Promotional items online

Today as I was jotting down some notes, I noticed that the pen I was writing with was a souvenir that I had received at a conference sometime back. It made me realise how important promotional items are. Among the best ways to promote your company or brand is by giving away promotional items printed clearly with the company names and logos. Given away as door gifts, part of the conference pack or gifts to clients, the most common items include t-shirts, pens, mugs, mousepads and stationery.

There are several online stores where you can order promotional items for your company and the World's biggest online seller of promotional products is said to be Branders.com. Another popular company is Vistaprint.co.uk.

These sites carry all types of gifts ranging from the usual items like pens and mugs to promotional apparel and even personalized food gifts.

Motorway rest area cons - beware

This weekend, we were on our way back from London on the M1 and stopped at the Toddington rest area to take a break. As soon as I got out of the car a guy approached me - white, about 5 feet 6 with short cropped hair, wearing jeans and a white t-shirt and sneakers.

He said that his car was out of petrol and that his kids were with him in the car ( he pointed somewhere far away and there were a lot of cars). He wanted to borrow £5 just to get back home. I instinctively reached for my wallet without thinking but I took a look at him and didn't really the look in his eyes. I told him that I didn't have any change. But he was persistent an asked me if I could take out money from the ATM. This made me even more suspicious and I refused and walked away. I was feeling a bit guilty and thinking to myself "what if he was telling the truth?" when I noticed he was then talking to another car driver but this time he was pointing in the opposite direction. It was then I realised that he was a con artist and I am glad that I trusted my instincts.

Not sure whether the guy is still trying to con people at the rest areas but be careful.

Early signs of autism

While talking to other parents, we have come to realise that all our kids had certain similar signs and symptoms when they were small. Here I list down the 10 main ones to look out for. If your child displays some of these symptoms, I seriously suggest that you should go and see a developmental paediatrician to have your child examined.

1. Delayed speech.
2. Poor eye contact.
3. Spinning objects.
4. Hand flapping.
5. Rocking back and forth.
6. Limited diet, consisting mostly of gluten (e.g., bread, cookies, etc.).
7. Sensitivity to light and loud sounds.
8. Walking on tip toes.
9. Lining up objects.
10. Poor sleep.

Spraying on the plaster

I am really into DIY right now and am picking up the skills by trial and error. I find the DIY programmes on TV really, especially where they buy a dump and turn it into their dream home. Another reason I like to watch these programme is because I would like up to do up my own home one day. For now my DIY work is limited to painting walls and putting up shelves. Anyway, one skill I would liek to learn is plastering the walls.

I recently saw a programme where the plaster was sprayed on instead of the normal hand troweling. It looked much more convenient and is obviously faster. Anyway,if you are looking for plastering tools, check out Mortarsprayer.com. The company which is based in Eugene, Oregon manufactures 3 different plastering tools which should cover all your different plastering needs.

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Royal Wedding - what people are talking about

Last weekend I was in London to see my in-laws off. I was thinking of going out to watch the Royal wedding celebrations but changed my decision at the thought of the crowds and my kids. We were able to watch the wedding in the comfort of my bro-in-law's house.

I really enjoyed and what ever people say, I think that the event was really what the British public needed. To a lot of people weary of the cuts, rise in prices, job losses and everything else, the event provided a welcome respite and brought cheer to a lot of people - even republicans. I am still enjoying the holidays.

Looking at the blogosphere and the various social media, the two most popular topics related to the wedding seem to be about bridesmaid Grace van Cutsem, who is also Prince William god daughter.

She was covering her ears and not really enjoying the event. Many thought that she might have some sensory problems (autism?) but people seem to forget that she is just 3 years old. Some of the comments were really cruel.

Another popular topic is Princess Beatrice's Philip Treacy Hat. It's a viral on the net now and you can even have your own picture with the hat on.

A lot of people don't seem to like the hat. If it was attention she was looking for when she choose the hat, she got it. I thought it was really brave of her.

Other popular news seems to be about Pippa Middleton, the bride's sister and maid of honour;and about the controversial snub of former (Labour)Prime Ministers, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, both of whom were not invited to the wedding.

Another autism guide

A few days back we had our son's six month review. This was to evaluate whether his school is suitable for him. We had fought hard to get a place in this school which is actually the only Mainstream school in Coventry to have a special autism unit attached with it. The places are limited but we were able to get our son in. We did not want to send him to a general special school which are not really focussed on children with autism.

Anyway, we have realised that because of our son, our research on autism has actually exceeded that of our own PhD research (based on the number of files and books we have in the house).

I will be carrying a list of blogs and resources on the net on autism with my readers. This is the first of the series.

While going through the net, I came across the autism guide for parents. This is an informative blog with short posts that I think will assist parents of autistic children. There are several posts and one of the posts talks about 'how parent's cope with autistic children". I can definitely relate to some of the stuff written down there. I wish other parents with neurotypical children understand what we have to go through.

Join us in our journey with our son Imaan as well.

Alternative registration for cars in California

If you live in California and hate to queue up to register your car with the Department of Motor vehicles or the DMV, visit Nodmvlines.com.

According to Skeet DMV Consultant and Owner of Nodmvlines.com, if you need to register your car, she will deal with the DMV so that you do not need to go in, make an appointment, or ever have to go to the DMV and wait in line.

The office is located at 21777 Ventura Boulevard Suite 267, Woodland Hills, CA 91364.

The service will take care of all registration requirements so you dont have to wait or make an appointment. Other services include transfer of vehicle ownership, lost plates and certificates, registration of out-of-state vehicles among others. The company can also help you obtain personalised plates as well.

Please visit the site for more details. More content will be added soon.

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