Changing Bad Habits

I have some bad habits. There are a number of things I wish I didn't do and other things that I wish I DID do. It isn't as though I have these problems from time to time, either. They're habits. They are built into my routine now. I wonder, though, if I wanted to change these habits, wouldn't I make more of an effort to do so? Are the trade-offs so unappealing that I don't move forward toward productive changes.

And - making changes isn't easy. Have you ever tried to break a bad habit? Sheesh. I'm not talking about self-destructive behavior here - just bad habits - but they do limit my ability to live a fully productive live - to achieve more - to be happier.

Now, one thing I have given a bit of thought to is my need to control my environment. Perhaps all those times I had to clean my room and watch my mom perform the white glove test (oh, I wasn't even a teenager then), may have caused me to want to be free enough to leave my laundry on the floor. Maybe I don't WANT to put my clean clothes away. The sad part is that my kids are going to adopt my slovenly ways if I don't get this under control. It's only been bad for the last year, but still... I need to work on this.

Ok, so that's one of my bad habits. I have others. I'm not going to share all of them. BUT, I do want to share a site that I think can help people like me (and probably YOU) who need to get some of their bad habits under control.

Change Bad Habits

C'mon, you know you're curious... :)

Carla

From My Friend, Chuck

As you know, for sometime now I have been involved in testing and trial marketing of a NEW line of All Natural Skin Care Products. Thousands of dollars have be invested in perfecting the formulas and test marketing of these products. We have received numerous testimonials from people from all parts of the country who suffer from various skin problems such as; Winter Dry Skin, Cracked and Bleeding Hands, Rough, Raw Elbows, Knees and Heels, Facial Blemishes, Eczema and Psoriasis.

desertwindskincare.com

Without exception, these people reported a dramatic improvement in the condition of their skin AND in some instances almost immediate results were achieved. Desert Wind Skin Care products consists of All Natural Handmade Soaps, Skin Conditioning and Moisturizing Body Lotions, Facial Cream and Hand and Foot Cream. All our products contain Emu oil, a well documented and proven skin conditioner PLUS Cayenne which is recognized as a blood flow stimulator. (There can be NO healing without increased blood flow!) Together, these ingredients provide the ultimate in relief from distressed skin conditions.

We are now ready to market these exclusive products directly to the consumer.

Here's where I need your help.

It would be greatly appreciated if you would pass this information on to your email list of people who might benefit from these skin care products. www.desertwindskincare.com

All our products are fully covered by our 100% Money Back Guarantee. You must feel the difference Desert Wind products makes to your skin or it costs you nothing.

Now for the good part. If you or any of your friends with log on to www.desertwindskincare.com and go to check out you will see a place to insert a coupon code. If you enter 3676 into this block you will automatically receive a 25% discount on your purchases. This introductory discount code will be in effect until November 30, 2009.

My webite is up and running now, although not perfected, it is a safe site and flows fairly smooth.

Any help you can give me is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Chuck

Havana, Cuba - Off the Beaten Path

If you want to visit Havana and prefer to avoid the common tourist attractions, then you'll want to take a look at this site: Havana Guide

See Havana as the locals see it.

During the weekends a popular relaxation for the Habaneros is a trip to the "Playas del Este" beaches. To make the trip affordable, they take their homemade picnic and rum bottles to the beach. Another nice excursion frequently made is a visit to the Lenin Park (Parque Lenin) on the edge of Havana city. For Cubans who can afford it, Havana has a vibrant nightlife and many movie theatres.

Cubans are open and friendly and Havana is a safe place – one of the safest in Latin America.

You can enjoy a variety of outdoor activities, too.

Have a great time and enjoy your stay!

Contorni - Italian side dishes

I love Italian cuisine. What I would love to do in my own household is create more interesting side dishes to liven up the dining room table. I'm just too boring in my current approach to cooking. Ask anyone who knows me. I am simply not a great lover of preparing food. I do, however, like to enjoy well prepared food, so I have to reach a compromise.

Side dishes, in Italian, is contorni. There are a lot of great sites on the Internet which highlight great Italian side dishes, but the one I show here is easy to navigate around and makes cooking a breeze.

Contorni

The images that represent each side dish are especially helpful to me as I need all the direction I can get. I want to see how the dish is supposed to look. Nine times out of ten, I'll have a different idea of what a dish is supposed to look like, so photographs of the final product are critical for me.

Anyway, enjoy the site and the variety of Italian cuisine highlighted there. It's a great site and will provide you with a lot of ideas.

Cost-Effective Solar Applications For Pool Heating

Cost-Effective Solar Applications For Pool Heating
By Dale Zager

Everyone wants to reap the benefits of fun filled pool days and depending on where you live the temperature of your pool might not be suitable to your needs of enjoyment. The most customary application to keeping your pool at an enjoyable temperature was to use a pool cover but that is now a thing of the past. Pool covers do not provide any pay back on your investment they however can help with monthly savings on the heating costs.

With so many advancements of solar applications that can be applied in assisting with the overall efficiency of your pool, these heating systems have proven to be the most cost-effective, and valuable investment a homeowner or commercial property owner can make. Many systems can range from $3,000 to $4,000 for complete parts and installation. The repayment of your system (ROI) can vary depending on your fuel costs, size of pool, (residential or commercial) The ROI time frame can be anywhere from 1.5 to 7 years and lets not forget about those state, Federal refunds, Rebates and Credits that can drastically reduce your return on investment.

Florida has one of the longest swimming seasons and one would question why bother with heating their pool. Well because your investment should be available for use at all times, and even during those warm summer months a solar heating system can be used to cool your pool by circulating the water through the collectors at night.

Adding a solar pool heater to your existing system is a reasonably simple project. Many commercial and residential plumbers are leading in the spread of eco-friendly solar applications. When deciding on implementing a solar pool heating system take the steps to make sure that your existing pump will work because you might need a larger one in order to pump the pools water to and through the solar collectors. A properly sized pool pump will regulate the existing filter pump can be used to circulate the pool water, however to keep the panels operating at high efficiency have your residential plumber evaluate the flow rate of the pool. To get the best overall performance on your solar system the flow rate is essential on every type of solar design along with proper sizing of the pump and filter.

Heating your pool depends on many factors, and therefore when deciding on a solar heating system be sure to obtain a professional that is knowledgeable in all aspects of plumbing and solar. So whether you are warming or cooling your pool with a solar system you can do so without the concern of high energy bills, and damage to the environment.

Zager Plumbing & Solar Inc is a certified licensed plumbing contractor. United with alternative energy Zager Plumbing & Solar Inc can assist in the future drive towards going green. Visit us at http://www.zagerplumbingandsolar.com and together we can provide a green helping hand.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dale_Zager

Wedding Shower Invitations

If you are planning a bridal shower, there are a number of things you will want to take into consideration. This post is specifically about wedding shower invitations. You really don't need to worry about rules and guidelines. You just need to take a little time to plan things out and remember to focus on FUN!

First off...

Wedding shower invitations don't necessarily have to reflect the theme of the wedding itself. The real purpose of this bridal shower is to celebrate the bride before her big day, not focus on the wedding specifically.

To learn about wedding shower invitations, follow this link: Wedding Shower Invitations

Next...

You can print your own wedding invitations online. There are a lot of sources, like this one: Printable Wedding Invitations

Finally...

Don't fret about the cost of wedding invitations. There are a lot of options that don't require a lot of money. If you are interested in learning more about affordable wedding invitations, take a look at this: Affordable Wedding Invitations Online

You can really let loose and get creative in planning the wedding shower and these invitation ideas will get you started.

Good luck and ENJOY!

Web Site or Web Business?

Do you have a web site or a web business?
What is the difference?

Let me ask you this: Is a web site a business tool or is a web site a business? It’s a trick question. It's both.

As examples: For the small business owner, a web site is a sales and marketing tool. For the most of us – and probably all of us - a web site is a business.
Web site: A web site can be a family site with pictures and details of the family's life events. A web site can be a showcase of an individual's poetry. A web site doesn't necessarily have to sell or promote anything.

Web Business: A web business offers part or all of the business processes on one web site at one time. This could involve web-based marketing for a local printing company, a lead-generation site for a network marketer, an infopreneur site focused on affiliate programs or ebook sales, a jewelry designer who sells products via the internet – as well as many more possible types of businesses.

If you want your site to be a business, you have to treat it like one.

So, how do you objectively review your site to determine if it meets the criteria of a web business?

As Stephen Covey puts it: Begin with the end in mind.

In evaluating your web site, the first thing you want to focus on is how you are making money from it. Are you selling ebooks or a service? Are you generating income with Adsense? You need to determine what it is that you want your business to accomplish. What is the goal of your site?

Your MWR
What is it that you want your visitors to do? That's your Most Wanted Response.
Once you determine how you want your visitors to behave, you can determine if your site leads them to that goal. Does your content lead your visitor to your MWR?
If you have multiple MWR's, do you guide your visitors effectively on each page?
Do you pre-sell or do you sell?

Traffic
Now that you know what your site is going to accomplish, you have to ensure you reach your target audience. You need a solid marketing plan – as all successful businesses do. You have to assess and adjust your marketing scheme based on your audience and your goals.

I am not going to market my resume service the same way I market my herbal remedies affiliate programs. They are two totally different objectives and have to be handled in different ways. I can market my resume service via craigslist, but I'll do better posting to alternative health forum sites for herbal treatments.
Marketing your site comes on-line comes in the form of traffic generation and it can be done in a lot of ways: social bookmarking, article distribution, free and/or paid directories, press releases and more. Find out what works for your target audience – and don't be afraid to experiment with new ways of drawing traffic. You might be surprised at what works.

Presentation
What does your site look like? Does the look and feel match the site concept? If it doesn't, change it. Get someone else's opinion – friends, family or even in the forums. Make sure your site looks professional. If you need to hire a coach to update the design, do it. It will be worth it in the long run.

Is your site easy to navigate, with Tier 2 pages that sub-divide well and naturally lead to several Tier 3 pages?

Site structure (i.e., natural sub-categorization/flow/linking to numerous TIER 3s) is most important. Your visitors must feel that you have sliced and diced your site in a logical, easy-to-understand manner.

And lastly....

Content
Your site must provide some benefit to your audience.
A Web site's reputation is based on the depth of information and value that it provides to its visitors. You must be the expert in your field. If you are running a business, you have to represent yourself as a business owner, not as a hobbyist who wants to make a little money on the side. Well-written, keyword focused content pages are what ties your business goals to your visitor's needs. When you satisfy their hunger and thirst for information, they will reward you with their moolah.

Conclusion
So, next time you look at your site, evaluate it with these ideas in mind and make sure your web site is truly a web business.

How did all this amazing knowledge come about?

I work for SiteSell and in the past 4 years, I've learned a lot about search engine optimization, generating free traffic, ranking highly in the search engines and making thousands with Adsense.

Here's one of my sites: Professional-Resume-Example.com If you do a search on Google for professional resume, my site is usually #3 or #4. Not bad for a work-from-home-mom. ;)

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Carla