Turning Your Blog Writing Into A Professional Career

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When most people start something like a blog, they won’t be imagining that they will be able to make a living out of it. People tend to go down this sort of route for fun, with the idea that they will have the chance to write about things they love being a good enough reason to get started. Of course, though, as time goes on and your audience grows, you will have the opportunity to start making money out of your blog. There are a few different paths you can take with this, and some of them can land you in a professional career.

News & Journalism

Becoming a journalist can be much trickier than you might expect. While you don’t need to speak perfect English for this sort of role anymore, there is a lot of competition, and this means that those who start out on their own blog can often give themselves a head start. It will be a challenge, but you need to make sure that you’re following the same strict standards that large publications will follow to ensure that people respect and value your content. It’s usually best to choose a niche topic when you’re doing this, or you may struggle to cover enough on your own.

Copywriting & Creative Writing

Writing exquisite copy and crafting intricate stories can be a lot harder than a lot of people realize. This has opened a huge market for writing services on the web, making it easy to pick up roles that will enable you to write. Of course, though, you need to make sure that you have the right skills before you can take on a role like this one. Copywriting workshops have been becoming increasingly popular over the last few years, and you can find loads of great options with a quick search around the web. This will be an incredibly satisfying role to have, while also giving you a lot of freedom.

Reviews & Opinion Pieces

Finally, as the last type of content to consider, it’s time to think about reviews and opinion pieces. Much like news and journalism, you have to be careful to make sure that the content you’re writing in this category is well-informed. You can write reviews for products and services, music and movies, and just about anything else that people have to spend money on. Writing a piece like this can be tricky, and it’s always worth spending some time reading other reviews before you get started, ensuring that you know exactly how to format your work. Of course, though, this doesn’t mean that you should copy other people.

With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to start making your blog into a professional career. A lot of people like the idea of making money from their blog, but it can be hard to know what sort of content to make when you’re doing this. Each of the roles above can be taken on as a professional career, but you will need to get some practice in your free time before you can get started.

Always Eat After 7PM: Challenge Accepted

This post is sponsored by Always Eat After 7PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks-While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion. All opinions expressed are my own.  Click here for full disclosure.

For the past few years (ok, my entire life), I have been on a mission to get healthy. I say "get healthy" instead of lose weight because while losing weight is always the best part, I started to have too many health scares pile up that I began to get concerned. My husband suffered a non-fatal heart attack a few years ago at just 36 and it ramped up my resolve to get better.

I began fairly simply and made a few small changes that ended up being the biggest changes. I decided that I was going to stop being my couch's best friend and get up and move more and I was only going to drink diet soda, if I drank any at all. THAT was hard only because I think I have more soda running through my veins than actual blood. I fully admit to being a full blown sodaholic. Since those seemed like the biggest hurdles to overtake, I wanted to start with them. That first month, just by doing that alone, I dropped 14 pounds!

As you can imagine, this rocketed my motivation straight up into deepest space and I can not even begin to tell you the new life it breathed into my soul! I began to really look into different diets and fitness routines and successfully shed 68 pounds. Not only did I lose that weight, I've kept it off for three years now.

Now that I am stuck just 20 pounds from my goal weight, I wanted to get a little tougher and push myself a little further and see if I can accomplish that goal I set for myself three years ago. I began looking into all sorts of different ways to do that and happened to come across the book Always Eat After 7PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, And Indulgent Snacks-While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion.

This caught my attention because if there is one thing that I have always heard about dieting, it is that by no means do you feed your gremlin belly at night. This never worked for me as I am a notorious insomniac night owl so you can imagine my excitement when I came across this in the book:

       “A research paper published in Sports Medicine in 2014 showed that people who eat the majority of their carbs at dinner actually sleep better. Carb-induced, quality sleep decreases cortisol (a fat-storing hormone) and ramps up the production of your sleep hormones, serotonin and melatonin. Restorative sleep increases fat-burning hormones—the main one being growth hormone—overnight.” - Always Eat After 7PM, Joel Marion

It's like tackling two issues at once for me! So far, I have already learned that although we have been traditionally taught to avoid carbs, have an early dinner, and never eat before bed, the fact is, the latest scientific research shows us this earlier model is not the most ideal. Based on this surprising science, Always Eat After 7 PM debunks popular diet myths and offers an easy-to-follow diet that accelerates fat-burning and allows you to indulge in your most intense food cravings: Eating the majority of your calories at night. 

It's incredibly interesting so far and I am more than ready to get started! Once a week, I will be posting updates on how I'm progressing and I would love if you would join in with me! Here is a short video that can tell you more and I will see you next week!

Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion is now available to purchase. 

Learn more about the book and how to purchase here.

Personal Finance Tips For A Pandemic

This current coronavirus pandemic has really made me stop and think about my financial situation. There are people protesting to go back to work as I type because everyone's finances are on such a tight string these days that they can't survive without going to work, even if it costs them the very lives they are trying to save.

Now that we are beginning May, I am starting to see through the cracks and I am not liking what I see. NBC reported that the chairman of Tyson Foods has said that the food supply chain is breaking due to the coronavirus.  We still don't know if there will be rent and/or mortgage relief in the United States. An economic stimulus/coronavirus relief bill passed but most people still haven't received the checks yet, and will still be waiting as website outages and technical errors have slowed down distribution.

It's enough to make anyone nervous.

I am trying to stay positive and hopeful for all of us, though so I decided to take a moment in a whirlwind of panic to pass on these personal finance tips for a pandemic:

• Hey, you know that toddler book, Everybody Poops? Yeah, everybody does that so stop buying up all of the toilet paper. I know, I know. Your first instinct is to rush right out and buy it all up but don't do that. Maybe only 2 loaves of bread instead of 12? Possibly one case of bottled water? Buy what you need and smile over all of the money you just saved. That way, supply chains don't break and we won't have people robbing commercial establishments.
• Do not pull all of your money out of the bank and bury it in the backyard. You're going to forget about it in your old age and someone is going to find it in 2145 (but it will be useless because the Xytron overlords will feed on fear and not money). Also, it can crash the (already super fragile) economy.
• You can make your own masks. It's incredibly easy and you can find infinite resources online on how to make one. I made a crazy soft black one because I am the night.

Now, those are obvious common sense financial tips for regular life as well. It's easy to get caught up in the present and not worry about the future in a crisis like this, I understand the panic. However, other countries are slowly beginning to economically recover and return to normal.

Well, this new normal, whatever that may be until we find a vaccine.

Being forced to assess my finances to make sure my family could survive this pandemic got me thinking about finding better personal finance tips for every day. I found the Calculator.me website and discovered so many resources! I spent a lot of time working on making a frugal living budget plan and I already feel a lot better about the future.

Do you have your own personal finance tips to share? 

I hope everyone is staying home and safe during this quarantine! I have been slacking on posting lately so my apologies to you, dear readers. It's certainly been crazy times here so I have a guest post for you today from Gabrielle Sinacola of NeoReach. Gabrielle Sinacola is a digital marketing consultant and content writer at NeoReach. She has a background in computer science and business, merging technical and creative skills to drive impact for companies. Gabrielle is dedicated to propelling strategic marketing initiatives forward with innovative thinking and detailed execution. Enjoy!

How to Convey Your Lifestyle Through Your Blog

Just as you would furnish and decorate your home to reflect your taste and personality, so should you adorn your blog. It is much more complicated to not convey your lifestyle through your blog, that is to hide your lifestyle, than it is to share it. That’s because we inherently speak to what we know and love. This comes across in all forms of content you publish, from words to images to sponsorships. If something does not fit with your lifestyle, your audience will be able to tell. The ability to gain and engage a loyal following is accomplished through a natural flow of information. Information that matches who you are and what you stand for.

Read Between the Lines

I am sure you have heard the saying that it’s not what you say but how you say it. Commonly applied to situations arising in arguments, this idea also feeds into the written word as well. Beyond the words on the page, it is important to understand the unspoken component of your content. Your lifestyle comes through in the connotation of the blog posts. Think about how your posts answer questions such as:

• How does your audience feel when reading your blog?
• Am I speaking to a specific demographic (working mothers, varsity athletes, etc.)?
• How formal or informal is the language I am using?

As an author, your tone is vitally important to how your content is received by a reader. This is brought about through word choice– use of slang, industry jargon– and any anecdotes you include. If you are talking to busy mothers, you want to keep posts concise, informative and relatable. You would opt for everyday language as opposed to long explanations. To tell a fellow mother why a skincare product is safe for her children, you want to include easily digestible statements that get a bigger message across like “BPA free” or “no chemical additives.” You are not, however, going to start talking about the organic compounds used in the product and their reaction with the skin cells. Not only is that boring, but it is unnecessary to your audience.

You may share your own experience with dealing with eczema for your son/daughter and how it impacted your product selection. This additional personal touch adds to your credibility. By sharing little parts of your own life, you are providing windows into your lifestyle. Usually, these things come to mind when you are writing a blog post, but you ignore them or deem them unimportant to your reader. Those details that are specific to you and your blog will attract the audience most benefiting from your content and eager to consume it!

It Is All in the Details

I just talked about how it goes deeper than what you write, and I am going to keep building on that idea. Think about the nonverbal elements of your blog. Visuals.

There are a hundreds of ways to capture the same image with a camera that can differ in:

• Composition
• Focus
• Lighting
• Camera angle
• Filters & Editing
• And so many more...

Not only photographed images, but also computer generated images. You have a whole host of media forms to choose to include (or not include) that play into portraying your lifestyle:

• Video
• Animation
• Illustrations

With all of this, the overall color scheme and layout of your blog convey your lifestyle too. You can go all white with a very clean, geometric format. Or, you can choose to go with bold colors and odd angles to keep it interesting at every click. An easy way to get inspiration for this is to look at other blogs in your niche or who you would attribute to having a similar lifestyle as yourself. Look at how they organize their content and how that affects what you gain from it and how you perceive the blogger. Use different social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to find different juxtapositions of written content and graphics that fit best with what you are trying to achieve.

You Do You

Chances are you already have a pretty good idea of what and how you want to share your life with your blog audience. As the expert on your lifestyle, you have the best intuition on what is and isn’t going to work for your readers, and yourself. Write it out as a draft if you are really struggling and read it all the way through aloud. Pay attention to the inflections in your voice, the emotions that arise as you read, and the feeling you have once you have finished. These are all great indicators of whether or not you are properly portraying your lifestyle through your blog.

Looking to work with brands that are aligned with who you are and what your blog stands for? Get in touch with NeoReach’s influencer community to match with brands that fit your lifestyle!

College Homework Help At Your Fingertips

The greatest invention in modern times has been the internet. The most valuable asset we have is information and the internet has made it easy to access any information at any time. For someone like me who very much does wonder how light refracts, when National Donut Day is, where the closest store is to me, or where I can find that video that the baby likes, it is a lifesaver! Instead of running around to the library and other places to find out all of the information I want to know, I can just check my phone and off I go!

It has been very interesting to see how much easier college is for my daughter than it was for me, just because of how easy it is to access information in 2020. My favorite thing I have found that I wanted to share with you guys is OneClass.com

I wish OneClass.com was around when I went to college. Not only can you get your class notes, textbook notes, and study guides, you can get instant help with your homework with the SolvIt App! You just find your school in the school list and then you can find any notes or study guides that you may need!

Not only can you get help at OneClass.com, you can give help as well! You can sign up as a Note Taker for OneClass.com and earn up to $470 per course! You can pass your classes and buy something to celebrate! 

It is another win-win for the internet! Now, pardon me, I must find out why bustles were a trend and then find out how to make the cutest cake for my granddaughter's first birthday! 

How has the internet changed your life?

How Kids' Magazines Benefit Your Children

It is self-evident that reading is excellent for children for a whole host of reasons. The sooner you begin to read to them, they learn to read and then finally are able to read all by themselves, the better. One way to support and supplement the learning process is by having a range of reading resources available around the house at all times. And purchasing specific children’s magazines tailored to appropriate learning goals is a key way of achieving this. However, it’s critical that these magazines are catered to the child’s likes and dislikes so that they will view the activity as fun and worth giving up TV and video game time for!

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How Can Kids Magazines Benefit Children?

One of the main reasons that kids magazines are so advantageous to children is because they encourage them to read. There has been so much research done when it comes to the benefits of reading for children that it is difficult to not see the appeal of encouraging them to tackle the written word as much as possible. Interesting and engaging reading material of a variety of types can help encourage interest and assist in developing proficiency with language over time. This can also help with writing too, and they may feel encouraged to write their own stories. You can head to studentreasures.com for further information on inspiring children to write. 

One valuable way to provide such stimulation is by purchasing children’s magazines for them. The lessons learned can be carried over into school, enabling them to learn faster, and as a result get much better grades. This is rewarding in itself and encourages further achievement. Reading is also known to enrich a person’s vocabulary, so providing text such as magazines that introduce them to a wider world and new concepts outside of the routine school curriculum assists with development of language. The key is to find material that interests the child, to prevent them from getting frustrated and bored. One possible way to achieve this is to find a children’s magazine that they will be able to relate to and interests them.

What Are The Best Magazines For Children?

The response to the question "what are the best magazines for children?" is very subjective. The answer will typically vary from child to child. For instance, what interests your child more, English or math? Engage your child in conversation often on a range of subjects: what they have learned in school, how the world works and so on. 

Even ask their opinion on their favorite lessons - what do they find interesting? By picking a subject for learning that has caught their attention, you will be better able to keep them engaged, and when children are engaged, they will naturally learn more. There is a wide array of magazines on the market that will ignite their imagination these days, from ones that will help with English skills to science magazines for children so you are sure to find one that fits the bill. Check that the material within the magazine is educational and written by expert child educators, otherwise what would be the point of using up your child’s time if they are not gaining anything from it?

What are your kid's favorite magazines?

Top 10 Font Websites For Any Project

How many times have you searched for the perfect font for your project? How many times have you found exactly what you are looking for? If your answer to the first question is too many and the answer to your second question is not enough times, I have the perfect list for you!

 I am constantly looking for neat and/or fancy new fonts to use for all sorts of projects I am working on, whether it is for a scrapbooking project, invitations, or graphic design. I often get bored with fonts I already have or found that one particular font just doesn't work with what I have planned. I have found quite a few great websites that consistently have the perfect fonts for any idea I may have and will share them here with you today!

𝓣𝓸𝓹 10 𝓕𝓸𝓷𝓽 𝓦𝓮𝓫𝓼𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓼

LingoJam.com

Lingo Jam is just a fun website where you can type in whatever you would like to put into a fancy font and the website will generate it for you to use. After it is generated, you simply copy and paste your new pretty words into your project document. It really is that easy! This works mainly for text documents or social media postings the best, but you can always paste it into a blank document to put or transfer onto your project. Here is an example: 🅸 🅻🅾🆅🅴 🅻🅸🅽🅶🅾🅹🅰🅼!

CoolSymbol.com

Cool Symbol is another copy and paste font system. It has a few more options than Lingo Jam and as it is with Lingo Jam, it is super fun! Both CoolSymbol and LingoJam are also free! I spend far too much time typing things in and choosing fun fonts to use on the internet. It is especially useful when I only want to use a different font in a certain spot in my project. That way, it makes the whole project less tedious as I can keep working without having to make sure I have the right font working. There's been plenty of times where I have had to go back and change everything just for a snippet in a document so using either of the above two is super handy! Here is an example: 𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀𝓈 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓋𝒾𝓈𝒾𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓂𝓎 𝒷𝓁𝑜𝑔!

Google Fonts

Google Fonts is where I began my search for different fonts. I did not even know that Google offered different fonts so I was pleasantly surprised when I found that they offer many different options! I found quite a few fonts that I had not seen before and have always checked in when I just could not find the right font. For Google Fonts, you will have to have a bit more coding knowledge in order to incorporate it into your project but it's definitely worth it. I would try one of these three first for your webfont options!

Adobe Fonts

Adobe also has a huge gallery of fonts for your projects. You can use these on any project. I really like using Adobe Fonts for paper projects as it makes the font very crisp and sharp. As with Google Fonts, you will need a little more knowledge to be able to utilize these fonts, but you can use them on anything! I turn to Adobe quite a bit when designing things for my blog. I'm still learning, though, and am so glad they have so many fonts at my disposal! You can find even more information about Adobe Fonts and many different font resources here on Wikipedia. Here's an example of what you can create:

FontBundles.net

FontBundles.net is my favorite place to find the perfect fonts! It is incredibly easy to find what you want as well as integrate it into your project! I have used FontBundles the most out of all of these and I am truly impressed with their selection. You can find your perfect package or you can search their vast and varied selection of free fonts (click here!). I often use FontBundles.net as an alternative to MyFonts as FontBundles definitely has a bigger selection! This particular font website will always be my number one. I could be looking high and low and always, always find the best one here! Here is an example of what you can do with FontBundles.net:

Fonts.com

Fonts.com is probably the most well known out of this bunch. This is a paid service, but their plans are reasonably priced and gorgeous! I always get lost searching through their huge selection and have found so many different fonts that I can't even choose a favorite! I often find that these fonts work best on my blog. Here is an example of what you can create:

DaFont.com

On DaFont.com, you can download T O N S of fonts! I have used these for forms, scrapbooking, and of course, designing things here and there for my blog or social media. Their interface is incredibly easy to use and as I mentioned, they have a large variety to choose from! There are free and paid plans available and each offers great fonts. Here is an example:

1001Fonts.com

1001Fonts.com is a completely free font website with many different options. This is a fairly new one for me and I have only used it a few times, but each time, I've had great success! I especially love their fonts that look like handwriting. Here is an example:

FontFabric.com

FontFabric.com is another service where you will find free fonts or paid plans. The site is very easy to navigate so you will be able to find what you are looking for with zero problem. I have used these for a lot of print out projects. I am still discovering this site, though, so as I mentioned, I do not have much experience with it. So far, so good! They are always having sales so check often to find your perfect font! Here is an example:

FontSpace.com

For the last entry on this list, I decided on FontSpace.com. While it is last, it is certainly not least! This is probably the best font website I have found specifically for scrapbooking projects. The fonts that they have available seem just to fit every project I have in mind. I do utilize the others listed but for projects that I put together for my scrapbook, FontSpace is absolutely my first choice! Here is an example:

No matter what kind of project you are working on, I am positive you will find the perfect font for it on one of these websites. There is nothing like finding the perfect font to fit your words and make them pop!

Where do you find your favorite fonts?

Tech Items That Will Look Great In Your Home

One of the hardest things that we will all do is life. Life is not easy - everything moves fast, and there are bills to pay and jobs to go to. There are relationships to maintain and friendship circles to manage. The good news is that humans are rather smart! We come up with new and inventive ways to make life easy all the time, from smart home technology to standard appliances that have upgraded to be more efficient. 

We invented the dryer when we didn't want to wait for the weather to dry them, and we created the Roomba when it came to wanting to vacuum hands-free. We’re pretty good at inventions, and we’re even better at bringing back the vintage “tech” in new ways. For example, we no longer have the twin tub washer, but hi-tech washing machines. We may not have the record player anymore, but we do have USB record players at https://musicauthority.org, and that’s almost the same! Your home deserves the upgrades you can afford, and you should take a look at the list of home technology below that will look great!

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Wireless Chargers

Sick and tired of all the wires plugged into your home? We don't blame you - they’re annoying. This is why wireless chargers were created. They restrict your movement and break easily, which means that you spend a lot of money on replacements. Wireless phone chargers can make a big difference, and you can even get them in the form of a phone case!

Robotic Window Cleaners

The Roomba does the floors, but Ecovacs do the windows! You can charge them wirelessly and get your windows cleaned by a robot instead! You can let it charge and then set it about its job, resetting the router when it loses connection. It’s a great way to save time, and you get super clean windows for it! 

The Echo

Smart home technology is likely one of the best ever inventions we’ve had in this century. Controlling your smart technology can be done with the Echo from Amazon. You can use it as an intelligent assistant giving you help with recipes, but you can also control the rest of the smart technology in your home, from the lights to the doorbell camera. The coolest bit is that it can be controlled by voice, which gives you so much more room for fun! 3am wake up calls? Just ask the Echo!

Nespresso Coffee Brewer

How smart will this look in the kitchen? The Nespresso Prodigio looks good, and you can time it to brew the coffee from your smartphone. You don't even have to get out of bed to turn it on, and that’s one of the best bits about it. A little Bluetooth and you’re good to go for your day! 

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With the right technology from the list above, you can ensure that you are up to speed on everything that you need for a smart home. The more intelligent the house, the better it runs - and that’s all you want it to do!

The Top 5 Hotels With Balcony Views of NYC

Though the rising structures of NYC’s real estate don’t offer tourists picturesque views from a standard hotel room, there are several hotel locations when you can find a balcony view of NYC’s most popular attractions. A nightcap overlooking the lights of the city is a perfect addition to your trip to the Big Apple, and here are some choices for narrowing down your accommodations.

The Warwick New York

Located in Midtown, this historic hotel was built in the 1920s and sits right across from the Museum of Modern Art. Past guests have included Elvis Presley, Cary Grant, and Audrey Hepburn. Modern amenities and elegant decor complement the views from the balcony and patio rooms, and on the Avenue Suites, you are treated to a direct view of the Hudson River.

 The Westgate Grand Central Hotel

If you want to stay close to all the action but have a peaceful evening above the noise of the streets, this Murray Hill hotel has what you need. With a variety of room choices that include balcony views, luxurious amenities, and triple-pane windows to muffle the sounds of the city, a stay in this location offers both comfort and convenience for business or pleasure travelers alike.

The Hyatt Centric Times Square

Not only does this upscale hotel offer rooms with a furnished terrace by which to enjoy the views of the skyline, but there is also a rooftop bar that gives impressive city views whether you choose indoor or outdoor seating. Travelers can indulge in the onsite restaurant, release some stress at the spa, or get in their morning run at the 24-hour fitness center.

The Jewel

For a boutique experience, the Jewel offers private balcony rooms that overlook St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the famed Radio City Music Hall. Despite the smaller size and unique setting, this location gives travelers the best in high-tech accommodation, with flat-screen Smart TVs, dimmer lighting, and enough power outlets for all your devices.

The New Yorker Wyndham Hotel

Situated in an iconic Art Deco skyscraper, the New Yorker Wyndham is located next to Penn Station and offer private balcony rooms that have panoramic views close to the bright light of Time Square. Celebrities have relied on the luxurious furnishings of this location for years, from the likes of Spencer Tracy, Fidel Castro, and Nikola Tesla.

Balcony views are a treat that shouldn’t be overlooked when visiting New York City. Even if you are too tired to take part in the nightlife, there is something to be said about taking it all in from the comfort of your room before you head to bed!

Treat Yourself Tuesday: NISIM International F.A.S.T Hair Care

It's been far too long since I've had a Treat Yourself Tuesday. How about you?

It's become a busy home here. My son, his wife, and my grandbaby are staying with us for a bit while they find a place here in our new town and I forgot just how exhausting babies can be! I am so happy to have this time with her, though. It's amazing to watch her grow and learn. However, I was reminded just how much self care is so important to us moms (and Nanas)! 

So, off to DealSpotr I went to find a special treat! As I've mentioned, I'm more than a little obsessed with my hair so I wanted to see what new products were out there. I found a great deal on NISIM International F.A.S.T Hair Care System. 

Use code STEPHSTEB for 15% off!

NISIM International is based out of Toronto and has been in business for over 25 years. This F.A.S.T System is formulated to make your hair longer, thicker, and stronger. I've been using it for about a month now and I am extremely happy with the results. I'm not quite sure if my hair has gotten longer (yay for half curly, half straight hair amirite?!) but it is definitely thicker and stronger! I had been losing a lot of hair to breakage and it has completely stopped the breakage within just a month! It's even tamed my flyaways somewhat and I love that! 

If you would like to treat yourself to NISIM International Hair Care, click here and enter the code STEPHSTEB during checkout for 15% off! Don't forget to check out their other products while you're there! 

Sustainable Energy Is Possible In Our Lifetime

In recent years, the push for sustainable energy has gotten stronger. More and more companies and private citizens are coming to find that not only is sustainable and renewable energy possible, it is absolutely affordable and easily implemented. In fact, Stanford University has just invested more into the advancement of solar energy than any other university combined!

The seven types of sustainable energy, according to the Department of Energy are as follows:

• Solar - capturing radiant energy from sunlight and converting it to heat, electricity, or hot water.
• Wind - capturing wind energy and converting it to electricity.
• Hydroelectric - Water flows through a dam's turbines and converts to electricity (also known as pump storage hydropower).
• Geothermal - heat that is captured from the core of the earth that can be converted to energy.
• Ocean - there are actually two types of energy derived from the ocean: thermal energy that relies on warm surface water to generate energy and mechanical energy which uses the natural ebbs and flows of the ocean to produce energy.
• Hydrogen - when hydrogen is separated from other elements, it can be used for fuel and electricity.
• BioMass - organic matter from recently living plants and/or organisms can be converted to energy (ie; firewood).

With so many options available it's unbelievable that we haven't already implemented them for everything. Iceland is leading the way right now with 90% of their energy being sustainable energy, along with Sweden, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, the UK, Germany, Uruguay, Denmark. Progress is slowly making its way in America as well, fortunately, as new hope is coming to previously decaying coal communities. This study points out that many coal communities are expected to become the leaders in producing sustainable energy instead of coal. This will bring very much needed jobs and opportunities to these presently declining communities. New jobs for lawyers like Douglas Healey who specialize in environmental law are becoming more and more prevalent as more big businesses are looking for answers on how to effectively and legally implement new green technology. More and more consumers are happily switching to green options and in my opinion, the world is more than ready. As more and more people realize that it really is possible to find viable, sustainable energy sources, the present as well as the future can be beautifully green!

What do you think about sustainable energy? How are you adding green options to your lifestyle?

What Disruptive Startups Will Change Daily Life in 2020?

Let's face it. There are a lot of startups out there, but a lot of them don't really impact your day-to-day life. The most disruptive startups in the world are the ones that change the way that people actually live. Uber, AirBNB: these are things that changed the world for everyone. There isn't a day that most people don't use Amazon or Google. So what's going to be disruptive in 2020?

Dave.com

Dave offers Banking for Humans. Recent banking-related scandals and the fallout from the last recession caused many to distrust their banks. Sick and tired of fees and restrictive lending criteria, Dave was created to drive better customer loyalty. Dave is only one of the companies on the vanguard of new banking institutions; institutions that are meant to entirely change the way that people bank and borrow.
Dave provides a number of great features, including no-interest cash advances, un-bounceable checks, income creation, and more. These are all services that make it possible for people to build their wealth through their bank rather than it being nickle-and-dimed away. People who aren't satisfied with their current banking options should strongly consider looking into some of these new and incredible banks.

Divvy Homes

A lot of people aren't able to own homes these days, because home prices have increased so much compared to wages. Because home ownership is out of the question for a lot of people, people are considering new ways to own.
Divvy Homes fractionalizes home ownership, making it possible for people to invest in real estate in portions. They're still able to get the same percentage returns that they would if they purchased a real property, but they need a far reduced investment.
Not only are people able to rent-to-own, but they are able to do it in a protected way. Eventually they are able to own the property if they want to, or they can just walk away. This is a low risk way for people to enter into a property.

Starry Internet

Most people use the internet for a great deal of time when they're at home. They're either doing work at home, doing school work, streaming television shows, browsing the internet, or just playing online, multiplayer games. Of course, that means they need to have a good internet connection, and that's the problem.
Today, many internet connections are paired with tv bills or phone bills: two things that most people don't even need anymore. And apart from that, they're bundled with different services like security alarms, and often unnecessary add-ons such as premium channels that are never watched. These bundles are more expensive than they need to be.
Starry Internet is tackling this problem by creating a new internet service that's designed for the way that people use the internet today. And that includes no contracts, no hidden fees, and no services that you don't need.

Impossible Foods

Impossible Foods is making it possible for people to eat non-meat meats, and while it isn't a traditional startup, it has absolutely exploded into the mainstream realm. The Impossible Whopper is a fast food burger that doesn't contain any meat and is made with only plant-based materials, and that's a great way for people to eat healthy and sustainably even when they're on the go.
Impossible Foods is improving its product, and perhaps best of all it's also encouraging competition like Morningstar and Beyond Meat to increase their options as well. Eventually, there could be Impossible burgers in every burger-related restaurant.
Maybe your life won't be changed by the above startups. But it may be. Startups that are focused on people and households are the ones that are going to be the most disruptive, because they're the ones that change the way that we think.
Startups that give more power and control over finances are going to be dominant, because many people are finding themselves experiencing financial issues, or looking for new ways to manage their own finances. Either way, these startups definitely show the direction that many companies are moving in.

Bringing Music Into Your Big Day

Are you mad about music? Perhaps you’re a professional musician, or maybe you just have a passion for listening to or playing music. If so, when it comes to your wedding it makes sense to incorporate this passion into your big day. Here are a few ways to go about it.

Utilize Songs For Your Wedding Vows

Writing your own wedding vows allows you to add something extra special to your day as you’re conveying an incredibly meaningful message, and something that’s personal to you and your partner. If you have song lyrics that really speak to you or a song that you both relate to on a deep level, why not utilise the lyrics? There’s lots of advice online about how to do this in a way that sounds genuine without being corny or cheesy.

Hire A Live Band Or Musician

Most people tend to go down the route of having a DJ play their wedding music, however if you’re a lover of music you’ll know that nothing sounds as good as hearing it played live. There are live bands that actually specialise in weddings who ill know the etiquette involved and have plenty of experience in playing on people’s most special days. Alternatively, you could hire a local band that you love, or if you have loved ones that are excellent singers or musicians you could ask them to play. It sets an incredible atmosphere, makes for great wedding entertainment and is a little bit different too. 

Play Some Music Yourself

Whether you want to sing a song or play a tune on an instrument, this could be a fantastic and really personal way to bring music into your big day. You could even set yourself a challenge and learn a new instrument to play- from the piano to the ukelele- learn more about this here: https://www.musicianauthority.com/how-to-tune-ukulele/. It’s something that your guests will remember and brings a unique touch to the day. 

Give Guests Music Inspired Wedding Favors

Another idea for incorporating music into your wedding favors would be to give guests USB sticks filled up with the songs from your wedding day- this would be a really personal way for people to remember the day especially if you've carefully curated the playlist. It’s something unique and different to what people are likely to have received as wedding favours before. 

Get Inspired With Decorations

How about incorporating music into your wedding through decorations, invitations and place settings? There are some really cool ideas online for crafty people, such as making roses or confetti out of pages of song lyrics or sheet music. CDs or old vinyl records can be turned into decorations  or you could Whether you go full on or have it as a subtle theme, there are plenty of ideas you could run with and really make each item personal to you. 

How will you bring music into your wedding day?