1. Properly identify pets with ID tags and microchips: Make sure you have your pets’ ID, current rabies tags and that they’re microchipped. To be extra cautious, attach an additional tag with the address and phone number of where you will be staying for the duration of the trip to your pet’s collar, in case they get lost after you arrive.

2. Train pets to travel in their crates: Whether you’re heading to your holiday destination by plane, train or automobile, getting your pets used to their crates will make the entire traveling experience less stressful. Even when away from home, pets still view their crates as a safe haven from stressful situations.

3. With a crate, size does matter Crates should be large enough for pets to stand and turn around in comfortably. Remember to keep water inside the crate or allow for breaks every three hours so that your pets can drink and stretch.

4. Never leave your pets unattended: Just as you would never leave a child unattended, never leave your pets alone in a car.

5. Be prepared: Take your pets’ health records with you, just in case they need to see a veterinarian during your trip. Be sure to ask your veterinarian if she recommends heart worm prevention or treatment for fleas or ticks for the area in which you are traveling. Keep pet dishes in your car, as well as extra water and pet food, in case of car trouble or bad weather.

6. To fly or not to fly: As a rule, puppies and kittens, sick animals, animals in heat, and frail or pregnant animals should not travel by air. If a pet is too large to fly in the cabin with you, perhaps a stay at a boarding kennel would be a safer choice. You should also plan ahead because many airlines have restrictions regarding pets, and your pets may need a health certificate to fly.

7. Visit your veterinarian: Your vet may prescribe a sedative to help reduce your pet’s stress level while traveling. However, sedatives are not always safe for pets so be sure to give your vet the details of how your pet will be traveling and how long the trip will take.

8. Boarding is an option: If your pets are too large to fly in the cabin with you, or if a long car ride might be too stressful for them, boarding your pets at a kennel may be a safer choice. Or you could hire a licensed pet sitter to take care of your pets in the comfort of your own home.

9. Try to keep pets on the same “schedule”: Stop when you would normally let your pets out at home and at feeding times.

10. Plan lodging ahead: Research your route, make reservations and carry a list of pet-friendly lodging along the way. Also, ask for a room on the ground floor so it is easier to walk your pets. Never let your pets stay in the car.

[image: flickr]

Post from: Blisstree

10 Holiday Travel Tips for Pets

I just read a great article from Dr. Phil with advice about maintaining a successful relationship:

• Have a solid friendship.
• Meet each other’s needs.
• Set specific goals.
• Get back to basics.
• Take responsibility.
• Turn the negatives into a to-do list.

While all of these pieces of advice are important, I think that “Have a solid friendship” is truly the most helpful.  It is so important to have a great friendship with your life partner that goes beyond sexual attraction or other initial reasons for a relationship.  A best friend will bring you laughter and support when you need it, and that is something that you want from your partner as well.  The most successful relationships that I have seen in my life have been couples that enjoy life together and treat each other like best friends.  The reality of marriage is that as you grow old together you you might lose some of the passion that once existed, so it is important to know that you enjoy each other’s company and know that you can rely on each for everything.

Rebuilding a flawed relationship is a great challenge, but I think Dr. Phil’s points are insightful and offer a great place to start.  It is possible to heal problems and find a way to grow close again so that you can happily grow old together.  You can read his entire article at Dr. Phil – Maintaining a Successful Relationship.

Image: sxc.hu

Post from: Blisstree

How To Rebuild a Flawed Relationship

If you have encountered this problem in your life, here are some tips for how to deal with it so that you can, hopefully, maintain a friendship and your own happiness:

• Give him another chance. Sometimes new boyfriends can make a bad first impression.  You might have judged him too quickly.  Set your first impression aside and try to have an open and positive mind about his role in your friend’s life.

• Spend some time one-on-one with him. If you dislike the guy already, this probably sounds absolutely crazy…but it will definitely give you a chance to talk openly and maybe ask some questions (in a non-confrontational way please!) that you have been wanting to ask and help him to feel more comfortable.

• Don’t try to break them up. You have to realize that you will never understand what goes on between two people in a relationship.  Unless you think your friend is in danger (an abusive relationship breaks all rules) it is not appropriate to encourage her to break-up with him.  This will only alienate you and cause tension for everyone involved.  Learn when you need to bite your tongue.

• Don’t talk behind their backs. Once you decide you don’t like someone, it’s pretty easy to exacerbate the issue by talking about it all the time…especially if you get someone else on your side!  Make observations, speak honestly about your concerns, but generally keep your thoughts to yourself.

• Annoying is not grounds for break-up.  This is very important!!  It’s definitely possible that you just find the boyfriend to be annoying.  This is unfortunate, but definitely not a reason why they should break-up.  Everyone likes something different in everyone else and she probably finds his annoying tendencies to be cute and sweet.  Try to put aside annoyances and see if you still dislike him.

• Spend time one-on-one with her.  If you find that after trying your hardest to see the goodness in this guy that you still can’t, then schedule girl time with your friend without her boyfriend.  You still don’t need to unload about your dislike for her boyfriend.  Instead suggest a “girl’s night” where you can enjoy each other’s company without your significant others.  You will be able to maintain your friendship without worrying about the boyfriend.

Image: Flickr

Post from: Blisstree

I Don’t Like My Friend’s Boyfriend

Invest in a kitchen scale. We buy our ground beef and ground turkey in bulk, in packages of five or so pounds each. A kitchen scale lets me get exactly the amount I need when I separate the ground meats into bags to freeze, instead of just guessing or eyeballing. Which brings me to:

Get six pounds out of five. No, I’m not bending the laws of physics or performing magic. When I do buy the five pounds of ground beef, I only weigh out 13 ounces per bag instead of 16 to make a full pound. Those three less ounces have never made a difference in my meals, especially when the meat is used in something like a spaghetti or meat sauce. The bonus is that you get an extra 14 or so ounces (mine are never exact, otherwise it’d be 15, I know), which means six packages of meat, and an extra meal.

Take advantage of your freezer. Along the same lines as buying meats in bulk, you need to store it in the freezer unless you’re going to use it all immediately. Freezers work better when they have more in them, so storing perishables that you won’t use immediately saves in two areas. I buy bread, ground beef and ground turkey in bulk and they all go immediately into the freezer. If I have something on my menu plan (which I do in two-week increments) that can go bad before I’ve scheduled its use, it goes in the freezer. Things like rolls, hot dog or hamburger buns, bagels, English muffins, lunch meats, bacon, etc, do very well in the freezer.

See Part Two

[image: flickr]

Post from: Blisstree

Save A Few Bucks in the Kitchen, Part 1

Here are a few questions to discuss with your significant other before you take the plunge:

• Are we doing this because of financial reasons?  This is the biggest mistake that you could make!  Cheaper rent is NOT a reason to move in together.

• Do either of us feel pressured?  Think about who brought up the issue of living together.  Make sure that the other person is just as comfortable with the idea and isn’t being persuaded.  It’s not something that you want to push someone to do before they are ready.

• Have we ever dealt with sharing money?  Moving in together doesn’t just mean that you get to spend more time together…it also means that you have to introduce money issues into your relationship.  Who will pay for what?  What will you share?  Does one of you want to spend much more than the other?

• Do you want to have independent space?  Think about arranging your apartment in a way that allows for you to have privacy.  Sharing all of your space all of the time might be difficult and it could be beneficial to your relationship to create separate spaces for things like desks.

• How will you keep romance in the relationship?  A relationship changes a lot when you taking out the garbage and cleaning the bathroom instead of going out to parties together.  Discuss ways like “date night” where you can make some of your time together special.

• What are your plans for the future of the relationship?  When everything is going well in a relationship you really hate to bring that topic up.  A lot of times it can cause stress and awkwardness if you don’t feel the same way.  But you have to realize that a lot of people see moving in together as one small step before engagement/marriage…so make sure you understand what moving in together means to the other person.

Image: sxc.hu

Post from: Blisstree

Are You Ready To Move In Together?

My friends at Zoosk.com emailed recently with some great tips, I figured they were worth considering and chatting about!

1. Show what you are all about.

The idea is to put yourself in the best light, but also to show your true personality. List your favorite songs instead of saying something like “I like alternative rock.”

2. Use spell check!

Don’t type lyk u spended teh laste 10 yeers uv ur lyfe doin IM. Your computer has spell check. Use it. A sloppy profile reflects poorly on you as a person. It implies that you don’t care or are not putting much effort into finding a date. We know that is not true because why else would you maintain an online dating profile?

3. Keep your profile updated.

I have a tendency to get lazy in my own dating profile, and that’s dumb. Sure, you have created a profile and uploaded a picture, but that ain’t gonna cut it. On a weekly basis, make updates to your profile. Add new pictures and new information about your interests. If you can’t commit to your dating profile, how will you to dating???

Image: Sxc.hu

Post from: Blisstree

Online Dating Tips

Each year in America a staggering 800,000 children are reported missing – more than 2,000 children each day. Some are taken by family members; others by strangers. Some are exploited for sexual purposes; some are murdered or held for ransom. Some are never found. 

Etan Patz

In 1983, in an effort to reduce those horrifying statistics, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25th as National Missing Children’s Day. A year later, Congress established the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), a n onprofit organization dealing with the issues of missing and sexually exploited children. Since then, NCMEC has played a role in the recovery of more than 138,500 children. Today, more children come home safely than ever before.

According to an analysis conducted by NCMEC, in 88 percent of attempted abduction cases the child escaped his would-be abductor through his own actions – yelling, kicking, pulling away, running away or attracting attention.

This Memorial Day weekend, in recognition of National Mission Children’s Day, take 25 minutes and teach your child NCMEC’s tips for staying safe:

At Home
1. Teach your children their full names, address, and home telephone number. Make sure they know your full name.
2. Make sure your children know how to reach you at work or on your cell phone.
3. Teach your children how and when to use 911 and make sure your children have a trusted adult to call if they’re scared or have an emergency.
4. Instruct children to keep the door locked and not to open the door to talk to anyone when they are home alone. Set rules with your children about having visitors over when you’re not home and how to answer the telephone.
5. Choose babysitters with care. Obtain references from family, friends, and neighbors. Once you have chosen the caregiver, drop in unexpectedly to see how your children are doing. Ask children how the experience with the caregiver was and listen carefully to their responses.

On the Net
6. Learn about the Internet. The more you know about how the Web works, the better prepared you will be to teach your children about potential risks. Visit www.NetSmartz.org for more information about Internet safety.
7. Place the family computer in a common area, rather than a child’s bedroom. Also, monitor their time spent online and the Web sites they’ve visited and establish rules for Internet use.
8. Know what other access your child may have to the Internet at school, libraries, or friends’ homes.
9. Use privacy settings on social networking sites to limit contact with unknown users and make sure screen names don’t reveal too much about your children.
10. Encourage your children to tell you if anything they encounter online makes them feel sad, scared, or confused.
11. Caution children not to post revealing information or inappropriate photos of themselves or their friends online.

Going to and from School
12. Walk the route to and from school with your children, pointing out landmarks and safe places to go if they’re being followed or need help. If your children ride a bus, visit the bus stop with them to make sure they know which bus to take.
13. Remind kids to take a friend whenever they walk or bike to school. Remind them to stay with a group if they’re waiting at the bus stop.
14. Caution children never to accept a ride from anyone unless you have told them it is OK to do so in each instance.

Out and About
15. Take your children on a walking tour of the neighborhood and tell them whose homes they may visit without you.
16. Remind your children it’s OK to say NO to anything that makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused and teach your children to tell you if anything or anyone makes them feel this way.
17. Teach your children to ask permission before leaving home.
18. Remind your children not to walk or play alone outside.
19. Teach your children to never approach a vehicle, occupied or not, unless they know the owner and are accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other trusted adult.
20. Practice “what if” situations and ask your children how they would respond. “What if you fell off your bike and you needed help? Who would you ask?”
21. Teach your children to check in with you if there is a change of plans.
22. During family outings, establish a central, easy-to-locate spot to meet for check-ins or should you get separated.
23. Teach your children how to locate help at theme parks, sports stadiums, shopping malls, and other public places. Also, identify those people who they can ask for help, such as uniformed law enforcement, security guards and store clerks with nametags.
24. Help your children learn to recognize and avoid potential risks, so that they can deal with them if they happen.
25. Teach your children that if anyone tries to grab them, they should make a scene and make every effort to get away by kicking, screaming, and resisting.

Video & screenshot, YouTube, CaptainRock

Post from: Blisstree

25 Tips to Keep Your Child Safe

The truth is, it’s not. What does it mean to be a man today? What can a man do to improve his relationships?

Recently, Elliot Katz, author of Being the Strong Man A Woman Wants, was posed this question during a television interview – the answer sparked great insight. We share some his thoughts here!

Show leadership
One of women’s biggest complaints is that men don’t show their share of leadership in the relationship. When a man sees a situation that needs to be dealt with, he should step forward and handle it. People admire those who step forward to handle difficult situations – and don’t wait for others to solve the problem.

Make decisions
To avoid accusations of being controlling, a lot of men have gone to the other extreme – they leave most decisions to their wives. A man needs to make his share of decisions and take responsibility for the outcome. To many women, a man who avoids decisions is shirking his responsibilities. One of the meanings of the word “manly” is being decisive.

Take responsibility
Take responsibility for improving the situation. Don’t blame others. There is little sympathy for a man who blames a woman – even when he thinks she pushed him into it. People will say, “You’re the man. Why did you let it go on?” One of the meanings of the word “husband” is someone who skillfully manages his household. Managers take responsibility.

Image: Amazon

Post from: Blisstree

Three Things Your Man Needs to Know

A new article on MSN has six simple hints for living longer. A couple items on the list truly surprised me. I knew, for example, that eating a healthy diet was key to longer live, but what about eating less altogether? Eating less means pushing yourself away from the table when you’re 80% full.

This act alone can lower “production of T3, a thyroid hormone that slows metabolism.” It is also believed to help with longer life.

Image from Morguefile.

Post from: Blisstree

Eat Less, Live Longer

Cherie shares advice on all aspects of setting up your online profile, including your pictures, your essay, your intro, and your search wording.  She talks about the next steps – making contact, dating, etc.

She writes in a conversational manner that is easy and entertaining to read. I don’t read a lot of nonfiction books, because my work is nonfiction and I’m immersed in facts and theories and products all day. I found Cherie’s book to be fun and I’m using her ideas to tweak my profile.

She gives great advice on that initial email, for example, keep it simple, direct, and to the point. Make a standard opener and go with it.  I’m not good at the initial email – I let them come to me and I think it’s time to change that approach. With Cherie’s tips I’m going to come up with something succinct and reach out to more men.  (Reach out to more men? That came out oddly…….)  In addition, I have to be less afraid of rejection, because the more people I talk to, the more chances I have to find someone great.  Burbach, herself, went on 60 dates in 6 months before finding her Mr. Right online – and then she married him.

In addition to writing books on dating and poetry, Cherie Burbach blogs here at b5media. You can find her at Career and Kids and the entertainment blog, JLo Stalker, among others.

Cherie is allowing me the opportunity to giveaway one of her books here at Dating Dames. If you’d like to enter the Internet Dating is Not Like Ordering a Pizza giveaway, please leave a comment that has something to do with internet dating – either a tip or a story.  I will be announcing the winner of the book later in the week.

Image credit: Barnes and Noble.com

Post from: Blisstree

Internet Dating is Not Like Ordering A Pizza – Book Review and Giveaway