Christmas Mischief

Worried about what to do for Christmas in a struggling economy?  Millions of Americans are asking that question today.  Toys are getting more and more expensive, and money is become more scarce.  Some Americans can not think of many items for low cost that will entertain their kids, especially toys that are safe, meaning not harmful for the young ones, and safe for kids to pay with, without their being a recall, as most of us parents constantly have the fear of.  More Americans  are wanting toys now made in America but for a better price.  Stuffed animals have been boring items o give kids, but Christmas Elves have reached a different level of entertainment.

Magical Elves are toys that are created by making them a token of life-like behavior.  These are gifts that given befor Christmas that have a special snowflake dust that when sprinkled on, the Elf supposedly comes to life only when children are away from home or are sleeping.  Certain scenarios are elves getting into a cereal box, making a mess, with the elf being at the crime scene.  Other ideas are cleaning the kids room, and once again, having the elf look like it was putting one item away before almost getting caught.

Sure these toys may seem fun and entertaining, however, the cost of these toys can be pricey.  When really looking into these magical elves, a website comes to mind of perfect size, price, color, and reliability, and Magicalelf.net is the winner.  These dolls are fairly perfect in size, are made in United States, so they are safe for kids to play with, and best of all, they are at a great price without omitting the magic snowflakes.  Consider looking at the site and talking with Gena.  She is someone who has stories of fun with the kids with these Magical Elf’s.

How to Customize Your Kitchen

We see today that one of the more common renovated areas in the home tend to be the kitchen.  How so?  The kitchen tends to be the higher traffic area in the house, and why shouldn’t it be, it contains all the food, drinks, and snacks.  We see new designs being introduced in homes starting from top to bottom.  Lets work from bottom up for the sake of explanation.  What is more noticeable in kitchens in Florida tend to be tiles.  Why tiles?  It disperses heat easier as opposed to hard wood, therefore, during the hot summers, the floors are not steamy.  They do not attract condensation nor does it repel heat.  In essence, it is the best flooring for Florida.  On the other hand, going north, there tends to be more hardwood or linoleum/laminate due to heat and cold attraction.  We then move to the lights.  The more light the better, but sometimes there needs to be less light, and there are light, lights for that.  Elegance and design are keys to setting the kitchen to high class mode.  The lights are needed to show off the cabinets.  Yes, the cabinets.  Sure the floor looks great, even the lights are wonderful.  But what’s to a value a kitchen if the cabinets are old, yellow, when they were once white, falling apart, and hinges creaking while handles and knobs are at their last pull?

Kitchen Cabinet Doors can make your costly kitchen renovation, be a cheaper home improvement when reconfiguring the books.  After working on my kitchen this summer, I spent nearly $5,250 just in the kitchen renovation, from buying new accessories with stainless steal or faux stainless steal, hardwood floors, new lights, and new granite counter with amazing sink, the most cost efficient location of purchasing cabinetry was Kitchen Cabinet Doors.  They have up to date modern door looks, rather than having to settle for Home Depot or Lowes mass produced stuff, KCD customized doors to my specifications, put stainless steal knobs, the actual door box, and pulls and they were cheaper than going anywhere else. With cherry oak flooring and dark counter tops, I honestly must say, I love my new cabinets.  If you are in the market of buying new kitchen cabinets, go to Kitchen Cabinet Doors.com.  You will not regret one penny on their services.  If you do have any questions, they have a great staff of workers there that can help you with any question you may have.

Why the Back Pain?

Many people suffer from one pain after the next. It seems that we are living in a generation ran by unhealthy foods and over eating than staying active and keeping your body in shape. We hear constantly on the radio’s and on TV about how many Americans suffer from weight problems and back pain. Like losing weight there is not simple cure. There is no magic pill. It all comes down to exercise and time.

Back pain is in the same situation. We are constantly hearing about how our friends backs are hurting after a long drive, or after lifting, playing golf, washing their cars, the list goes on. We have been there too. The reason might not even be associated with our weight. What it does boil down to is we suffer from imbalanced muscles in the back. Nearly 80% of spinal patients suffer from that diagnosis, while many physicians lack that understanding. To most physicians, the quick fix is a pill or a workout regimen.

What happens with this imbalance is, we tend to have a lean towards one side or a dominating area of our body that our bodies tend to lean on. Because of that, one side of the body may increase in muscle whilst the other lacks strength. The weak side tends to fight the stronger muscles as in a game of tug of war, pulling at the hips and spine to survive. This causes the imbalance to occur, thus causing back pains and even Sciatica or other nerve or muscle pains that may not even be associated with your daily activity, only your posture.

After the physician appointment with the diagnosis of a number of things, with their solution of pills, surgery, or lose weight and exercise, you choose to go a different route. It seems that the doctor’s advice is not acceptable enough for your help, and rightfully so.

The trip is to the Chiropractor. They can help. After a few quick adjustments and possibly some massages, your back may start to feel better. But what happens when you want to get active again? Will the pain come back? They give you stretches to solve the muscles strength. Of course the muscles will be strong, but which ones? Will they know? Each individual is unique. Remember that before going in to the doctors or chiropractors office.

After a number of different sessions of rehabilitation, you want to be active again. Its tough when you have a fear of pain. Doctors and Chiropractors can be right, but the one thing that they are 100% correct on is, where a brace. If a doctor or chiropractor fails to bring up the notion of owning a brace, its time to see another specialist. After an injury, the muscle, tendon, ligament, etc, will never be at a 100% cure. Which is why it is imperative to own a brace AND to wear it. Some brace companies such as Optec or Optec USA have braces that are comfortable, convenient, discrete, and washable, so that they are made for you in mind. They have many style of braces that can be catered to your back or hip, pending your injury. When going to your physician ask for an Optec brace. You will never have the fear again from gardening, golfing, or simply sitting down.

If It Breaks, Fix It?

According to today’s research, it has been proven that aside from the common headache, the number one common pain people experience is back pain. Whether in the lower region or in the thoracic area of the spine, people are experiencing more and more pain, and trying to mask the pain with medicine. We have come to a point in our generation where usage of the back is more prevalent with no healthy balance. We are a society of over-workers of the back with hitting the gym, whether it would be gymnastics or hitting the weights, or the polar opposite of sitting at the office, then going home to relax from a day of work on the couch. We then become overweight, thus creating more over strain on the lower back. These two examples are only ideas of our daily plan.

A simple solution is an Ibuprofen or another form of pain relief. Unfortunately, that will only temporarily alleviate the pain, but also messing up the liver with more medicines. The harder, yet simpler solution is right under our feet; The Ground. We would like to have some time to do some exercising after a 9-10 hour work day, or better yet, would love to have a quick fix solution, but unfortunately, it comes down to discipline.

I can go into the science of it all with working out and how improper lifting can cause sever damage to your spine, but you know it. I’m not a Monday Morning Quarterback.  So I will save you the lecture.

For those who are experiencing back pain, yes that’s you…even me, wear a back brace when pain kicks in. Go to your doctor and have them get you a brace. They may send you to a local Prosthetic and Orthotics facility. They are good. Trust them. They know what they are doing. But what you shoudn’t settle for is the physician telling you to lose weight or lift correctly. You know when you feel overweight, your back is telling you. Your body is smarter than you. I just saved you a co-pay, time, and possibly a doctors visit.  Some “experts” say to use the back brace only when you feel pain. That is too late. Do you want to be stranded on the road with four blown tires, when your mechanic says you have four bald tires and needs to be changed immediately? Would you really want to plan a week cruise to the Bahamas knowing that a hurricane is approaching? That’s crazy. Preventative medicine is more beneficial than the if it breaks fix it mentality.

Wear the back brace at work if you are sitting, even if you don’t experience pain.  Definitely wear it if you are experiencing pain.  Wear your back support for lifting. The orthotic will help tremendously. Its common sense. Start wearing the back brace when you start your new work out. I will join you.

If you don’t know what kind of back brace you need, check out Optec at optecusa.com.  They have all the necessary devices you will need to make your back feel brand new again.

What are you running from?

Earlier this year, I moved to Michigan, where I finally got together with old friends and had many fun evenings.

This one evening was one that struck me a bit. A friend and I were at Como’s in Royal Oak/Fendale with a few guests. He asked if I had a choice of picking a favorite animal, what would it be? My answer was very quick, with the Cheetah. I always liked the cheetah because of its beauty and speed. It wasn’t a lazy animal. It has to earn its food, unlike the survival of the fittest animals.

While chasing after its prey, the cheetah can maneuver any which way its prey decides to run, in the end, the cheetah wins, well mainly because its the fastest land animal.

Well I cant help but think about how much we here at Optec are like that. We go to trade shows, we know the after trade shows are fun, but during the tradeshows, its all about getting after everybody, getting to know them, relating to them…ultimately befriend them. Not only the sales team, but even the guys behind the scenes. We make sure to get the most tables so no one can out do us, and we set them up before everyone. We make it flashy. We work hard, like the cheetah, at any cost to win.

I guess that’s why we say, Run Towards the Roar.