Home Depot Garden Club: Coupons - Save + More

Image via Wikipedia

If you have not joined The Home Depot Garden Club yet, you are missing out. Once you sign up you will receive great discounts on many different items. The coupons will be sent directly to your inbox.

You have your own individual account, a social net working out that lets you communicate with other people across the country and you also are connected to a Home Depot expert to answer any of you gardening questions.

BUY ONE TREE, GET ONE FREE
$4 OFF ANY QUART CONCENTRATE OR READY-TO-SPRAY CONCENTRATE WEED-B-GON

Save Your Money, Save Your Family at Amazon

House Training Maltese Puppies

Image by www.petian.net via Flickr

Some Basic Concepts for you to Understand


Maltese develop elimination habits during their first few months of life. Maltese do not want to eliminate where they rest.
Being creatures of habit, dogs will return to their "usual spot" whenever it is convenient.
Maltese can be conditioned (trained) to react to a conditioned stimulus in a certain way. (they can be taught to eliminate when you say a word over and over).
A behavior is likely to be repeated if it is positively reinforced. (You will therefore be using food treats and praise to reinforce elimination at the proper time, in the proper place

Crate Training
To some people a dog crate seems like cruelty to the dog. However, if presented correctly, it is just the opposite. It gives your Maltese a place that belongs to him, a safe den where he can go if he wants to be left alone or rest. It also give you a place to keep your Maltese at the times when you do not want him underfoot, and a safe way of traveling your dog. If you crate your Maltese in the car, he can be left with the windows completely down. It is extremely dangerous to leave your Maltese in a closed car in warm weather or ride loose in the back of a truck. Also if you should have an auto accident, your dog is not likely to be thrown out of the car or escape in the confusion. Motel rooms generally prefer crated dogs, also. To crate train your Maltese, first select a crate which will be large enough to fit him as an adult. The puppy should be fed in his crate, and encouraged to sleep in it with the door open. He may be left with the door closed for short periods of time once he is used to it. Avoid leaving a Maltese puppy in a crate for extended periods of time. NEVER use the crate as a punishment. The location should be out of the way but near family activity.
Helpful Hints for Housebreaking

The goal for "house breaking" your Maltese is to have it "potty" outside and not inside your house...right? Why do so many people train their dogs to do it inside ???. Let me explain further...people use the "old" newspaper method in some cases until their Maltese are 4 to 5 months old, this is wonderful. It saves their floors from getting messed up...you bet...but it's also "IMPRINTS" the dog that its 'OK" to eliminate inside the house. Think about it, sure the dog will relate the scent of "printers ink" to elimination, but what does that have to do with "GOING OUTSIDE" ?. I've had many Maltese owners call me wondering why their "ADULT" dogs (totally housebroken ???) loves to urinate on or around the coffee table, the one that this weeks newspapers are stashed under ....get the idea ???
Here's some hints to make house training a little easier

* Keep your Maltese puppy up on a "consistent" housebreaking schedule. Feed at the "SAME" time ever day.
* Designate one area outside as a "potty" area.
* Take your Maltese out every 2 hours to the "potty" area, whether it has eaten or not.
* The times that a puppy will most likely want to eliminate are after eating or drinking, after a nap, or after a period of play or vigorous exercise.
* Make up a written time log showing feeding and trips to the "potty" area, this really helps.
* Bring the puppy on a leash to the designated area. Initially you want to teach the puppy what the words "go potty" mean, but don't distract the puppy from its business by constant "YAPPING"...be quiet...say "go potty" just before you see it is about to, say "good Potty" (not too loud or distracting) as it eliminates, and then get really excited and be as loud as you wish, saying "GOOD POTTY" once the puppy has done the "business"....and give it a treat . I suggest "moist flavorful treats as opposed to the dry kind.
* The two most important words in house training are "WATCH" or "CONFINE". Never give a puppy full run of the house, start in a small area like a utility room or a small pen, don't graduate to a larger area until it has PROVEN (no accidents) itself in that area for a period of time. "Watching" means ....CONSTANTLY being aware of where the puppy is. I prefer most people to put the puppy on a leash when not in the puppy pen or crate. (Outside dog runs are a great investment too !!)
* Get yourself a suitably sized "Crate" the same day you buy your puppy. It's not inhumane or cruel (cruel is constantly reprimanding, scolding and possibly getting physical with the puppy for eliminating inside the house). DO NOT fill the entire floor area of the crate with newspaper or bedding of any kind, just put make a 1/4 of the crate a 'Bed", if you wish. Always make sure the crate is in a well ventilated area out of direct sunlight. Also, if you live in colder climates, be sure the room temperature stays fairly constant, not too hot...or too cold.
* NEVER BE PHYSICAL WITH A PUPPY FOR ELIMINATING INSIDE... In fact..."never" be physical with your puppy ...period. Being overly physical with your Maltese will make it not want to perform in front of you, and will actually cause the puppy to leave gifts for you out of your sight .You know... "the ones your dinner guests find behind the furniture"
* You can start a very young Maltese puppy on newspaper, but get rid of the paper as soon as you can and begin formal crate training. Be patient, consistent, and diligent in taking the puppy outside, regulate what goes into your puppy's tummy, so you can regulate what comes out. "WATCH" or "CONFINE" , gradually extend your pups living area, keep track on your "housebreaking log" and in a matter of a few short weeks....PRESTO !!! No more Accidents.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Tips For Housebreaking Your Puppy (animaltopics.com)

saveyourmoneysaveyourfamily.com

Are You Getting Enough Calcium and Vitamin D?

Image via Wikipedia

Calcium and vitamin D are essential for strong, healthy bones—vitamin D is essential for optimum calcium absorption in the small intestine. Recommended calcium levels are 1000 mg per day, 1200 mg if you are over 50 years old. Take a vitamin D and calcium supplement if you don’t get enough of these nutrients from your diet.

Great sources of calcium include:

* Dairy products, which come already fortified with vitamin D.
* Dark green, leafy vegetables, such as kale and collard greens
* Dried beans and legumes

My Book Save Your Money, Save Your Family is available

Related articles by Zemanta

• Top 8 Tips to Help Save Your Bones (abcnews.go.com)

Toni's Famous Beef Brisket Recipe

Beef Brisket Recipe

First I use a plastic bag and mix all the spices for the rub.

Rub Ingredients:

 2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon season salt
2 teaspoons salt


1 table spoon red pepper(optional for just a little kick)
1 table spoon white sugar


Ingredients
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 lb beef brisket
1 1/2 cup beef broth


Directions:
1.Preheat oven 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
2. Brush soy sauce on beef brisket and work into meat for 30 seconds. Let set 5 mins.

3.Mix rub ingredients in plastic bag together, seal bag and shake.
4.Rub ingredients from plastic bag into beef brisket.
5. Cook brisket in 350 degree oven for 1 hour: uncovered.
6. Remove Brisket from oven
7. Add beef broth to roasting pan, cover roasting pan with lid or foil.
8. Decrease oven temp to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C)
9. Cook another 3 hours.
10. When done remove from oven, let brisket rest 30 minutes before serving.
11. Cut Brisket across the grain for tenderness. Serve.


Save Your Money, Save Your Family
 First Tax Solution LLC folllow my Tax Solution Blog daily

Related articles by Zemanta

• Recipes for Health: Tuna and Pepper Stew (nytimes.com)

Soda Tax, Will it reduce Obesity?

With obesity running rampant, some public health advocates say it's time for bold new steps to cut down on the foods and drinks contributing to calorie overload.

Taxing sugary beverages and junk food is an approach that's gotten some traction in policy circles lately.

Hiking taxes on cigarettes has helped cut smoking rates, after all. Though a recent uptick, due in part to companies lowering their prices, may show the limits of the approach.

But would Americans really support taxes on fast food, snacks and sugary sodas to discourage unhealthy consumption?

We figured it couldn't hurt to ask, and the folks at Thomson Reuters agreed to help. They survey 100,000 U.S. households a year on health-related topics. Earlier this month, we threw our own questions on food and beverage taxes into their survey mix.

Here's what we found.

Just over half -- 51 percent -- of more than 3,000 people surveyed either strongly opposed or opposed taxes on carbonated, sugary soft drinks. But, 33 percent of those surveyed favor such a tax; 22 percent strongly so. The rest -- 16 percent -- had no opinion.

Thomson Reuters says the margin for error on the questions is plus or minus 1.8 percent.

There was less support for taxes on snack foods: 27 percent in favor and 54 percent against. Similarly, 28 percent of those surveyed supported a tax on fast food and 53 percent were against the idea.

So the notion of taxing the bad stuff we eat and drink is dead, right? Maybe not. As Dr. Raymond Fabius, medical director for health care business at Thomson Reuters, told Shots, "There's a sizable portion or our populace that's concerned enough about the unhealthy consumption of calories that they're willing to support a tax."

Higher taxes on cigarettes didn't catch on overnight. "I would bet the support for a 'sin tax' on cigarettes would have been lower than 30 percent right out of the box," he said. Thirty-percent support for any tax is pretty high, he said.

For comparison's sake, a Kaiser Family Foundation poll last year found 46 percent of people would support higher taxes on sodas and soft drinks to help pay for health overhaul and coverage of the uninsured.

In case you were wondering, income and age didn't make much difference on people's view of these taxes.

Political affiliation? Sure did. About 70 percent of Republican opposed the taxes. Between 40 and 50 percent of Democrats supported the taxes.

Save Your Money, Save Your Family

Peanut Buttter Granola Bars

I was recently asked to re post my recipe. My book Save Your Money, Save Your Family is now available
serves 18

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups rolled oats quick cooking
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk chocolate chips (optional)


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Beat together peanut butter, honey, egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla blend well.
3. Mix oats, sugar and salt together and mix well.
4. Add oat mixture to peanut butter mixture mix until batter becomes sticky.
5. Stir in chocolate chips (optional)
6. Press into a 13" x 9" pan coated with cooking spray. Use a piece of wax paper to press mixture into an even layer in the pan
7. Bake 12-15 minutes. Cool completely and slice into bars. Makes 18.

Related articles by Zemanta

• No-bake chocolate peanut butter crunch bars (thestar.com)

Helping Familes With The Recession

Save Your Money, Save Your Family

With tightening our wallets, many of the normal outings that many American Families did enjoy are now gone by the way side. American Families are looking for ways to cut costs and live a happy life. One way that Toni House Author of Save Your Money, Save Your Family did this was by taking control on spending for food.



 Eating out or eating in: Americans spend thousands of dollars each year on food to be eaten at home (but end up throwing out 20 percent or more of the food purchased and purchasing too many of the same thing and it just sets in the pantry) and American families spend even more on eating out.
This is a big problem that can be easily solved says House, just by following a few simple steps.

And the thing is most are common sense.

Shop Primeter Of The Grocery Store

Image by dchrisoh via Flickr

In general, healthy eating ingredients are found around the outer edges of most grocery stores—fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and poultry, whole grain breads and dairy products. The centers of many grocery stores are filled with overpriced, processed foods that aren’t good for you. Shop the perimeter of the store for most of your groceries (fresh items), add a few things from the freezer section (frozen fruits and vegetables), and the aisles with spices, oils, and whole grains (like rolled oats, brown rice, whole wheat pasta).
Cook when you can

Try to cook one or both weekend days or on a weekday evening and make extra to freeze or set aside for another night. Cooking ahead saves time and money, and it is gratifying to know that you have a home cooked meal waiting to be eaten.

Related articles by Zemanta

• On Fiber (fooducate.com)

My book Save Your Money, Save Your Family is now available

SEARS WEEKLY SPECIALS

Weekly Specials:

 

• $100 Bridgestone Rebate
• $50 Hankook Rebate
• $50 Cooper Rebate
• Guardsman tires as low as $29.98
• Up to $50 off brakes by Wagner
• $15 off Coolant Exchange

Organic Baby Items (Check Out The Price)

Did you know that buying organic is as easy as a click of your mouse?
And buying organic for that new baby is the smart thing to do.



Save Your Money Save Your Family