Have a Better Life

One of my goals for 2009 was to get organized but until know I haven’t accomplished it.

Having a full time job outside the house makes me use the office computer during the day and at night my desktop or my laptop.

I’ve been downloading a lot of free reports about family budget, affiliate marketing, debt strategies several reports from important bloggers about better blogging, so I’ve got those reports scattered all over the place. Some are on my handbag, others are on the laptop bag, some in the living room and others in my bedroom. I try to have them around me so that when I have a little time I can take a look at them but it’s not working.

Another thing that delays my online work is that in the office computer I can’t save my passwords and sites I visit for my own security so each time I want to check my Gmail, my feed reader, reply to some post comments I spend a lot of time with logging in and afterwards logging out and deleting all the private links or cookies that are left in the computer. I also stopped using twitter so often because some of my co-workers and bosses have access to my computer and I don’t want them to sneak pick my stuff or think that I’m neglecting work to use twitter.

I don’t know if there is an easy way to manage this but it’s getting complicated.

Of course blogging is not my main job but I came to a point that I think I should have my own space at home where I can store all the passwords, reports, e-books I have related to blogging. I have a small dressing room connected with my main room and I’m thinking about getting some sort of home office furniture like a desk with a drawer where I can put my laptop and blogging related items.

As we are going through a financial crisis I’m thinking about recycling an old piece of a bar we had in the living room and maybe I can built the desk I want.

What about you that work full time? Do you check your mails and feed reader at work? How do you “hide” it from your bosses? Do you login and out several times during the day?

It’s time for another healthy recipe. This time I bring here a very easy Sandwich that is delicious and healthy.

Stuffed Pork Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 4 4-ounce boneless pork chops, 1/2 inch thick, trimmed
• 2 thin slices Swiss cheese (1 ounce each), cut in half
• 4 dill pickle sandwich slices
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 4 whole-wheat hamburger buns, toasted
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 4 slices tomato
• 2 romaine lettuce leaves, cut in half

1. Cut each pork chop nearly in half horizontally, stopping short of the opposite side. Open each chop and place between sheets of plastic wrap. Pound with a meat mallet or heavy skillet until flattened to an even thickness, slightly thicker than 1/8 inch.
2. Place a piece of cheese and a pickle slice on one side of each flattened chop. Fold the chop over the filling, closing it like a book. Press the edges firmly together to seal. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the stuffed chops, reduce heat to medium and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
4. To assemble sandwiches, spread the toasted buns with mustard and top each with a pork chop, tomato slice and lettuce.

If you want you can add any other healthy ingredient you like. I grabbed this recipe from Eating Well and I hope you like it.

I’m going to bring you a new recipe once a week, I’ll pick them up on great cooking sites I find on the web and I assure you that they will be always light and healthy recipes.

I wonder if there are any franchises ideas for light and healthy cooking companies. This might be something that a cooking lover would be interested in.

Lately I have been noticing that some bloggers are not happy with their hosting service. Different hosting companies, different problems, I guess that sometimes things just doesn’t work out and people start looking for a better hosting company.

For those looking for hosting service I advise you to take a look at the webhostinggeeks.com site. Why? This site provides information about web hosting awards and ratings meaning you can check who are the best rated web hosting companies as well as the companies that received awards for their service.

Speaking for myself I must say that having a full time job, a house and two kids to take care (not to mention the husband) I want to be assured that my blogs are hosted by a good company so that I don’t have to worry about poor quality service, cpu problems, etc..

So, if you are having problems with your hosting service check the rates at webhostinggeeks,com compare services, quality and prices and choose the one that suits you the best. Don’t forget to take a look at the free domain names with web hosting and take advantage of the promotions.

Following the general idea of this blog having a better life also means being Greener and therefore helps saving the environment. Before deciding on your web hosting company takes a close look at the green web hosting where you can find Eco friendly companies. These companies are taking a major role in improving their daily work in order to be ecological. Some companies are already using alternative energetic sources for their servers without lowering their quality and efficiency has a web hosting company.

2009 is here and how not make the change now. Get out of free hosting and get control of your blogs and sites and remember Green is healthy living.

Shopping with kids can be difficult at times but it can also be efficient and fun shopping expedition with children.

Depending on the age of the children, it might be critical to ensure the children are well rested at the start of the shopping trip and that the trip does not last so long that the child will be tired out before the end of the trip. This is very important especially in the case of young children who still take daily naps.

If you plan on Christmas shopping with a child who still takes daily naps, it might be worthwhile to plan your shopping trip after the child’s nap. This will make sure that the child has had sufficient rest and will not run out of energy or become cranky during the shopping trip as a result of exhaustion. It might be possible to plan a shopping trip for the time before a child’s nap if the child takes an afternoon late in the day but in this case care should be taken to end the Christmas shopping trip well before the regularly schedule nap time.

It is also important to take frequent breaks when Christmas shopping with a child. This is important because children categorically have short attention spans and are not likely to be able to be able to shop for hours on end without short diversions. A few examples of breaks which may be appropriate may include stopping for a small snack, taking a lunch break or visiting a play area in the mall or shopping center. Each of these breaks will give the child an opportunity to enjoy a break from the monotony of shopping and will also help to distract the child if they become frustrated with the shopping.

Christmas shopping with children can also be easier by incorporating activities appropriate for children into the schedule of the shopping trip. This may include visiting stores which may be attractive to the child. For example a trip to a toy store or a store which offers the opportunity to test out gadgets might be interesting for a child. It might even be worthwhile to promise the child a small toy as a reward for cooperating during the trip. This would be most effective if you schedule this trip for late in the shopping trip. This will help to ensure the child behaves for the majority of the trip. It will also help to make the remainder of the trip easier because the child will be interested in his new toy and too distracted to complain about visiting more stores.

Finally, it is important to be prepared for a variety of situations when Christmas shopping with kids. If your children are not yet potty trained, be sure to bring a supply of diapers and a change of clothes. Bringing along small toys and snacks is also helpful. The toys can be used to distract the child while standing in lines. Snacks will be helpful if the child complains of hunger or as a distraction if the child starts to become bored with the shopping trip.

Four days left for Christmas and I still have a few shopping to do. Two gifts left, my parents and my in-laws. I gave it a lot of thought and I decided to give each couple a food gift basket. I’m going to buy some essential food for daily use (like olive oil, rice, canned tuna, pasta and what I find that can be used if not on a daily basis at least on weekly basis.

Usually we give them a frame picture of the kids but they already have a lot of them (although they don’t mind having more). I though about giving them some sort of promotional products that usually are used for companies but that nowadays we can have them for family gift options. Local photography stores make several articles with a picture, like bags, purses, wallets, watches, etc. but I don’t feel comfortable with my mom or my mother in law going around the city with my kids picture on the purse or satchel.

I think that a Food Gift Basket will be interesting, useful and tasty.

Here I am writing from my Toshiba Satellite, my best buy from 2007. Although I work in an office my laptop continues to be one of my best acquisitions because it allows me to do my hobby and my second work…blogging. I can be in the living room, in the garden, in bed and still blog. If you don’t have you, you should get one for Christmas.

In order to have our body and mind functioning well we must have a good night sleep. When you don’t sleep well, you will notice that is difficult to concentrate, so having a good night sleep is essential for a healthy life.

Here is a case of a couple that decided to sleep in separate beds so that they could be sane everyday:

Lack of sleep can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes. Check your habits and try to eliminate some habits like drinking coffee or alcohol after 7pm, eating before bed, leaving a light on in your room (this will keep your brain in vigilance), instead listen to soft music, count sheep or do something that usually makes you sleepy.

Having a good bed (like a sleep number bed) will allow you to adjust the bed to your body and sleep position, this way you can have your side in one position that does not affect your partner and vice versa. A good pillow is also an important acquisition that should be made.

Remember having a good night sleep means health.