Jean Marie Bauhaus

brightpeakfinancial.com

How to Prepare Your Relationship for Holiday Stress

The most wonderful time of the year can also be the most stressful time of the year. Both Thanksgiving and Christmas tend to bring with them increased demands on your time, energy, and money that also increase opportunities for conflict between you and your spouse.
While a certain amount of holiday stress is inevitable, this season doesn’t have to place undue strain on your marriage. Here are 10 ideas to help you and your partner prepare to face holiday stress.

brightpeakfinancial.com

How to Live Simply When Your Spouse Isn’t On Board

Few things are more frustrating than when you and your spouse differ about the type of life you want to live.
Maybe you’re overwhelmed by too much stuff, or resentful over working long hours. You’re ready to embrace simple living. Your spouse, on the other hand, loves to shop, prefers holding onto material goods, and gives you the death-stare if you suggest donating one of the toaster ovens you got for your wedding to charity.
So what’s a would-be minimalist to do?

brightpeakfinancial.com

How Scarcity Led to a Sense of Abundance: One Woman’s Story

Sometimes, living with scarcity is a choice. People decide to reduce, downsize and live with less. But sometimes, scarcity arrives by circumstance.
This is how my husband and I ended up living a simpler lifestyle in the wake of the Great Recession. Layoffs at the company I worked for left us living on a single, small income.
In 2008, I had a great job as a project administrator. My husband returned to school to complete his degree. That fall, we bought our first house, in a city close to my w...

brightpeakfinancial.com

A Biblical Case for Simple Living

The Apostle Paul extolled the virtues of living a quiet life, and Jesus Christ himself taught that we shouldn’t chase after material goods, but focus instead on serving others and nurturing our faith. Indeed, during his earthly ministry, Jesus seemed to embrace a lifestyle of minimalism and simplicity, trusting God for his every earthly need.
While the Bible doesn’t command us to live simply, it makes a case that simple living can make us more content.

brightpeakfinancial.com

11 Simple Life Quotes to Inspire Clutter-Free Living

You’ve cleaned out your closets, given truckloads of stuff to charity, streamlined your schedule and seen firsthand how living with less can free up time, money and energy that you can use to focus on what truly matters. But no matter how great the rewards of simpler living, it isn’t always easy to maintain a clutter-free lifestyle. Here are 11 simple life quotes to help you stay focused and motivated when the clutter starts creeping back in.

hillspet.com

Tips for being a purrfect new cat parent

Whether you just adopted your new cat from a local shelter, a breeder or a store, there's nothing better than bringing her home. Here are a few tips to give your new friend a safe and happy welcome.

hillspet.com

How One Family Dog Became a Certified Therapy Dog

When you think of service dogs, you might picture highly-trained dogs raised from puppies to perform specialized tasks for people who are physically disabled. You might be surprised to learn that service dogs come in many shapes and sizes and provide a wide variety of services. You might be even more surprised to discover that training a service dog is often accomplished by pet parents just like you. Keep reading to discover whether your dog might have what it takes to become a qualified serv...

brightpeakfinancial.com

4 Steps to Figure Out How Much to Have in Your Emergency Savings

Emergencies can be financially devastating if they catch you unprepared. Unfortunately, “unprepared” is a term that describes the majority of Americans.

According to a 2015 survey conducted by the Federal Reserve, fewer than half of people in the U.S. have enough savings to cover a major financial catastrophe. Of those who don’t, only 54 percent say they have enough set aside to cover a relatively minor emergency costing only $400. The rest would either have to use credit, borrow money or sel...

thenoseprint.com

How to Responsibly Give a Pet as a Gift

While the longstanding wisdom has been that you should not give pets as gifts, a recent study has upended that thinking. It showed not only are pets received as gifts less likely to be surrendered to shelters, but people typically feel more attachment to pets received as gifts from loved ones.
That doesn't mean you should start handing out puppies to everyone on your holiday gift list. There's solid reasoning as to why making gifts out of pets should be entered with caution.

thenoseprint.com

Ask Morris: What Do You Enjoy About July 4th?

The Fourth of July experience is kind of a mixed bag for me, to tell the truth. As a fiercely independent creature, I'm naturally a fan of having an entire day devoted to celebrating independence. I just don't understand why you humans choose to do so with loud explosions. I mean, is that really your idea of a good time? You can count me out. Or count me under the bed at the very least.

thenoseprint.com

Q&A: Keep your dog's brain stimulated

Your dog is pretty good at letting you know he's bored, and he doesn't always pick the most convenient times to do so. Physical exercise is one thing, but could your dog be a mental couch potato? How can you provide mental stimulation for your pooch to keep his brain challenged? We've asked Dr. Leslie, our in-house veterinarian, for the lowdown on how much stimulation your dog's brain needs.

thenoseprint.com

Teach Your Dog to Give A High Five

Getting your dog to give you a high five is a cute trick that makes everyone smile, and it's also a fun way to bond with your four-legged best friend. Fortunately, this is a fairly simple trick to teach your pup. Here's how to teach your dog to do it.
Before you begin, select a quiet spot for training sessions where your pup won't be distracted. You'll need a lot of treats, so pick some that are small, like Pup-Peroni® Training Treats Made With Real Beef. Time to start high-fiving!
Step One: ...

thenoseprint.com

Ask Morris: How Do You Survive the Holidays?

My best tip for surviving the holidays is to sleep through as much of them as possible. Of course, that might not be as easy for you humans as it is for us cats. Even for me, it can be a challenge, what with all the caroling and visitors coming and going and children squealing over their presents.

thenoseprint.com

How My Dog and I Celebrate Halloween

Halloween at our house is all about our little Pete — who just happens to be a Chihuahua. In true pack-animal fashion, Pete loves to be included in whatever my husband and I are doing, and our Halloween traditions are no exception.

thenoseprint.com

5 Holiday Cat Gifts That Keep On Giving

One thing cats and babies have in common is their reaction to a new toy: They might play with it for a minute or two before deciding that the wrapping paper and the box the gift came in are both infinitely more interesting. If there's a cat on your holiday shopping list, think beyond toys and edible treats with one of these gifts that are sure to keep Kitty coming back again and again.
1. Personalized Food and Water Bowls
Enhance your kitty's meal times with a set of personalized ceramic bowl...