Wednesday, August 31, 2011

How to Plan a Great Vacation

Making sure your vacation goes according to plan is not difficult to do, but it does need to be planed carefully.

First you need to decide where to go, this year I have decided to go to Holland for my vacation. Once you have decided where you want to go on vacation you can start to plan the things you want to see and do. In Holland I am interested in the Van Gogh museum, the Rembrandt museum and the Casino.

I have always enjoyed casinos, so this is going to be my first chance to go to a casino in Europe, so how can I pass up the chance to play some European Roulette, and I have been practicing at an online casino, ok I have to admit I have also been "practicing" poker and blackjack, please don’t tell my wife. 

After you have figure out where you want to go and what you want to do when you are there you can get a feel for where you want your hotel to be.

There are many different websites that offer the best prices on hotels, so make sure to check several of them before making a final decision. Most of these sites will offer pictures of the hotel facilities and the different rooms.

After looking at the hotels pick the top 3 and do a search on the internet for them. Try to find reviews from people that have stayed there before. The hotels site is always going to tell you how great the hotel is, but if someone were annoyed enough to trash a place or tell you how great it was, then you can be pretty sure they are telling you the truth.

The first hotel I was looking at for my Amsterdam trip said it was close to the center of the city, in a nice area, but reading reviews from former patrons told me the area was filled with drug addicts and homeless, and this is not really what I want to see on my vacation, so I found a much nicer location. It is a little farther from the city center but it is near the museums we want to go to, so by being closer to them we can get up early walk to the museums and spend the rest of the time walking around looking at the shops and attractions inside the city's center.

Now all that is left is packing the right clothes. Unless you are going to someplace where the weather is always a constant, make sure to pack clothes for both good and bad weather. My trip is in a week and the weather is expected to me mostly sunny and in the 50's but there is a chance of rain so I will be packing a coat for the rain, ad extra socks just in case.

If you are gong to be in Europe and plan to visit a casino you should know that in Europe casinos are more upscale then in the USA. They will not let you in wearing your shorts a T shirt and sandals, most casinos require men to wear a tie and jacket or a turtleneck.

It is also always helpful to buy a travel guide for where ever you are going. Besides having helpful recommendations for things to see and places to eat, many of them offer discounts for attractions.

Well the only thing left is to go and have a good time, I know I will.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

How to Pick Perfect Birthday Flowers for Women

Flowers have long been considered one of the best birthday gifts for women and rightfully so. Flowers are beautiful, graceful and simply make the recipient feel very special. However, the woman you are buying flowers for may impact the type of flowers you buy. If you are interested in buying flowers for a daughter or a mom, then affectionate and cheerful flowers are more appropriate. Examples of flowers that should be given to a daughter or a mother include wild flowers, tulips, Gerber daisies, birth month flowers, or any flower that is a woman’s particular favorite. Roses are always a popular choice, however for a mom or daughter pink, yellow, orange, or white are more appropriate. Every woman loves roses, and the alternate colors brighten up the rose as well as show love in a non-romantic way. As such, red roses should be reserved only for romantic relationships.

The best birthday flowers suggestion for your girlfriend or wife is always red roses. Although red roses symbolize love and romance and are always an appropriate choice for your wife they might not be the right choice for your girlfriend if a relationship is new. In this case, pink or any other colored roses would be an appropriate choice as well as any favorite flower your girlfriend has mentioned.

Different months of the year have corresponding flowers, much like birthstones. January is the snowdrop and carnation; February the primrose and violet; March the violet and jonquil; April flowers are the daisy and sweet pea; May represents lily of the valley and hawthorn; June is the rose and honeysuckle; July the water lily and larkspur; August represents the gladiolus and poppy; September the Morning Glory and Aster; October the Marigold; November, chrysanthemum; and December birthday’s the Poinsettia and Holly.

Regardless of whose birthday it is whether man or woman, son or daughter, husband or wife, girlfriend or boyfriend, flowers are always an appropriate and thoughtful gift that will be appreciated immensely.

Monday, August 29, 2011

How To Move With Young Children

Moving can upset children of any age. It frequently causes them to feel apprehensive and insecure. But, don’t despair; there are many things you can do to make the moving experience less scary for your children.

Involve Them from the Very Beginning.

Tell your children as soon as you know you’re moving; don’t spring it on them at the last minute. Explain why you’re moving in terms they can understand. Do you need more room? Are you relocating because of a new job? Be sure to explain what will happen so they’ll know what to expect. This will remove a lot of the fear and confusion they may be feeling. Tell them when the move will take place and how their things will get from the old house to the new house. Be sure and answer their questions as fully as you can. Remember that your attitude about the move will rub off on them, so stay upbeat and positive. To help prepare them further, you canchoose from among many children’s books available on moving. Just a couple of these are “Berenstain Bear’s Moving Day” by Sam Berenstain and “Goodbye House” by Frank Asch. Check your local library for more.

Make the Move an Adventure.

If you approach the coming move as an exciting adventure for the entire family, it will help to calm your children’s fears. The more positive you are about the move, the more positive they will be. Make sure they understand they won’t be left behind. Ask for their suggestions and involve them in the plans. If it’s possible, show them the new house and let them spend some time exploring it. Show them where their rooms will be. Help them visualize where their furniture and toys will go. Show them the yard and help them imagine all the fun they will have there. If it’s impossible for them to visit the new house, take tons of photos so they’ll know what it looks like and can become familiar with it. Talk about all the fun things the family will do there.

Let Them Help.

If you give your children an active role in the move they are much more likely to accept it and even grow excited about it. Let them pack some of their own belongings, even if you have to go back and repack them later. This will help them feel a part of the move. If there are old toys you don’t plan to take, let the kids help decide which of them should be given away for other children to use and which should be discarded.

What to Do on Moving Day.

The best plan is to have the children stay with a family member or trusted friend on the day of the move. If this isn’t possible, be sure and involve them in the moving activities. If you have a moving company, introduce your children to the workers so they’ll know who’s taking their stuff away. You can give them a box of their own to pack. This could be the box of special belongings you’re taking in the car with you. It should include all the things your children can’t live without ~ favorite stuffed animals, that special blanket, maybe their favorite pajamas. This will accomplish three things. It will keep the children occupied and feeling useful and it will also ensure that you know exactly where these special items are. You would never want to arrive at your new home not knowing where to locate Susie’s scruffy old bear or Johnny’s favorite action figure! It will also help the children feel secure since they have their most important belongings with them.

You’re on Your Way to Your New Home.

If you’re driving to your new home, make the trip exciting! If the kids can relate the move to family fun, they’ll enjoy it so much more. If it’s a long drive, be sure and have lots of games or books to keep the children occupied. Maybe each person could tell their own story about what they think living in the new house will be like. You’ll arrive happy and anxious to start this new phase of your lives.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

How to Meet that Special Someone

Chances are unless you are very lucky you will go thru many different relationships before you find your special someone. Finding your sole mate is like gambling. In poker and blackjack you may have to play dozens of hands until you get a winning hand, and it is the same with relationships.

During your life you will probably meet some people who seem like they may be the one, or that they are close, but still have the feeling that something else is missing. My advice is that if you are not happy, because something seems like it is missing, then it usually is not right.

Before I found my special someone, I was in a relationship for over 10 years, and I thought everything was great, until I started to seriously consider getting married. Then I noticed that we had so little in common and in reality wanted so many different things out of life and one day we both realized there was much about each of us that we both wanted from someone, but it was not us that we wanted.

Then one day I decided I had enough of trying to go to clubs and bars to meet people. I was sick and tired of trying to find someone in the time it takes to finish a drink. It always seemed the ladies I would meet were all wrong for me, or they seemed great after talking to them for 5 minutes but they seemed to have no interest in me.

Then one day I had an idea, it was not an original idea but I decided to use the internet to try to find the right person for me. So I proceeded to make a myspace profile. On this page I tried to put the real me and not the funny guy trying to be charming that was looking for love at the bar.

And as I would at the poker rooms I went all in, I poured my heart and sole into this. I wrote what I wanted and wrote down who I truly think I am and not who I want to be, and I was rewarded by 1 email responding to my site.

It was amazing; the response I got was like a dream. Imagine you are sitting in a Las Vegas casino playing poker. You are down to your last few dollars, you go all in and you wind up being dealt a Royal Flush, and suddenly the sky is bluer, the grass is greener, and all your worries seem to just fade away.

At first things were a little awkward for the both of us. We decided to hold of on actually meeting until we got to know each other first. We spent a month just talking everyday on the internet. You can really open up to someone and show them the real you and not have to worry about rejection on the internet, after all you are just a faceless ghost, and if things don’t work out you could be sitting next to her on the bus one day without ever knowing it.

The key to finding happiness is realizing you are going to bust more then you are going to get blackjack, but you must keep trying, trying to remember you only need to find the real thing once.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

How To Make Your Own Gift Baskets

One of the most famous gifts for Easter is that of a gift basket filled with chocolates, toys and fun little items for children to enjoy. As you get older, perhaps your children grow up and there is no longer that joy of helping the Easter bunny put together special holiday gift baskets. That doesn’t mean, however, that you cannot continue the tradition with other holidays and special occasions.

Christmas is a wonderful time to make your own gift baskets and can be a terrific way to add a personal touch to any present. If you know a woman who loves to pamper herself, consider purchasing a nice basket and adding a bottle of her favorite bubble bath, body lotion, perfume and anything else that you know to be her favorite. If you have a sports fan in the family, a basket filled with his/her favorite team’s memorabilia will be a big hit. Some examples may be a t-shirt and baseball cap, a rare trading card or other official collectibles.

Once you have filled the gift baskets with goodies, it’s time to purchase clear cellophane gift bags. After opening the gift bag, carefully place the gift basket and all of it’s contents inside. Once you have it perfectly situated, secure the top with clear tape or a staple. A large bow at the top will make your gift baskets not only personalized, but the recipient will also know that you put a lot of thought into the design and look of their gift.

Another terrific idea for gift baskets is to include a colorful variety of fruits, including apples, oranges, pears, strawberries, plums, etc. If you purchase gift baskets that do not feature a handle, these can be placed on a dining room table or as the centerpiece in the living room. Fruit gift baskets are ideal for teachers, doctors, lawyers or the health conscious family member.

If you are looking for some additional gifts to include, consider jewelry, a leather wallet, special event ticket, gift certificates, stuffed animal, favorite candy, etc. The more color and variety you can add to a gift basket, the more festive your gift will appear.

Still need some theme ideas for gift baskets? Many enjoy creating personalized pet gift baskets, baby gift baskets and even newlywed gift baskets. There is no end to the number of creations that can be made with a little imagination and some time and effort.

Friday, August 26, 2011

How to make moving home easier

Moving home is one of the most stressful events most people put themselves through.et there’s a lot you can do to make things easier.It might surprise you how much planning needs to be done in advance.You have to notify every organisation of your new address.

Home services:

1.Water supplier 2.Gas supplier 3.Electricity supplier 4.Telephone Supplier 5.Post office 6.Cable/satellite,Internet service providers 7.TV licensing.

Financial Organisations:

1.Banks 2.Credit card companies 3.Building societies 4.Council tax department 5.Solicitors 6.Inland revenue 7.Social security 8.Pension companies 9.Insurance companies 10.Your emloyer(if you have one) 11.National savings and premium bonds.

Health organisations:

1.Hospitals 2.Dental clinics.

Motoring organisations:

1.DVLA 2.Breakdown recovery company 3.Insurnace company.

Others:

1. Friends and relatives 2.Milk delivery 3.Newsagent 4.Libary 5.Schools 6.Sports club.

Few weeks before your move:

1.You have to hire a professional removals.Get at least five moving quotes before deciding which one to use 2.Make a list of your possessions so you can check if you've left anything behind 3.Always ask for confirmation letter when you book a removals 4.You have to let the removals know the following things:

1.Distance of you move 2.The amount of furniture you are moving 3.On which floor is you current home and on which floor is the new one 4.Arrange a parking space for the removal van.

Packing:

Most movers, especially the do-it-yourself kind, are so happy to finally arrive in their new home that they don't even mind that the dinner plates are chipped, there's a scratch on the coffee table or their favorite lampshade is bruised and battered.With a little care and planning, and these moving packing tips, you and your stuff will both arrive in mint condition:

1.Before you start packing, select the range of packing supplies that you will need to make the job easier.
You will need protective wrap for your delicate belongings, bubble wrap is the ideal way to protect your electrical items such as T.V and Stereo, or particularly delicate items such as crystal.

2.Each time you pack a box, use your marker pen to label where they are to be unloaded and also write the contents on the side.Always stack plates upright on their sides, making sure you wrap them individually in tissue and clearly mark “Fragile” on the outside of cartons.

3.Keep boxes to 40 lbs or less. Put heavy items in small boxes and light items in big boxes.

4.if you have big dining table,remove legs, pad and tie together. Put nuts and bolts in a bag and tape under tabletop.

5.Empty, defrost and drain the the big appliances(fridge,washing mashine....)

Finally,on the moving day:

1.Record all utility meter readings (gas, electric, water).

2.Stay with moving van driver to oversee inventory of goods.

3.Give moving van driver directions to new home and numbers where you can be reached prior to delivery.

4.Review carefully and sign bill of lading and inventory, and keep your copy in a safe place until all charges have been paid and all claims (if any) have been settled.

5.Make final walk-through of house, including cellar, attic, wardrobes and cupboards, to make sure they are empty.

6.Lock all windows and doors, and drop off keys with Estate Agent or new owner.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

How to Make Moving a Hassle Free Activity

One of the most tedious things to do is moving to another place. I remember last year when we moved, it has been the most a tiresome experience in my life all of it because we used all our efforts to relocate flawlessly: moving our stuffs, the cars, and arranging everything to the place of our destinations. Yet, it would have been more burdensome if we did not use the help of a moving company. Today there are companies that offer moving services that will lessen your effort and energy. Yes, these companies are willing to help you in any way possible.

One of the things I don not like when times to move out is packing and unpacking. This is very stressful thing for me that would surely I would lots of complain out from my mouth.

In my part hubby told me we might be moving to a different house since what we live this time is quite smaller than his previous house. He had to move in this townhouse for him and his son and since that I already got here in US then have an over 2 year old daughter we need to have a bigger and spacious house so we can put more things that have been stuck in the garage.

It has already been couple of years those stuffs have not been touched and I know hubby would like to put them in a good place like at the basement or at the proper place he could put into. When time comes we would move, this is going to be so hassle and tiring for me since it is also my very first time of packing all the things we have in this house.

The only thing that could make the move smooth and easy is to contact people like in miracle movers they are a Toronto movers which they can help to all and any residential and commercial moving needs, a hassle free move to a local destination, across North America or to any destination around the world. It is the place we can trust for our belongings since their team consists of trained and highly experienced moving experts that everyone is looking for. And they offer the best quality performance and lowest possible price that everyone deserves to get.

Let me explain: I have started planning the move and looking for a mover far in advance. The move was scheduled for March and I have started submitting estimates and making phone calls to Toronto movers in December. I had been amazed at the speed of Miracle Movers reply to my online submitted estimate inquiry: had an email in my mailbox within minutes from pressing the submit button. Being impressed, I decided to call the number and have the estimate discussed orally: fantastic. Very, very courteous personnel, professional attitude, forward thinking. Never before have I been informed of so many move details I had to know when planning the move. Remember, I had called and emailed some 15 other Toronto movers by that time. They have offered me full price  lists for packing accessories not included in the price, suggested the necessary amounts and sizes of packing boxes, offered to deliver what more could I expect.

The mover itself was as sooth and easygoing as I could only imagine: the crew was at our address in time, after a brief inspection of our possessions, the supervisor of the move has explained in details how the move would progress, what items would need to go first etc. Our king size bed had to be dismantled; it is however worthless mentioning these guys were ready with the necessary tools and the knowledge to put it apart.

So if you are also out there, needing a help you should contact them now at miracle movers. It is the only place you can find the answer of a less hassle moving experience.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

How to Make Millions Playing Video Poker

Most people will tell you that the only way to walk out of a casino a Millionaire is to walk in a Billionaire, but the fact is this is not the truth. It is only the easiest way to do it.

If you are the type of person who is not afraid to risk it all for the big payoff then this may be for you.

Video poker machines can be found in every casino both land based and online casinos. These machines have the best chances of making you a millionaire in any casino.

All you need is a credit card with at least $20,000 and the nerve to risk it, in what can be less then 20 minutes. I recommend saving up $20,000 dollars before trying this and not just running up your credit card, but when I first tried it I did just run up my card.

The game you pick is very important. There are many different types of poker games offered in video form, in some of them you play a computer player and the player with the best hand wins, in the second there is no other player, the better the hand you make the more the machine pays out. A pair pays 1:1; two pairs pay 2:1 and so on. The 2nd type of <a href="http://www.online-casinos-707.net/video-poker-online.html">Video Poker</a> machine is the one you want.

Please keep in mind that this is not a guaranteed way to win money, and if you do not win money you can wind up twenty thousand dollars in debt, but it has made me a lot of cash, over the past 2 years I have paid all my expenses playing poker in this manner.

I usually start with at least 20,000 dollars, and making $1,000 dollar bets before the $20,000 is gone I have had at least 1 good hand where I have at least made back my money and can now start going for the big money.

Do not increase your bets to more then $1,000 until you have made at least $100,000.

I first discovered this method almost 2 years ago; I was spending my weekends down in Atlantic City playing poker, blackjack and roulette, and not winning any money, but during the week I would play a free video poker game from home, and I was winning millions of dollars every week.

So one day I decided to give it a try and instead of spending my money at the table games I went right to the video poker game, and by the end of the weekend I was up almost $60,000.

Now every few months I go down to either Atlantic City or Las Vegas, I have a bank roll of $20,000 and I make a few hundred thousand to get me till the next time.


Remember there are no guarantees that this will work for you. There have been times where I went over my $20,000 bank roll before I got my first really good hand, but I also remember one time I got a full house which paid off $25,000 on my first hand. Learn more at http://www.online-casinos-707.net

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

How to Enjoy Your Relatives

Copyright 2006 Cole's Poetic License

Recognize the role of beliefs.

"We are incredibly heedless in the formation of our beliefs, but find ourselves filled with an illicit passion for them when anyone proposes to rob us of their companionship." James Harvey Robinson 1863-1936

Most family squabbles come from opposing beliefs about something that result in an exchange of insulting looks if not outright insults.  It's easier to be tolerant of your relatives when you understand that they formed their beliefs as carelessly as you did and defend them as much as you defend yours.

Think of a belief you have about, say, capital punishment or seat belt laws.  Where did your belief come from?

That's a hard question to answer.  If you ask that question when you disagree with a relative about something, even if it is as trivial as which way dishes face in the dishwasher, you might end up laughing.  Of course, you have to try to answer it yourself, first.

Otherwise you tend to avoid all subjects that may spark disagreement.  That can beboring.  Or you get into such a fight there is no hope for reconciliation.

Family members who do not speak to each other for years carry an unnecessary pain for years.

Here's a story, an old folk tale I heard on national Public Radio:  Long before recorded history two brothers owned and grew wheat on a large parcel of land in what came to be Jerusalem.  The youngest brother married and had several children.  The oldest remained a bachelor.

One year the two brothers had an argument they did not resolve.  They divided the land and built a fence to separate them.  Each continued growing wheat.  The years went by.  The brothers did not speak to each other.

One night during harvest the oldest brother awoke with this thought: I really don't need all this wheat.  My brother has a big family to feed.  I will put some of my wheat in his barrels.  Very early in the morning he shoveled wheat from his harvest over the fence.

Meanwhile the younger brother thought, my brother doesn't have any children to help him with the harvest.  I'll give him some of my wheat when he's asleep.  So he shoveled a barrelful over the fence onto his brother's land.

The next day, at different times, both brothers wondered why the amount of wheat was the same on both sides of the fence.    This went on for a few more days until one night, when both sneaked out to shovel wheat at the same time, they saw each other and realized why the wheat levels had remained the same.  They tore down the fence next to a large rock and hugged.

When God saw, that he declared that rock as his church on earth.  That's how the tale ends.  Today, four or five religions claim that rock in Jerusalem as theirs.  Blood has been shed over that rock for centuries.  The beliefs that we still fight over form our identities.

My Australian grandson asked his American mother, "What religion am I, Australian?"

My daughter answered, "That's your nationality.  You were baptized Anglican."

He replied, "But I thought I was half-American."

Identities can be confusing, but once found, by God, we're not going to change them!

Enjoy the irony and love your relatives.

Monday, August 22, 2011

How to deal with head lice at your kid’s school

Head lice can reach epidemic proportions in some public schools today, as well as other group settings, such as childcare centers. Time and again children are sent home with lice. After treatment they are sent back to school only to catch lice again within a month or two.
The head lice epidemic in public schools can be a nightmare for some parents, especially if their family has a case of persistent head lice. With persistent head lice many treatments don’t seem to work, and even after several treatments the lice and nits are still in the hair.

There are different ways to tackle the head lice problem, one of them is by taking preventative measures. Once your family has head lice, getting rid of it can be very difficult, not to mention a lot of hard work, so it makes sense that taking preventative precautions is one of your best defenses against these parasitic insects.
If you have children that are school age, or in childcare, make sure that they understand first of all, what lice is. Ensure that they understand having lice does not make them bad, or dirty, but that it can be miserable and hard to get rid of.

Let your children know what types of behavior will increase their chances of being exposed to head lice. Ask them not to share coats, hats, brushes or any other personal items at school
Teaching your children not to share personal items will go a long way in helping to prevent a head lice infestation in your family, but it’s not enough. While your children are spending time within group settings, such as school or preschool, you should also vigilantly check their hair at least once a week for signs of head lice or nits.

The best way to do this is by using a specially designed comb for removing head lice. Under a bright light, examine your child’s head for any signs of the insects, and also run the comb through their hair to remove any possible freeloading louse.
This may seem to be an extreme inconvenience, but it is nothing compared to the work you will face if your child does bring home head lice. Once your family has head lice you will be faced with treating the hair multiple times, as well as nightly combing to remove nits. Even then you won’t be done; you will have to deal with the monumental task of vacuuming and cleaning every surface in your home, washing endless laundry, and even delousing your car.
By far, the best option is to prevent head lice.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

How to Make an Anniversary Gift Basket

Marriage anniversaries are reminders of the social union of two people in the journey of life by starting a conjugal life. They remind them how fresh the marriage is if it has only been a few years since the wedding day. If the marriage anniversary is many years since the wedding day, it reaffirms the love and commitment of the couple towards each other that has stood the test time. In addition, such occasions need celebrations that are equal to the wedding celebrations, if not greater. Getting married is easy, but staying married is difficult. The gifts given on marriage anniversaries should keep this in mind and not be a casual affair. A lot of thought and care should be taken while deciding on an anniversary gift basket.

Regular anniversary gifts include flowers, candies, cakes, photo frames, luxury boxes, cuff links etc. There are some exciting anniversary gift ideas around. It is a novel anniversary gift idea to gift the newspaper of the wedding day. It would take the couple down memory lane and remind them of the happenings in the world around when they were wed. Pampering the couple with bed and breakfast vouchers, cruise or resort tickets for two to spend a few days away from the routine of life would add zing to the couple’s life and arranging for their stay in a health resort to rejuvenate are brilliant ideas. Specially ordered artworks like penciling sketches of the couple, watercolor or oil painting of them are emotional ideas of an anniversary gift. While having their faces painted on an Adam and Eve painting is a humorous idea.

Wine bottles carrying the couple’s names and a message, Mr. and Mrs. shaped chocolate candies, and collections of happy ending romantic movies are some more exciting ideas for an anniversary gift.

The anniversary gift basket can be filled with many things that include flowers, chocolates candies, perfume bottles, a bottle of wine and many other things. Another way to make an anniversary basket by yourself is to buy bulk candy from the store and fill the basket. The choice of basket should be a little different too. A child could be happy with a backpack filled with candies rather than an ordinary basket and a woman will always find another cosmetic or handbag useful. A male will appreciate a travel bag.

Bulk candy can be purchased from stores or may be ordered online from a number of online stores that provide the service.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

How To Make A Paper Bag Scrapbook

Paper bag scrapbooks are really popular now. Their small size makes them great for gift giving, for display on a coffee table, or even just as a “brag book”. They are made by using paper bags (you know the brown lunch kind) and are of a smaller size than the larger scrapbook albums, usually 5 x 5 inches. Since the paper bags are not acid free, it is important to only use copies of your photos. You can get duplicates made of your photos from your photo processing center or even make copies of photos on your home printer.

To get started you will need 3 paper lunch bags. You can use either the brown lunch bag kind or the white bags. I find mine in the regular grocery store aisles. For the cardstock backgrounds, you will need 3 sheets of 12 x 12 in a solid color and 3 sheets of 12 x 12 in coordinating colors. For securing the book together, you will need about 2 feet of ribbon. I use several different coordinating ribbons to add flair to the books. Finally, you will need whatever embellishments you choose such as stickers, brads, ribbons, tags, etc. to decorate the individual pages.

To begin, lay the 3 paper bags flat. Fold each bag in half so that it looks like a little “book”. Put the 3 folded books together so that you now have a 6-page book.  Hole punch 5 holes in the left side of the “book” (near the fold) . Then, to secure the book together use the ribbons and tie a small bow through each hole.

Once the book has been put together, you are ready for the next step. Cut the background cardstock pieces into 5 x 5 shapes and adhere them to each page of the album. Leave the ends of the paper bag open, as you can use that area as additional storage space for photos, tags, and other special items. Embellish each page as you choose with special stickers, photos, journal entries, brads,tags, etc.

Enjoy your completed paper bag scrapbook!

Friday, August 19, 2011

How to Learn about

Many people use casino gambling as a rite of passage from boyhood to manhood. It is very common for males to go to the casinos on their 18th birthday for some fun, and usually they come back with no money left in the bank.

But it does not matter why you decide to gamble if you are going to do risk your hard earned cash you should at least be ready for what is going to happen in the casinos.

Everyone knows how to play the most Popular Casino Games like; Roulette and Blackjack, but they do not know anything more then the basics. By learning the game more in depth you will not only increase the chances for you to take home some of the casinos money, but you will have more fun while playing the games.

There is not much to learn about playing the slot machines. The only thing to learn about them is that the longer you stay on one machine the more your odds of winning increase. The best thing to do with the slots is try to find a slot machine that someone has been playing for a while without winning and then when they leave you get that machine. Most people will play 10 or 20 dollars in a machine then leave if it does not pay off, this is a big mistake.

Games like Craps, Blackjack, Poker and Roulette have many different variables to them, making it important to educate yourself about a casino game before playing it for high stakes.

One way to learn is to spend time in the casinos playing the game and building experience. In my opinion this is the best way to learn. You are literally paying your dues for your education.

If you can not afford to spend your money in the casino or if you are not old enough to enter a casino and you want to know how to learn to gamble you can go online and many sites offer casino games that can be played against a computer or against other players just for fun. These fun games are not played for money so there is no minimum age to play these casino games.

Another way you can learn to gamble is to go to a school that teaches you to deal some of the most <a href="http://www.online-casinos-707.net/casino-games.html">Popular Casino Games</a> played today. These casino dealer schools can be found all over the country and especially near Atlantic City and Las Vegas. You will not only get to learn to play but you will learn the secrets of the dealers. This can give you a very nice advantage in the casino. It may seem like an expensive way to learn to gamble, but in the end you will probably spend less on the school then what you would lose if you just learned at the table in a casino or an online casino.

The lest recommendation I have is to go out and get a book or two on the casino game you are interested in learning about and reading about it. The books will offer advanced strategies and help you memorize the odds of each bet in each situation so you know which bet is the best and when to make it. This does not mean you will win every hand, but it increases your chance of winning some of the casinos money.

By reading this article and taking the advice you will win more money and enjoy your time in the casinos more.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

How to Keep Predator Fish

Many people like to have fish for pets because they are low maintenance, and can be very relaxing to watch them swim. Most first time fish enthusiast like to keep cold water fish, because they are cheap and most of the different types of these fish will get along together. These fish have some bright colors and have some very fancy fins, but they are mostly large goldfish, and eventually switch to tropical fish to get a larger selection of fish. But keeping tropical fish can be a bit of a gamble, the fish cost more and some of them are very aggressive and will eat your other fish.

There are more different types of tropical fish for you to choose from, and they have a larger variety of colors then cold water fish and keeping them in an aquarium together with other tropical fish does not have to be a gamble, it is not like a trip to the casino to play blackjack, if you do things right there is no gambling involved at all.

The first thing you need to do is some reading before purchasing any fish for your tank. Reading about fish will give you an idea of what species of fish eat other fish, and which ones do not. It will also let you know which meat eating fish will live with what other fish, and make it less of a gamble that you are just buying one fish an expensive meal.

Cichlids are a type of fish that eat other fish but they are a school fish and prefer to be in a tank with other Cichlids, but you want all the other Cichlids to be about the same size, or one day you will come home from a day of playing the most <a href="http://www.online-casinos-707.net/casino-games.html">Popular Casino Games</a> in the casino to find several fish missing and one fat fish swimming around slowly.

Cichlids are a surface to medium depth fish. This means they will swim on the top and middle of the tank and will generally not go to the bottom of the tank for very long.

So many people with Cichlids will get a bottom swimmer to fill the tank out. A very popular type of bottom swimmers is catfish. There are many different fish in the species of catfish. Some of these fish are non aggressive and do not get very big, but a fish like this may not be aggressive enough to be in a tank of Cichlids.

You may want to get a more aggressive type of catfish, but if you get a large one it will surely eat the Cichlids, but if it too small you are gambling that the Cichlids will not pick its eyes out.

Just remember that no matter how much you read each fish does have a personality of their own and no matter how much you read that one fish will be friendly with another it putting them in an Aquarium together is gambling.

There is always the possibility that some of your fish will get eaten, but the only way to make keeping fish not a gamble is to keep each fish in their own separate fish tank in the hope that this will keep them all safe, but this will not make for happy fish. With trial and error you will learn what can live with what types of fish and save the gambling for Las Vegas casinos.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

How to Increase your Fertility

Are you trying to have a baby?  For some, it’s as easy as blinking.  But for others, getting pregnant may take a bit of time and effort.  There are things that both a man and woman can do to help improve their chances for conceiving.

For the women, you may be on the pill and are ready to stop in order to have a baby.  Many have heard it is best to wait a few months before trying to get pregnant.  This is actually not the case.  You will probably be more fertile in the first three months after stopping the pill than the three months following your last dose.

Both men and women should stop smoking before trying to conceive.  It is important to detoxify your body to ensure both you and your baby will be healthy.  Stop alcohol, caffeine and pre-processed foods.  Concentrate on eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  Avoid dairy, sugar, salt and orange juice.  And don’t forget to drink plenty of water, preferably filtered.

Daily exercise is important when trying to start a family.  Try walking as a couple in the evening or joining a club together.  After all, once your baby is here you won’t have that special time together – so take advantage of it!

Fertility can be increased by making sure you get plenty of amino acids, vitamin A, beta-carotene and vitamins b and c.  Folic acid reduces birth defects, so eat foods rich in folate.  Iron and magnesium are important, so stock up on green vegetables, lean red meat, eggs, nuts, beans and rye.

Men should wear cotton boxer shorts and avoid overheating in jacuzzis, saunas and hot tubs.  As with a woman, the man should avoid stress, alcohol and smoking.  Antioxidants are also important for improving fertility chances, so eat foods rich in vitamins c and e, as well as zinc and beta-carotene.  Concentrate on eating fruit, oily fish, grains and dark green vegetables.

Remember, conception may take a bit of time.  So stay healthy, exercise, eat right and relax.  And if you have questions regarding you or your partner’s fertility, your physician is just a phone call away.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

How to Improve your Poker Skills

If you were trying to become a professional baseball player, you would probably spend much of your time working out at the gym, at batting practice and at your position as much as you could, well gambling requires the same dedication and practice if you want to be the best.

The first thing you must do to improve your poker skills is to play as many hands of poker a day as you can. This means instead of watching television, or hanging out with friends you should be in an online poker room or online casino playing poker.

Using the internet you can find many online poker rooms that will allow you to play poker online against live opponents. Playing live players instead of the computer is always better, because when you play against the computer it will always respond the same in any given situation. The computer just goes thru an algorithm which tells it what to do, but a person has to make a decision and given the same situation two hands in a row there is no telling what a person is going to do.

Besides playing poker as much as you can, it is also important to watch the game as well. I would recommend watching poker on TV, going to the casino and just watching and many online casinos will give you the option of watching a game. This will give you the chance to practice your skills of reading people. The more you watch the better you will become at noticing those small involuntary things we all do that tell others what we are thinking. An example of this is taught to the police when they are in basic training. When trying to come up with a lie most people will unconsciously look up and to the left. This means if you ask your child if they did their homework and they look up and too the left before telling you they had no homework there is a good chance they are not telling the truth.

When you can not play poker against live players or spend time watching it you should read about it. Reading <a href="http://www.online-casinos-789.com/everything-poker.html">about poker</a> will not give you the experience that you need but there are many useful things you can get from reading. One of them would be the odds of any 1 card being dealt to you. Knowing the odds against you making the hand you are going for may influence your decision and save you a lot of money in the long run. There are many books written on the subject of poker and any book store will carry a good selection of them. I recommend only reading books from mathematicians and those who have made a name for themselves playing poker professionally.

Study psychology. You may not believe his but learning psychology will give you an advantage over the other players, you can learn how to overcome involuntary reactions to good news and bad news, making it harder for your opponents to read you and figure out what cards are in your hand. it will also teach you to mislead others into thinking whatever you want them to think. This skill can be extremely helpful in helping you win games and increase your wealth.

Monday, August 15, 2011

How to Improve the Quality of Institutional Care

Copyright 2006 Lynne Taetzsch

How can you ensure that your loved ones (let’s call them parents for the sake of this article) are getting the best possible care at a nursing home or assisted living facility?  The first step is to pick the best institution you can afford, if you have a choice in the matter, but after that you can’t simply sit back and relax.  It’s a fact that most nursing homes and assisted living facilities are understaffed, and even when they aren’t, you need to be sure the staff are doing everything they are supposed to do.

There are several things you can do to improve the service your parents receive:

Get involved with the institution on a regular basis.  Going in person is best, but if you can’t manage that, keep up with frequent phone calls.  Learn who is in charge of which services and who to call if there is a problem.  Make sure you understand exactly what services will be provided, and talk to your parents regularly to find out if their needs are being met.

Naturally, the better your parents are functioning, the less you need to do, but no matter how capable they are, it’s still a good idea to help monitor the quality of their care. My father had severe short-term memory loss when he lived at an assisted living facility, so it was very important for me to be actively involved.

Get to know the staff on a first-name basis.  The aides in assisted living and nursing homes work very hard for little pay, yet their attitudes can determine how satisfied your parents will be with their care.  It was fortunate for me that my father always got along well with staff.  In spite of everything, he kept his sense of humor, and went out of his way to be friendly.

Sometimes a resident is unhappy and difficult, which makes the staff’s job harder.  One woman I knew always complained about everything and was sarcastic to the aides who were trying to help her.  They still tried, but the job of caregiving was made more difficult because of the way they were treated.

No matter what job they are doing, people like to be appreciated.  When you take an interest in the staff, you acknowledge that the quality of your parents’ lives is important to you, and that you recognize the contributions staff are making in this regard.  Very often a small token of appreciation, like a box of candy at holidays, will go a long way in gaining staff support.

Finally, follow up to make sure promises are kept.  I had a very difficult time getting my father’s laundry taken care of at his assisted living facility.  Most residents put their laundry hampers outside their door on laundry day, and put the clean laundry away themselves when it was delivered.  But my father was not able to keep track of his laundry at all.  He didn’t know when it needed to be done, whether the clothes in his hamper were clean or dirty, or how to put the clean clothes away in his closet and dresser.

After talking to the director of the facility, she said she would ask the aides to pick up Dad’s laundry when he wasn’t in his room, and then put it away when they delivered it, again when he wasn’t in his room.  But I had to follow up several times before this procedure was actually done on a regular basis.

By following up on requests, showing appreciation for staff, and getting involved in the day-to-day care of your parents, you can make a significant difference in the quality of their lives.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

How to House a Successful Online Business

It is worth taking the time to make your site more search engine friendly, because it will bring you profit and appropriate exposure. Here are some simple advices on building successful web site for your online business.

How to build search engine friendly website? You can find plenty material when browsing the Internet, but a good foundation cannot sabotage your online initiative. A search engine friendly site is not just beneficial for top ranking in the search engines, but also helps to attract customers, thus getting business for you.

Before designing a site, make sure you have got a good domain name. The Domain name is your URL or Universal Resource Locator as in what a person types into the search engine bar like yoursite.com and others. Hypothetically, if your business is related to something like <a href="http://www.juegos-de-casinos-6.com/ruleta.html">ruleta</a> then it is good to have the word "ruleta" included into the domain name separated by dashes from other words or numbers. Generic domain names may help in search engine listing. It will be easier to find the sequence of words within a domain name directly related to the main idea of your business.

Make your site content based with at least two hundred words holding clear information of your products, services and business. This will help your potential customer to know about you and get some information on products they require. Apart from verbal description, you might use web design attributes to underline your point. Please do not startle the visitor of your web site with blinking texts, shocking colors and confusing animations on the web pages. The website must have a clean look so that the web visitor will feel relaxed to get all relevant information about your services, otherwise, he will shut it down within a minutes. 

Keep the site simple and easy to navigate. Complicated navigation will confuse the visitors. The navigation must be user-friendly and easily understood by the visitors. If you search through search engine results, you will find all the top ranking websites are optimized properly. These optimized websites make their presence felt in the search engines by making their site user friendly with good navigation, content texts, and Meta tags relevant to their websites, and having proper placed images. Why shouldn't you use such simple tool like navigation at your favorite?

News relevant to your site is also a great way to bring in traffic. Many people nowadays get their news online and not just world news. Maybe someone wants to read about the gambling bill that was passed in congress recently to ban money transfers to and from online casinos, a great advantage to having news on your page is that if it is well written piece of writing, other news sources like Yahoo and Google may take your masterpiece and put a link to it from their site. This would give you thousands of hits, and that is the goal.

While designing your website, the most important thing to remember your website is not to trick search engines by adding hidden texts or hidden links, irrelevant keywords or text, or very small text which is hardly visible for human eyes. Google usually punishes these websites by giving them low rank or sometimes removing them forever.

If you incorporate all these tips when building your website I can guarantee it will make your job much easier, no one wants to build a site and then find out they need to star over from scratch, because every day offline is potential money lost.

Use the above suggestions and utilize them into your company website in order to guarantee you stop losing money that you could be making.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

How to Host a Superb Kid Birthday Party!

How do you plan a children’s birthday party... and still remain sane?

Relax, don’t panic and keep it as simple as possible is the answer.

Kids don’t care if the room has been vacuumed and cleaned.  Think about it for a moment, kid's will make the tidiest of room’s look like a disaster zone within minutes of turning up. They won’t care whether the table napkins match or what time it is!... all they will want to do is have fun, play games and eat lots of goodies!

So, what’s the best way to ensure that your child's birthday party is one to remember? (at least until the next party invitation arrives!)

Firstly, take a little time to think about the party theme. Will it be an outing to the local burger house, a trip to an amusement park or will you have a theme party at home.  With sufficient forward planning, you won’t be losing any sleep worrying about the party.

Make a list of who is coming to the party? The general rule of thumb is to invite as many guests as you feel comfortable catering for.

Ask the birthday child what they would like to do. Don’t be tempted to pressure them into having the sort of party YOU would like... it is their special day after all! Once you have decided on a theme, then the party activities to keep the kids happy become a priority. Many traditional games can be adapted to fit just about any party theme.

If the party is to at the local restaurant, go along and speak to the manager to agree the food menu and leave the rest to them. An outing to the amusement park or zoo may require additional party planning, with transport being just one item needing consideration. Many of these venues have party facilities available so all you need to provide is the children and a credit card to pay the bill.

If the party is to be at home, then selecting a theme can be fun. Whether it’s Pirates, Finding Nemo or Dora the Explorer... this is your opportunity to get creative!

With so many character theme party goods available, the choice is endless.  If you’re planning to hold the party outdoors, it would be a good idea to have at least one room inside your home decorated, in case of rain. Try to limit the party activities to pre-designated party areas (as much as possible), so you are able to relax and enjoy the party without worrying about the mess being made.

Ok, it’s now time to get ready for the party!  You’ve decided on the party theme and how many guests will be invited... Now the preparations and fun begin!

Don’t forget to keep your birthday kid involved whenever possible. Get them to suggest party game ideas, then choose the decorations and food together. Feeling relaxed? Hope so, because organizing a kid birthday party should be fun for everyone!

Allocate a budget for the party and decide whether you hire a professional entertainer or enlist the help of friends and neighbors? Don’t be afraid to ask a friend to help clear empty dishes, run a game or two and even take the some party photos.

Set a time for the party. Two or three hours should be plenty of time. If the children are under 5 years old, then one and half hours should be time enough.  One great tip is to hold a toddler party in the morning, as youngsters tend to get a bit “cranky” when they get tired!

Plan your party games in 15-20 minute intervals.  If you find the kids are happy playing a particular game let them carry on... why spoil their fun? On the other hand plan more activities than you think you will need. Some games may be greeted with a “groan” and you may well need to play another game sooner than you expected.

Send out your birthday party invitations 2 to 3 weeks in advance of the party date, then make a follow-up confirmation phone calls after about a week.  People tend to be very busy nowadays and a small invitation can get easily forgotten, usually under a mountain of junk-mail!

Don’t spend more time or energy than necessary on things that don’t really matter. When organising the party food keep snacks plain and simple. Remember that kids love eating food with their fingers and your party day could be a great day to let them do just that!

Buy an undecorated cake from your local baker and decorate it yourself, making a terrific party theme cake... or get the bakers to make a completely finished themed birthday cake!

Finally, imagine that the big day is here and your first guest arrives for your child’s birthday party.  Stay calm, keep a good sense of humor and enjoy the precious party time with your guests. Above all, keep the party flowing and let the children set the pace.

You will look back afterwards, when flicking through your fabulous party photo’s, with the immortal words... “It was well worth the effort”

Friday, August 12, 2011

How To Have A Successful Charity Fund Raising Event

If you’re thinking of starting a charity fund raising event, then you probably know all the most obvious questions that you should be asking yourself. These include why this non profit charity fund raising needs to exist or who will help run the fund raising event. You need to have a clear idea of the scope of what the fund raising will be used for and where the fund raising event will take place. If you have the answers to all these things, then you’re well on your way to making your dream a reality.

Now that you know what your goals are for your charity fund raising there are some technical issues that you might encounter. These are such things as whether your charity requires a non-profit corporation. Non profit fundraising means receipts for tax deductible contributions. Your non-profit fund raising also has to support a legitimate charity. You also need to have non-profit exempt status so that your charity does not have to pay taxes on the money raised.  If you qualify for this tax exemption then you better be prepared to have a lot of paperwork because you’ll need to keep all records of everything.

For non profit fund raising to be legitimate, you really do need a board of directors. When you’re choosing board members for your non profit charity fundraising, you have to choose wisely. Charity fund raising board members can come from any background but there are some points to keep in mind. Each should bring a special ability with them and it is very important that they are committed to your purpose. Try to find people that are fairly low key in your community. These will be the ones that are interested in your non profit fund raising.

This board will set the rules of the non profit organization but they will also be responsible and accountable in a lot of things in the non-profit fundraising. They will have to make the policies, budgeting, planning, the non profit fund raising itself, and human resources. Your non profit charity fund raising also needs an executive director. This job will require a skilled person and when you decide on this position for charity fund raising, he/she should have the freedom to lead the rest and do what is best for your non- profit fund raising.

So as you can see depending on the size of your charity fund raising, it is going to be a job in itself to get set up. There will be a lot of work for everyone involved with the non profit fund raising, but it will be worth while when you accomplish your goal at the end.

You need to know your goals if you are doing some charity fund raising.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

How to Have a Great Time without Losing Your Money

or online casino is supposed to be for fun, but for many people the casino is the place where some machine eats all their money, and they are broke after the first hour and have to go to the ATM to get more money.

If you are not an experienced gambler it may be best to stick to the slot machines, but the fact is that the casinos make most of their money from those one armed bandits.

The easiest game in the casino is Roulette. The object of roulette is to guess what number the little ball will land on, which is not easy but there are other bets to make. In roulette you can bet on the color of the number the ball will land on, and since there are only 2 colors on the board it is a much safer bet. You can also bet on whether the ball will land on an even or odd number.

If you are not an expert gambler and just want to have a good time you can also play keno. Keno is much like the lottery. You have a card marked with numbers 1 to 100, and depending on the amount you want to spend and the game you play determines on how many of the number you get to pick. A computer picks the numbers and if you have at least 5 correct numbers you will win some of your money back.

I would recommend staying away from the poker rooms, but there is one poker game that is mostly newbie friendly, Red Dog Poker. The game is very simple to play. the dealer gives out 2 cards, and the player has to bet if the next card will fall in between the first 2, an example of this is you are dealt a 5 and a queen, so you have to bet on if the next card will be a 6 to a jack, the smaller the distance between the cards the more money you will win if you are right. If your cards are a 5 and a 9 and you win you will win less then if your cards were a 5 and a 7 and the next card is a 6. You may never become a millionaire from playing Red Dog Poker, but it is lots of fun and you can sit at the table for hours without spending much money, and it can be lots of fun.

 One of my favorite things to do in the casinos or online sportsbooks is to play the horses. You do not need to be a genius or have been going to the track for years to pick a winner, all the information on the horse and jockey is displayed in an easy to understand way so you can have all the information you need to pick a winner, and for a few 2 dollar bets you can spend an entire evening in a casino or sportsbook for less then 50 dollars.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

How to Give from Your Home

When we think about giving from our wealth, most of us think of giving financially. However, there are other ways of giving from our wealth. Some of those ways are right in front of us every day. The following are some examples to consider:

1. Clothing. Clean out your closets and drawers of all clothing that is either too small or too large to fit you. Also, get out any clothing that you have not worn for a long time. Donate those clothes to a charity or church that will reuse the clothes or sell them to raise funds.

2. Books/Toys. Don't stop with cleaning out your unused clothing. Go through all of your books and any toys that might be in your home as well. If they don't get used, put them to good use by donating them.

3. Cellular Phones. It seems that many people are getting their cellular phones replaced every couple of years. What do you do with the old phone? There is an organization that redistributes those phones to people that might need one for emergency situations but can't afford it. Contact the Charitable Recycling Program at 1-800-527-4700 x301 for more information. They have collection sites across the United States.

4. Cars. Are you about ready to purchase a newer car? What are you going to do with the one you are currently driving? Many charities accept donations of used cars. Most of them sell the cars in an auction to raise funds for their cause. Checking with your favorite charity or doing a search on the Internet for "auto donation" will give you some options if you are considering this.

5. Eyeglasses. Don't throw out your old glasses or let them collect dust somewhere in your home. The Lions Club International has been collecting eyeglasses for approximately 80 years. They will put them to good use in developing nations.

6. Food. Every year the Boy Scouts in my area collect canned goods to donate to churches and shelters to help feed those who need the help. You can help by giving food to your local churches and shelters. Check in advance for rules on what they can and cannot accept.

7. Furniture/Appliances. If you are remodeling or have household appliances you are no longer using, consider donating them as well. Furniture and appliances may be accepted as donations at charities such as Goodwill Industries International, Inc.  Call ahead to make sure they are accepting them at your location.

Not only will making these donations help others, but it will also give you some additional space and a great feeling. You may even be able to use your donations to reduce your taxes.

What are you waiting for? Start opening your closets, drawers and cupboards now and donate your unused items to help others.  You may be wealthier than you realize.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

How to get your husband to cancel his weekly poker game

Over the past few years it always bothered me that my husband would go play poker with his friends every Friday night. Whenever I complained that it would be nice to spend time with my husband on Friday, he just complains that this is the only time he gets to be with his friends.

I decided I had to come up with a way to make him choose me over his poker buddies so I tried many different things, at first I tried by asking him to stay home so we could have sex all night. That worked a few times but then he caught on to what I was doing.

I also tried finding different events that he may want to go to like action movies, car shows and other things of that nature but there were not always things to do, so that was another failed attempt.

But after 6 months of trying I had just about given up, finally at my wits end I decided that maybe I could get real good fast I could challenge him to a game and if I won he had to stop going to his game, and if he won I would pay for him to go to Vegas I spent every spare moment I had reading everything I could find online about Texas Holdem. Eventually I decided to go online and practice at some Video Poker.

Eventually I started playing for real cash Online, and once or twice while he was at his game I would drive to one of the local casinos and play for a few hours in their poker rooms.

Finally I felt I was good enough to make the challenge. So one night I told him that I wanted him to stop going to his Friday night games and to stay home with me, as I had expected it started a big argument. I waited until he made his speech about working hard and needing some “guy” time.

So I felt this was my time to strike, I asked him if he would at least allow me to come and watch the game, to which he replied that players only as the rule and that since I did not know how to play I could not go.

So I said if he could do it how hard can it be that really got him going, so he then asked me if I wanted to make the game a little interesting with a little bet. Now I had exactly what I wanted.

I said if he won I would pay for him to go to Las Vegas alone, he did not know I had made some good money playing poker recently, and if I won he would give up his seat in his regular Friday night game.

He looked at me suspiciously at first and I thought he was not going to risk it but he said ok. He ran to the closet and grabbed his chips we each started of with $100 in chips and agreed the first one out is the loser.

Well in the end it was me that lost, but he was so excited at how good I was that he did stop going to his Friday night game, now every Friday night we go and play together at the casino. We have been doing this for 2 years now and our relationship has never been this good.

Sometimes it really is better to try to get interested in his hobby.

Monday, August 8, 2011

How to get Online legalized in the USA

For many people the several hors drive to the nearest casino just is not realistic because of their busy lives, in California last week a man was arrested for locking his kids in the car while he went into a casino to gamble, but he would have been able to sit at home and watch his kids if he could have logged into an online casino.

But the law is reversible. Now is the time when politicians who have been eyeing the ultimate seat of power will start declaring their intention on running in the next presidential election.

This is where the American people have the power. Now is the time to start protesting the Unlawful gambling act.

Thru protest at the candidate’s rallies you will tell them this is an issue that is not going away. The issue of online gambling managed to get the American people to put the Democrats into power in congress, and now it can do the same for the highest political office in the United States.

When ever a presidential hopeful is appearing in your area you should hold a rally outside where ever it is the candidate will be appearing. Try to locate the entrance and exit they will use and make sure t have people with signs and chanting slogans.

By making Online Gambling a hot issue the candidate will have to address it. If a candidate can not get votes they will not win so if they think they can win by getting the gambling vote they will take up your cause.

Besides protests, I also recommend

Letter writing campaigns: letter writing campaigns are a great tool it allows you to tell your leaders how you feel and gives them a good sense of how strong the American people feel about the subject.

Petitions: petitions are much the same as letter writing except that instead of thousands of letters the receiver of the petition only gets 1 letter with the names of all the signatures on it.

The internet is a great tool for protesting, it allows you to pass your letter or petition to people not only all over the country but the entire world, and can also help spread useful information about protest marches by being accessible to everyone with an internet connection


There are also several myspace pages dedicated to trying to get the laws changed thru protest. The Angryonlinegambler is one such page. He not only offers an online petition but also a message board for people to leave messages about gatherings, and rants about how the government is making the wrong decisions.

It is also important to highlight the benefits to legalized online gambling

Millions of dollars a year could go to the American Government from taxing American player’s winnings, and if American land based casinos were allowed to get into the action then the government could make hundreds of millions for schools, and to further the war on terrorism.


Legalized Online Gambling in the USA would create hundreds of thousand if not millions of much needed new jobs in the customer service industry in the United States and would there for benefit the government.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

How to Get More Space in the Garage

It doesn't seem to matter how big your garage is: you can always fill it up with stuff.  Sure, you can hire some professional organizer to come help you clear a path to the car doors, but that costs money.  How about I just give you some tips instead?  You don't even need to pay me $100 an hour, or whatever it is de-clutter-ganizers are making these days.  So, without further ado, here are five ways to clear up space in the garage:

1. Hang things from the ceiling.

Garages usually have plenty of headroom, so that leaves many cubic feet of space you can exploit.  Is your family full of sports fanatics?  You can buy ceiling-mounted racks designed specifically for outdoor recreational equipment, everything from snowboards and bicycles to canoes and kayaks.  You can also get platforms that go up and down with a crank of a lever.  These allow you to tuck hundreds of pounds of junk--er, valuable family heirlooms--up amongst the rafters.

2. Make use of wall space.

You've probably got at least one pegboard in the tool area of your garage, but there's no reason to limit yourself.  You can attach your own homemade brackets, nails, and pegboards, or you can buy special panels designed to support hooks, baskets, and shelves.

3. Cabinets are for garages too.

Most garages have enough room on the sides or in the back to accommodate banks of cabinets, while still leaving enough space to get in and out of the car.  Even if there's only enough room for 12" deep cabinets, that's still a lot of extra storage if you run them from floor to ceiling.  Also, cabinets look nice--all your clutter gets hidden behind the doors, where you don't have to look at it every time you drive inside.

4. If you have too many vehicles, try a car lift.

You've got a good 10-12 feet of height in your garage, right?  And the average car is less than five feet high, right?  Well, there are systems out there that let you stack them.  Granted, these are pricey, and raising and lowering the top car can be a hassle if the vehicle is driven every day, but if there's a car you don't drive that often but that takes up space, it might be something to look into.  Car lifts can make a lot of sense in houses with one-car garages.

5. Think garage sale.

If you've tried your hardest to find storage space for everything, but you're still tripping over stuff, it may be time to clean the garage out.  Chances are you have toys, boxes, tools, etc. that you bought many moons ago (and which your family probably hasn't used in almost as many moons) that you don't need to keep around.  So, clean it out and throw it out, or better yet, have a garage sale.  At least then you make some money and are rewarded for your efforts.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

How to Get Free Garbage Bags

The scenario:

A newlywed couple moves into their new home. After a couple of months, they realize that they have many more garbage bags than they need. However, they have not bought any garbage bags since they got married. Where did all of the garbage bags come from?

Your mission:

See how fast you can arrive at the correct solution by using the following clues: 1) The garbage bags were not a wedding gift
2) The couple did not bring any garbage bags with them when they moved
3) The bags were not in the couple's new home when they arrived
4) The fact that the two people are newlyweds is irrelevant
5) The type of home that the couple moved into is irrelevant
6) The bags were made of plastic
7) People gave the bags to the couple, but
8) The bags were not any type of gift
9) The bags are not "traditional" garbage bags
10) The bags came in many colors.

The solution:

Have you figured out the solution yet? The garbage bags are actually plastic bags from grocery and other types of stores! The couple only has small garbage cans in their home, and the plastic bags fit perfectly inside of them. Plus, the handles make them very extremely easy to tie shut when they become full. The trash cans need to be emptied more often than larger cans would, but that small inconvenience is worth the savings. Yearly garbage bag expenses: $0.00!

In addition to the monetary reasons, reusing grocery bags is a simple way to recycle and eliminate the waste created by throwing away the plastic bags inside of another garbage bag. Once you have a good supply of plastic bags, consider taking an empty canvas bag or backpack with you to the grocery store. Check the bag with a store employee when you enter so that no one thinks that you are shoplifting. Then, when you are done shopping, skip getting a new bag and load your purchases into your own reusable bag instead.

A few other super-easy ways to save money and recycle:

Save scrap paper. Save any papers that have nothing on the back or large blank spaces. Advertising flyers, old work papers and school papers all work well. You can cut the pages into smaller pieces if they would be more convenient for you. Put the paper in a stack or a box with a pen nearby, and you'll never have to scramble when you need to jot down something. Spots near the base of your house phone or beside the computer are both great locations.

Save sturdy boxes from food, electronics, mailers, etc. Cover them with the Sunday comics or some previously-used wrapping paper. Label each box with a marker and use as stackable storage for recipes, comic books or just about anything else.

Save large, empty plastic soda and juice bottles. Fill them with water, and store in your freezer. Having less open space in your freezer will help it run more efficiently. And when you need more room in the freezer, simply take out one of the bottles of ice!

Save torn and worn out clothing. Tear or cut them into pieces and use as rags for cleaning and dusting.

Friday, August 5, 2011

How to get back in shape

Before starting to work out make sure you get a full physical from your doctor and a letter stating it is ok for you to do physical activity. Many gym and aerobic centers will require this before letting you start.


Depending on how long it has been since you last did regular exercise it is recommended that you start off slow and gradually build up your workout to harder levels.


  It is generally recommended to start off at the gym with just the treadmill and the lifecycle for the first week or 2. This is to wake the muscles up and to slowly get you prepared for a harder workout.

You will generally want to find a speed on the treadmill that is a pace you can keep up with little discomfort and do it for 20 minutes. After this take a 5 minute break, stretch a little and have a drink of water, then go back and increase the speed just a bit then do another 20.

Remember that pushing yourself too far is taking a gamble that you may not be able to live with. In a casino you can put everything you have on the roulette table and maybe you win and maybe you lose, but in the gym if you push too hard you can die, so take things slowly.

Many people make the mistake of getting back into an exercise program and going all gung ho an trying to get back in shape in just one hour, well let me tell you this will not work. The only thing this will do is make you very sore the next day and you will not be able to workout that day, and it will make you lose interest fast in the gym. Discomfort in ok pain is not.

Depending on how long it has been since you last worked out, I recommend working out 4 or 5 days a week. This may seem like a lot but if you were trying to win a poker tournament you would go to a casino or an online casino and poker room to practice almost every day right? So you will have to do the same with the gym.

Working out 5 days a week does not necessarily mean you have to go to the gym every day. I recommend the gym 3 times a week and the other day or 2 you can just go for a long fast paced walk around your neighborhood. Try to vary the things you do so that you do not work out the same parts of your body 2 days in a row.

Most professionals will tell you that if you work out your arms and chest on a Monday do not exercise those muscles again for at least 48 hours. This is to give the muscles time to heal and grow. It is this straining and resting of the muscle that makes it grow not just the working it out. If all you did every day was work the same muscle group in a few days the muscle would be more likely to tear in a painful experience and the only thing you will be able to do for several months will be playing in an online casino from your laptop in bed.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

How To Find The Best Loft Beds For Kids

In buying furniture for your childrens' bedroom, the first consideration is safety – second is orderliness. A loft bed can offer both, but you need to be careful in choosing onefor for kids' sake. The best way to select a loft bed is to examine one that's already assembled. Place your hands on the top bunk and then try to shake the entire assembly. This will give you an idea of the sturdiness of the bed's construction. If it's wobbly or otherewise poorly made, tell the store manager or owner about the safety hazard – you'll eliminate the possibility of your family suffering an accident and will also make the shop owner more aware of the quality of the products they're selling.

If you were to order, say, two loft beds, you'd want to test both for safety before you actually purchased them. If you order online, however, you can’t test the loft beds until they are delivered to your home. If you are unsatisfied with the safety of beds purchased online, immediately inform your online furniture dealer about the problem. There are warranties that apply to online orders, and you should have no problem getting a replacement.

Another important thing to keep in mind is the manufacturer’s weight recommendation for loft bed's capacity and limit. Be sure that you know how much your kids weigh before you go out and shop for loft beds. This way, you'll be able to buy lbeds that can actually support their weight. It's always better to buy high-capacity loft beds since your kids are sure to increase in weight as they grow. It's also very important to consider the age of your kids/ Make sure that they're at an age where they move around a lot in their sleep – you wouldn;t want them to fall out of the bed in the middle of the night. Likewise, be sure to tell the manufacturer about the age of your children, as there are additional safety features installed for very young kids. Never assume that all loft beds are created the same.

If you prefer to buy loft beds made from tubular metal, be sure to check their structural integrity. They may look cool, but many are not very well built Make sure to check if the set is sturdy. There are various designs and colors to choose from, so you'll be able to match the loft bed with whatever color theme is in your children’s bedroom.

Another thing to consider is the difficulty involved in assembling the loft beds, since they won't be delivered fully assembled. Before you place an order, ask whether the furniture shop has personnel that will take care of the bed's assembly when it's delivered – some stores offer this service.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

How To Find A Gift On The Internet

For many of us, getting creative with gift giving can be just as painful as a trip to the dentist. It takes time and energy to come up with a gift that tops last year's talking fish. And just who has extra time these days? While many families across America are rubbing their foreheads, stumped for a cool idea, others are saving time and frustration by turning to the Internet.

Searching for the words "Father's Day Gift" may yield some interesting results-a giant flame-retardant barbecue mitt shaped like a crab claw, the tie that you never have to tie-and a lot of the same old, same old, such as the latest golf accessories. Happily, there is hope.

This year give Dad something he can enjoy well after Father's Day. Give him a gift that is personalized and tells him just how much you care. Families have long shared memories and good times through photography. For a few years now, photo services have added a twist on the traditional framed 8"x10" by offering the picture mug, T-shirt and mouse pad to keep the family in front of Dad. This year, it's time to think bigger and better.

What about a canvas print from that winter camping trip at Yosemite, with artistic touches that make it resemble a real painting? You may have seen a "gallery wrap" canvas print, where the canvas is wrapped around a wood frame rather than sitting inside a traditional frame. Those sure look nice, but they are also expensive. Now you can create that art print or portrait at just a fraction of the price.

New Web sites such as Pixel Outpost (www.pixeloutpost.com) are making it easy to upload photos over the Internet and easily produce distinctive canvas or fine art prints from standard digital shots. The art looks authentic and professionally touched, but the cost is nowhere near what a traditional portrait would run. In fact, you can get a professional-looking 16"x20" canvas print for as low as $42. A traditional 20"x24" portrait-size canvas ready-to-wrap or frame runs about $60.

Pixel Outpost guides the first-time online photo shopper through the process in less than five minutes. You simply upload your photo and go. Your prints ship in a day and come ready to frame or stretch. And if you follow the site's guidelines and produce a standard size print, you'll be able to do the framing yourself with off-the-shelf materials.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

How to Find a Book Using Online Bookstores

Looking for improving your gaming skills by reading some of the best books on professional gaming that are around? That is a good idea, but, and as you may have already noticed, it is easier said than done. Once you go online to one of the many online bookstores such as Amazon and Barnes and Ruble and can type in a phrase  you get a long list (if you are lucky) of potential books.

What do you do then? How do you know which book suits you? And if you even could figure that out, how do you know the book is worth anything? Many of the authors are pros, but, then, you can also easily land up on amateur writers who are just trying to make a buck. Exactly for this, we have compiled a list of five practical suggestions to help you.

1) Reviews and Opinions Matter.
One of the most interesting methods of screening authors and books is by reading what other readers have to say about those literary objects. Look up one of the many forums online that focus on books and either ask a direct question or read what others have said. Another option is to look up the book at different online bookstores such as Barnes and Noble and Amazon but also others such as The Literary Guild and Pickabook. (Look them at this list compiled by the World Wide Web Virtual Library: http://archive.museophile.org/bookstores) The reasons for doing this is that for every book you can read reviews from different sites. Do this and you are reducing the chances of reading only promotional material. It goes without saying that opt for those books that receive good reviews. Generally, a book will receive some bad reviews, but look at the majority viewpoint. Note that if the book you wish to buy is new, you will not find reviews. In such a case, you will just have to take a risk.

2) Be Specific.
One of the methods of searching for a book that interests you is by narrowing down the search by typing a long search term and not just one name. For instance, type down how to play Texas holdem in an online tournament instead of just Texas holdem. Such a search will result in only a few book options. First, look up reviews and views on it and then look at its size and focus of interest.

3) Check the Experience of the Author.
Buying a book is just like buying a car. Would you be willing to pay more for a Mercedes? Likewise, check the author or editor. If the author is unknown, tread very carefully. The book might be useless. But remember that its not enough that the author is well known or has years of professional expertise, they must be experienced in the exact field of the subject of the book.

4) Check the Printing History of the Author.
After checking the authors personal biography and his scope of knowledge as pertains to the issue in question, you should, then, check his style of writing. You will not want to fall asleep on the second page, do you? If their style of writing pleases you, try reading parts of their work. Read articles or portions of other books they have read. Do this to get an idea of whether they can write and whether they are capable of handling complicated issues and putting them across in easy to understand language.

5) The Price Factor.
When looking at books, the first thing (or the second) we tend to look at is the price. Yes, you should know whether you can afford to buy it or not, but do not make you decision based on whether a book is cheap or expensive. First, check whether the book is what you are looking for. Then, decided whether you can afford it and not vice versa. Likewise, do not just buy a book because its on sale. Remember that if a book is on sale it means that no one is buying it!

Monday, August 1, 2011

How to create the perfect NASCAR bedroom

NASCAR bedding for kids is just the thing to delight your young racing fans! They'll just love dreaming about crossing that finish line when you decorate their soon to be favorite bedroom with all of the racing bedding and accessories you'll be able to pull together.

They'll give you the checkered flag no doubt, for creating such a special and wonderful bedroom for them. Imagine the wonderful memories that your kids will have in such a fun room!

Dan River may be a name you're familiar with already. They've got a great reputation for creating bedding that lasts, is easy to maintain and has superior attention to detail. And they are one of the very few companies that are actually licensed to make NASCAR bedding.

You could begin with the Checkered Flag sheet set made with a poly/cotton blend that's easy care for busy moms. The bold black and white checkered pattern featuring the NASCAR logo makes this a perfect place to build your kid's NASCAR bedding around. The snuggly comforter features fast, zooming race cars and checkered flags against a blue background and great attention to stitching and detailing.
Add the coordinating bed skirt, throw pillows, drapes, and maybe even a coordinating area rug to complete the look.

If Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is your child's favorite, you'll find other cool bed linen products that feature his famous Number 8 car. This set's got a reversible comforter in tan emblazoned with the Number 8 in bright red and Dale's name embroidered in black. The comforter must be dry cleaned but all the other bedding in this set is machine washable.
The sheets, pillow shams and bed skirt feature repeated prints of the number 8 and Dale's name against a white or tan background.

For the perfect finishing touch, you could also add a super soft NASCAR throw for the bed too- they're just right for grabbing to snuggle under while watching TV or just relaxing.

Don't stop there, you're just getting revved up!

You could add wallpaper borders to your kid's bedroom to pull all the accessories together. Choose from all the various drivers, NASCAR logos, checkered flags. You'll find NASCAR lamps, wheel pillows and even window treatments!

How about adding some flags, banners and posters? Add shelves to hold their precious little race cars.

Make sure that you're buying the real thing and not a cheap imitation. Simply look for the NASCAR licensed product label. Only NASCAR licensed products can carry this label and only licensed products can legally market the NASCAR driver's cars, names and images.

And because the prices are so affordable, there's no reason to settle for less than the genuine article!