Monday, October 12, 2009

How to Cure Your Acne Naturally


Is there anything more embarrassing than acne? I went all through my teenage years without ever having maybe more than a zit or two... then when I was about 18 I started getting horrible acne. I had to go on 2 prescription medications for it, but those had side effects. The pills caused headaches and the cream caused my face to get dry and peel. It was so frustrating, but then I came across this awesome way to cure your acne naturally and avoid all the nasty side effects, not to mention all the money you have to spend on prescriptions!

Get a lemon, cut it in half, and squeeze it into a small container. You can squeeze it by hand or use a juicer. You can also use lemon juice - just make sure that it is 100% lemon juice.

Add 1 tsp of honey to your lemon juice and mix it up well. There may be pulp in your mixture, but that won't cause any problems.

Wet your face. Sprinkle baking soda on your hands then apply to your face. Rub it onto your face like you would with an exfoliant being careful not to rub to vigorously. Rinse thoroughly.

Apply your lemon and honey mixture onto your face. Rinse your hands well. Leave the mixture on your face for about 3-5 minutes. It will feel a little sticky and may sting just a tiny bit, but this is normal so don't worry!

Rinse your face thoroughly! If there is any residue left over it will cause your face to still feel sticky.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

- You can store your lemon and honey mixture in the fridge for future use.

- Make sure to keep the honey and lemon mixture out of your hair. I prefer to wash my face and apply the mixture when I get out of the shower so I can just wrap my hair in a towel to keep it out of my face

Good Luck!

**All Images Curtousy of http://cosmeticsurgerytoday.wordpress.com/2009/07/04/dr-anil-shah-proves-botox-treats-acne/**

How to Get Rid of Shoe and Foot Odor


Have you ever had to take your shoes off when going over to a friend's house and been embarrassed because of your foot odor? Taken your shoes off at home only to hear everyone complain about how bad they smell? This can be very embarrassing. A lot of foot odor stems from having sweaty feet. This can happen whether you are a man or woman, active or inactive. It can happen to anyone, but you don't have to live this way! Here are some great tips to help you keep your shoes from smelling bad.

Change your socks frequently. Some people need to change their socks a few times a day, but at a minimum be sure to change them daily. Wear cotton socks as they will absorb better.

Make sure to keep your feet clean. Try to wash your feet nightly if you don't already shower daily. Keeping your feet clean and fresh will go a long way toward helping eleminate odors. Be sure to let your feet dry out COMPLETELY before putting shoes, socks, or slippers on again.

Sprinkle baking soda in your shoes. Baking soda neutralizes many different odors and work great on shoe smells. You may want to sprinkle quite a bit in and leave it overnight. Just make sure to tap out the excess before wearing them again.

Never wear wet or damp shoes. These conditions are perfect for growing the stinky fungi that cause the unwanted smells. Always make sure to completely dry out and air out your shoes before wearing them again. If you know that you are going to be somewhere that will be wet, try to wear shoes that can get wet and dry out fast such as flip flops.

If your feet are especially prone to sweating, you may want to consider - as wierd as it sounds - rubbing an antiperspirant on your feet or sprinkling them with baking soda or talcum powder. Also soaking your feet in vinegar has been known to help with sweating and foot odors.

Consider buying shoes with extra ventilation. This will help to keep your feet from sweating as much while airing out your shoes.

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

You may want to consider consulting a physician if your condition cannot be helped with natural home remedies.

Certain shoes tend to smell more than others when they get wet such as fake leather sandles - so be sure to keep these type of shoes dry!

Be careful how you dry out your shoes. While putting them in the dryer may seem like a good idea, just remember that certain fabrics shrink and you don't want your favorite pair of shoes to shrink!

Never put leather shoes into the dryer!

Hopefully some of these tips will be useful for you and you won't ever have to be embarrassed whenever you take your shoes off again. Just remember that it is a common problem and has nothing to do with who you are!


**All Photos Cutousy of http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/odor-removal/how-to-get-rid-of-shoe-odor/**

Friday, August 21, 2009

How to Earn Money Online Using SwagBucks

Making money online... We have all heard that it's too good to be true or that it's a scam. But there is a way to make legitimate money online just by doing online searches! You won't get rich by doing it, but a little here and a little there can go a long way.

I have just started using Swagbucks recently and have already earned $15 in gift cards to Amazon. You can earn rewards such as gift cards, video games, electronics, and even money. And all you have to do is surf the web just like you already do! Let's get started!

Sign up for Swagbucks. It's quick and easy. Just follow my referral link http://www.swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=457033 and follow the instructions on the page to register.

Download the Swagbucks search bar. I know that some people are wary of downloading from sites that they aren't familiar with and I felt the same way. But I did some research on them and I found them to be a very reputable site and went ahead and downloaded the toolbar and have had no problems because of it. The benefit of having the search bar is that you are more likely to win a swagbuck when you search.

Start Searching! You will not win every time you search. You will commonly win maybe 2-4 times a day in 20 searches spread out throughout the day. Everyday is different. Sometimes you may win a lot and sometimes you may not win anything. But Swagbucks has been found to be the best value for your time spent.

Watch for Swag codes. Most days "The Swag Guy" (TSG) will leave hints to swag codes using the swagbucks blog, "Swidget," facebook, or twitter. Swag codes will usually be one word or a series of numbers or letters that they have chosen and left clues for you to find it. Sometimes it will be a name of an artist or a song that they leave hints to, other times they will add a code to a page on their site that their clue will lead you too. Once you have this code, you will go to the swagbucks site and enter it.

Tips:
-Search for legitimate things such as medical conditions, current news, going green, etc
-Fridays are mega swag bucks day! This means that you have a better chance of winning 3, 5, or even 10 swagbucks for a single search!!
-Get the "swidget." They will reveal codes this way frequently.
-If you are on facebook, you will want to join their fan page or if you are on Twitter, you will want to follow them as they give swag codes on these sites.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Bring the Spark Back - How to Save Your Marriage

When my husband and I were engaged we had a habit of looking deep into each other’s eyes when we were talking. My then 8-year old brother found it very amusing to try to break that gaze. He would wave his hands in front of our faces, or stick his head between ours and make crazy, unbelievable faces at us!

When was the last time you held your spouses hand just because? When was the last time you shared quality intimate time together? Tell me, when was the last time you just simply gave your husband or wife your undivided attention while they talked to you - your hands were not busy with some little task, you weren’t half listening to them and half listening to the game on the radio, you actually made eye contact with them instead of watching tv while “talking”? Now you are looking at the couple across the restaurant thinking how cute they were, wishing you and your husband were still that in love with each other… Wait! What has happened? We aren’t that in love anymore. My marriage is at a standstill. It’s not exciting anymore! We just fight all the time. When did this happen? Have I fallen out of love? Are we heading toward a divorce?
Life… It isn’t like my brother. It doesn’t jump in suddenly, startling you, causing you to pull back. No, instead, it creeps in undetected and keeps gently pushing spouses farther and farther apart until one day they suddenly realize that they aren’t as in love as they once were. For most couples it just goes downhill from there, spiraling out of control until finally they give up on the vows they made and end their marriage. It doesn’t have to be this way! Instead of letting desperation envelop you and threaten your marriage even farther, let’s find some ways to bring that spark back into your love life.

The first thing I want you to do is grab a piece of paper and make a list of 20 things that you love about your spouse. I want you to think way back when you were falling in love. What made you fall in love with your spouse? What were the cute things about her that made you smile? What were the dumb things that he did to get your attention that made you laugh? Was it her smile? His laugh? His thoughtfulness? Her loyalty?

When was the last time you really thought about these things like you used to when you were first starting your relationship? Why is that? It could just be because of the business of life, but there could be another reason for it too. When you do think of your spouse is it thinking about something they have done wrong? Do you resent them for something? Unforgiveness could be what is hindering your closeness with your spouse. If there are things that are upsetting you about them, either you need to talk to them about it and get it worked out or you need to consciously decide to let it go and not hold it against them anymore. This is going to take a lot of loving and giving you’re your part, but love can cover a lot of faults. Get things taken care of so you can start thinking about your spouse again!

Next, write out the top 10 things that you and your spouse would do together when you were falling in love. Was there a special restaurant? A favorite movie or song that reminds you of when you were first experiencing that new love? What were the little things that you did to get their attention and show them that you loved them? Did you bring over flowers and chocolate for your girlfriend? Did you make your special cookies for your boyfriend? Did you spend hours together walking around a lake, holding hands and talking?

Go back and take a walk down memory lane! Revisit some of those places you used to go if you can. If you have moved from that area, find somewhere similar to go and remind your spouse of all those memories you had together! Start doing those sweet little things you used to do again! Make yourself loveable!!! :)

Now, that you have thought back to those days that were so exciting, think about how you are now? Do you do any of those sweet little things anymore? Probably not, because life and reality has set in, responsibilities, jobs, kids, etc. When you let things get in the way of doing things to grow your relationship, you can expect to have your relationship affected by this. On the other hand, if you do things to make your marriage a priority, your relationship will be changed by this in a very amazing way!

Your relationship did not get to the point where it is right now overnight, so don’t expect to fix it overnight. It will take time and it won’t be easy! My husband works a full time job and also has a construction business on the side. Sometimes, he ends up having to work 80+ hours a week. I will go with him and help him, but that doesn’t take the place of a date. It didn’t take long for us to start seeing the affects of it on our marriage. We hadn’t even been married 6 months and we were fighting ALL the time. It finally got to the point where we decided to go for counseling and have a date once a week. The counseling went great, but our dates were a disaster! I think we fought for every single one for at least a month if not longer. I would end up in tears every single time and wanted to just give up on them, but we kept pushing through it and now, a few months later, dates are usually my favorite night of the week! Thankfully, for us, we are still newly-weds. For someone who has been married longer and formed more bad habits in their relationship, it may take longer to break those, but don’t give up! Saving your marriage takes work but it is so worth it!!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Conquer Your Procrastination - Today!

My little 5 year old brother loves to cut paper into teeny tiny little pieces and scatter them all over the floor so it looks like it “snowed.” One time when he did this, he was asked if he knew that he would have to clean it all up. He looked up and said very seriously, “I might not have to.” He was told that yes, he would and he replied, “Well, I might not have to. Jesus might come back first.”

Procrastination. It is something we all struggle with, coming up will all kinds of excuses for not doing a certain task. Even a little 5 year old doesn’t have to be taught to come up with creative excuses to try to get out of things! I want to talk about a few tips on how to overcome those habits!

Keep your goals realistic. Realize your limits - you can’t do everything in one day. Set long-term goals, then decide on daily tasks that will help you to reach your long term goals in a reasonable amount of time.

Don’t be a perfectionist. This is probably one of my biggest problems! If I don’t have time to do a task all the way, I won’t even start it. I will mess around, keeping very busy with other little jobs. In the end, I get nothing important done and have huge projects that need done with no time to do them. If you don’t have time to finish something right then, still start it and just get as much done as you can! Then finish it later. (And no, don’t put that last little bit off!)

Make a list and set priorities. Don’t even give yourself the chance to procrastinate on an important project! Sit down and write your list and arrange it in order of priority.

Tackle some of the bigger things on your list first. If you can see some progress, you will feel better about what you have gotten done and you will be more motivated to get even more done! If you are like me and have a short attention span and get sidetracked easily, it may be a good idea for you to set an alarm reminder for laundry, downloads and backup’s, or whatever projects you are working on that you walk away from and forget.

Reward yourself! After you have reached your goals for the day, take a break and do something fun!

Remember that no matter how well you plan out your day and goals, things will come up that you can’t help. You just have to be honest with yourself on whether this is something you can’t help or if it’s something you are using it as an excuse.

Next time you find yourself thinking about putting something off, remember these little tips and jump right in!

10 Simple Ways to Show Your Husband You Love Him

How long has it been since you did something out of the ordinary to show your husband you love him? It doesn’t have to be much – just a little something to let him know that you still love him!

1. Go to a sporting event with him. You expect him to go to all kinds of social outings with you, but when was the last time you went to something he wanted to go to? Go the extra mile and plan ahead of time to get the tickets and surprise him. Tell him that you have plans for the night his team plays and that he needs to keep it open. Won’t he be surprised to find out just what your “plans” are!

2. Get him a little treat. It doesn’t have to be something big, just a little treat to let him know you were thinking about him. You know how much you love it when you get flowers or chocolate? Well men like getting little treats too, you just need to know what your husband likes.

3. Make his favorite dinner. It is said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!

4. Give him a card. Whether you know it or not, most guys do appreciate it if you get them a card and write a sweet little note in it. I was a bit “iffy” on this, but I went ahead and got my husband a card recently and he LOVED it!

5. Listen to him when he wants to talk. He has ideas and wants to be respected for those. Show interest in what’s important to him.

6. Let go of the little things. Men hate when their wives nit-pick at them. Remember that love can cover lots of faults! Instead, focus on what he does right and tell him what you like, love, and respect about him. Men have big egos and need to be respected especially by the women they love. Men are more vulnerable and easily hurt then we think. They may seem all tough and “untouchable” but deep down they are very vulnerable.

7. Let him know he was missed when he comes home from work. Set the tone. Chances are he had a stressful day at work and he doesn’t need you to bombard him the moment he gets home with your problems too. Greet him with a hug and a kiss, tell him you love him and missed him. Let hem unwind and relax, give him a back rub or scratch his back. There will be plenty of time later for you both to talk about the problems of the day if needed.

8. Make time for your husband. Life can get busy taking care of a house, children, work, and whatever else you are involved in, but always make sure there is good quality time for your husband. Let him know that you need him and you need time with him.

9. Notice what he does for you. Thank him for working and providing for you and your family. Tell him that you are proud of him for things he does and who he is.

10. And number one on his list… Plan a night of intimacy just for him. Clean up the bedroom so it is calm and stress-free, light a few candles and slip into whatever it is he likes and take it from there!

10 Simple Ways to Show Your Wife You Love Her

Women love to be loved and cherished. When was the last time you did something out of the ordinary just to let your wife know that she’s loved?

First I want to start with 2 rules:
1. Don’t expect anything (Ahem… and I do mean ANYTHING) back in return for what you do for her. This is just for her! No asking or even hinting is allowed guys… sorry! What if she still decides on her own she wants to show her love for you after you do something loving for her? Well… that’s just an added bonus! Enjoy!

2. SMILE! Let her know that you are happy to be doing this for her, that loving her brings you joy!

Now that we have that taken care of, on to the tips!
1. Get her a card or write her a love note. Women LOVE this – you can’t go wrong if you really put a little time and effort into it!

2. Send or bring her flowers or chocolate. You can bring them home or even send them to her at work when she is having a bad day and include a little “I’m sorry you’re having a bad day, but I just wanted to let you know that I love you” type note. Nothing could cheer her up more than knowing that her husband loves her and cares that she is having a bad day. (And she won’t mind bragging to her coworkers about how amazing her husband is to send flowers!)

3. Plan and prepare a picnic or candlelight dinner for her depending on what she likes or what the weather will permit. (Make sure you clean up afterward!)

4. Give her a quick call during the day just to let her know that you were thinking about her and missed her.

5. Buy dry erase markers and write a little note for her on her mirror. Tell her how beautiful she is!

6. Do the dishes. Instead of heading off to the couch to watch TV after dinner, tell her that you want to show her that you love her by doing the dishes while she goes and relaxes for a while.

7. Turn off the TV. Give her a little time and attention. Women love to talk and it would mean a lot if you would listen to her and talk to her about what is important to her.

8. Watch a “chick flick” or whatever she likes with her. Sure it may seem pretty dumb to you, but just think, she probably feels the same way about Sports Center or some of the other things you like to watch.

9. Get the kids ready for bed. This is especially a wonderful way to show your wife that you love her if you have young kids that require a lot of hands on work to get them ready for bed. She will be thrilled if you smile and tell her that you love her and want to give her the chance to relax tonight while you get the kids ready for bed. Just think, you get to come home from work, but a mother’s work is never done. A little break would be very welcome!

10. Give her a back rub. Make it nice and long. Use massage oils or whatever she likes, and just in case you forgot, remember, rule #1 still applies! :)