The front door is often the focal point of a house and the welcoming committee to guests as they enter your home. And as the attention-seeking centerpiece, it should always be looking its best. A great addition to any door is a beautiful wreath – either decorative or seasonal – to greet your guests and neighbors. Although many stores sell wreaths, it’s easy, fun and cost-effective to create a unique and one-of-a-kind statement piece.
– The change of seasons, the change of family schedules, or even a change in furniture – there are many reasons to take the time to transform the interior of your home and revitalize your decor. Why not take the opportunity this fall and winter to refresh your interior with the bold colors trending this year?
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “People are always getting ready to live but never living.” This year as thousands of details that surround holiday gatherings threaten to ruin your holiday memories, take a few moments and think about how much nicer it would be if you could be enjoying the special moments with your family and friends. Instead each year you spend countless hours in the kitchen, slaving over a hot stove while your guests enjoy themselves in the next room. Imagine if you could spend more time with them, sharing stories and enjoying their company.
– The allure of a new car and low monthly payment options draw many people to lease a car, even though they could face serious fines and extra charges when they return the vehicle at the end of the lease term. If you’re leasing a car, however, you can take steps to avoid getting dinged by lease return charges.
Family obligations, changing career aspirations and personal commitments are many of the factors that discourage Sailors and civilians from pursuing active duty service in the United States Navy. Did you know that Navy Reservists are able to serve their country while also working as professionals in their respective career fields?
– If your teen is among the 93 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds using your family’s laptop, smartphone or tablet to surf the Internet, they are vulnerable to multiple cyber threats, many of which could be detrimental.
– Managing diabetes often comes at a great financial cost. Just ask the nearly 26 million people living with the disease, many of whom pay out of pocket for treatment and self care. Whether you pay out of pocket or through your insurance co-pay system, you’re not alone if you feel you’re paying too much to gain control of your condition.
About one out of every five American adults has been diagnosed with arthritis, and it is the most common cause of disability in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The pain and stiffness caused by arthritis – and the high cost of arthritis medications – prompt many people to seek effective home therapies.
– In today’s globally competitive economy, a college degree is increasingly becoming a critical factor in attaining career success. Yet, as of October 2011, only 68 percent of the year’s high school graduates had enrolled in a college or university, even though the national unemployment rate of high school graduates is nearly twice as high as that of college graduates – 7.9 percent and 4 percent, respectively.
– While adults live with the reality that some people just don’t get along, children can find such concepts more difficult to grasp. Teaching our children to deal with conflict and helping them navigate the complexities of interpersonal relationships can be difficult – especially when it comes to conflict with a teacher. Knowing how to approach the teacher and the situation can make all the difference in resolving problems that might arise in the classroom.
– For many people, fall brings cooler temperatures and outdoor activities such as nature walks and trips to see the leaves change. But sports buffs across the nation are hitting the pavement in preparation for marathon season.
The tradition of new year’s resolutions has been around 4,000 years, when Babylonians saw fit to start the year off right by making promises to the gods. Today, such promises are a media phenomenon, designed to be broken.
– Life is full of phases and milestones, and each one could change your life insurance needs.
– What do time and money have in common? They’re worth a lot, and we could always use more of each. Between managing a packed schedule and trying to stretch every dollar, getting a healthy meal on the table may seem impossible. Smart planning and shopping can make it easier on any budget, so mealtime can be nutritious, tasty and stress-free to prepare. Consider these five tips to plan and prepare quick, nutritious and affordable meals:
– Local. That’s the buzzword when it comes to healthy eats these days. From the farm to the city, locally grown goods are keeping menus fresh and food lovers satisfied. This trend is on the rise in hot-spot restaurants around the nation and now it’s never been easier to make fresh, culinary magic happen in your own home. Here’s the trick to getting it done: learn the facts and become a produce professional.
For more than 14 years, Chuck Holdeman, a 74-year-old man from Bloomington, Ind., has been living with Parkinson’s disease (PD), a chronic condition which inhibits several types of neurological activity, including motor skill function and cognitive ability. Chuck is just one of the estimated 1 million people living with PD in the United States, and there are 60,000 new cases diagnosed each year.
– A broken leg means a trip to the emergency room. Chronic back pain leads to a battery of tests and time off work. Even a virus will get you some words of sympathy. But if you say you have depression, there’s a good chance you’ll get a quizzical look and dumb silence.
– Setting up an estate plan is a good investment for the future. But you can also be a careful steward of your financial assets now, with careful and organized planning as you go through the estate planning process. This is the perfect time to put your estate planning house in order.
A new trend in American public education finds many K-12 students transferring schools mid-year – even when the family doesn’t move. Many families are looking to give their child a fresh start for a variety of reasons, both academic and social.
Talk to any contemporary architect, remodeler, interior designer or homeowner, and you’ll find one of the hot topics these days is “flow.” Gone are the days of floor plans burdened by closed-off, claustrophobic rooms, each designed around specific functions.
Thanks to the convenience of online tax return preparation websites, more Americans are doing their own taxes. Do-it-yourself tax preparation solutions give taxpayers a fast, convenient and affordable way to file income tax returns.
– Women today are busier than ever. Sometimes doing it all means rushing home after work to get ready for a night out, or saying yes to last-minute plans. But what if there just isn’t time to revamp your whole look?
– With the holidays drawing close, your home will soon be the center of attention when entertaining guests from near and far. From creating a festive atmosphere to feeding friends and family, it’s important to plan ahead for a hassle-free holiday season everyone will enjoy.
How many times has your child come home with news of a new penny drive or fundraiser happening at school or a place of worship? How often does this come with an explanation of who the cause or charity serves and how else your child can get involved? Often, children are eager to get involved with these fundraising efforts because there are reward incentives at the end, but parents can take this opportunity to discuss with children the real value of supporting nonprofit organizations.
Managing money wisely: It’s something that everyone is told to do from an early age. From putting pennies in the piggy bank to classroom instruction in how to balance a check book, the message is to spend and save thoughtfully. However, in the real world, those lessons often fall by the wayside due to crunched schedules, unexpected expenses and simple forgetfulness. However, the way you handle – or mishandle – your money from day to day will have an impact on your credit score.
If the growing online shopping statistics from the past few years have been any indication, buyers will again be flocking to online retailers this holiday season – perhaps in larger numbers than ever before.
You’ve managed to navigate the holiday crowds at the post office, the mall and the office party, but you still need to get over the river and through the woods to gatherings with family and friends. Before you hit the roads, rails or skies this holiday season, dash through these helpful tips to make your trip as jolly as possible and, while you’re away, help you get a good night’s sleep.
If you live with chronic pain, you know that the real costs of pain far exceed the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on treatment efforts or lost to decreased job productivity each year. Pain can have a serious long-term physical and emotional impact, and can affect every aspect of your life.
Whether you’re trying to secure a job in a down economy or struggling to pay off college debt, achieving the American dream today comes with some difficult obstacles. These challenges can make it tough for tomorrow’s generation of investors to see beyond their current financial needs and look ahead to what they will need 30 or 40 years down the road. As a result, many young Americans find themselves behind when it comes to establishing actionable, long-term plans for the future.
New technology and digital media like Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Twitter are changing the way people communicate both at home and in the workplace. They’re also contributing to a generation gap. For example, users under age 30 are significantly more likely to use social-networking sites when compared to other adult age groups, according to research from the Pew Internet Project.
