Spring Cleaning Tips To Make The Cleaning Easier

Spring-cleaning can seem like such a chore. You spend all day, or even a few days getting the entire house sparkly clean. As a busy mom, you will appreciate some of these cleaning tips that will make the job a little easier and faster. You'll have more time to enjoy the nice spring weather outside.

Start out by taking a quick look through your cleaning supplies a few days before the big spring clean. Make sure you have plenty of paper towels and cleaning rags. If your mop or broom is really worn out, this is a great time to invest in a new one. Check all bottles and containers of cleaning supplies that you like to use and see if you have plenty of them. There's nothing worse than having to clean yourself up during your big spring cleaning to run to the store for a new bottle of Windex.

Get everyone in the family to spend some time with you the day before the big spring cleaning to pick up around the house. You don't want to spend time picking up toys or washing dishes the next day.

Make an early start to it. Put on comfy clothes that you don't mind getting dirty. Dress all the way down to your shoes and put your hair up. Take a few minutes to gather all your cleaning supplies and get going.

Do just one room at a time. This works much better than trying to do 10 things at once. It will also give you a great sense of accomplishment to see each room as it is cleaned.

Start at the top and work your way down. Use a broom or a mop with a soft cloth wrapped around it to get any spider webs and dust out of the ceiling corners. Dust the light fixtures. Keep working your way down cleaning counters, windows and windowsills, furniture. Finish by dusting the baseboards and giving the carpets a good vacuuming. Take the time to vacuum under the bed and move furniture to clean the floor under it whenever possible.

When you get to the bathrooms, start by spraying some all purpose or bathroom cleaner on all the appliances, especially anything that may have some build up on it, like the soap dish in the shower. Pour some Clorox in the toilet. Allow the cleaner to soak in while you get started on the ceiling, windows and counters. By the time you get around to the sink, shower and toilet, all you need to do is wiping them down and give the inside of the toilet a quick scrub with the brush.

Make sure you take some breaks, and drink plenty of water. Cleaning is a touch job. When you are done, enjoy a long shower, put on some clean clothes and put up your feet. Give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done and get some rest. You deserve it.

Carpet Cleaning Los Angeles are professional cleaners that can deep clean your carpets.

Vacuum Cleaners For Home

There is a huge range of styles, models and manufacturers in the vacuum cleaner industry and this can make it totally confusing when it's time to get a vacuum cleaner for your home. In the following article I hope to give you a starting point and speed up your search in getting the right vacuum.

Deep Cleaning Vacuums (or steam vacuums):
Usually a deep cleaning vacuum will include rotating brushes that agitate the carpet pile and loosen the dirt ready for it to be vacuumed up. On hard floor surfaces the rotating brushes gently scrub the floor clean. The deep cleaning vacuum is great for the home because it is quite effective at removing stains in the carpet. It works by pushing hot water and the cleaning solution deep into the carpet to extract the stain. Special nozzles can be attached to make it more effective. When the job is complete you just empty the container. If you take a scheduled approach to cleaning your carpets they will look cleaner longer. Clean entrances every 4-6 weeks, bedrooms about every 8 weeks, main traffic areas every 12 weeks, clean the entire house every 15 months.

Hand Held Vacuums:
Hand held vacuums are light weight, can be either corded or cordless and most can be mounted on a wall. Cordless performance depends a lot on the charge of the battery, as the battery power drops so does the suction power. Two styles of hand held vacuums include; straight suction or suction with a power brush to agitate the carpet or upholstery for a deeper clean, this works very well on pet hair. Other available attachments include: a brush for upholstery, crevice tool, extension wand and a switch to lock the machine in the on position. If you are considering a hand held vacuum determine its primary purpose, will it be used occasionally on small jobs or part of a regular cleaning schedule? Determining this will better guide you to selecting the right model.

Broom Vacuums:
Broom vacuums or stick vacuums are ideal for small apartments, those quick clean ups in the kitchen, bathroom or family room. The benefit of a broom vacuum is its light weight, if you have trouble pushing your heavier standard upright, this may come as welcome relief. You have the option of getting your vacuum corded or cordless, allowing you the freedom to roam around the house spot cleaning. The light weight, usually just 2lbs.-7lbs, allows you to easily store the unit in the closet taking up minimal space. For quick, convenient disposal of dirt and debris most models are bagles. Broom/stick vacuums work great on those small jobs but they just don't have the power or capacity to clean larger homes, however they are a great companion to your regular size vacuum cleaner. If you have never owned a broom/stick vacuum you might be surprised at how often and useful you find it.

Wet/Dry Vacuums:
Wet/Dry vacuums are an extremely versatile vacuum cleaner to have in your home. With numerous attachments and functions it is handy appliance to have around the house. Canister sizes can vary greatly from the smaller 6 gallon to the larger 22 gallon. Horsepower ranges from about 2 H.P. up to 10 H.P. Try to match the size of unit to the size of the job and the frequency of use. Some beneficial features to look for in a wet/dry vacuum include: Auto shut-off: This sensor has the ability to tell when your vacuum is full of water and automatically turn off the motor.
Some of the tools you can add to a wet/dry vacuum cleaner include: a scrubbing brush, crevice tool, water nozzle, combination nozzle (wet & dry), extension wand, cleaning kits and some larger models have the ability to attach a leaf blower.

Upright Vacuums:
One of the most common features of an upright model is the bagles system. In addition to increased performance, there is no need to purchase any bags saving you time and money. Emptying the bagles canister can be a little dusty. Some bagged upright vacuums feature a full-bag alert which will notify you when the bag is getting to full. Both bagged and bagles styles may offer a dirt sensor that notifies you when there is a certain level of particles in the air stream indicating there is still some dirt not being sucked up into the bag. An on/off switch for the power brush is good safety feature to have in case the vacuum accidentally gets pulled over your feet or cord as you focus on using the attachments. Most upright models come with a standard set of attachments that may include an upholstery tool, a crevice tool and an extension wand. A retractable cord, manual or automatic pile-height adjustment are two more handy features. Some vacuums allow the dirt to be sucked through the bag initially before it reaches the fan, other systems have the dirt goes through the fan first then to the bag, this may damage the fan. A HEPA filter is another common feature found on upright vacuum cleaners.

I hope this information helps to narrow down your search to the style of vacuum cleaner that is best suited for your cleaning needs. Next you just need to compare the different manufacturers' models and features in your price range.

Carpet Cleaning San Diego uses professional carpet cleaning machines to make sure that your carpet looks great!

Steam Carpet Cleaning

There are two main methods used for carpet cleaning with steam: The first method involves a traffic lane cleaner being sprayed onto the traffic lanes and then agitated into the fibers. The entire area is then cleaned by using a hot water extractor that has a cleaning solution being injected into the fibers through the wand. And the second method involves a free rinse emulsifying pre-spray being sprayed onto the entire carpet, then agitated into the fibers.

Steam cleaning procedures 1. Prepare the equipment and supplies. In a pump or power sprayer you should mix the free rinsing pre-spray. In the solution tank of the extractor, mix the rinsing agent. 2. If you have a lot of furniture to move, make yourself a floor plan. 3. If the area being cleaned has furniture, you should remove as much as possible. 4. Thoroughly vacuum the carpet. If the pile is crushed or matted, use a pile brush to loosen the soils which will make vacuuming more effective. 5. Pre-spray a good amount of the pre-spray. 6. Using a grooming tool, agitate the pre spray deep into the fibers then let it sit for 10 - 15 minutes, making sure that it doesn't dry out. 7. Extract the area using a portable, truck mounted, or automatic carpet cleaner. 8. Repeat steps 5 through 7 until the entire area has been cleaned. 9. Groom the cleaned area, replace all furniture that was removed, then clean all equipment that you used.

Learn more about carpet cleaning rental and carpet cleaning tips at  Stop by our site where you can find out all about Carpet Cleaning Sacramento.

Time To Clean Out And De-clutter Your Home Office

Do you get the Spring Home Office Blues? With spring in the air, warmer weather and the first hints of green outside, it's easy to feel a little depressed if you are stuck in your home office for a good part of the day. One of the best ways to tackle this problem is to give your home office a good spring-cleaning and makeover.

Rid Yourself of the Clutter.

Nothing makes you feel more trapped inside than a cluttered office. Take an hour or two and go through everything in your home office. Sort through stacks of paper, and toss or file everything appropriately. This is also a great time to ban anything that does not apply to your actual work from your home office, including children's toys, magazines, personal bills and correspondence, junk mail etc.

Time For A Thorough Cleaning

Now that the extra clutter has gone, set aside some time to give your office a thorough cleaning. Start at the top of the room (the ceiling) and work your way down. Clean any ceiling fans and light fixtures, as well as curtain rods and door frames. Clean the windows inside and out and throw the curtains in the washing machine. Remove books and picture frames from shelves, dust them off and give the entire shelf a good dusting as well. Mop the floor, or if you have carpet, consider getting it professionally cleaned (as well as the rest of the house while you're at it!). Don't forget to wipe down any pictures you have hanging and dust the baseboards. If you don't have the time, or just don't like to clean, consider hiring a cleaning service to come in and do the job for you.

Rearrange Your Office Furniture

Can you rearrange the office furniture to give you a new, fresh look? Consider moving your desk in front of a window so you can see outside. Bring in a comfortable chair that you can relax in while you read over proposals, or study the latest print publication for your industry. Buy some new pictures or more recent family photos, a different rug, or any other accessories that will give your office the look you want.

Bring The Spring Inside

Celebrate the coming of spring with a few new plants for your office and some fresh cut flowers from your garden or your local florist. Open the window whenever weather permits to let the fresh clean spring air in.

And while your office is getting this new spring clean don't forget that you need to enjoy the pleasures of spring too. Get some fresh air outside with your family. It's good for all of you, and you'll find that coupled with your fresh, clean office you'll be more productive in your business life.

If you want to find out carpet cleaning prices and more information on cleaning tips, visit our site at Carpet Cleaning San Antonio.

When It's Time To Get In The Professional Carpet Cleaners

You get to the day when, no matter how much care you take of your carpet, it is time for a professional carpet cleaning. Although it certainly helps to maintain your carpet by keeping it coated with Scotchgard and cleaning spills the moment they occur will keep your carpet cleaner for a long time, but eventually a time will come when your carpet will need to be properly cleaned using steaming and hot water extraction methods. You might be shifting out of a house or planning to throw a grand party and a major decision you might find yourself making is whether to clean your carpet yourself or get it done by professionals.

There are advantages and disadvantages associated with cleaning your carpet yourself. One of the most important disadvantages is that you do not know what kinds of results you will get since you are no expert on carpet cleaning and do it a maximum of once in two years. Knowing what chemicals to use and in what quantity is something that you might not be very sure of. On the other hand, hiring a carpet cleaning machine that you do not know how to operate properly might end up leaving your carpets wet and prone to molding, with the cleaning not worth the effort you've just put in.

However, if you are sure that you will be able to do the job yourself and really know how to use carpet cleaning machines, how to use chemicals, which ones to use and where, then you should go for cleaning your carpets yourself and take advantage of the major benefit of cleaning your carpet yourself extremely low costs.

One thing that you should remember when cleaning your carpet yourself is to use chemicals that are gentle on yourself, your kids and your pets. It is advised that you keep the kids out of the house for at least a day after the carpet cleaning since chemicals in carpet cleaners can bring on asthma and allergy attacks in a number of people. Make sure that you read all the warnings and precautions given on the carpet cleaner packs and follow them to a T.

Hiring a professional carpet cleaner comes with its own pros and cons too. For one, professional carpet cleaning services are generally costly and if you are somehow unlucky enough to hire the wrong kind of people, they may end up ruining your carpet and floor permanently. On the other hand, if you actually manage to hire good professional carpet cleaners, then you will not only be saved from the hassle of doing the job yourself, you will also be guaranteed a good job and a very clean carpet for months to come.

The best way to get your carpet cleaned is to save up a little and hire a reputable carpet cleaning firm for doing the job. This way, you will not have to worry about handling harsh chemicals, handling a carpet cleaning machine or getting your carpets spoiled. Make sure that you hire a company that is recommended by a lot of people instead of hiring just anybody who says he can clean a carpet and you will end up with nice and clean carpets.

Learn more about Carpet Cleaning San Antonio.  Stop by our site where you can find out all about professional carpet cleaning services.

How To Remove The Smell Of Pet Urine From Your Carpet

There is nothing I hate more than the smell of cat or dog urine in the carpet. You may not be able to smell it because you are already used to it... but your guests will have no problem smelling it, believe me! If you don\'t want your four legged friend to spend lonely nights outside your house then you better learn how to remove pet odor. Since dogs and cats spend a lot of time laying and rolling on the floor, their body odors pervade into the fibers and that\'s where the whole problem starts. But it\'s when your pet\'s have an \'accident\' on your carpet that your problems really start.

When your dog or cat urinates on the carpet, obviously the very first thing that you have to do is to deal with it immediately. Pat the area dry as soon as you can, the faster the urine is removed, the less damage it will create for your carpet. Pile on paper towels and then stand on them for about a minute or so, make sure to get as much off the carpet as possible. I\'ve heard some people say that using newspaper to blot up the liquid works even better.

If you have a carpet cleaner or stain removal liquid go ahead and use that to remove discoloration. Cleaning supplies that are intended for the removal of pet odor are recommended for this job since they will have less of a chemical smell like ammonia. Ammonia plus urine doesn't smell good I'm telling you! Also, the smell of ammonia will keep attracting your pet to keep using the same spot.

What about solid waste? Just picking up the solid waste and swiping at the stain isn't enough. Give the soiled area a good cleaning. Vinegar works great for this task, it also acts as a deodorizer because of its odor eliminating and anti-bacterial properties. You can also use a mild dish soap to remove the stain and freshen up the area. Once you are done removing the stain completely, rinse it by blotting with a damp white rag or paper towel.

For thorough cleaning, you can use a wet vacuum. These special vacuums work like traditional ones except they use clean water to get rid of the stains and then the dirty water is sucked back up into a reserve bucket. If you have a steam cleaning vacuum cleaner then this is even better.

Lastly, use a neutralizing or pet odor eliminating spray to keep things fresh in between vacuuming or cleaning. You can also try sprinkling pet odor carpet powder before vacuuming to remove unwanted odors. I've tried it and the carpet is really odor-free within minutes!

The best advice on how to get dog urine smell out of carpet is to hire in a professional carpet cleaning service. Their commercial grade machines are designed specifically to work the cleaning solution deep into the carpet base and the powerful vacuums extract out all the liquid and the dirt & bacteria with it.

Christmas Is Approaching... Or Looming?

I can't believe that it's just two weeks until Christmas! Where has this year gone??

Actually, it's been a bit of a rough year for me so I'm looking forward to next year. And we've got a few adventures planned so I want to hurry up and get on to those! I've been plodding away steadily at my websites and one of the articles that I've written about is Carpet Cleaning Prices. I'm surprised at how many scams there are out there involving coupons to have your carpet cleaned. So I've written about that and the other things that could or should be involved in a carpet clean for your home.

Seeing Things Happen

Okay peeps, the good news is that we're finally starting to see some good things happening with all the work that we're doing. B is working apps, that's something that is new and exciting. I'm working on my sites that seem to be getting stronger and stronger. I'm so glad about that. And this morning I wrote a short article on the best way to buy gold.

Keeping on, keeping on.

Well once again, it's been a long time since I was here. But I've been busy hammering away at my keyboard. Getting things done. Oh hang on, it's a new keyboard now. My little netbook just totally gave up the ghost and died a quick death. But now I have a new laptop and I'm such a happy girl!

Rhythm

I think I've found my rhythm... and i couldn't be happier.

I've fallen into a niche that there is plenty to write about and for some strange reason it's not totally boring to me. Now I'm not saying the niche is my passion or anything crazy like that. But it is interesting enough and the information is useful to me in my normal life. I'm talking about carpet cleaning. Yup. But it's a big enough topic that there's plenty going on and it branches off in so many different way. For example, just this week I wrote two articles, one on affordable carpet cleaning and the other on how to get dog urine smell out of carpet. Random huh.

New service

I've found this new service online that brings together writers and those that want to pay for others to write articles for them. Generally I've been really pleased with them... but there have been a few doozies too. The other week I asked for an article on carpet cleaning machines; now I knew in my head that I meant professional carpet cleaning machines like a steam cleaner, buffer, rotovac, truck mounted machine etc. But I didn't actually write that. Lesson learned, because the article I got was all about buckets, mops, vacuum cleaners, rags, cleaning solutions. Oh well! :)

Atlanta Georgia

Carpet cleaning Atlanta is such a pain for some people but if you ask me, it’s one thing that I love to do. With the right techniques and of course the right products, you will never complain about this task EVER again. The key to proper carpet cleaning and maintenance is PREVENTION. As long as you take good care of your carpet, you will be able to save a lot of money from having to purchase expensive cleaning products and new carpet. Atlanta Carpet Cleaning

Learning About Authority

So I'm building a website that I'm hoping will become an authority in its niche.

Imagine you have to get a carpet cleaner in to professionally clean your carpets because you're moving out or you had a huge party last night or you just decide that it's time for a good clean. If you don't already have a regular carpet cleaning schedule then you'll jump on to the internet and search for a company in your local area.

If you're in the States... I want to be that carpet cleaning company. I will provide a site that shows all the different professional carpet cleaning services (because they can tell me as much as they like about their fan-dangle methods, but if I don't know the difference between them all then how is that information useful to me?), I'll provide information on how to look after your carpet in between the professional cleans and most importantly I'll provide a hub for local carpet cleaning companies to be found by their customers.

I'm a bit excited about this website... I feel like I'm providing some content that is actually useful and needed by people just like me.

For local services I've already written about these three area:
Carpet Cleaning San Diego
Carpet Cleaning Las Vegas
Carpet Cleaning NYC

Carpet Cleaning

So at the moment I'm learning a tonne about carpet cleaning. I'm learning the different types of cleaning that you can do (wet and dry) and the different chemicals that can be used and the processes.

I'm putting together a website that has all of this information all in the one place, along with links to local companies so a person can find the company that they want to deal with and that is local to them.

It's warming up!

It seems crazy that when I started writing on this blog I was harping on about how hot it was and that trying to work while it was so warm was difficult. Well now we're back to that time of year and I can't wait for it to keep warming up.

We're in a different house now though and we have our office set up and it's much more work-friendly and will certainly be much cooler in summer. I'm really looking forward to this summer and how much we're going to get done and how much we are going to achieve. :)

Lotsa Internet Lurve

It's amazing to see that now I'm getting a lot more 'interest' from all of the content that I'm putting out on cyberspace. I've been contacted by people wanting my services, and others wanting to offer me theirs. I even had a job application from someone!

One thing I'm learning though, is that I need to organise my content. Get some structure around it so that it makes more sense. And I need to be more authentically me. I'm working on it...

Blog of the Month

I just have to tell you about this blog I've been reading. corbettbarr.com is all about an entrepreneur living a fulfilling life, doing the things that he wants to in a business that he's passionate about. And his writing is just so encouraging to me.

But I'm spending too long getting a buzz out of just reading his stuff... I'm meant to be working... so he's been relegated to the favourites folder while i actually go about doing something to get me where he is.

Productivity Thanks To Our New Office

Well I think our new office setup is going to work just nicely for us. We've managed to get a lot of work done today. Including starting a new site. There's still a lot of work to be done on it but at least it's up and running.

http://www.carpetcleanersauckland.com

Saturday Office

So last weekend Ben and I set up our new home office. Lovely, big new desks; comfy chairs, stands for our laptop/netbook, and new keyboards to plug in. We finally have a comfortable, spacious set-up that doesn't kill our backs or encourage really bad posture. And today we start our Saturday Office. We'll be working on our business all day... as if we were in our regular jobs.

Most online entrepreneurs don't get this amount of structure around their business I don't think. Couple this structure with our great business minds and work on the confidence that's lacking, and I know we have a profitable business in the making.

Saturday Office

So last weekend Ben and I set up our new home office. Lovely, big new desks; comfy chairs, stands for our laptop/netbook, and new keyboards to plug in. We finally have a comfortable, spacious set-up that doesn't kill our backs or encourage really bad posture. And today we start our Saturday Office. We'll be working on our business all day... as if we were in our regular jobs.

Most online entrepreneurs don't get this amount of structure around their business I don't think. Couple this structure with our great business minds and work on the confidence that's lacking, and I know we have a profitable business in the making.

The Daily Grind

There's a coffee store here that has the clever name of The Daily Grind. While it is a clever name for a coffee shop... it also describes my life at the moment. A grind ... day by day by day... I watch as my life passes me by and I wonder what on earth I'm doing wrong that should make my life so unfulfilling.

So each night and weekend I work to change my daily reality. I'm building an online business and it better frickin make some progress soon.

The Weather in Northland Has No Idea...

The weekend that's just been was stunning. Beautiful sunny days, not too hot but just a nice spring temperature.

Today... the temperature has plummeted and it's raining and blowing a gale.

Glad it's the work week and not the weekend that it decides to get crummy.

A Visit To The Oil Refinery

Today the Marsden Point Oil Refinery had an open day... it's their 50 year celebration so they opened up the gates so that the public could come in and see what it's all about. They also made it a fun family day with loads of bouncy castles and all that jazz. We started out with a tour of the site and ... well, should I be embarrassed at how interested I was in it all?

I've driven past that refinery for 38 of those 50 years and I've never once been in there. I've seen the smoke stacks as we've come over the crest of the Brynderwyn hills about 40kms away and often wondered what it's like there. Now I know.

I don't think my 16 year old cousin was quite so interested.

Home Office

Today was a very productive day. We finally got our home office set up with two awesome desks and super comfortable chairs to go with them. It's been a long time coming but we're so happy with the outcome. It's the place where we're going to get our business off the ground.

Google+

It's only been very recently that Google has opened up Google+ to the rest of the world and I've jumped straight on the bandwagon to learn all about it. I kinda feel like I missed the boat with twitter... I still can't quite figure out how it all works and what is the appeal of it. But with google+ I want to be at the front of whatever is happening in that space.

Here's my profile https://plus.google.com/112150461777915328101/posts?hl=en and we'll see how we go from here. :)

Revved Up and Ready To Go!

I'm all revved up again.

 

This last few weeks have been a bit of a struggle to get motivated about making money online. Oh hand on... I'm plenty motivated about making money online... it's the WORK that is involved that I need to get motivated about! It can feel so very pointless to be doing sooo much work and seeing no reward for it all. It's hard to keep going when you don't actually know if what you're doing is the 'right' use of your time and energy, not knowing whether it will lead to profits for you. But I've seen some very good and encouraging signs over the last few days and I'm ready to get stuck into this thing! Free by Christmas!!!!!

Reaching Out

Today I am totally stoked! I made a comment on a fellow bloggers post and they responded and there's a chance we may might in the next few months. I've always wanted to stay relatively annonymous on the internet but the minute I 'come out' I've got the chance to meet someone I admire. Awesome!! :-)

Sunny Sunday

Gosh it's been such a beautiful day today. It lulls me into this false sense that summer could possibly be on it's way already. Oh I wish!

As is our normal Sunday after ritual, Ben and I went and did our grocering shopping today. And I had that horrifying moment at the check out when the check out chick says my card was rejected. WHAT!?!?!?! And then I remembered... I had bought two things online and had forgotten to transfer the money over from my savings. So onto the credit card it went. I hate it when I do silly things like that. But oh so grateful that little mistakes like that are fixed easily enough.

Today

Today I had a look at a type of creatine that I hadn't looked at before. It's called Amplified Creatine 189 and it's by GNC. It seems to be one of the most popular types of creatine on the market and it's easily available on Amazon. People seem to trust Amazon more, maybe it's because they're so big and they sell such a huge range of products. I get that.

Manhattans

Ben is sitting right across from me going on and on about Manhattans. He's reading something from wikipedia I think about what they're made of, the history and what books and movies they feature a lot in!

Yep an interesting Saturday night in our household!

Squidoo

Ages ago (well, 2 years ago or so) I started building a series of squidoo lenses. I had just learnt about squidoo from my wonderful mentor PotPieGirl AKA Jennifer Ledbetter (can you call someone your mentor when you've never met them in person and they wouldn't have a clue who you are?!) as she was introducting me to free ways of getting your content online.

Well I found this memory improvement course by a company called ZoxPro. They teach all about mental photography and developing photographic memory. It was suprising for me to learn that essentially we are all born with a photographic memory. That's how as babies and children we can learn so rapidly. So I just wanted to link to the squidoo lenses so you can have a look if you're interested.

I've already put a couple of links in the paragraph above but here are the other 3 lenses:
Photographic Memory Development
Get Photographic Memory
How To Develop A Photographic Memory

Family Dinner

Tonight we're off to dinner with my sister, mum and aunty.

We've started a little habit if you will. We went to dinner a few times and talked about how we all love to eat out and how there are plenty places here in Whangarei that we can all visit. It gives Ben and I a chance to sit with them and just hang out... although I wouldn't be suprised if they're sick of hanging out with each other since they live together.

And tonight we're off to... the local working mans club!! Yep. Good hearty food, cheap food and cheap beer. Suits all of us perfectly (for different reasons :)

The Lifestyle Design Movement

For about the last 4 months or so I've been reading a lot of blogs about entrepreneurs who are on the 'Lifestyle Design' bandwagon. I think it was Tim Ferris (of 4 Hour Work Week fame) who first coined or at least made popular the phrase 'Lifestyle Design'. It's all about creating for yourself a lifestyle that allows you the time and money to do what you want with your life. Rather than being chained to a job that you hate for 40 hours a week only to save up enough time and money to go on a holiday and do what you actually want to do.

Ben and I have been chasing this kind of lifestyle long before Tim Ferris talked about it, but now there are a lot more people who are doing it (long before I've found any success at it!!!) and now write about it. I LOVE these blogs... I find them inspiring and encouraging, and I learn heaps from most of them.

Maybe one day I'll write about it too... but first I'm going to just concentrate on making it happen.

Snow in Auckland?

Wow, an icy blast from Antarctica has hit New Zealand and we don't know what to do with ourselves!?

The South Islanders are used to cold and snow but here in Northland we all go a bit loopy when it gets too cold!

Over the weekend I pretty much stayed holed up in our cozy little house and wrote some more about creatine and worked on my other websites.

Forgetful Betty

That's what my new name should be. I can't believe that I forgot all about this blog! Just totally forgot that it was here and that I'd committed to writing here regularly. By regularly I mean every day. You can see that hasn't been happening!

But I have still been writing. Lots actually. Maybe that's why I'd forgotten all about this blog.

I'm back now though, and it's not in my forgettory any more.

But of my writing away from here has been about a supplement called creatine that many athletes use to enable them to train for longer and harder. You can buy creatine online at my new website and it's not too hard to find cheap creatine either.

I Spent Today In Court

Yeah I know, not exactly the most delightful place to spend an afternoon. But I'm a witness in a case and I didn't get to testify today so I've got to go in tomorrow. I'm really hoping that it doesn't take all day. It's a totally emotionally draining process and I simply cannot wait until it is over.

But on another MUCH nicer note. I had to leave work at 1pm today and my boss told me to put till 4pm on my timesheet. How nice is that! I know it's only another 3 hours but I think it's so generous of her and it makes me feel like she values my work and recognises that I try my best to do a good job for her. I'm tickled pink by her gesture :)

And I've been writing more tonight too. I'm trying really hard to consistently write so that I get better at it and so that there is lots of my content out there on the internet.

My topic of writing over the last couple of weeks is where someone could buy creatine online. Creatine is a supplement used by many athletes and body builders as it provides an increase in the energy that our muscles use. It means that athletes are basically able to work themselves harder... and reap the benefits of pushing their bodies further and for longer.

In the article I discuss some of the side effects of taking creatine and the good news is that there aren't many, and they aren't that bad either. So that's a good thing.

Another article

You know, I've found the hands down the best way to get any new article I've written out into cyberspace in super quick time. I add it to my posterous network of blogs and with literally minutes my new article is indexed and out there in the world.
I love it. I think it's a super efficient way to get my work read by as many people as possible.

Busy, busy, busy

One place that I haven't really been doing much writing is at ArticlesBase, so I decided to write an article there last night and today they approved it!

You can read about my reserach in to creatine here.

It's Taking a While

My back is still sore. I came home at 4pm today instead of 6pm... I just couldn't sit at my desk any longer. But at least I'm back at work, it was great to have last week off work but not much fun when you can barely move.

Anyway... I'm even writing about where to buy creatine on squidoo. I'm learning heaps too.

Is this the right way round?

I'm not totally sure that I'm doing things in the right order here. But I've written another article on creatine that you might be interested in. It might look a little bit strange because I've written it on an old blog that I'm not using anymore... and that old blog is about learning the japanese language by taking an online language course.

So it might look a little strange but ... well... maybe you're getting used to that by now?

A Slightly Different Track

So I've created a new site that's a little bit different to the other ones. It's about where to buy Creatine online. Creatine is a supplemeent that many athletes use (well actually it's an organic acid that your body creates and your muscles use... but they've created a supplement) to help them with their workouts. It boosts the athletes ability to train harder for longer.

I know it's a bit of a departure from the other work that I've been doing but I think it's really interesting.

STUCK FLAT ON MY BACK

im beyond annoyed and frustrated.

yesterday morning i did something to my back just getting out of bed... and have barely been able to move since. one finger typing with the netbook on my chest is getting boring really quickly.

457 Immigration Visa Requirements for Australia

For many immirgrants heading into Australia on a 457 visa (employer sponsored) they now have to provide proof that they have purchased relevant health insurance for themselves and their family. If you're heading to Perth check out my post on 457 health insurance Perth and if it's Melbourne that you're going to, you can read my post on 457 health insurance Melbourne.

Long Days

I don't know why today seemed like such a labouriously long day... it might have something to do with the headache that sent me to bed early last night. Oh and working 10 hour days... but really, 10 hour shifts aren't that bad when you sit on your back side all day and do stuff that's not too mentally challenging. There are people that do it a lot easier than I do so there's certainly no complaints from me!

What is hard work for me - more mentally challenging, is trying to build websites that are full of good and useful content. I wrote another blog post last night. Income Protection Insurance Melbourne - still on the insurance theme, but I hope I'm not spreading myself too thin.

Head Space

I've been trying to work on my head space lately...

I want to be able to be really productive with my time but it seems that no matter how much time I have I seem to easily fritter away 70% of it. Of the other 30% only about 10% of it is really productive and I want to somehow change all that.

I know I have the motivation, it's now a question of making myself have the discipline. One thing I have recognised though, is that some times of the day are better for working that others.

I've decided that if I can't do and hour and a half at night, then I'll just take myself off to bed early and get up at 4.30am to do the work. So far it's effective because the thought of having to get up at 4.30am is making me sit here and work solidy for 1.5 hours in the evening.

And this evening, this is what I've produced.
Insurance Melbourne and Life Insurance Canberra

Weekend Fun

It's been a great weekend so far.

For one... I'm not sick anymore! Just a few dregs of the cold I had last week but mostly all better.

Got up VERY late this morning (like, after 10 o'clock) and had a lazy Saturday breakfast with Ben. And then did some more work this afternoon.

Health Insurance Melbourne and Health Insurance Perth. Getting Australia covered now.

And in a little while we're off to dinner with the whanau to celebrate Aunty Potts' new job. And I'm told that it's her treat! :)

Health Insurance

I've been on a real insurance roll today. Here's another article I've written for one of my sites:

Health Insurance Auckland

Writing away

I've written two posts over at my site about all things insurance in Whangarei. One is a little bit out general insurance and why it's important to have it. And the other is about health insurance with a little bit of a cost comparison if you had to pay for procedures yourself.

This is a shout out to my new blog RudgeInc NZ

Welcoming to the wide world of the web: RudgeInc NZ!!!

Meetings

Today I sat in a meeting from 8am right through to 4.30pm.

Arghhh....

And that's all I have to say on that!

Slow Internet

My internet is going at a snails pace today.

Can you believe that we all used to have dial up... and it used to be enough? Now dial up speed is only enough to send some over the edge!!!!

I'm sick... so I'm not happy

I'm not the most amiable when I'm sick. But then again, who is?

Yesterday morning I woke up with what felt like a golf ball in my throat and by the time I got home from work in the evening I had a full on cold. I stayed up watching today till the early hours of the morning to avoid having to lie down and try and sleep.

When I did finally go to bed I slept in the spare room. That way I could grumble and moan, cough and blow my nose as much as I wanted to without worrying about disturbing my sleeping husband. I'm glad I did because I ended up having a really good sleep.

I'm totally blocked up and croaky today but at least I'm at home and I don't have any other aches and pains to go with it.

Time for a DVD I think.

Catching up with old friends

Last night I caught up with a good friend who I haven't seen in ages... like... years. And it was soooo good! She's now got two kids (who are just as laid back as she is) and life seems to be treating her well.
It was so nice to be able to just sit and chat and reminisce about how things used to be.

I forgot my key...

Oh man! I got home this afternoon and didn't realise till I was almost at my front door that I didn't have a house key!
So off to the nice, warm library I went and found a good book to read while I waited for Ben to get home.
Of course just as I was getting into it Ben rang.

The great weekend continues

Even though it's absolutely bucketing down outside I'm still having a fantastic weekend. Yesterday my cousin's baby girl arrived and then my other cousin announces they're having a baby too. I've been able to just hang out with my favourite people (my family) and it's just been lovely. One more lunch today and then they'll all start heading home.

Magic

This blog is like magic. I put something on it and moments later it's on the web for all the world to see.

I want the world to see this site that I've been building on Health Insurance Auckland.

So this morning...

This morning I bid my nook nooks arohanui (Maori for love in abundance :) and settled into a wonderful Friday. Have I gone on about the fact that I love Friday's a little too much? I have to admit that I'm a bit lucky in my life. There's not much to complain about... at all! All we're working on at the moment is to buy our freedom from having to GO to a job everyday. To that effect I'm doing a little test with my blog. This post is one of those tests. Results tomorrow. :)

The Weekend Begins

I still LOVE Thursdays... I don't work again till Monday and I just love having a three day weekend.

And the whanau are  coming up this weekend so I get to hang out with my cousins.

It's shaping up to be a good weekend. :)

Longer hours

I've started working longe hours.

Now I work from 7.30am to 6pm with a half hour lunch break.

But it's still only Monday to Thursday so I'm getting a full weeks wages for only four days!

Yay!

Loving the Ride

I'm loving the ride that life is taking me on at the moment.
I wouldn't say that anything spectacular is happening... it's just the prospect of good things to come. Of realising that I get to design my own life and future.

Whangarei Businesses

Insurance Whangarei

There When You Need It

Insurance is one of those things in life that you know you should have... but your really hope that you don't ever need it. But when you need it, oh you need it ever so badly.
For me, insurance isn't about taking away all of the pain of an 'event', but it is about taking away as much of the FINANCIAL pain as possible.
There are so many different types of insurance available to cover almost every type of incident that could possibly happen to a person, and it is a specialist area that is full of jargon and confusing terms and conditions.
So it's here that insurance brokers come into their own. Providing consumers with advice on what insurance products best suit their own circumstances.
Insurance Whangarei offers help and advice on life insurance, house insurance and everything in between!

via squidoo.com

Mortgage Brokers Whangarei

Mortgage Brokers Whangarei

Mortgage Brokers Whangarei - What's it all about?

Buying a new home can be a scary enough process in itself... to then have to go and get a mortgage can add another layer of complexity on top of that. But then.... you have to wade your way through the hundreds of mortgage products on offer and it can all become just too much.

This is where mortgage brokers Whangarei come in to the picture. A mortgage broker is someone who looks at your particular circumstances and needs and finds the most appropriate home loan for you. They take into account your income, age, goals, etc and find a product that has the most appropriate features for you.

They DO get a commission from whichever bank or financial institution they take you to, but that commission does not come directly out of your pocket (although of course you do pay for it, by virtue of the fact that you're paying the bank and the bank then pay the mortgage broker).

Mortgage Brokers Whangarei provides a valuable service to consumers in helping them to wade through all the jargon and find the best product for them.

via squidoo.com

Testing my new blog

I've added a new blog to my network today... and I want to see if it's working okay.

Hello 'Go Run Amok!'

That didn't last very long!

Well my day at home alone didn't last very long!

About an hour after my last post Ben walked in the door! He had to make a few deliveries up north for work so he picked me up on the way. And we spend a lovely day driving around. I loved it. :)

Home Alone

I think this is the first full day in about a year that I'm home alone while Ben is at a full time job. He started this week and it looks like it's going to be an okay job.
And I'm here at home cracking on to my new insurance website. Yeah baby!

My Forgettory is Alive and Well

It's seems amazing to me that for something that I wish to do every day (write in this blog) I consistently FORGET! It's not like I don't log in to my email every single day of my life (and I send these posts from my email) so you'd think after a few months at this I wouldn't forget all the time. But I do. It's no wonder I forget to do the other stuff that's important too like reading motivational material or affirmations.

Barriers

I've been reading a lot today about barriers. In particular, the barriers that stop me from doing the work that I actually want to do... which is build a busines.

I'd say that reading too much is one of those barriers!

Hmmm

Taumarunui

This weekend we're heading down to Taumarunui for some trust meetings to do with my great grandmothers land shares. It's basically just a chance to start connecting with that side of the family.

So I've gotta work hard tomorrow cos I won't be able to do anything on Saturday.

It's ma birthday

Well... not till tomorrow.

But I got an email this morning from an article directory saying it's rudgeinc's birthday and I can send a birthday greeting or a paid membership.

Wow, so I have to buy my own presents now.

Queens Birthday

It's been an eventful and fun Queens birthday weekend.

Yesterday the guys replaced the roof of the garage at Morningside. It didn't even take them all day and when we were inside enjoying dinner and a few drinks... the heavens opened and the roof was tested. All good. Everything safe and dry inside.

Whangarei Rains

It's been raining all day today. It's let up for small patches here and there, but we haven't seen the sun at all.

We ended up having to take four loads of washing down to the laundromat to be dried.

And tomorrow we're meant to be replacing the roof of the garage at Morningside.

We'll see.

It started today.

Friday the 3rd of June marks the day when it all began.

First I had to get over myself. Get over the fear of rejection. Seriously... why do I think that people will hate me if I email them. And more importantly... why do I care.

We have a business service that businesses NEED! Why on earth would they think I'm a silly girl for approaching them to see if they would like to get more traffic to their websites?

I dunno.

But today I got over it and sent out 4 emails just here in Whangarei.

I got three  very interested respondents.

See, it's the start.

What a way to start the weekend. I have my work cut out for me now. :)

Early Start

It's an early start this morning.

I found my cousin

I haven't seen Janelle for, literally, years. Maybe 15 years or more? The last time I saw her she was a customs officer at Auckland airport and I didn't recognise her as I gave her my passport. Prior to that I only saw her occasionally. That's it.

Now we've found each other on facebook and I'm delighted to learn that she's delving in to the world of internet marketing. Delighted for me because there's someone in my world who I can talk to about this stuff.

We now have more in common than just blood. I like that.

I like that she seems to be a cool chick too. I hope people think it runs in the family. :)

Decision time

Well...

Whangarei isn't turning out to be quite the right place for Ben and I.

I LOVE being here with my family, but work is just so few and far between and the pay is very, very low. Especially for unskilled labour. Even me with all my office experience and glowing references can't get more than $20/hour. Enough to pay our bills but not much more than that.

So it's decision time for us. When my contract at Golden Bay finishes around about August then we're going to have to decide what we're going to do, or... where we're going to go. We have to go somewhere where there are more jobs available and the pay is reasonable. Maybe back to Australia except maybe this time we'll go to Brisbane or Perth. At the moment it's anyone's guess.

I don't actually want to go anywhere. I would really like to stay and make our 'base' here. So I have to make our business work. Getting on to it now...

xx

FAIL

Wow, that was a nice little FAIL!

Here's the links with the missing 's' so that they actually go somewhere...

http://www.electricians.hamilton-biz.com
http://www.electricians.hastings-nz.com
http://www.electricians.napier-nz.net
http://www.electricians.rotorua-nz.com
http://www.electricians.tauranga-nz.com

:-)

A little bit later than normal...

Normally I post these sites as soon as they've been made. But these one's were made yesterday... I felt sick and couldn't stick at it long enough to post about them. But here they are now!

http://www.electrician.hamilton-biz.com
http://www.electrician.hastings-nz.com
http://www.electrician.napier-nz.net
http://www.electrician.rotorua-nz.com
http://www.electrician.tauranga-nz.com

Sorry....

But I'm sure this is going to bore the living daylights out of you...

But it's what I've gotta do do build our future. And build it I will!!!

http://www.painters.hamilton-biz.com
http://www.painters.hastings-nz.com
http://www.painters.napier-nz.net
http://www.painters.rotorua-nz.com
http://www.painters.tauranga-nz.com/

The Weekend that was

Well it's been a very productive yet oddly relaxing weekend! I've managed to build 15 websites... yup FIFTEEN!

Here's the last 5 that I have just completed:

http://www.plumbers.hamilton-biz.com
http://www.plumbers.hastings-nz.com
http://www.plumbers.napier-nz.net
http://www.plumbers.rotorua-nz.com
http://www.plumbers.tauranga-nz.com

I'm a happy girl tonight. Got my wine, the bacon bone soup is almost ready and I've finished a good weekend of work and relaxation.

Yep. Life's good. :)

Feast to famine

I'm quiet for weeks, only get a few dribs and drabs out and then BAM! Nine sites in 2 days!

http://www.printing.hamilton-biz.com
http://www.printing.hastings-nz.com
http://www.printing.napier-nz.net
http://www.printing.rotorua-nz.com
http://www.printing.tauranga-nz.com

Gee - Talk about dropping the ball

It's been days since I've been here! And today I've been pumping out the sites. So here is four all at once!

http://www.tyres.hastings-nz.com
http://www.tyres.napier-nz.net
http://www.tyres.rotorua-nz.com
http://www.tyres.tauranga-nz.com

:-)

Oops

Sometimes I can get a little neglectful of this blog. I had set myself the challenge of writing on here every day and sometimes I am woefully forgetful! These last few days have been that!
And I fear it's not going to get much better very soon. :-)

And she's still going...

Wow, I didn't think I had it in me to get another one done... but here's another FOUR sites being sent out into the online world...

http://www.florists.hastings-nz.com/
http://www.florists.napier-nz.net/
http://www.florists.rotorua-nz.com/
http://www.florists.tauranga-nz.com/

Mamma Mia!!

Phew what an afternoon!

I've managed to get four sites all built at the same time.

Like a bulldozer rumbling down the street... no one can stop me now!!

http://www.mortgagebrokers.hastings-nz.com/
http://www.mortgagebrokers.napier-nz.net/
http://www.mortgagebrokers.rotorua-nz.com/
http://www.mortgagebrokers.tauranga-nz.com/

Boom, boom, boom... BOOM!!!

More, more, more...

I'm beginning to wonder if I'm a little bit weird or something. But I'm getting a kick out of getting all of these websites built.

It feels really good to pump out the work. Now we've got to get them making money... somehow.

http://www.electrician.whangareibusiness.com

Hot Chocolate

What is it about a hot chocolate that makes everything alright?

Very nice way to start off a weekend I say.

:-)

Two more sites

The slide into winter has well and truly begun.

But I'm happy. We've got a cozy little place to call home and I got new slippers!

We're gonna be spending our evenings and weekends building this business of ours. (Well I am... I'm on fire about this business model!)

And by the time summer comes around again, it'll be bringing in an income that will see us starting to live the life we've dreamed of for years.

Here's one site I built tonight... http://www.mortgagebrokers.whangareibusiness.com  and one that I forgot to finish off properly a few days ago: http://www.plumbers.whangareibusiness.com

xx

More About Printing in Whangarei

Today I got to show Ben all the site building that I've been doing. Here's one we just finished...

http://www.printing.whangareibusiness.com

Plumbing

Now I'm on the plumbing bandwagon again... http://www.plumbers.whangareibusiness.com

Probably the last one for tonight...

Feeling a bit weary after today work.

And...

There's a royal wedding on tv tonight!

http://www.painters.whangareibusiness.com

Pumping up

the productivity... and the tyres.

http://www.tyres.whangareibusiness.com

Another Florist site...

Working away...

http://www.florist.whangareibusiness.com

Yay :-)

Winter Has Arrived

And we still haven't got a heater yet.

I'm a bit grumpy about it all actuallly. If it's gonna be cold I'd rather be snuggled up in front of a roaring fire with a mulled wine and my honey. Being exhausted from a full, fun day of skiing.

Even so... I can't (and shouldn't!!!) complain. It's a Friday. I'm not at work. And I'm warm and comfortable with my honey as we bust our guts trying to build a business. That's the stuff of dreams isn't it?

Flowers

I really do need to stop going on about how much I love weekends... and especially long ones. But I do, so there you have it.

It does mean that I have tonnes of time to spend building this business... consequently... websites get built. Here's the current installment: http://www.floristwellington.net

xx

Good Friday

Indeed it IS a good Friday! I'm not at work and we don't go back until Tuesday. That makes for not just a good Friday but a good Weekend! Happy Easter everyone. Enjoy your time off and go easy on the easter eggs aye....

Easter is coming up

Yay, it's the last work day before Easter. Easter only means one more day of the weekend for me, but I'm still looking forward to it. I might eat too much chocolate this weekend too. :-)

Winter is coming

Today was one of those days where you'd like to be snuggled up in front of the first reading a long novel... but I was at work.

And then this evening was spent in an intense session getting another website built. Now that there's a process to all this, it kinda seems silly to go to bed without getting everything done in one go.

I like that. :-)

So here for your viewing pleasure: http://www.plumbersauckland.com

Goodnight!

Time for the BIG launch.

The launch of our business. Are you ready for it?

http://www.firstpagenz.com

I'm so freakin excited!!

This is a service that I believe so many businesses are in desperate need of. Desperate! And lil ole me can help them, in a BIG way!!

To actually come up with a business idea that could help people. A win/win situation. Who gets that these days?!?

Okay I'll stop blabbing now. :-)

Blessed

It's weird... I'm working my butt off with this business idea... and I feel so amazingly blessed to be able to do this. On my days off I look forward to getting stuck into this work because 1. I actually quite enjoy it and 2. It's building a business for us. I am totally loving the 'building a business' side of things but at the same time I'm enjoying the 'tasks' of the business.
Thinking of this as a 'bricks and mortar' business, and treating it like one, is really helping I think.
So here's one of my tasks completed for the day.  http://www.floristauckland.net/

Home

There's nothing more I love than staying home! Oh, okay, sure there's HEAPS more things I love more than staying home. But what I love about staying home is the NOT going to work thing. Yeah I know it's Saturday and I don't normally go to work on Saturday anyway. But I love sitting here as the weather turned all blustery... looking out to the hills while sitting here building our future.
That's pretty neat.

Weekend

Gee I love the weekends!

It's not exactly everyone else's idea of fun... but the weekend for me means that I get to spend THREE whole days working on our business. And I LOVE that. The idea that with a lot of work upfront now, we can work a little less later on. But still be getting a decent income. And we're structuring our business so that it's not totally dependant on us being at the helm to run it. Sheesh, it could be run by high school students... and probably better than us! Yeah!!

Time

Time to tell you more of what's going on. It's surprising (and pleasing) to me to see how many times I'm writing on here and telling you about a new website I've just launched. Well, here I am again! http://www.paintersauckland.com/ has just been finished. I want to put another post on there about say the paint making process or the difference between the types of paint. But I'm pretty tired so I think I'd better hit the sack.

Square eyes... well, more like rectangular actually

Boy has today been a busy day. Got up late, ate leftovers for breakfast and didn't really get started working until just before lunch I think. But then... it was all action stations. I watched heaps of the P3 videos that I hadn't seen yet and then got stuck into creating another website. It's now 9.30pm and the website is 95% done. Just need to add a little bit of content here and there but the bulk of it is done and dusted. See --->  http://www.tyresauckland.com/  I'm a happy girl :-)

Ben's Birthday

It was yesterday... but today it gets mention in a post because we're eating leftovers. Chinese takeaways and cheesecake... for breakfast! Yummmm :-)

Over the de-motivation...

It's been a busy, productive afternoon. It's nice when I get to the end of the working day and I feel like I may have actually earned the glass of wine I'm gonna have. I finished off a whole site today. I had already done the hardest part, which for me is the research and writing of the first (most important) post. But I did ALL of the rest of it this afternoon. I told myself that all I had to do was work solidly for an hour and then at the end of the hour I could do whatever I wanted to. Well that was 3 hours ago. When I got to one hour I was already in the groove and overcome the hurdle of what I thought was a hard task. So I just stayed put and now I'm finished! Here's the finished product: http://www.printingauckland.net/

TV Time

Last night all we did all night was watch TV ... all night. Okay, well all 'I' did was watch TV, Ben seemed to find stuff to do on his computer but all I could be bothered doing was vegeing on the couch. Okay, so I'll work today instead.

Contract Extended

So it seems my temping role is going really well, they're suitably
impressed and have asked me to stay on for another 3 months. Goodo!
I'm quite happy with that. I like the work (enough), the people are
nice but geez... the pay sux big time!!!!

Slept In!!

Oh my goodness, what a way to start the day.

A phone call that I thought was my alarm going off, was actually my
sister ringing to say she was waiting outside!

A dash to get dressed, no time for a shower, grab some food for
breakfast and lunch and then fly out the door.

Doesn't do anything good for the nervous system or anything!

Lampworking

Did you know that lampworking is a craft where you make beautiful
stuff out of glass? Jewellery and beads, figurines, paper weights and
stuff. I never knew that! I do now. :-)
http://www.lampworkingsupplies.in-f0.com/welcome-to-lampworking-supplies/

Busy girl

I've been a busy girl this evening.
Recounting events, writing, learning, blogging. Not in that order.
http://www.hirewhangarei.com/welcome-to-hire-whangarei/

Another post on Builders Whangarei

Getting some work done now...

http://www.builderswhangarei.com/welcome-to-builders-whangarei/

xx

Dropped the ball

Oh man, I've really dropped the ball lately with this blog!
But that's because we've been busy.
We moved into our new unit in the weekend and it's just fabulous. It
was great being with the whanau at Morningside, but we really need our
own space and this is plenty of our own space!
It's a two bedroom unit, fully furnished with all brand new
furnishings and appliances. We couldn't be happier. Still really close
to Morningside, REALLY close to town (and like, 100m from the library)
and close to the Saturday morning growers market and... the list goes
on. It's simply sensational!!

Anne of Green Gables

Last night and this afternoon I watched the entire first part of Anne
of Gables. It's probably about the 5th time I've watched the whole
thing (although I watched multiple snippets over and over again when I
was a teenager) and I don't ever seem to get sick of it. I think it's
the mix of fashion, scenery, a simple love story and the idealistic
lifestyle that just has me hooked every time.

Ear Infections

Unfortunately I've found myself with another ear infection. I got this
about a year ago and after about 4 visits to the doctor she finally
figured out how to treat the fungal infection in my ear. So this
afternoon I went straight to the chemist and got some drops.

Can't wait till the dizziness stops.

Excel

At work today I discovered it's not very difficult to impress people
when you have a skill that they don't.
I've been working on a spreadsheet (database of all the chemicals kept
on site) for the last few days and because I work in excel a lot I was
able to come up with a formula for something that impressed them.

I'm a simple girl. I like it when people are pleased with me.

What Is The Most Important Thing?

There is a Maori quote that is very well known and it goes like this:

He aha te mea nui o te ao?
He tangata! He tangata! He tangata!

What is the most important thing in the world?
It is people! It is people! It is people!

I don't know what's going on with the world but those poor people in
Japan. All the buildings and infrastructure has been devastated but it
is, of course, the loss of life that is the most devastating of all.

So sad isn't it.

Not A Good Start

Well I started my new job as I said...

Then I went and got sick and didn't go back to work until today! It
was just a cold, but I had Thursday off and then I didn't go in Friday
cos I don't have a ride on Friday's anyway and then it was the
weekend.

I'm glad it's a good job though. Nothing to strenuous on the brain but
plenty to keep me occupied without sending me potty. I wish I could
say that it's also decent pay... but it's not. But it's about as good
as I'm going to get here in Whangarei. I'm more than happy with it
though. :-)

Christchurch... Again

Not getting many posts done recently. Went back down to Christchurch
on Sunday to pick up all ours and Mum's belongings. Big day, big trip
but it's all done now and that (very short) chapter of our lives is
over for now.... well... at least on hold. :-)

And then I went and got a job. Started today. Just a few weeks. That'll do. :-)

WINZ

Work And Income New Zealand (WINZ), they're the welfare department
here in NZ. I've been there a few times this week, getting assistance
with living costs since having to make the dash out of Christchurch.
Today I went in to apply for the unemployment benefit... I don't
expect to have to use their services for too long because I'm an
employable person. But... there are hardly any jobs here in Whangarei,
so I'm just preparing for 'just-in-case'.
But gee... it's pretty humbling. Going and asking for money is
essentially what I'm doing. But you gotta do what you gotta do and
there's nothing wrong with it. I suppose I'm just aware of the number
of people that milk the system for everything they can and don't do
anything to help themselves. I don't want to be lumped in that number.

Laugh

Gosh we laugh a lot in my family. Particularly when my sister is
around. She's one of those people that gets the giggles and can't
stop. And that sets everyone else off.

Tonight we were all in fits at the state of her poached eggs. They
were abysmal. Just a big round, HARD ball of yolk sitting on her
toast. No whites to be seen anywhere.

And by the time we'd finished laughing, I think they were cold!

I LOVE laughing.

:-)

Our Deepest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people
won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically
liberates others.

Marianne Williamson (speech written for Nelson Mandela)

Sooo much has happened...

Okay, so I've been MIA for the last week because we moved down to
Christchurch... and the very next day a devastating earthquake hit the
city! We took my mum and got ourselves out of there quick smart. No
mucking around.

So then we spent the next 3 days getting ourselves back to Whangarei.
And here we are. Safe and sound, unharmed... and wondering what we're
going to do now.

Others are not nearly so lucky to be in this predicament. The fatality
count is now at 145. There are many more.

How many people get so close to tragedy and can come out so unscathed.

It's my second chance you think?

I forgot...

I've been having such a great time here in Whangarei that I forgot to
miss my life in Sydney!

Forgot to miss having a place of our own.

Forgot to miss the weather.

Forgot to miss the beach.

Didn't forget to miss my friends tho. :-)

Hairdressers in Whangarei?

Jeepers, you'd think it would be easy to find a hairdresser in your
area on the internet?

Apparently not.

Not like Sydney where almost every hairdresser has their business on
the internet somehow. Things are a little different here in Whangarei.

So let me introduce you to Hairdressers Whangarei.

You can find them here.

AbCoaster Reviewed

Click here if you're
interested in seeing my squidoo lens about the AbCoaster. It looks like an
awesome machine to target your abs without putting a tonne of strain
onto your lower back.
xx

Peach Pie Galore!

Oh the peach pies are a hit! Made a big one last night and the Price's
took the leftover half home with them. Aunty Potts has been dropping
huge (unsubtle!) hints at another pie for tonight. So we've picked
peaches this morning, I've just peeled and sliced them all and I'm
waiting for the pastry to thaw so I can make up a pie.

Yumm yumm!

Geez I love my life

It's really very simple, my life, that is.

But I love it so much at the moment. I get to stay home all day and my
one 'stress' is making sure that I get enough content written and
syndicated every day. I get to be with my whanau, especially those
closest to me and I get to live in my wonderful country.

I'm excited about our move to Christchurch and the new experiences
that will entail, and I get the pleasure of knowing we can be with my
Ma for at least the next few months.

You don't get much luckier than me.

AbCoaster

It's absolutely amazing what you can get these days. (Sheesh that
expression makes me sound sooo old and dottery) The abcoaster targets your abs
in a safe way without putting stress on your body, in particular your
back. Check it out here: www.abcoaster.in-f0.com

Driving And Peach Pie

Yesterday we drove down to Auckland (2hrs) to pick up Mum and bring
her back up here to Whangarei. It was a good trip down but by the time
we'd picked her up at the airport and started making our way back, I
had a monster headache and Ben was feeling sick. So poor Ma had to
drive all the way back! She didn't mind though. I'm so glad I have
such a capable mother, she doesn't NEED us to look after her, she can
do quite well on her own... but she lets us look after her a little
bit. :-)

And Peach Pie... Ben and I made a Fresh Peach Pie for the first time
ever and it was delicious! So easy, once we'd figured out what we were
doing, and soooo yummy! :-)

Poached Eggs

I had already said last night that this morning I wanted to have a
sleep in. So this morning I got woken up at a very respectable 8am and
told that the water was in the pan waiting till I was ready, then the
eggs would be put in and the toast cooked. Coffee was ready and
waiting.
My husband makes THE most perfect poached eggs on the planet and
that's what I got for breakfast this morning.
I'm still blushing with delight!
xx

Peaches

I just stuffed myself silly on the peaches in the garden. The trees
are absolutely laden with fruit even though the fruit is only small.
Most of them are still quite firm and even have a tinge of green on
them, oh but they are ripe, juicy, sweet and delicious!
These weren't around when we were growing up or maybe they were but
we'd all gone back to school for the year and missed out on the
harvest? Either way... I'm making up for lost time now.

Gaps

I still have quite a few gaps in my knowledge about what activities
are the most important/relevant and what's not. But as I keep going
and testing for myself (as PotPieGirl keeps saying!!) then I know it
will become much clearer to me.

So the learning curve has been quite steep over the last few weeks in
particular. It's like all the stuff that I've learnt over the last
year or so is finally all gelling together and making a bit of sense.

For the first time ever I'm finding myself wanting to spend ALL my
time doing this stuff because I understand it's importance, I know the
benefits it will have for me over time and, it's not as mind-numbingly
boring when I'm doing my own system rather than just blindly following
someone else.

More and more good stuff to come.

Thyromine - I've been using it for a few months

And I LOVE it.
I was amazed to learn that there are literally thousands upon
thousands of people who suffer from hypothyroidism (and underactive
thyroid) and they don't even know it. But the, I didn't know either so
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

I had a look at thyromine reviews and decided to give it a go. So glad I did.

Uncle Wayne & Dion

Are here for the weekend and I couldn't be happier!
I keep finding more and more reasons to be happy that I'm back here in
NZ. The main one is that I'm with all my whanau again.
There's not much I miss about Sydney. My friends I miss. And my
income. Oh and my car that came with the income. But that's it!
The friends are not lost and the income & car can be released.
Pretty happy today I am. :-)

Weddings Whangarei and more...

Last year my cousin Ange was trying to organise her wedding on the 1st
January 2011 up in the Bay of Islands. She was looking for wedding and
bridal suppliers here in Whangarei because that's where we spend most
of our time and where the old homestead is. She lives in Perth,
Australia so of course all of her searching was done online. What a
shock to find that businesses here in Whangarei haven't quite got
properly on the band wagon about making themselves available on the
internet. It was a nightmare for Ange trying to get as much stuff
sorted out before she got here.

So I'm trying to remedy that problem. First stop was to create a
website about weddings whangarei.
Second stop is to get it ranking in the google search engine.

I'm On A Freakin Roll

And I'm pumping out the work now. Have I mentioned how I LOVE this stuff?? :-)

http://www.squidoo.com/emini-academy

See another one. DONE.

More Squidoo

Been keeping busy still getting all my squidoo lenses updated and looking good.

http://www.squidoo.com/emini-training

I wish I could do this stuff forever. I love it.

Settling In... And Finding a Dentist

Finding a good dentist is hard at the best of times. But then we had
to find one when we moved here. And like most we had plenty of horror
stories. Here they are: http://www.squidoo.com/dentist-whangarei

Waiting, waiting, waiting...

So yesterday I sent off a proposal for doing some work for a web
design company in Sydney. Hope it comes about, I love doing this SEO
gig waaaay more than being tied to going to an office every day.

Random

Okay so here's a totally random one that may get a few tongues
wagging. It's not meant to. It's just a website that I'm working on
and has a big demand online.

http://www.squidoo.com/christian-wife-sex

It's all totally G-rated content and may be very helpful to some people.

I hope so.

Blogger

So I've been spending a lot of time on the internet lately. Updating a
lot of my sites and squidoo lenses, fixing links, getting rid of old
sites and generally doing a very big clean up.
I've been amazed at just how much work I had done when I wasn't even
trying that hard. Man if I just committed to this thing I could get so
much content out onto the net and it would be quality, unique,
excellent content out there. Gee I've just gotta get my butt moving
and make it happen!

Waitangi

Waitangi Day is the day we commemorate the signing of the Treaty of
Waitangi in 1840. So we went up to Waitangi and enjoyed all the
displays, food and entertainment. Stinking hot though.

Scorcher

It's been another scorcher of a day today.
I couldn't get cool no matter what I did. Cool showers, sitting in
front of the fan. So I just sat as still as I could and remembered how
glad I am that I'm not in a cyclone in Northern Queensland or in a
severe storm somewhere in the States.

I think I just too lucky sometimes.
xx

Oh so busy.

We only have 3 weeks left here in Whangarei before we head down to Christchurch.
So the pump is on. So much work to do on our sites before we have to
go back to the land of the employed.
Here's another lens I've updated:
http://www.squidoo.com/thyromine-boosting-your-metabolism
Hope you're having a great day. M xx

Still Trucking On

Got lots of refreshing of squidoo sites done today. Here's one of them:

http://www.squidoo.com/Toy-Fire-Trucks

Builders Whangarei - Finding a great builder

Here's an article I've written with some tips on how to find a good
builder. You can have a look at the article in ezine articles. Here's
the link:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Who-Is-Going-To-Build-The-Home-of-Your-Dreams?&id=5755511

Traders International - trading online

A few years ago I bought an educational programme on trading e-minis
(a type of share) on the Chicago stock exchange. It was awesome stuff,
unfortunately I got into it just before the GFC when everything was
going a bit haywire and the signals weren't behaving the same way they
had for years. Anyway... I wrote a lens about my experience and what I
learned. Check it out if it's something you're into:
http://www.squidoo.com/traders-international-review
M :-)

Yeah I Know...

I Said I'd Stop Talking About The Weather BUT...

You should see this place! We've caught the tail end of ex-cyclone
Wilma and she's brought a TON of rain with her. It's been raining for
about 10 hours and it's getting heavier. All the drains are
overflowing, there's rivers running down our hill and it's totally
flooded at the bottom. It's crazy stuff!!

Toy Fire Trucks

While I'm here, I just wanted to tell you about another little squidoo
site that I created... well, almost two years ago now I think!

I had a brain wave that I wanted to write about Toy Fire Trucks, so
I did. Just click on that link and it will take you directly to my
squidoo lens if you wanna have a looksee.

:-)

New Squidoo lens

I've been keeping busy... but not nearly as busy as I could be. This
'not working' thing is wonderful!

I've created a new squidoo lens to try and drum up some support for
local businesses here in Whangarei.

If you have a chance, please go check it out at:
http://www.squidoo.com/builders-whangarei

xx

Howard

So enough about the weather huh... actually it's a beautiful, sunny
day today. I love it!

But I've gotta tell you about Howard. Howard turned up a few weeks
ago, just pecking around the front lawn waiting/hoping for a bit of
food. My sister put out a big bowl of water and he must have been
thirsty because he got stuck in.
We gave him a bit of bread and he came back the next morning.
So we gave him some more bread, and he came back with 8 of his mates!
Then he started pooping on the driveway.
So we've stopped feeding him.

I can't believe how much I miss Howard the duck!

It's stopped raining... FINALLY!

It's been going non-stop for 3 days but this morning it has finally
stopped. It's still soggy, and overcast and even a little cold.
But at least it's not raining anymore.

Muggy Much?

Oh man, while Austalia, Sri Lanka and Brazil have terrible floods, all
we have is this overwhelming muggy that makes even doing nothing
uncomfortable.
It's overcast and been threatening rain... but the rain just isn't
coming. Instead, the moisture just sits in the air.

I've been busy!

Wow I've been such a busy girl.
There is so much going on here in Whangarei and I just have to tell
you about some of it.
Okay so I've created two new sites that will help two more businesses
in the area. Here they are:
www.dentistwhangarei.com and
www.hirewhangarei.com
I hope they do really well for these companies.
xx

Started up a new website for my uncle...

So my uncle is a builder and one of the better one's here in Whangarei!
I've decided to help him out by getting up a website for him.
Here it is: http://www.builderswhangarei.com/
So now you know where to go if you need a builder in Whangarei!

The Jewel of the North

Whangarei. My new home town. And the gateway to all that is beautiful
in Northland.
It's on the cusp of being called a city, but it's still only a town.
It has all the facilities and services of a city, but without the
population of a city.
I love it.

Whangarei... the place to be.

I'm loving it here in Whangarei (NZ).
So glad to be with all my whanau.
But it's dawned on me that the internet is an untapped market here.
Yippie!!!

Queensland Disaster

I'm sure you've all heard about the terrible flooding in Queensland.
The crazy thing is, the flooding is not just in Australia! Sri Lanka
are having their own flooding and somewhere in Europe too. What's
happening to our weather?

The Start Of My New Life

So here we are in Whangarei, New Zealand.
After living in Sydney for the last 10 years we have made the move
back to the motherland and decided it's time for a drastic change in
pace.
I hope you enjoy the journey with me.
:-)

My First Post...

Hi Everyone!
Okay so this is my new blog. I'm new to this but I'm going to be posting about stuff that is interesting to me... and hopefully interesting to you too!
In the process I hope to improve my writing skills and getting better at being interesting... no small task (as my family will atest).
So enough of my rambling, lets get started.
Michelle xx