Expert Advice Archives - Page 3 of 85

What To Do Now To Make Potty Training Easier Later

Some kids potty train very easily. Others…not so much. But a few weeks of mess and toddler angst is usually preferable to changing diapers until the kid is in kindergarten. My nephew is about 15 months old. He’s still a little young for potty training, but we have started thinking about it. That’s why I;m really excited that I stumbled across this article by Doman Mom for things that you can do with your baby that will make potty training easier in the future! Check out some of her tips here:

-When you notice your baby “going,” acknowledge it with a word or phrase. Your baby will learn to associate the word (“poo poo”) with the action / sensation.

-Let your mobile baby watch you go to the bathroom, so they can model their behavior later.

-Buy a small potty and keep it around long, long before you plan to use it. Some kids do not do well with new things! Have your baby sit on the potty when he goes, even with his diaper on.

Photo Credit: Michael Bentley

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Growing Your Business As An Introvert

by Kathy T.

I am 100% introvert. I enjoy spending social time with my immediate family and close friends, I need time alone to recharge, and the thought of meeting large groups of strangers fills me with terror. This is exactly opposite of the personality that most people picture successful business people with. In order to sell yourself and your brand, a certain degree of extroversion is needed. You have to be able to risk putting yourself out there (something especially difficult for introverts), and be able to reach out to people, even if “networking” sounds absolutely nightmarish to you. But, being a little on the shy side does not mean that your business will fail. In fact, there are many successful introverts out there! Check out this post by the Biz Ladies at Design Sponge for tips on building your brand as an introvert:

-Send an individual email out to someone you admire, ask to go out for coffee. Networking on a one on one basis is much easier than dealing with large groups.

-If you are going to a conference, research the guest list. Reach out to one or two people online before the event so you will have a familiar face!

-Have a strong online presence- have a blog, share others’ posts, email others and ask to write guest posts.

Photo Credit: Nevil Zaveri

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Google Adds "Undo Send" Feature

by Ron Hogan Leave a Comment

One of the things I hate about sending email is the fact that once I send something, it’s gone. All the time, particularly at work, I leave things out and have to send multiple emails on one subject, because I click enter too quickly, accidentally do the command to send, or just forget. It’s tiring. Fortunately, it’s also something Google is actively working on changing. Google has added an ‘undo send’ feature to Gmail, for those that want an extra few seconds to think about what they’re sending before it goes out.

It doesn’t actually recall a sent email, but it gives a delay. Users who activate the feature can choose how long to wait, up to 30 seconds, before the email actually goes through and disappears from your control. Of course, it doesn’t work for mobile users yet, but for folks using the browser version of Gmail, the feature is pretty easy to turn on. Just look under the General tab in Gmail setting and configure to your inbox’s content.

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Beginner Veggie Growing Tips

by Kathy T.

This year, I have been absolutely inundated with fresh veggies. My crisper drawer in my fridge is full of cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes brought to me by family and friends. It’s pretty great- nothing can beat a juicy tomato slice in the middle of summer. If you want to grow your own veggies, read this post by Lisa Leake at 100 Days Of Real Food. She has lots of tips that she learned from her first year growing her own food:

-Take notes so you remember what to change next year

-Use fertilizer to make sure your plants don’t flop!

-Plan carefully and come up with a layout that makes sense.

-Don’t be afraid to grow from seed!

Photo Credit: Amy G

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Telling Twins Apart

by Kathy T.

I know I’ve talked about my friend who is pregnant with twins nonstop for the past month or so, but that’s because her due date is so close! It’s in ten days! And I’m so excited for her and her husband (and myself, I can’t wait to meet them and play with their little twin toe-sies). But it’s time to talk about the elephant in the room when it comes to newborn twins. How…do you tell them apart? Sure, when they’re older it’s easy- they’ll both have distinct personalities and will physically express themselves differently through clothes, hairstyles, etc. But when they’re babies…not so much. My biggest fear would be for them to get mixed up, and the wrong one being called the wrong name for the rest of her life. And I feel like it’s something all twin parents worry about. Well, my friend’s husband shared this article by Joe at Dad’s Guide To Twins on his Facebook today, and it has several great ideas on keeping them separate from the second they’re born:

-Gender/Sex- for nonidentical twins, obviously.

-Size- Even identical twins will be born with different lengths and weights.

-Hair- color, length, baldness.

-Skin color

-Birthmarks

-Clothing color schemes

-Paint a toenail

-Personality and mannerisms

-Hospital wristbands- keep them on as long as you need to!

Photo Credit: Donnie Ray Jones

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Microsoft's New IE-Killing Browser

by Ron Hogan Leave a Comment

Has there ever been a bigger announcement than the idea that Microsoft–who worked very hard and spent much harder–to win the original browser war versus Netscape decades ago, Since then, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and dozens of other browsers have popped up and nipped away at Microsoft’s browser supremacy over the years, and they’re everything IE isn’t: fast, light, clean, secure, etc. Well, rather than giving up, Microsoft is giving in and rolling out a fast, light, modern browser of their own. The rumored Project Spartan is now Microsoft Edge, and it’s shaping up to be an in-house IE killer. Here are five ways Microsoft Edge will be a huge improvement over Internet Explorer.

Honestly, anything is an improvement over IE at this stage. Firefox might be sluggish, but it’s faster than IE. Chrome might be very light, but it also doesn’t have all the security issues that routinely crop up on IE. I can only hope that it lives up to the hype and that there’s pretty prompt corporate adoption, because I’m tired of being handcuffed by regular IE and not being able to use Google Chrome due to work requirements. Then again, if Microsoft’s new browser won’t support a bunch of the necessary stuff in the background to run corporate software, this might be a big mistake.

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Proper Blogging Etiquette

by Kathy T.

Starting a blog can be an exciting journey. Whether you’re blogging for profit, to advertise your business, to show off a craft, or just for fun, writing about your life and connecting with readers is always a rewarding experience. However, sometimes new bloggers make mistakes, and most of these have to do with how you interact with others. Most of the time, it’s not that big of a deal, but can be disastrous if left unchecked. It can make readers unsubscribe, which is bad news if you’re running a business blog. Check out this post by Angie Nelson at The Work at Home Wife for blogging faux pas to avoid:

-If it’s not yours, don’t use it without asking. It is one thing to include a small quote with a link back to the source. It’s another to post someone else’s article in its entirety. Just don’t do it.

-Don’t add to comment spam, don’t feed the trolls (people saying negative things). Don’t get involved in drama. Ignore them, or delete the comment if necessary.

-Don’t spam your followers. And if you start feeling desperate, stop.

Photo Credit: Texas A&M University

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Houdini Baby? How To Keep That Diaper On!

by Kathy T.

My nephew went through a phase where, after almost every nap, he’d take his diaper off! Talk about unpleasant- especially if there was something in it. Making sure he was in a onesie, and it was completely buttoned before he went to sleep, worked for us, but some babies even manage to wiggle their way out of that! If your baby is a master of escape, check out this post by Jackie at Happy Hooligans for her Houdini-proof way to keep diapers on sleeping babies:

–You’ll need a pair of one piece, footless pyjama sleepers . You may already have a pair, but if you don’t, you can cut the feet off a footed pyjama sleeper.Now, put the sleeper jammies on your child BACKWARDS! Yep, that’s right! With the zipper at the BACK! Chances are your child will not be able to get out of the backward jammies no matter how hard she tries.

Photo Credit: David Goehring

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Why You Should Follow Up On Sales

by Kathy T.

This advice could be for Realtors, or any other business professionals. If your career depends on sales, commissions, and referrals, following up with past clients is completely crucial. You never know what you’ll stumble across when talking to older leads! Maybe they have a friend who needs your services, or maybe they need to enlist you again. Check out this post by Rayven at Stay A Stay-At-Home Mom for why it’s important to follow up, and why you shouldn’t get discouraged:

-Occasionally, when you are doing customer followup with someone via email, you will not get a response.

Maybe that person is uninterested in your message at this time

In any case, send another customer followup email to the person a few days later. Most people need to see a product or opportunity 6-8 times before they take action. If they do not reply again, try back in a couple weeks, then a couple months, then a year.

Photo Credit: Garry Knight

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Google To Find Your Phone

by Ron Hogan Leave a Comment

It’s the worst feeling in the world. When you get up to make a phone call or get online or something, and… nothing. Your phone is nowhere to be found. Did you leave it in the car? Did you leave it on the charger? Did you leave it at work? Did you check your pants pockets? You have to turn the house upside down to find a missing phone, because once you’ve lost your phone you can’t rest until you find it again. However, if you’re an Android user, then you’re worrying over nothing. You can now use Google to find your Android phone.

It all goes back to Android Device Manager, which was added to Android operating systems back in August 2013 with Froyo. All you have to do is get to a computer, sign into your Google account, and then type “find my phone” into your Google search bar. If your phone is nearby, Google will make it ring. If it’s not close, Google will show your phone’s location on the map for you to find it. If for whatever reason your phone cannot be found, you can safely wipe all your information from the phone to protect your personal facts from the consumption of unwanted persons.

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