IRS Deadline

Millions of people have not even looked at filing their 2009 IRS tax returns yet.

There are just 16 days remaining to file your 2009 Internal Revenue Service income tax returns.

I started reviewing many articles on the web for ways to cut your IRS taxes. In my opinion, the best one I found was “12 ways to cut your taxes – The bright spot of the dreary 2009 economy: savings for everyone.” at CNN.Money.com.

Below is their suggested list of 12 ways to cut your taxes.  How many apply to you and may help you save money when completing your 2009 return?

1. Bought a house
2. Have a kid in college
3. Bought a new car
4. You were out of work
5. Helped those in Haiti
6. Had investment losses
7. Weathered a disaster
8. Made energy-efficient home improvements
9. Own property but don’t itemize
10. You picked up a second job
11. Moved for work
12. You’re a high earner

Before writing that check - read the article

So if you have experienced one of the above events in your life in 2009 – you may want to check it out further and read the entire article at CNNMoney.com.

Enjoy the article and get those taxes filed.

Have a GREAT DAY!

Share on Facebook

• How hard is it for you to get motivated?
• Are your friends there for you?
• What lifts your spirits up?

This has helped me through the years to get motivated, Desiderata. Hope it helps you too.

Have a GREAT DAY!

Share on Facebook

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

There are an estimated 70 million people world-wide who can claim Irish heritage. St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17th as this is traditionally known at the day St. Patrick died in C. 493.  The people of Ireland, for centuries, noted this day as a solemn religious event, by attending mass, perhaps wearing green and sporting a shamrock but not much more.

One of the early references to the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in America was noted by the Charitable Irish Society which was founded on St. Patrick’s day in Boston, 1737.

In 1762 in New York City, an Irishman, John Marshall, has a party at his house and the guests that attended marched as a group to his house to honor St. Patrick’s Day.  It became know as the unofficial “parade.”   It was actually 1766 in New York, when the first recorded  true parade took place.  It has been held every year since with few exceptions.

Image via Wikipedia

In America today massive St. Patrick’s Day parades are celebrated in New York, Boston and Chicago.  In Chicago the river is made green in honor of the Irish.

Another interesting thing about St. Patrick’s day is finding or catching a Leprechaun (it is said they would give you gold).  This event could only take place in Ireland.

There is also the saying, “The Luck of the Irish” which may have come from their natural fighting skills of their descendants who were great Celtic and Viking fighters and invaders.  They had natural fighting skills that helped them survive and became know as “The Luck of the Irish.”

Whether you are Irish or not – let’s all celebrate today and watch how much Green Beer you drink – who knows may be you will find a Leprechaun and have “The Luck of the Irish” and get a pot of Gold.

Share on Facebook

Passing the Torch

The 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay is a 10 day event that began on March 3rd, 2010 in Ottawa and will conclude at the opening ceremony in Vancouver on March 12, 2010. There will be 600 torchbearers to carry the Paralympic Flame.

This torch relay gives us all a chance to honor the Paralympians that have defied the odds and will share their inspiring and unique stories.

The 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay shows the burning desire the Paralympians have inside of them and we can appreciate  their achievements and passions to celebrate and participate in sports no matter what their odds are.

We are just two days from the Paralympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony in Vancouver  British Columbia.

On March 11, 2010, the Paralympic Torch will be at the main campus of the University of British Columbia (UBC) which is just 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver and where annually 50,000 students come to pursue their post-secondary studies.

The Paralympic celebrations will take place by the Student Union Building near the UBC Thunderbird Area – where the ice sledge hockey competition will be held.

The celebration is to start at 11:00 am and the UBC community torchbearer will be Bonita Sawatzky, who is an associate professor specializing in the spine in orthopaedics.

Ms. Sawatzky was involved in a car accident in 1993, before that she was active in sports (swimming, cycling and hiking). She competed in the In 1987  at the BC Summer Games and she won two gold medals for the Physically Disabled in the 1,500-meter and 3,000-meter cycling events.

Ms. Sawatzky applauds the ability of the Paralympians and has involved many of them in her research projects.

Paralympic Torch Bearer

Don’t miss the 2010 Winter Paralympics Opening Ceremonies Friday – March 12, 2010

Join me in supporting these fantastic athletes.

Share on Facebook

Image via Wikipedia

As I was reviewing my favorite blogs today, I came across this post written by Leo Babauta and wanted to share it with you.  It’s very informative, very simple but to many hard to do.

After reading the article I can relate to it as I practice Yoga and meditate almost daily.  It is when we can quiet our minds that we allow it to come.  This is how the Law of Attraction works.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.  Namaste!

————————————————————————————————————————

“Activity conquers cold,  but stillness conquers heat.” ~ Lao Tzu

It’s a bias of our culture that stillness is regarded as lazy, as being stuck in inaction, as a negative.

It’s not. It’s an action, and a powerful one.

What’s more, it can change your day, and in doing so change your life.

You’re in the middle of a frazzled day, swamped by work and meetings and emails and interruptions, or hassled by kids and phone calls and errands and chores.

You pause. Stay still for a minute, and breathe. You close your eyes, and find a stillness within yourself. This stillness spreads to the rest of your body, and to your mind. It calms you, centers you, focuses you on what you’re doing right now, not on all you have to do and all that has happened.

The stillness becomes a trans-formative action.

Stillness can be a powerful answer to the noise of others. It can be a way to push back against the buzz of the world, to take control. It can remind you of what’s important.

How to Practice
Stillness, oddly, doesn’t come naturally to many people. So practice.

1. Start your day in stillness.

• Whether it’s sitting with a cup of coffee as the world awakes, or
• sitting on a pillow and focusing on your breath,
• stillness is a powerful way to start your day.
• It sets the tone for things to come. Even 5-10 minutes is great.

2. Take regular stillness breaks.

• Every hour, set an alarm on your computer or phone to go off. Think of it as a bell that rings, reminding you to be still for a minute.
• During this minute, focus first on your breathing, to bring yourself into the present.
• Let the worries of the world around you melt away — all that is left is your breath.
• And then let your focus expand beyond your breath to your other senses, one at a time.

3. When chaos roars, pause.

• In the middle of a crisis or a noisy day, stop.
• Be still.
• Take a deep breath, and focus on that breath coming in, and going out.
• Find your inner stillness and then let your next action come from that stillness.
• Focus on that next action only.

Let stillness become your most powerful action.  It could change your life.

“Through return to simple living Comes control of desires. In control of desires Stillness is attained. In stillness the world is restored.”  ~ Lao Tzu

****************************************************************************

You may find this book written by Leo Babauta, helpful in your journey to peace and stillness. The Power of Less: The Fine Art of limiting Yourself to the Essential”




Check it out today at Amazon!

Share on Facebook

Image via Wikipedia

I Love the Irish & their Great Sense of Humor!

The Chicago River is dyed green for St. Patrick’s Day.

Check out this video to learn how to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day like an Irishman.  You have until 3-17-2010 to get it right.  Enjoy!

Share on Facebook

Take a Break from your busy day.

I listen to this before doing my Yoga -  Namaste.

Share on Facebook

Image via Wikipedia

Why do we remember this phrase?

Was it the soothsayer’s warning to Julius Caesar?

Did Caesar listen to the warning?

The term, “Ides of March” in the Roman times was how they simply referred to March 15 – nothing special – just a day of the year.  Idus (ides) was originally referred to the day of the full moon.  Ides comes from Latin, meaning “half division” of the month.  Every year has 12 ides – one in each month.

The earliest Roman calendar which is said to have been created by Romulus, Rome’s mythical founder. The calendar was complex & the months were organized around three days.

The three reference days were:
1. Kalends was the first day of the month is derived from Calendar from Kalendrium which in Latin means account book, was the first of the month on which bills are due.
2. Nones was the 7th day in March, May, July and October; the other months it was the 5th day of the month
3. Ides was the 15th day in March, May, July, and October and in the other months it was the 13th day of the month

Whoa -  it got complicated to say the least – for unnamed days of the month, they were referenced by counting backwards from the Kalends, Nones, or the Ides and the counting was inclusive, that is counting the  reference day of Kalends, Nones, or Ides. For example:  say March 4 if would be IV Nones  or 4 days before March 7th.

In modern times the term Ides of March is the date that Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC as he was warned by the soothsayer, in the William Shakespeare’s play of Julius Caesar, “Beware the Ides of March” – obviously Caesar did not listen to the warning.

Celebrations of the Ides of March and

the assassination of Julius Caesar

1. In Rome, in the place where Caesar was killed, each year in Hash House Harriers have a toga run in the streets.

2. In Atlanta, Georgia, the Ides of March the Atlanta Chapter of the Dagorhir’s have a Season-Opening National Camp out.  This is it’s fourth year – a 4 day event on Thursday, March 11 through Sunday, March 14, 2010.

The Ides of March

“The Ides of March” – Thornton Wilder was a famous American playwright and novelist.  He received three Pulitzer Prizes:

1.  One for his novel “The Bridge of San Luis Rey”

2. One for his play “Our Town“

3. One for his play “The Skin of Our Teeth”

4. A National Book Award for his novel “The Eight Day“.

He wrote “The Ides of March” as an epistolary novel. In the book he tells the story of Julius Caesar in the days leading up to his assignation by using letters written by many different people which allows us to see Julius Caesar from different view points.

Caesar was an very ambitious, intelligent, energetic man who had  the will to exercise power. People saw him differently as a dictator, military genius, and a great politician OR was he.

Check out this book as Thornton Wilder has make history fun.  Let us know what you think.

Share on Facebook

Image via Wikipedia

Closing Ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics

Congratulations to all the athletes who competed in Vancouver British Columbia,  Canada home of the 2010 Winter Olympics.  Each athlete proudly represented their country in each of the 15 sports events and 86 categories where Gold, Silver and Bronze medals were  awarded for a total of 258 Olympic medals.

It has been 17 days of lifetime experiences for hundreds of athletics and millions of citizens of the world supporting their countrymen.

Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Medal chart by country.

This afternoon I watched the Canada and USA Ice Hockey Game for the Gold Medal in overtime. Canada took it with a score of 3-2, Canada took the Gold and the United States took the Silver.

The United States lead the Olympics

with a total of 37 medals.

*****************************

9 GOLD MEDALS

*****************************

Alpine Skiing – Men’s Super Combined
MILLER Bode

Alpine Skiing – Ladies’ Downhill
Lindsey VONN

Bobsleigh – Four-Man in their bobsleigh named “Night Train” wins Gold since 1948
Curtis TOMASEVICZ
Steve MESLER
Justin OLSEN
Steven HOLCOMB

Figure Skating – Men’s 1st USA man that won since 1988
Evan LYSACEK

Freestyle Skiing – Ladies’ Moguls
Hannah KEARNEY

Nordic Combined – Individual LH/10 km CC
DEMONG Bill

Snowboard – Men’s Halfpipe
Shaun WHITE

Speed Skating – Men’s 1000m
Shani DAVIS

Snowboard – Men’s Snowboard Cross
Seth WESCOTT

*****************************

15 SILVER MEDALS

*****************************

Alpine Skiing – Men’s Super-G
Bode MILLER

Alpine Skiin – Ladies’ Downhill
Julia MANCUSO

Alpine Skiing – Ladies’ Super Combined
Julia MANCUSO

Figure Skating – Ice Dance
Meryl DAVIS & Charlie WHITE

Freestyle Skiing – Men’s Aerials
Jeret PETERSON

Ice Hockey – Women
UNITED STATES

Ice Hockey – Men
UNITED STATES

Nordic Combines – Individual LH/10km CC
Johnny SPILLANE

Nordic Combined – Team/4×5 km CC
Brett CAMEROTA
Bill DEMON
Johnny SPILLANE
Todd LODWICK

Nordic Combined – Individual NH/10km CC
Johnny SPILLANE

Short Track Speed Skating – Men’s 1500m
Apolo Anton OHNO – Holds record with 8 Winter Olympic Medals

Short Track Speed Skating – Ladies’ 1000m
Katherine REUTER

Snowboard – Ladies’ Halfpipe
Hannah TETER

Speed Skating – Men’s 1500m
Shani DAVIS

Speed Skating – Men’s Team Pursuit
Briwn HANSEN
Trevor MARSICANO
Jonathan KUCK
Chad HEDRICK

*****************************

13 BRONZE MEDALS

*****************************

Alpine Skiing Ladies’ Super-G
Lindsey VONN

Alpine Skiing Mens’ Super-G
Andrew WEIBRECHT

Alpine Skiin – Men’s Downhill
Bode MILLER

Bobsleigh – Women’s
Elana MEYERS
Erin PAC

Freestyle Skiing – Men’s Moguls
Bryon WILSON

Freestyle Skiing  – Ladies’ Moguls
Shannon BAHRKE

Short Track Speed Skating
- Men’s 5000m Relay
United States

Short Track Speed Skating
- Ladies’ 3000m Relay
United States

Short Track Speed Skating – Men’s 1000m
Apolo Anton OHNO – Holds record with 8 Winter Olympic Medals

Short Track Speed Skating – Men’s 1500 m
J.R. Celski

Snowboard – Ladies’ Halfpipe
Kelly CLARK

Snowboard – Mens’ Halfpipe
Scott LAGO

Speed Skating – Men’s 1000m
Chad HEDRICK

Hope you all enjoyed the 2010 Winter Olympics as much as our family did.

Stay tuned for the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games March 12-21, 2010

Share on Facebook

Resolution Updates

Here are my February – 2010 new year’s resolution updates. My apologies for not posting my mid- month resolution status.  I have been watching the Winter Olympics since the Opening Ceremony on February 12, 2010.

So let’s get right to the updates because these monthly reports are helping me to keep accountable, focused and on-track for reaching my New Year’s resolutions.

1. Positive Attitude – Well we had another good snow fall and it stayed on the ground for about 3 days.  We have had record cold temperatures as most of the country has experienced this winter.

2. Manage my time better - I am progressing slowly with this jigsaw puzzle called social networking and internet marketing and I’m making progress daily.  It is quite a challenge challenging to balance this thing called life and work.

3. Like the movie – Pay it Forward - I helped a friend out by house and cat sitting when they went away for Super Bowl Weekend to celebrate it with other friends.  The cat was well behaved and we both enjoyed the peace and quiet.  The dogs also enjoyed their road trip.

4. For the little successes – I’m continuing with changing my diet and practice yoga daily.  I have lost a total of 7 pounds this year.  This has encouraged me to continue with making better and healthier food choices.  

5. Laugh more – I was able to laugh more this month by watching the Wanda Sykes in I’ma Be Me movie.  It was so funny and she is a good comic.

6. Be aware of the changes you make each day, keep moving forward. I’m reporting and sharing my diet and exercise progress with a good friend of mine and maintaining my personal journal.

7. Get out of my comfort zone. As I get further into this Internet marketing it is helping me expand my self in areas that I have not in the past. coming up with ideas to blog about is quite a challenge at times, as you may have noticed.  Leave me a comment with any suggestions you may have.

8. Be realistic about your resolutions – I still believe that I have made very real and reachable goals while also be prepared for the unexpected – like more snow and freezing temperatures.

9. Be invested 100% in yourself – I am committed in 2010.  I will dedicate myself and stay focused and do what I need to do to get back into shape in my body, mind and soul. Even to the point of resisting Brownies, I did not eat any only smelled them when they were cooking.  That is will power.

10. Lose weight at a steady and healthy rate until I reach my goal weight. In January and February so far a total of ?? 4 pounds and feel it is a very good start for me.

I practiced meditation and yoga for 38 of the 54 days or 68% of the days  in January & February.  An increase of 13% since lst month.

I continue to keep a health journal to track my food and exercise progress.  Writing it down makes yo much more accountable and on track to meeting your goals.

How are you doing with your New Year’s Resolutions?

Let us know and leave a comment below.

Together we can do it.

Share on Facebook