Livingston Reporting - page 366

Personalized Kid’s Toys: Gifts that will be Appreciated for a Lifetime

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Nothing is better than giving a child something personal that will light up their face with a smile. We are in a season, with the economy, that every family is looking to save money where they can. This makes giving a gift that is extra special an absolute must. What makes a gift amazing to the receiver? Think about something you received lately that is amazing. My favorite items are those that are bought and personalized with me in mind. The next time you need to purchase a gift for a child try a personalized toy or a personalized item that makes their independence blossom. Sometimes it is hard to think of just the right item. Hopefully you will see something that sparks your interest in the suggestions I have for you.

I love gifts that are given to my children that are personalized and create independence. I love the idea of a stool with their name painted or engraved on it. I also love the idea of having a picture of a hobby such as soccer on the stool. This gives the child a sense of pride in this item because it was made especially for them. Stools are also great because they allow littler children the freedom of reaching things they often cannot. Isn’t it great when a child can reach the toilet without help or able to get a shirt out of the closet without pulling it down. This gift is perfect for children that are trying to establish an independent spirit.

Another fun gift idea is a personalized clothes rack. These are perfect for dress up items that children would normally store in a spot unseen. When toys are unseen they often go without being played with. Dresses up clothes add funky style to a child’s room so why wouldn’t you want to display them. The perfect way to do this is to compliment your child’s style with a personalized clothes rack. Add their name and the colors of their room. The clothes rack will become an instant hit and will help mom organize dress up clothes to make them accessible for the little ones.

Toy caddies are also becoming popular items to personalize. Little kids love to carry everything they own with them where ever they go. This toy allows for this to happen in an organized fashion. My son has a toy caddy and whenever he is going to grandma’s he loads it up with the toys he wants to play with while he is there. This also allows for all the toys to have a place to live when he is done playing with them wherever he is. Instead of having to find every toy he has brought with him scattered throughout grandma’s house they are all conveniently living in their toy caddy and ready to go home.

There are so many wonderful ideas when it comes to personalizing kids toys. If you can think of it, I imagine, it exists. From chairs, bean bags and backpacks there is something that every child will adore. The fact that you have taken the time to have a personalized kid’s toy made for them will make it their favorite for years to come. Get creative when thinking about those special little people in your life and give a personalized kids toy today.

My Favorite Kids Toys

Mouse Removal: How to Prevent a Mouse Invasion

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Two days after Halloween I happened to unroll a mat that was sitting above a cupboard to find mouse droppings. I have always been so cautious not to leave open containers of food out I am not quite sure what attracted them. That is when I realize those pesky little creatures had found their way in and out of the Halloween treat bowl that was high up on the cupboard. The mice we attracted liked the starbursts and laffy taffy that the kids had acquired. Not only did they leave a trail of wrappers to let us know they visited but everywhere they were in the kitchen shared the same tell tale sign…mouse droppings. It looked like I was in store for a class on mouse removal 101.

I knew what was attracting the mouse to our home so I removed that source immediately. I knew now that he had found a warm environment where he would continue to search out leftover snacks. I had to get rid of him and make sure he wasn’t the informant for his siblings. I went out and purchased a non-lethal live trap so that when I caught him I could release him back into the great outdoors. Of course his new home was to be far away from ours. Within hours of purchase the trap had caught our little bugger. To be extra cautious we kept the trap live for several days in hopes of catching any mouse siblings should they appear. We were lucky and our mouse removal was relatively uncomplicated.

If you find yourself with bigger more complicated mouse problems it is best to call professionals in mouse removal out to help you. However, if you are a do it yourselfer there are several steps involved in hunting, capturing and preventing mice from living in your home.

It is almost always easy to spot a mouse infiltration. They cannot hold their feces until they have left the premises. You will see the evidence before the actual mouse that is almost a given. They aren’t very tidy either. Any food left out will become mouse snacks. It is best to rinse all dishes so that food isn’t sitting in your sink. I also recommend using air tight containers to house any and all food substances that could attract mice. The less inviting your home is for a mouse the less likely it is that they will visit.

Another thing to do is to make sure that all entrances into your home no matter how small are blocked. Our mouse found his way in through a closet. The closet had a small hole that led to our crawl space. One corner of the exit was not sealed and the mouse used it as a tunnel to the promise land. It is very simple to fix issues like these. We took some spray in installation and filled the hole. This also works if your plumbing exits have small opening around them. You will be amazed at how small a hole mice can actually climb through.

There are many inexpensive tricks that you can try for smaller infestations. If you find yourself with an uncontrollably large it is best to call in the mouse removal experts. There are many lethal and non lethal methods in mouse removal. One thing to remember if you are going to live trap the mice is that they will find their way back into your home if you don’t release them far enough away and if you haven’t prevented their entry. Many home owners prefer glue traps, zapper traps and catch traps. These traps are used to capture the mice and then to dispose of them. Devices such as ultrasonic plug-ins have been popular in recent years until the federal trade commission rendered them ineffective. Poison can be used but is not advisable if small children or pets play in the area you are treating. For the DIY that likes to have a little fun with their rodents find a bowl, grease the inside, fill it with water, place a treat in the middle and watch the mice swim.

Whatever your method of mouse removal make sure that you follow it up with adequate prevention methods. Nothing is worse than thinking you have solved a minor problem only to later on down the road realize it was much bigger than first anticipated. When you first discover your rodent friend it is best to find its route of entry and main living quarters. Then once you take care of him you can move on to eliminating his home and making sure yours is free of any mouse sized entries.

Best Pest LLC

Vermin Removal: Taking your Home Back From Vermin

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Vermin removal is perhaps the most important step in owning a home or business. Diseases are carried and transmitted by vermin such as mice and cockroaches. Serious health issues have been reported due to pests and their droppings. Areas that are infected with vermin are left unsanitary and open to the spread of many diseases that can be potentially deadly to humans and pets. In businesses removal of vermin and preventing vermin are the key in establishing a positive reputation with the public. If consumers are infected by diseases that are passed on to humans through vermin’s by products that come from your business you will surly lose credibility and future business. This is especially important in restaurants and service industries.

Prevention is the most effective method of vermin control. Take great care in establishing an obstruction blocking access to your home or business to any pests and vermin. Take special care in areas where food is prepared and stored. All food should be kept in sealed containers and be up off of floor level. When preparing food make sure to disinfect all preparation surfaces prior to and after you have used the area. All areas that are used for storage should be dry and thoroughly clean. Sanitizing should be the key in all businesses and homes. This helps prevent the spread of diseases carried by vermin. Prevention is incredibly important. It is a crucial step in sustaining businesses and keeping families safe.

Regularly scheduled prevention methods such as pesticides should be employed in areas that are prone to vermin infestation. It is always better to prevent vermin entry than to eradicate an infestation after it has entered your home or business. Once vermin have been allowed to enter your establishment you have begun to fight two battles, removal and prevention.

One way that has been found to prevent some vermin is natural predators that seek and destroy vermin. For instance spiders, ladybugs and mealy-bugs all can be used to kill off some types of vermin. We can control and eliminate major vermin infestation by using chemicals. Hiring professional vermin eliminators is often beneficial because they are better equipped to seek out vermin hiding spots. When you destroy the host nest you are eliminating the entire infestation all at once. Trapping and baiting are also good techniques used to control vermin populations.

If you establish strict sanitation routines in your home and business you should be able to keep the majority of vermin away. Keep food in sealed containers and use disinfecting products when cleaning. It will help keep your family or customers safe from vermin spread diseases. Sanitation is the key ingredient in preventing vermin infestation. Vermin removal is complicated but if handle with diligence and proper sanitization techniques are employed future infestations should be eliminated.

Best Pest LLC

Search Engine Placement: How SEO Can Benefit Your Business’s Website

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What does SEO stand for? I have heard hundreds of people ramble on about how important SEO is and here I stand clueless about why this acronym is so special. That is why I took it upon myself to figure what the madness was all about. Wikipedia defines SEO, search engine optimization, as the process of improving the visibility of a website or web page in search engines. I know what you are thinking and that is what I thought to. I just spent all this money on designing a website. Of course search engines will spot out my site. It is unique, functional and new to the internet right? No, that is not what is going to get your site viewed. I have found that in order to get traffic to any site they need to invest in SEO. Search engine placement is the key in getting people to visit any site. It is like the newspaper, if your article is going to get read your headline must be on the front page.

Search engine placement is an internet marketing mystery. It matters that your website is functional and well designed only after you have the traffic visiting it. In order to get traffic to your website you need to be ranked well within search engines. Take this for example: search Toy Stores in Sockville, Michigan where there is one right down the street. It doesn’t come up on the first page of the search. After scrolling through three pages you finally find them. How many people when searching something on the web look past the first page of search results? If you didn’t know there was a toy store just down the street it would have never found because you wouldn’t have continued looking past the first page. The first page lists five toy stores in the area. Those toy stores have obviously done SEO and when their websites is found it is functional and easy to order from. They will get your order. SEO helps guide the customer to your website.

SEO is to the internet what the yellow pages are to the phone book. Five years ago when you needed a furnace repair man you looked in the yellow pages under furnace repair. You would call the first few that were listed or the one with the biggest graphics and they would get your business. The same is true today on the internet. You search out furnace repair for your area. After viewing the first page of listings it gives you five furnace repair shops in your area. You visit their websites and are attracted to the attention to detail in one site. You choose to call them over the others because of it. You haven’t even searched the next two pages all with reliable furnace repair shops but because they didn’t immediately come up catching your eye they will not get your business.

The above example is exactly why SEO is the buzz right now. For years we have heard how important it is to have a website that is easy to use and delightful to look at. Now that isn’t all that is needed. You have to get people to your site and search engine placement is going to get the traffic you are looking for. Make sure when you have your company’s website designed that you speak with them regarding SEO. It is the only way you will maximize the traffic to your site. Let’s be honest that is the reason you have spent all that money on the functional and well designed website in the first place.

Creative Programs and Systems

Forza Motorsport 3assists: A Look into Forza 3 Assists

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Forza Motorsport 3 is a racing game that driving alone will not allow you to win. If you have played the game at all you have realized this. Forza Motorsport 3 is a revolutionary racing game in which the driver selects upgrades and tunes their own racing vehicle. Each track is different throughout the game and will require different components to allow it to race at top capacity. If you are a novice to the world of racing games the Forza Motorsport 3 assists will help guide your vehicle until you are up to speed with how the games works. There are also sites out there that will allow you to purchase cars that are already designed for specific tracks. At that point all you will have to learn is how to drive them.

Forza 3 assists are available to all drivers. The game maker recommends that all players use the assist as it will keep the game competitive for all skill levels. You may net a lower amount of winnings but it will get you started out in the world of Forza 3 racing. The assist work as follows. Placing in a race earn you x amount of money. For each assist you have enabled it will cost you a certain percentage of your winnings. As you begin to get more comfortable with your car and the tracks you can disable more assist which will allow you to net more of the winnings.

Many players assume that they can race with 100% of the assists off. This is an unwise idea for even the most experienced racer. In order to maximize the funds you make you will want to enable only those assists that will earn you back the most money without losing control of your car. Using assist to win the most races and net the biggest winnings is the goal of most Forza 3 players. If you are interested in using the assists but are cautious at any loses you might be taking consider settings such as simulation when it comes to Damage, Fuel, Tire Wear. If your car sustains damage you are most likely going to restart the race so setting it to limited and finishing the race won’t net you nearly as much money.

Another feature that allows you to net the most winnings is enabling the difficulty setting to hard. You must be experienced because this level is not for those of us who play loose. When winning in this mode you are basically getting an extra 15% bonus to your cash winnings.

The rewind assist feature is brand new for Forza Motorsport 3. This assist allows you to back the race up in five second increments so that you can replay that moment in time. This Forza Motorsport 3 tool can be used as much as needed without penalty. This is a great tool to use when experimenting on a new course especially if you find yourself hitting a wall or taking a corner too aggressively. Who doesn’t want to turn back time when they fail to do something right the first time? Use caution though because players have reported that near the end of a race when they need the rewind function most it has been unable to work.

Forza Motorsport 3 is an optimal racing game for all levels. Assists make it possible for even the newest player to race against the most personalized cars and experienced drivers. Winning the race while losing a portion of the winnings is a small price to pay for the feeling of victory you will have when you are annihilating the competition.

Gamerz Edge

Forza 3 Car Setup Tool: Keeping Your Gaming Habits in Check

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Have you recently fallen to widow status because of your spouse’s gaming habits? Is he more concerned with his Forza 3 car setup tool then your children’s behavior at school? Gaming widows have become a growing population among us. The seriousness of gaming addiction has come into light in recent months with the realization that a little girl sat home alone and starved while her parents were online gaming. Gaming addiction has also put a great divide in many marriages. I acknowledge that not all people who enjoy playing video games have an addiction. Video games have become a part of our culture. They allow us to have a virtual life. Video games give in to our fantasies. Gaming is a lot of fun. The goal is to balance the gamers fantasy life with the life they are living in the now. The problems start when there is little to no division.

Tips on Healthy Gaming

Recognize the reality of living life. Make sure you have created a real life in which you are content. If you are feeling inadequate in your daily living you are more likely to fall in to a gaming addiction.

Set limits on the amount of time you allow yourself to play video games. If you have a hard time tearing yourself away from the action use a timer. Don’t allow yourself to ignore the timer. This might take some will power but you have to remember the game is not the life you are living. Allow the life you are living to account for your personal happiness.

If you find you have jumped ship allow yourself to get back on board. One day in which you let yourself become emerged in your video game does not have to lay the future foundation on your video game outlook.

Listen to the people in your life. If your family is expressing concern reevaluate your gaming. They are the people looking out for your best interest. The characters in the game are fiction your family is reality.

Make compromises with your spouse. If you feel that your mate is nagging you let them know but also take into account your participation in your relationship with them.

Scheduling time to go out with your spouse and separate time to play video games will help keep balance in your life. This way you will be allowed to have space to play without leaving your partner in a pattern of constant waiting.

Communicate your needs. If video games are filling a need your spouse isn’t let them know. This is the only way that your spouse can try to fill the void you are feeling. If you are lonely and the video games are filling that void your spouse can shower you with attention. Your spouse can also help get you out of the house and mingling with other couples.

If you can’t keep up with daily life you are most likely gaming too much. You need to make sure that the needs of your family take precedence over any and all video games. Helping to take care of cooking, laundry and other household duties will show your partner that you are interested in things outside of the video game.

Video games are becoming more and more real. Games like Forza 3 and their sweet car set up tool make it difficult for gamers to want to stop. When you are racing amongst your gaming friends you feel connected. You are in a fantasy state and the euphoria you feel often masks the reality of real life. There is a balance between the two and if you have an addictive personality it is going to be hard to walk that thin line. In order to create harmony with a partner you will need to yourself in check.

Gamerz Edge

Forza 3 Tool: A Look Back into Video Racing Games

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Who doesn’t love a good racing video game? Racing video games have been popular since the 1970’s. One great aspect of racing games is that you can play as yourself or as a character. Games can have you racing anywhere from a real race track to a whimsical fantasy land. Whether you are an avid gamer or just a gamer for fun there is a racing game available for you.

Arcade style racing games were invented and released in the early 70’s. Many of these arcade games were single player overhead view noncompetitive racing games. These games allowed the gamer to race against a clock/computer. In the later 70’s video game companies broaden the spectrum to include competitive games where two players could race against each other. Early style arcade games often used black and white graphics. It wasn’t until Sega introduced Monaco GP that color graphics and the vertical view was introduced.

The 80’s brought major innovation to the racing video game genre. Not only were players allowed to drive their vehicles in all directions they were able to compete using the third person perspective. Music was also introduced to the backgrounds of most racing games. Real circuit driving was pioneered by Namco when they introduced Pole Position. This game was a revolutionary racing game in its time. The graphics were featured in a higher resolution and the third person perspective was used. When Pole Position 2 came out they added improvements. Players were now allowed to pick the course they were interested in racing on. Along with that feature came greater detailed graphics.

Racing simulators became all the rage starting in the early 90’s. Papyrus Design Group launched the game Indianapolis 500: The Simulation. The game was based off of the actual race track. Not only did it offer 3-D graphics you had set up options, car failures and handling issues. Sega was the first company to introduce multi-player machine linking with their Virtua Racing in 1992. If fantasy racing was more your style, Nintendo introduced the ever popular Mario Kart. The bright colors, colorful environment and recognizable characters made franchise history.

In today’s era video game companies are full speed ahead with racing game development. Racing games have become ultra realistic and competitive. Yes you can still find fun racing games like Cars the movie and Super Mario Cart to play around with. Although they now offer more of a free racing style with courses that allow racers to drive all over the course. Today the buzz has become all about Forza Motorsport 3 introduced by Turn 10 Studios exclusively for the Xbox 360. The game has over 400 cars available for players to customize and 100 plus tracks to race on. The Forza 3 tool features the ability to paint the vehicles and upgrade race cars. If you are an online racing gamer you’re even allowed to set up a store front to create car designs to sell to other players.

Gaming through the decades has defiantly come a long way. Yes customizing cars and racing against friends that live miles from you is a thrill but I still like some old school Pole Patrol. When you take a look back on history and see how far the video gaming world has come it is hard to imagine the future. With features like the Forza 3 car set up tool I can only envision what the world of video game racing will be ten years from now.

Gamerz Edge

Website Launched: The Canopy Bottle and Gourmet Shoppe

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Canopy

Located in Brighton, MI, Canopy Bottle and Gourmet Shoppe has one of the largest selections of wine, beer and liquor in the state of Michigan. We specialize in offering single malt scotches, bourbons, and other hard-to-find liquors, wines, and champagnes. Ask about custom-made gift baskets that can be shipped anywhere in the US.

Check them out at www.canopywineandspirits.com

Creative Programs and Systems

Personalized Toys: Giving a Gift that will be Remembered

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When you give a gift how can you make sure it is one that will be remembered? My kids get hundreds of toys for Christmas and birthdays that get played with for a day or two and then discarded for the next new thing. I have found however that there are some toys that seem to stick around. The difference between toys in my house getting used for the long haul and ones that are forgotten is some personal touch from the gift giver. A personalized toy is defiantly going to stand the test of time in my home over one in which my child holds no sentimental value to it.

Personalized toys can mean different things to different people. Some people think in order to be a personalized toy it has to be painted or engraved with the child’s name or some other significant information. Personalized to my family means that it could have their name on it or something that the giver has put together specifically for my child. One of my daughter’s favorite gifts is a box that happened to have her name painted on the top with different scraps of fabrics, sequences, buttons and other crafty materials. It wasn’t something someone had actually purchased all together but instead a gift that the giver put together with her in mind.

Think about what the best present you ever received was. My favorite gifts are the ones that people make with me in mind. My friend always comes up with the best ideas. For instance, last year she made me a mirror and table out of wood from her yard. It doesn’t say my name but it is the most personalized present I have ever received. She took into consideration everything I love, birch bark and tree branches. Using natural materials instead of store bought products to build me a mirror and table showed me that she took time to personalize the gift. These are gifts that will be with me forever.

My sister-in-law is really good at this. She makes my children many personalized gifts. She thinks about what they like and need and adds their name to it. She always paints an object within their name that she knows they like. For instance one year she made them writing tables with room for pencils and crayons. On the top she decoratively painted their names on them and added a bear for my son and extra girlie touches for my daughter. They love these and carry them wherever they can. Another thing that has not only come in handy but also an heirloom is stools for them to use in the bathroom to brush their teeth and to reach high things in their closets. She didn’t just include their names but also painted the entire stool to match their personalities.

Personalized gifts, no matter your definition, will for sure become favorites for your recipient. Take time when picking out gifts. Personalizing toys and gifts make the person receiving them know that you took time to think of them. Gifts should come from the heart not the pocket book. Take that into account especially around the holidays when money gets tight. Personalize your next gift with the recipient’s name or take into account the receivers hobbies and add that into the gift. My niece wants a soccer ball this year. I think in order to make it personalized I am going to pick her favorite color ball and some permanent sharpies to put her name and the name of her team on it. I think it might just be her favorite gift this year. I might even let her cousins add their decorative touches. That way she can think of the every time she practices soccer. Have fun thinking about your next present a personalized gift.

My Favorite Kids Toys

Aluminum Fencing: The Superior Fencing Material

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When considering fencing materials there are two main types people like to choose from aluminum and wrought iron. Of course there are pros and cons to both but as I see it the benefits outweigh the drawbacks when contemplating aluminum over wrought iron. What you decide of course will be determined by many different factors. Where will the fence be used? Is the purpose of the fence for safety? Will the fence be used to enclose a yard or pool area? Is the fencing for decorative purposes? Obviously you will need to determine what the main reason for the fencing is before determining if wrought iron fencing or aluminum fencing will be your fence of choice.

Aluminum fencing is perfect for people considering doing the fencing project on their own. It is easy to handle because it is light and comes in sections that are four or six feet tall and six feet long. It is a super easy do it yourself project. Installation is easy when using fast set quick concrete. You will set one post and another attaching the sections of fencing as you go along. The fence panels are so light it is a project you can do on your own or made a bit easier with some help. Wrought iron fencing tends to be heavy. Sections range from fifty to one hundred and twenty five pounds. Imagine trying to install this on your own in a do it yourself project. Wrought iron fencing would take a crew of people to install.

Another feature I like is that you can pick different pickets finials for your aluminum fencing. Although aluminum fencing is modern in design and fits most every décor if you get bored with the look you can go pick out new finials for the top of the fence posts. It is as easy as unscrewing the piece and screwing the new one in. With wrought iron fence you are locked in to one certain look for the lifetime of your fence. Wrought iron is completely welded together and the look cannot be updated if you change your mind later or if the overall design in your yard changes.

Aluminum fencing is practically maintenance free. Wrought iron needs to be maintained in order to keep from rusting. Aluminum however is designed not to rust. Aluminum fencing can be maintained easily by hosing debris off. How many of us have extra time to maintain a fence. We purchase fences to keep our maintenance needs down. Aluminum fencing is put up to keep critters out or small children in. It can also be used around pools to prevent family members who are not being watched from getting into the area.

The other thing I like about aluminum in fencing is that it is easily repaired if damaged. If a section does happen to get damaged all you need to do is remove that one section and another can easily slide into fix the problem, I think the type of fencing material a person uses is up to their personal preference. I really enjoy the look and maintenance free qualities of aluminum fencing.

iFenceUSA