1) Check out the sales. You can look at www.bfads.net or others like it for an early glimpse of store sales. Some stores have the sales on their sites or you can wait and pick up a newspaper on Thanksgiving when all of the sales flyers are sent out.

2) Compare prices just like any other time. Determine which sales prices are the best.

3) Get a buddy. It’s always safer to travel in pairs, however, with this season being as tight as it is people may be a little meaner. Keep your cell phone handy and charged in case you and your buddy get separated.

4) Plan your strategy. Which stores open first? Which have a limited product only offer? What order are you going to visit the stores? Make a list of items and prices and what stores they are at.

***Special note for the “While supplies last”. Be prepared to be there first. I noticed a Walmart ad for a flat screen tv for only $398 on Black Friday. The ad audibly said “while supplies last” but the small print at the bottom it said “only 5 per store”. No joke 5 per store. So figure out if it’s worth your time and the stress if you’re not able to get one.

5) Don’t expect to be able to run in and run out. Even if you’re only purchasing one thing you may have to wait to check out. Have fun. Grab a cup of coffee. Expect long lines and a few cranky people. You’re all in the same boat so take a deep breath.

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25 Common Dream Symbols And Meanings by Cheri http://blossomplace.com

1. Animals in general represent habits, urges, instincts and aspects we attribute to them which are found in ourselves.

2. Baby is a new idea, new concept or ideal - something you have just given birth to, a responsibility you have accepted. It is your “baby” personal project “thing” to do.

3. Clothing shows our attitude and Self expression. Things we “put on”. Clothing is the part of the Self that we show others, what we allow or want others to see. The Self is described in some cultures as the part we show to others; the part we believe we are and the part we truly are.

4. Death means change. It means the end of something: an idea, relationship, habit, etc. and on to something else. Death is nothing more than a transition because physical life, by nature, is a temporary existence for the soul. Death is a change from one state of being to another.

5. Tests and/or Examinations are about knowing the truth. This has to do with self esteem and confidence or lack of it. Being prepared or not, making the grade or not, measuring up to other people’s expectations or fear of not being good enough. The most important test of our lives is knowing our own goals, standards, hopes and wishes - being crystal clear about what you want in life and standing up for what you believe. For further insight into the area where you feel you are being tested in, look at what the test was on in your dream.

6. Falling is basically just waking back up - the action of returning to consciousness. The old wives� tale that if you fall in your dream and hit the ground, you will die, IS NOT TRUE. If you hit the ground in the dream, you will bounce right back and the dream will continue… falling at this point would have the meaning of “falling from grace” or “fall on your face” - embarrassment.

7. Food is knowledge. The saying “food for thought” comes from the idea that knowledge feeds the mind and soul just as physical food feeds and nourishes the physical body. Pay attention to what you are “feeding” yourself.

8. Games are the dreamer’s perspective of life. “Game of Life” or we can say the “games people play” and how they play them. Games have to do with learning skills, rules, talents, showmanship, training, practice, winning or losing, teamwork or solo performance. Particular games have different meaning to different people, depending on whether they do this for work or fun. A particular game interpretation will depend on your feelings and associations with it.

9. Hair represents outward conscious thoughts and feelings/sensitivity. Messy hair would mean mixed up thoughts, confused, can’t think straight.

10. Hands mean service, giving or receiving and expression of emotion. Also how you “handle” things or having/giving a hand in a situation.

11. House represents your mind. The floors in the house represent different levels of thinking. The mind is made up of three major parts: the conscious mind, the subconscious mind and the super-conscious mind. Within these three parts are seven levels of consciousness. The house is where you stay/live - your belief system.

12. Killing indicates change. Killing of yourself indicates a part of yourself and is a good thing when it is an undesirable trait, but a warning if the trait is a good quality. Killing of an animal is the killing of a habit. Killing can also be viewed as an expression, such as the death of a relationship or job.

13. Marriage symbolizes commitment between the conscious and subconscious minds for fulfillment of a desire. It symbolizes a new beginning or something you are “married” to until you “divorce” yourself from it by taking positive action.

14. Money symbolizes exchange value and worth. Things of value would be a new talent you weren’t aware you had, a new quality or gift within you. It could also represent a new vision or new understanding of something. Look at how you are receiving money/valuables to interpret how you feel about yourself.

15. Mountain is a challenge or obstacle. Depending on your mind set, you may see a mountain as representation of something that you feel is an overwhelming obstacle, or you may view it positively as a great challenge you are ready to take on.

16. Naked represents honesty and openness. You are showing your true Self. How are you feeling about being naked in the dream - exposed/vulnerable,embarrassed, or content.

17. People. All people represent aspects or personality of the Self. These are characters in the dream - parts of you, some you know and some you don’t know. Some you don’t like and some you love. The successful businessman, the glamour girl, the bag lady, the playboy, the thief, the idiot, the comic, friends, relatives are all parts of our Self. We are made up of many people. As in Shakespeare�s words, “All the world’s a stage and we are merely the players.” Our dreams are our inner stage and we are everything and every character.

18. Radio represents mind-to-mind communication. Telepathy is the sending and receiving of thoughts. A radio is receiving and a radio station is broadcasting, sending out thoughts.

19. Roads symbolize your direction in life. The direction of your life is determined by your desires and goals. There are highways, streets, roads, dead-end streets, bumpy roads, smooth roads, etc. You can make a right turn, a u-turn or a left turn (not right or unpredictable).

20. School is a place for learning. This can be your level of learning or school of thought. What grade level you are attending in the dream is an indication as to what level you are operating in a particular situation.

21. Sex symbolizes unification of opposites, oneness, marriage, a creative act,a longing to be whole. It can also represent fear or power depending on your feelings about the dream when you awoke.

22. Teacher/Guide is your higher Self. This is your source of knowledge. The soul holds the complete plan for its maturity and its desires and goals here in this lifetime and all others before and after this lifetime.

23. Teeth represent assimilation of knowledge so it can be used. Teeth are the first part of the physical digestive system, and teeth in a dream mean assimilation of knowledge. Losing teeth, which is a common dream, means a change in the way you take things in or learn.

24. Vehicles are means of conveyance from one place to another. The soul uses the body as a vehicle much the same way - going in and out at will. In general, vehicles represent lifestyles, such as work, play, independence, sporty, fast, luxury, economic. Different cars represent these different lifestyles. Your own car generally represents your own body so pay attention to how your car is in your dream. For example, having a flat tire on your car indicates you have gone flat, lost your enthusiasm and energy.

25. Water is the source of all life. It represents conscious life experiences. These are our everyday, physical, waking interactions, situations, and circumstances that arise and bring opportunity for growth and enrichment. Water can also represent emotions and feelings overall.

 Please feel free to leave a comment or discuss this on our message board.

2. Don’t soak your fingertips. When you soak your nails, they absorb water, which temporarily puffs them up — but they go back to their normal shape when the water evaporates. This expansion and contraction causes chipping, peeling, and cracking of polish.

3. Get the surface clean, clean, clean. Any traces of moisture, dust, or leftover enamel will get in the way of new-polish adhesion.  Use a nail brush or an old toothbrush to clean hard to reach areas of the nail.  Then wipe your nails with an acetone polish remover to temporarily dehydrate your nail.

4. Shape up. To maximize nail strength, tips should be rounded and corners left somewhat square. Filing is healthier than clipping, because clippling can crack the nail. Use a fine-grit nail file and file in one direction.

5. Apply a base coat. A base coat sticks to nails better than polish does.Try Avon’s Smooth Beginnings Base Coat.  It instantly smoothes and evens out ridges.

6. Once polish is on, seal it with a slow-setting topcoat. Quick-dry polish evaporates too fast and leaves polish soft and prone to denting. Avon’s UV Gloss Guard Top Coat prevents nail enamel from yellowing and fading.

7. Polish should be applied in three narrow, even strokes — one down the center and one down each side — and then be allowed to dry for two minutes before a second coat is applied. The thicker the layer is, the more difficult it is for the solvent — the liquid agent in enamel — to evaporate, boosting the chances that polish will peel.

8. Practice good maintenance.  Every other day, apply a layer of quick-dry topcoat  to form a protective shield and increase shine.

9. Moisturize your polish. The more your enamel dries out, the greater the likelihood that it will separate from your nail. Since topcoats don’t seal in hydration, apply oil to nails and cuticles before bedtime, and slather on a thick hand cream twice a day.

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They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.
They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating,choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.
Thus unfolded the ‘Night of Terror’ on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson’s White House for the right to vote.

For weeks, the women’s only water came from an open pail. Their food–all of it colorless slop–was infested with worms. When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.

Why is it that you won’t make it to the polls this year?
We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn’t matter? It’s raining?

Last February HBO released the movie ‘Iron Jawed Angels.’
It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that you and I could pull the curtain at the polling booth. Here’s a clip, I have to warn you it is disturbing.YouTube - Iron Jawed Angels- Psych Ward/Force Feeding

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I would recommend the super glue in a tube that you have to squeeze out not the one that has that little point that you need to press to make it come out.  You’ll be there all day with that one.

1. Change the filters on your units.
2. Turn it down. You can save 1-3% of your bill for each degree you turn it down.  Going from 70 degrees to 68 degrees could save you as much as 6% per month.
3. Make sure you keep closet doors, pantries and rooms that aren’t used much closed.  There is no need to heat spaces you don’t use.
4. Open blinds and curtains on the south side of your home during the day to let in solar heat and close them at night to keep it from escaping
5. Put an extra blanket on everyone’s bed and dial down the thermostat a bit at night.
6. Reverse your ceiling fans and keep them on lower to circulate heat more evenly in your home. 
7. After cooking meals in the oven, turn off the oven but keep the oven door ajar to heat the kitchen.
8. Turn off cooking fans or bathroom fans as soon as they are not needed as they will push your hot air out of your home.
9. Keep throws in your family room to keep you warm and cozy.
10. Use electrical outlet sealers to reduce heat loss on outside interior walls. Find them at Lowe’s.

Please feel free to leave a comment or discuss this on our message board.

The American Cancer Society has recently updated its instructions for monthly breast self-exams to reflect new scientific data.

Follow these steps to perform your own breast self-exam:

Lie down to perform the exam. When you’re lying on your back, the breast tissue spreads evenly over the chest wall and becomes as thin as possible. This makes it easier to feel all of the breast.

Move across the breast in an up-and-down pattern. There’s evidence that this is the most effective technique for covering the entire breast.

Use different levels of pressure; light to examine breast tissue closest to your skin, medium to feel a little deeper, and firm to reach the tissue closest to your rib. A firm ridge in the lower curve of each breast is normal.

Sit or stand and slightly raise your arm to probe the underarm area. Go deep into the armpit.

Check your breasts at the same time every month to increase your chances of finding any lump that shouldn’t be there.

A great resource for breast cancer questions and answers is http://www.komen.org.

The earlier breast cancer is detected, the better chance we have of beating it.

Please feel free to leave a comment or discuss this on our message board.

Well, no more. The best way to create peaceful, loving holidays is in the planning. The best way to do that is with a Holiday Planner.

You’ll need: a three ring binder, dividers, looseleaf notebook paper,pen,envelope,and a calender.Feel free to decorate your notebook however you want!

Devise a plan. Write down what makes the holiday special to you. Ask your husband and kids the same and write it down.

Start planning your kids Halloween costume now. That gives you plenty of time to look for what they want and not just whats left over the week before Halloween.

Make a list of all those that you need gifts for. Don’t forget teachers! If you want to make gifts for anyone write it down beside their name.

Now whip out the calender and write down all of the obligations that you know you have. Sports practice, dance practice, school functions, family parties, etc. When that is done I want you to pencil in gift shopping time, if you’re making gifts determine how long each will take and write in ‘appointments’ with yourself to work on them. Also look at what type of traditions you want to do and write them in.

Other sections in your planner should include: meal planning, recipes, budget, decorating, entertaining, and holiday cards. Others could be: cookie/baking recipes, craft instructions, websites, cleaning for company, music, stories, movies. You can have sections for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, or any other holidays you celebrate.
The holidays should be a time to celebrate and spend time with our families. If we plan ahead then things can go a lot smoother.

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Whether you are a stay at home mom, work at home mom, or work outside of the home mom, we can all use a nap occasionally, right? I know I could! Besides being a busy mom of two teenage girls, having my own home based business, I also work full time outside of the home, so I can’t just take a nap in the middle of the afternoon. I don’t think my boss would appreciate that! Anyway, while I was driving into work this morning, I heard the DJ’s talking about a company in New York City that offers 20-40 minutes naps, at a cost of $12-24.

I just had to do some investigating on this one! I can’t tell you how many times late in the afternoon, I’ll get so sleepy! Especially if I’ve had a big lunch. I’ve tried all the regular remedies… drinking caffeine, getting up and walking around my office, stand by a window with bright light, turn the temperature down, eating a snack, and even splashing cold water on my face! But sometimes, you just need that nap.

So, I did some checking and I found the company that offers the naps. They are located in Manhattan and they are called Yelo. They offer reflexology treatments and power nap sleep therapy. Of course, a power nap is not going to be a long-term substitute for proper nutrition and good sleep habits, but it can leave you refreshed in the middle of a hectic or stressful day.

So how does it work? You enter your private YeloCab (short for cabin) and recline in a special chair that elevates your legs above your heart. The chair comes with 500-thread count linens and a soft cashmere blanket, making it very comfortable. The YeloCab itself is personalized, based on your preferences for light and sound, your preference (or not) for aromatherapy, and the duration you’ve selected for your nap. Naps run 20-40 minutes in length (in five minute increments). Less than 20 minutes and you won’t get enough rest; more than 20 minutes encourages deep REM sleep that will leave you groggy.

So, who’s ready for a nap?

Please feel free to leave a comment or discuss this on our message board.