How To Slack Off From Chores?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines chore as a routine task or job of a household or farm and a difficult or disagreeable task such as doing taxes. I like their later definition because it fits into most people's views about chores. Doing or receiving chores in an integral part of our life and for some of us it begins from the ripe old age of two.

Before I delve deep into chores let me first define the two classes of chores. The first type is the manual labor we do to meet our basic needs like food and shelter. The second type is the one created by modern world like tax filing, bill payments, email overload, career, shopping and the so-called friendly get-together with in-laws and the PTA.

For the first type we have a long way since the dinosaurs roamed the earth with packaged foods and prefabricated homes so most of us do not have to worry about these, at least in the part of the world I live in. I will try to address more about this type in another article.

As far as the second type is concerned what most of us do not know is that the same modern age that created some of these necessary evils also has solutions to address them. Here are some of the steps you can take to reduce or virtually eliminate some of them:

Tax Filing: It is a lot easier these days to file taxes online or electronically. However, the tricky part is the expenses you need to stay organized on so you can file and get the most returns. In order, to do this effectively try using separate credit cards to track separate expenses. These days most of us have several credit cards that can be put to work, such as, I track my personal expenses and my newborn's expense using separate credit cards. So at the end of the year, it is very easy for me to file claims appropriately.

Bill Payments: Almost all banks offer this service for free. Save some stamps and trees by paying bills online. You can also set reminders or auto-deduction, which you can cancel any time.

Email Overload: This can really be a chore to keep in touch with each friend for routine updates like how your baby, plants, pets, hair or whatever it is that you or your friends are growing. Try Facebook.com, which really makes friends management really easy without the email overload. If you are really finding that you need a secret team, then you can create private groups with friends that deserve your special attention.

Career: For those who work as non-farm labor, technology has made managing our career a lot easier through LinkedIn.com. With cool features like resume builder using your profile, customized news feed and event lists for your profession and numerous groups take out the mundane aspects of managing your career.

Shopping: Most do not like shopping at full price and not to mention the humiliation if you paid more than your neighbor Jones for the same item. Once again, you have the technology to your rescue with online tools like Pricegrabber.com and Eventbin.com shopping with price comparisons and coupons have never been this easy.

Get-together with In-laws and PTA: Last, but not the least, though I cannot help you avoid your next meeting with in-laws and PTA, I can certainly make it slightly easier for you by pointing you to tools like Tripit.com that makes itinerary management a breeze and Evite.com that liberates you from making phone calls, sending emails and checking on your RSVP list.

So there you have it, slack off on as many chores as possible by delegating them to online virtual assistants for free.

I am a geek and constantly on the lookout to make lives easier using technology. I blog at discount-diary.com.

So How to Plan The Perfect Baby Shower?

The first step of planning this party involves the conversation with the mommy to be. This will help the individual to make the guest list for this celebration. One will get an idea about the people who should be invited to this celebration. There is nothing wrong if mom to be wants to invite men or some children. Usually the baby shower guest list includes only women, but inviting daddy to be with his friends is also acceptable, and a great idea too. Co-ed showers are more common these days. There are many games and themes now with co-ed in mind.

To plan the perfect shower, it is also necessary that one makes the budget right after the comprised list of guests. This is again an individual choice on how much one wants to spend on this celebration. Things to allocate the budget of baby shower include the chair table rentals, location rentals, games, decorations, dessert, food, favors and prizes. Without breaking the bank one can also have the perfect event. To cut the costs one can cook the food herself, or can organize the get-together at someone's house.

An important thing before sending the invites to the guests is to pick a baby shower theme. This is one of the important things to look at if one wants to plan the perfect baby bash. A personal touch is added to the celebration with the selection of a themed baby shower. One can choose the theme representing the parents to be (example if daddy is a baseball fan) or according to the newborn's room decoration. To keep the glamour of the celebration it is necessary that the cake, decorations, food games, and invitations go along with the selected theme. Some of the famous fun theme ideas are English tea party, western, black and white, and many others.

Once the theme has been set, appropriate decorations should be used for the decoration of the celebration. This can include colorful streamers, posters, banners, balloons, and many other festive things. The cake and the center table should also go along with the chosen theme. For an English Tea Party one can serve finger sandwiches, and scones. Again it's the individual's choice on how she wants this party to be celebrated, so this might include games or not. But remember that adding games to the party always increases the fun, passes the time (so guests won't get bored) and they are always memorable.

Planning does take some work but remember that the expectant mother will always cherish that moment spending time with her family and friends. So hopefully with these simple tips this has become easy for everyone to plan the perfect baby shower while staying within the budget.

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Plan a Winning Family Reunion

The family reunion has become a tradition of summer. They've evolved beyond picnics, to include week-end celebrations, and week-long cruises. These days reunions may bring biological kin to the table or the reunion may be a non-traditional gathering of unrelated "cousins" sharing the bond of community and common interests.

For those planning a reunion compare it to training for a sports event. You need a game plan, patience and stamina, positive energy and an energetic team willing to carry the baton when called upon. And you'll need identifying family garb-the t-shirt. As the primary organizer aka team captain, you draft the overall game plan which should include elements of the following tasks and assignments delegating some aspect of the tasks to the reunion team. You may not need each of these, but most likely you'll want to create committees or sub-teams to tackle this list.

• Site Selection
• Budget or Finance
• Fundraising
• Correspondence and communication
• T-shirts
• Programming & activities
• Family history
• Food or Catering
• Setup and Breakdown

In training for any event, you need to be in shape-exercise regularly. Thirty minutes of daily exercise stimulates chemicals in the brain that can leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. Regular exercise can minimize stress, boost energy, improve stamina and sleep, and help maintain a healthy weight. You don't want snacks served at reunion planning meetings turning into chips on the hips!

Planning meetings need snacks and this is a good time to test snack choices for the actual reunion. In just about every family or group, there are folks with health concerns that may need special consideration when it comes to planning meals. Try to avoid high-salt and high-sugar options. For snacks choose traditional potato or tortilla chips and baked chips too. Include fresh fruit-apples, oranges, and bananas, they are high in vitamins, and fiber which will fill you up without a lot of calories.

When the reunion includes tours or extended activities create a snack pack for everyone. Include single-serve boxed raisins, a handful of nuts (1-2- ozs.), or peanut butter-filled crackers plus 8 to 10(ozs.) of bottled water to help people stay energized and hydrated

As you plan menus, this is a good time to look at family health issues, choosing dishes that include healthful ingredients. Most often during reunions the emphasis is placed on ancestor searches, old wives tales and family heritage, but it is very important to include family medical history in these anecdotal conversations. Family members need to know when diseases run in the family, and of those affecting the relatives if they are lifestyle related or genetic. Family medical history is an important aspect of the family legacy and the knowledge can be life-saving.

Once you pull the team together and outline the "To Do" list with a couple of tasks that may require voluntold action, you're almost home safe. Collect family sizes to order the t-shirts and the reunion team is ready to hit the road.

The take-away: Family reunions create opportunities to reconnect and fellowship with immediate and extended family members-put the time to good use learning about any recurring ailments, and medical history along with the traditional family lore.

Michelle J. Stewart MPH, RDLD/N, CDE is an experienced food and nutrition communication expert specializing in wellness with a holistic approach to living your best life. Michelle has been leading the way to a healthier you for more than 25 years. She is zealous when it comes to wellness from the inside out and empowering whomever she comes in contact with to take charge of their health and wellbeing. Her motto is "EAT LESS MOVE MORE" Sign up for her Free Report 10 Weight Loss Tips for Life when you visit http://thenutritionplanner.com

5 Tips For Proper Window Maintenance

Windows enhance any room by bringing natural light and ventilation but they can be starting point for disaster. Don't let your windows be neglected because they can allow pests, weather and other damaging elements to enter your home. To keep from disaster, develop a regular schedule of checking and performing maintenance on your windows. Maintenance is easy if you are consistent.

So, what type of maintenance should you focus on? There are several things you can do at a low price that will enhance your windows and prevent damage of the window and surrounding areas. Let's take a look at 5 tips you can use to maintain your windows:

-Are your windows sealed from water damage? As weather continues to beat your house and windows, the seal becomes less and less effective. So, it's important that you check the seal around your windows and maintain it. Use caulk to seal areas around the window frame, especially on the exterior. Even if a certain area doesn't look bad, it doesn't hurt to make sure and add some extra caulk to seal the area.

-Use weatherstripping around the movable parts of your window, if you haven't already. Especially at the base where a window opens and closes. Make sure these areas have weatherstripping to prevent moisture, pests and outside air from entering your home. When you weatherstrip these areas, you will begin to see an increase in your power bill. It may not be large but you will save because outside air is being kept out. Weatherstripping doesn't have to be replace often as long as you keep it in good condition.

-Check the framing of your windows. Are frames cracked? If so, it might be time to replace the entire frame or to get your tools and fix the frame. The frame of a window is an important component because it also keeps moisture, pests and outside air from entering your home. To maintain window frames, simply remove areas that are rotted, molded and cracked and fill the areas with a wood epoxy. You can also use bleach to cleanse the wood and remove areas of mold.

-Check for cracked glass and replace glass as needed. Glass is more difficult to fix, so it's better to replace it completely.

-Do a quick paint of your window frames every year to keep frames intact, sealed and protected, and looking nice. This is a small way to keep your windows updated and protected.

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The Secret to Getting Along With Your Neighbors

If you live in an apartment building like I do, you of course have to put up with neighbors that are in close quarters to you. After all, if you live in an apartment, your neighbors are kind of like roommates you see every now and then without having to share a bathroom with them. There are ways of happily coexisting with them that don't take a lot of effort. I like to be friendly with my neighbors but not all up in their business and I don't want them in mine. These are just a few simple guidelines to follow.

You should first start off by introducing yourself early on. If you are just moving in, it's a good idea to introduce yourself to your neighbors as you see or run into them. If you already live there and they are just moving in you should say hi but let them get settled in first. It's usually a good idea to do some casual observing as to how close you want to get to your neighbors. Feel them out per se to see if you would want them in your life. It's usually easy to make friend's with your neighbors but can be awkward to "unfriend" a neighbor because you have to see them frequently.

If you're not the social type and your new neighbor is asking you to walk their giraffe, then you might want to pull back on the relationship. If you don't mind helping people and having them in your day-to-day routine, then by all means take them up on it. It's basically about respect for each other's privacy. No one likes a Mrs. Kravitz living near them telling the landlord all your comings and goings. However, a neighbor like that can be good. One place I lived we had a nosey woman that lived across the street. We were at work one day and a truck had pulled up to our house. The men inside broke into our house and apparently thought they were at an Estate Sale and started emptying our house. Well our nosey neighbor knew that looked suspicious and called the police and the two men were apprehended right there and then. Thank you Doris!

No one wants to hear loud music or television at midnight so you must have respect for your neighbors and keep the noise level down later at night. Hopefully your neighbors will do the same. If not I've found just going over and knocking on the door and asking politely to turn down the volume usually works. A lot of the time other people don't realize how loud the sound is. When ever I am having a party I always invite all the surrounding neighbors. Not only is this a neighborly thing to do, but now they are aware that I am having friends over on such and such date and they are welcome to come as well or if not, they can make other plans to be away so the noise won't bother them.

Basically, it's all about putting yourself in your neighbor's shoes and act the way you would want them to act. Be mindful of keeping your area clean and presentable. Keep the noise level down. Respect each other's privacy and boundaries. If you follow these few easy rules, you should be able to live in peace and harmony in your neighborhood.

Online Classified Ads Save Time

For anyone looking to buy or sell anything using online classified ads is one of the best ways to go. You can go through the classified ads in your local newspaper, but you must remember that in order to get your ad in the newspaper, the seller must pay to have the ad placed. With online ads, the majority of the sites do not charge the seller or the buyer any money to place an ad or view an ad. This means that more people would rather place an ad online than pay to have it in the local newspaper.

Another great reason to use classified ads as a seller is that more people will view the ad which means you will also have better chances of selling the item. When you place an ad online it will be viewed by more people than it does in a local newspaper which can be a huge benefit if you are selling a big ticket item such as home, car, or even a computer. For those looking for such items, traveling a long way from home is not a huge problem.

How does it save time to use classified ads?

For sellers, it is much easier to add their items to an online classified ad website than it is to order an ad online. Online all you have to do is add the information and you are finished. Your ad will be published and you just wait for the calls or emails to come in. If you are buying an ad in a newspaper you will need to call them, pay for the ad, and then wait until the paper is printed before you start getting calls.

For those looking to buy, there are usually more ads online than in the local newspaper. This means they will be able to see more ads from all across the area selling the items they are looking for which will certainly save time. You may be able to find more than one person selling the items you want which allows you to compare prices and features of the items and get the best deal ever.

Classified ads online are normally divided so you can find all the items you want instead of searching through the entire selling products. Too many times, in a newspaper the category are not divided so you can easily find the exact items you need, whereas online the categories are usually very exact so you will be able to save more time looking online than scouring through several newspapers for the best deal.

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Advantages of Stainless Steel Food Storage Containers for Litterless Lunches

Good habits form early in life, and as an environmentally aware parent, you are probably always looking for ways to educate your children about the need to "reduce, reuse and recycle". One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is to plan for litterless lunches and snacks that produce no garbage other than, say, an apple core that can be brought back home and composted. Food containers are also brought back home, washed, and reused for the next day, producing no litter for your school or workplace.

While your first thought may be to turn to your stash of plastic containers passed down from your mother's kitchen to yours, think again. Plastic containers may work well to replace the litter created by plastic wrap and sandwich bags, but stainless steel is a much better and more eco-friendly alternative with several important advantages over plastic or even glass, especially when it comes to food storage and food safety.

• Plastics can leach harmful chemicals into your food. Stainless steel is safe, non-toxic and non-reactive to even acidic foods (such as tomatoes). The safety and health of your family may be the most important reason you switch to stainless steel food storage.

• Stainless steel is, well, stainless. Your plastic containers will discolour and stain with use. While steel can scratch, it will always look clean if it is well cleaned.

• Steel does not break. Perhaps your stainless steel container may dent if dropped on a hard surface, but it will not shatter or chip the way glass can, or crack the way plastic might.

• Steel is a very hygienic material. Steel is not a hospitable environment for harbouring or encouraging the growth of bacteria. It will also not transfer odours, which is a common complaint about plastic containers.

• Stainless steel food containers can be airtight and leak-proof. Using locking clips and silicone seals similar to those found in plastic or glass containers, some stainless steel containers are also airtight and leak-proof, perfect for transporting yogurt, salsa or dip.

• Steel is durable and long-lasting. While steel containers can cost two or three times more than comparable plastic ones, given how stain-resistant, hygienic and unbreakable they are, they will easily outlast your plastic containers proving that the initial investment was well worth the money. And as an added bonus, you know they will be safe to pass down to your children!

• Steel is highly recyclable. Steel is a very sustainable material and the products you purchase will most likely have at least 75% recycled scrap steel content. And if you decide for some reason that you do not want the product anymore, it can be endlessly recycled. In contrast, most plastic food storage containers are not accepted into municipal recycling programs.

So start replacing your old plastic containers with stainless steel food storage containers. You will feel better about helping to preserve the health of our planet if you are also helping to preserve the health of your family.

Cynthia L. is owner of pure | simple LIVING, an online boutique that offers smart eco-friendly options that are good for your family and gentle on the earth. Visit http://www.puresimpleliving.ca to see how our full range of sustainable products, including stainless steel food storage, organic cotton bath towels and natural laundry detergents, can complement your eco-friendly lifestyle.