Desktop vs. Laptop

If you are into saving energy, then it would be better to choose a laptop over a desktop. I have personally proved this to be true. Mid of last year, we decided to upgrade our desktop's computer memory but it wasn't until I switched to a laptop that the electricity consumption went significantly down.

But if you happen to play a lot of computer games, you would have to get a desktop instead. Just for the record, someone who experimented with desktop and laptop, plugged the laptop into the car charger. The laptop worked great and the car still started. While as for doing the same with the desktop, he blew two fuses and drained the car battery.

So if you are for energy conservation, laptop is for you. But if you are one serious game player, a desktop is preferable. It is always better to purchase a computer unit with energy star.

Unclogging a Toilet

When you flush a toilet and it fills up and refuses to drain, then your toilet is clogged. It's a dirty job to unclog the toilet, but someone has to get to it one way or another. If the toilet is full to the brim bail out half of it to prevent splashing while you work on unclogging it.

Get a plunger and place the cone securely ove the drain hole and pump vigorously a dozen times. If this does not unclog and dislodge the obstruction, wait for an hour and try again.

If plunging does not work, aim the bent end of the toilet auger into the drain. Crank the auger's handle clockwise to feed its snake into the hole until it meets the obstruction. Crank the handle just a bit more, then pull the auger out as you continue cranking clockwise.

If both don't work, then there is a big probability that the problem is the main drain. You may want to get a plumber and do the job as this may entail having the toilet bowl removed all together.

Starting Right with Proper Study Skills

It will approximately be six months from now until my son is to start with formal school. I am hopeful that we will be able to start right and even incorporate at an early age the proper Study Skills that will be foundational for him as he grows older.

If you would like for your child to develop good study habits, you might want to check out Club Z! and look into the values they have in assessing your child’s study routine that will later determine his success in his academics.

Potty Training Tip

As much as I wanted to do elimination communication with my little guy when he was still infant, I wasn't able to because of some complications with his reflux. His digestive system is now okay. But around that time during which he would throw up in a volatile manner every so often. I was too busy as a new mother so I had no choice but to delay training him to eliminate properly.

Toward my son's second birthday, there were a few signs that he was ready for potty training. One of which is he would keep his nappies dry several nights at a time. This is when I started sitting him down on the toilet first thing in the morning. This takes a lot of discpline. Imagine having to embrace the little guy as he sits on the toilet. The first couple of days were not successful. It was important to make him feel that it isn't a task. I even sat on a bean bag in front of the toilet even as we sang along with his favorite songs in my mobile.

It was less than a week when we were all rejoicing with success. :-)

New Year's Resolution?

Three days short till January, have you now come up with a New Year's resolution? Or have you kind of done one mentally and have ceased announcing it to the world the moment you realized you always fall short? As true as it is, it is still a good practice to let people know what you want changed in yourself, for accountability.

One of the things that I am going to sit down with the hubby about is getting our son a health insurance. It is just sad that he is not covered as a dependent, which I still don't get up to this day. I figured we're going to have to get him one our own. With the incidence of him getting almost hospitalized a couple of times this year, even an insurance online can be considered. I will check some quotations and reviews and check the mode of payment we think we will be able to afford.

Another thing I need to get down on is to list down a weekly recipe, a month in advance, at least. This will give me freedom to do the things I need and do them more efficiently. Lots of plans and hopes for this coming year. From our family to yours, we pray for a blessed 2009.

A Healthier Media Noche

Eating healthy sure was a challenge these past days. With all the gatherings and endless parties and feastings we all had to go to, sticking to a diet can practically be unheard of. Truth to tell, we don't really have to settle on a crappy diet just because we're partying. Keeping it all balanced should be a consideration.

At least for us, this is what we hope to accomplish this coming media noche. We don't want all those hams, yummy steaks, ribs and grilled butterfly chops, getting stuck in our guts. We need some veggie sweepers to get off those toxins out of us. More veggies and fruits for us this coming days. :-)

Always Plan Major Purchases

The pressure to buy during “sale season” should definitely be avoided. People end up getting deeper into debt when they indulge without considering the payments they have to do the following months even years. The result is they don’t make the interest work for them at all, when they actually can.

If there is a certain appliance, for instance a television set that needs to be replaced, one can actually wait for one of those “great sale events” for tv deals before actually purchasing a new set. And while waiting save up for that particular appliance. This way you get more value for your money.

Make that Blender Button Work Again

Are you forced to dispose off your blender just because the buttons won't work anymore? It is possible that you can get your blender's button working again by getting a can of electrical contact cleaner (tuner cleaner) from an appliance store. Spray a little on each side of the button. Press the button on and off several times

Looking Forward to a Brighter 2009

How did you live your life in 2008? This is the perfect question to ask yourself as you say goodbye to this year and say hello to 2009. I have mentioned in my previous entries that it is time to evaluate how we did in our finances. Do you still have bad credit to take care of? Have you finally gotten down to eliminate at least a bulk of your debt loans? If you have not yet, it is wise to have a goal towards debt elimination in 2009.

As important it is to evaluate how you did financially, it is equally important to re-evaluate how you took care of your physical health in general. This is something that our family has to zero in next year. Half of the year, we have had to battle with some respiratory illnesses. Assessing our diet, throwing in more fruits and vegetables than we are used to. Early November our family decided to do “Detox Mondays.” It’s just something that we coined, even as we planned to eat nothing more than fruits and veggies throughout the day. We did not last a couple of weeks, call it withdrawal syndrome. We really were down with headaches. Discipline and maybe learn more on detoxification and eating healthier.

With all these said, spiritual health is the most important. Feeding our soul with God’s word and nurturing our personal relationship with Him. With all aspects of our lives evaluated and taken care of, we are hopeful to look forward to a more blessed 2009!

Repair a Carpet Burn

What do you do when a portion of your carpet got burned? You don't need to throw the carpet away. Save it by trimming away the burnt fibers with scissors. Carefully dab rubber cement into the hole with a toothpick. Cut matching tufts of carpet from the same carpet in an unseen area. This is very much like skin grafting, without the possibility of regeneration. Dab the ends of the cut tufts with rubber cement and insert them in the hole.

Work the tufts upright with a pin. When it is dry, use the pin and carefully blend them with the surrounding pile.

Learning with Brightstorm

Brightstorm is an educational site I would readily suggest to anyone in a heartbeat. I filled out an online for when I saw a Sign up for a free brightstorm acocunt a couple of weeks back and I thoroughly enjoyed the course that I took on writing.

Their “teachers” really know their respective subjects. Authority and knowledge are prime factors for teachers to be able to get their messages across. The way they have programmed their courses takes away the boredom factor of your regular classroom setting. I personally cannot help but conclude that students will be better academically in this kind of module instead of the traditional way of teaching.

How many students have dropped out and have lost their interest in going to school altogether because of monotony and century old way of learning? This site will prove to be a treasure for parents as they discover their high schoolers can benefit from these online courses. They make sure that fun, effectiveness, value go hand in hand with the professionalism and quality of the content.

You should Sign up for a free account that will give you access to a free episode in every course (including link) and test the fun of learning in no time.

Preserve Refrigerated Fruits and Veggies

I have personally used aluminum coated bags like this to store my fruits and veggies in the fridge. I first learned about it in one of those spammy-looking emails. Since it tells of being able to preserve not just my food but also preserve mother earth by not having to throw those used bags, I thought I should give it a try. I have nothing to lose anyway.

Now I am here posting away to vouch that it does work. My tomatoes would normally last for just a few days in the vegetable bin, now it lasts for a couple of weeks. The same goes for other fruit and veggies.

The key is not to seal the bag once its inside the fridge. This tip is very handy especially in this feasting season. Those leftover fruits should go in a bag and not just throw it anywhere in the refrigerator.

Quality Supplier of Valves

I have always thought that maintaining a water pump at home is always the more practical and economical choice. It can be horrifying to have your water supply halted by some emergency mainpipe bursting, like what happened to us last week.

It is a wise choice to switch to pump, because aside from it saving you a lot of money, it is actually low maintenance. You just have to get hold of a dependable and reliable valve supplier like Boig & Hill. This company is in the business for over 100 years. They carry names such as Worcester, Sprague, Farris, et. al and you will be guaranteed to be supplied certified factory replacement parts, no less. Feel free to contact them, you know you should not settle for less when you are out for quality valves with a reliable customer service to boot.

Year-end Budget Evaluation

It's Christmastime! Truth to tell, this is not a very popular time for saving. In fact, if at all, this is the time when people splurge to their hearts' desire. But this does not really need to be so.

We all know that there is this ongoing financial crisis. I know a lot of us would rather dwell on it next month or should I say next year (technically). This is the perfect time of the year to evaluate how you did in your finances this year and actually make a plan to do even better next year. This is what we are doing as the year closes. It is something that you can do as well. :-)

Stonebank Ironcraft

Do you happen to be one of those homeowners who love to take care of their gardens and watch those lovely plants grow? Who doesn’t love the greenery, right? It is one thing to grow plants, it is another to really have passion in it.

After having proved time and again that my thumb ain’t green, I knew I have got to put more effort in caring for the plants that I now have, most of which are herbal ones that I use to concoct juices and tea for our family.

I have stumbled upon Stonebank Ironcraft. This company offers solid steel products for estates, gardens and municipal clients. If it is high quality garden and estate ironworks you are looking for, you have to look into this website that carries with them thirty full years (and still counting) of great reputation in supplying estate fencing, decorative railings and pergolas.

One of their creations that caught my fancy is their Cotswold Cottage Arch. It looks perfect like it came out straight from those fairly tale books. I have personally coordinated a number of weddings with this kind of arch and it does define the place and gives that certain character. Like a feel of paradise on earth.

Protect Your Floors

Do you know that you can keep dirt from being tracked into the house by stopping it at the door? You can do this by putting a pair of rought textured mats -one on the outside, the other inside the entryway -- this will catch a lot of the dirt that could easily get inside if not for the mats.

Evaluate the Family Budget

As a family one of the things we have to do as the year end is to evaluate how we handled our finances this year and discuss the things we have to do to improve on it this coming year. It is just the wisest thing to do, if we hope to live a more fruitful year in 2009.

There is this budget software that I have come across that will help individuals and family figure out their personal budget and jump start your financial planning. I understand that there are not very many people who give budgeting a great deal of time.

If you want to get off your debts once and for all, it will never happen overnight, you have got to make a choice to be able to free yourself from the burden. Put a stop to all those debts taking control over you. Make that choice to finally be in control this time.

There are a handful of principles that one can learn from this budget software. Whether you are newlyweds, single professional, college student, big or small family, you sure can benefit from YouNeedABudget.com. You might want to have a look see, head over to the site and start evaluating your finances.

DIY Organizers

A lot of different organizers are now up for grabs. It's the time of the year. Do you kow that instead of spending a lot of money on fancy organizers with all those expensive inserts, you can actually customize and make your own one?

All you have to do is buy a small loose leaf binder in a stationery store. Choose the one with pockets in the front and back to possibly store in your small calculator and business cards. Loose leaf papers and dividers are also available to fit the binders.

Consider the categories you need to get included in your organizer (addresses, contact numbers, errands, long term projects, appointments, expenses, et. al) Make sure you insert a small calendar in the appointments section. Now you're ready to make your very own customized organizer.

Get Your Own 1-800 Number

If you happen to own a business, chances are you already have one of those 1-800 number that people can call to reach your technical support or customer service department. Did you know that even small businesses can get a hold of these numbers at a very affordable cost? Now your business is able to go side by side by those big companies because you also have that toll free number to boot.

Stair Carpets

How do you prolong the life of your stair carpet? Upon the carpet's istallation, make sure that you fold an extra foot of length under and against one of the two risers at the top of the stairs. Periodically lift the entire carpet and shift it downward an inch or two at a time. As you do this, fold it under or against the lowest riser or trim it off.

Happy carpet cleaning! :-)

Before You Go on A Diet

There are a few basic things to consider if you would like to take on whatever kind of diet or diet supplement. First, check if you are healthy enought to abstain from certain foods from your diet? Second, make sure to check with your family doctor about the diet that you are going into. It is always safe to get a doctor's opinion. Third is make sure you have gotten into non biased reviews of whatever supplement you wish to take and have got a hold of a number of people who particularly vouch for the product and with proof to boot.

Happy dieting! :-)

Things to Consider in Putting Up a Home Office

The ideal is to get a separate room for a home office. But if you do not have the space or the available room for that you can negotiate for a corner in your house wherein you can throw in your non bulky office furniture in and maybe install a divider that will make the corner distinct.

Why is this so? Essentially to separate yourself psychologically from the rest of the house if you would like to be able to do your task in your home office as efficiently as possible. :-)

How to Preserve Carpets

Do you know that to be able to preserve your carpets, you would need to have them turned around periodically? This allows the rugs to wear and soil evenly.

Take note that some chemicals in furniture polishes can destroy red carpet dyes that will eventually cause blue and green discoloration. This is why it is important to cover the carpet areas with newspaper when you are polishing furnitures.

Do brush the edges and seas of carpets with a liquid resin to keep the seams of your carpets from fraying. Liquid resin is readily available in fabric and crafts shops.

Take note that the outermost braid of a rug that is braided usually wears out first. You can save it from happening by sewing a stip of bias binding around the edges of the rug.

#1 Superfood Tip

The change in an individual’s metabolism is said to root back to age, among others. I personally have not faced any major weigh issues in my 32 years of existence. But the one tip that I could guarantee that has worked for me fifteen years ago was the three day diet. I posted it in this website a couple of months back.

Although I don’t have major weight issues, I admit that I could better go without those dimpling effects of cellulites). They are not much I know, not even conspicuous, but I hope to get them arrested now that they have just started surfacing. This is where Acai Berry Diet known for and I am currently considering. It is endorsed by Oprah herself as the #1 Superfood in her show. That really should be something. :-)

Mortgage Tip

Are you looking into getting a mortgage loan? Head over to AdvantageHomeRates.com and learn than even those with bad credit can find decent mortgages that will eventually usher you to rebuild your credit and not put you in deeper debt.

Whatever kind of mortgage you currently need you are sure to find the best institution with the best interest rate that will benefit you. Getting a loan these days is hard and financial institutions are said to be stricter than ever, which is why the best program to suit your needs will be best and AdvantageHomeRates has a program for you.