Lifestyle – Living Adventure One Ounce At A Time

Lifestyle, what is that? The very definition is “an individual’s way of living”.

There was a time in the not so far past that I had no idea of what that meant. If someone had asked me outright what lifestyle meant to me, I would have said something like, “of the rich and famous“?

Being born and raised in a small, rural community my upbringing taught me how to work hard. My siblings and I worked alongside our mom and grandma in the fields. We started out working for grandma and grandpa in their vineyard and graduated up to the prune and peach orchards.

Those days were long, hard back-breaking work. In the fall and winter we would cut the root-stock mother plants and haul the 6 to 7 foot long vines into the garage in bundles. We would cut and bundle, grandpa, when he was home, would pack them like a mule on his back. Grandma wasn’t as strong, so she used the little Cub Cadet tractor to pull them in. Cold and wet it was work we had to do to get the product, root stock, to market. In the spring it was time to help till the fields, put down the fumigation and plastic to kill the weeds before planting the new stock. Summer months were spent standing on our heads, pulling weeds and chucking rocks.

There was never time to dream of luxury vacations or what we think of today as lifestyle. Most of the time we were thankful just to get home for a hot bath, a big meal and bed.

When the family took vacations it was usually all 5 of us kids in the back of the camper on dads pick up truck headed across country to visit relatives. Oh sure, we stopped alongside the highway at the Stuckey’s or tourist attractions occasionally.

One trip in particular I remember being so disappointed…I was maybe in 5th or 6th grade and we were going to Yellowstone Park. Now, think like a kid for a minute, what do you suppose I was expecting? You’re right; I thought there would be swings, slides, a merry-go-round, things for kids to do! Guess mom didn’t really explain what the park was in too much detail!

As an adult looking back I sure didn’t appreciate the effort it must have taken. Surely it took plenty of money to tote all of those kids a couple thousand miles to see a geyser, a moose and a bear, too!

Things didn’t change much when I got married and had a family of my own. There were doctor bills, hospital bills, and car payments. With house payments who could think of a vacation, especially one like the lifestyle of the rich and famous.

Our vacations, although fun, were weekend trips to the coast to camp. Have you ever camped? With two small children it is hardly what I consider a vacation, it is flat out work! Occasionally we would travel to the mountains for weekend fishing trips, camping with my folks or friends.

Once they suggested we get a hotel room and we freaked out, who could afford a room? Our luxuriant dinners were the large order of chicken nuggets and family fries at McDonald’s with a soda!

Then I was introduced to network marketing and my thinking started to expand. The friends who worked beside me encouraged us to travel to conferences; our first was to Las Vegas, Nevada. That was huge for us, driving over 13 hours we were exhausted yet excited.

The next trip was to New Orleans, Louisiana. I’ll never forget that trip, I was so sick with the flu…but I had a ball and remember every wonderful side trip we made. From the jazz music drifting down Bourbon Street to the century old Cafe Du Monde and the scrumptious beignets with lattes. Those are memories etched in our hearts and one day we will go back to enjoy that rich treat again.

That was my husband’s first plane ride…he was so scared that it took us 3 hours for a 2 hour trip to the airport…we had to stop at every rest stop, if you get my drift! But it was so worth it. The foods we experienced, the sights and people we met all different from home. The world is huge and is just waiting to be explored.

When we were introduced to nutrition our minds grew even more to the lifestyle waiting for us. Traveling to places like the Caribbean on a first class cruise, San Francisco and a bay cruise, Las Vegas, Seattle and the Space Needle!

We ate escargot, caviar (icky I was like Tom Hanks in Big…spit it out), but I tried it! Snorkeling in the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean was unbelievable; I had to pinch myself to make sure it was real.

Debarking from San Juan, Puerto Rico my husband cried in disbelief that someone like him could be experiencing something so incredible. Dancing on the deck of the ship as we pulled out of port was like watching the Love Boat on TV only we were the stars.

But you know, if we didn’t have our health none of that would have mattered. Without taking the business seriously we never could have won that cruise to have experienced the lifestyle of the rich and famous.

Being able to travel to Maui, Hawaii with our best friends was so incredible. We got to experience that lifestyle with people we love and care about, healthy enough to enjoy it. We enjoyed it so much that a couple years later we were able to take both of our kids and grandkids back to Maui for a two week lifestyle vacation. That rocks, there’s nothing like it.

Today, when life throws us lemons, we just catch them and squeeze hard…the lemonade is sweet and we look forward to the next adventure in living lifestyle healthy one ounce at a time.

Join us; let your mind go…what would your lifestyle healthy vacation look like if you just let go and imagined?

Staging Your Home for Sale: Hall Furniture and Decor

Hall furniture and decor is an important aspect of staging your home for sale. In fact, it is usually worth spending money on hall furniture, or on other forms of home furniture, to impress perspective buyers. A property that looks good and impresses a viewer is likely to be sold for more money than one that looks neglected.

We shall miss the curb appeal, because that refers to the external appeal of your home. Naturally you will have cleared all the paintwork, tidied up the yard and made your garden look neat and tidy. Repainting all your paintwork might make a good impression, as will renewing your door furniture adding a new gate.

Hall Furniture and Decor

We are concerned with what the viewer sees when your front door is opened. Hopefully, a welcoming vestibule or entrance area, or straight into a bright and airy hall. You can make your appear large with good lighting, pale colors or white with mirrors on the walls. Mirrors are excellent for opening up small areas.

Hall furniture shows the buyer its true size. A simple console table for your telephone and maybe a small chest is all that is needed. If you have room for seat or bench in your hall, then that will also be a benefit. Hall furniture should not make the hall look smaller, but you can use the decor to make it appear larger.

Staging the Kitchen

You should always leave best till last, so which room are you most proud of? With most people it is their living room or kitchen, although a dining room might also figure. Always try to make your kitchen look really good, bright and sparkling. Without being sexist, women like big kitchens, and if yours looks great, that could be the clincher for the sale.

Take time to clean up your kitchen with a toothbrush, repaint the walls and woodwork and make sure it smells nice. Use a reed diffuser which will provide both decorative appeal and a nice fragrance to the kitchen. If this is the best room in your house then leave it till last.

However, make sure you have stacked away most of your kitchen utensils. If the work surfaces are bare, the room will look larger. Leave shelves only partially used, and generally make the whole area appear sparse with regard to equipment and odds and ends lying around. You want to give an impression of space and roominess, not that you have to use every inch.

Your Living Room

The same applies to the living room. Put some of the contents of your wall display unit up into the attic until your property is sold. Show the potential new owner that there is plenty storage room – so much that you cannot use it all. This is a ploy that not many sellers use, and you should use it to sell your home. Staging your home for sale is creating an illusion more than showing it as it is.

If you have a lot of furniture in your living room, then remove some. Put it in the shed or ask your neighbor to keep it for a while. A sparsely furnished home will sell faster than one filled with furniture. Staging your home is all about space and roominess, and the next guy being assured that there is enough room for all his stuff!

Purchasing Furniture for Staging your Home

Keeping in mind that the more impressed the viewer is the bigger the offer you are likely to receive, some people buy furniture for their new home early to show in their old home. They know what they want to purchase when they move, and rather than wait they buy it now. They will move their old furniture out and replace with the new.

This is maybe taking staging your home a step too far, but some people claim that it works. The room looks tidier with new furniture and if some is storage or display furniture, it should be kept almost empty. Not completely empty – that would look contrived. Just enough so it looks use, but that there is plenty room left for more.

If potential buyers admire your furniture, then offer it to them. Tell them to add their cost to their offer price. It will then be amortized and add next to nothing to their monthly repayments – you both benefit. If they are unsure about that, it may be worth your while to offer it to them free if they make an offer immediately. That’s up to you, but that has also been known to happen. It secures an immediate offer and your home is sold rather than you waiting for months.

Staging your home for sale is a combination of cleaning, decorating and psychology. If you can do it well, then your home will sell quickly. If not, then… maybe some furniture?

Key Components in a Train Travel Plan

Travelling over long distances can be uncertain, because sometimes you can be delayed in the train station, you can encounter luggage loss, and your luggage can be stolen while you wait for the train and many other unfortunate incidents. This is why you are advised to take a travel cover to make sure that you are shielded against these losses.

Below are several reasons why you should get yourself an insurance cover when you are travelling by train, if you do not want to experience losses that might ruin your travel.

Delays and cancellations

In many under-developed countries, delays and cancellations of journeys are frequent especially in the railway stations. This can be caused by anything from bad weather, insecurity, mechanical problems and many other causes.

However, with train travel insurance policy, you end up getting compensation for any cancellations or delays. It leaves you in a good place, hence minimizing any inconveniences that you may have encountered.

Repatriation

In some cases, such as if there is insecurity, the insured may be taken back to his or her home country if he or she cannot continue with the booked train journey.

Cover for stolen or lost belongings

Due to the recklessness of some rail companies, your property can end up stolen or lost. The insurance company will come through and you will get compensation if you had insured your property against the loss.

Accident

In case of an accident, the insurance company comes through and takes care of your medical bills through compensating you for the loss you have suffered. Compensation may be necessary if you end up losing your senses, mobility, legs, and hands or even in cases of death.

Missed departure

If you end up missing your train, the cover may help in that the insurance company may take up the liability of the loss and you will not be penalized in any way.

Some policies may cover loss of tickets and documents

Sometimes you may lose your tickets, documents or money. If you had taken the cover you may end up receiving compensation for the lost belongings and documents.

Emergency treatment

Some companies cover your health when you are aboard. In case an illness strikes, you are able to receive treatment under the cost of your insurance company without even paying a single penny.

The convenience that comes with obtaining a travel insurance cover is unrivalled, since it is good to be prepared well especially if you are always taking long distance trains.

8 Ways the Government Can Help Your Small Business

The government may seem indifferent to the needs of small businesses, as it rolls along spending like there’s no tomorrow while small banks and businesses struggle to just keep up. There are some ways that the government can help, however, and here are a few of the top sites to look for guidance on everything from business plans to building plans.

1) The granddaddy of them all, the Small Business Association, offers general advice about starting a business, along with counseling, mentoring, SCORE teams, and how to apply for loans, government contracts, and disaster assistance. Go to sba(dot)gov for a long list of articles aimed at answering questions for new or aspiring entrepreneurs.

2) From the Department of the Treasury, to the United States Department of Agriculture, just about every agency has a program embracing small business. Many have the Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization link, along with other service provisions, but pick an agency, and find out what they have to offer small business. The Department of the Treasury offers information on things like State Small Business Credit Initiative information and Small Business Lending Fund.

3) The Federal Business Opportunities site at fbo(dot)gov claims over 25,800 listings of opportunities to do business with the federal government. No matter what business you are in, it is likely that the government spends money in that sector.

4) If you have product to sell, and want to try to sell it overseas, check out the export dot gov site, where export related information such as trade leads and export counseling can help you open up a whole new market.

5) At business.usa(dot)gov you will find a broad range of business topics under one umbrella, from starting, financing, and growing a business, to learning about taxes and credits, beginning or expanding exports, and learning about veterans opportunities or health care changes.

6) At the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer site, you will find resources for applicants, investors, and agencies, connecting small businesses that wish to do research and development work for the government with products that have commercial value. Go to sbir.gov/about/about-sbir to learn which agencies are participating, and how to engage in the three-phase program. Statistics on the site point to over 15,000 firms receiving $21 billion for research and development projects, awarded seven patents each day through the work of 400,000 scientists and engineers.

7) What to do with all of that excess stuff. With its own garage and attic full of things they do not want or need, this site is the gBay of the United States, offering government goods at auction. If your business needs equipment, you just might find it here, and might get a good deal on it as well. govsales.gov/html/about-us.html features different items at any given time, but often has computers, boats, cars, office equipment, jewelry, homes, and land listed on its auction site.

8) For ten years of statistics collected by 100 agencies, head to fedstats.gov. Searchable by agency, by state, or an A to Z search, this is one of the most comprehensive statistical databases on the web. Need to find a stat for your state? It is probably here.

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