Kirk and Terry Blog

• No More Soggy Pizza - Heat up leftover pizza in a non-stick skillet on top of the stove. Set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This will keep the crust crispy.
• Say Goodbye to Mosquitoes - Place a dryer sheet in your pocket.  It’ll keep the mosquitoes away.
• Bed Sheets Trick- After drying your sheets, fold neatly in a square.  Put both sheets and one pillowcase in the other pillow case. When you change your sheets, just take the one pillow case everything’s inside.  No more searching for matches.
• Broken Glass Hint – Use a dry cotton ball to pick up little broken pieces of glass. The fibers catch the little pieces you can’t see.
• Fruit Flies Be Gone – Get rid of fruit flies by filling a glass with ½ c. Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dishwashing liquid, mix well. The flies are drawn to the cup and gone forever!
• Great Beach Tip - Keep a small bottle of baby powder in your beach bag. When you’re ready to leave the beach sprinkle yourself and kids with the powder and the sand will slide right off your skin!

FREE Consumer Help Is Just A Phone Call Away!

Learn valuable secrets for saving thousands and avoiding costly mistakes when buying, selling or refinancing a home. Best of all, it’s FREE.  See my “Free Resources Page” at www.MarcsHomes.Com

Did you know that 85% of your ability to succeed at anything depends on your skills at positively influencing people?  Brian Tracy, author of The Power of Charm offers a few tips on how you can become more charming:

The key is to make others feel good about themselves.

• Greet everyone you meet as someone very special. Make people feel special by asking questions about them, and being enthusiastic.
• Find something to praise people about.  Everyone likes to be praised be it the grocery clerk, your accountant, or your boss.
• Show your appreciation. Tracy says, thank everyone you come into contact with for whatever you can think of…it boosts people’s confidence, and makes them feel good about themselves. It also makes you feel better about yourself.

More Free Real Estate Tips! 

Find TONS of free information about our local Richmond real estate market. Visit my site at:

www.MarcsHomes.Com

Can fat actually be good for you?  In a recent study, scientists at Ohio State University found that a little fat can be good for you. Many of the healthy compounds found in vegetables are fat-soluble.  Researchers found that the body is unable to absorb these unless fat is present at the same time. When you add an avocado to salads the absorption of the nutrient lutein (good for heart and eye health) is 18 times greater. Add a little butter to your veggies, or salad dressing to your salad and the level of absorption of nutrients increases.

A handful of nuts can protect your health.  Scientists at the University of Barcelona found that eating a handful of walnuts every day helps the body maintain the arteries elasticity and protects against the damage of harmful fats that can damage the arteries. 

Rest, don’t nap. Close your eyes and allow your mind to relax for 5-10 minutes. You’ll be more alert than if you’d taken a nap.

More Free Real Estate Tips! 

Find TONS of free information about our local Richmond real estate market. Visit my site at:

www.MarcsHomes.Com

Would you like to live a happier, more fulfilled life?  I don't know a single person who would answer "No." I recently came across an article that had some simple ideas about how we can all achieve greater happiness in our lives... just by following a ver simple formula.

 
In a recent study by Professor Ed Diener, psychologist at the University of Illinois, people rated how happy they were based on a number of questions.  Diener compared the answers across the spectrum of age, sex, marital status, income, and health.  Strong evidence showed that happiness leads to better health and a longer life – no surprise there.

But what did come as a surprise is that levels of happiness changed based on age and social involvement. Here are a few of the specific factors researchers found that made people feel happier:

• Family and Friends. The better and more fulfilling the relationships with family and friends, the happier people felt.  Having friendships was shown to have a protective element against illness.  Researchers found that friendship actually had a bigger effect on the average person’s happiness than a person’s income.
• Marriage.  Being married also seemed important.  Marriage added an average seven years to a man’s life, and four years for women.
• Meaning in Life.  People who felt there was a larger purpose to their life - religion, philosophy, or spirituality were happier.
• Goals.  Happier people had pleasing long-term goals they worked toward and enjoyed achieving.

In several supporting studies, Dr. Martin Seligman, professor at the University of Pennsylvania, found that practicing simple exercises can increase a person’s level of happiness and decrease depression.  Dr. Seligman has designed “Happiness Building Exercises” to increase people’s happiness and well-being. You can find out more information about these exercises at www.reflectivehappiness.com

Most of the team members here on the Marc Austin Highfill Team are parents. We all love our families, but its not always easy to know if we're doing a good job. Helping kids grow up successfully is every parent’s goal, especially with such a bright and amazing future ahead of them.  Here are 7 valuable tips we found to help parents prepare their children to reach their fullest potential and enjoy that future:

• Let your child work things out without your help. At an early age, let your child find solutions to challenges he or she may face.
• Support your child’s interests and passions.  Praise your child for who he/she is becoming…not what you want them to be.
• Teach your child how to manage money. Teach them about saving (start with piggy banks and savings accounts), allowances, and earning money from doing household jobs.
• Let your child learn how to deal with disappointment.  Playing sports and board games teach kids how to handle disappointment.
• Teach your child how to negotiate conflicts. Teach your kids how to negotiate using words and how to resolve conflicts.
• Encourage your child’s dreams.  Be supportive of your child’s dreams, but help them set achievable goals along the way.
• Support their independence.  Increase your child’s responsibility a little bit each year. It’ll build a strong foundation for their lifetime.