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I have never thought I would be needing something like trip cancellation insurance until I learned my lesson the hard way. I have been saving for five-city Asian vacation for the longest time, and I’ve heard about the huge discounts that one can get when booking tickets ahead of time. So, as excited as I was I booked my reservation months in advance, paid for it and planned for a wonderful time.

But alas, a few days before my scheduled trip a family emergency cropped up and I had to cancel my trip. It was then that I received a terrible blow: I had forfeited my booking because I availed of the airline’s discount promo. Apparently, those reservations are non refundable and cannot be rebooked.

If only I had not been to thrifty and spent a few extra dollars on trip cancellation insurance. That would have saved me a lot of time, effort and frustration against the airline company. There’s a wide range of trip cancellation insurance available today, but make sure that you choose the one which covers “act of God” and “acts of Nature” so that you’re covered in case of any eventuality.

The next time I’m flying I’ll surely avail of a trip cancellation insurance first before booking my flight.

The economy is on its way to recovery and things are looking up indeed. Now that we’re back on six day workweeks and overtime production schedules, my husband I are looking into the possibility of purchasing a rest house somewhere in lake texoma.

Yeah, you read right…we’re looking for a house in the vicinity of this red river nestled in between the Texas and Oklahoma border which is famous for its fishing grounds. I’m no fan of fishing myself, but hubby has been meaning to try his luck with flies and anglers for the longest time.

I think his wish to catch striped bass and grill catfish which he himself caught for dinner is about to come true because our agent has just emailed several interesting Lake Tahoma real estate for sale.

Boy will he be happy! Not only are the houses beautiful and spacious, but the prices and payment terms are also very reasonable. We’re set to head down there this weekend to check out the houses. I insisted that we choose one with an existing nursery for the baby’s enjoyment.

So ready or not…Lake Texoma here we come!

Christmas has come and gone, and I still have the usual slew of Christmas presents that have yet to be folded, sorted and kept for future use. While rummaging through the Christmas tags to make sure I send everyone a much belated thank you note, I found a little purple and gold satchel with my baby’s name on it.

To my surprise it contained a small gold charm bracelet which belonged to my niece Naomi. This became quite a puzzle to me because she clearly meant it as a gift to baby Andie. I decided to drive over to their house and talk to the eight-year old myself. The explanation she gave me tugged at a heartstring.

She said that since Andie is the youngest baby girl in the family, she should have the gold charm bracelet which was also given to her by her elder sister, and that Andie too should pass this on to the next baby girl who comes along to keep the tradition going.

How wise she was! Well Andie, is a bit too young to start wearing the bracelet, so I will be keeping it in a safe place for a couple of years more. But when she’s old enough, I’ll make sure that I retell her how her elder cousin lovingly passed on this piece of jewelry to her… and I guess that starts the gold charm bracelets heirloom in our family.

My nine-month old baby has been diagnosed with infantile asthma, a condition which isn’t easy for both her and us parents who take care of her. Asthma attacks can be triggered by anything, pollen, molds, dust, strong scents or odors as well as other irritants which often can’t be seen. While these things are considered ordinary and harmless to most other people, babies with asthma are especially sensitive.

As a result, my husband and I tried our very best to “asthma proof” our home. We removed stuffed toys from the babies room too and made sure that she only used cotton sheets, blankets and towels. We also banned air fresheners and insecticide sprays in the garden. Unfortunately, we didn’t know what to do when it came to our pest control problems. It seemed a much bigger problem to just leave the termite and rodent issues unattended.

Too good that after much searching about Pest Control in Dallas, we discovered that there’s a company which offers organic treatments, a perfect solution to our little girl’s health concerns. Now we can be assured that we are getting the best and most effective treatments for bees, mosquitos, rodents and termites, at the same time protecting my baby’s health.

If you want to know which newest fashion accessory is currently making waves all over the world: it’s the bamboo earrings. Inspired by the design of the lowly Asian plant, this fashion accent has evolved into many wonderful pieces that are now being designed and marketed by the world’s top fashion houses.

From the simple everyday wear or corporate look, these earrings have found its way into the glitz and glamor of Hollywood. Now, no celebrity would want to be caught without her own set of stylish bamboo earrings. Name it, there’s a kind of bamboo earring made. Whether you want it in cheap plastic, moderately priced silver and gold to the bank- breaking platinum and diamond personalized ones, there’s a bamboo earring to fit every style and personality (or more appropriately, occasion and pocketbook).

So if until now, you’re wondering what lovely dazzling blings the hottest stars are wearing, look closely and you’re most likely to find a pair of bamboo accessories on their lobes. But even if you’re not a hollywood fan, I assure you that you’ll fall in love with one or more designs of bamboo earrings.

I personally fell for the Tinkerbell one, being a big fan.

Toys and stuff everywhere, but not a place to store them! Have you found yourself repeating these words over and over again? Or are you like most people who can barely make it into their cars without stepping onto a skateboard, a ball or an action figure left in the garage by one of your kids?

Right, America! There is simply nowhere to place clutter in your slice of the American dream. Well, now you have hundreds of different options and combinations to choose from to solve your garage storage woes.

You can choose to have shelves and cabinets installed on one side of your garage to organize the stuff that your kids normally use outside. You can have slots made for their bikes, skateboards, helmets and tennis or badminton rackets so that they can easily find it (and not have to yell, Mom! I can’t find my helmet all the time!) in the open.

For smaller items such as tools, and gardening equipment, drawers and racks are your best bet. You can organize them according to purpose or need – power tools top shelf, wrenches lower down – and so on.

Now, for the big cartons and boxes that you have decided to save for one reason or another, your practical alternative is to have overhead stows installed. This way you can clear out the big bulky objects that is making your garage look like an imitation of the house of horrors. With these garage storage ideas, you can now walk to your car in the mornings with your eyes closed.

First there was Sherlock and then there was James Bond. Even then I wondered why only the guys got to play with the cool spy stuff and the women either get blown up or hacked to pieces?

Too good that a decade and a half later, spy stuff for adults came into fashion, and this time, they made sure that us women don’t get left out in the cold. Whether your a teenage girl trying to live out your spygirl fantasies or a busy mom who needs to have her suspicisions confirmed whenever the baby is left with the sitter, different spy stuff for adults are now available and easily within your reach.

A cool baseball cap with a hidden camera and bug or a handy and inconspicuous little dash cam – a spy gadget that films what’s happening both in the inside and outside of your car. These and more are just some of the cool stuff you can play with or use as you go about your day to day life. Imagine how convenient it is to be able to spy on your nanny or your sitter while you’re in the office , you will be able to make sure that your child is being taken care of well and that there’s no hanky panky going on while she’s inside your house.

Okay, so I love to eat. Therefore, I strive to learn how to cook during my younger days. Little did I know that whatever cooking skills I had will be put to the test when I have my own family.

One challenging facet of married life is cooking for two, or in my extend family’s case – five. Challenging, not because of the skill and hand dexterity required in cooking, but more of the demand for creativity when preparing dishes day in day out. When you have picky eaters at your dining table, you’ll be forced to recycle recipes several times a month simply because you’re out of ideas on what to serve them. Instant foods and microwave dinners are good, but as a Mom, you do worry what kind of nutrients they’re getting.

As a compromise, I looked at the kind of foods they liked to eat and came up with a healthier more natural version livened up with spices. Yes, spices are a great alternative to artifical flavorings and preservatives. Different spices lend different flavors, aromas and character to each dish, and are a lot healthier too because they’re all natural.

You can easily pick up spices in the grocery store – fresh, dried or bottled. They can be stored for a long period of time, if you keep them in a cool dry place. But a word of warning – spices pack a lot of flavor so be sure to use them in moderation.

Passing them through a spice grinder or spice mill ensures that you add only a small amount at a time. Remember, you want to enhance the flavors of the dish, not overpower it.

It’s been over a year since I decided to make home based web content writing my full time career and I’ve never been happier. The transition wasn’t easy, and I must admit it took a bit of time before I became fully adjusted to the fact that home is and will be for a long time – my place of work.

For those who want to try the home office set up, there are a few things that will need to change. If before, your house was filled with every little thing you needed to help you relax or unwind, now you would have to segregate sections dedicated for work and for rest. What do I mean by this?

One of the biggest challenges of home based work is staying focused on getting work done. Too often the TV or the kids or chores become distractions which keep you from becoming an efficient worker. The best solution for this is to delegate a room, or close off a section in the den or lanai, to serve as your work station.

Every day, for a fixed number of hours you will sit here, uninterrupted as you go about doing your work. When creating your home office, the first thing you must do is to change the kind of lighting you have in your work area. The decorative dim lamps you used to have simply won’t do.

Home lighting ideas for home offices consist of bright daylight fixtures which aid the eyes during hours of long work on the computer. These must be bright enough but at the same time energy saving because they will certainly be switched on for at least a good eight hours – remember, you’re the one paying the electric bills!

You can look at more home lighting ideas online or visit a local hardware for more information.

Being a mom and wanting to look beautiful are two things that a woman wants to be able to do. No matter how busy you are, it is unexcusable to forget about taking care of yourself and how you look – specially when you go outdoors. Moms, forget about those baggy sweats and decade-old shirts. Remember that you have to look good even when you’re only going out for groceries or picking up prescription from the drug store.

Sure, sure, nobody has the time to doll up, but here are some make up tips that busy Moms should take heed of. After taking a shower don’t forget to apply moisturizer and sunscreen. Whether you’re heading out for a long drive or spending the day in the garden, sunscreen is one of the most basic things you’ll need. Next, apply a thin layer of oil free foundation, your choice if you want to use the liquid or cake versions, but make sure that you also cover those eye bags. Add a few coats of mascara to liven up those eyes. And of course, lipstick or lip gloss to lend a hint of color to your lips.

This is a simple and very basic make up regimen which you can do in less than five minutes. If you’re going out then you can simply add blush, some eyeshadow and a fresh coat of lipstick. The important thing is for you to look good and feel good about yourself every day. Go super moms!