TGIF-Recipe for Detox Bath

Baths are wonderfully healing, and it is easy to make your own homemade, detox baths.
Hot water draws toxins out of the body to the skin’s surface, and while the water cools it pulls toxins from the skin, according to Naturopath Dr. Hazel Parcells. Epsom salts augment this detoxification by causing you to sweat. Other salts—all highly alkaline and cleansing—used in baths include sea salt, baking soda, clay, and Dead Sea salts.
Basic Salt Soak Bath Formula
Minerals and salts make the bath water feel silky and leave your skin cleansed and soft.

1 cup sea salts
2 cups baking soda
1 cup Epsom salts
1 to 2 tablespoons glycerin per bath

Combine the sea salts, baking soda, and Epsom salts in a bowl. Stir to blend. Pour 1/4 cup or so into the bath while the tub is filling. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons glycerin to keep your skin from drying out (more for dry skin, less for oily skin) and essential oils of choice.
Why it Works
According to The Epsom Salt Council, Epsom Salt is a pure mineral compound (magnesium sulfate) in crystal form that gently exfoliates skin and smoothes rough patches. Mixed with your favorite deep conditioner, Epsom Salt helps to add body to hair. Dissolved in a bath, Epsom Salt is absorbed through the skin to replenish the body's levels of magnesium. Studies indicate this may help to relieve stress in a number of ways, including:
Raising the body's level of serotonin, a mood-elevating chemical within the brain that creates a feeling of well being and relaxation.

Offsetting excess levels of adrenaline generated by pressure and stress; magnesium ions relax and reduce irritability by lowering the affects of adrenaline.

Helping to regulate the electrical functions that spark through miles of nerves.

Lowering blood pressure.

Researchers have found that magnesium also increases energy and stamina by encouraging the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the energy packets made in the cells. Experts recommend soaking with Epsom Salt at least three times a week to look better, feel better, and have more energy.

Monday Motivator-Adversity!

"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents whcih in prosperious circumstances would have lain dormant."

-Homer

Comments by ZingerBug.com

Money Matters-Feed The Pig!

So you can’t save money? It’s easy as pie! Brown bag your lunch instead of going out. 6 dollars saved times five days a week times ten years is 21,000 bucks!

I just found a really neat website, Feed The Pig that I want to share with you. The site helps people like you and me feed our piggy banks and save money, by understanding where and why we spend it.

Over the past several decades, Americans 25–34 years old experienced significant declines in net worth while increasing their debt. For every dollar worth of assets owned, this group carries 70 cents worth of debt.

The Feed The Pig campaign aims to reverse this trend by empowering younger Americans to take charge of their personal finances by living within their means and saving for long-term financial security.

Statistics demonstrate that this group’s financial behaviors, while less established, tend toward debt accumulation, and this is happening during a period of milestone events such as getting married, having children and caring for aging parents. But there is hope: more working time before retirement means that their current financial decisions have a greater impact (positive or negative) on their long-term financial security. With this campaign, AICPA and Ad Council hope to get younger Americans to establish better spending and saving habits.
The campaign draws upon a traditional savings symbol, the piggy bank, to encourage 25-34 year olds to find the benefits of saving for every stage of life.

Feed The Pig has lots of cool features—you can set up your own personality profile and make a savings plan customized to your day-to-day reality. You can project what you will save over time if you sock away up to 5% of your salary. You can get tons of tips, reminders, or even swap ideas with other savers to make Feeding the Pig easier.


Check it out!


Source: www.adcoucil.org & www.feedthepig.org

Professional and Personal Etiquette Tips

A first impression is essential for professional and personal success. Its often the only opportunity you have to sell yourself to a potential employer or business partner. Here are a few tips to ensure that your first impression is your best impressions:

Appearance- No chewing gum in formal settings, good posture, and positive body language. Always be prepared to look and sound your best.

Business introduction- is based on rank not gender. Person with “higher” position is introduced to person in subordinate position. Only use first name when given permission.

Handshakes- Always give a firm handshake and make eye contact. When meeting a person of celebrity status (politicians, entertainers) you should never offer your hand first.

Attending meetings- Be punctual, well briefed on subject matter. You may not leave until senior executive has left a meeting or event. When traveling with other professionals always remember the LIFO (last-in, first-out) rule. The senior person enters the car last so they will be the first to exit.

Interviews- Dress to impress, smile, make eye contact, be on time, and do research on would-be employer.

Invited to an event- Respond. RSVP is a French term which means, please reply.

Business cards- When exchanging cards, its polite to look at the receiving business card and make comment to show acknowledgement.

Professional Etiquette when Dining

Knowing proper table manners is extremely important for job interviews and social occasions that you attend with a supervisor, client, or business associate. Knowledge of proper dining etiquette will help you avoid embarrassment and the possibility of offending someone. Here are some general tips for professional manners when dining:

Being Seated
Men precede women to the table.
Remain standing until the host or hostess has been seated.
When being seated, enter your chair from the left and rise from the right.

Napkins
Napkins are place in your lap when seated; large napkins are folded in half with crease toward you and small napkin is completely unfolded.
If you leave the table, place napkin in chair
At the end of meal, place napkin to the left of your place setting, NEVER on your plate.

Table Setting
At fancy restaurants you may be presented with an array of silverware. As a rule-of- thumb, always use your utensils outside-in.

Wine Ritual & Beverages
Traditionally speaking, red wine is served with red meat and white wine with white meats.
If you are with a host/hostess who orders wine, it is proper for him/her to sample a small amount of wine, and either approve or disapprove of the wine. If approved, the waiter/waitress will then pour wine for the remainder of guest at the table.

Initial presentation- Take a quick glance to ensure it’s the wine that you ordered, simply look at name and vintage and nod.

Cork presentation- Waiter will hand you the cork to examine (improperly stored wines will allow the cork to dry out, resulting in an air-breach will cause the wine to turn to vinegar). Do a quick sniff and hand it back.

The sip test- At this point the waiter will place a small tasting amount o wine in wine glass and step back. Simply swirl the wine in your mouth to release its natural aroma and stick your nose into glass while inhaling deeply. Next, take a small sip, swishing wine evenly across your tongue. Then turn to waiter and nod for approval.

Grasp glasses by the stem, using thumb and first two fingers.
Coffee is consider an after dinner drink

Sit up straight
Don’t talk with food in your mouth
Don’t place elbows on table
Pass to the right.
Don’t automatically salt and pepper food. Take a small taste and then season.
Wait until all are served before eating
Eat in small bites slowly
When finish place utensils across the plate

Tips on Tipping!
Maitre d’- $5 for seating two (doubles for 5-star restaurants)
Waiter/waitress-15-20% of bill
Wine Steward-10% of wine bill
Bartender-15% of bill
Hat/Coat Check- $1 per coat
Door attendant-$1-2 for cabs
Parking Valet-$1-2 per use.


Source: University of Wisconsin-River Falls Career Services

Lemon-pepper nonsense

One day, I was watching “Divorce Court” and a lady was complaining about her husband because she felt they were too different. One complaint that stood out in my mind was the way he cooked his eggs. She was upset because he liked to season his scrambled eggs with lemon-pepper. Anyone with sense knows that divorcing someone because of the way they cook makes no sense at all. Yet, so many people divorce because of irreconcilable differences.

A lot of us go into relationships with unrealistic expectations. This happens in friendships as well as marriages. People fail to realize that if you want someone to change it begins with you. Have you ever heard of leading by example? If you want to see improvements in your relationships try looking in the mirror first. You might be the main one who needs to change. You know who I’m talking about-the loud talking woman; the man who has to be in control of everything. Now, I’m not ignorant to the fact that there are special cases where the other person really does need to change. In many cases, these tend to be abusive relationships. That’s another blog for another day.

None of us are perfect, but what makes relationships last is when we try to be better people and are willing to accept that we are different. Here’s something to think about: Who are you trying to change? What could you change about yourself? If you are willing to take an honest, unadulterated look at yourself, you may be surprised at what you find.

Monday Motivator-Excellence

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

Aristotle