1.) If Possible, Space Out your Breaks – It used to be a common practice for people to take a thirty minute lunch and to also have two 15 minute breaks during the course of an eight hour workday. In most business environments a shift has occurred that has led to employees taking one longer break during the day, typically an hour, without any short breaks. This actually reduces productivity as it causes employees to become burned out much more quickly. To avoid this issue, it is best to return to a 15, 30, 15 minute break schedule. Those who eat lunch at their desk everyday may even benefit from more frequent but smaller breaks such as four breaks lasting 15 minutes each.

2.) Use Technology to your Advantage – Larger monitors will make it easier for you to deal with the potential effects of eyestrain. If you spend a lot of time working simultaneously with multiple documents, get your IT department to set up two monitors and make sure that the system is setup to allow you to drag and drop files between them. Utilize all of the time saving functionality that your computer and smartphone have to offer by setting up reminders on your calendar and syncing the data between your work computer and your phone.

3.) Shake Out the Mental Cobwebs – Even if you’re able to space out your breaks, you’ll occasionally feel like you’ve hit a mental wall. Rather than continue to struggle, take five minutes to do some very simplistic exercises and stretches. This can range from a walk around the building to doing some lunges or sit ups inside your office. Once you’ve done this you’ll find yourself feeling more energized and much more capable of dealing with the work in front of you.

4.) Ergonomic isn’t Just a Buzz Word – Every year countless hours of productivity are lost due to back and wrist issues. In order to make sure that this doesn’t happen to you, make sure that your office is ergonomically friendly. It is important to note, however, that what suits one person’s body will not necessarily be a good fit for anyone else. Due to this, it is imperative to avoid a one size fits all approach to furniture options.

5.) Filing isn’t Fun, but it is Necessary – If your office is overflowing with old paperwork that needs to be filed away it will become impossible for you to relax. Even if the work has been completed for months, the clutter that surrounds you will invariably have a negative impact on both your performance and your general outlook. No one enjoys filing, but make sure to keep up with it to ensure a happier work place.

Once you implement the tips listed above you’re certain to see an increase in your productivity. Don’t be afraid to try new ideas, especially during times of extreme workplace stress. It won’t only make your work day more pleasant but it will have a positive impact on your personal life, too.

Nicole Rodgers has been blogging in the business, technology, and finance industries for three years. When Nicole was running her small business she made sure to have good employee benefits to keep her employees happy. She also saw it was important to provide other benefits as well. She made sure to provide her employees with good health insurance in order to keep her employees healthy.

1. Clothing

With a pink-ribbon embellished t-shirt, baseball cap, or fitted vest, you won’t have to worry about safety-pins or stickers. These quality items include embroidered or screen-printed designs that often have a slogan along with the pink ribbon.

You can even find the pink ribbon on a cute pair of argyle socks!

2. Jewelry

Instead of a fragile ribbon made of satin, why not use one of the more durable cancer pins? Affordable versions are made in gold with sparkling pink crystals, while higher end pieces use genuine pink sapphires.

Pink ribbons are also available as earrings, pendants, and charms. If you have a proud cancer survivor in your circle of friends, either choice makes a perfect gift for any occasion.

3. Water Bottles

Cool off after you support the cause at a local walking or running event with your pink ribbon decorated water bottle. If you have a team of walkers, order one for each member to show your appreciation for their efforts.

4. Kitchen Items

Fill the kitchen of your favorite cancer survivor with baking items decorated with the cheerful pink ribbon. Choose from measuring spoons to make sure your special treats come out just right!

If you’d like to recruit a few new supporters, handing out cookies shaped like pink ribbons complete with a coating of pink frosting would definitely get your message across. Cupcakes presented in pink-ribbon-covered baking cups will also be an instant hit.

5. Rubber Stamps

Although regular mail is grinding slowly to what may eventually be an actual halt, many offices and homes still place a few random envelopes in the mailbox. Why not make filling in the return address easy and show your support for the cause at the same time?

Rubber stamps are available for home or office use with your return address and the pink cancer ribbon. If you have a stockpile of pre-printed envelopes, you can always order a stamp with just the pink ribbon icon and one of the popular cancer fighting logos. Don’t forget some bright pink ink while you’re at it!

6. Tattoos

If you’ve just found out your cancer is in remission, why not celebrate with a permanent reminder of just how lucky you are and how important cancer research continues to be? Many cancer survivors and their loved ones consider a pink-ribbon tattoo to be the best way to show their lifelong commitment to fighting this terrible disease.

To make your tattoo even more special, why not add the remission date as well? If you’re not excited about another needle, there are several versions of pink-ribbon temporary tattoos to try on. Who knows? After wearing one of these, you might change your mind and get inked permanently.

Whether you choose one of these lovely items for yourself or someone special, it shows how much you care! What’s your favorite way to show your commitment to a worthy cause?

Annie is a creative blogger for Dobovo, the international travel company offering a wode range of Kiev apartments for budget travellers. 

The decorating, shopping, school festivities, parties, wrapping, baking…what did I forget? Oh, yes, family meals. That’s because it can easily be one of the last things we focus on during the holiday season, with everything else that is going on.

However, eating well and balanced meals are a necessity, even in November and December. Our health should not be thrown to the wind, just because we are too busy. I often wonder if that is why there is so much sickness around the holidays.

So, a couple years ago I made sure to have a plan in place, assuring that we could eat fairly normal during this time. Of course it won’t be perfect, and the snacks and goodies, which we all bake, will get in our way of being completely balanced. But, my goal for our house is to not let it get out of hand.

I’m going to share some of my ideas, just in case you are just as tired as I was with the annual holiday weight gain, and sugar highs that were causing sleepless nights.

Be Well Equipped

Before the lights are strung, and the tree is up, I make sure that my kitchen is in good condition, as well as all the tools and equipment that I need for making the everyday meals, as well as the big day meals…and of course, the baking.

I check the oven, pots, cookie sheets, hand mixer, and especially my food processor because I would be lost without that gem. If you don’t have one, I highly recommend getting a good one. If you are unsure about what kind, size, and quality to get, simply Google food processor reviews.

Planning a Weekly Menu

Once I know everything is in working order, I grab a calendar to sit down and plan out a weekly menu. By doing this, it saves the time and frustration of having to come up with dinner plans at the last minute. It also saves money, if you can plan your menu based on the market’s sales for the upcoming week, along with the paper’s coupons.

I take the weekly ads from the paper to look what is on sale, as well as the coupons. I can then plan out the entire week’s menu, and save money. This frees up the family’s time, and the extra events that the holidays bring on are not as rushed.

Get the Family Involved

I also get help from the family when the menu is posted ahead of time. For example, if my husband finishes with work before I do, he can then get it started.

Even though my kids are young, they like to help out as well. We like to find little tasks for them to do, so they feel a part of the plans. They like to set the table, help with the coupons, and check off the daily menu when we are done with dinner. This can also double as a countdown calendar for Christmas.

Any little piece of help the family can provide helps to keep day feel less rushed.

Prepare and Cook what You can Ahead of Time

With many meals, there are things you can do ahead of time, either by hours, or even days.

There are some meals that can be made ahead, and then placed in the freezer until you are ready, such as lasagna, chili, and chicken pot pie. Simply take the items out of the freezer the night before and place it in the refrigerator, and cook when ready. If you take the time to make a pan of lasagna two weeks earlier, make two and freeze one.

Other ingredients can be prepared ahead of time, and either frozen for a week or two later, or for the next day. Here’s just a sample:

* Chopped Onion
* Bell Peppers
* Strawberries
* Chopped Nuts
* Shredded Cheese
* Corn off the Cob

This is just a small list to give you an idea of what you can do ahead of time and place in the freezer to save time. Place them in a plastic bag, and then label them with a marker.

It might not sound like much, but you will be surprised at how much time it can save you. After all, when we are rushing around, trying to get to the school play, or choir practice, we aren’t typically an hour late, but rather just a few minutes. Less time than it takes to chop all those ingredients, actually.

In Closing

I hope I have been able to help you with a few tips on cutting down on the rush of the holidays, allowing you time to enjoy the extra festivities with your family.

For me, since I have implemented these ideas, our home has felt less rushed and more joyous.

Happy Holidays to you all!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melissa Cameron lives in Texas with her husband and two young children. As a freelance writer, she enjoys writing about parenting and local history. After once seeing her enthusiastic purchase of a Cuisinart toaster, her husband thought she should add ‘finding the best buys’ to her topic list. So, she did.

Outdoor activities

On a nice day, try spending the afternoon at a park, which will give your children the chance to socialise with other kids and the chance to get a healthy dose of exercise. You can arrange to meet family friends or their school mates, or just spend a quick half hour before the sun goes down.

Country walks or hiking trails are also a good way to spend quality time while giving the whole family a workout. Pack food and some games to occupy your time during a much-needed rest, and then get back to exploring! You can take a book on the local birds, trees, or insects, or take pictures with your phone to look up when you get home. The most important thing to remember is to keep them interested and excited about your afternoon as outdoor adventurers.

If the season is right, take a basket or plastic bag for each child and take them for a berry picking mission! The fruits of your labor mean you can make pies or preserves that the whole family will love and know that they contributed to.

Flying a kite is another excellent way to get children out of the house without much cost, and they will remember the excitement flying their first kite for years to come. Pick a windy day and bring a stopwatch to celebrate how long your kids could keep the kite in the air. Don’t forget a warm treat like tea or hot chocolate as a treat after a windy workout!

Winter activities

The cold months surrounding the holidays may find you hard-pressed to take your children out on a budget, but there are still many things to do while the weather is not so nice.

A rainy or snowy day is the perfect opportunity to comb your local library for literary treasures. You can let your child pick out a book to read, and perhaps find one of your favourite childhood books to share with them.

Galleries and museums often have free days or let children under a certain age enter free. You can take this chance to expose them to art, history, and culture and cultivate their creative side.

About the Author

Andrea Vane from www.comparejuniorisa.com writes mainly about the Junior ISA

The History of Gothic Clothing

Gothic clothing originally emerged in the early 1980′s as a consequence of the Gothic rock music scene. The look was easily identified by the use of religious or macarbre imagery, leather, fishnet stockings and thigh boots as well as black eye make-up on both Men and Women. This look has morphed over the years to include styles and clothing from the Punk movement, BDSM and ‘Lolita’ sexual imagery plus Elisabethan ruffled shirts.

For women, the use of lots of black velvet and velvet with very tightly laced corsets is the classic ‘Goth’ look, but with the inclusion of styles from other eras we now see brightly coloured dresses, leggings and shoes being brought into the mix, with flouorescent colours and 50′s ‘Marilyn Monro’ type dresses also being worn by lady Goths.

Goth Clothing – An Enticing Enigma

The Goth clothing movement was originally a complete revolt against the bright and brash clothing and lifestyle of the 1970′s and 1980′s, with their use of mixed clashing colours and way-out styling. In some ways, Gothic clothing mirrors both 70′s and 80′s fashion as the whole ethos of the Goth look is deliberate overstatement, even more so with modern Goth clothing as the once shunned bright colours have now been welcomed back into the fold, with designers like Hell Bunny and Poizen Industries offering a mix of flat black and dayglo colours, with the use of bright tartans and overbanding mixing with traditional Gothic styles.

For women, the Hell Bunny clothing rangs gives a real mix of styling, with everything from baby pink 50′s dresses to PVC corsets and an abundance of black lace and the shortest of mini skirts. These clothes, mixed with a choice of massively high heeled ankle boots or the traditional Doc Martens boots give a shocking look which epitomises the modern Goth uniform, and although not as shocking as the old ‘everything black’ look still turns heads.

Down to the Core – Gothic Underwear

Women’s Goth clothing doesn’t finish at the top layers – let’s face it, the look would break down pretty quickly if underwear turned out to be cotton panties and a bra from M&S! Gothic women’s underwear harks back to the Golden age of corsets, stockings and suspender belts, with a mix of materials being used – everything from PVC and leather to black lace. Corsetry is very much the name of the game, with overbust and underbust styles being worn either over clothing or under to give shape and definition of waist and bust. Stockings tend to be lace, fishnet or designed with predominantly black being used although there are now is a movement towards bright colours.

It’s clear that the Goth clothing movement isn’t dead, but has morphed continually over the years – every season gives new style influences and this is in some way influenced by Goth rock bands, for instance the ‘Steampunk’ influences which have been brought in over the past few years.

Rocky Horrors is a well known and very well established alternative clothing store with a huge fanbase from all over the planet.  Celebrity customers include Alice Cooper and many other Goth, Punk and Rock band members

Creamed Spinach

No one but Popeye likes spinach in its pure, unadulterated form.  But bathe it in a creamy sauce, and you can just see the muscles pop!

In a small saucepan, melt a tablespoon of butter or margarine.  Gradually sprinkle in a tablespoon of flour.  Stir quickly and vigorously until well blended into a paste.  Gradually add a cup of milk, or if you are not concerned about calories, cream.  Keep whisking until smooth and thick. Mix well with cooked fresh or frozen chopped spinach.

Candied Carrots

Looks like we lied about the sugar bowl on the dinner table.  This is a quick and delicious way to get everyone, not just children to love their carrots.

In a small saucepan, melt a tablespoon of butter or margarine. Add a tablespoon of granulated brown sugar.  Stir until the sugar is melted into the butter.  Pour over well drained cooked carrots, frozen or fresh, and then toss to blend flavors.

Broccoli with Cheese Sauce

Every child of my acquaintance loves cheese, so why don’t we just wrap it around everything they don’t like to eat?  Full of vitamins and calcium, they will be getting a double whammy of good for them vegetables and cheese.

In a microwaveable cup or bowl, put about a cup of grated American cheese.  Microwave on medium for about a minute.  Stir and microwave for another minute until completely melted.  Pour over steamed broccoli heads in a baking dish and blend gently, so as not to break up the heads.   Sprinkle bread crumbs over and dot with butter. Bake for 5 minutes to melt the butter and crisp the bread crumbs.

Vegetables with Dip

If you have really fussy kids, or in a pinch, one sure way of getting the good vitamins from vegetables into your kids’ bellies is to just serve raw vegetables that they like. Carrot sticks, pepper strips, celery and cucumbers sections make a delicious and colorful platter of great food that they can dip into the sauce of your choice.

I’m writing on many topics, including criminal background check, basic background check and investigating someone in general.

Allergies, the environment, and even education are some of the reasons that have been given by the many parents who have decided to go organic. Some of my friends also swear by it, which was a good indication to me that I needed to learn more about it. I am so glad that I did, because for me, it was about allergies.

I suffer from allergies. So, I want to eliminate as much risk and exposure to allergens for my children as possible. If you think about it, young babies and toddlers can’t take the same medicine that adults can, not even a natural treatment for hay fever, or other natural products. At least not without a pediatrician’s approval.

Even if this isn’t something you are interested in for your family, chances are that you will know someone who would appreciate your respect of their wishes to go organic. So I thought I would share what I have found.

Stimulate a Child’s Imagination

There is nothing quite like the imagination of a child. Yet, so many of the toys made today do nothing to stimulate it, because the toys automatically run, make noise, or do just about anything with a simple push of a button.

Organic toys are not the plastic, battery operated, or electrical toys that we see so much of now. They are wooden, or some other form of organic material, and will take actual effort and imagination to work. But, this is a good thing.

Instead of pushing a button and watching the toy truck drive all over the room, the child needs to interact with it, driving it by hand, and making the noises themselves.

I know a couple who swore they were not going to buy any toys, because they wanted to encourage imagination. It was a great theory, but a bit unrealistic as the kids got older. And, they realized that too. However, when they started with buying toys, they opted out of the electronics and other items that did nothing to stimulate their child’s imagination. I have to say, the results were impressive.

I came across a quote by Stacia Tauscher, and I just love it, “We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.”

Environment

Fertilizers and pesticides are commonly used to help grow traditional, or non-organic, cotton. Additional chemicals are also used at times during the production of this material. These are harmful chemicals that can do damage to the environment.

During the spraying process of these chemicals, they can often drift through the air, with the wind carrying them a few miles away. They have to land somewhere, and do. The ground and water, unfortunately.

It’s scary enough to think of your infant placing one of these chemically induced products in their mouth. But, it also endangers the community in which it was produced.

Organic materials do not use these chemicals and are much safer for the environment, as well as our kids.

Allergies

It seems as though allergies have taken over society. I can’t think of one person who doesn’t have a family member with allergies or asthma.

One way to combat allergies for your children is to use allergy-free, or organic items such as bedding, food, and toys.

For example, I was looking for a gift for a friend’s child who was turning 3, and knew she also has allergies. Even though I already was a fan, I was surprised to see how popular organic toys have become.

Here are some organic toys that I easily found with a quick search on the Internet:

·         Wooden musical instruments
·         Organic dolls
·         Wooden train set
·         Allergy free blanket
·         Beeswax modeling clay
·         Wooden rocking horse
·         Natural rubber bath toys
·         Metal Sand box toys

As I mentioned earlier, treating allergies in a young child is difficult. Over the counter medicines, and even all natural remedies for allergic rhinitis, are not something you want to give an infant or toddler, without your pediatrician’s advice.

Hopefully I have given you some helpful information, if you are considering organic items for your child, or as a gift.

About the Author

Melissa Cameron and her husband are the parents of two young children, and reside in Austin, TX. She is a freelance writer who loves to write about parenting, ways to save money, and how to live a productive and healthy life. As a person who has always dealt with allergies, she likes to research ways to help, and then share with others.

Siri Is Now Your Auto Assistant

That little voice inside the iPhone 4S is now capable of managing your auto. The mixing of automotive and mobile technology has now given way to some cool uses. The iPhone 4S came out with the great little artificially intelligent Siri digital assistant with multiple abilities. Now someone has joined Siri with a popular car alarm system. The Viper Car Alarm system can now talk back and forth with an iPhone and the iPhone can talk back and forth with a human. The results are nifty.

What Can Siri Do With A Car?

The iPhone can be boiled down to a computer that also makes telephone calls. This digital empowerment is a quick clearance for this hand-held machine to interact with its surroundings. Now that the iPhone 4S can take voice commands with ease, it is a natural thing to want to control a car with your voice. Starting the car is just the beginning. The Siri assistant can also pop the trunk, turn the car off, lock the doors, engage the security system and start the “vehicle panic” mode. All this is done by giving a command such as, “Vehicle start.”. The digital assistant responds with, “One moment while I connect to your vehicle.”. Other commands are just as simple.

Another Programming Job Offered For Free

The one who created this interface for Siri and a car is of course a programmer. Brandon Fiquett is his name and he is responsible for hacking the Siri program to make it work with the Viper Car Alarm system. It is not quite as good as the “Knight Rider” series yet, but could be fast. The script that Fiquett wrote is in the web programming language called PHP. The plugin he created with PHP runs on his own web server. The Siri service also runs on the web servers at Apple, so much of this work is done in the cloud. Fiquett makes the script available on github, a site where many programmers work and make their wares available.

Starting Cars Is Just The Beginning

The Silver Acura owned by Brandon Fiquett is just the beginning. The code he created can be used with Cadillacs, Fords or whatever a programmer wants to hook it up with. Look for more car controls using Siri in the near future.

About the Author

Besides tech articles, Jessica Tyler is also a financial guest blogger that has contributed to many financial sites. She is also a contributor for Canadabanks.net where you can get some interesting tips on Home Loan Calculator as well as loans for people with bad credit in order to help you make some savings on your loans.

Basically, your credit file is filled with information about the way that you manage your finances. This means everything from the debts and financial commitments that you have to your bill payments, it also provides details of things such as loans that you have applied for, regardless of whether or not you have been accepted. Your credit information is usually used by any lender you go to for finance, as they want to see whether you are a viable customer or too high a risk before agreeing to extend credit of any sort to you.

When you apply for most forms of credit, such as a loan, credit card, or mortgage for example, the lender will inform you that a credit search will be carried out. This means that the lender looks at your credit information in order to make a decision with regards to whether or not to lend money to you. Based on the information on your report these lenders will allocate you a credit score and these scores are all individual scores rather than being universal ones.

The credit rating that you receive when you run a check on your credit score through one of the credit reference agencies is not actually your definitive credit score but is a guideline based on the scores that have been allocated to you by the various lenders that have accessed and checked your credit report. The credit score sent from these credit reference agencies is therefore an effective means to monitoring how good or bad you credit is, which will provide you with more of an idea of whether you will be able to get finance.

Your guideline credit score from the credit reference agencies will put you into a category based on the score, such as excellent, good, fair, poor, or very poor. You can use this information to work out whether or not you are likely to get credit and this will help you to decide whether you make an application for finance or not.

About the Author:

Alex is a consumer finance writer and blogger, covering everything from mortgages to debt reduction to tax reduction.

1. AFPnet.org. The Association for Fundraising Professionals seeks to promote ethical and effective fundraising practices and has an online job board geared specifically to fundraising jobs.
2. Philanthropy.com. The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s goal is to connect non-profits by providing news, resources and ideas. Additionally, they have a job board that lists positions within non-profit organizations across the country.
3. FundraisingCrossing.com. Acting as a clearinghouse for a wide variety of job boards and career pages, FundraisingCrossing.com states they offer the largest collection of fundraising jobs on Earth.
4. PhilanthropyJournal.org. This online journal offers both non-profit news and resources. In addition, their job board offers everything from entry-level fundraising jobs to senior level non-profit management positions.
5. NPConnect.org. Nonprofit Connect offers training and tools for nonprofit organizations and those who work for them or would like to work for them. The site also offers networking opportunities in order to facilitate the missions of non-profit organizations. Of particular note, Nonprofit Connect offers a career center with listings for non-profit management and fundraising jobs.
6. DotOrgJobs.com. Don’t let the strange domain name confuse you; this website is devoted solely to philanthropic job searches. This includes job opportunities with non-profits, private foundations and charitable organizations looking for fundraising professionals.
7. FundraisingJobs.org. FundraisingJobs.org is a no-frills fundraising jobs aggregator. The site scours the Internet and gather results from multiple job sites and organization job boards. It’s a good first stop in the search for the perfect fundraising job.
8. Traditional job boards. Don’t forget to search the traditional job boards for fundraising jobs. Monster, Career Builder and even USA Job Bank often have fundraising positions listed. Twitter can also be a great way to find information about fundraising jobs before the job opportunities attract too many applicants.
9. Charitable organizations. Of course, you can always be proactive in your fundraising job search. Talk to your favorite charities and ask them if they have any positions open currently. Share your past experience fundraising for them and other organizations. Be sure to detail these past results on your resume, even if it was volunteer work. That still counts.
10. Universities. Fundraising is often a significant portion of a university’s budget. Be sure to check your local university’s website for job postings, or give them a call and inquire about possible positions.

Randall Davidson writes for Fundraiser-Ideas.net, an extensive site about the fundraising world.  The site provides a lot of information about fundraising jobs and easy fundraising ideas. It also provides a helpful list of nonprofit consultants.