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Tips For A Successful Etsy Shop

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So you’ve dreamed of being able to sell your handmade crafts for a living and be your own boss. Chances are your dreams of getting rich doing it are big, but your knowledge on how exactly to achieve that isn’t quite polished.

When setting yourself up to run a successful Etsy shop, consider that there are various factors that really set successful shops apart from the rest. Some shops are barely skating by, with one or two customers a month, while other businesses are gaining one to two customers a second! [Read more…] about Tips For A Successful Etsy Shop

5 Anniversary Gift Ideas For Your Husband

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Some people might say that women are much easier to buy anniversary gifts for than those of the opposite sex.  

Women traditionally receive jewelry or flowers on this day of celebrating your union.  Many companies have built their entire business around anniversary gifts specifically for women.

Because of anniversary gift marketing tending to lean towards wives rather than husbands, many women find themselves stumped when trying to choose a gift for their spouse.

Try these anniversary gift ideas, and give your husband the equivalent of the joy you would feel receiving a big sparkling diamond.

Season Tickets

If your husband is a sports fan, consider gifting him season tickets for his favorite local sports team.  Not only does this gift him the pleasure of being able to watch his favorite team, but it also gives him the gift of camaraderie with his male social circle.  

Nothing says “bro time” like watching some sports in real time surrounded by the roar of the crowd.

Gutter Cleaning Service

Regardless of whether you are a progressive couple or not, gutter cleaning generally tends to be a male dominated household chore, because in most cases a man has a longer arm reach, and taller stature, making them the most qualified out of the two of you to get in there and do the job.

If your husband is like most, then chances are he absolutely loathes this chore.  Surprise him with the gift of not having to do it at all!

Consider hiring a professional gutter cleaning and roof repair service, and watch his face light up with “Yay! I don’t have to do it!” glee.

A Barbeque

Nothing says I love you like the gift of throwing barbecued flesh on fire.  Many men enjoy being able to participate in the cooking duties.  Particularly helping with meat.

Perhaps this is an ancient caveman instinct that has remained in the heart of man.

If your husband is the impatient type, opt for a gas grill over old fashioned charcoal, which can be a timely process.  The bigger the better!

A Vacation

Whether you’re a man, a woman, a child, or a grandpa, who doesn’t love a vacation??  Taking a trip to escape the stress of day to day life is the ultimate gift package.

Consider a sentimental trip, perhaps to the first place you ever kissed, if it happens to be far from home.  Or perhaps there’s somewhere you’ve always said you’ve you wanted to go together.  Surprise your love with the gift of adventure, and you can be sure that’s better than even the shiniest diamond.

Something Lacy

Imagine giving the gift of something for yourself, that’s actually for him!  Everyone wins!  Many couples have been together so long that they experience a decline in their intimacy.  

Anniversaries are a great opportunity to rekindle the passion and surprise your partner with a sizzling night he wasn’t expecting.

Which Milk Is Right For You? Try These Popular Alternatives

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Many people suffer from some type of milk intolerance or allergy, and while once this would have meant dry cereal and vegan baked goods, today there are more milk alternatives available than ever before. If you’re new to the world of dietary alternatives, however, this can be overwhelming. Which one should you choose?

Milk alternatives can be expensive, depending on what type you buy, so it’s important to do your research about the nutritional benefits of milk and to try new products when you have coupons. As you consider the many options before you, here are a few things you should know about these dairy case options.

Dairy Versus Non-Dairy

Among the many milk options available in your local grocery store, you may find that in addition to traditional cow’s milk, there are also goat and sheep milk options. Now, if your food intolerance or allergy includes all dairy, this won’t help much, but if you have a hard time digesting a specific protein in milk, you may want to test drive these offerings.

What sets goat and sheep milk apart from many other types of dairy is that it doesn’t contain A-1 casein. Most cow’s milk contains both A-1 and A-2 casein, but it’s almost always A-1 casein that people have a hard time digesting or that causes inflammation. If you think this may be the problem, try one of these milk types or look for milk that comes from A-2 exclusive cows.

Nut Milks

The most popular milk alternatives on the market today are nut milks, including almond and cashew milk. Almond milk, which has become such a mainstay that even Starbucks now offers it, is low in protein compared to cow’s milk, but it’s also much lower in calories. You’ll find 110 calories packed into 8 ounces of 1% fat cow’s milk, but only 40 calories in unsweetened almond milk.

If you shop in specialty stores, you may also encounter macadamia nut milk or hazelnut milk, but don’t expect to grab these in your local dairy case. These milks tend to be pricier, but they’re a nice, rich alternative if you’re looking for something to put in your coffee, for example.

Classic Soy

It used to be the case that if someone had a dairy intolerance, their first choice would be soy milk, but soy seems to be falling out of favor as tastier alternatives come to market. What makes soy appealing is that it can meet or even exceed the amount of protein in cow’s milk, while typically offering lower carbohydrates and more fiber – it carries a nutritional bang. Just watch out for sweetened varieties that are loaded with sugar.

No matter what type of milk alternative you prefer, the good news is that for those who can’t tolerate traditional cow’s milk, there’s almost always an alternative product in coffee shops and grocery stores today. These alternatives are also great for baking, making ice cream, and more – now you don’t need to live in denial just because you can’t digest traditional cow’s milk.

 

How to Choose the Right Car for Your Family

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Deciding on a new family car is both exciting and overwhelming. While you may be interested in safety features, your children might be needing extra room in the back, and your partner may be really looking for a gas saver. A car can either be a great investment or a terrible one; so choosing the right car is important. Here are some things to consider when deciding on a new car.

Look for key safety features

Different models of cars offer different types of safety features. You can check out the National Highway Transportation Safety Association (NHTSA) website, or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) website to view accident test ratings for newer vehicles. Determine what’s most important to you when it comes to safety features, and pick a vehicle that rates highly in those areas.

In general most newer vehicles meet a pretty high safety standard, and are equipped with great features such as the LATCH system for child safety seats, advanced airbag features, and side impact airbags. While it’s unusual to see a newer vehicle that lacks in the safety features, it’s still important to look into the ratings and make sure that the vehicle you’re interested in meets your expectations.

Consider how you use your car

Whether you’re packing around infants or teenagers, a whole brood or one child, going long distance drives or inner city drives, and what type of weather you’ll be driving in all matter when choosing a car. If you’re planning on using your vehicle for a lot of inner-city driving, consider the parking conditions and whether or not you need to look for a smaller car to fit into tighter spaces.

Weather is something to be considered heavily. Having a vehicle that doesn’t do well in the snow while you’re traveling with your family in the middle of a snow storm may not go over well. If you’re in need, find a car with 4WD or AWD so that you and your loved ones are safe during every season of the year.

Take it for a test drive  

Whether you’ve decided on a truck, car, SUV, or van, it’s important to take the car you’re wanting to purchase out for a spin prior to signing on the dotted line. A simple search such as “Ford dealership near me” on your computer or smartphone will give you the contact information for a car dealership near you where you can take your potential new ride for a drive.

While you’re taking the car for a drive pay attention to how comfortable you feel with the size of the vehicle, the positioning of the seats, and the accessibility of the features you find important. It’s especially important to pay close attention to used cars; as they normally don’t carry warranties or guarantee’s if something goes wrong with the car once you’ve purchased it.

Buying a new vehicle can seem overwhelming, but don’t allow yourself to give into the first option that seems appealing. Do your homework, and make sure that you make comparisons to other vehicles prior to making a purchase.

Four Health Issues You May Develop As You Get Older

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There’s no doubt that the human body begins to break down as you age. While some people age more gracefully than others, you are still at a higher risk for some health issues as you age. Your body just doesn’t work as well the older you get.

Some people will experience a little joint pain, some people will keeping exercising and traveling well into their senior years, and other people will battle illness. It’s a sad fact. Here are a few common things to keep an eye out for as you age, and what you can do to try to stay healthy.

Your Hearing

There are different types of hearing loss that can occur, and you can take some time to learn about the signs of hearing loss. Some causes can include loud noises in your job, not wearing proper ear protection when hunting or mowing the lawn, and even not wearing ear protection at concerts. Your hearing may seem fine early on, but as you get older you may notice changes in how you hear.

Go to the doctor for regular hearing tests, especially as you get older. If you frequent a lot of concerts or mow the lawn for a living you may want to get your hearing checked periodically no matter what age you are.

Your Eyesight

While many issues with eyesight that are deemed age related can actually happen at any age, they are more likely to start happening once you have reached, and passed, 40. You may start to experience vision issues that lead you to a need for bifocals or trifocals, you may start getting cataracts, and you could experience macular degeneration.

People with other health issues, like diabetes and high blood pressure, can also be at an increased risk for eye issues and problem with their vision.

Your Breathing

As you age you may find you get winded faster. It could just be that you are out of shape if you haven’t been doing the physical activity you once did. It could also be other health related issues, some caused by things like smoking, and others that just happen naturally.

If you’re having breathing problems it’s important to get your lungs checked out. Even non smokers can get lung cancer or COPD.

Your Libido

Male or female, aging can affect your libido too. Women going through menopause can often experience in a decrease in sexual interest. There are many reasons for this, mostly hormonal.

Men can also have issues, and can usually find help with drugs like Viagra. However, it’s important to find out what the underlying cause is. Impotence can be caused by anything from smoking to high blood pressure.

3 Ways to Comfort Your Child When He or She Has A Cold

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Having sick kids is almost worse than being sick yourself. Especially when they’re very young and can’t communicate well with you, it can be a challenge to know what they need and how to best care for them. This can be even more frustrating when it comes to a cold because the only thing to do is just treat the symptoms and ride it out. The best thing you can do is to try to keep your child as comfortable as possible, but what does that really entail? To help you get through this tough time with your little one, here are three ways you can comfort your child when he or she has a cold.

Take Care of The Nose

Before kids can blow their nose on their own, it’s important for you to take care of this task for them. Renee A. Alli, MD, a contributor to WebMD.com, shares that using saline drops to loosen the mucus in the nose and then removing it with a nasal syringe will help to keep your little one’s nasal passages clear. With clear nasal passages, your baby will be able to get more of that much needed rest in order to get healthy again.

Try Chilling The Medicine

Taking medicine is never a fun task for kids. While medication companies have tried hard in recent years to make liquid medicines more palatable, especially for children, it’s still no treat to try to get your child to take their medicine. One trick you might want to try, according to WhatToExpect.com, is chilling the medicine in the fridge before giving it to your child. Children are used to drinking things is a cooler state, so having their medicine chilled might make it easier for them to stomach. Just be sure chilling the medicine won’t affect the effectiveness of the medication before you try this tactic.

Make Breathing Easy

A stuffy nose and chest congestion can make it hard for your small child to breathe like normal. To alleviate this, HealthyEssentials.com recommends putting a couple drops of eucalyptus essential oil in modeling dough and letting your child play with it. Moving the dough will release the eucalyptus, which will help ease congestion and make it easier for your child to breathe comfortably.

If you’ve tried all the methods you know to make your child comfortable but nothing seems to be helping, it’s always a safe bet to visit their pediatrician to make sure there’s nothing more serious going on in their tiny body. But if you’re just waiting for the cold symptoms to subside, try some of the comfort ideas mentioned above with your child.