Pittsburgh Better Times

A Lifestyle Publication for the Pittsburgh Community

The Best Movers Keep Stress Away

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Are you preparing to move to a new home? Discover some fantastic tips that you should consider if you want the whole process to proceed quickly and smoothly. Are you preparing to change your home for the first time in your life? Then you should know that moving to a new home is a complicated process that you need to manage effectively if you do not want to have a lot of stressful moments. Fortunately, we have some handy tips for you; if you respect them, you will not have any problem when you move. Discover below what to do if you want to keep the stress away from you when you move.

Work with a professional moving company

The most inspiring thing you can do to move to a new home without headaches is to turn to a professional furniture transport company. A moving company will help you dismantle your furniture, pack it, reassemble it and transport it to the new home. Also, experts from a moving and storage company will give you a variety of tips.

When you pack your things for the move, it would be best if, until the furniture transport company comes to take over, leave them in the same room. Specifically, all items in the living room should, after packing them, remain in the living room. The same would be the case for the other places. Do not forget to label the boxes and bags in which you keep things. Also, for a more precise account of packed items and other details about the moving process, it would not hurt to have a physical agenda on which to record any information. For example, if there are three more months before you leave the house, you live in, draw up a plan of activities to be done every week until the actual move. Keep your planning on the particular agenda dedicated to the move. As you perform a task included in the move plan, tick it on the list. Thus, you will be able to keep the stress away from you. [Read more…]

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Professional Services That Make Your Home Business Take Off

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Even a solopreneur needs a little help making their business a success. No one is ever as independent as they think they are. Your home office in the basement or den is courtesy of good terms from the mortgage company. The fact that you are not crawling with insects is courtesy of the exterminator you bring in to spray once a month.

The point is that all businesses rely on professional services, even small businesses run out of your basement. Professional services are just the cost of doing business. Working from home means saving a ton of money on line items such as your commute, office space, parking, and lunch, just to name a few. With these savings, you should be able to reinvest in services that would be more difficult to acquire someplace else. Here are a few of the services that can take your business to the next level:

Tax Services

You can always opt to do your business taxes yourself. And there are many tax saving strategies for small and home-based businesses you can try. That said, business taxes are a lot more complicated than the EZ tax form you file for personal taxes.

Local tax preparers can provide perks like an advance on your expected refund. When you prepare your own taxes, you are on the hook for any mistakes you make. But you usually get some type of guarantee when you have a professional do the work. Bad taxes can shut down the most successful business. Don’t take any chances. Get it done by a pro. [Read more…]

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2018 Back to School Gift Guide

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It’s that time again! Can you believe it?

It’s just about time to start packing up the kids to send them away to college. For some parents, it’s your first time that someone is leaving the nest; for others, it has become second nature.

Whether your child is going into their freshman year or starting graduate school, we have a list of recommended school supplies for their dorm or apartment.

Also, just a special thank you to those of who also sent in your back-to-school gift ideas and suggestions for 2017. If you’re looking for a gift idea, our annual gift guide features a wide variety of gift ideas in the categories below:

For the Dorm

NEW Better Living Products toilet innovation, LOOEEZ™ and LOOEEGEE™ Hygienic Toilet Squeegees is perfect for dorms.

With its non-stick head and water-repellent material, these new toilet wands have been engineered to save users time and effort. Durable and sustainable,  LOOEEZ™and LOOEEGEE™ outlasts a regular bristle brush, reducing the need for harsh chemicals or replacement brush heads, and conserving money and the environment.

Say goodbye to your old toilet brush with these new silicone toilet wands starting at just $25. www.betterlivingproducts.ca [Read more…]

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Dealing with Obesity in Kids

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Kids are bundles of laughter and joy. And even on your worst of days, one cute smile or a look at those chubby and cute cheeks melt all that stress away. But, as you do your best to protect your kids, are you protecting them from childhood obesity. Is the baby fat sticking around longer than you anticipated and are you worried that the bullying they face is a result of something you did wrong?

Well, the truth is that you will never stop worrying when you have children, but in some cases, you have to be more worrisome. Other than the fear of your child skidding and breaking a few bones, you need to worry about what your child eats and whether or not they are at risk of being obese.

Studies show that obesity in kids aged 6-11 has been increasing steadily since 1980 and that childhood obesity appears to have quadrupled in the past 30 or so years with reports of one-third of children and teens being obese or overweight by 2012. Going by these numbers by the Center for Disease Control, you need to worry about the weight of your child. He or she might look healthy but, are you sure that the extra weight is not doing more harm than good? [Read more…]

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Instagram Diets: To Listen or Not Listen to Celebrities Regarding Food Issues

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By Melisa Marzett

Celebrities’ Instagram accounts and other social networks profiles give an opportunity to look at their lives, to find out some latest news and some even follow their favorite celebrities in order to discover a secret of looking «perfect». Celebrities do not miss a chance to share «sceret» information, including their food ration — needless to say, that one can follow their advice far from always.  Here are the most popular Instagram diets and the reasons why they are harmful.

SlimBitchClub community appeared last year in March Russian TV personalities and friends have become its first members. They announced that came up with a useful menu together, dishes out of which are available in one of Moscow health and beauty center. The participants of the club share pieces of advice on how to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle, which helps them and post on their Instagram profiles the recipes of  «useful» dishes, videos from training and beauty saloon advertising they visit personally.

The advice consists of mainly scaring effects of too many calories and overeating. There are lists of «acid» and «alcaline» products codenamed used by separation diet followers on the club Instagram. It is known that separation diet is a pseudo diet and the ideas behind it have nothing in common with biochemical processes in a body. No other posts published by the club`s participants have any scientific ground confirming their effectiveness and usefulness of these or those changes of a ration.  Instead, there are many myths such as the usefulness of goji berries, which the authors of Instagram explain as «super food», and suggest to consume dietary supplements instead of chemical «chemical vitamins». [Read more…]

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Mental Health at Work

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Oct2015MentalHealthAtWorkYour overall health can get stressed by stress

By Lana Barth, RN-BC, BSN, at Cole Memorial

Life can cause many forms of stress.  Stress can be either good stress or bad stress.  Good stress motivates and energizes a person.  This is what spurs us on to improve ourselves and to be happy in our lives.  It helps us to set goals for ourselves and our families.   Holidays, vacations, weddings, promotions, and romance produce good stress.  Sickness, pain, grief, financial struggles and conflict produce bad stress. 

Stress is actually a physical reaction in our body.  Some physical signs of stress are a faster heartbeat, tightening of muscles, heightened sensation, sweating, and faster breathing.  The normal stress reaction starts slow and rises to a peak.  This is when your heart rate, breathing, and nerves are at their high alert state. It then has a slowing down phase where those physical symptoms begin to go back to a normal state.  When there are many different stressors at the same time, or if they occur too soon to allow for the cooling off period, the body will begin to wear down.  An overload of stress can result in chronic pain, migraines, diarrhea, constipation, tremors, depression, anxiety, heart attack, stroke, or even death. 
[Read more…]

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New Technology Solves a Common Problem, Especially Among Younger Car Buyers

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In about 90 seconds, industry-changing text-to-quote technology delivers car insurance quotes directly to buyers’ phones

It’s happening more and more: millennials are going into car dealerships to buy cars, without realizing they need insurance to drive them off the lot. Now RightSure, a trusted name in insurance technology, is introducing proprietary text-to-quote technology that will give them an auto insurance quote in about 90 seconds using their smartphones.

This twist introduces speed and smartphone convenience to auto insurance technology

For years, hundreds of dealerships have used RightSure’s RightRater.com to help tens of thousands of car buyers quickly find and purchase insurance at the lowest rates. “But our research shows that millennials don’t want to call our toll-free number. They don’t want to hop onto a desktop or laptop to access our website. They want to be on their phones,” says RightSure’s Jeff Arnold, author of the Amazon best-seller, “The Art of the Insurance Deal.”   [Read more…]

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Pittsburgh North Hills Harmony Line Chorus Show to Benefit NHCO

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“Like a Bridge over Troubled Water” Barbershop Harmony show will include songs of hope and joy

The Pittsburgh North Hills Harmony Line Chorus will present “Like a Bridge over Troubled Water: Songs of hope and joy,” a show to benefit North Hills Community Outreach, at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, September 8 in St. John’s Lutheran Church of Highland, 311 Cumberland Road, McCandless.

A chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, the Pittsburgh North Hills Harmony line Chorus (NHHLC) was formed in 1963 and has approximately 32 members.

North Hills Community Outreach (NHCO) is a nonprofit serving local people in crisis, hardship and poverty. Since 1987, the organization has served nearly 80,000 families in need with multiple programs ranging from disaster relief and emergency food and utility help to long-term self-sufficiency programs including budgeting, education assistance, employment and transportation. The agency recently assisted hundreds of local families affected by summer flooding.

“The chorus carefully chose the show’s title in the spring, before the flooding,” Sharon Wolf, NHCO executive director, noted. “‘Like a Bridge over Troubled Water’ reflects what NHCO means to many families…we are there in times of trouble and crisis.” However, she said, “Due to the July floods that have affected so many families in our service area, the title and the song now have a secondary meaning and even deeper connection.”

NHCO has a long history off assisting local people affected by flooding. The 31-year-old nonprofit, which assists local families in crisis, hardship and poverty, was established in 1987 as a direct result of devastating local flooding in 1986. The nonprofit was a leader in local flood relief efforts in 2004, 2007 and 2018.

Admission to the concert is a free-will financial donation to support NHCO’s multiple programs, or nonperishable food for NHCO’s three food pantries. For more information about the concert, please contact chorus member Tom Beecher at 412-486-2550. 

In fiscal year 2016-17, In 2016-17, NHCO assisted 3,692 families in need toward stability and self-sufficiency by providing $1,102,235 in funds, goods and services as well as information, support and advocacy. NHCO offers more than 20 programs ranging from emergency services to long-term solutions that help families regain self-sufficiency. For more information, please visit www.nhco.org or call 412-487-6316 option 1.

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North Hills Community Outreach Updates for August

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NHCO requests donations to assist with flood relief

North Hills Community Outreach is assisting hundreds of families in multiple communities affected by the July floods. Assistance is possible only thanks to donations from individuals, businesses, congregations, and other organizations. Financial donations and gift cards to Lowes, Home Depot, Target, Kmart, Walmart and grocery stores are needed to help people with the costs of cleanup and to replace furnaces, electrical work and appliances. Checks can be mailed to NHCO, 1975 Ferguson Road, Allison Park, PA 15101. Online donations can be made at nhco.org . Those living in NHCO’s service area of northern Allegheny County north of the city of Pittsburgh who were affected by flooding may call 412-408-3820 or email help@nhco.org to inquire about assistance.

NHCO seeks one-time volunteers to conduct home safety checks

North Hills Community Outreach seeks volunteers to do home safety checks for seniors Fridays, July 20, July 27 and or August 24. Interested volunteers who are not available on one those dates can register for future dates. There will be a brief training at 9:00 a.m. in the NHCO office, 1975 Ferguson Road, Hampton. Volunteers will then pair up to visit two homes of area seniors to do safety assessments for fire and fall hazards, and install smoke detectors. Ninety local seniors are waiting for home safety checks. Seniors who would like a safety check or potential volunteers should contact Cathy Pschirer at 412-307-0069 x 3313 or clpschirer@nhco.org. [Read more…]

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4 Simple Steps to Prevent Sloppy Math Mistakes

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By Kate Snow

Kids’ sloppy mistakes in math driving you up the wall? Learn 4 simple steps you can take to improve their neatness and accuracy in math!

Some kids seem to be born with the desire to write neatly…while others need a whole lot of convincing. (And I know, because I have one of each!) While messy handwriting can make it hard for kids to express their ideas in any subject, it’s especially a problem in math. That’s because every single number matters. If you mistake a 6 for a 0, or a 2 for a 7, you’re going to get the problem wrong.

My son Henry has never been a big fan of pencils, and I did a lot of scribing for him when he was younger. But now that he’s in third grade, his fine motor skills are much stronger, and he’s developed much greater stamina in writing. Sloppy mistakes have been starting to prevent him from showing what he knows on his math assignments, so I decided recently it was time to take some action. Here’s what I did. [Read more…]

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