychotherapy sessions lasting from several weeks to several months where positive results are achieved by exploring a patient’s feelings over time and allowing them to open up and face the issues that are at the heart of their depression.

These conversations help a patient talk through their problems and sort out their feelings in a productive way.

As difficult as it seems, the best course of action is to take action. By recognizing how depression is affecting our lives, and reaching out for help, we can take the first steps toward healing and recovering our mental health.

The road to recovery begins by an honest evaluation and acknowledgment of our condition and a willingness to seek help.

Related articles about Depression Treatment:

• What is a Nervous Breakdown? (psychcentral.com)
• Study Cites Strong Link Between Obesity And Depression (inquisitr.com)
• Less Than One-Third of Adults with Mental Illness Will Get Help In 2009 (prweb.com)

If you’re like me you’ve had more than enough. It’s time to make a positive change. You need a detox. This can be accomplished through any of a number of easy practices. Some people detox through fitness, like walking or jogging. Others enjoy the detoxifying effect of yoga or relaxed mindfulness. These can do wonders for your body and help to cleanse your system. But even more powerful –and it seems more popular too–is a simple detox diet.

What changes are necessary in a detox diet? Remember that there are two goals to detox. One, you want to do what you can to reduce the flow of new toxins into your body. Two, you want to clear out the ones that are already in you. For the first goal, it is highly recommended that you only eat organic foods. This alone can cut a huge amount of harmful toxins from your diet. For the second, identify foods that are high in nutrition and antioxidants and begin to work them into your diet. Try fresh vegetables, fruits, beans, and nuts, and look for foods high in fiber. You don’t want to hear it, but that morning coffee–or evening glass of wine–may be doing you more harm than good and should be avoided if possible while detoxing.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The benefit of making these simple lifestyle changes can be enormous. When done right, a detox diet can breathe new life into both your body and mind. Of course, the results vary from person to person and depend entirely on you, but detox diets have been known to clear up lifelong skin problems, lead to smoother digestion and bring order to troubled bowel movements. Your body will show its thanks with a new vibrancy and aliveness that will surprise you. Somehow, the day just seems brighter once you have detoxed the nasty toxins from your system!

To make sure the detox process goes as smoothly as possible, take it slow at first and try to get started on a day when you can rest, relax and let your body react. Once you’ve begun to detox, you may experience certain effects of the toxins leaving your body, and as your body adjusts to the new diet. You may feel tired or sore or have headaches at first. Drink water–lots of water! You’ll need it because you may get diarrhea and you need to stay hydrated.

Despite the incredible benefits, there are some important things to remember. When you see the great effects a detox diet has on your health you may be tempted to overdo it–it’s easy to get too much of a good thing! Don’t detox too often for too long. A couple times per year is a good pace, and summer is the best time. Also, be aware that detox diets are not necessarily for everyone. When pregnant or nursing, women require certain extra nutrients that may be hard to come by when detoxing. People with specific medical conditions should make sure that the diet will not make things worse. “Talk to your doctor before making any big health decisions” might seem cliche after hearing it in so many articles and commercials but it is a very important step. Ask a doctor or nutritionist whether a detox diet is a good fit for your body.

Related articles about Body Cleansing and Detox Diets:

• Living and Raw Food Diets (thebestrawfooddiet.com)
• Alkaline Eating for Better Body Chemistry, PH Levels, and Overall Health (simplygreen.co.za)
• The Best Sources of Lycopene – Learn About the Best Food and How Lycopene Actually Works in Our Body (thebestrawfooddiet.com)

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The sheer magnitude of it all makes it difficult to find the time or the mindset to relax. When we do slow down, we find ourselves filling that time with television or the internet rather than a quiet afternoon walk or settling in on the couch with a good book.

This mental confusion that dominates our lives can have a serious negative effect on the mental well-being of some people. We’re all wired differently, and what seems unbearable to one person might seem perfectly acceptable to another.

Those who are particularly sensitive have difficulty sorting out their emotions, and anxiety and depression can result from their inability to process everything that’s happening in their lives.

What we sometimes refer to as a nervous breakdown, is the expression of this inability to cope.

Stress and anxiety can be heightened by diet and lack of exercise. Coffee, energy drinks and sugar can sometimes trigger responses in people that are out of the normal range.

For those who often feel anxious and overwhelmed, simple planning and attention to these triggers can make all the difference in the world. There may be times when nothing seems to calm the mind and outside help is needed.

Thankfully, there are answers and remedies for these feelings of helplessness. Although anxiety and depression cause a variety of responses in people, these responses are well documented. The alarming thoughts and behaviors experienced by some people can often be relieved by these therapies.

Depression can be expressed in a number of clinically documented ways:

Sometimes a change of season can have a debilitating effect on a person’s general wellbeing. Seasonal Affective Disorders occur most often in the fall and winter when there is less sunlight and people tend to stay inside more often. People who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder also experience mood swings from anger to sadness to elation within a short period of time.

Postpartum depression experienced by women after childbirth causes a new mother to feel fear and apprehension at the great responsibility of caring for a newborn child. Often characterized by sadness, it is difficult for a woman to rise above her feelings of inadequacy to experience the great joy of her new baby.

Manic or Bipolar depression can cause drastic mood swings often teetering between extreme euphoria or feelings of elation and unbearable depression and helplessness.

Disthymia, though less severe than some types of depression is a chronic condition that effects the quality of life for those who suffer from it.

Cyclothemia, a condition similar but less severe than Manic or Bipolar depression can also cause drastic variations in a personÌs mood. Though experienced by both men and women, women tend to report a greater incidence of the disorder.

Certain forms of anxiety can be helpful at times by alerting our minds to action, and preparing us for stressful situations. Anxiety Depression does not fall into this category. General Anxiety Disorder is a form of anxiety depression that causes the sufferer to experience paranoia, inability to concentrate and erratic behavior.

Many disorders caused by or resulting in anxiety and depression can be treated with great success. Biofeedback, counseling and a variety of other therapies can be used to treat these conditions. For those who suffer chronic depression, diagnosis and treatment by a professional can bring relief and healing to those with little hope.

Related articles about Anxiety and Depression

• Build an LED Lamp That Simulates Sunrises and Sunsets [DIY] (lifehacker.com)
• Symptoms of Depression (fitnesstipsforlife.com)
• What is a Nervous Breakdown? (psychcentral.com)

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1. What is Anxiety?
2. How to Cope With Stress for a Happier Life

There are so many different types of weight loss program – so many products that claim to melt the weight away – it's not wonder it's really hard to decide what is the best choice for you. Choosing a program that is suited for your lifestyle will make it easier to start and to stick to it. This will result in the fast results that you are able to maintain over time. We are looking for a program that encourages you to make healthy changes while motivating you to keep at it.

Your weight and fitness are the key to health at every stage of your life from young girl to mature woman. The sooner you start making good decisions about health – especially achieving and maintaining the proper weight – the sooner you will be on the road to long term well-being.

Of course, the real challenge in any weight loss program is the one of keeping off all of our hard earned weight loss. The secret is too make a full lifestyle change and not just a one time diet.

This is where most people struggle. First the difficulty of losing weight and then the common problem of putting it right back on in a few months. You must learn a different way of living – choosing healthy foods and keeping unhealthy foods out of your kitchen completely. There are many top products and books today that can help in this effort. The rewards are great for those that learn to develop eating and exercising habits. Take the first step: get rid of all unhealthy food in your kitchen and replace it with food like fruits, veggies, whole and unprocessed grains.

The world is filled with delicious and satisfying meals that are good for you. So let's get started now!

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But there is one ageless rule regarding our bodies: Too many calories and not enough exercise and you will gain weight. It is not true that we have to be out of shape and overweight just because of our age.

Look around and you will see plenty of older women that are in great shape. Being older is not an excuse to lose control of our health and fitness. It may be more work but the payoff is worth it. The choices we have made in our life about food and exercise will impact the body we now have and determine how much work and effort it will take to get into shape and develop new and healthy habits to stay that way.

It is important to determine what a healthy fat percentage is for your indiviual makeup. It is different for everyone based on your lifestyle and body shape. Maintaining a good fat to muscle ratio will enable you to stay healthy as you age. Fit older women are more independent and need fewer medications. Women at all stages of life enjoy many benefits from eating better and getting more exercise.

Doing all that you can to eat less fat and more vegetables and fruits will help you to live a longer and more enjoyable life. Better nutrition and exercise is the surest way to regain your youthful figure.

The most important thing is to get started today on the path to a new you. Sometimes the hardest part is simply beginning. So don’t delay another minute. Your new and improved life is waiting for you!

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Everyone you know seems to always say the same thing these days: I’m so stressed out. Life today is filled with pressure. Most of us are not prepared to deal with the stress and anxiety that our modern pressures of life generate.

As anyone who’s ever experienced anxiety will tell you it’s a miserable way to live. And not only is it a miserable way to live – but it can literally kill you. Anxiety and stress are the leading contributing factors in a multitude of diseases. Learning to deal with anxiety and stress is critical to your health.

In men, alcohol and drug abuse is the leading disorder and this is clearly related to anxiety and stress. The number one mental illness in America is anxiety disorder. Women are almost twice as likely as men to report suffering from anxiety and extreme stress. The most likely explanation for this is that men suffer in silence more often than women do.

Anxiety disorders are even more prevalent than depression. Anxiety disorders are a major health issue for senior citizens, and this problem will only increase as the American population ages. The cost to the United States for anxiety disorders is nearly 47 billion dollars per year.

Anxiety and stress are always experienced together. Stress in one form or another is the main cause of anxiety. Stress and anxiety account for most visits to primary care physicians. It is an underlying cause or major contributing factor to most diseases and chronic illnesses.

Learning to cope with stress before it becomes an incapacitating anxiety disorder is critical. No one should have to live a life of misery due to anxiety disorders. With the many tools and techniques available to help eliminate stress and to treat anxiety there is much hope in finding lasting relief from anxiety disorders.

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2. How to Cope With Stress for a Happier Life

Step 1 – Choose Your Veggies

What do you want to grow in your container veggie garden? The only rule is to choose vegetables that you actually like to eat – it’s one of the benefits of being a grown-up. There are many varieties of vegetables that have been developed especially for container gardening. Look for descriptive words like “bush,” “compact” or “dwarf” when buying vegetable seeds or transplants (small plants ready to put directly into the garden). It’s fun to start seeds indoors yourself (or in a mini greenhouse) about 8 weeks before it is expected to be warm enough to transplant them outside into your containers. (Note: Use this guide to grow herbs, strawberries and flowers in your container garden too.)

Tip: Plan to plant an extra pot or two of veggies to share with your friends.

Step 2 – Choose Your Veggie Planters

Gardening in containers is easy (you don’t need a PhD from a horticulture university to be successful – all you need is a little basic knowledge) but one of the most important factors in your gardening success is choosing appropriate garden planters. Nearly all vegetables and herbs will do well in a 5-gallon pot (12″ diameter and 12″ depth) but plants with shallow roots, like salad greens, will grow well in 6-8 inches of depth.

Use light colored pots for veggies that prefer cool temperatures (like lettuce and cabbage) and dark colored planters for heat loving plants (like tomatoes). For tall growing plants, choose pots made of heavy material like terracotta or add a layer of clean sand to the bottom of the planter for added weight and planter support.

Choose colors and styles of planters that compliment your house and yard. There is a large selection of beautiful garden planters available to suit any taste and budget. Consider self-watering garden planters for extra convenience and a sure water supply for thirsty plants on hot summer days. Some plants will do best if supported by a trellis or stake attached to the garden planter.

Tip: Share the fun and help a friend get started in veggie gardening.

Step 3 – Add Soil to Your Containers

The soil for vegetables that are grown in containers must be lightweight, loose, and hold moisture well. Regular soil is too heavy, compacts easily and should never be used in planters. It is important to choose a “soil-less” soil mix developed specifically for gardening in containers. These soils are various mixtures of vermiculite, perlite, peat moss and other nutrients.

The soil can be reused the following year by adding special soil boosters that replenish lost nutrients that vegetables require. Another benefit of using lightweight soil is that your planters will be easy to move around – one of the main advantages of container gardening is its portability.

Now for the fun part. The next step in our container gardening guide is…

Step 4 – Plant Your Veggie Garden

Follow the directions on the seed package to determine the best time for planting in your area based on your gardening hardiness zone. Use a zone finder tool to determine your zone by zip code and be sure to make a note of your zone number.

Many gardeners will sow seeds directly into garden planters for quick growing veggies like greens, but purchase transplants for longer maturing vegetables like tomatoes. After planting your seeds, spray soil lightly with a mister and cover pot with plastic wrap to retain moisture and warmth. Keep the soil moist at all times. When the seeds sprout, remove the plastic cover but continue to water very gently – remember they are baby veggies and need loving care.

Other information about the plant’s requirements (spacing, etc..) can be found on the seed package. Try to give each plant the conditions that they prefer. This is easy to do with container gardening – you control all of the environmental factors (soil, sun, water etc…).

Tip: Remember to add your favorite herbs, small fruits (like strawberries) and flowers (nasturtiums and dwarf marigolds are nice) to your veggie planters.

Bonus tip: Plant salad greens around the base of your tomato plant. By the time the tomato plant in the center needs the space you will have harvested the greens.

Step 5 – Fertilize and Water Veggies

Your veggies need to be watered daily and fertilized on a regular basis. Fertilizer is the key to abundant produce and healthy plants. Fertilizer replenishes the nutrients that plants need and that are washed away every time you water your containers. For best results look for complete organic fertilizers that are recommended especially for container gardening and fertilize according to the package directions.

Avoid using liquid fish emulsion fertilizer – cats and raccoons love the smell. (A special note about herbs: Herbs need less fertilizer than vegetables. So after the initial planting, you will not need to add fertilizer again.)

Watering must be done daily and more often on extremely hot summer days when the planter soil is likely to dry out quickly. Be sure you have free flowing drainage holes in your garden planter. Elevate veggie planters on bricks or wood to allow drainage and to protect surfaces. Consider watering aids and time-savers like self-watering planters, water-holding crystals that are added to the soil mix, and drip-irrigation systems designed especially for gardening in containers.

Tip: Put a layer of peat moss on top of the soil in each planter to help retain moisture.

Step 6 – Give Your Veggies Sunshine

Most vegetables require 6 hours of sunlight daily. Leafy vegetables like lettuce will do fine with somewhat less light. If necessary, putting planters on casters makes it easy to move your plants from areas of limited light to more sunny areas. Group pots of heat-loving veggies together in the warmest spot on your patio and cluster vegetables that prefer cooler temperatures in areas that are sheltered from the hot afternoon sun.

Garden design is a great opportunity to create a garden that is productive, creates useful extensions of your living space and is pleasing to look at. A potting bench can even be used as an outdoor buffet for family dining on the patio or deck.

Tip: Get your kids involved in gardening. Even kids that don’t like veggies will eat the baby carrots they grew themselves.

Step 7 – A Daily Gardening Schedule

Your new vegetable garden is very low maintenance requiring few supplies or tools, but you will need to water daily, fertilize regularly and be sure to harvest your veggies and berries as they ripen (the fruit of your labor). Herbs can be snipped and used as needed, either fresh or dried.

Most important of all, is to enjoy the time you spend in your garden – getting your hands in the soil and working with nature is relaxing and also provides a satisfying sense of accomplishment.

Tip: An attractive planter of salad greens or herbs makes a healthy and thoughtful gift.

It’s that easy. You’ll soon discover that there is nothing like the taste of fresh, just-picked vegetables from your own thriving container garden.

Related posts:

1. How to Grow Delicious Strawberries in a Container Garden
2. Grow Container Garden Salad Greens the Easy Way
3. How to Grow Your Own Microgreens at Home

Click here to view the embedded video.

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1. Beg them to stay with us
2. Cry and get hysterical
3. Create a “medical emergency” to get their attention
4. Try to convince them we are the "love of their life"
5. Apologize for everything
6. Explain how it's not our fault
7. Promise to change and tell him this time it will be different

When this doesn't work, women make even more mistakes. This is the point that many women will do the following:

1. Get defensive
2. Have big arguments and blowups
3. Panic
4. Let things get out of control with really ugly scenes

It's not your fault that you don't know this -  but these behaviors don't work at all!  In fact, all that’s accomplished is creating more distance in the relationship. The good news is that there are things you can do now that will work! There really are specific reasons that many couples get back together in spite of serious problems. This series will look at what to do and when to do it if you are facing a breakup. We will talk about what to do to get back together and also how to stay together forever. I know you are in a lot of pain right now and this next suggestion will take all of your willpower but it must be done. For the next few weeks you need to just take a break and not contact your boyfriend or husband except for “family business” type things. And even then keep it very brief and say nothing else about the two of you and your relationship. Then work on yourself and your life now. Your life without him. This will have the effect of making him feel less trapped and he will even have a chance to think about why he fell in love with you in the first place. 

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According to an article in Psychology Today, if you accept that this is your life -  now – in all it’s positive and negative aspects, and just allow yourself to experience it, your life will open up in interesting ways you hadn’t expected.

Learn to let go of the exhausting search for something better and savor what is – right now. You should still have goals; just hold them lightly so that they don’t take over your present life. If you are working on a project that is a step to future goals then make sure you enjoy the process and are totally aware of the moment.

For tips and ideas about how to enjoy the journey of your life, visit Psychology Today.

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1. Observe the stars in the night sky.
2. Go to a thrift store and buy a novel.
3. Sit on your porch and read the novel.
4. Make yourself a hot cup of tea.
5. Brew some coffee and savor the smell.
6. Make sun tea.
7. Go on a walk – take your dog if you have one.
8. Go to a park and just enjoy nature.
9. Watch the sun set.
10. Take a nap.

Bonus: Rent a dollar movie and make some popcorn! Try to do the items on this list at least once every week. Can you think of other great ideas?

For many women emotional eating is the main reason they struggle with weight loss. Emotional eating is when you reach for food in response to an emotion or feeling rather than true hunger. This makes sense because eating is very nurturing. Also, if you’re upset, eating is a way to make yourself feel better, especially if it's a treat you really like. The problem is that because you’re feeling emotional to begin with, you probably won't stop at a 150 calorie snack. You won't feel so good later – especially if you are trying to lose weight. In order to stop this problem from adding unwanted pounds to your body you need to take action and figure out what emotions trigger your unplanned eating. There are 3 ways to do this:

1. Keep a food diary of what you eat and how you felt before you decided to eat. You will start to see patterns and notice when it's happening again.
2. Before you eat, stop and ask yourself if you are hungry or feeling some other emotion like boredom or loneliness.
3. What are some alternatives to eating when you experience these problem emotions? Keep brainstorming ways to live the life you want to live. What do you really like that's not food related?

Learning to deal with emotional eating is all about getting in touch with what you are thinking, feeling and doing. Being aware of your behavior instead of living on autopilot is the first step to taking control of your emotional eating. Consistently monitoring yourself by keeping a food journal will help you  change your habits and behaviors so that you only eat when you are hungry instead of in response to feelings and thoughts. This is the key to meeting weight loss goals easily.

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Is your bank safe? Did you know that the FDIC’s list of the most unsafe banks in America is top secret? Yet it’s vital to know if the company  holding your savings is  worthy of your trust.

Thankfully, there are resources and tools that can help you determine if it’s time to shop for a new bank – or if you can rest easy with the one you already have.

Here are the online tools that will get you the information you need:

http://www.weissratings.com/weakest-banks-and-thrifts-in-us.php

http://www.thestreet.com/screener/index.html?src=ratingsindex&tab=3

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/safesound/ss_home.asp

Having a financial institution  that you can trust is core to our system. Before doing anything else, be sure you have an account at a safe bank or credit union.

It’s important to follow each step in this exact order as you move through the task or project:

1. To increase the likelihood of actually getting started on a task, focus on the exact details needed to get it done. Then determine the very next action to move the task or project forward. Do it and then determine another next action, and so on.
2. While you’re doing the task, focus on the emotion of the project by visualizing or daydreaming about the perfect outcome when you have finished the job.
3. If you start to get overwhelmed and frustrated, start focusing on the details again, as in step one. Keep thinking about the next action you need to take.
4. When it starts to get easy and the end is in sight go back to visualizing the big picture, as in step two. Focus on the reward you expect as you enjoy your success.

This is also a great way to override your subconscious mind and any behavior that you do on autopilot. Your tendency to self-sabotage is waylaid before it can mess things up for you yet again.

Here’s a simple illustration of the process:

1. Your car is dirty. You are committed to saving money by doing your own car washing. You think about what you need in order to do the job: a bucket, hose, soap, sponges, and towels. Do the best next action you can think of: find a bucket, fill it with supplies and take it outside, get hose to fill the bucket, and so on.
2. As you begin washing your car, allow yourself to imagine how good the car will look and feel when it is bright, clean and shiny. How proud will you feel about that beautiful car?
3. Suddenly you realize that the car is dirtier than you had expected when you decided to do the job yourself. It’s going to take longer than you thought and you’re starting to feel overwhelmed. You’re even contemplating paying someone to wash it for you – even though you’re trying to save money by doing chores around the house yourself. Immediately go back to detail thinking! What exactly is your next action to get the car clean? Focus only on the exact details at this point and it is highly likely that you’ll continue washing the car.
4. The job is almost done but you still have some work to do. Once again, allow yourself to visualize the beautiful clean car, how good it feels and how fine a person you are and such a hard worker!

After just a few minutes more, your car is clean and you have mastered your mind, rather than allowing your mind to master you. It’s all about consciously controlling your thought process so that your mind works for you and not against you.

By moving back and forth between detail thinking and big picture thinking at the right times, you are able to utilize the best of both worlds to your advantage.

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Some ways to take care of yourself include setting aside time to exercise, meditate, nap, eat healthy, and do fun activities. Taking the time to determine what is important to you and then making sure you make these items a priority can improve your marriage by changing your attitudes for the better.

To learn more about this and to get other great ideas visit her website: DrPatHogan.com

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