Author Archives: schatzi

Parents Need to Go on a Trip, and Not a Guilt Trip

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Spending quality time together as a family is quite possibly one of the most important things in life. On the flip side, it is just as important for parents to enjoy each other’s company alone, without the little ones. On a daily basis, it is difficult to accomplish this because so many other things demand attention – children, careers, finances, health, home ownership, friends, etc. Unfortunately, those things trigger stress, which is often times taken out on your spouse.

So what’s the solution to ensure a happy and healthy marriage? – a parents-only vacation! This is not all encompassing of course, but it certainly can’t hurt. Not to mention, there are budget-friendly getaway options available, so the “We can’t afford it excuse” simply isn’t allowed.

If you are one of those parents that would feel an overwhelming amount of guilt for going on a trip without your kids, just think of it this way – you are strengthening your marriage, which in turn benefits your children directly. Plus, there are plenty of other opportunities for a family vacation. We’re talking about a weekend getaway here folks, not an eternity. If you’re still on the fence about even acknowledging the notion of a parents-only vacation, consider the following:

1. Extra Baggage. More often than not, family vacations are focused on the kids, and end up causing more work and stress on the parents. Face it – traveling with kids is exhausting!

2. No Fear. It is completely normal to fear leaving your children, but having a family member or close family friend house sit while you are away should ease that fear at least a little bit. The other option is to have your kids stay with someone else. They might actually love the idea of spending a few nights at their best friend’s house. Not only is this the kind of favor that friends and family willingly do for free, but the moment when you are reunited with your kids is priceless.

3. Rekindle the Flame. Any couples counseling book or professional will be the first to advise parents to improve their relationship and strengthen their marriage by spending quality time together, without the children. What better way to do that than with a romantic weekend getaway?

4. Finance Schminance. Vacations can quickly break the bank, but when it’s just you and your spouse traveling, there are actually a number of wallet-friendly options available. An RV rental and a visit to your local sporting goods store can provide you with the perfect practical getaway.

Once you decide that an adults-only vacation is just what the doctor ordered, then you just need to figure out where you’re going to go, and where your kids are going to go. Make this a family-friendly conversation so that your children are aware of the plan. Allow them to have as much input as possible in regards to the arrangements that will be made while you are away. The ultimate goal is for everyone to enjoy themselves, but from different locations.

Convenient Purchasing of Strollers and Travel Systems for Your Baby

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When it comes to choosing strollers or the complete travel systems the choices are not limited by any means. It hardly matters if you are blessed with a baby recently or already raised kids coming up with the certain verdict on any particular choice is always a trick decision.

Graco needs no introduction in the field of baby products and they have vast collection of strollers and complete baby travel system available. Garco Snugride travel systems and strollers are compatible to be used with Snugride car seats for children. With numerous options in colours and designs suiting your needs and preferences more often than not the quest of finding stroll or travelling system for your baby end at Graco store. It must be kept in mind always that stroller is used more often than any other baby gadget so it needs not be beautiful only, rather convenience of use and durability must also be kept in mind along with all important safety for your kids.

For infants travel system comes really handy. Garco Snugride system consists of newborn car seats that go hand in hand with the stroller. Car seat is attachable by its base to be installed in any car that supports car seats. Barring old cars these days you hardly see any car without car seat support just like seat belt support car support is considered mandatory and at many territories required by law.

If the complete set is purchased due to compatibility between car seats and strollers Garco Snugride system allows you to detach the seat from car and place is directly into the stroller or vice versa with uttermost ease most importantly without waking up the cutie pie. This makes it very useful for new parents and this quick mobility makes it very convenient for them especially in rough weather.

If you own a small vehicle then you must seek compact, light weight Garco Snugride travel system to fit in to your car easily. Compact systems make it very convenient while going out for a long drive, picnics or vacations where having compact system means not a lot of mess and more room for other objects necessary for travelling. The compact size does not by any means imply the lack of features in the travel set. Compact travel sets come with valuable features like one hand folding, storage case, reclining adjustable seat, canopy, car seat lock to name a few. These features and compact size make you think twice before going for another option.

Garco also has full size travel systems in their product line as well. Due to its large size there is always more space to store kid’s stuff. Apart from the features that you get from compact system their counterpart full size system also offers attributes like extra basket for storage in lower part, lock, state of art footrest, storage latch to name a few. Apart from few very small cars the large set fits well into most vehicles that support the travelling systems.

For people who already own Graco Snugride car seat have the option of buying compatible strollers from the house of Garco. Depending on the car seat you can choose from full size or compact Sungride strollers. If chosen correctly the car seat will fit into stroller easily and other way around. So it doesn’t matter if you purchased the complete travel kit to start with, you can complete the travelling set for your baby anytime convenient for you.

So once you have decided what are your needs and preferences at Garco’s you can get your required strollers and travel systems without much hassle.

3 Email Marketing Tips to Increase Your Sales

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Email marketing is a great way to bring in new sales, promote your business, and stay in touch with previous customers. The great thing is that if you use this in the right way, you can end up increasing the sales that you make on a regular basis. Here are some of the most important email marketing tips that will help you start racking up more money in sales.

Tip #1 – Make Emails Personal

If you are looking for great email marketing tips to increase your sales, one important one to use is to make your emails personal when you send them out. People enjoy it when you use their name. Just as a small store draws customers because of the personalized service and store owners that know them by name, you can do this on the web by making sure that marketing emails are made personal too.

Just make sure you either use their name or you choose another way to open the email. No one will want an email that says “Unknown” instead of their actual name.

Tip #2 – Keep Subjects Honest

Another of the email marketing tips you should remember is to keep the subject lines of your emails honest. Ensure that the subject you choose is going to capture the interest of the reader, but it must be relevant to your email or you will begin to lose the trust of your readers.

Usually if the first few sentences don’t relate to the subject, most people will stop reading right away. Make sure that your subject line doesn’t look like spam either. Many people simply look at the subject to determine whether to simply mark the email as spam and go on.

Tip #3 – Test Your Campaigns

It’s definitely important that you test your campaigns if you plan on making more sales. This is one of the most important email marketing tips to keep in mind. Create your own test groups and look at the format of emails before sending them out.

Test the links in the email to make sure that you have formatted them properly so they work right. Do some testing when you send out mailings to see how effective your message was. The more you test, the more you will find out what really works best for converting people on your list into sales for your company.

It is possible to make more sales if you know how to properly use your mailing list. If you’re ready to start making more money from sales, make sure you use these three important email marketing tips. You’ll quickly start seeing a difference and you’ll be able to enjoy the money that the sales bring in.

Tips for Healthy Restaurant Eating

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Eating out at restaurants is essentially a part of nearly everyone’s lives, regardless of whether they are on a diet or not. Eating out is enjoyable, and you should never let a diet keep you from enjoying this fun occasional treat. Many restaurants today are working to offer healthier options for eating, and some even cater specifically to different popular diet plans in order to present meal choices which work with your diet, rather than forcing you to work around their meal choices. Here are some tips that may make it easier for you to follow your eating plan while still enjoying the cuisine of your favourite restaurants.

Always plan ahead. You should obtain a menu from the restaurant you are going to if you are not already familiar with what dishes are offered, so that you can select your healthy dish ahead of time. This way, you will not be relying on your hunger when you go to order.

Be the first one in your group to order, so that you will not change your mind if one of your companions orders something that sounds better before you have had a chance to order your healthy dish.

When possible, request a smaller portion. Many restaurants have child’s size portions, or even senior’s size portions which will accommodate your eating plan better. Typically these portions cost less as well, so you will save on money and calories.

If you plan on ordering fish of any kind, you should inquire about its preparation beforehand. Anything that is cooked using butter should be avoided. When ordering finish, try asking for grilled or broiled fish, or ask to have it prepared without any oil or butter. There are other ways to spice up a fish, such as by using lemon or herbs.

Before you begin your meal, you should drink a large glass of water which will make digestion easier, and will have you feeling full faster. This works especially well with smaller portions.

If everything you find on the menu is high in calories or in fat, you may be able to ask for a plate of fresh fruit or vegetables. If you do not see a vegetarian selection on the menu, ask about it because most restaurants do offer one.

Try ordering an appetizer and a salad, rather than a large entrée. If you are still hungry for dessert, try choosing fresh fruit over something with more calories.

If you are purchasing a full meal, consider splitting your appetizer and dessert with your companion or someone in your group.

When eating, take your time and try to truly enjoy every bite of your meal. Make sure that the flavors and textures of each food are being savored. Eating slowly allows your body to better gauge when you are becoming full. When your body begins to feel full, you should stop eating. If there is still food on your plate, ask for it to be removed or give it to someone else at your table so that you will not be tempted to continue eating.