Sample Content Preview

45 Baby Nursery Decorating Tips

A little bundle of joy will soon be joining your household. What better way is there to welcome your addition than with a beautifully decorated nursery? There isn’t a nicer way, but how do you do it? What requirements does a nursery have? And most importantly, where do you start? Below are tips and ways to decorate your nursery so it is safe, friendly and soothing to your baby.

1 - To Determine Gender or Not

With the creation of ultrasounds, many expectant parents know the sex of their baby before it is born. Are you one of them? If so, that knowledge can help you design a room specifically for your baby. If not, never fear, there are plenty of gender-neutral themes and designs to use in a nursery. Even after knowing the sex of their baby, some parents choose to remain gender neutral with the theme. The ultrasound could have been fuzzy, the doctor wasn’t sure, or just wanting a neutral theme for baby are all reasons to consider before making your decision. Therefore, your first decision as soon-to-be parents is boy themed, girl themed or neutral. Once you make that decision, you can move forward.

2 - Neutral, Please

You’ve decided to go with a neutral them for your baby’s room. To begin decorating you can go one of two routes. Pick the wall color first and then look for matching bedding or two, pick out the bedding and then coordinate the paint scheme. The furniture you bring into the room can also factor into the décor, as there are many options now. Most baby furniture is made of wood that can be stained a light color, painted white, or uses its natural cherry, oak or even pine colorings.

3 - Noah’s Ark

A Noah’s Ark theme incorporates animals in its décor more so than religion. Either sex loves animals, and Noah was one who brought them all together. In a Noah’s Ark room, the bedding, sheets, curtains and even rugs can all carry the same motif. The Noah’s Ark theme can be used as the child grows up too, since any of the stuffed animals they receive growing up will match! Install a stuffed animal net in the corner for displaying all of the creatures. Paint a window or several windows with animals poking their heads out on the wall in lieu of pictures. Add a rainbow across part of the ceiling and a dove with an olive branch to complete the theme.

4 - Winnie the Pooh

This lovable old friend is perfect for anybody! Who doesn’t like a fluffy hug? Winnie the Pooh motifs have many different styles to choose from in of itself. There are bright colors, pastel colors, color blocks and beige designs to choose from. Paint a huge tree on one wall and make a sign that says “100 Acre Wood” so it is just like where Pooh lives. Murals or pictures of the rest of the cast along the walls add for more color.

5 - Stars and Moons

Many nursery rhymes involve the stars and the moon. And since the stars and moon represent bedtime, there isn’t a better place to use this theme. Little glow in the dark stars can be placed on the ceiling and around the room with sticky stuff. Make sure when placing the stars that they are not where they can fall into the bed or be pulled off and put into the mouth. If you don’t want sticky residue, paint stars on the ceiling. Be serious and follow the patterns of the constellations. Be creative, add the planets, and give them all a happy face.

6 - Sesame Street

The characters on Sesame Street have been educating and entertaining children for decades. Their bright colors and vivid textures even aid in motor development in children! To make a Sesame Street theme, get a stuffed animal of each character. On the other hand, if you have a lot of talent, paint them on the walls imitating a scene from Sesame Street.

7-ABC

The alphabet will be drilled into their heads as a preschooler, but in the infant years, they can enjoy the pretty pictures of the letters coupled with animals or other objects. A letter theme can be easily carried from the bedding to the walls with wallpaper or a paintbrush. Make posters or paint large letters and spread them all around the room. Add words to the letters or leave them how they are – baby will learn them quickly and easily from seeing them everyday.

Sample Content Preview

51 Ways to Organize Your Home

Your home is supposed to be the place where you feel the most comfortable. Keeping it organized and clutter free is important. For many of us, though, this is a challenge. This ebook is intended to make it a bit easier to organize your home and help you enjoy being there.

MAKE A PLAN

Organizing your home can be overwhelming if you don’t have a plan. This first set of tips will help you know where to start.

1. Master List

The first thing that you need to do is make a list. Get a pen and paper and go through every room in your house. Write down everything that needs to be organized. Don’t worry if your list is really long, you’ll break it down later.

2. Prioritize

After you’ve made your master list, it’s time to prioritize. Sit down with your list and decide what needs to be done right away verses what can wait. You can do this by using a letter or number system. For all the things you want done right away, pun an “A” or a “1” by them. If the job can wait a week or two, put a “B” or a “2” by it. If it can wait even longer, place a “C” or a “3” by it.

3. Daily List

Once you’ve prioritized, you can make your daily lists. Get a big piece of paper and write the days of the week across the top. Then look at your prioritized master to-do list and start writing all of the “A” projects under a week day on your paper. Be careful to put not more than two or three projects on one day, otherwise you may get overwhelmed. You now have a daily list of projects to get done (“A” projects, then “B” projects, and so on). Keep doing this every week until you get all of your projects done.

4. Don’t Get Distracted

When you start carrying out your daily projects, it’s important to only concentrate on what’s on the list. Chances are, as you start doing one project you’ll see ten other projects that need doing. You’ll be tempted to do them, but don’t. You’ll wind up getting overwhelmed, and possibly not even finishing the first project. If you notice an additional project you need to do, simply write it on your master list and continue with what you were doing.

BATHROOM

Whether your bathroom is big or small, keeping it organized is important. This next set of tips will help you keep your bathroom organized.

5. Throw Out

Before starting to organize your bathroom, go though and throw out anything that’s outdated or no longer needed. Things like:

- Old scissors or razors
- Expired prescriptions
- Any make up over a year old
- Throw out empty and almost empty bottles

6. Making More Storage

It’s easier than you think to create more storage in a small bathroom. Here are some ideas:

- Put a magnet strip inside your medicine cabinet to hang razors, scissors and tweezers.
- Make a simple fabric skirt to put around free standing sinks to hide things underneath your sink.
- Roll towels instead of folding them.
- Give each family member a square, see-through container for his or her personal things.

7. Keep Cleaners Handy

Keep cleaners in their own portable container under the sink so they’re accessible when you need them. It’s also a good idea to label your cleaners by room. Take a permanent marker and write “bathroom” on all of your bathroom cleaners so that you don’t take them out of the bathroom and have to hunt them down later.

Sample Content Preview

51 House Cleaning Shortcuts

According to a survey done by the Soap and Detergent Association (SDA):

- 98% of people feel good about themselves when their house is clean.
- 97% of people believe their families appreciate a clean home.

That said, housecleaning can be a very overwhelming job. This ebook is designed to help keep your home clean without all the stress

ONE-MINUTE CHORES

Only have a minute for cleaning? No problem. This first set of tips will give you some ideas for chores that take less than a minute.

1. Dust One Thing

It only takes a minute to choose one thing and dust it. You can either use a feather duster, a dust spray and a rag, or a dust wipe. Here are some things you can dust quickly:

- TV screens
- Shelves
- Blinds
- Ceiling fans
- Air Vents

2. Change Vacuum Bag

It doesn’t take much time at all to change your vacuum bag, and it can make your vacuum run more efficiently. A good tip is to take your vacuum outside to change it so the dust from the bag doesn’t go back into the room.

3. Clean a Mirror

A clean mirror makes a room look cleaner. If you don’t have glass cleaner and paper towels, try vinegar and old newspaper. This is a lot less expensive and it works just as well.

4. Change Towels

Fresh towels make a room smell great, whether they’re in the kitchen or the bathroom. It takes less than a minute, and it freshens up the whole room.

5. Change Trash Bags

Even if you don’t have time to take the trash all the way out, just taking full bags out of the cans and replacing them with clean bags can help tidy up when you only have a minute.

6. Sort Today’s Mail

Mail can really pile up if left alone. If you take 30 seconds every day to organize that day’s mail, you’ll have a lot less clutter. Don’t be afraid to throw away junk mail.

7. Treat a Stain

Got an extra minute? Treat that nasty stain that you noticed last week.

Here are some tips:

- Flush stains with water.
- Blot the stain with a dry cloth.
- Apply a mild cleaner and let set.
- Blot again.

8. Take Care of Plants

A minute is more than enough time to care for your favorite houseplants. If they need water, fill a pitcher so you can water them all faster. Take a pair of scissors with you to snip off dead vines or leaves.

9. Wipe Down Forgotten Areas

Grab a wet washcloth and quickly wipe down areas that might be forgotten when cleaning. Areas like:

- Doorknobs
- Remote controls
- Light switches
- Handles
- Telephones

10. Sweep Entryways

Most entryways are small and take less than a minute to sweep. Grab your broom and dustpan and you’ll be finished before you begin. You can even cheat and sweep dust onto the carpet, then use the carpet-sweeper to clean it up.

11. Shake out a Floor Mat

Floor mats are sometimes forgotten during cleaning. If you have an extra minute, grab a mat or two and shake them out outside. This will reduce the amount of dust in your home as well as keep those mats fresh and clean.

12. Collect Garbage in a Room

If you don’t have time to clean a whole room but want to make it look a little bit better, clear out the garbage. Grab a trash bag or a waste paper basket and start stuffing. You’ll find that this improves the look of a room dramatically.

GOOD HABBITS TO START

As you start developing simple housecleaning habits, you’ll notice that your work will get easier and easier. This next set of tips will give you some great ideas of good habits to start.

Sample Content Preview

51 Ways to Fight High Cholesterol

Everyone needs some cholesterol. But too much cholesterol can be bad for your health and can put you at risk for heart disease. Approximately 1 in 3 Americans (over 100 million) have high cholesterol. This ebook will help give you some ideas on how to get your cholesterol where it needs to be.

GENERAL INFO

In order for you to start lowering your cholesterol, you first need to understand it. Let’s start with some simple definitions:

1. HDL

HDL’s, or High Density Lipoproteins, are what’s known as “good cholesterol.” A HDL attaches itself to cholesterol and escorts it through your liver and out your body.

2. LDL

LDL’s, or Low Density Lipoproteins, are the “bad cholesterol” that we don’t want in our bodies. It’s the LDL’s that clog our arteries and can cause heart disease.
3. RATIOS

Finding a good balance between HDL’s and LDL’s is very important.

Here’s a table that shows what they should be:

Desirable
Borderline
Undesirable
HDL
Above 45
35-45
Below 35
LDL
Below 130
130-160
Above 160
FOOD

Eating the right foods can greatly reduce your cholesterol. This next section will list all sorts of foods that have been proven to greatly reduce cholesterol.

4. Know Your Oils

There are so many cooking oils out there. Knowing the healthy ones vs the non-healthy ones can make a big difference in your cholesterol levels. Here are some good oils:

- Canola oil
- Olive oil
- Grapeseed oil
- Flax seed oil

5. Dark Chocolate

Surprised? Oh yes, chocolate can actually help reduce your cholesterol. People who eat lots of cocoa powder and dark chocolate have lower levels of bad LDL cholesterol and 4% higher levels of good HDL cholesterol!

6. Go Nuts

Love nuts? No worries! Nuts (especially almonds and walnuts) are finally off the no-no list. A study found that eating 25 almonds a day for 1 month cut bad LDL cholesterol by 4 percent and raised good HDL cholesterol by 5% (Circulation, Sept 10, 2002).

7. The Lowdown On Eggs

Through the history of health awareness, a lot of people have had much to say about eggs. Are they good? Are they bad? While eggs are good for you, they do have a lot of cholesterol. Holly McCord, RD (www.prevention.com) says, “Since one large egg has about 210 mg of cholesterol--almost three-quarters of the 300-mg daily limit set by the American Heart Association (AHA)--you need to pair eggs with low- cholesterol foods the rest of the day.”

8. Poultry

In general, chicken and turkey are low in saturated fat, especially when the skin is removed. This can really reduce your cholesterol, specifically when you’re substituting poultry for red meat.

9. Menu Smart

These days most restaurants have low cholesterol sections on their menus. If you don’t see one, ask your waitress; it may be on a separate menu. You can also ask for smaller, or appetizer-sizes portions of your order.

Sample Content Preview

51 Calorie Burning Activities

Our bodies need calories. Depending on age and sex, we need anywhere between 2000 and 2600 calories every day. Unfortunately, most of us consume double and triple this number. The good news is there are many activities that you can do to get rid of those unwanted calories. This ebook will help you to understand and decide which activities are right for you.

*Keep in mind that all calorie-burning examples in this ebook are based on a person weighing 150 pounds. If you weigh less, you’ll burn fewer calories; if you weigh more, you’ll burn more calories.

SPORTS AND EXERCISE

This first set of tips covers a variety of different sports and exercises. If you’re already actively doing one of these, or looking for something to start, this will give you some good information on some good calorie burners.

1. Bicycling

Whether it’s a real bike, or a stationary one, cycling is a great way to get your heart pumping and those calories burning. Just cycling for 15 minutes a day will burn 119 calories. If you extend it to 30 minutes, you’ll burn 477 calories.

2. Stairs or Treadmills

Stairs are great for toning up those legs. They can also burn calories. Don’t have stairs near you? Use a treadmill! Just 15 minutes can burn 102 calories, or the equivalent of each of these:

- 1 tbsp. of mayonnaise
- 1 banana
- 1 oz. of pastrami
- 2 small chocolate chip cookies

3. Weight Lifting

Working on that muscle tone? Weight lifting burns calories as well. 15 minutes of pumping iron burns 51 calories. Not much, but if you extend your training to 30 minutes a day, you’ll burn 204 calories.

4. Running

Lace up those tennis shoes. Running is an all-around great calorie-burning exercise. Running 12 minutes at 5 mph burns 109 calories. If you kick it up a notch and run 15 minutes at 7 mph, you’ll burn 196 calories. If you’re really devoted and run for an hour a day, you’ll burn 784 calories!

5. Badminton

Hit that birdie! Badminton is a fun way to get in shape. A 20-minute game burns 102 calories, and an hour game burns 306 calories.

6. Basketball

Hoops, anyone? A fun 20-minute game of basketball burns 137 calories. Challenge your teammates to a rematch and you burn 409 (for a 60-minute game).

7. Bowling

Dust off that bowling bag! Even if you’ve never bowled a strike, bowling can be a fun way to get into shape. Bowling a 60-minute game will burn 205 calories. Extend the game to 90 minutes and you’ll burn 307 calories.

8. Football

Whether it’s flag, touch, or tackle, football has always been a great way to stay in shape. A 30-minute game will burn 273 calories. That’s the equivalent of each of these:

- 2 oz.
croissant
- 1 Hot dog
- ½ cup of ice cream
- 1 bratwurst sausage

9. Frisbee

Headed for the park? Take along a friend and a Frisbee. Tossing a Frisbee for 30 minutes will burn 102 calories. Stay out a bit longer and burn 205 calories (in an hour).

Sample Content Preview

51 Ways to Cope with Frozen Shoulder

Three percent of the population will develop frozen shoulders in their lifetime. If you are one of those three percent, this ebook will help you with tips and resources to better deal with frozen shoulders.

BASICS

This first set of tips will give you some basics about frozen shoulder and will help you to understand it better.

1. Definition

Frozen shoulder is another term for Adhesive Capsulitis, a condition that causes restricted motion in the shoulder joint.

2. What Happens

With frozen shoulder, the shoulder joint becomes stiff and scarred. The shoulder joint usually allows more motion than any other joint in the body. But when someone develops a frozen shoulder, they form bands of scar tissue called adhesions. These adhesions make the shoulder stiff, and moving it becomes very painful.

3. Symptoms

Here are some of the symptoms associated with frozen shoulder:

- A dull, aching pain in the shoulder
- Limited shoulder movement?
- Activities such as brushing hair, putting on shirts/bras become difficult?
- Sleeping on the affected shoulder is painful

4. Diagnosing

When diagnosing frozen shoulder, your doctor will look for restricted movement. There are other shoulder conditions can cause difficulty with movement of the shoulder, like a torn rotator cuff, so it’s very important to find a doctor familiar with this condition for a proper diagnosis. This will be covered later in this ebook.

5. Is it Curable?

95 percent of people with frozen shoulder are completely cured. Full recovery may take several months, and there are several things that you can do to help. We’ll review these things a bit later in this ebook.

RISK FACTORS

There are several factors that put you at risk for developing frozen shoulder. This next set of tips will discuss some of these risk factors.

6. Trauma or Surgery

People who have had a shoulder injury, or surgery on the shoulder are at risk of developing a frozen shoulder joint. When injury or surgery is followed by prolonged immobility, it can also put them at risk of developing a frozen shoulder.

7. Diabetes

People with diabetes are at risk for developing a frozen shoulder. In fact, frozen shoulder affects 10-20 percent of diabetes patients.

8. Age and Gender

People between the ages of 40 to 60 years old have a higher risk of developing frozen shoulder. It is also twice as common for women to develop it as it is for men.

9. Problems with Nearby Joints

If you have problems with nearby joints, you could be at risk for frozen shoulders. For example, arthritis in the AC joint or the neck can put you at risk.

10. Immobility

As mentioned earlier, keeping a sore shoulder immobile can put you at high risk for frozen shoulder. Some conditions that could cause this include stroke, immobilizing in a sling, or a brain or spinal injury.

11. Heart or Lung Problems

Sometimes heart disease or cardiac surgery leads to frozen shoulder. Be sure and talk to your doctor about these important risk factors.

Sample Content Preview

51 Ways to Reduce Allergies

Approximately 55 percent of all U.S. citizens suffer from allergies. But not all allergens are seasonal. Millions of Americans suffer from year -round allergens, such as dust mites, pet dander and mold, which can cause as much trouble for some patients as weeds do for others. This ebook was put together to give you some ideas on how to fight these allergens.

POLLEN

Pollen is the dust like reproductive part of plants. It can easily be inhaled, and if you are one of 36 million Americans, this will cause allergic reactions. Here are some tips to help:

1. Avoid Early Ventures Outside

Avoid going outside between 5-10am. This is when the pollen count is the highest. If you have a pollen allergy, the safest times to go out are late afternoon and immediately after rain.

2. Check Pollen Count Daily

Pollen counts measure the amount of airborne allergens present in the air. They are reported as grains per cubic meter of air. Universities, medical centers and clinics provide these counts on a volunteer basis.

3. Turn Off Your Swamp Cooler

People with severe pollen allergies may need to tough it out and keep that swamp cooler off during pollen season. Running swamp coolers can irritate allergy symptoms by dragging more pollen into the house.

4. Buy Local Honey

This may help to desensitize you against the pollens in your neighborhood. Many allergy sufferers claim eating local un-pasteurized honey has relieved their symptoms. They recommend you buy some local, un-pasteurized honey and have a little of that every day.

5. Know Your Plants

Many people look at a colorful field of flowers and think it’s filled with pollen. But those bright colors are there to attract insects, which carry the heavy pollen from plant to plant. The plants that aren’t colorful are the ones that spread pollen…and allergies.

DUST MITES

Dust mites are the second biggest allergy cause out there. When dust mites grow, they shed their skin. This is what causes allergic reactions in people. Allergic reactions range from itchy noses and eyes to severe asthma attacks. Here are some ways to combat these little devils:

6. Wash Your Bedding

Your bedding needs to be washed in water at least 130? F to kill dust mites. Do this at least once a week. You can also use special laundry additive that kills dust mites. You can find a list of these special additives at: www.onlineallergyrelief.com/laundry/laundry.html.

7. Keep Indoor Humidity Low

Dust mites can’t survive below 50% humidity (thrive at 75%-80%). It’s a good idea to keep your home dry. Also, avoid humidifiers in bedrooms. If a sickness requires the use of a humidifier, you can get the same result with a steamy shower. Make sure you thoroughly cleaning the bathroom before and after.

8. Let Your Child Sleep With a Washable Stuffed Animal

If your child has allergies, let him sleep with a washable stuffed animal. This way, the dust mites can be regularly gotten rid of. If your child has a non-washable bed-time pal, you can put it in the freezer for 24 hours to kill dust mites.

9. Replace Old Mattresses

Depending on the age of your mattress, it can contain between 1 and 10 million dust mites. Unfortunately, unless you have a huge freezer, there’s no way to get rid of them. The best solution is to toss that old mattress and start fresh with a new one.