A retired friend of my husband’s is quite the frequent traveler. He visits friends in California at least once a year, visits family in New Orleans a couple of times a year, and travels internationally off and on the rest of the year. He visits Europe probably twice a year, and Australia once a year — I think the latter is actually one of his all-time favorite places to go.
One of the advantages to traveling so often is that he gets a lot of special discounts. The most obvious one is, of course, that he gets lots of frequent flyer miles. He always flies with United, so he has VIP status with them — I believe he gets free upgrades to Economy Plus (a section of seating that provides extra leg room) and even first class if it’s available. His favorite seats are the bulkhead seats in Economy Plus, and he will often change his seat two or three times, upgrading to his third favorite or second favorite seat as soon as it becomes available.
Another advantage is that if you travel frequently and stay in the same hotel or the same chain every time, you can sometimes work out a hotel deal that benefits you both — you because you save money, and them because they get regular business from you. For example, our friend often stays in the same San Diego, California hotel when he visits his friend, so he was able to work out a special rate with the manager there.
Of course, the obvious disadvantage to traveling that frequently is that it costs money. Most of us can’t afford to live like that — more’s the pity. But if you can — well, do what our friend does, and take full advantage of it!
I’m not pregnant. I don’t have any plans to get pregnant any time soon. In spite of this, I have a list of goals for when I do get pregnant. These are just things that I hope that I can stick with to have a positive pregnancy experience.
Some of my pregnancy goals include:
Resting as often as I need to. I really have a hard time just relaxing so I’m hoping to develop this skill during pregnancy.
Staying appropriately active. I don’t want to rest all of the time! I’d really like to do prenatal yoga and other types of pregnancy exercise.
Keeping up my appearance. It’s a bit embarassing to admit it but I already own a super cute pair of maternity trousers for when I do get pregnant!
Maintaining the romance in my relationship. I believe that pregnancy should bring the mother and father closer together in every way.
Talking about things other than the pregnancy. I really hope I’m not one of those pregnant women who can talk about nothing else!
Reading a lot. I want to learn all that I can about pregnancy and childbirth!
I’m sure that my goals are going to change when I actually do get pregnant but those are some of the things that I’d like to see happen.
Most people who live in apartments think that they have to get a little dog if they’re going to own a dog. While there are some valid reasons for this, it is not entirely true. In fact, one of the best apartment dogs is a big dog - The Great Dane.
The thing that most people don’t realize is that little dogs typically have a lot more energy than big dogs do. A big dog can stay in the apartment and sleep most of the day. It can be taken outside for a couple of walks and that satisfies its need for exercise. A little dog needs to be taken out much more frequently to get rid of the day’s pent-up energy.
The Great Dane is a particularly good dog to keep indoors because of its temperament. It’s a friendly dog that really loves to spend its time with people. It doesn’t want to be left sitting out in the cold yard. It wants to be indoors. Since it gets along well with people, it does fine inside at all times. The only thing is that you have to make sure that you pick up your clutter and keep enough space free for this dog since it really is a big one!
I’m thinking about getting an outdoor garden wall fountain for my yard, but I have a few questions for anyone out there who currently owns one in a cold-weather state.
Here in Colorado, you get freezing nights for six straight months at a time, though it is always above freezing during the day, and we get a lot of darned nice days throughout the winter. My question is, if I get one of those garden wall fountains, will I have to pretty much shut it down, winterize it, and not really ever use it from mid-October to mid-April?
If I get one of those that can be moved around, maybe I can just move it onto the porch during those months-do you think that would work? How do you guys deal with not being able to use such a significant feature out in the yard for such a long period of time? Or do you find that you can just leave the water in it and then just turn it on intermittently whenever you want to on a nice day in the fall, winter and early spring? I’m just not sure I want to buy one if I can use it even less time than the barbecue.
One of my favorite gifts to give to my friends and other loved ones is a special gift basket. What I think is really important is that the gift basket must be truly personalized. It should not only be appropriate to the occasion that is being celebrated. It should also be filled with items that are specific to the interests and tastes of the person who is receiving the gift basket.
I like to make my gift baskets by hand. I purchase a small basket from a local store. I choose a theme for the basket. Then I go out in search of small and inexpensive items that fit that theme. The time spent personalizing the gift basket in this way really makes it into a special gift. Everyone that I give one to seems to be grateful for the thought that went into it.
This isn’t to say that you have to make your own gift basket for it to be special. There are some great pre-made gift baskets out there. You just have to be savvy in choosing the right one. When choosing gift baskets for women, go with something indulgent such as bath spa gift baskets. When choosing something for men, go with something more practical like a food basket. Try to add at least one personal touch such as a card or an extra small gift to personalize your choice.
I’m not pregnant. I don’t have any plans to get pregnant any time soon. In spite of this, I have a list of goals for when I do get pregnant. These are just things that I hope that I can stick with to have a positive pregnancy experience.
Most people who live in apartments think that they have to get a little dog if they’re going to own a dog. While there are some valid reasons for this, it is not entirely true. In fact, one of the best apartment dogs is a big dog - The 