Olive Oil Health Benefits

Once I found my painting that I wanted to create my Squidoo lens around, I had to decide what to write the lens about.  At first I was thinking something to do with food – it is an olive. Maybe a recipe or kitchen decoration or something like that. Before I did anything I needed to do my keyword research.

While doing the keyword research on olives I found that there are many uses for olive oil. Not only does it help your health but you can also use it for head lice, to soften your skin, even to help clean around the house. All things I didn’t even know you could use olive oil for.  So there came my lens Olive Oil Health Benefits.

Olive Oil Health Benefits has only been published a few days and has already been featured on AJ’s Going Green Ideas blog. I have really enjoyed putting this lens together. I do believe it’s one of my best yet.

Rocketmoms Session 7 – Challenge 1: Fun with Food

Rocketmoms Session 7 starts today.  It is going to be an 8 week challenge making one Squidoo lens per week.  The first week is “Fun with Food”.  Now that I am trying to make lenses about my art I needed to find one that has something to do with food.  Here is one that I found.

Link Wheel Part 4 – BTaylor Art

In 2009 I found a new hobby that I really loved, painting.  When I started to run out of room on my walls for my paintings I decided to start selling them.  I made a website – BTaylor Art – to show off my art work and to sell some items.

While trying to figure out how to promote my website I found Squidoo.  “Oh, what is this?” I thought.  A place where I can make pages, lenses, and get paid for them?

Right then I instantly became a Squidoo addict. Wanting to make more and more lenses.  I made 2 lenses to promote my art website, but besides that it kind of got put on the back burner.  I have not really done much else to it.

Yesterday I found out that I have made the Squidoo 100 club.  Which is really awesome!  That means I have made 100+ really great quality lenses. But it also got me thinking how I need to get back to my original goal.  To promote my art website.

I have lots of new pictures that need to be added.  And for right now I want to make 1 lens for every picture I make.

I have been trying to figure out what my “niche” was for so long. Now to only find that it has been right in front of my face the whole time.  There are so many things that I like to do and that interest me. That’s why I was having a hard time figuring out what I wanted my niche to be.  Now I have found it and I want to excel in it.

I have sold painting to people that live in my area. Now it is time to get  more broad costumers. I am going to start using what I know about the link wheel to promote BTaylor Art so that hopefully soon I can make my first online sale.

Link Wheel: Part 3 – Google Wonder Wheel

I was doing some research yesterday trying to find out the what the Squidoo payout tiers were.  I have heard that there were 3 tiers, 4 tiers, and 5 tiers.  So I was looking for how much each tier paid and what the lens rank had to be for it to be in that tier.

While looking that up I came across the Wonder Wheel on Google.  This is going to help me so much with the different link wheels I am wanting to do with my lenses.  Let me show you how to get it!

First go to Google.com and type in what ever you are searching for. Then you will click on “Show options”.  I used “dog training” because it’s a popular search.

Then you will see Wonder Wheel in the side options.

Once you click on Wonder Wheel, Google will bring up a link wheel for you with suggestions for your search.

I am so excited I have found this!  I know I will be using it a lot and I hope it helps you out also.

Link Wheel: Part 2 – Potty Training (continued)

I have decided today that I am not going use eHow as part of my link wheel.  After reading on their forums it looks like many people were having the same problem I was having.  I really don’t want to wait weeks for my article to get published so I moved it to Squidoo.

Fresh off the press Potty Training Using Positive Reinforcement.  This now completes my Potty Training Link Wheel.

Here is the complete wheel with the lens Potty Training a Little Boy as the hub.  BrandyT on Squidoo (Blog) –> Potty Training Using Positive Reinforcement (Squidoo) –> Potty Training Charts (knol.google) –> The Potty Dance (Weebly Website) –> Potty Training Signs (Zimbio Article) –> Potty Training Boys (HubPages) –> BrandyT on Squidoo (Blog)

Link Wheel: Part 1 Potty Training a Little Boy

I am very new to making a link wheel and also to other sites other than Squidoo.  I am learning, but right now I seem to be pressing more into my head than I am use to.  I am writing down lots of notes and trying to keep up with each site I join along with all the user names and passwords that go along with them.

For my first link wheel I thought I would use my Squidoo Lens Potty Training a Little Boy as my hub.  Then for the wheel part I have a HubPage –> Blog –> eHow –> Knol Article –> Weebly Website –> Zimbio Article –> HubPage.

It is almost all linked together.  I just had one problem with eHow.  For some reason my article will not post there.  I haven’t figured out why just yet.  I’m working on it though.  As soon as it is published my first link wheel will be complete.

Already my lensrank for Potty Training a Little Boy has doubled.  It started out with a lensrank in the 80,000’s and now it is in the 40,000’s.  When I googled Potty Training a Little Boy it came up #19.  Then when googling “potty training a little boy” it was #3.

Alice in Wonderland: Squidoo

I have been working hard lately trying to finish 100 lenses so that I can apply for the Giant 100 club.  My last several lenses have been about Alice in Wonderland.  I love Disney and I love that movie.  I haven’t seen the new Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland yet, but I do plan on it.

Right now my highest rank Alice in Wonderland lens is Alice in Wonderland Figurines.  I created this one mainly because my Snow White Figurines was doing so well.  Then came everything else about Alice in Wonderland.  From having your own tea party and costume ideas to Alice in Wonderland quotes and video games.  Then my very last one, and my 100th published lens, was a lensography of all the Alice in Wonderland lenses.

Now that I have 100 lenses under my belt I am waiting approval to be in the Giant 100 club.  While waiting I am going to be doing some SEO work for my Squidoo lenses.  I am doing some research now on different sites so that I can start a link wheel pointing to my Squidoo lenses.

Cat Spraying

I walked into my bedroom and my nose was immediately assaulted by the strong odor of cat urine.  There is no litter box in or near my bedroom and no obvious puddle on the floor indicating a house accident.

I finally find the source of the smell, on my side of the bed!  It has soaked through my comforter, my sheets, and on to my mattress.  I’m so mad and disgusted by this urine on my bed.  Comforter and sheets I can wash, but what am I to do about my mattress?  I don’t want to throw it away because it is a new mattress.  Finally I find a solution that works!  It cleaned my mattress and wiped away any smell the cat had left for me.

After the third time this happened I was wondering WHY my cat keeps spraying on my bed.  But it’s not just any where on the bed, it’s on MY side of the bed.  Never on my husbands side.

The “whys” can include:

* Territorial marking
* Sexual advertising
* Expression of upset or displeasure
* Expression of jealousy
* Presence of an undiagnosed physical ailment
* Poor litter box maintenance

I’ll go a head and mark poor litter box off the list.  I am always cleaning out the litter box.

Presence of an undiagnosed physical ailment?  Nope.  The vet said he was just fine.  We had the cat checked to make sure there are no medical problems.  Abnormalities in the urethra and kidney stones can cause urine to spray out with a force rather than flow unobstructed.  The problem may require medication or surgery to correct the situation, depending on the diagnosis.  But like I said, we didn’t have any of that.

The only thing I can come up with is territorial marking or sexual advertising.  I am the cats favorite person to be around out of me, my husband, and my two children.  The cat prefers to be in my lap over anyone else’s.  So the cat is marking his territory on the spot where I lay every night.

Or it could be sexual advertising.  A female cat has been coming around our house lately.  She may be in heat.  We do not let our cat out of the house, but he knows when the other cat comes around.  He goes to any window or door meowing wanting to get out to get to her.

Both territorial and sexual spraying can be addressed by eliminating the hormone drives that spur the behavior.

Spaying is a surgical procedure that completely removes a female’s uterus and ovaries.  This ends the cycle of coming in and out of season, so the cat won’t feel such a great urge to advertise her readiness by spraying her scent all over her surroundings.

Neutering involves disconnecting a male cat’s vas deferens, or completely removing the testicles.  The result is the same as a spaying; the urge to mark and seek mating is removed, as well as the drive to spray.

If you have a spraying cat, figuring out the cause of your cat’s spraying behavior is very important to preventing it, but you still need to address the mess.  Your pet will be repeatedly drawn back to the spot, turning what was perhaps a one time incident into habitual cat spraying behavior, unless you find the location of the spraying and thoroughly clean it away.

Following your nose sometimes reveals soiled areas you can obviously see, such as on white drapes or a sticky window or wall, but other sprayed areas can be harder to see.  Shining a black light around a darkened room will highlight areas containing cat urine, helping you locate every spot that needs to be cleaned and neutralized.

Routine litter box cleaning is also extremely important to addressing the problem.  A box full of dirty litter and leavings is a place most cats would rather avoid, and they may choose to express their unhappiness with the situation by spraying, puddling and pooping in other areas of the home.  It’s good practice to scoop the litter on a daily basis, and completely change the litter and wash the box at least once a week.

Cat spraying behavior is a problem best nipped in the bud before it becomes a habitual behavior you may never fully eliminate.

What needs to be done:

• Schedule regular veterinary checkups to monitor your pet’s overall health.
• Watch for situations that cause your cat to stress out and try to eliminate them if at all possible.
• Keep everything clean and give your cat a clear signal where it’s permissible to relieve him/herself.

Follow these suggestions and perhaps spraying will never become a problem in your home.

Click here to see the home remedy I found to cleaning cat urine out of my mattress.  It works GREAT!

My Trip to Las Vegas

I am in the Rocket Moms group on Squidoo.  This week we are doing a travel lens.  I wrote about my trip to Las Vegas. I had went to Vegas in 2006 to visit with Dean, my now husband. That was my first and only time to go to Vegas. I had a lot of fun out there. It is on my list of places I want to visit (again).

You can see how my trip went at Las Vegas: My Trip to Sin City.

Motorcycles

My son is not even 2 yet and I already know that one day he will end up with some type of motorcycle. He LOVES them! My husband has a dirt bike. Every time he brings the dirt bike out my son just has to get on it. Out of all the toys he has, he would rather play with a motorcycle than with anything else. Whether it be the ride on motorcycle or just a toy motorcycle that is his favorite above all others.

As a mother I do worry a little about his love with motorcycles.  It doesn’t really help that it scares me to death to ride them.  I have only rode on a motorcycle a few times and I was holding on for dear life the whole time.  When I am riding on something, I prefer to have protection all around me.  Even riding a four-wheeler makes me nervous. 

I guess that is something that I am going to have to over come though, because my son does love motorcycles.  If I can’t keep him off of them I can make sure he is as protected as possible. 

Here are some of my motorcycle DON”Ts.

I do not want my son riding on a motorcycle sitting in front, with a helmet four sizes too large bouncing around his little head, and his little hands trying to hold onto the gas tank or the driver’s legs.  It would be way to easy for him to interfere with the driver’s control of the bike.  What would happen if the driver had to stop to quickly?  Would the driver grab my child with one arm, and thereby probably lose control of the bike if he really has to panic stop, or will he keep control of the bike and watch my child fly off the front of the bike?  Neither option is an option I want for my child.  And when he goes flying off the bike, the oversize helmet will probably come off his head.  The loss of an oversize helmet happens-to adults as well as children-much more often than people realize.  Children wearing helmets that are way too large are most likely to be the victims.

If you are going to let your child ride a motorcycle, make sure they have the correct helmet.  Most of the motorcycle apparel made for kids are aimed at the off-road side of the market.  I would rather have a full-coverage helmet with a chinbar with real expanded polystyrene in the chinbar as well as the rest of the shell.  Many it has to fit snugly.  If there happen to be a crash I want the helmet to stay put.  Kids may complain at first, but don’t let them fasten the chin strap loosely.

Other than the helmet, you might want to think about the child wearing a good jacket, heavy, long pants, gloves, and shoes.  Be mindful about shoes with shoe strings.  You don’t want them to get caught up in the chains.
 
Once a child has all the right gear, how are they going to ride?  As already discussed, the child should not ride in the front.  So they will sit behind you.  Even if it is the better choice, I worry about my child being in the back as well.  What if he can’t hold on good and just falls off.  Holding on to the driver could be difficult for small hands and short arms.

After thinking about this I did some research and found a seat belt or harness for motorcycles.  The harness goes around the child’s waist, over the shoulders and between the legs so he can’t pull out.  The quick-release buckles are all on the back so he can’t release them, but getting in is quick.  The harness fastens to a foam-rubber pad with handlebar type grips.  A large belt, attached to the front of the pad, goes around the driver’s waist to secure the child to the driver.  The child will not fall off unless the driver does.  You can go jumping and bouncing around without fear of the child getting thrown off. 

Even though I do not like motorcycles, I can try my best to keep my child as safe as possible while he rides.  (When he gets old enough to ride.)