Home and Garden

Guidelines in Buying a Feng Shui House

Even for the mind that is trained in western thought, the environment is one of the key factors that greatly affects the development of the individual, and everything could be explained. This is also very true with Feng shui although it goes a step more than just what is outright tangible and explainable.

Buying a house by any language is one among the major decisions that one has to do. Not only will it influence the future of those who will reside in it, it could also well be one of the most expensive. Mistakes then have to be minimized if not eliminated. Buying a Feng shui house employs practices that do just that and the tag will not always be the prime consideration. Take for example the following guidelines:

One of the best considerations in buying a Feng shui house (which Feng shui experts always have an eye on) will be a house that has a frontage with a bright hall effect. The bright hall effect means that the house has a wide and open area fronting it or a frontage where there is a space of land before the house. A house that has this feature in its property is considered a very auspicious Feng shui house. Sometimes, this feature alone could already bring the luck that the occupants will want to enjoy.

This Feng shui house is better improved when its back faces a mountain or a rising slope, or a tall building. Open spaces behind the house do not really contribute that much. What is to be avoided though is a house where its back elevation is lower than the house itself unless something is done about it to correct the downslide. Another very useful guide is to buy a house that is on the same level as the road. A house that is higher than the road will even be better. Avoid those that are below the road level.

Speaking of road positions, never choose a house that is on a T-junction where the direction where the T crosses is directly in front of your house. Have nothing to do with it even when it is sold at a bargain.

Other things that should be considered when you want a Feng shui house is to watch out for what it termed as poison arrows and water flow and its direction.

One example of a poison arrow is to observe your neighbors’ roofline. If the slope of the roof is directed towards you, have this corrected by a pakua symbol. The principle is that there should be no sharp edges and protrusions that should be directed towards a Feng shui house. There should also be no trees and other obstructions blocking the front of your house, including tall buildings. This will prevent the natural flow of chi and will exert pressure on those who live in it.

Observe the flow of the water in front of your house. A Feng shui house will be more auspicious if the water in front flows from left to right when the house faces a primary path and the opposite when the house faces a secondary path. This should include the flow in the drainage and the flow in the house storm drains. If this is not observed properly, the residents will find difficulties in their careers as they are against the flow.

Remember that Feng shui is a mainly about wind and water. Every consideration must be taken so that the Feng shui house harmonizes with it.

Family

Do As I Say and As I Do

Children learn to imitate at a very young age. It’s how they learn to behave, care for themselves, develop new skills, and communicate with others. From their earliest moments they watch you closely and pattern their own behavior and beliefs after yours. Your examples become permanent images, which will shape their attitudes and actions for the rest of their life.

It’s important to be responsible, consistent and loving with your child. This also holds true for the relationship you have with your spouse, your parents, and other family members and friends that are also a part of your child’s life. Own up to mistakes when you make them, and communicate open and honestly with all family members.

It’s also important to take good care of yourself. When we’re focusing on what’s best for our child it’s easy to neglect our own needs. Your child and your family are counting on you physically and emotionally, so it’s imperative that you teach your child by example that taking care of yourself helps you to take care of them and the rest of your family. This shows your child that not only do you love them and the rest of the family, but you love yourself as well. This is an important step in teaching your child about self esteem.

This may involve getting a sitter and treating yourself out to dinner and a movie, or doing another favorite activity on your own. This teaches your child that you are not only their parent, but your own person with your interests and needs, and also gives them a chance to show you how well they can do without you with them for a while.

It’s also important to nurture your relationship with your spouse. Let your child see you communicate in a positive and healthy manner with one another, and show love and affection for one another so your child can begin to learn early on what a healthy marriage should be like.

You’ll soon see your child patterning many of his behaviors after your own. So make sure that what you say and do around your child will help build a strong sense of security and self esteem.

Technology

Things You Need to Know Before You Buy Digital Camera

Digital cameras come in many sizes, colors, brands, zooms, resolutions, playbacks, etc. There are so many features and qualities that are being placed in the devices that buyers especially first timers become overwhelmed and dizzy with these outstanding arrays of gadgets. This is even without including the various advertisements and different ratings that are used to promote these products.

So what are the things to look for if you want to buy digital camera? To be able to answer these, there are 2 sets of information you have to know before you can decide. The first type of information is defining what YOU need and want in a digital camera. To do this, you can ask yourself the following questions:

– What do you want to take with your digital camera? Before you buy digital camera, it is important to determine what kind of pictures you want to take with it. If you are a digital photography enthusiast, any digital camera will not just do. You have to look for features that can support the zooming you need, the resolution, etc.

– How much is your budget? This is a very important question any person who intends to buy digital camera should ask. Because no matter what your needs and wants are for the device, your financial resource will play a huge part in dictating the type of digital camera you will buy.

– What are you resources? When you buy digital camera, sometimes the spending does not end there. You also have to consider the capacity and the power of the computer and the printer you will be hooking your camera with for your editing and printing needs. Editing software are already included when you buy digital camera but other devices aren’t. Aside from a printer, ink and paper for printing, you might also need additional memory cards for your camera and a more powerful computer to support image editing and image storage and retrieval.

After answering these 3 questions, the second set of information you need to know before you buy digital camera are the features that you need in the device. These are:

– Resolution. Before you buy digital camera, check first its capacity to produce high quality photo images. The number of pixels indicated determines resolution. The more number of pixels, the higher the resolution which can make photos to be enlarged without losing image quality.

– Built-in memory. Digital cameras need memory cards for picture storage. When you buy digital camera, make sure that the gadget that you buy does not only have a “built-in” memory but should also have a card slot for external and additional memory. This allows you to change full memory cards conveniently while shooting your pictures.

– Look and feel. It is essential for you to feel comfortable holding your digital camera while shooting. So, before you buy digital camera, it good to test and check if you are comfortable holding it and using it. Consider where the buttons are located and how they are spaced out and see also if you feel comfortable using the viewfinder.

– Battery life. Digital cameras use up batteries fast and batteries are expensive. Before you buy digital camera, consider if the camera’s batteries are rechargeable. This way you can recharge them. Take also into consideration an AC adapter when you buy digital camera. You can attach this to the camera when you are viewing your pictures or uploading them

– LCD. The LCD is a special consideration you have to look into when you buy a digital camera. This is a small screen located at the back of a digital camera that allows you to preview the pictures you took. This has to be considered when you buy digital camera because it uses up a lot of battery power.

– Special features. Special features that will suit your needs should be thought about, too before you buy digital camera. If you want your camera to have good zooming, you can opt for those with optical zoom lenses. A diopter adjustment on the digital camera’s viewfinder will also be beneficial to those who regularly wear glasses and wish to buy digital camera. Other features such as remote control, tripods, etc. can also be considered when you buy a digital camera.

With these information, you can now figure out what you really need and want before you buy digital camera. If you want to see ratings and rankings of these devices based on price, resolution or other features, check out various websites that have these in the Internet.

Travel

Best Family All Inclusive Resort

Many people are in search of the best family all inclusive resort as they want their vacation to be the ultimate experience. They also expect their vacation to be luxurious, adventurous and fun. Today a number of resorts from beautiful locations around the world fall under the category of the best family all inclusive resorts. You can get all the details you want about these destinations by searching on the internet. If you are planning an ultimate vacation then this article is for you. Here is a list of the best family all inclusive resorts from all over the world. However, you need to conduct your own thorough research before making any decisions about your travel plans. Read on to discover your dream vacation.

Franklin D. Resort in Jamaica

Most of the best family all inclusive resorts are located in the Caribbean. The location and climate is perfect for your dream vacation. One of them is the Franklin D. Resort which along with its sister resort is well known for its “vacation nanny” service. Guests and critics consider the Franklin D. Resort to be the best family all inclusive resorts not only in the Caribbean but also in the world. It features adventures including biking and hiking up a waterfall. There are also water sports like scuba diving and water sliding. Since this best family all inclusive resort is mainly a family destination it offers the best kids’ menu. Big families will find the huge rooms and suites comfortable and spacious.

Beaches Negril, Jamaica

Another one of the best family all inclusive resort is the Beaches Negril in Jamaica. It is located on the famous 7 mile stretch of the Negril beach. The resort belongs to the prestigious Sandals group and offers some of the very best services, accommodation and amenities. Being the the best family all inclusive resorts it offers infant care and also special activities for teenagers. Families can have fun at the ice cream bar and the huge Saga Centre. The package offered by the resort also includes scuba diving for kids above 12, boat trips and snorkeling to a coral reef.

Breezes Curacao

The Breezes Curacao is among the first best family all inclusive resorts in the Caribbean and was established recently. It offers premium amenities and features fun water sports such as snorkeling, scuba diving, windsurfing and many other water related activities. This resort is considered to be the best family all inclusive resort which means that the dining experience is equally special. It includes Japanese and Italian restaurants as part of fine dining. The kids get to enjoy theme dinners at kid’s clubs and also a number of other activities such as rock climbing and trapeze.

Make Money

Extra Income through Affiliate Marketing – Part 2 of 2

Beginners and first timers should look at something more modest than $5,000 dollars a month. Starting with a smaller objective like $50 or $100 extra income a day, at the same time learning the trade’s smaller and important nuances will be worthwhile in creating a long term and sustainable affiliate marketing business.

As a goal of earning extra income of $50 a day may seem small and non lucrative, but it is achievable, and with affiliate marketing being a continuous learning process, it is a good place and budget to begin with. Remember, you are also learning how to do things successfully at the same time. Give it some lead time and you could substantially increase your extra income using affiliate marketing.

Keep revising your goals periodically, as often as every two weeks or monthly. Remember these goals should point you in the direction of one larger single goal that you want to achieve in terms of success or in terms of amount of extra income you want to earn. Put these goals on paper and make sure they are in visible range in your office all the time. This will help focus your energy towards your goals.

A lot of literature is available on focus and goal setting by renowned and successful people like Zig Ziggler and more. Reading them would help you not only to add to your knowledge base but also to work in a better and more efficient way towards achieving that extra income goal of yours.

The next step would be the most important in your career as an affiliate marketer to earn extra income. Go out of your way and into the field to make connections and contacts with relevant and useful people in the affiliate marketing industry.

Connections to Your Future

The professional affiliate marketing people are a well knit and close group of individuals connected constantly and regularly with each other. A constant stream of information is shared helping each other. All these successful marketers strongly believe that everyone benefits by learning from each others mistakes.

Getting out there to help people would be a better attitude to take rather than just looking for business, since this field of marketing works on a principle which says “Help yourself by helping others.” This is a better philosophy to follow in the long run to make long lasting friends and building a business that gives long lasting extra income. People out there will certainly help you when you are willing to help and extend the hand first.

If you can try and relate to these people, which I am sure you can, since you will be sharing the same objectives as they do in the long run of generating a good extra income, will relieve a great deal of work stress and as a result you will be able to perform better.

The moment you invest a little money in someone else’s business, you cannot be ignored. They will take you seriously and you will shine – all the time making that extra income!

Beauty

7 Steps For Keeping Teeth Healthy For A Lifetime

A smile can last a lifetime-if you take care of it. For that reason, it’s important for parents to instill good oral health habits in children as early as possible.

According to U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona’s “National Call to Action to Promote Oral Health” report, children lose more than 51 million school hours and adults lose more than 164 million work hours each year due to dental disease or dental visits. The nation’s total bill for dental services was estimated to be more than $70.1 billion in 2002.

“Oral health disease is making disturbing inroads into communities across the country,” Dr. Marsha Butler, Colgate-Palmolive’s Vice President, Global Oral Health and Professional Relations, explains. “For children between the ages of 5 and 17 here in the U.S., tooth decay is more common than asthma, more common than hay fever, and it poses a significant threat to our children’s overall health and well-being.”

Recently, during the celebration of National Children’s Dental Health Month, Colgate and Dr. Carmona unveiled “The U.S. Surgeon General’s Seven Steps to a Bright Smile,” tips that were developed, with a grant from Colgate-Palmolive, to help keep teeth and gums strong and healthy:

1. Brush teeth and gums with fluoride toothpaste at least twice a day, especially after eating breakfast and before bedtime.

2. Visit the dentist regularly.

3. Floss your teeth daily.

4. Use fluoride rinse for strong, healthy teeth and gums.

5. Limit the number of times you eat snacks each day-and remember to practice healthy eating and get plenty of calcium.

6. Wear a mouthguard when playing sports.

7. Ask your dental professional about dental sealants.

Through its Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program, Colgate has reached more than 50 million children with free dental screenings, treatment referrals and oral health education. The company is more than halfway to meeting a public commitment it made to reach 100 million children with these services by the year 2010. Bright Smiles, Bright Futures empowers children to take control of their oral health and helps to generate greater awareness about the importance of maintaining good dental hygiene.

Education

Benefits Of Homeschooling

Why let Ethan and Sophia learn at home than send them to school? Well, first of all, you don’t have to wake them up at 7 every morning and bundle them off to school with umpteen numbers of instructions, and wait with an anxious heart till they return. Homeschooling gives you more control over the influences that affect your child. The growth and development of your child is removed from the realm of the unknown. You, and you alone can decide what your child needs to do or learn. Tailoring the curriculum to suit the needs and interests of the child is one of the most obvious benefits of homeschooling

Individual attention is another salient benefit of homeschooling. For instance, if Sophia needs more time to learn Math, then she can reduce the time for her English lessons. There are no fixed hours of learning per subject. This means that a child has the advantage of assigning more number of hours to the subject that seems tough WITHOUT any additional pressure. The amount of time needed to learn each subject will depend on the abilities and interests of the child.

The schooling of the child becomes an extended family activity. Parents get involved in every step of the learning procedure. Field trips and experiments become family activities. Thus, the child receives more quality time with his parents. The entire family shares games, chores and projects. Family closeness becomes the focus here. The child is also free of any negative peer pressure while making choices and decisions.

Competition is limited when it comes to homeschooling. The child does not need to prove his ability with regards to other children. His confidence remains intact. Since parents have a deep understanding of their child, they can plan the learning program to pique the child’s interest. It is also possible to intersperse difficult tasks with fun activities. A tough hour with Algebra can be followed by a trip to the nearest museum. Learning becomes fun. Parents can also tailor the curriculum to suit the learning style of the child. Some children learn through reading, while others need to write, and still others need to see objects in action.

Homeschooling allows parents to take control over the moral and religious learning of the child. Parents have the flexibility to incorporate their beliefs and ideologies into the child’s curriculum. There is no confusion in the child’s mind either because there is no variation between what is being taught and what is being practiced.

Lastly, more and more parents are getting disillusioned with the public school system. They believe that their children are being pushed too hard or too little. Other worrying issues pertaining to discipline and ethics also make the school system less welcome. Many repudiate the educational philosophy of grouping children solely on the basis of their age. Some parents themselves have unhappy memories of their own public school experience that motivates them to opt for homeschooling when it comes to their own children.

Homeschooling is the best way to teach a child if you have the time, the ability and the interest to follow through with his education. After all, nobody can understand or appreciate your child more than yourself.

Finances

Checking Accounts For Couples

It was not very long ago that when a couple were married their finances became merged and everything was as one. Today, many people are opting to keep things separated for a variety of valid reasons. Because of the way society has unfolded, our finances have become extremely complicated with a large amount of debts, child support, and loans that they may have gotten prior to marriage. It really depends on the situation of the couple as to rather a separate checking account will work or not.

The first thing that needs to be done is that both of you will need to sit at the table and discuss all options that are available to you, be honest and open about your financial wellbeing and make an informed and mutual decision. Traditionally, couples open a checking account of the joint type, this is best way of merging finances together on both sides. However, it is important that both parties be responsible for the comings and goings into that joint account. This will require consistent communication, saving receipts, and updating the register constantly, this will provide the other person with knowledge of what has been happening. This may not be the best option for those who have troubles with keeping receipts or keeping track of checks written.

Another option that may be available to couples is having two separate accounts and one joint. There are a variety of excellent aspects of this scenario, you make an agreement about the amount that each person should place into the joint account each week, bi-weekly, or monthly and this should go towards household expenses. This allows each side to keep their own account, have their own financial freedom, and yet still be contributing to the rest of the household needs. You will both need to sit down and discuss how much should be placed into the joint account, to do this first begin by creating a budget that specifically outlines all of the household expenses on a monthly basis. If each of you earn pretty close to the same amount of money each month, you both should put half in each month.

This should include a savings account for saving for any type of goals you have such as children education, vacations, or other types of financial goals. With the separate account, these should be used to pay off all pre-existing debts you may have from prior to the marriage.

Computers

Offsite Backup Advantages

Creating backups of your data and files is a very important way of staying on top of disaster and missing data. Both small and large businesses, including individuals, always look towards a backup of information to keep them going in the face of disaster. Even though backups are a great way to keep your data safe and protected, there are some flaws with the traditional methods.

When you create backups of your data, you must store them somewhere where they can’t be damaged or someone else can access them. For businesses, offsite backup is a well known and popular way to backup files. It offers you several different advantages when compared to other ways, such as CD, DVD, external hard drives, and even servers. One of the biggest advantages to offsite backup is the fact that the backups aren’t stored in your office or business.

Offsite backup companies store your data in state of the art safes, to protect them against fire, flood, and even prying eyes. This can be extremely beneficial if unexpected things have a habit of occurring around your office.

Another great thing about offsite backups are the fact that they can be used as stores for your data. You won’t need to rely on online space, as you can easily go to the company who is storing your data and go through it anytime you wish. You can also use online space with most companies as well. You simply upload your data to their online storage area, then go back anytime you wish and view it. This is a very handy feature, similar to a hosting company.

Another benefit of offsite backup is the fact that your data will always be protected, and you won’t have to use CD or DVDs to do it. CD and DVD storage is great for individuals, although there will be quite a bit of them for most businesses. This can get somewhat costly, but more importantly, it will use a lot of space to store the backup files. They can also become damaged or lost, unlike offsite backup storage.

Offsite storage is also great if your business is in a bad area. If Mother Nature has a habit of bashing your area with floods, fires, or hurricanes, you should look into offsite backup storage immediately. They have ways to protect your information from harm, including anything Mother Nature can dish out. There is no need to worry about natural disasters, system failures, hard drive crashes, or data failure with offsite backup storage.

Even though you may not realize it, the data will be available anytime you need it. Online backup services are available anytime, day or night, and can be accessed anywhere you are. Most are easy to set up, and offers you very impressive security measures. They are also fast and very efficient, which is great for those who need to access their files immediately.

When it comes to offsite backup, you can store virtually any file you need to, such as text files, e-books, contact record, pictures, music, and anything else you can think of. The storage for online backups are virtually endless, capable of storing everything you need.

All in all, offsite backup storage is ideal for any business or corporation. You can store your data with an online offsite backup, or choose to do it physically in an offsite safe. The choice is entirely up to you. No matter which method of offsite backup you choose – your data will always be protected, and best of all – it will always be there anytime you need it.

Health and Fitness

Exercise And Stress

Even though exercise may not be the most exciting word in your vocabulary, it sure is a word with a lot of benefits. Participating in daily exercise
will not only make you healthier in general, but it can also diminish the effects of stress on your body as well.

Think about all the times you have heard someone say “the doctor says it’s stress related”. Normally people will laugh it off, concluding that doctors
say that when they don’t know the real answers or diagnosis. The truth of the matter is that too much stress will play a role in many diseases.

To help increase your immune system and decrease your stress level as well, try exercise, as movement is the key word here. Bending, stretching, reaching
and walking. There’s really no need to buy any expensive equipment either, as you can implement more movement into your daily routine and reap
the benefits.

If you like aerobic exercise, you should grab a partner and have a blast with one of the basic aerobic videos. Or, you can simply go out for a walk and enjoy spending time together. As you may have heard, walking really is the best overall exercise you can do for your health. As long as you have a pair of walking shoes, you’ll be fine.

As you go through your daily activities, make it a point to walk a little farther, bend down and pick something up without using a pick up stick or moving the item towards you with your foot. While you are sitting, you should also do some simple and quick stretches for your neck and shoulders.

If you enjoy sitting around watching television, you should consider buying a jogging board. These padded boards will make running, jumping, or walking in place less stressful on your knees and joints. They are easy to store as well and also very portable.

In many people’s opinions, jogging boards are the best pieces of equipment you can buy. They are also far cheaper than bulky treadmills and stationary bikes.

There are several different exercises that you can do to help you eliminate the stress in your life. Walking is by far the best, as you can easily lose yourself and your troubles by walking. Even if it is just around the block, walking can do wonders for your health as well as stress.

If you have a lot of stress in your life, you may want to consider a gym. Working out then sitting in the sauna is also a good way to relieve tension. If your gym has a pool, you may find swimming to be very beneficial as well, as it helps you to relax.