My Addictions

For years, I felt like I would never be able to stop eating peanut butter and sugar. As time went by, it got worse and worse. I thought it would put weight on me, but it 'never did'. I say, never did, because I never gained weight. I was at 230 pounds for a long time.



Processed sugar is not necessary and is actually downright bad for you and I was eating cups of it!!! Green smoothies are what helped me stop. It took me a while to notice, but I quit one when I started the other. It was so seamless, it was almost anti-climactic. First, it was controlling my life...and then it wasn't.



Green smoothies (thickies) are a permanent part of my life, forever. That is how much they have changed my life. Try it out. Maybe 2 or 3 a week, to start out with.

Not sure how to add a title to this thing...so I am trying it out. Blogging can be a challenge...having an interface that you are familiar with and is portable (there is a portable version) helps a lot.

Learning w.bloggar

I love learning new software. Maybe that is why I don't quite recall it all of the time when I am using it...that makes every use something new!!!w.Bloggar is a program that has been around a while, but hasn't seem to have gotten much notice. Maybe with getting the word out, the author of the software will update it...although it seems to be working just fine at the moment.

Get Rid of Fleas Naturally - wikiHow

This is the time of year that we all have to worry about fleas...even those who don't have pets!!! There's hope though. You can lessen the flea population in your area with non-chemical supplies. This article from wikiHow tells you all about it!

How to Get Rid of Fleas Naturally

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

You've noticed that you are getting more and more fleas around the house. You can't afford those drops or bombs that do work, because they cost a lot, or you don't want to put those chemicals on your pet or in your abode. Here are some ways to combat fleas that aren't as harsh, but should still be used with care.

Steps

1. Start by cleaning everything. Send the pet(s) outside, or confine them to the bathroom, so that any fleas they're carrying would not jump onto the surface you just cleaned. Throw all of the pet bedding in the washing machine, or use a hot dryer for about 15 or 20 minutes to kill adults larvae and eggs. That includes anything that the pets like to regularly lie or sleep on, which isn't always intended to serve as pet bedding. Vacuum everywhere, especially areas that don't get much exposure to sunlight (fleas like humid and cool spots), anywhere that you find dried blood and feces (flea debris), and upholstered furniture (lift up those couch cushions).
   
   • Before vacuuming the carpets, sprinkle salt, Borax, or baking soda throughout. Work it into the base of the carpet with a broom. Let it sit for a few hours; all of these powders will cause the flea eggs that are tucked deep into the carpet to dry out. Don't let your pets walk on the carpet during this time, since they might get some stuff on their paws and lick it off, causing them to get sick. If there's a chance the pet will walk on the carpet, use baking soda (probably the least harmful) and be thorough when working it into the base of the carpet (so it doesn't sit on the surface and get on your pet's paws).
     
   • When the vacuum bag is full, seal it in a plastic trash bag and put it in a covered trash container, preferably outside. Otherwise, the little buggers can crawl out and make themselves cozy again.
     
   
   
2. Clean any outdoor areas where your pet might hang out, too. Trim lawns and weeds, and expose any cool, moist dark spots (which fleas love) to sunlight, or keep your pet away from those spots.
   
   • Consider spraying flea control nematodes.[1] These beneficial microbes work by killing them while in the developing stage, where they live in the soil. This disturbs their life cycle, lessening their numbers.
     
   • Pennyroyal[2][3] discourages fleas. Plant it around your house. Do not do this if your pets are prone to eating plants or if you have children around. See Warnings below.
     
   
   
3. Give your pet a bath. You can use a flea shampoo, but this article assumes you want to stay away from that kind of thing, so use any gentle shampoo. Wash the neck first so that the fleas don't jump up to the head during the bath. Be thorough; you'll probably see several fleas come off and float around in the water.
   
   • Additionally, you can make your own herbal flea dip. Take two cups of fresh rosemary leaves and add them to two pints of water. Boil for thirty minutes. Strain the liquid, discard the leaves, and mix it with up to a gallon of warm water. Pour this over your pet until saturated. Do not rinse off, but allow your pet to air dry. This is something to do on a hot day only.
     
   • After your pet is dry, use a flea comb (one that is specifically designed to remove fleas) to get rid of stubborn fleas that remain.
     
   
   
4. Use yeast as a weapon. Supposedly, fleas don't like the taste of yeast. Although this has not been proven, many people swear by it. Buy some brewer's or nutritional yeast and rub it onto your pet's skin. You can also sprinkle a small amount onto their wet food and mix it in.
   
   • Feeding your pet garlic is thought to have the same effect, but it can be irritating or even toxic to your pet, so use yeast instead.
     
   
   
5. Make a citrus spray. Citrus oils allegedly repel fleas, but they may also repel your pets, and irritate them if they ingest them, so use this solution with care. Slice a lemon thinly, add to a pint of water and heat to the boiling point. Let it sit overnight and in the morning, spray it onto areas where you suspect fleas hang out (beware of staining) and rub it over your cat's fur. Don't soak but dampen the fur. Do this once a month to combat fleas. Do not use a lot at first, and keep an eye out for signs of digestive discomfort in your pet.
   
6. Make a 'flea collar'. Take the pet's collar or neckerchief and put on drops of eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil, citronella, lavender, or geranium. (See Warnings below.) This will need to be done weekly.[4]
   
7. If fleas are a problem in a specific area of your yard or home, fill a aluminum pie pan with water and set out in the area (i.e.under a bed). The fleas are trapped on top of the water due to the tension of the surface of the water. Change the water daily until there are no more fleas. If you are placing the pie pan outside, empty daily to prevent mosquitoes.
   
8. Repeat all of the above as often as possible. It cannot be stressed enough that just because these solutions are "natural", they can still be dangerous for your pets, and people as well. Watch out for signs of discomfort and sickness! On the other hand, cleaning obsessively won't hurt anyone.
   
9. Monitor your progress by making flea traps. The more fleas you see, the more you need to clean. Alternately, you can put out white bowls of water with a drop of soap in it - the white color attracts fleas and the soap cuts the surface tension on the water and makes them drown.
   

Video

A demonstration of how to use a flea comb to monitor your pet for fleas.

Tips

• Know that nothing works as well as some of the better flea products. These above methods are for a more holistic alternative to the flea medications. There are risks in commercial medication to read up on whatever you use and learn about it.
  
• Always ask your vet before trying any home remedy on your pets. They can verify how safe the treatment is for your pet, and may have more tips on how to treat and prevent fleas.
  
• Vacuuming can kill almost as many fleas as any product and is very effective on hard wood floors that have gaps. Vacuum a heavily infested room twice a day to see if you can put a dent in the problem.
  

Warnings

• Be careful of using too much of anything...especially essential oils.[1] Also, essential oils are toxic to many animals--especially cats. Check with your vet.
  
• Watch your animals closely for any signs of sensitivity. Don't introduce everything at once. Try one thing at a time so that you know if it will be too disruptive to your pet's health or comfort.
  
• Pennyroyal is a known toxin. Be extremely careful in its usage. It can cause spontaneous abortions and should not by used by pregnant women[5] or on pregnant pets.[3]
  
• With tea tree oil, be especially careful to use products with 1% or less of this essential oil. It can cause nausea, vomiting, lethargy, and general weakness and should be used with caution. With this oil, more is not better.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Make a Flea Trap
  
• How to Get Rid of Fleas
  
• How to Treat Flea Bites
  
• How to Shampoo a Kitten for Fleas
  

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.eartheasy.com/article_natural_flea_control.htm


2. ↑ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0820/is_n238/ai_19684402


3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-pennyroyal.html


4. ↑ http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070621135035AAid5Ru


5. ↑ http://www.answers.com/topic/pennyroyal

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Get Rid of Fleas Naturally. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Send Your Loved Ones a Bouquet With BouquetMaker - wikiHow

It is amazing what different types of sites you find just 'laying' around. Sites that can appeal to you, let you have fun, challenge you, whatever you want...it is out there. This site allows you to make a flower using a really cool kaleidoscope feature and then put it into a vine or tree and send it to a friend!!! Lots of fun! Try it!
Send Your Loved Ones a Bouquet With BouquetMaker - wikiHow

How to Send Your Loved Ones a Bouquet With BouquetMaker

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

There are lots of places that you can find on the Internet to allow your 'inner artist' to emerge. This one allows you to create your own flowers (or 'borrow' someone else's and send someone a digital bouquet!!!

Steps

1. Go to the website. This is for making the flower part of your gift. You can look at the various flowers and maybe choose a few or just look at what you can do.
   
2. Choose your base color to start your flower. You will be drawing your flower in layers and degrees of transparency, so keep that in mind when choosing the colors.
   
3. Choose a petal style. In this screenshot, you can see that the petal selected is shaded in gold or yellow.
   
4. Click someone in your screen and start moving the cursor around. Your color and petal style selections will appear in a kaleidoscope type image.
   
5. Click on another petals style and maybe change the colors. The colors lay down in an additive manner. Which means pink layered on top of blue will have some purple parts.
   
6. Continue this until you have the flower looking like you want it to.
   
7. Save your flower. Once you have the flower looking like you want it, save it.
   
8. Start another flower. If you would like to start over, click on the button that says 'Start Over'. You can also take a flower that someone else has made and add to it.
   
9. Click on Send a Garden To a Friend. It will be in the center of another screen. It will take you to a screen broke up into various segments.
   
10. In the blue box on the left, are the different flowers that different people have created and saved. Select up to 7 of those. If you want more of a certain type of flower than another one, you can choose it twice.
    
11. You can choose whether or not to make a vine with flowers or a tree with flowers.
    
12. Send your gift. Put in a message and the info required to email it to your loved one.
    
    • The digital plants are created with a computer program that seeds it randomly. Every single arrangement will look different.
      
    
    

Warnings

• The site will ask you for a name and email addresses for yourself and the person receiving the garden. If you are at all uncomfortable with that, just play with the flowers and don't send them anywhere.
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Send Your Loved Ones a Bouquet With BouquetMaker. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Install and Use Project Dogwaffle - wikiHow

Install and Use Project Dogwaffle - wikiHow

Project Dogwaffle is a graphic software that is different. For a long time, I have been 'afraid' to try it out...yes...I, who has written lots of software articles on wikiHow was afraid of that one...and Artweaver...why, I still don't know.

These programs are different...that is the worst thing that you could ever say about them. That being said, they are fun and ... just different!!!

Check it out and see what you think.

Need to learn the ways to use a blog

Anyone have any how to get in the 'swing' of blogging? I hope to learn in the near future.

Teresa