Keep Your Kids Busy With These Suggestions

By Alix Montoya

Are you having troubles keeping your kids at bay while you're writing that important report you need for the office? Fret no more because the following suggestions are a sure way to keep them busy for hours on end and get them away from the cramming parent:

-Suggest a hobby. You need to find out what exactly does your kids enjoy doing and you need to make sure that they keep doing it. Get them a hobby kit like beads and some strings to get them started making bracelets for themselves. Or, if they're a little bit older, arrange for a scrapbooking kit for them that would sure keep them off your back for a very long time.

-Let them play outside with friends. Good old fashioned games that promote good health and social skills like tag or hide-and-seek are considerably more preferable than to just have them play hours on the videogame or having them watch endless television programs that teach nothing. Make sure that you remain in the area for quick assistance in case of anything, though.

-Scavenger hunt. Yes, a scavenger hunt is actually a great way to teach your kids plenty of lessons while you take a few moments alone for yourself. Of course, you have to prepare for the scavenger hunt very well for this will surely challenge the kids and have them become more engaged with the game.

-Have them help you. If you can't beat them, let them join you. If you're doing something that you can find a way for your child to participate then it's a good way for them to learn more about you and feel involved in family matters. It helps them make mature decisions by observing how you make decisions for the family.

-Provide rewards for a job well done. Rewards a great way to encourage good behaviour. And you have to make sure that a remarkable job must be reciprocated with a reasonable reward. Just be careful not to spoin your child with luxurious promises like a trip to Disney Land for something as simple as walking the dog.

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Searching for fun family activities for everyone? Be the first to know. Learn more fun family activities and start spending time with your kids now.

Christmas Gift Hampers and Corporate Christmas Gift Baskets

By Juliette Crane

In the Scottish tradition I decided to make Christmas food hampers for my friends, family and work colleagues this year. This may seem like a lot of work but it really isn't if you have your technique down pat. The Scottish Christmas food hampers have been around for generations but it has never been so easy to create them as it is now. Corporate Christmas gift baskets are one type of these. And yes, hampers and baskets are pretty much two different words for the same thing.

I made a few some years back and I found the process to be exhausting. The two Christmas food hampers that I made were not well thought out and I just didn't have the organizational skill to make the best use of my time and efforts. I thought that my days of making Christmas food hampers for the holidays were over before they really began.

I have been fortunate to have wonderful memories of Christmas' past. My family had many wonderful traditions involving gift giving, baking, visiting relatives and friends and of course attending religious services. Now that I am an adult I continue to see Christmas as a magical time.

First of all, you want to choose the containers for the Christmas food hampers. There are typically three kinds of containers available. One is a lovely box that looks like a wrapped present. There is a postal box that is quite plain and more utilitarian in looks. Then there is my personal favorite; the picnic basket.

Now I continue to give Christmas gift baskets because the recipients look forward to the homemade goodies they contain. Because not having funds is not longer a factor for me I use the best ingredients in my food items and high quality materials in the craft items.

The world traveler on your list will be happy to receive a variety of exotic imported foods. Check out a cheese shop for unusual quality cheeses. Add some ethnic foods, such as German sausage, Italian pesto, French champagne and Indian condiments.

Herbal seasonings and natural remedies are very popular now. Go to a bookstore or library and get a book of seasoning recipes. Visit an herb store to purchase your selected ingredients. The party store or craft shop can furnish attractive small bags or spice jars to contain your creations. Buy or make labels for each container, with a short description of compatible dishes. For example, "Excellent with potato salad, omelets or salad." Many common culinary herbs have medicinal value. Rosemary and garlic are good for your heart. Thyme is a natural antibiotic and antiseptic. Ask at the herb store to learn which of your selected herbs has medicinal value. Take notes. This Christmas gift food basket idea is a good choice for a cook or health-conscious recipient

I feel like I am giving part of myself in each gift that I give. Also I do not have to fight crowds and full parking lots. The making of the gifts are my year long past time.

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Thinking about Christmas gifts? For Christmas gifts for women and Christmas gift ideas for husband go to Your-Christmas-Gift-Idea.com

Unlimited Body Treatments from Massage Chair Recliners

By James Knolan

One of the most pleasurable and relaxing experiences is getting a whole body massage. All the built up tensions, anxieties and stresses start to melt away as the massage is performed. When people think of massages, they think of a massage therapist working them over little by little to calm and relaxing music. There is something very special about a massage from a trained specialist. Another effective alternative to a massage therapist is a massage chair.

Interestingly, most people think of a massage chair as a luxury. In some cases it certainly is a luxury. However, the impression people have is that massage chairs are expensive. And they are right if you only look at the price tag and not the lifetime value of the massage chair. A massage chair is actually the most cost effective massage treatment available. It can run as little as a dollar a day and no tip required. Now, most people think massage recliners just massage your back. In reality, massage chairs perform whole body massages.

Take for example, the Panasonic Real Pro Ultra. Their model EP30004 can massage your whole body and not just your back. Besides having hundreds of massage options for your back, it also can massage your arms, hands, hips, buttocks, calves and feet. The Real Pro Ultra uses an air compression massage system for the lower body which delivers a soothing and relieving lower body massage.

Create the spa environment in your own home. Omega introduces its Montage Premier massage chair that comes with an MP3 Player. Put on the headphones and hit the music synchronization button and the massage movements are orchestrated to the rhythm of your music. This fascinating technology provides for a total immersion environment as your mind clears out and your body soon follows. You will certainly drift off to higher levels of comfort and relaxation.

We are simply amazed at the dizzying pace of innovation with respect to massage chairs. In just a few short years, these recliners moved from doing back and shoulder massage to whole body massage. The level of sophistication of the mechanical movements makes for very fine kneading massage possible. The integration of air compression technology enabled air compression massage to be applied to all the major parts of the body. The continuing advance of software programs and scanning technology allow for more precise location of areas to automatically target for relief.

The gap between massage therapist and massage chair is decreasing at a faster rate. Technology is driving the sophistication of the massage therapies that can be delivered. These technologies are literally enveloping the whole body with effective massage therapy. These massage recliner companies keep applying more and more knowledge to their software. Many massage techniques can be integrated into massage recliners with software programs. They can control the movements, durations, sensations and many other factors all simultaneously. There are some amazing sensations which provide effect relief from tightness or soreness. Imagine having a tireless mechanical masseuse at your disposal 24/7. Having a full body massage can work wonders on your perspective of the world. Come home and plop in the recliner. Slip on the headphones and let the massage chair recliner ease your aches and pains.

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Research all the best massage chair recliners available now. Shop our selection of top name brands like Sanyo, Omega, Panasonic and Human Touch. If you are looking for a massage chair recliner, then you will find it here.

The Sand Water Filter and Your Path to Good, Safe Drinking Water

By David Eastham

Good, safe drinking water in the U.S. starts with a sand water filter. I say this because using sand as a filter medium is often used as one of the first steps in purifying the water produced by our water treatments plants. Bacteria, viruses, parasites, etc, are controlled in the next step by the addition of chlorine and, usually, fluoride is then added to aid in controlling tooth decay in children. We will look at what is being added to our water supplies in these treatment plants and how safe the resulting water is for us to drink.

Many of the water treatment plants use a sand water filter to remove the larger particulate debris from the water. In order to aid in the removal of some of the smaller particles during this procedure, flocculants are often added, these are polyexectrolytes that entice the smaller debris to cling together.

Well, we know how the water utilities start to clean our water and what they add to it, so, let's see what comes into our homes.

1. Chlorine - A deadly poison to start with, but it morphs into even more deadly forms by the time it reaches our homes. These chlorine byproducts are called THMs (trihalomethanes) and they are formed when chlorine combines with organic matter in the water. Some treatment plants are now using less chlorine by adding ammonia to the mix, claiming it is safer. While it is true, there are fewer THMs produced with the chlorine- ammonia mix, new chemicals compounds are being produced as well, having, as yet, unknown toxicities.

2. Fluoride - You may know fluoride is poisonous, but did you know it is more poisonous than lead, if swallowed, and only slightly less poisonous than arsenic? Water treatment plants can have up to 4,000 parts per billion (ppb) of fluoride in the water, but they are only allowed a maximum of 15 ppb of arsenic and 50 ppb of lead. Does that make any sense to you since fluoride falls between lead and arsenic in toxicity? Have you ever read the warning on the label of a tube of fluoride toothpaste? It tells you a child less than six years old who eats some of the toothpaste, a piece about the size of a single, shelled peanut, likely will have a deadly serious problem!

3. Polyelectrolytes - Although some of these flocculants have been found to cause genetic mutations and have been banned in other countries, and EPA scientists have said they are likely carcinogens, they are still allowed to be used in the U.S. by the EPA.

What is our health risk when drinking tap water with this toxic mix? We know the risk of developing cancer is 93% greater for people who drink chlorinated water than for those who do not. And we know drinking chlorinated water leads to heart disease. But, what is the risk when the poisons above combine with one another or with the thousands of other toxic pollutants that have been found in our water supplies throughout the U.S?

No one knows. We can only rely on our common sense, and common sense tells us we will likely be healthier if we reduce our health risk by not ingesting, or bathing in, these toxins. Common sense also tells us we can likely reduce our body's toxic load by flushing out any existing toxins by drinking good, safe water.

We see a sand water filter is a start toward good, safe water but there is more to be done. There is the need to protect ourselves and our families by filtering these toxins out of our water before we or our families drink it or bathe in it. It is just good, common sense.

About the Author:

David Eastham has done comprehensive research on such topics as sand water filtration to find the best method of providing good, clean drinking water. Follow him for his picks as the best dollar for dollar buys, and the best products overall, in water filtration systems.

Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes

By Peter Hallway

Thanksgiving features food. The Pilgrims worked hard to make the new world their home, and this was their celebration. It's a pretty standard menu. The table is jammed with turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings. History aside, families also like to get everyone together in one room. But just like the colors of the leaves, Thanksgiving dinner recipes can be an amazing variety.

How about this recipe for a delightful appetizer? Move the pumpkin from the pie to the soup. Heat a tablespoon each of oil and butter over medium heat. Add leaks to saute, only the white portion, until soft. Now throw in some pumpkin puree along with cloves, cinnamon, ground ginger and some salt. Stir that until well mixed, then pour in 32 ounces of vegetable broth. Stir in one quarter cup of brown sugar. Bring it to a low boil then let it simmer for 1 minutes. Cream or half and half are optional, along with a pinch of cinnamon on top of each bowl. Mmmm boy that's delicious.

A turkey can be fried instead of broiled. Don't worry, fried turkey isn't greasy. The oil can't penetrate the skin after the hot oil sears it. Get a big drum and a propane burner, otherwise known as a deep fryer.Check the meat with a meat thermometer and the oil temperature with an oil thermometer. Hot oil may spatter so do this in an open outdoor space. Heat the oil to between 325 degrees and 35 degrees F. Cook it for 3 minutes per pound, until the breast is 17F. Dressing isn't fried inside the turkey, but spices can be injected into it.

Try hazelnut pumpkin soup or a butternut squash stuffing. Other appetizer possibilities also available. Try something different like cheese wrapped asparagus. This calls for both a sliced cheese and a soft cheese spread. A blue cheese spread over slices of swiss can be good. Wrap the asparagus with the slices spread with the soft cheese, then bake until tender at 23C.

Ok, this way asparagus isn't healthy. Thanksgiving not happens everyday, so why not have a little bit time to put aside diet routine for a while

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Learn more about Thaksgiving Dinner Recipes. Please visit this Dinner Ideas site by clicking the links provided to find more articles and resources.

Enjoy Gardening In A Window Box

By Kent Higgins

Many people assume that gardening would simply take too much work. After all, it requires cultivating the soil, adding bags of smelly manure and mulch, and daily weeding and watering, right? Actually, if you garden on a small scale, it can be quite easy.

You can even start a garden in a window box. The installation and planting will only take a few hours, and window boxes only require a few minutes of care.

You can surely find a window box to fit the style of your home. They come in a wide range of materials and styles, available at nurseries or garden centers. If you have a rustic or country-style home, look for a cedar or pine window box. If your home is more formal, consider a wrought iron window box, or a resin box made to look like finished stone. For gardeners on a budget, look at molded plastic boxes. They come in many colors, and will look great once they are overflowing with beautiful plants.

Next, you'll need to install the brackets for your window box. This is much simpler than it sounds. In fact, the whole job should take just ten to fifteen minutes of your time. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to make sure you are installing the brackets correctly. If you don't fasten them right, your beautiful window box could suddenly fall off the wall.

Now, you'll need to choose the plants for your box. If you want a colorful display, choose flowering plants. If you want fresh vegetables without cultivating a large vegetable garden, you can also choose vegetable plants. If you enjoy cooking, try growing an herb garden in your window box. There are also many beautiful plants that can add greenery to your home. The key is to choose plants that will thrive in a window box environment.

If you decide to go with flowering plants, there are a few popular choices. Geraniums, marigolds, and petunias all provide large, colorful blooms during a long season. Carnations, smaller dahlias, and pansies also grow well in window boxes. Don't forget to mix your flowering plants in with a few that provide green foliage for contrast. Hostas, Dusty Miller, and sweet potato vines will provide interesting foliage to mix in with your flowers.

If you want to grow vegetables in your window box, consider lettuce, cabbage, spinach, onions, carrots, or peas. All of these varieties should do well in a window box environment. You can also consider small varieties of tomatoes, if you have a trellis to support them.

Nearly every herb and other houseplants such as indoor ferns, you can buy at a garden center will grow well in a window box. From an Italian themed herb garden with oregano, basil, and parsley, to a potpourri window box with lavender, lemon grass, and rosemary, growing herbs in a window box gives you many choices. Several other herbs you can grow include sage, thyme, and rosemary, which go well on fish or chicken dishes or even with boston ferns.

Once you have chosen the plants, it's time to plant them. Mix water retaining crystals into some potting soil. The crystals will help keep your plants from drying out, making watering them an easier task. Now fill your window box with potting soil, stopping a few inches from the top. Then, carefully place your plants in the soil, and fill in the empty spaces around the roots. Now, gently tamp down the soil, and water them thoroughly. Now you're ready to enjoy your new garden!

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Can't always get what you want, you can find what you need on boston ferns. Click on the link to visit http://www.plant-care.com/boston-fern.html.

Kodak EasyShare P720 Digital Picture Frame with Home Decor Kit

By James Hayden Rayburn

I have the perfect present for my husband! I was online when I saw Kodak EasyShare P720 Digital Picture Frame with Home Dcor Kit. It's so innovative and has a set of features that I knew my husband would love! Plus it also comes with accessories to enhance your home interiors!

EasyShare P720 digital picture frames have a Quick touch border feature in which you can operate on the frame with your finger tips, without smudging or leaving fingerprints on the picture. You can easily transfer your favorite pictures and slide shows from your PC to your P720 in addition to organizing and editing them. Just to try out this feature, I transferred my son's birthday party snaps from my PC to the P720 Digital picture frame, and it was done without any hassles! More over the birthday snaps looked absolutely beautiful in the P720. The images are displayed in High Definition (HD) format and the 7 inch (17.8 cms) screen uses the Kodak color science delivering clear and vibrant images with crisp details which makes your pictures look realistic.

The touch panel on the frame illuminates yellow lights telling you exactly where to touch, making it comprehensible. The drag and drop feature is very handy to transfer pictures for slide shows. It is so simple, not at all complex! My son has transferred so many pictures from our PC to the P720, without any difficulty.

Kodak EasyShare P720 Digital Picture Frames comes with a home dcor kit so that you could customize the frame which would compliment your Home dcor. The kit includes two decorative mattes in Cranberry Red and Silver. If these shades don't go with your interiors, you can choose from the optional face plates. They are available in Mahogany in gold matte, Silver in blue matte, Black shadowbox in champagne matte and Espresso in black matte. It's easy to change, just snap the faceplates onto the frame and choose the shades to suit your home interior.

It also has an automatic on/off setting to select your viewing hours. You can create multimedia slideshows on your PC with pictures, videos and music and easily transfer them to your frame. You can easily browse through your albums. It also has a convenient drag and drop feature which makes it simpler to transfer pictures for slide shows

Kodak EasyShare P720 includes a memory card or USB flash drives, which helps you to view your pictures as soon as you've transferred them into the frame. It also has an automatic on/off setting. The additional features like copy, delete thumbnail or print makes the digital frame even more user-friendly.

This super-modern picture frames makes your home dcor stylish. They not only look good at home, but you can use them everywhere there is a need for cool pictures. For $129.88 it's a very innovative product any anytime better than the usual traditional frames.

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Interested in Kodak EasyShare P720 Digital Picture Frame? We have found the best price online. Go Now. Want to know the Top 10 Christmas Presents 2008 ? Go see our updated list of Christmas presents

Water Filters those Frequently Asked Questions

By Dewey Finn

The water filter industry is thriving. And just so you can make an informed decision when you buy a water purification system, we've put together the top water filter questions to guide you along the way.

Why shouldn't I drink tap water? There are still many people who have enough faith in their community water filtration system to feel comfortable drinking their tap water. But that number is quickly decreasing, as public awareness increases. Water testing has shown all kinds of invisible foreign bodies in our drinking water.

If you could see what the lab technicians see under their microscopes, you'd probably run for your life. Or at least, you'd immediately stop drinking tap water. There are some major menaces lurking in there that could make you very sick, or even kill you!

You need to be aware that there are pathogens in your water. That's the name given to the three types of disease-causing microbes. Those three types are: Protozoa, which includes giardia and cryptosporidium (even the names sound scary); bacteria, like the infamous E. coli; and viruses, like hepatitis. Now do you want to be pouring that into your body? Probably not!

If I'm concerned about water purity, can't I just buy bottled water? Bottled water is a huge industry, now that it's clear that our water is anything but clear. But, like most industries, there's the good and the bad. There's a lot of bottled water available that's only partially filtered, so there could still be some contaminants in it.

If you're really concerned about safe drinking water, make sure you buy a well-known brand that proves to be pure.

Is boiling my water enough to remove contaminants? By boiling your water for a couple of minutes, you'll eliminate many of the E. coli, giardia, crypto, and other such organisms. But it won't remove any of the harmful metals. In fact, as the water evaporates, the metals become even stronger.

Your best bet is to use a home water filter. It's much easier than constantly boiling water, and it's definitely much safer and much more effective.

How do I know what kind of water filter to buy? There are several water filtration systems available. They all do an adequate job of purifying your water. You just have to decide which one suits your water use and lifestyle the best.

You can get a water jug, with a filter, or you can get a filter that fits onto your tap. You can also get an in-line filter that's mounted on your counter. This type is connected directly to your cold water supply. Or you can get one that's installed under your sink, with its own independent tap.

Which water filtration system works the best? All home reverse osmosis water filters work well. They do what they're designed to do. Again, it depends on your use and preferences. A water filtration system forces water through a material, called a media, that allows the water through, but not the impurities.

Or you can use the distillation method, which is, simply put, boiling the impurities out of the water. This is very effective, but you have to pay for the power to run them, and you also have to de-scale them periodically.

The other method, which is also very effective, is called reverse osmosis. This is a very thorough method which goes through several stages in filtering the water. The end result is very pure water, but not all the water that goes into the system comes out clean. There's a certain amount of waste - the water that carries all the impurities. That goes down the drain.

Is reverse osmosis better than other water filtrations systems? To decide if reverse osmosis is better than other methods, you have to define "better". It's probably the most efficient system as far as removing impurities. However, it does have some disadvantages.

Because the system is so thorough, it takes more time, and uses more water. So you need a holding tank - that's extra equipment, which usually means extra money. Also, it doesn't work well with hard water, so you need to be living in a soft water area. And you need to have a minimum water pressure of 50 psi to operate the system.

How long will my filters last? Obviously, some filters last longer than others. It depends on which water treatment system you're using. If you have a water filter jug, then the average use for one filter is about three months. But if you go through a lot of water, like if you have a large family, you may have to change your filter every month.

Usually, the general rule is, the larger the filter, the longer it lasts. You need to check out your owner's manual for specifics. It's important to remember that you should always change your filter within the suggested times. If you drink water that's been passed through an expired filter, you may as well not use it at all because it's full of contaminants that have already been filtered out.

What type of contaminants do water filters remove? Water filters are designed to improve the taste and odor of the water. Nobody likes to drink water that tastes of chlorine, so that's one of the most important things that are filtered out. Metals, like copper and lead, are also eliminated.

And, of course, we need to get rid of the bacteria - those giardia and cryptosporidium that can be so harmful, or even fatal.

Why would I need a whole house filtration system? Filtering your drinking water is half the battle, but it's not the whole war. Bacteria isn't transferred only by drinking - you can also pass it on by hand, with the water you use in the rest of your house for washing the dishes, washing your hands, etc.

Whole house water filters do a great job of removing the chlorine and other bad tastes and odors, along with the other impurities you don't want to come into contact with. These filters are hooked up to your main water line into the house, so nothing gets by them. Another great benefit is that you can purify about 100,000 gallons of water before you have to change the filter.

Where's the best place to buy water filters? Because water purifiers are so popular these days, there are many manufacturers and distributors vying for your business. So the best place shop for your home water filters is on the Internet.

That way, you can get all the information you need, including the best prices, and the most beneficial features, without leaving the comfort of your home.

We all want to drink water that looks clear, not cloudy, and that has no bad taste or odor. And we all want to wash with water that has no bacteria or viruses. And that's why water filters are the way to go.

We'll suggest a couple of the many distributors of fine water filters. Check out these brands: Nikken PiMag Water Systems, Aqua Gold, or Richard Simmons' Pure To Go Personal Water Filter System.

There are many more, and you can see all the online water filter merchants right there, and decide which one is best for you. I'll drink to that!

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In times like these it is easy to see why so many people like yourself are interested in Nikken Pi water filtration systems. Drop by today at http://www.water-purification-filters.com/benefits-of-drinking-water.html