First Birthday Cakes - 7 Tips For A Killer Cake

First birthday cakes are often the most stressful part of
planning a baby's first birthday. Many new mothers want
something special and memorable, yet easy to prepare.

The problem is they're just not sure where to start. Should
you choose a cartoon character or an animal? Is a rectangle
one better, or should you go round? Well, fear not. Here are 7 easy first birthday cake tips
that will help you make the perfect cake.

1. Make It Kid Approved -

The first thing to keep in mind
is that you need to make the cake with the kids in mind.
Ok, so this may seem like a no-brainer, but consider what a
kid likes in a birthday cake.

Gooey and sticky are always winners. Bright colored icing is
a must. Also, keep in mind that your new baby will likely be
eating it with their hands, so something spongy will help
make it finger-friendly.

2. Make It Look Like It Can Move -

Chances are your little
one will never remember this cake. But you can make it one
they recognize and enjoy. But one-year-olds are learning
about shapes and movement. Consider decorating it with cars
Egypt trains. Use big shapes.

3. Go Easy On The Sugar -

Your baby, as you know can have
a sensitive stomach at times. By making their cake with
less sugar, you can make sure their little tummy plays
along. One easy way to do this is to use whipped cream
instead of icing. It's easier to spread, too.

4. Two Is Better Than One -

With a first birthday [http://www.squidoo.com/firstbirthdaypartyideas], the mess is inevitable and
frankly, your baby is more likely to treat their cake like
modeling clay rather than food. But you have the guests to
consider too. So, try making two cakes, a larger one for
the guests, a small one for your baby to smash. That way
everyone gets cake and a video-opp too.

5. Use A Thin Layer Of Icing First -

Icing the cake can
make you want to cuss (bite your tongue, though). It never
seems to fail that chunks of cake get ripped off while
spreading the knife.

Two things you can do: one let the cake cool all the way.
And second, spread a real thin layer of icing first and let
it sit. This will make the second, real layer much easier to
spread. Plus it's easier to camouflage places where the cake
has peeled off.

6. Draw On It -

When cutting your sheet cake into a shape,
use icing to draw on it first. This will ensure you have
the shape you want before cutting. Plus the icing tastes
better than an ink pen (that was bad, I know).

7. Make Your Cake Number 1 -

And finally, here's an easy
way to cut your cake into the shape of a one. First, take
your sheet cake and cut it down the middle long ways. Use
one of these halves to make the "foot" and "upper lip" of
the 1. The other half will be the main body of the 1.

To do that simply cut the selected half at the 1/3 mark.
Take the 2/3's piece and place it at the bottom of the first
long piece. That's your foot. Then take the 1/3 piece, cut
it once from corner to corner, making a triangle, and use
one of these as the "upper lip." That's it. Oh, and snack on
the leftover piece.

There you go. First birthday cakes do not have to be the
Booga Bears. With some simple techniques, you can pull off
a winner very easily.

And if you want additional first birthday party ideas,
visit my blog.

Custom Truck Wheels

Look around and you will see an increase in custom wheels used on trucks today. Less than 20 years ago trucks were just cargo hauling vehicles. In the early 1900s trucks were used primarily for local wholesale and retail deliveries. Today when we talk about trucks we are talking about light trucks. Light trucks include pickup trucks, minivans and full-size vans, and sport utility vehicles. Twenty five percent or more of all new vehicles sold are light trucks.

There is an huge amount of accessories that allow pickup truck owners to convert their weekday work horse to comfortable, efficient and enjoyable transportation. Accessories like lowering kits, lift kits, tonneau covers and custom wheels. Most of these accessories do not have to be practical, people just want to modify a truck to suit their life styles.

Custom Truck Wheels are one of the best accessories you can buy when it comes to improving your ride. It's important to make the right choice for your light truck custom wheel needs. Weather you own a regular cab, extended cab, 4X4 or 2X4 Chevy, Ford or Dodge truck, custom wheels can have a big impact on performance.

Shop on line and get the best price. Save even more on wheel and tire packages and have them shipped to your front door ready to install. On line merchants always know which custom rims will fit best. Find truck rims ranging from 15 inches to 26 inches. If you have a 4X4 they make them even bigger. Look for wheels on line marked RWD for rear wheel drive.

If you have been thinking of restyling your truck laTely, start with custom truck wheels. Replacing your wheels will make your truck look sportier while enhancing handling and ride quality when matched up with a new set of tires. We recommend Alcoa wheels, American Racing and Weld wheels for that eye catching look. These manufactures have been stealing the hearts of truck lovers everywhere for years.

Inflation and Your Money - What Is Its Real Value?

We held a Retirement Seminar for dentists at our office recently. This being part of an ongoing series of educational talks and workshops to several groups of scholars in the north, and which also takes us to North Wales next year.

It was good to see familiar faces in attendance, as well as new, with specialist dental accountant Alan Suggett also chipping in with a slot on the value of Practices and the complexity of Incorporation.

Part of what we covered was how volatile the markets have been this year, and also how inflation can play havoc with your wealth over time.

It is sometimes not appreciated how, over time, inflation can really damage wealth creation and preservation, and with inflation very high at present it is worth looking at this in more detail.

Of course, the context here is the real value of money. When we talk about the 'real return' on your money, it means the return that you get (or do not get) over inflation.

So if inflation is, say, 5% pa, and you are getting a return in the bank of 3% pa ​​before tax, and 2.4% pa after basic rate tax, then you are not getting anywhere near a real return on your money.

If this were to happen over many years, then the real value of your money would reduce markedly. In fact, with present rates at around the 5% mark and with many experiencing a salary freeze, some people will be seeing a fall in their standard of living.

Let's take a look at the impact of inflation on some consumer items, as well as salaries, pensions and debt over a recent 10 year period.

PRICE COMPARISON 1999 - 2009

Price in 1999 Price in 2009% change Source

Milk (pint) 34p 45p 32.30% ONS

White Loaf 51p 1.26 147% ONS

Sugar (kg) 61p 88p 44.20% ONS

Pint lager 1.93 2.79 44.50% ONS

20 Cigs 3.37 5.39 60% ONS

Petrol / l 63.6p 90.4p 42% Petrol Prices

Ave salary 18,396 20,900 13.60% ONS

Weekly state pension 66.75 95.25 42.70% PAS

Level of UK consumer debt 565.4 1457.4 158% BOES

billions

Price of oil per barrel 8.80 28.70 226% WTRG

Bottle of wine 3.55 4.18 18% W & STA

Ford Focus 15,500 16,095 4% Ford

McDonald's Big Mac 1.90 1.99 4.70% McDonald's

Source: This is Money

So those of you who like a pint and a fag while munching on a white bread sandwich will have reasons to moan!

Whilst the wine loving burger fans may well have a smile on their face!

For a bit of fun (answers below), have a guess at the price of these items in 1960 compared to the 2009 prices below:

1. Fish N Chips - 4.50

2. A Mini - 12,345

3. Petrol - 86p (was it ?!)

So we can see that just 10 years can seriously erode the value of money, never mind 20, 30 or 50 years!

So what is the best way to combat inflation with your savings and investments?

The first thing to say is that there is no magic answer, and that there are 3 rules to investment return:

1. Risk and return are related

2. Risk and return are related

and yes

3. Risk and return are related

Other factors are accessibility, tax and the time period you have to invest.

Of course, in our opinion, the only reliable way in which you can find out what rate of return you NEED longer term so that you can be on track to achieve your goals in life is to devise a proper strategy, and have your own financial map called a cash flow forecast.

This will be able to calculate what returns (and there before risk) you need to take, with the aim to minimize any risk due to a possible option. What such a plan will give you is how much to invest in the various asset classes, with each having their own expected rate of return & risk (standard deviation). So getting the right mix is ​​vital.

We covered some of this at the seminar, and using figures from a Scottish Widows UK Financial History graph (Barclays Index data), we could see that returns from some major asset classes made interesting reading.

What one pound invested in 1950 to 2010 would be worth:

Building Society (Cash) - 1,560

Gilts (Government loans) - 6,146

Equities (Stocks & Shares) - 117,500 (dividends reinvested)

Retail Prices Index - 2,680

Other methods would be to utilize products that give a return over a period that is guaranteed to be above inflation. Even Tesco had launched such a bond a little while ago - but as is the case with ANY investments / savings accounts, watch out for the small print.

Of course, the past is no guarantee of the future, but what do these figures tell us?

Well, the most important one we feel is that in the longer term, say 10 years plus, it is important that any investments you have show a real return. That is a return that is higher than inflation.

To give you the best chance of this, having a relevant risk assessed investment portfolio that has the right 'blend' of asset classes that lets you sleep at night on the one hand, and yet give you the return you need on the other, is a tried and proven route.

Talking about inflation, we came across a couple of quotes to share with you:

By a continuing process of inflation, government can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens.

- John Maynard Keynes

And on a less serious note:

"Inflation is when you pay fifteen dollars for the ten-dollar haircut you used to get for five dollars when you had hair."

- Sam Ewing

Mini Quiz answers:

1. 6p - a 7,400% rise

2. 496 - a 2389% rise

3. 5p - a 1620% rise

Source: National Statistics.

The first one really is a surprise. The chip shop owners must have been salting their profit away for years! (sorry)

The Financial Tips Bottom Line

Really think about what you want in life and by when. Then measure the cost of this, and compare it to what assets you have.

If you do not know where you are going, how do you know when you'll get there ?!

Use cash flow forecasts - how does it look for you?

ACTION POINT

If you have an advisor, ask them to create you own cash flow forecast. If they do not know how to do this, then maybe it's time to find a financial planner that does!

How to Maintain a Hybrid Car

There are nearly two million registered hybrid vehicles within the US today, and more than 50 percent of respondents to a recent online survey said they're considering a hybrid purchase within the next five years. Searching out and finding the right car loan for one of these can also be a daunting task.

As popular as the vehicles are, some buyers worry that hybrids can be more expensive and more difficult to maintain than a non-hybrid vehicle. In fact, routine maintenance is actually that of a non-hybrid vehicle-and may even be cheaper in some cases. Following are a few general guidelines on maintaining a hybrid vehicle. Always consult your vehicle manual for information and maintenance schedules specific to your car.

Oil changes : For non-hybrid cars, a 3,000-mile interval between oil changes has long been the standard. (Even though experts are convinced that new oil blends permit a longer interval between changes.) For hybrid cars, a less frequent interval of 5,000-10,000 miles between oil changes is considered standard. Auto experts may point to oil and oil filters for hybrids that are different from manufacturer recommendations. These filters can cost a bit more, but it's for you to decide which recommendations you choose to follow.

Brakes : Brake pads in a hybrid may get less wear (due to the vehicle's regenerative braking capacities). So you'll likely end up in a position to replace them less frequently. Inspect brakes every 15,000 to 20,000 miles.

Batteries : Replace the air filter on the hybrid high voltage battery system every 20,000 to 40,000 miles. If the high voltage battery is not maintaining 60 to 70 percent of their charge, it's time for you to replace it-and that's about $ 3,000. (The good news? The warranties on a hybrid's high voltage propulsion motor battery are up to 8 years / 100,000 miles and achieving 150,000 miles from an original battery is not unusual.)

Drive Train : The internal combustion engine, electric motor and transmission are interconnected in a hybrid and may have different maintenance requirements than vehicles you might have previously owned. Only qualified technicians should check or make an effort to service components of the high voltage hybrid drive system and battery.

Financing : Many of the manufacturers are offering special auto financing plans aimed at the hybrid buyer. However, many consumers are looking online for all of their auto loan needs. By researching and gaining your financing before stepping foot in the dealership, you are more in control of the car buying process. What most consumers are starting to realize is the finance department is one if not the largest profit center in most dealerships. Having that financing taken care of up front eliminates the dealer from being able to profit from that portion of the sale.

Look online with the goal of finding the best overall finance option for you.

The Best Ways to Make Money Online For Beginners

Are you poking around the internet looking for the best ways to make money online? Are you slowly coming to the conclusion that only other people make money online? Not to worry. You are not the only person to think so! There are thousands of perfectly capable people like you who want to make money online but have no idea how to go about it. You need no experience or skill. All you need is a reliable internet connection and a few hours a day to make a tidy profit at the end of each month. Wondering how? Read on to find out best ways of making money online.

Selling products: This is a great way of making easy money. First you need to get a wholesaler who has products to sell. Next you start your own website where you sell the products. Once your website starts expanding and more and more people start visiting and buying from it, you can get more wholesalers who would be willing to sell their products and share the profit.

Selling domain names: This is also a very easy way of making money online. All you need to do is to buy attractive domain names which will cost you about $ 10 and selling them to other people. If you create a website under an attractive domain name, the better it will be. A few years ago when the internet was still terribly unknown, a few clever people bought all the single-word domain names. Selling them a few years later saw them becoming quite rich.

Creating websites: This is a fun way of making money online. If you are creative and love tinkering around the internet, why not create a website? Once the website becomes popular and traffic starts poring in, you will find quite a few people lining up to buy it. This is called website flipping and you can actually earn hundreds of thousands of dollars doing this. The fun thing is that you can do it over and over again.

Forex trading: If the workings of the global economic markets fascinate you, you can go for Forex trading. This is a highly profitable place where you can earn a lot of money online. But it is not easy. Making money through trading requires a lot of study of the market, ability to deal with risks and foresight.

Writing: If writing is your hobby, you could make a living online being a freelancer. You can start your own blog, write an e-book or write for websites. A lot of people do it and they are making a tidy income through it. The only thing you need to have is good writing ability and patience.

Participate in websites: There are some websites that pay people who are active members. They even share their ad revenue if you help in the promotion of their website. It is a great way of making money online as all you have to do is spread the word about their website.

Go ahead and find out the best way you can make money online. Who knows, you may start liking it enough to quit your regular job and start doing it full-time!

Heated Motorcycle Clothing - Not Just for Riders

Heated motorcycle clothing is not just for riders. Whether it's riding, winter hunting, snowmobiling, snowboarding, boating or outdoor spectator sports, heated motorcycle clothing can add comfort and pleasure to your activities and extend both the time and enjoyment of cold-weather recreation. Motorcyclists have known the benefits of heated gear for many years. Advances in technology, materials and design have allowed the production of heated motorcycle clothing that's not just for motorcycals anymore, but is sufficient for use in many situations where the elements have the upper hand - even if it's just your cold den.

Advances in technology have allowed for an ever-increasing number of ways to keep the cold at bay. Heated clothing now comes in many shapes - gloves and glove liners, socks and boot liners, pants and pants liners, jackets and jacket liners, scarves, heated grips and heated vests.

The heated vest has been one of the most popular articles of heated motorcycle clothing. The heated vest heats your core, which keeps the rest of the body warmer. With the introduction of lightweight, flexible fabrics and the advances in electrical circuitry, you can count on safe, windproof, waterproof, lightweight, stretchable garments without the downside of hot spots. One of the advantages of wearing a heated vest under a motorcycle jacket (or ski parka), is the elimination of layers of clothing and the additional flexibility of movement this allows. A warmer body and more flexibility add up to a safer riding (or skiing or snowmobiling or hunting) experience.

Heated clothing can be powered by a rechargeable battery pack, usually 7.4 volt, or the bike's motor, 12 volt. The various manufacturers offer lines of compatible battery packs, cables, connections and adapters. And many of these are interchangeable with the different different brands of heated clothing available. All heated motorcycle clothing will work with a temperature control module. One of the best known temperature control devices is the Heat-Troller, which works with most brands of clothing. In addition, there are many cable configurations which allow for the use of one piece of heated clothing - or several connected pieces - for total body comfort. Some dealers will offer a complete package for one price.

As heated clothing technology has advanced, more manufacturers have come online with heated gear. This has served to enhance and expand the range of heated gear available, while keeping the price affordable. For the most part, heated motorcycle clothing is priced between $ 60 for a pair of heated socks to $ 300 for a heated jacket with built-in heat controller. Considering the benefits provided by heated clothing - warmth, comfort, extended riding season, safety - heated motorcycle clothing is definitely a bargain. If you still need to be sold on heated clothing, for about $ 150- $ 200 you can purchase a top quality, very versatile heated motorcycle vest. See how this improves your life - and move on from there.

Money From Survey Sites - How to Look For It?

All people who are interested to make money online can take an online paid survey job. In this case, few people are only given the opportunity to locate the top paying sites. This happens because many are using the wrong method in locating them. If you want to make survey a money making business then you should find a better way to locate a high paying sites.

The survey pictures out that out of 20 persons only one percent of them can locate the proper website. This always happened because they always rely on the results given by search engines. This search engine will not bring out the sites for top paying companies.

The present reality states that there are more "low paying" websites rather than the "high paying" ones. Yes you can earn something from a low paying websites, but it is enough because you work hard just for a few earners. It is not worth and it is unfair to everyone. Those top paying companies can not be found in a basic search.

There different choices you can do, first is to search an engine and you can start signing up to the 1000's results that came up. This will take long for sure. Sometimes you might end up in a scam sites, and that is not so good. We also have the other choices, and that is by using forums. Forums are places wherein people express their feelings and experiences. With it you can trace the proper websites that offers goof money.

Focus on the topics that people are talking about on the forums. You can try to look for the things that they discuss, sometimes this will be the good ones. It is so easy, just focus and be patient to read along. With people sharing their experiences, you can reap a good benefit from them; you can also determine which one you will avoid to waste time.

Because of it you will be able to make money by filling out surveys but you can finally be paid the cash that you are worth.