Thursday, April 8, 2010

Wire Dog Crates - Providing Safety and Security For Your Puppy

When it comes to becoming a new puppy owner, there is no way to express the importance of being prepared when it comes to the different types of supplies that you need in order to properly care for your new puppy when you bring him home. Popular items that many new puppy owners find themselves purchasing are wire dog crates, and more. Wire dog crates are a very effective training tool, as well as a means of providing shelter for your puppy and can help make the growing up process for your puppy much easier and more comfortable at the same time.

Wire dog crates have a number of benefits, perhaps the most important being that you can train your new puppy and help him learn self control while in the crate. This will help teach the puppy to have self control as he grows up. Eventually, your puppy will not have to remain in the crate because he has learned how to control himself in a way that does not cause disruption in your home. Dogs are often forced to spend long periods of time in a crate which teaches them the important lesson of self control. Preparing them for the times when they'll have to spend multiple hours in a crate will make it easier for them as they grow up. Once you feel that your dog is capable of spending hours alone in the house, not in a crate, then you can stop the process of keeping them in a crate.

Providing a safety zone for a mother and her puppies is also a great benefit of wire dog crates, which is important especially when the puppies are still in the early stages of their lives. Puppies need constant warmth and nurturing from their mother, which can be difficult if there is no private area for them to remain separated from other pets in the house, or even humans that may want to play with the puppies. Providing this privacy to a mother and her puppies will allow them the privacy they need in order to feed, sleep, and other activities.

If you've recently become a new puppy owner and are looking for a way to provide your puppy with privacy and security from the outside world, then you may want to consider a wire dog crate which can be a very hand tool to have while your puppy is growing up.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Five Questions to Ask About Buying Natural Furniture For the Home

You're ready for a home makeover, but you're not too sure where to turn next. You've tried the heavy sectional. You've attempted to keep up with the trends. You've moved your furniture this way and that to get different looks, only to have a sore back and a worn out spirit that won't allow you to actually enjoy your handiwork. What is next? The furniture options such as wicker furniture catch your eye, but you're not sure what to expect. If you think you need a change, then first ask yourself these five questions about buying furniture for your home:

How much money and time will it cost to upkeep? Most natural furniture options such as wicker furniture are incredibly reasonable when it comes to the time and money that it takes to keep it looking and feeling its best. Most owners don't have to do a thing, especially if you are just buying for everyday use. If the idea of maintenance free furniture that is both strong and light sounds good to you, then you'll probably want to give such furniture a try.

What kind of material is best suited for interior home furniture? Wicker furniture is a great option when it comes to buying interior natural furniture. One of the main reasons for this is how durable it is without losing any of its maneuverability. However, if wicker furniture doesn't quite do the trick, there are a number of other options of high quality standards that you will certainly be able to afford. Keep looking until you find the right look and fit.

What style will it bring to my home? Many people who hesitate to purchase wicker furniture or any other type of natural furniture for their interior design needs do so because they are afraid it will not give their room(s) enough personality. This couldn't be further from the truth! Natural furniture such as wicker furniture gives your room(s) just as much personality as any trendy option, but it has a timeless appeal that holds up better over the long haul.

Are there as many options in natural furniture as there are traditional? You bet you there is! Natural furniture carries with it a variety of different materials, skill sets, and furnishing options. You can find wicker furniture living room and dining room sets as well as other high quality rattan products that will keep you furnished with years of comfort that increases your value over time. Natural furniture isn't just for sitting rooms anymore. You can use it to furnish your entire home!

Can I trust I'm getting grade-A quality natural furniture? The answer to this depends on how much research you do before you buy. You could buy a cheap knock-off from a cheap huckster or you could pay more and use a traditional retail outlet. However, there are a number of online choices that will not sacrifice your quality for cost. Just ask around and talk to others before you make a large financial commitment.

Natural furniture such as wicker furniture has been around for a long time, but that is because it is so timeless - a fact that makes it not only a home furnishing classic, but also an indisputable wave of the future!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Michael Jackson - Black Or White HD

"Black or White" is a 1991 hit single taken from Michael Jackson's Dangerous album, released in October 1991. The single is considered the biggest selling rock song of the 1990s.[citation needed] "Black or White" is a mix of rock, R&B, and dance-pop. Written, composed, and arranged by Jackson with the rap lyrics by Bill Bottrell, it is a song that promotes racial unity. The song's introduction and main riff are performed by guitarist Slash and Bill Bottrell. The song peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, as well as in 18 other countries. To prepare the audience for the special occasion of the televised premiere of the "Black or White" video, Epic Records released the song (without the accompanying images) to radio stations just two days in advance. In a period of twenty-four hours, "Black or White", described by the record company as "a rock 'n' roll dance song about racial harmony", had been added to the playlists of 96 percent of 237 of the United States of America's top forty radio stations. "Black or White" was the first single off of Dangerous, produced by Michael Jackson and Bill Bottrell, it began to be promoted on radio stations the first week of November 1991 in New York and Los Angeles. "Black or White" was officially released one week later. It was written and composed by Jackson (based on the melody for "It's All Too Much" from The Beatles Yellow Submarine) with rap lyrics by Bill Bottrell, the song's introduction and main ...

Monday, April 5, 2010

Getting to Sleep Quick - 6 Tips


Image : http://www.flickr.com


Many people have problems falling asleep at night, often because their minds keep running at full-speed even though they feel physically tired. I used to have problems falling asleep at night, but now I'm out within minutes - maybe even seconds - of the light going out. Here are six techniques that have helped me get to that point:

1) Keep a regular sleep schedule. This gets your mind and body into a routine. My light goes out somewhere between 9:45 and 10:15 pm almost every night. I know that may seem ridiculously early to some of you, but up here in northern New England people seem to go to bed and wake up earlier than other places I've lived.

2) Stay away from reading fiction before bed. I love a good novel, but fiction stimulates your imagination and does not help you relax your mind and get to sleep. Before I adopted this practice, I can't tell you how many times I'd stay awake late to finish a chapter or even a whole book. And then my mind would still be thinking about the book after I turned off the light. Now, I pick nonfiction instead. Yes, nonfiction can be interesting, but it rarely gets my mental energy going like a good thriller. Mental energy is not what you want when trying to fall asleep.

3) Take a few minutes to quiet your mind. This will help stop that ceaseless thinking. Ways to quiet your mind are: slow and deepen your breathing; think of a few things that went well with the day and be grateful for them; release the emotions attached to anything that didn't go well; stop consciously thinking about things. That last one means to stop trying to think about any issues you have, and stop consciously putting your attention on them. If something is still on your mind, write it down on a notepad next to the bed and resolve to deal with it tomorrow. This is really an important step because if you haven't released something that's bothering you before you try to go to sleep, you'll be replaying it over and over unless you have extremely good control of your thoughts.

4) Keep away from any form of caffeine after 1:00 pm in the afternoon. No coffee, decaf, tea or soda with caffeine. If you are susceptible to the effects of caffeine, it will make it harder for you to quiet your mind when you want to sleep. If I have a Coke at three in the afternoon, I'll feel tired but unable to sleep until midnight. (Another note: I can also always tell if there was MSG in my Chinese dinner because my heart will be thumping and I'll be wide awake staring at the ceiling at 1 am.)

5) Focus on your body and relax one area at a time starting at your feet. This both helps your body physically relax and helps you keep your attention on something other than your to-do list, what's going on at work, how mad you are at someone, etc...

6) Visualize walking down an endless stairwell. Keep your attention on your feet as you visualize your walking. This is similar to number 5 above. Giving your attention to something mindless and repetitive helps your brain shut down.

Those are my tips for how to fall asleep quickly at night. They work for me, and if you have a sleep problem, I hope that maybe they can work for you too.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

More Summit Jumps

I came up with a makeshift ramp that worked pretty good. Although you'll see there's a limit to how steep you should go. That's the lid to a Rubbermaid shed and the landing ramp is another part of that shed. The platform is actually the odd plastic bedframe that comes with the sleep number bed. The giant eggs are plaster Easter decorations.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Sleeping Problems In Children - How Parents Can Recognize Sleep Disorders In Children & Take Action

A recent study has shown that today's children suffer from sleeplessness and other sleeping disorders to a great extent. Sleeping problems in children have become something very common and 2 out of 10 children suffer from sleeping disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea to name a few. So, the quality of a child's sleep has become a very common concern for many parents.

The number of children brought to physicians and pediatricians in the last two years have really raised the question why today's children are suffering from such disorders. Sleep deprivation has adverse effects on the child and it can totally affect his social and moral behavior. Parents need to take the matter more seriously and find out whether their hectic lifestyle where they can give very little time to their children is one of the factors responsible for this.

Children may suffer from sleeping problems dues to many factors. Bedwetting could be one reason, as a wet bed is uncomfortable for sleep. Other reasons include going late to bed, drinking beverages containing caffeine such as coffee from a very young age, nightmares because of their exposure to horror movies.

They may also suffer from sleeping problems because of night terror due to their wild imagination from images on TV, teething or bruxism, stomach disorders, snoring or sleep apenea, ADHD, autism, stress, mental retardation, hyperactivity and anxiety, being deprived of parental care and love, discomfort of bed. Due to all these causes a precise definition of sleep disorder in children is very difficult.

Children who suffer from sleeping problems either don't sleep at all at night or sleep very little. They may sleep but not soundly. They may wake up several times at night or just try hard to bring sleep closing their eyes. It is very important to take care of such developments because sleep deprivation will usually have bad consequences. Children will be affected both physically and mentally.

Sleeping problems may make a child physically weak and he may lose weight, start showing symptoms of growth retardation, lose interest in eating and may keep to himself. The sleeplessness may disturb the mental balance of the child and may make him rude or aggressive. He will find difficulty in social bonding, will have discipline problems in school, suffer from mood swings, develop an aloof nature, show irritability, may talk in sleep, have memory loss, among the conditions.

Thus it is very essential to take immediate steps if your child complains of sleeplessness or you observe symptoms of sleeping disorders in your child. Sleeping problems in children need medical attention and parents must act according to suggestions of a physician immediately indeed.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

10 Killer Tips to Overcome Sleeplessness Without Addictive Drugs

We have all suffered from bouts of sleeplessness at one time in our lives but for many people, sleeplessness has become the norm more than the exception. Sleeplessness causes unnecessary exhaustion and has some serious implications to our health that are hard to ignore.

If you've been trying to overcome sleeplessness and haven't had much success, don't give up yet. Other than forcing the little sheep to jump over the fence and popping that sleeping pill into your mouth, there are other ways you can use to overcome sleeplessness and take a trip to dreamland.

Just follow these simple steps:

1. Regularize your sleeping habit. Your body is more prone to following a certain pattern if you set a regular rhythm. Try to establish a certain time for sleep and then go to bed on the same time each night. Set your alarm on the same time everyday, too, regardless of whether it's a weekday, a weekend or a holiday. Once your body recognizes a given pattern, it will follow your initiative and give in. . 2. Avoid alcohol before bedtime. It's best to develop a sleeping habit without resorting to outside triggers. Let sleep come from within and not as a result alcohol or pills. The increase in the number of people becoming addicted to sleeping pills is alarming. They are very addictive.

3. Keep away from stimulants. Coffee is great for breakfast but it's a bad idea to drink a cup a few hours before you go to sleep. Coffee and other stimulants like tea, nicotine or chocolates can keep your body feeling active and wide awake, so best to take them early in the day and avoid taking them before bedtime. Take warm milk instead.

4. Exercise early. If you're getting regular exercise, it's best to do it in the morning or at lunch time, not just before going to bed. Exercise helps stimulate the body, keeping you feeling refreshed and active long into the night. If you must perform a few exercises, keep to breathing and stretching routines that are slow and rhythmic.

5. Don't force it. Thinking about sleep will only make you lose sleep. If you're having trouble with sleeplessness one night, don?t try to push yourself into falling asleep because you'll only end up upset and anxious.

If your mind refuses to rest, get up and do some light chores, read a boring novel or practice light tai-chi. Avoid stimulating yourself too much and perform the activity until you feel tired and sleepy.

6. Keep daytime snoozing to a minimum. Studies have shown that 15 minutes of light naps are as restful as one-hour naps. If you must rest during the day, try to keep sleeping time short and don?t do it just a few hours before your actual bedtime. When your body has had enough rest, it is energized enough to go on for longer hours, sometimes for the rest of the night, depriving you of much-needed regular sleep.

7. Keep your bedroom as a place for sleeping. Try to minimize putting in stuff that relates to work or other activities in your bedroom. Keep your files, documents, sports equipment and other work/play implements in places other than your bedroom so that you'll learn to recognize it as a place to rest and sleep, not a place to work in to finish that yearly report, send e-mails, correct presentations or fix the racket.

8. Keep distractions away from the bedroom. Try to keep your bedroom nice and quiet. Block out the noise by using thick curtains or carpeting. You could buy earplugs or an electronic device that produces white noise or other pleasant sounds that block away the sounds of traffic, outside music or voices. Keep lights from disturbing your sleep by keeping curtains, blinds or shutters closed.

9. Keep your bedroom clean and your bed comfortable. Nothing spells utter sleeplessness better than a cluttered, dirty bedroom. Keep it tidy and well-ventilated, making it conducive to good night's sleep. If you can't sleep without extra pillows, it can't hurt to have three or four in bed with you. If you have a preferred mattress firmness, then by all means buy the one that helps you sleep better. You can only overcome sleeplessness if you're comfortable in bed.

10. Induce sleep through relaxation techniques.This is the same method that hypnotists and meditation specialists use. Use self-hypnosis or progressive muscular relaxation techniques. You can either do this while in bed or sitting on a chair in your bedroom. When your mind is relaxed and peaceful, it's much easier for your body to give in and fall asleep.

Though not all these methods work for every one, we hope you have picked one out that will work for you. Please, for your own health, avoid addictive sleeping medications.