You’ve finally made it to your final years of high school. Congratulations! Like a lot of high school Juniors and Seniors, you’re probably thinking about your senior portraits. You’re not alone. It’s a tradition to mark your graduation, and a large number of teens throughout the U.S. get them done each year.

So, ladies, how do you prepare for your pictures? How do you choose your location, hairstyle, outfits, makeup, and props? Don’t freak out just yet. Here are some tips for your senior portrait session.

Location

If you don’t have anywhere in mind, just ask your photographer. Odds are, he or she has done many shoots in your area, and can offer some advice.

Think about how you see yourself in your finished photos. Are you on a green, grassy hill? By a river? In a field of flowers or tall grasses? In a grove of trees? Leaning against an old building? [Read more…]

Gift giving can be a hassle for some people. It’s not that you don’t want to give the gifts – it’s just that somehow you always end up heading to the shops at the last minute hoping for inspiration. But there’s a way to remove the pain and put the joy back into giving gifts. Here are some tips:

Tracking Special Occasions

One of the first things to do is to find a way to keep track of all the occasions you know about. Some people use a birthday calendar (one with dates but not days) and fill in all the birthdays, anniversaries and important occasions. They keep it handy and check out what’s coming up at the start of each month.

Others prefer to use desktop software (such as Outlook or Thunderbird) or an online solution such as Google Calendar or iCal.

The beauty of using those tools is that you can set reminders for all occasions. As a matter of  fact, with Google Calendar you can set multiple reminders for maybe a couple of weeks and a week before which gives you plenty of time to find a gift before the occasion arises. [Read more…]

When buying your first guitar, it’s always best to go into a musical instrument shop for advice. The problem with that for many of us, certainly if we’re just beginning, is that it can be a nerve wracking situation. Why? Because we don’t know what to expect.

“Hey, Newbie!”

With any shop that specializes in guitars, it’s easy to worry about feeling inexperienced and on the back foot. However, the staff at music shops are very experienced at advising newbies. It’s also in the music store’s best interest to give you proper guidance and encouragement.

These are shops that will have regular customers time and time again if their staff are friendly and knowledgeable, with many returning again after their first visit.

Where to begin? [Read more…]

Daycare can be quite expensive, especially for the college student. However, there’s a good chance you’ll need someone to watch your children while you attend school. Thankfully, there are a variety of options.

Whether your child stays with a relative or you qualify for a government program, there are affordable daycare options. Here are just a few tips on how to find affordable daycare while you go back to school.

Ask Family

One of your best options is to ask a family member to care for your children. A grandparent may be more than happy to watch her grandbabies while you go back to school. If possible, you should consider taking as many online courses as possible so that you don’t leave the relative feeling put out. [Read more…]

More and more people are taking up motorcycling as a method to get to work. Why is this?

Well, there are a number of reasons why you’re much more likely to see an older gentleman on a small capacity motorcycle wearing a suit under his gear alongside the leather clad sports bike riders now rather than a few years ago.

Whether it’s because of the cheaper cost of fuel, the less of a worry on traffic or just because it’s easier to find a parking space, more people are taking up commuting by bike.

Here are a few of those reasons, and maybe it’ll help you decide whether you can join in this new age of motorcycle commuting: [Read more…]