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Fuel costs are at such a high rate that many people find that a good portion of their paychecks are going either in their car's fuel tank or in their home for heat and other utilities. Fuel is needed almost everywhere we look, even if we don't realize it. Some of the simple things in our lives that we take for granted are controlled by our usage of fuel. Our home is the largest source of energy usage. Saving money on fuel prices has become top priority to many homeowners. We may not have any control over the high price of fuel, but there are ways of saving money on fuel prices. With a little dedication and determination, you can make your home as energy efficient as possible.

It seems like every time we turn around winter is once again upon us with, and with it, the high cost of heating. If your heating bill seems to be higher than you believe it should be or saving money on fuel prices seems difficult, it may be time to give your home an energy efficiency test to see if it's as efficient as it can be. You may have an energy audit done, but you can still do some tests yourself to determine if there are any leaks in your home where warm air may be escaping.

The first place you can look for heat loss is the space under your front door. There may other spaces that you can't see such as where two different materials meet. Look at all your windows and door frames as well as by your siding and foundation. If you have any outside gas or electric service entrances, check these out for heat escaping. Most of our electronics like television, cables and telephones pass through holes in our walls so make sure there is not excess air escaping.

You can check for small gaps in a couple of ways. At night, take a flashlight and shine over any spots where you feel there may be any gaps or holes. Have someone on the other side checking to see if they can see the light. If they can, there are some cracks or holes that need fixing. Another way to check is to shut your doors and windows on a sheet of paper. If you are able to pull the paper out without the paper ripping, you definitely have a leak.

If you still think you may have some leaks, shut off your heat on a windy day. Make sure all your doors and windows are cold. Turn on any exhaust fans that will blow air outside the home. Walk passed any potential holes and draft spots holding an incense stick that's lit. If the smoke gets blown into the room or sucked out of the room, you have a draft somewhere. By doing these simple steps yourself, you'll be on your way to saving money on fuel prices.

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There are a myriad of different reasons why people choose to homeschool their children: there is the economic benefit of avoiding high private school fees; there is the convenience of scheduling schooling around other family activities etc. One of the most important benefits of home schooling is the flexibility with which you can tailor your child's education. It is a well known fact that every individual has individual needs, and home schooling allows you to create a learning environment that suits your child particularly.

When you undergo home schooling, it is important that you have a clear curriculum and mind and a plan to execute it. But within that plan, you should understand that you have a tremendous amount of flexibility: there are many different ways that a child can learn something, and many different things to learn in a given subject.

One of the best ways that you can ensure a high level of learning retention is to encourage your child to take a personal interest in his or her education. Although this may seem obvious, many people growing up who went though a traditional school system will probably agree that their education was received in an authoritative way: schooling and your education was something that was done to you, not with you.

When home schooling, however, you can take advantage of the almost unlimited flexibility at your disposal and let your child take a more active role. While you can't, obviously, let your child do whatever he or she wants education-wise, you should always explain to him or her a given education plan, and see what he thinks.

For example, when you start your school day, outline the plan for the day with your child. Depending on his or her age you can also explain the reasoning behind the plan. If there are any things the child seems averse to doing, try and take them seriously. You should not, of course, avoid certain subjects or activities simply because your child doesn't like them. You should, however, ask your child why he or she doesn't like something in the day's plan, and to suggest alternatives. In many cases you will be pleasantly surprised by what your child comes up with, and be able to incorporate it into the day's work.

As much as possible, you should have a list of alternatives in mind for assigned activities. The idea is to try and think of alternative activities that accomplish the same task. If your child protests against a certain exercise, then, you can offer them an alternative. This can be extremely effective in getting your children to learn material that they dislike.

Oftentimes the child simply has to feel that he or she is more in control of the situation to enjoy it. Even though you are ultimately controlling your child's education, by granting them small allowances and choices, while still sticking with the larger picture, everybody wins: your child feels he is doing what he wants to do, and you are still teaching your child what you want him to learn.

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Introduction

Everyone knows that there is something that they could change in their life to become healthier. For most people, it’s getting more exercise and eating a healthier diet. But, how do you know if you are eating healthy or not? There are so many different diets and strategies on the market, how do you know what to do?

This eBook is designed to provide you with some basic guidelines to become a healthy eater as well as some tips on how to begin changing your eating habits. For example, breakfast is incredibly important and many people don’t give it its due. You need to eat breakfast to literally “break the fast.” Unfortunately, many people skip breakfast and they are so hungry by the time lunch comes around that they eat like they’ve never eaten before. Then they have a slump and want to take a nap. Eating healthy and with good eating habits can solve these types of problems.

Being a healthy eater requires that you become educated and smart about what you put in your mouth. You really are what you eat, so if you eat a lot of fats, well, you know what happens. However, being food smart doesn’t mean that you have to learn all of these different calorie-counting strategies or that you have to study labels. Healthy eating is about balance and moderation.

This eBook is your guide to learning to eat healthy and how to balance out your meals. It will show you how you can eat healthy, lose weight and begin to have a better overall feeling of healthiness in your life. This doesn’t mean that you have to give up your favorite foods, but you will learn how to make your favorite foods part of a healthy lifestyle.

Chapter 1

Eating for a Healthier You

Most people know they need to improve their diets in one way or another. They also recognize how difficult this is when you drive down the street and you see a McDonald’s on every corner or a line of fast food restaurants. Our lives have all become about convenience and in exchange for convenience we have become the most obese country in the world. With our instant gratification lifestyles we also know that eating healthy can be a challenge. However, it doesn’t have to be this way and there are steps that you can take to balance out your life so that you can enjoy a Happy Meal with the kids on occasion.

Making your everyday diet healthier will allow you to improve the way you look, as well as the way you think. It’s never too late to change your eating habits, you just have to have the personal motivation to do it.

Is Your Diet Healthy Enough?

Everyone wants a healthier diet, but with all of the conflicting nutrition information in the media it is hard to determine what type of diet is healthy. There are many factors that contribute to a healthy diet. It is important to evaluate the current diet that you eat before you embark on a plan to become a healthier eater.

Begin by asking yourself these simple questions:

1 Do I eat a variety of different foods? Variety is one of many important parts of a healthy diet. It is important to eat foods from all of the food groups. If you find yourself avoiding certain food groups, such as fruits and vegetables, then it may be time to adjust the way you eat.

2 Do I eat fruits and vegetables? It is important to choose from a variety of different fruits and vegetables. In fact, you want to get all of the different colors of these foods in your diet because each offers their own unique vitamins and minerals that are essential to your diet. Eat dark greens, reds, oranges and yellows.

3 Do I eat breakfast? The absence of breakfast is a good indicator that you are not eating very healthy. If you don’t eat breakfast you need to begin working on that aspect of your diet, as your body may think that it’s starving.

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Did you know that the expectation by many was that when home automation technology came onto the market it would be so beneficial and life changing that it would be installed in virtually every home quickly?

But, there are many things that left it in the dust, including an overrun imagination that many had. From the “Jetson’s” style of cartoon, many believed that automating the home was going to be a way to let robots handle virtually all aspects of our days. That didn’t quite make it, or at least hasn’t to this point. The fact that it hasn’t reached that level yet has frustrated some, but for others it just means another far researching goal is set.

Yet, do homes have to be so far behind in this technology? Why can’t you have all of the home automation that you crave? You can, but in most cases, there is a rather steep cost that must be paid to make it actually happen in your home for you.
The cost of rewiring a home and tearing up the walls to install a home automation tool isn’t something that you are likely to do. In fact, it could cost you some serious investment to do this throughout your home. For that reason, many have decided not to install such life altering home automation tools.

Good or bad, that’s what happened. Yet, if you are building a new home, things have changed considerably and for that there are many opportunities for success and well being.

If you are building your own home, there is no reason not to consider home automation as part of it. Because the walls aren’t yet set up, you can make many changes that can help to lay the foundation for a home that’s completely automated. It is essential to know what goes into these home building projects, though. You will need to work with a competent builder who will guide you through the process giving you step by step direction to take.

Even still, it’s important to consider these points about home automation and the building of your home.