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Cheryl Posner

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Throwing the Perfect Baby Shower

You’re probably reading this because you have a little one on the way and you know you have to plan a baby shower and maybe are even dreading it! Honestly, most baby showers could be done better, WAY better, so your sentiments of creeping doom are understandable.

Perhaps part of the problem is that they are things people think you have to do, and they do them out of obligation instead of by choice. But if you think about it honestly, would you want to live in a world where there is nothing in place of a baby shower? The first order of business if you want to have an awesome baby shower instead of just another mediocre one is to have the right attitude about it. Realize that it’s not going to be mediocre by default, but that you can and will make it better.

The first thing is, make sure you have good invitations. Baby shower invitations are a call to action, and they set the tone for the actual event to follow. The perfect invitation for a baby shower should be elegant without going overboard and getting all the way to pretentious. Check and double-check the grammar and the spelling, because once they go out, it’s too late. Also, please forego the traditional paper invites; they are no longer necessary in 2017. Even if you’re having a huge event, people can bring the image of the invite in their phones and we can all save a few trees.

Now, once people come, really the thing to concentrate on are the games. Don’t make these kind of mistakes, for starters. Definitely plan several diverse games, but for Pete’s sake keep your guest list in front of you the whole time you are doing it. This alone will save you the kind of potential embarrassment that we all definitely want to avoid!

Keep in mind these days that there are cultural differences to take into account. For example, in many parts of North America, baby showers are WOMEN ONLY! In other parts, it’s considered offensive for the men NOT to show up. So make sure that all your guests understand what kind of a party you are throwing. Especially if you’re planning on a women-only affair, make sure everybody knows to avoid a situation where only one woman brings her SO. Please note that, for example, in Latin America baby showers are almost always co-ed.

You see, it’s actually not that complicated. Follow this simple advice and your baby shower will stand out famously among all the other cringe-worthy ones.

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Personal Tech

Which One’s Better? Cigarettes or Cigars?

Should you go with traditional cigarettes, traditional cigars, or little cigars?

That is a quandary many casual smokers find themselves in. It becomes especially profound when these casual smokers tend to be moms.

Why? Because as a parent, you always have this thought of influencing your children with your actions. Regardless of what you do, you have this indirect fear of how your action would affect your children and how it’d be perceived by their minds.

This thought is at its most prevalent when it comes to an activity such as tobacco smoking.

But since you may find that nicotine makes you relax and find peace, turning to it to unwind may not feel like a bad idea at all. That is when you need to clarify between the properties and effects of cigarettes and cigars.

Cigarettes as Compared to Little or Traditional Cigars

There are a few basic differences that set cigarettes and cigars apart. To help you understand them and which one would be a better fit for you, here is a list of those differing factors.

Consumption

When you are smoking cigarettes, you “inhale” the smoke, which goes directly to your lungs. That is how the nicotine is absorbed into your body.

But when you enjoy a traditional cigar, you don’t have to inhale it. The nicotine is absorbed through the lining of your mouth. This means that your lungs have minimal exposition to the tobacco. Little variations of cigars allow you to inhale the smoke. But it is not mandatory.

Manufacturing

Cigarettes are wrapped in their usual “cigarette paper” with the tobacco rolled inside of it. They also have a filter that is supposed to keep toxic particles and tar out of the smoke.

Whereas, little and traditional cigars are wrapped in tobacco leaves themselves (the little ones are also wrapped in a wrapper that’s 2/3 tobacco by weight). There is no ordinary paper used to roll them up. This gives them a special taste and provides them with their signature scent as well.

Taste

The tobacco in cigarettes is highly processed. This means that it is different in taste than little or traditional cigars. But the tobacco in cigars is not processed that much, which it gives a natural taste. This is why, little or traditional cigars are so sought after.

Keeping these details in mind, go through all of the relevant factors for cigarettes as well as little and traditional cigars. And select one option that suits your needs the best.

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Business

Green Roofs and Commercial Buildings

Green roofs, which are also known as rooftop gardens, are becoming ever more common in this day and age. Green roofs are extensions of existing roofs on both residential and commercial buildings.

Green roofs on commercial and residential structures provide an array of different types of benefits. In a growing number of municipalities, a requirement exists for the inclusion of green roofs on certain types of commercial buildings. If you are contemplating a green roof for your business, whether because of a requirement in your community or because it is your voluntary decision, there are some factors regarding rooftop gardens that you need to bear in mind.

Basic Components of Green Roof or Roof Garden

At the heart of a roof garden system is layers that form the foundation of a green roof. A key to the system is to ensure that it is fully waterproof and does not allow seepage into the building.

The typical rooftop garden has between six to seven layers. Beginning from the bottom and moving upward, a green roof “foundation” begins with a high quality waterproof membrane. On top of the membrane is a root repellant system followed by what sometimes is considered an optional layer of insulation.

Next, a green roof is layered with a drainage layer followed by a filter cloth for fine soils. The next lawyer is a lightweight growing medium or type of soil substrate. Finally, at the top, a green roof is completed with plants of different types.

In most cases, an additional step is taken to assist with drainage, fire control, and access to permit roof maintenance. This usually consists of a shallow layer of gravel, or pebbles, that is placed around the outside perimeter of the rooftop garden.

Essential Benefits of a Green Roof

As noted previously, there is an array of different types of benefits associated with a green roof. One of the key benefits associated with a green roof is a reduction in heat loss and in energy consumption during colder months of the year. In warmer months, a green roof can assist in reducing the cooling load on a commercial building.

A broader benefit of a green roof is that it can lower urban air temperatures. For this to be accomplished, there must be a concentration of green roofs in metropolitan area. This is one of the reasons why some municipalities are making green roofs a requirement for certain types of commercial structures.

A green roof also assists in reducing storm water runoff. It also provides increased sound insulation. The installation of a green roof improves a building’s LEED rating. A roof garden also increases the lifespan of a roof.

Types of Green Roofs

There are two primary types of green roofs in place in this day and age. These are intensive and extensive. The primary underlying differences between these two types of green roofs are accessibility and required maintenance.

Intensive green roofs are designed for human interaction. These types of green roofs have easy access and more elaborate landscapes. These roofs include things like small trees, shrubs, fountains, and walking paths for human enjoyment. As a result, these types of green roofs require more in their construction and maintenance.

Extensive green roofs are designed to be self-sustaining and require minimal maintenance. These types of roofs are not designed to human interaction. Extensive green roofs also feature different types of vegetation. These types of roofs feature vegetation like self-seeding sedums, certain types of grasses, mosses, and meadow flowers which require very little irrigation and maintenance of any type.

Scaffolding and Creating a Green Roof

In order to fully install a green roof, and tend to perimeter matters, scaffolding oftentimes is utilized. Scaffolding can be an invaluable piece of equipment in the creation of a green roof.

The key to making the best use of scaffolding in creating a green roof is to make sure all safety considerations are met. This includes properly assembling and placing the scaffolding in the first instance, making sure people are properly trained on use of a scaffold, and ensuring that materials used on a scaffold are secured appropriately.

Cost of a Green Roof

The cost associated with a green roof depends on a variety of factors, including whether an intensive or extensive derivation will be selected and the location of the building on which a rooftop garden will be created. With that noted, there are now professionals with experience in installing green roofs in many major municipalities. These pros can provide estimates on the cost of installing a green roof on a commercial structure.

Jessica Kane is a professional blogger who writes for Scaffold Store, the favorite and trusted scaffold supplier of the largest contractors.

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Family

7 Ideal Types of Retirement Gifts

When a person finally reaches the point at which he or she retires, it really is a milestone. If you have someone in your life that is getting ready to retire, you likely are wondering what type of gift to give. There are seven categories from which an ideal retirement gift can be drawn.

Years of Service Gift

For generations, the most common type of retirement gift was one focused on years of service. This type of gift oftentimes was given by an employer. However, that was during a time period when most people spent the greater part of their working lives in one, or perhaps two, jobs.

With that noted, a years of service gift is still a solid choice, even if it doesn’t officially or formally come from an employer. This type of gift could come from family, friends, or colleagues and will still have a nice impact.

Examples of years of services gifts include things like a watch or some type of jewelry. Silver is a solid choice when it comes to this type of years of service gift.

Hobby Gift

If the new retiree enjoys some type of hobby, a gift related to that endeavor is wise choice. People have a wide range of hobbies in this day and age, some of which are easier to find an appropriate gift. For example, if a person is a wine connoisseur, you will likely be able to come up with some obvious options.

If your associate has a hobby you are not particularly familiar with, reach out to that person. Ask him or her what type of item would be highly useful in the pursuit of that hobby.

Travel Gift

If the retiree is fond of travel, or has indicated a desire to spend time traveling once retired, considering giving the individual some type of travel gift. Examples of these types of gifts include luggage, passport holder, or personalized luggage tags. Books about possible travel destinations are solid ideas.

Depending on your relationship with the retiree, and your own budgetary considerations, giving a trip is a wonderful gift for a retiree. If the cost of a trip is beyond your own budget, odds are you will be able to organize people to collectively buy this type of gift for a retiree.

Experiences Gift

By the time many people reach retirement age, they have accumulated a good deal of “stuff.” Another idea for a perfect retirement gift is something from the experiences category.

Examples of what you can consider giving from the experiences category includes tickers to a concert, theatre, or sporting event. A gift certificate to a nice restaurant is another idea.

You can take one of two approaches when you give an experience gift. First, you can take the retiree and his or her significant other, if there is one, to the experience. Second, you can purchase tickets and let the retiree plan the specifics with whoever he or she would like to take.

Industry Gift

Another category of retirement recognition is the industry gift. As the name suggests, this type of gift is something associated with the industry or profession in which the person worked. This type of gift does hearken back to days gone by when an industry gift was more commonplace. As with a years of service gift, some years ago, this type of gift was quite commonly given by an employer as a means of commemorating the work of a retiree.

Charitable Contribution Gift

Many people heading into retirement have spent at least part of their working career in support of some type of charitable organization, at least in some manner. In other words, there is a strong possibility that the retiree has what is best described as a favorite charity.

If that is the case, you might want to consider making a contribution to a particular charity on behalf of the retiree. If the retiree doesn’t seem to have a favorite charity, you could ask the individual if there is one he or she would like to see a donation go.

Social Gift

This is something of a derivation of the experience gift. A social gift oftentimes is something added to another type of gift.

In basic terms, a social gift is one in which you invite the retiree to join you for something like lunch or dinner at some point in the future. You could be creative and make a coupon which the retiree can redeem at some point in the future for a social connection of some sort.

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Jessica Kane is a writer for Silver Superstore, home of the internet’s best flatware.

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Travel

The Pitfalls of Planning a Complicated Travel Itinerary on Your Own

Perhaps no segment of the marketplace has been swept more significantly by the do it yourself craze than is than has been the travel industry. Indeed, many travel itineraries can be developed taking the do it yourself approach.

Understanding the ubiquitous nature of do it yourself travel resources, there remain situations in which you simply do not want to take the DIY travel planning avenue. The reality is that there exist a number of major pitfalls if you try to pull together a complicated travel itinerary on your own.

A Complicated Travel Itinerary Case Study: The African Safari

Mac Weatherby had been on an African safari in the 1970s. He decided he wanted to experience such a travel adventure one more time in the 21st century, in the age of do it yourself travel resources. On his first Safari, some 40 years earlier, Mac utilized the services of a reputable travel professional. On the second go-around, Mac decided he would go it alone and develop a travel itinerary on his own. As Mac fully admits after the fact, that decision proved to be one of the biggest mistakes he has ever made.

The first mistake made by Mac was breaking his planned safari down into its component parts. He made separate arrangements for airfare, lodging accommodations, and for the safari itself. In the end, Mac obtained a decent deal on airfare between New York City and his destination in Africa. On the other hand, his lodging costs proved more expensive than he would have liked. He received no special price accommodation with the tour company at his destination that arranged the safari itself.

What Mac didn’t understand, and was unable to take advantage of, were some special comprehensive safari packages that are accessible by professional travel consultants, but not through DIY portals. Mac could have saved money across the board if he had engaged the services of an experienced travel professional.

If that had been the extent of Mac’s problems, the DIY yourself course wouldn’t have proven to be a disaster. Sadly, the negative aspects of Mac going it alone did not end with cost issues.

Mac ended up having an issue with obtaining a visa. He misunderstood an element of that process, which resulted in a delay in the processing of his visa application. Indeed, he did not catch his error immediately and having to go back and correct the situation resulted in Mac having to postpone his trip. He ended up paying an additional fee to both the airline and the safari tour company to reschedule his adventure. The hotel change proved easy, at least for Mac.

Another issue cropped up regarding immunizations. Mac needed to obtain them, but obtained inaccurate information about what was necessary. After the visa mishap, Mac went back and revisited the major things on his checklist and discovered that what he had initially done in this regard was not appropriate when it came to the requirements of his destination country.

Finally, Mac didn’t obtain suitable travel insurance to cover an issue like a weather development preventing him to get to the location of the planned safari as scheduled. Due to a significant weather delay in New York, and a terribly tight itinerary from the Big Apple to the safari site, Mac ended up arriving a day later than scheduled. In other words, he missed the start of the specific safari group he scheduled and paid for in advance.

A full refund was not available. He was able to reschedule, but had to pay an additional fee to the tour company to accomplish this. He also had to adjust his return air travel, at a cost. He ended up spending more time at the hotel than he originally anticipated, increasing that cost as well.

The Importance of a Travel Professional

If you are planning a more complicated trip, you need to carefully consider whether you want to try and develop your itinerary on your own, or seek the assistance of a skilled, experienced travel professional. Of course, you may not be contemplating an African safari. Nonetheless, what happened to Mac needs to serve as a cautionary tale to you.

Anytime your trip involves a foreign destination, or a unique destination activity like a safari, be cautious about going the do it yourself route. One seemingly minor misstep can have a cascading effect. Your entire planned trip can end up upended. You can end up spending an inordinate amount of money both in arranging the trip in the first instance and in correcting problems you created along the way.

Travelstart is a leading online travel agency that helps today’s business and leisure travellers search, compare and book the best flight, hotel and car options with all your favourite airline and accommodation suppliers.

Jessica Kane is a professional blogger who writes for Documents International LLC, a leading apostille service for individuals and businesses.

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Travel

20 Tips You Must Follow for a Great European Adventure

Europe is one amazingly magnificent landmass to explore! With such a large number of things to see, do and find, it’s the ideal spot to design your voyaging experience and submerge yourself in its decent variety of societies, history, and delectable sustenance. Envision a land loaded up with newly prepared joys everywhere.

A spot where evening rests are empowered and a fresh brew or a striking wine are socially worthy at both lunch and supper, regardless of what day of the week. A spot where you can without much of a stretch drive by bicycle, and going by the excellent architecture and memorable landmarks is the standard. A spot where you can appreciate breakfast in the city, lunch on the shoreline and supper concealed amidst a wide open manor. When you’re in the Europe, just bounce on a train for a couple of hours and you’ll be in another country with an entirely different language, set of traditions, and style of design — in addition to a boundless measure of activities and see. In view of this, we have assembled a couple of tips that will upgrade your excursion and make you travel more brilliant.

1. Learn the local language

You can go a long way very easily if you the basics of the language of the place you are visiting. Learn the basic language, for example saying hi, hello, bye, and thank you will help you a lot.

2. Pack light

Packing light allows you to enjoy the trip and be comfortable. Be brutal and ask yourself what do you really need the stuff you are carrying with you.

3. Avoid Pickpockets

Always carry your bag in front, and be careful and alert enough that no one steals your card information or your essential stuff.

4. Use cheaper means of transport

In Europe you can just bounce into the train and visit one place to another, it’s cheaper and it will provide you a scenic view. If you want to travel by airlines then chose a budget airline.

5. Make a list of tourist places

Do proper research and determine which tourist places you want to visit and which ones you could go without.

6. Backpacks vs. Suitcases

See which one suits the best for the trip because carrying backpacks is always comfortable than carrying a heavy suitcase.

7. Purchase tickets in advance

Purchasing tickets in advance will guarantee you a visit to different sites and museum you want to visit and also you will avoid unnecessary standing in the queue.

8. Always check the hours before going out

Many restaurants, clubs, pubs, historical monuments, and other area have their specific business hours. So, check beforehand before heading out to save time and money.

9. Dress Smartly

You may face unexpected adventure anytime so you must dress accordingly. Being comfortable is the most important when you are travelling.

10. Interact

Interact with the local people and pursue your passion. If you love to play soccer, you may find a ground to play it and refresh your mind.

11. Bucket list

Everybody has a bucket list, if you don’t have, make one and plan a trip accordingly. It will help you a lot in your adventure trip.

12. Prefer staying in smaller cities

Small cities are more likely to be filled with more culture. Fewer crowds is there and they tend to be quite affordable.

13. Bring appropriate currencies with you

Euros will be the most common currencies but some countries such as UK and Denmark have their own different currencies. ATMs have a very high exchange rate so prefer keeping cash with you.

15. Keep an extra pair of walking shoes

Make sure you have at least two pair of walking shoes with you so that you can hold up to a number of treks.

16. Read and listen to local people

It’s quite obvious that you are new to that place and local people know better than you so listen to local people for directions to different places.

17. Shop from local markets

Do not waste too much money on shopping with brands, you must shop from local people and experience the quality and culture of the place.

18. Don’t drink in excess

Europeans know the limit of drinking so you’ll never see them running in the streets. Make sure you don’t drink too much, just have fun and experience the vibe of the place.

19. Go native

Visit the local market and make friends, be brave enough to believe in the kindness of the strangers. Participate in the local festival and procession.

20. Be spontaneous

Do what you are comfortable in, it’s better to book some part of your trip but as said unplanned trips are the best so leave something to happen spontaneously.

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