Toothpick Stuck in Foot

Originally posted February 12, 2010

Last Friday I stepped on a toothpick and got half of it stuck in the heel of my foot. Since I have to post so far in advance (no Internet at home), I could be dead right now, could have a toothpick cut out of my foot, or could have it still in there. It's a cliffhanger for sure.

Anyway, in my internet travels I came across this site, and I can't make this crap up. It is some priceless humor and grammar! 

Updated 12/8/2018: I see this post in my Top Posts feed, which makes me laugh :-) I have to wonder if a lot of people are having this problem or are maybe searching "toothpick erotica." YIKES.

Here's what happened: I was too big of a baby to let anyone dig it out or to do it myself so I put on Neosporin, slapped on a Band-aid, and waited overnight. When I took the Band-aid off, the toothpick LITERALLY slid out of my foot by itself.

Voila. Something to be said for being a big old baby.

I can't tell you how many times since then I have found toothpicks on the floor. Life with kids.

Here's a photo of my husband making fun of the toothpick in my foot. There was huge drama around this situation, friends. Don't worry, it's only ketchup.

What to do About Those Aches and Pains

If you’re suffering with aches and pains that are getting you down and stopping you from getting the most out of your day to day life, it’s time you did something to combat this problem. There are so many things you can do to handle these aches and pains a little better, so there’s no need to suffer in silence and put up with the problems that you’re going through.

It’s all about finding the techniques to beat the pain that work best for you. Some of the ideas we’re about to discuss below will work well for some people and other ideas will work for other people. You need to take a trial and error approach because aches and pains are experienced and dealt with differently by different people. Read on now to find out about the things you should try.

Always Stretch, Warm Up and Cool Down When Being Active

If your pain and aches come about as a result of you exercising, it’s important to make sure you start and end your exercise sessions in the right way. You first need to stretch and do a proper warm up before getting started with your activities. You should also make sure that you take the time to cool your body down with some gentler exercises before you finish completely. If you do all that, you won’t be as likely to suffer injuries, aches and pains afterwards.

Try Strength Training to Ease Lower Back Pain

Strength training can be really helpful to people with lower back pain. When people have pain in this part of their back, it’s often because the surrounding muscles are not offering the support needed. Therefore, by strengthening the muscles in your upper body, you’re able to prevent that kind of pain becoming a problem for you. Bench presses are particularly useful for this kind of issue. They’ll strengthen the right muscles and give your back the support it needs.

Talk to Your Doctor About Medication Options

There are lots of medications and painkillers that are used to treat pain and chronic pain. If you think that this is something that would help you too, you should talk to your doctor about it. They’ll have the answers and options that’ll work for you and they’ll be able to prescribe the medication that provides you with the best outcomes. You can find the one that offers the benefits you need without too many troubles eon side effects. There are plenty of options out there.

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Consider Surgical Solutions if Necessary

There are many options out there for people who are experiencing more severe cases of pain. There are many types of spine surgery that can help with this issue, for example. This is something that you’ll need to talk to a doctor about if you think it’s something that could actually help you to deal with pain better going forward. If they agree that you’d benefit from surgery, you can move ahead with it. Follow the guidance of the doctors and surgeons you trust if you decide to take this route forwards.

Get Regular Massages From a Pro

Massages can be a huge help when it comes to dealing with aches and pains. If you exercise a lot, it’s vital to have regular massages to help your body recover and stay in good shape. It’s not just about making you feel a bit more relaxed in the moment; it’s also about achieving long-term benefits to your body and muscles as well. If you can, get regular massages from a professional because it’ll make a real difference if you’re someone who tends to experience muscle pain.

Stick to a Good Sleep Pattern

Sleeping is really important but it can also be really challenging when it comes to dealing with pain problems. People with chronic pain often find it difficult to sleep, but if you can get a good night’s sleep each night, you’ll find that those aches and pains reduce. Your body needs sleep in order to recover and repair, and that includes recovering from the things that are causing you pain. Try to keep a regular bedtime and get up around the same time each day. It’ll be likely to have a positive impact before long if you do this.

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Combat the Mental Health Problems That Can Result From Chronic Pain

Another thing that often gets ignored is the impact aches and pains can have on your mental health. When you fail to combat mental health problems relating to the pain issues you’re experiencing, it simply makes everything more difficult to overcome. That’s why counselling is something that can so often help people with chronic pain and the mental health issues it causes them. It can be hard to open up and talk but it can help a lot.

Use Breathing Techniques

Breathing techniques can be really helpful when you’re experiencing a really overpowering and overwhelming sense of pain. It helps to calm the body and focus more, and this can help you get past the feelings of pain that you’re experiencing. It’s easy to get started with this and it might have more of an impact than you imagine. Lots of people benefit from it, especially chronic pain sufferers.

Do Gentle Exercise

This might sound counterintuitive, but exercising can help your pain. Of course, we all need to be active in order to stay healthy. But gentle exercise is a great way to deal with some of the underlying problems that cause pain, especially when it relates to your muscles. Get walking and enjoy the natural environment in order to get your body moving. You might be surprised by the outcomes.

If you’ve been struggling with pain problems, be sure to give these ideas a try. Not all of them will be successful for you. But even if just one of these ideas helps you to beat the pain you’ve been experiencing recently or even just reduce it, you’ll have moved in a positive direction.

How to Protect your Money

The modern world revolves around money, and if you don’t have any, you know all about it. If you struggle with your finances, this can be a great source of stress. Uncertainty within the economy can cause you to be paranoid too. However, the truth is, it doesn't really matter how much or how little money you have. What matters is what you do with it. A millionaire could be living in credit, and when a recession hits, they suffer more than the person on $15k a year who has no debts and a cheap place to live. 

Image from Pixabay

Whoever you are, these tips can help you manage your finances:

Live within your means and save

The people who deal with money the best are realists. They know what they have, what they can afford, and how to manage their lives to work within the funds they have to play with. The world may bombard you with advertisements offering solutions to a wide array of supposed problems. Yet, it is up to you whether or not you put yourself into debt to get the thing you don’t really need in the first place. Take stock of your position. Look at your money and get real. If you can live frugally and live within your financial limitation, you will begin to save money for a rainy day as a natural course of action. Having a savings account will give you that much needed psychological boost. It is security. You will stress less and feel so much more secure. Do not let external influences push you into debt. At the end of the day, it is really not worth it. 

Injuries and insurance

You never know when an accident might happen. You could have an injury at work and be off for months at a time. Before this happens, it’s definitely worth your while to think about insurance, as this will ensure you get paid. However, even if you have insurance, you may be entitled to some compensation. Think about hiring an injury attorney to help you get those funds. This money will go a long way to protect your current savings. 

Investments

There are many different ways to invest your money, long-term and short-term, high-risk and low-risk. Think about your situation and what you can afford to lose. No investment is completely risk-free. There are stocks and shares, and certain shares pay out large dividends so you will be having a return on your investment in the short term as well as the long-term depending on how long you keep the investment. You may want to think about starting your own business on the side. This can protect you if you ever did get made redundant, for example. You could buy bonds, or invest in real estate, even a crowdfunding investment scheme such as Fundrise. When you look to invest, ensure you understand the investment. Do not allow yourself to be sweet-talked into something you do not fully get. This could have devastating effects. 

Give A Little Back To Your Community

Giving back to the community is such a valuable thing to do which can feel incredibly important and it’s so vital to ensure your community is growing and becoming more successful. This can be implemented in many different ways but there are some simple ways to get back into the community. Especially if you have been previously in trouble or had some criminal record previously, it can feel good to help out. If you have a Record Suspension or you would like to prove your with within the community. 

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Tidying Up 

You can find work in your neighbourhood by seeing what local groups help clean up the streets, keeping the place tidy and clean. Picking up trash, keeping the streets safe and clean is a very important task and the results can be seen immediately. It’s a lovely way to get involved with neighbours, to find out what is going on locally and to feel part of something. Often these types of groups are desperate for people to help, whether it’s cleaning up the local parks, or making sure all the trees and streets are cultivated and looking pristine. Search Facebook for local groups and get involved, it’s a good way to give back. 

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Donate 

Donations are never going to go a miss. Whether you’re donating to your local shelters, or to charity and thrift stores, they will always be glad for a donation. Clothes especially in the winter months are very important for homeless people. Shelters also accept blankets, any kind of bedding, clothing, food, this time of year, it’s vital to help those around you and make sure they’re getting what they need when they need it the most. Donating is great if you have too much clutter or you’re wanting to sort through your old boxes of belongings that have been stored in the attic or basement for far too long! You can often donate to your local hospitals too for children such as old toys and games are usually welcomed and it is such a positive for everyone! 

Visit a Senior Center

There are probably a few local nursing homes locally where there may be elderly people who are lonely or perhaps no family to visit them. Some residents may just be wanting someone to chat to, even if they have dementia, they may just want to have a little babble on to someone with a friendly face and often staff do not have the time to commit to helping all of them individually. Stopping by with games, having a cup of tea for just an hour or so a week can make all the difference and the Christmas period is definitely a difficult time when people should come together to help. See what homes are local to you and ask about volunteering for an hour or so to put a smile on someone’s face. The power is in your hands and you have the chance to give a little back this Christmas time.

Hosting A Hog Roast

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Are you in charge of organising an event? Whether it’s a corporate occasion or a personal celebration, there is no denying that it can be somewhat stressful. Proper planning is key, which is why we have put together this guide on hosting a pig roast. So, keep on reading to find out more…

You have decided you want to serve a delicious hog roast at the event you are hosting. Great choice! Not only does roasted pig taste exquisite, but it will make your occasion one to remember and your guests will certainly appreciate the fact that you have gone that extra mile to ensure they have a great time. But, you do need to put in some careful planning if you want everything to go smoothly. The first thing you must do is create your guest list. This is imperative, as you need to know how many people you are going to be cooking for. The last thing you want is to run out of meat and/or side dishes for people to enjoy. So, make a list of everyone you are going to invite. Ask all guests to RSVP by a particular date. If you don’t hear back from them you can always follow up by giving them a call.

It is vital to get a good idea of how many people you need to cook for. Of course, it is always better to have too much food as opposed to not enough. However, you don’t want to spend more money than necessary, especially if you have a strict budget to stick to. Once you have completed this step, you can then determine what size hog you are going to require. The great thing about our hog roast catering service is the fact that you can purchase in relation to the number of guests. Generally speaking, it is advisable to multiply 1.5 pounds by the number of guests to get the right size. But this is something you don’t need to concern yourself with.

You will also need to decide whether you want to cook the hog roast yourself or whether you want this to be handled by the catering company. This is entirely up to you. A lot of people like the idea of cooking the hog roast themselves, as they can control exactly how it is cooked and they find it to be quite a lot of fun too. However, with so many other things to plan, it can often be a weight off your shoulders to have a professional taking care of the cooking for you. There is no risk involved – you know everything is going to go smoothly. Moreover, it gives you the opportunity to fully enjoy your event as well. The best companies offering hog roasts also ensure there is a member of staff to carve the meat and another to serve it.

You also must spend some time determining what side dishes you are going to serve with the hog roast. The great thing about this meat is the fact that it goes well with a lot of dishes, so you really can be experimental with the side dishes you serve if you so wish. One thing you will have to consider is whether there are going to be any vegetarians at the event. When sending out the invitations it is advisable to ask for guests to inform you of any dietary requirements and thus you will know whether vegetarian options are essential or not. Nevertheless, it is always a good idea to put on a few vegetarian options just to be sure. This is especially the case if you are hosting a large gathering or corporate event, where it is difficult to know exactly who you are catering to.

All quality hog roast catering companies have a selection of side dishes and accompaniments for you to choose from. You also need to think about the drinks you will serve. Why not create your own cocktail? Or, if you have guests who have been in an addiction treatment program, go for mocktails instead! When serving this dish it is always advisable to have the traditional options on offer. This includes the likes of apple sauce and fresh bread rolls. This plays to the simplicity of the dish, which really is the beauty behind it all. No pig roast is complete without delicious stuffing and crispy crackling either. Should you go for traditional sage and onion stuffing or do you like the sound of cranberry or walnut and mushroom instead? The choice is of course yours. If you are feeling unsure, play it safe with sage and onion. This is a real crowd pleaser. Nonetheless, the choice is yours, and something more adventurous may fit in with the theme of your event better. Make sure the flavour enhancing rub and stuffing complement each other well.

Aside from bread and apple sauce, what other side dishes should you consider serving alongside the pig roast? You do have many different options. Think about the season. If the temperature is warm when you are serving the roasted pig, you will definitely want to have a good selection of cold side dishes. Coleslaw, salad and sweetcorn are all examples of dishes that work really well with pork, playing towards the BBQ feel of it. If you are looking for something hot, you really cannot go wrong with potatoes. You may want to create some dishes yourself to accompany the meat? Or, if you are hosting a summer party or a family event you could even ask your guests to bring along a dish each. This will certainly add to the excitement, as there’s no telling what dishes you could end up with.

Now you pretty much have the hog roast catering side of things covered. You will of course need to ensure all of the arrangements are sorted with the company in question. What time will the caterers arrive? What is entailed in the service? You will need to set aside a space for serving the pig roast. Other finishing touches include acquiring all of the plates and cutlery you need for the number of people in attendance. It is always advisable to have slightly more than necessary. Decorate the venue to create the right ambience for the occasion you are hosting. Moreover, if the event is taking place outside, it is always a good idea to purchase diffusers. This will help to keep the bugs away from the food.

Hopefully you now have a better understanding of what it takes to host the perfect pig roast. If you follow the steps that have been provided you should find the occasion runs smoothly. You simply need to be aware of how many people are expected to attend and cater to this. Moreover, when it comes to the side dishes and accompaniments, it is vital to try and cater to everyone’s tastes by ensuring there is a diverse set of options for people to choose from. Finish off with all of the extras, such as cutlery, decorations and diffusers, and you cannot go wrong.