I am a huge fan of the Indigo Girls. Recently a friend of mine, who’s just started listening to them, asked me to help her figure out which album she should buy next. That’s when it occurred to me that they have a ton of stuff! New fans might be a little intimidated when trying to decide which album to start with… nobody wants to waste money on something they didn’t really want. I decided to make a resource page to help out anyone in this predicament. Check it out!

Indigo Girls Resource Page

Run Your Car On Water is another eBook (can you tell I’m a fan of those? Instant gratification, easy access, and you get to be green because there’s no packaging!). There are lots of instruction guides out there on how to convert your car to a partially water-powered vehicle. They all say essentially the same thing, but this one is by far the cheapest. It’s selling right now for $49.99. The next cheapest eBook is called Water4Gas, and it sells for $97. It’s also really good, and has a bit more information on its website, so it’s worth checking out even if you buy the cheaper one.

This may be the biggest no-brainer purchase when you think that this book costs the same as one tank of gas (if you’re lucky!). It pays for itself almost immediately now that gas is over $4.00/gallon.

Overview: Basically, the method in Run Your Car On Water uses the power from your car’s battery to convert water (H2O) to a gas (HHO), which it then uses to power your car (as a supplement to gas, of course).

Facts and Figures:
- The materials needed to convert your car cost about $60-$150
- One quart of water provides up to 1800 gallons of HHO, which can power your car for months
- Saves an average of $110/month in gas
- It’s actually safer than hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, because the gas is extracted slowly, rather than keeping large amounts of hydrogen, which is very flammable, in your car
- The only emission from this process is pure water, and it cuts down on your regular gas emissions
- It actually reduces your engine temperature
- It’s really easy to undo – no major changes
- It’s possible to do this without voiding your warranty – the book tells you how.

I’m a huge proponent of green technology, and this is something quick, easy, and cheap that anyone can do. Plus, it’s mutually beneficial – saves the environment while saving tons of money on gas. It’s a great way to contribute even if you don’t have lots of money to spend.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 – a must-do.

Click here to visit the Run Your Car On Water website.
Click here to visit the Water4Gas website.

Run Your Car On Water is another eBook (can you tell I’m a fan of those? Instant gratification, easy access, and you get to be green because there’s no packaging!). There are lots of instruction guides out there on how to convert your car to a partially water-powered vehicle. They all say essentially the same thing, but this one is by far the cheapest. It’s selling right now for $49.99. The next cheapest eBook is called Water4Gas, and it sells for $97. It’s also really good, and has a bit more information on its website, so it’s worth checking out even if you buy the cheaper one.

This may be the biggest no-brainer purchase when you think that this book costs the same as one tank of gas (if you’re lucky!). It pays for itself almost immediately now that gas is over $4.00/gallon.

Overview: Basically, the method in Run Your Car On Water uses the power from your car’s battery to convert water (H2O) to a gas (HHO), which it then uses to power your car (as a supplement to gas, of course).

Facts and Figures:
- The materials needed to convert your car cost about $60-$150
- One quart of water provides up to 1800 gallons of HHO, which can power your car for months
- Saves an average of $110/month in gas
- It’s actually safer than hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, because the gas is extracted slowly, rather than keeping large amounts of hydrogen, which is very flammable, in your car
- The only emission from this process is pure water, and it cuts down on your regular gas emissions
- It actually reduces your engine temperature
- It’s really easy to undo – no major changes
- It’s possible to do this without voiding your warranty – the book tells you how.

I’m a huge proponent of green technology, and this is something quick, easy, and cheap that anyone can do. Plus, it’s mutually beneficial – saves the environment while saving tons of money on gas. It’s a great way to contribute even if you don’t have lots of money to spend.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 – a must-do.

Click here to visit the Run Your Car On Water website.
Click here to visit the Water4Gas website.

I’ve had several requests from friends to post a blog about dog training, since this is something that I do lots of. So, I’m branching out from my usual straight-up product review to give some of my own advice. I’m only going to cover the two most essential training processes in this article, but I’ll give you some great resources that cover everything else:

RESOURCES:
Sit Stay Fetch
Dove Cresswell’s Dog Training Online
Dog Whisperer With Cesar Millan – The Complete First Season
Cesar’s Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems

SUPPLIES:
Economy Puppy Pads 100 Count Pack (100 for $12.99 – this is by far the cheapest I’ve found them.)
OdoBan Odor Eliminator – Concentrate – Makes up to 32 Gallons! (the best cleaner I’ve found – it’s concentrated, so water it down in a spray bottle, and you can use it on any surface, including your fabric furniture.
Mini Naturals – 1 pound – Peanut Butter Flavored (keep a bunch of these in your pocket when training, walking, or going outside – makes it really easy to reinforce good behavior on a moment’s notice)

INTRO: THE BOTTOM LINE:
The most important thing to remember when training your dog is that you must establish dominance. Dogs operate in packs, and each pack has an Alpha dog. All the other dogs answer to this dog, and this is what you need to be to your dog. If your dog sees you as his Alpha, he will want to do whatever he can to make you happy. You just have to let him know what you want!

HOUSEBREAKING:
Dogs are all about routine. You MUST be consistent in your potty routine. You can’t explain the plan in advance to your puppy – you have to get your puppy to do the right thing, and then praise him for it so he’ll want to do it again.

1. Establish a command, just like you have for “sit” and “stay.” I use “hurry, hurry” because it’s not embarrassing to say in public.

2. Think like a puppy. The number one mistake that people make in housebreaking their dogs is yelling at or punishing a dog after the fact for urinating or defecating in the house. Dogs don’t understand punishment the way we do, so this is rarely constructive.

3. Stay one step ahead of your dog. Because dogs don’t really understand punishment, training is much more effective if you can reinforce good behavior rather than correcting bad behavior. In order to do this, take your dog out much more frequently than you think he should need to go to avoid accidents. Every two hours is a good rule, but some dogs go more or less, so find a pattern.

4. NEVER (this is a hard one!) leave your puppy unattended. If you catch him sniffing, you can take him outside so he has a success, which you can then reward, helping him form good habits. If you leave him alone, you won’t see him sniffing, which will probably result in an accident. Each accident sets you back in training, so stay on top of it.

5. Make sure you have a set routine. I like to take my puppy out every two hours, or whenever he wakes up. I have a fenced in yard he likes to play in, so I take him out on his leash first. When he goes, he immediately gets a treat (I keep them in my pocket), then he gets to play off-leash.

WALKING:
Walking is one of the best things you can do to bond with your dog, as well as to establish dominance. It’s important to remember not to lose your temper with your dog, no matter how frustrated you get. Remember that dogs want to please you, so if he’s doing the wrong thing, it’s probably because he doesn’t understand what you want. If you yell at him or scare him, it won’t improve the situation… it’ll probably just result in a neurotic dog.

1. Teach your dog to heel. This is a tricky one, but dogs REALLY like to know what’s expected of them, so it’s your job to communicate this. Choose which side you want the dog to walk on (left is standard) and STICK TO IT. Also make sure you stay ahead of or beside your dog, but never behind (if you’re behind your dog, he’ll think that he’s leading you rather than the other way around). For a bigger dog, you can hold a treat in front of his face and walk forward. Usually he’ll follow the treat, so you can keep him where you want him. It’s okay if he licks the treat while it’s in your hand, as long as he’s still walking in the right place. Make sure you reward and praise your dog as soon as he does the right thing. You can also use a slight leash “pop” on any dog, as long as he’s walking on a choke collar. This is not a yank, and it should not hurt your dog even a little. It is only enough tension to redirect the dog’s attention. Make sure to hold the leash loosely, but without too much slack. That way, if the dog goes off course, the collar will tighten, and the dog will realize that if he is getting out of line. Whatever you do, DON’T allow your dog to stop and sniff or play while you’re training. There’s time for that later, but for now, you want to keep your structure, and make sure your dog knows that you’re in charge of where you go and what you do.

2. Reward Good Behavior. Once you’ve had a good, vigorous walk, give your dog some “free time,” along with lots of praise. This is his reward for behaving on his walk. It’s obviously best if this free time can happen off-leash, but if this isn’t feasible, just make sure you allow your dog to sniff around and play and have fun before going inside.

3. If you’re having trouble getting your dog to focus or pay attention at the beginning of his walk, it might help to run with him for a few minutes before starting the training process. This will help expel some of his pent-up or nervous energy, and is a good starting point for training anyway, as most dogs will automatically heel if their master is running.

Good luck! Here’s the list of resources again:

RESOURCES:
Sit Stay Fetch
Dove Cresswell’s Dog Training Online
Dog Whisperer With Cesar Millan – The Complete First Season
Cesar’s Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems

SUPPLIES:
Economy Puppy Pads 100 Count Pack (100 for $12.99 – this is by far the cheapest I’ve found them.)
OdoBan Odor Eliminator – Concentrate – Makes up to 32 Gallons! (the best cleaner I’ve found – it’s concentrated, so water it down in a spray bottle, and you can use it on any surface, including your fabric furniture.
Mini Naturals – 1 pound – Peanut Butter Flavored (keep a bunch of these in your pocket when training, walking, or going outside – makes it really easy to reinforce good behavior on a moment’s notice)

This review will be a quick one – I really only have one thing to say, which is that the Sunny Health & Fitness Mini Stepper is truly a great product! I bought it about a year ago, and have been using it regularly ever since. Anyone who knows me will tell you that this is quite an achievement! It’s not that I hate exercise – it’s just that I’m lazy about everything it entails. I can’t get myself to go to the gym, because of all the steps involved (change clothes, get water/ipod/book ready, lock up the dog, drive to the gym, work out, shower, change, dry hair, drive home, etc.) Plus, I hate having to pay a monthly fee to do the same exercises over and over. I love the mini-stair stepper because it eliminates all those extra steps, and I can just do it at home. Plus, I only have to buy it once, and after that, it’s free to use. I usually put on a DVD of some old sitcom, and do the stair stepper for 1/2 hour while I watch the show.  Here’s why I love it:

- It’s ridiculously convenient. It is so small and compact that it stores easily in any closet, or even under some beds. This is very important to me because I live in a small studio apartment.  I initially tried a mini-trampoline (reminiscent of Fried Green Tomatoes!).  It was lots of fun, but I had nowhere to keep it!

- It’s a really good workout. What makes the Sunny Health & Fitness brand stand out among the rest is that it has resistance bands. This means that the stairs work the lower body, while the bands work the upper body. I’ve also found that if I twist while using the stepper, I get a good workout on my abs, too.  It’s great overall exercise.

- It’s a good price. Amazon sells this stepper for $59.99 I bought a different mini-stair stepper at Wal-Mart for $69.99 which didn’t have resistance bands, and which I promptly returned when I found this one.

I also definitely recommend buying this product at Amazon for a couple of reasons: they usually have the best price that you can find, they’re completely reliable, and they are really easy when it comes to returns. I found this out first-hand also – as I mentioned, early in my search for exercise equipment, I bought a mini-trampoline from Amazon. It said it came apart “for easy storage,” which it didn’t. I returned it because the description was inaccurate, and it was really easy and quick.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 – If you’re looking for something that you’ll be able to do consistently without lots of trouble and inconvenience, this is the one for you.

Click Here to purchase the Sunny Health & Fitness Mini Stepper with Resistance Bands

In case you want a few more options:
- Exercise Stepper (Steel) (14.25″L x 14″W x 14.75″H)($99.99 and no resistance bands)
- Mini Side Stepper by WellnessGear ($69.99 and no resistance bands)
- mini-trampoline (great fun if you have the room, although you don’t get much upper-body workout unless you do it with weights…)

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You can also buy this book on Amazon.com