Baby Gift Baskets – Different Ways of Presenting One

If you are gearing up to attend a baby shower for an expecting family member or a friend and running out of ideas to bring a unique gift, this article is meant just for you.

A baby gift basket can be a fun, useful as well as a thoughtful gift for an expecting mother.

Baby Gift Baskets- Right way to Choose One

To begin with, you need to determine whether an expecting mother has any special needs or preferences. For instance, it would be inappropriate to gift a mother with bottles or formula feeding supplies if a mother intends to breastfeed her baby.

Most mothers generally have strong preferences about how they plan to clothe, feed or diaper their babies. Therefore, it is important to keep few things in mind while presenting a mother with a basket for the baby.

Different Types of Baskets You Can Present to a Baby

Diaper Supplies Basket- A basket full of diapers, all in different colours, shapes and designs will make an impressive gift for a newborn. Add diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream, baby powder, diaper wipes warmer, waterproof diaper changing pads, pail liners for the diaper pail and a dirty diaper bag to put all the used diapers in.

Adding all the above stuff in a basket will make a really useful gift for the newborn.

Bath-time Basket- Another type of basket that you can prepare for a baby is the unique bath-time basket. You can use the baby bathtub in place of a basket in this case and fill it with different bath supplies.

You can include soft hooded baby towel, a baby sized bathrobe, baby lotion, baby oil, baby soap, baby shampoo, baby soft wash clothes, as well as cute rubber bath toys in the basket.

You must arrange the basket in an attractive manner in order to create a high impact on the parents.

Mealtime Basket- This can be a little tricky, as you should know whether the baby is being breastfed or bottle-fed before preparing a basket. For the mothers who intend to breastfeed their babies, prepare a basket with ‘The art of breastfeeding’ book, burp clothes, a lanolin cream, a sling so that a baby can easily be carried, a nursing pillow and a music CD.

While for bottle-feeding mothers, you will have to prepare a totally different basket, which will include choices of bottles, a bottle-drying rack, a bottle warmer as well as burp clothes.

In order to make your mealtime basket more impressive, fill in your basket with shredded gift papers and arrange all gift items in an attractive manner.

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Food Presentation Can Be As Important As Taste

For some, their idea of a fine meal is going out to the local buffet restaurant, where you can load up your plate with as much food as you want for one low price. What you gain in quantity, however, usually doesn’t make up for what you lose in quality. And it doesn’t matter if the lady carving the prime rib is wearing women’s chef pants-she is not a real chef. In fact, she probably just heated up the prime rib in the oven before bringing it out. No, if you want real good food you need to go to a real good restaurant. One that serves food prepared the right way, only using the highest quality and freshest ingredients. And while that food will taste wonderful, there is another aspect where it has the local buffet beat: presentation. You see, when food not only tastes good but also looks good, it can turn a great meal into a sublime experience.

A meal that is presented well can bring some unique flair to a plate of food when done right. The important thing is to make things interesting without going too over the top. For instance, simply turning a piece of ahi tuna so it is resting on its short side-like a skyscraper-can add a lot of pizazz. But stacking several pieces of ahi tuna up so they look like Stonehenge brings the plate from classy down to tacky. Instead, don’t let the cook shirt go to your head and go for simple instead of elaborate. Figure out what the central focus of the plate will be and build around that. And most importantly, don’t take too long! Whether your dish is hot or cold, getting it quickly to the person who is going to actually eat it is very important.

Variety is an important thing to think about when presenting food. You probably want to avoid putting lots of spherical food together-a plate of meatballs, new potatoes, and brussels sprouts doesn’t exactly scream “variety”. Think about putting some asparagus or pork tenderloin instead to mix things up a bit. And pretend you’re wearing housekeeping uniforms when you’re putting your plate together-keep things clean! You don’t want rogue pieces of meat or sauce all over your plate. The white space is as important as where the food is. Finally, don’t be afraid to inject a little color. Use a sauce drizzled around the food or put a colorful vegetable like an orange pepper into the mix. The visual stimulation can be the difference between a good meal and a wonderful experience!

If you are wearing women’s chef pants from iD by Landau, at least you’ll know you’ll be comfortable when you’re making your next beautiful creation. At iD by Landau, we also carry whatever kind of cook shirt you need, as well as a full line of housekeeping uniforms. If you’re in need of stylish work uniforms and you don’t want to bust your budget, visit iD by Landau today!

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5 Fun and Popular Options For a Family Christmas Present That Your Family Will Love

This holiday season is a time for sharing with your family and friends. Something that you can do that is representative of this spirit is to find gifts that the entire family can enjoy. This is a great idea for a family that is trying to save money on gifts but still want the family to have a gift that they can be all excited about. Here are some interesting suggestions that you can consider if you are thinking of giving a big family Christmas present this year. Hopefully these ideas will give you some inspiration to make your own unique choices.

A great group holiday present would be a table game. This would be something that you could put in a spare room or rec room and it will provide endless entertainment for the entire family. You can go several routes and it all depends on what your family likes to play. For a family that likes playing games that involve calculation and concentration, the purchase of a pool table would be a great idea. The only problem is that only the older kids and adults would really appreciate it. For something more accessible you can go with a foosball table or air hockey table. These are great options because the rules are easy to learn, the equipment is affordable, and most people in your family will be able to play.

You might decide to get something that is an actual improvement on your home like hot tub. This is a great way for your family to warm on a cool evening or just relax after a long day. Of course this will only work for families that have the room to install it in their homes. There is also the cost to consider. If you have the budget to do it though, it would be a great investment.

If your family is a group of movie buffs then getting a high quality projector and entertainment system can be the way to go. This is my favorite idea because I know that for my family it is like we have our own personal movie theater. All you need to do is make your snacks, rent some great movies, and sit back and enjoy the show. You can have an inaugural movie event with all your favorite holiday movies on Christmas day

You may want to get something in anticipation of the warmer weather. This would be likely a gift that everyone can have fun on and get some outdoor exercise. There are plenty of items that fit the bill but the one that I think the entire family can get behind is a large sized trampoline. It would give the kids something fun to do bouncing and practicing flips. The only problem is safety. Your wife will likely be the one to remind you of this. So if you decide to get this as a family present make sure that everyone is aware of how to safely use it and have proper supervision.

Another interesting gift idea reflects the broadening segment of people playing video games. You can get a game system like the Wii. Now I know at first it sounds like a recipe for civil war between your children however, the Wii game system is one console that makes its fun for the family to play together. There are plenty of multiplayer games that your family can enjoy. Of course if you want to get a system that more than one person can play on, you will need to buy accessories such as extra Wii remote controllers. You can also buy exercise games like Wii Fit for you and wife.

Something special you can do for your kids this Christmas is for them to receive special letter from Santa straight from the North Pole. To make sure that your kids aren’t suspicious, you can order the letter from an online vendor. This is great because you can get the letter personalized.

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Different Types of Jotters to Present As Gifts

Leather jotters can be perfect giveaways for any occasions and to anyone. This is because they are attractive, decent as well as very functional. If you have a friend, relative or family member who is working with a firm or has his/her own business then leather jotters will be very useful for them.

Just for a moment you might think that, will leather jotters be an impressive gift? The answer to it is yes. Leather jotters can make perfect gift items.

In this article, we will discuss about different types of jotters that can be presented as gifts to your friends, colleagues and clients.

Leather Notepad Jotter

This type of jotter is a great business tool for corporate executives. This stylish looking jotter has turned corners, which makes it look impressive. Besides this, it also has a handy side pocket for you to hold your visiting cards and papers.

Apart from this, you can utilise this leather notepad jotter as a great advertising tool by getting your company’s name, logo and message imprinted on it and presenting it to your valuable customers and clients.

Flip Style Promotional Jotter

This type of jotter comes in a flip style. The flip style jotter is small in size, but big on style. This flip style jotter comes with a gold tone pen, a ‘things to do’ pad and a top inside card pocket.

This jotter has a unique design and style and comes in a variety of colours. You can gift a dark brown or black colour jotter to your boss or colleague which will be very impressive and a pink or a light blue jotter to your female friends.

Besides this, you can utilise this flip style jotter as a marketing tool by getting the name of your business and your corporate message imprinted on it.

A Close Out Leather Jotter by cutter and buck

If you are looking to present your dear ones with something really stylish, then a close out leather jotter is a perfect option.

This type of jotter is considered as an all-purpose jotter. This is because, it can easily match up with your clothes, be it a formal wear or casual sports-wear.

What makes this jotter really stylish is its signature cutting and buck lining. It also has multiple pockets to keep your cards and currency safely. Besides this, the jotter comes with a stylish signature cutter and buck notepad.

Well now, you don’t have to carry a notepad, a pen and a card holder separately as this stylish jotter will do it all for you.

While purchasing a jotter, keep in mind that it must be of top quality. Besides this, be very particular about the leather. If you will opt for cheap quality leather, it can really affect your gift.

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Mobile Phones – Top 5 Handsets For Christmas Presents

With the children counting down the hours to opening the first day on their advent calendars, the Christmas present rush ensues. The latest mobile phones have created a craze and hype, with the latest mobile phones and smartphones catching the eye. So what are the best handsets for Christmas presents this year?

iPhone 3GS
Undeniably the most talked about and marketed phone on the market at present. The iPhone 3GS is perfect for multimedia savvy users, looking for a phone that combines a sleek and extravagant design with all the integrated features that come as standard with a smartphone – all intertwined within the iPhone OS that is supremely easy on the eye.

Palm Pre
Talked up as a genuine contender to the throne of the iPhone 3GS, the Palm Pre is a versatile multimedia smartphone. Complete with its 3.1″ colour touch screen, the Palm Pre boasts an integrated QWERTY keyboard. The first phone to pioneer Palm’s new Linux-based OS, its internet client and general connectivity gives the Palm Pre strong credentials.

Nokia N97 Mini
The latest in the N-series of the Nokia range, the Nokia N97 mini is the re-sized version of the Nokia N97 – Nokia’s second touch screen handset on the market. The lite release of the Nokia N97 mini contains a reduced storage capacity, a thinner and sleeker design and an expansive 3.2″ colour touch screen.

BlackBerry 9700 Bold 2
Known by some as the BlackBerry Bold 2, the latest BlackBerry 9700 Bold 2 smartphone, with the latest BlackBerry 5.0 operating system, boasts an impressive battery life and heightened Wi-Fi and network support for users on the move. With optimised web browsing perfect for mobile streaming, users have a range of applications that can provide everyday solutions for casual and business use.

HTC Touch HD 2
In terms of design and hardware the HTC Touch HD 2 is one of the nicest looking phones on the planet. With its slim, ergonomic design combined with a staggering 4.3″ touch screen, the HTC Touch HD 2 is thinner and more expansive than the iPhone 3GS. A powerful 5.0 megapixel digital camera gives users the opportunity to become snap-happy. Meanwhile the Windows Mobile operating system appears to work seamlessly to provide a strong alternative to the smartphone elite.

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Walleye Fishing Presentation Secrets

Using the rapid fire presentation method I’d like to talk about today in this report can give you significantly more bites and success every time out. There are some tricks to doing this though.

This one’s a true game-changer: The rapid fire presentation method works so well because it offers a wide variety of baits and presentations to quickly determine which ones are the most effective for those specific conditions.

(Charting is also important with this method and many others, because this will allow you to look at these charts in the future and see what worked for those conditions, and what was not effective. This log and chart will help you in the future, as a guide to what has worked before for the same conditions and what had no effect.)

Here’s how it works:

The rapid fire presentation method will start out using one bait and technique, and then change these every twenty to thirty minutes. This will allow you to locate the perfect bait and presentation for the Walleye and conditions where you are fishing. This method lets you zero in on exactly what is having success, and what is failing to gain the interest of the Walleye.

You can start out using live bait, without drifting or trolling, maybe using minnows, leeches or any other type of live bait you prefer. If you are not having success after twenty minutes, switch to crankbaits and see if the Walleye are interested. Use this to determine which type of bait the Walleye you are fishing for want.

After twenty minutes of crank baits, you can try switching to trolling using live bait. After twenty more minutes, switch to drifting with crankbaits. Using the rapid fire presentation method will allow you to narrow in on what works quickly and much more rapidly than the other anglers on the water. When you use the rapid fire presentation method, you can narrow the presentations even more within each component itself.

For example, if you notice that the Walleye seem to want live bait rather than crankbaits, try switching the type of live bait you are using every twenty minutes until you get good results. You may start out with a fat juicy earthworm, and give it twenty minutes to see how many bites you get. If this bait is not a big success, switch to a minnow. After twenty minutes with the minnow, change to a leech.

This method will let you cycle through your available live baits, to see which one is the most effective at the time. If crankbaits seem to be the ideal bait, try rotating colors every twenty minutes to see which colors are the best attractant. Make sure to mark down each bait as well as all the conditions present, and chart where you are using them for future reference. Determining which presentation works best can help you increase your success, and the rapid fire presentation method is the best way to quickly figure out which methods work best at that specific time.

Alternating between drifting and trolling every twenty minutes can help you pinpoint which method is more effective at the time. Then it’s time to narrow it even further to find the perfect technique which is very successful. If trolling is working, and you are getting bites but are not catching much, try changing your trolling speed. Slow down or speed up at twenty minute intervals, to find the best speed for the fish for that day.

The rapid fire presentation method can also include varying the depth you are fishing at. Depending on the weather conditions and other pertinent factors, the fish may be near the surface, down close to the bottom, or suspended in the thermocline.

The depth can vary widely, and you can be fishing in a spot where Walleye are numerous, but if you are fishing at the wrong depth, using the wrong bait for the conditions, or using a presentation which is not effective, you will not catch the Walleye even if they are right underneath your boat.

The light levels may play a part in the depth, because if there is bright light the fish will sink down, or find underwater structure and weeds to escape the light in.

Usually in clear waters or when light is abundant, natural colored baits will work best but this is not always true. You can even switch from brightly colored baits to natural colored baits every twenty minutes, holding everything else constant. A variation of this rapid fire presentation method is used by many professionals and experienced anglers to improve their success in the shortest time possible.

It allows you to locate the ideal bait and presentation for any area and conditions by changing techniques and baits frequently in 20-minute intervals until you have success.

The biggest key of all is to only change one thing at a time: This allows you to zero in on catching more walleye and bigger walleye.

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Role of Herbal Remedies in the Present Day World

Even though modern medicine has grown to great heights, the herbal remedies are still highly sought after and respected. The main reason behind this is that there are numerous benefits offered by the herbals over synthetic medications.

The absence of side effects is the main advantage of herbals over the modern medicines. The change in the age structure of the populations has also been a major reason behind this trend. The fact that most of the herbal medications can be used for long periods with worrying about side effects has motivated the elderly population to go for herbal remedies. The importance of herbs in pediatric practice has also been significant in making them popular among the people.

It is believed that since the herbal remedies are made in living beings, they have some sort of similarity with the human body hen compared with the isolated pure chemicals. This is considered the reason why the herbals are found to assimilate with the human body without causing side effects.

The herbal remedies can be of great help in disease prevention too. Most of the people cannot boast of perfect health in these times. People can be said to be in a position between illness and health. The adaptive mechanisms of the human beings can break down any time in most of the cases.

Most of the new age medical practitioners suggest the usage of herbal remedies along with the medications as the herbal remedies are found to be more compatible with other medications.

Therefore, the combined usage of herbals along with synthetic medications will offer positive effects because of their synergy. Moreover, the herbal raw materials are easy to find and cheap too. The dosages and mode of intake are also simple when it comes to herbals. In short, herbals have a great role to play in the present-day world.

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How You Can Use Custom Boxes for Good Presentation

Feel the excitement when “un-boxing” your latest mobile phone. Smell that rose-printed perfume packaging. Shake your birthday gift and guess what’s inside. Oh, what happiness that perfect box brings to your loyal and soon-to-be avid customers!

Good business is all about presentation. After all, what meets the eye gives the first impression. Even before opening the packaging, your business is already being assessed. And since attractive packaging nowadays comes in the form of boxes and not in bags or pouches any longer, it has been quite a necessity for businesses to indulge in the production of their very own, individual, custom boxes.

Custom boxes come in various shapes, sizes, materials, and purposes. There are heart-shaped boxes, square, triangle, cylindrical, and almost any shape that a businessman is willing to pay for.

And the lids don’t just open in one step. There are custom boxes that seem to lead to a closet or, simply put, another world. There are boxes that can fit a person or a car, and tiny but romantic ones that the expectant receiver wishes would contain a diamond sparkle. Some goods are kept in sturdy wooden boxes, while the nature-lovers prefer recycled paper or raw materials like pineapple fiber and silk weave. The most common occasions that call for a lovely presentation are holidays and birthdays, but of course anniversaries, promotions, graduations, and weddings always have these attractive containers in hand.

Whatever it is you are selling, a custom box will always come in handy. Even hot-dogs stalls on the sidewalk sometimes need it. It may seem like an excessive expenditure for some, but in the long run, a good packaging is always beneficial for marketing and advertising your products. Essentially, this is because you can never predict that lucky business day for large orders, and you’ll never guess how far your products reach, and the types of people they end up being given to.

The most important thing that a good custom box carries is your company or business logo. Is it a tick mark? A crown? A ribbon? A diamond? Customers are most likely to guess the brand names associated with the logo that is printed, embossed, stitched, or stamped outside the box. Also, the material used in making the box unconsciously adds to the appreciation of the customer. Imagine the difference when taking out that pricey handbag from a box embossed with gold logo, with the whole box covered in a silky shimmer and an elaborate but classy design that makes you want to display the box itself sans the handbag. Now, imagine a thin all-white box with your purse loosely running about inside it. Yes, a perfect custom box makes all the difference!

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When You Take Care of the Present the Future Takes Care of Itself

What I am about to say may shock you, but other than those times when you are looking forward with joyful anticipation to an upcoming event, practically all of the thoughts you entertain about the future are in fact rooted in fear. In particular, the desire to know what will occur, and the urge to make detailed plans to ensure one’s own security down the road, are both related to the ego’s need for safety as a result of its deeply held fear of death. You can deny the truth in this, arguing that it is only prudent that a person plan for the future. However, if you are able to look deep within yourself, you will realize that it is indeed an accurate observation concerning human nature. To varying degrees, every single one of us is apprehensive about the future (i.e., the unknown), and so we burn amazing amounts of energy trying to get a hold on something that quite simply is impossible to grasp. According to Fr. Anthony DeMello in “Awareness”:

“So why are you anxious? Can you, for all your anxieties, add a single moment to your life? Why bother about tomorrow? Is there a life after death? Why bother about tomorrow? Get into today. Someone once said, “Life is what happens to us while we’re busy making other plans.” That’s pathetic.”

These certainly are powerful words, and yet it is really tough to challenge DeMello’s observations. Think about it carefully for a moment or two. What possible benefit can be derived from feeling anxious about the future? The answer is none, unless of course you happen to enjoy experiencing the feeling of anxiety. Moreover, what is the payoff for spending a great deal of time planning one’s life in minute detail? Perhaps all of this preparation helps people to assuage their fear of the future to some extent, but it quite obviously prohibits them from truly enjoying their present moments.

In truth, detailed planning for the future is not nearly as important as learning to keep your powerful thought and feeling energy concentrated in the present. The key to having the future you want is to clearly set your intent today, and then make your best efforts to focus thoughts and feelings each day on what you do want rather than what you don’t want. This sounds like simple advice, yet most people are inclined to let their fears get the better of them, and subconsciously allocate more of their “currency of creation” (i.e., thoughts and feelings) toward concerns about not getting what they want.

Getting out of this trap is very challenging, because the ego’s desire for security is so strong that your mind tends to automatically gravitate toward ‘future-thought’. From my own experience, a key to freeing yourself from this tendency is to work towards becoming a conscious observer of your thoughts. This means cultivating the ability to step back and acknowledge your thoughts as they crop up, and then doing your best to give the minimum amount of energy to those that are based in fear. As with any skill we work to develop within ourselves, remember to be patient with yourself, and also keep in mind the old adage that “practice makes perfect.” One rather thought-provoking way to overcome our inclination toward ‘future-thought’ is described in this additional quotation from Fr. Anthony DeMello:

“Visit a graveyard. It’s an enormously purifying and beautiful experience. You look at this name and you say, “Gee, he lived so many years ago, two centuries ago; he must have had all the problems that I have, must have had lots of sleepless nights.” How crazy, we live for such a short time. An Italian poet said, “We live in a flash of light; evening comes, and it’s night forever.” It’s only a flash and we waste it. We waste it with our anxiety, our worries, our concerns, our burdens.”

The next time you find yourself concerned with the future, visualize yourself looking down at your own tombstone, lamenting about how much time you squandered worrying about what might happen someday. The question is, do you really want to experience such feelings of regret after you depart this earth? Of course you don’t!! So one thing you can do when you find yourself feeling fearful or anxious about the future is to recall that image of your own gravestone, and use it as a reminder to keep your thoughts focused in the present moment.

Taming one’s trepidation about the future ultimately requires that a person muster up the courage to face up to his or her fears. What you will find as you embark upon this course is that it is kind of like confronting the neighborhood bully when you were a kid, in that those fears are not nearly as intimidating as you thought they would be.

Before closing this article, I will share with you this insightful quotation from “The Quest, A Journey of Spiritual Rediscovery” by Richard and Mary-Alice Jafolla:

“What about the future? Can you believe that if you keep on thinking the same thoughts, saying the same words, doing the same things, going in the same direction, the future will be any different than now? To look to the future as a savior without changing the present is to think an orange tree can grow from an acorn.”

Each moment of your life you have the unique opportunity to plant new seeds of thought, seeds that have the potential to someday sprout into all that you desire. In light of this reality, do not waste time fretting about what may occur, rather make full use of all of your ‘now’ moments by choosing to consciously create your ideal future instead.

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Listening – Are Your Audiences Listening and Paying Attention to Your Persuasive Sales Presentation?

Have you ever got to the end of a presentation and had a prospect ask you questions which clearly show that they weren’t listening to your sales presentation? We need to be aware that if we want people to keep listening to our message then we have to ensure that its interesting enough to hold their attention. We have to be constantly seeking ways to encourage people to keep listening to us, holding their attention long enough so that they can hear all the details of our persuasive sales presentation without getting bored.

We need to recognise when their attention is wavering and make alterations to regain it. Things to look for are:

  • Wandering eyes
  • Checking their watch frequently
  • Lack of interaction or questions
  • Playing on their computers
  • Asking questions about parts of the presentation you haven’t come to yet

Tips to make sure you that you receive effective listening:

  1. Get them away from their desks so that they will not be distracted by their emails, the Internet, their workload or anything else on their computer. People tend to be more relaxed when your move them from their desk
  2. Have an agenda and let them know what it is so that you can confirm if all points to be discussed are relevant
  3. Switch of any distracting electronic equipment, TV, Radio, PCs, music players etc.
  4. IF they have an urgent interruption which shows that they are no longer concentrating on your presentation, sometimes as a result they may ask you to be quick. You are better of re-scheduling to a more convenient time, they will appreciate it and you wont be wasting your breath
  5. After any interruptions, give a brief summary of what was discussed before the interruption
  6. Avoid breaks, make sure that you close the deal while they are emotionally high. You usually buy things at this point instantly when you go shopping. Notice when you take a break, for example when you say that you will think about it, you rarely go back to the store and buy
  7. Prepare and have everything to hand so that you maintain eye contact and keep prospects at an emotional high.

Research shows that we only take in approximately 40 percent of what we hear.

Use the following formula to ensure that you achieve maximum listening and retention

  1. Tell people what you are going to tell them
  2. Tell them
  3. Tell them what you have told them

Use this information to ensure that your prospects are wide awake and listening to all words of your persuasive sales presentation so that buy 9 out of 10 times.

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