Author Archives: Ask Ms Mandi

Dogs Get Tummy Aches Too

30 Thursday Aug 2012

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Dogs get tummy aches too.  My poor dog has been sick for two days now.  He cannot keep any food down.  Do dogs get the flu just as people do?  I always wondered about this.  I was told that dogs do not get colds or sick like we do.  However, my dog has a tummy ache and has been sick for two days now.  Is it something more serious or just the flu? 

Here is a website with some tips to calming your dogs’ tummy ailments:

http://www.justanswer.com/veterinary/6jkub-dogs-stomach-flu.html

One of the suggestions is to give your dog Gatorade to help prevent dehydration.  Just like us, if you have a tummy and intestine flu, you may get dehydrated and Gatorade helps to replenish your body by keeping it hydrated with the necessary electrolytes. 

We give our dog white-rice when we run out of dog food, but did you know that white rice will help a dog with tummy aches.  It is a good idea to fast your sick dog for twenty-four hours, but a meal consisting of white rice may coat and soothe his tummy ache.

Please be aware if your dog is sick for more than a few days, at this point he should have a visit from your local veterinarian to rule out anything more serious.

Featured Dog:

 

 

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

WHEN A HOUSE IS MORE THAN JUST A HOUSE

24 Friday Aug 2012

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We have all wondered how much more our economy and as people can take.  The mortgage crash of 2006 has severely affected our country and other countries.  So many families have lost and are still losing their homes.  It may just be a home to some.  It may just be hard times, some may say.  However, true these statements are, the fact of it is that a house holds a lot more than merely a roof over our heads. 

A house is our home.  A home is a place where we raise our children.  A home is a place where we keep our memories.  A home is a place where we grow as a family.  A home is a place to feel safe in.  A home is a place where we gain our future.  A house is a lot more than just a dwelling.  Our home is our house.

If you are losing your home, do not give up.  Write letters to your lending company.  I do not mean one letter, but letter after letter after letter, until you are heard.  Study your mortgage documents so you understand what the legalities of your documents mean.  What kind of mortgage do you have?  Was income verified and documented?  Do you have a fixed interest rate or a variable interest rate?  Is your mortgage owned by one investor or several investors?  Find any discrepancies you can in your documents.  The Government is working to create new programs for homes in distress and the longer you can hold on to your home, means the better chances are for you to save your home from foreclosure.  Fight back and do not give up.

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

Breaking into the Writer’s World

16 Thursday Aug 2012

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Breaking into the writer’s world is not as simple as it sounds.  You have written your manuscript and now you need an agent.  You may think that the hard part is over, but it is only just beginning.  Now you need to find an agent and it is not as simple as it may seem.

Children can be so wise, but yet so naïve.  Anything is possible when you are a child.  You have the world in your hands.  It’s not just about youth but it’s also about attitude.  Today, I was helping-out in a fifth grade classroom, when a ten-year old boy approached me.  The teacher had announced to the class that I was a writer.  This ten-year old boy came up to me and asked me how many books I have written.  I told him two.  He was impressed.  He then blurted out that he would buy my book.  Just like that. 

A child’s mind still believes that anything is possible.  As we grow up into adulthood, that innocence slowly disappears with time.  You write a book and you will get it published.  You want to be a doctor and you will be a doctor.  It is magical. 

Breaking into the writer’s world, finding an agent, and struggling to pay the bills, are all a journey of life.  Believing in ourselves is magical.  Do not accept rejection when you send out a query to an agent.  Keep your head up and keep trying.  A New York agent told me once and I quote:  “You will succeed in getting your work published as long as you keep trying, but if you give up then you will miss out on the next opportunity and that opportunity may be an agent that is interested in your manuscript.”

Any comments or thoughts?

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

Back to School

08 Wednesday Aug 2012

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Back to school can be a very busy and stressful time for both mother and child.  Especially in August when the weather is almost 100+ degrees.  In my opinion, school should not start in August…. it is much too hot. 

Anyways……

Things to remember.  Although, as mothers, we are busy getting our kids tucked into bed, lunches made, and backpacks packed up, don’t forget to spend a little time on you.  Once the kids are asleep, sit down and read a book while having a glass of wine, take a bath, or go for a run.  Just do something you may enjoy.  It will alleviate a lot of stress and make your early morning wake-up call more pleasurable. 

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

The Importance of Children Hygiene

02 Thursday Aug 2012

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Why is children hygiene so important?  The Webster dictionary definition for the word, “hygiene” means a condition or a practice conductive to health.

In other words, proper hygiene contributes to a healthier lifestyle.  A healthier lifestyle means less doctor visits, less dental visits, and less cost for medical expenses.

Who pays for the medical bills?  Some people have health insurance through work, private insurance policies paid by individuals, or governmental programs.

Teaching our children at an early age about good hygiene is important.  Such as washing their hands after school, after going to the restroom, after playing, and before eating meals.  Bathing on regular basis, meaning at least every other day.

Here is a great article from the Mayo Clinic on the importance of washing our hands.  It contains many helpful tips on the “before” and “after” washing of the hands:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hand-washing/HQ00407

Many of us take proper hygiene for granted.  We learn at an early age the importance of washing our hair, washing our bodies, washing our hands, and brushing our teeth.  But not everyone in our society has the means or the financial benefits to practice proper hygiene.  It can be costly to buy shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and household cleaning products.

With a struggling economy, people losing their jobs, losing their homes to foreclosure, losing their cars to repossession, and losing their dignity, they are faced with many financial hardships.  We have all looked down our noses at someone less fortunate than ourselves. Making comments, in our heads, such as, this….. “Why don’t they wash their hair?”  “Look how dirty that kid’s hands are, why doesn’t the mother care?”  But in reality, we have no right to judge.  We take proper hygiene for granted, but others less fortunate may not have the same luxury.

Governmental programs help the needy buy food, clothing, medical care and provide housing, but is it enough?

This shouldn’t be a dilemma, but in reality it is.

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

Senior Citizens Want to Feel Pretty too…

31 Tuesday Jul 2012

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Senior Citizens want to feel pretty too….. but sometimes they are forgotten at the make-up counter.  The cosmetic lines may target younger women for their make-up lines and older women for certain skin-care lines.

Certain creams reduce and may even eliminate some fine lines and wrinkles.  Whereas, other facial creams, lotions, and serums help to prevent wrinkles and prematuring of the skin.  Subsequently, older women want to feel pretty too. 

First, make-up isn’t only for the young.  Make-up is used to make us feel and look prettier, by enhancing our best features.  Older skin may also benefit with the use of make-up.  Foundation helps to protect the skin from sun damage by adding sun screen protection.  Some foundations actually sit on top of the skin, creating a younger looking appearance. 

Second, when the eyes are enhanced to brighten the eye-area without a lot of eye liner, eye shadow, and mascara, it will brighten up the eye area without making it look overly made up and heavy.  A brighter eye makes a person look more awake and alert.  However, older women should stay away from frosty / glittery shadows.  A matte shadow is much better and won’t insinuate those fine lines and wrinkles on the eye-lids and around the eyes. 

So….. women over 55 years old….. don’t be afraid to stop by the cosmetic counter the next time you are out and purchase a few cosmetic items for your every day cosmetic bag.  A few simple steps and you will feel beautiful again.

Keep your life young and stay beautiful!

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

Picking up the Pieces

11 Wednesday Jul 2012

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How much does somebody have to lose before the pendulum starts to swing the other way?  How many times have we said to ourselves:  “Nothing more can happen”, but only to find out that there is always more that can happen.

A failing business can be devastating to the owner, as unemployment becomes the only means of financial survival.  A repossessed vehicle can be detrimental to an individual, while they now find it difficult to accomplish, the once simple, daily tasks that were once taken for granted; such as grocery shopping.  Losing your home to foreclosure can be traumatic to the family as a whole as they walk away from the memories and dreams built inside the walls of their home.  Arguing sets in and the family begins to drift apart, slowly but gaining speed.  One parent moves out to leave the other behind to clean up the shattered pieces of their once perfect life.  Once perfect but now all they are looking for is normalcy, when normalcy used to be so mediocre. 

Tears fall.  How does one explain to their children that they have to leave their life behind to start over in another life.  Walking away from their childhood home is hard, but watching as the life they knew and loved split apart in separation is even harder. 

Picking up the pieces…… that is all any one of us can do…… pick the pieces up and glue them back together.  The life you once had may be gone, but you can be whole again by building a new life.  Stay strong.

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

A Stranger

12 Saturday May 2012

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Falling in love is a great feeling.  Being in love means you are blessed.  When do they become a stranger?  It starts out with little things, like he/she stops kissing you when they leave the house, he/she stops saying “I love you” before bedtime, he/she stops looking at you with that sparkle in their eye.  Subtle changes.

If one of you stops trying, the distance grows more and more as time goes on.  He/she stops sleeping in your bed, he/she starts finding fault in everything you do, he/she stops loving you.

You now have a stranger in your heart.

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

Remembering Back….

27 Friday Apr 2012

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I remember back when teachers were making barely enough to survive.  Police officers and firemen were making blue-collar wages, while accountants were one of the most highly paid professionals. 

Then it turned….. teachers are making over $70,0000 a year with a Master’s Degree, policemen and firemen are making over $100,000 a year without an education.  Accountants?  Well, let’s just say, accountants are making about $40,000 – 50,000 a year in today’s economy

When did the pendulum change? 

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

Warning Signs that your Teenager may be Experimenting with Drugs

26 Thursday Apr 2012

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As parents, we do not want to admit our teenagers are using drugs, but we need to keep our eyes open.  Elementary school years are the years of innocence.  Jr High School may be another story, all together.  Teenagers may go through drastic changes once they hit 7th and 8th grade and high school may be even worst. 

As parents, we need to watch our teenagers for warning signs of possible drug use:

1.  Sudden changes in mood / attitude

2.  Bursts of anger

3.  Isolation from family (spending a lot of time in their room)

4.  Drop in grades

5.  Lack of interest in normal activities

6.  Changes in appetite

7.  Changes in sleeping habits

8.  Lying

9.  Change of friends

10.  Skipping classes / truancy / tardiness

It is our job as parents to keep a close communication with our teenagers / children.  Stay involved in their lives and know where they are and what they are doing when they are not home. 

It is also important to let your kids know you “do” trust them and they can come to you to talk when they need to.  Don’t get your feelings hurt if they don’t talk to you about everything, but stay positive and let them know you are there for them when they do want to talk.

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi