An Apple A Day--Staying Healthy

This morning, I attended a local health fair in town. It cost me $10.00, but it was well worth it. During the first hour, I was able to take part in a number of services including a mini-manicure, mini-pedicure, hand paraffin dip, blood pressure check, cholesterol check, bra fitting and mini- facial.

The second hour consisted of a healthy, filling, delicious lunch and seminars about preventative health, such as health screens, diet and nutrition. I went with a good friend of mine and we both enjoyed this event, along with the other 100 or so attendees.

If you're invited to a similar type of health fair in your town, definitely check it out. You're bound to leave with some information that can help you or someone you know. Plus, you'll be reminded of lots of preventative measures you can take to help you live as healthy as possible. Sometimes, we all need a reminder--especially since it's so easy to get busy and forget to take care of ourselves.

In the meantime, be organized when it comes to your health. Schedule regular health screenings on your calendar. Plan your dinners so you don't have to order out that often. Get in a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise each day. Give yourself enough time in the morning so you don't feel you have to skip breakfast. Schedule time in your day that's non-work time--time just for you to relax and re-energize.

Take care of your health--it's the most important thing you can do for yourself.

Watch What You Want to Watch, When You Want to Watch It

Joe and I love to relax at night after a long day and watch a good movie. We have cable in my house, but there's not always a movie on at the time we want to watch it. We even have Video on Demand through our cable service, but the choices of movies are limited. Plus, there's not much of a description of each movie that's showing for us to make an informed decision about what to watch.

Although there are other options available, we've recently decided to try out Netflix.

Netflix is an online DVD rental service. Rather than going to your local video store, you can simply visit the Netflix web site, choose from over 55,000 DVD selections and your choice(s) will be mailed to your home within a day or two.

When you're done watching your selections, you simply mail them back in the postage-paid envelope they came in. Once Netflix gets those DVDs back, they send you the next one you have lined up in your online queue.

The monthly subscription plans are very reasonable, the service is great, there's barely any work required and we get to see all those movies we missed in the movie theater.

Joe and I have been using this service for a few weeks now and we love it. In fact, several of our neighbors are using this service too!

So far, we've seen:
Mystic River
Dreamer
The Wedding Crashers
Bob Dylan--Don't Look Back

. . . and we're waiting for The New World. That should be in our mailbox today.

If you love to watch movies and you want to save time and hassle, take a few moments to check out this cool service:

Netflix - Only $9.99 a month.  Create your list of DVDs online. We'll rush you 3 DVDs from your list. Keep each DVD as long as you want. Return your viewed movie(s) to get new ones from your list. Try Netflix for FREE today!

Being Organized When It Comes to Attending Home Parties

I don't know if you're in the same situation or not, but I'm constantly receiving invitations to home parties. Some of the popular ones are Tastefully Simple, Mary Kay, PartyLite, Silpada and Tupperware--just to name a few.

These parties are generally hosted by my neighbors or friends and I do enjoy attending them. In fact, my next door neighbor sells Mary Kay and it's so convenient to get products when I need them. I just email or give her a ring, and a few days later she's on my doorstep with my merchandise. Very organized, indeed!

But getting back to the home parties, when I receive an invitation, I do say no sometimes. Most people can't attend every single home party in the neighborhood, especially if they happen often. That could get very expensive.

My rule is that I have a set number of home parties that I am willing to attend each year--no more than one per month maximum. I only go to those home parties that have the types of merchandise I enjoy using. I also have a set budget, which I never go over.

Most important, if I can't find something I need for myself or as a gift, I don't buy. I know that's difficult sometimes and often people feel obligated to buy at home parties, but I refuse to allow things I don't need to be taking up space in my home--that would be against all of my organizing principles.

If you're constantly receiving home party invitations in the mail and you're getting overwhelmed by them, it may help for you to set a few ground rules for yourself.

With an organized mindset, you'll know exactly when to say yes, when to say no, what to buy, what not to buy and how much to spend. Using this system, I enjoy all the home parties I'm invited to!