Monthly Archives: January 2019

The Abundance of Commonplace Items

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Sometimes I find it funny how often something shows up, yet I’d never really notice the frequency of such items without actually paying attention to them.

I mean, the number one culprit of this is technology. It’s truly astounding how much of it is around us without actually being visible. There are smart phones is practically every single pocket around the world. Computers are in every building. Speakers and monitors riddle every room. And this list doesn’t even go to include the numerous and random pieces of tech around kitchens, offices, and so forth.

But something that really sticks out to me on the daily is cardboard boxes. For something so simple, cheap, and easily destructible, cardboard is quite honestly everywhere. I see it at work. I see it in my home. I see it in restaurants, outside along roads, and in stores wherever I shop.

One of the places I recently saw it was at a concert. The venue was quite small but the headlining band was actually a rather popular group. I was quite surprised that the venue was the size it was for the name of the band performing, but that wasn’t something I’d ever be upset about. The show lasted around 3 hours considering there was an opening act, too.

But the cardboard I saw around the place was just interesting to me. I saw a few boxes sitting up on the stage behind the bands’ gear, first off. This was something I don’t usually see at concerts, but it was interesting nonetheless.

Also, one place I saw other cardboard boxes that wasn’t surprising was at the merch table. There were at least 20 different boxes containing shirts, stickers, albums, hats, and an assortment of other gear.

It’s just funny to me how often these sorts of things show up in your everyday life, yet half of the time or more you don’t actually pay attention to those everyday items. It’s not necessarily to say that you need to consider all sorts of commonplace things on the daily, but from time to time, it’s worth stopping and taking the time to appreciate the things that go unnoticed yet are used more than so many other things. Another one is plastic. Whether it’s containers, bottles, pens and other office supplies, or random things around your work office or home, plastic is absolutely everywhere.

Just take the time to realize how abundant certain things are. Because, honestly, that’s how things are taken for granted. Without appreciation for how handy things can be, you may grow too content with everything you have and not learn to realize how useful they are and how dependent you may be upon them.

Surprising Sugary Drinks

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When it comes to dental health, so often we hear to stay away from candies. Why is it that candy of all things seems to be the “big bad guy” of the dental world? Well, one of the main reasons is how sugary they are. The more sugar you consume, the more likely that sugar is to take hold on your teeth and cause plaque to build up and eat away at your teeth’s enamel.

The thing is, there are other food and drinks out there that have far more sugar than candy boxes contain; you just don’t ever hear about it.

So, we’ve come up with a list of those drinks that are pretty common yet have tons of sugar. Whether you’re trying to stay hydrated playing sports or want to enjoy juice at home, you should definitely keep an eye on drink labels if you want to keep your teeth healthy.

Grape juice.

Tooth decay can often occur because of the various “healthy” fruit juices you may have at home. But were you aware that grape juice contains more sugar than almost any other type of juice? A twelve ounce glass of grape juice contains more than 58 grams of sugar. That’s 2 full ounces of pure sugar in the twelve ounce glass and around 20 grams more than a can of soda.


Vitamin water.

Drinks with “vitamin” in their names aren’t always as healthy as they may advertise. While they may be packed with specific vitamins, be sure to check the label for what all is within. So before you grab yourself a vitamin water, you should know that a regular twenty ounce bottle has 31 grams of sugar. For comparison, a regular size candy bar has around 27 grams.

Assorted Organic Craft Sodas with Cane Sugar

Gatorade.

This is another common go-to drink for people who are active in sports and exercising. Unfortunately, it may not be the best choice for post-exercise rehydration. While it can vary between flavors, a typical twenty ounce bottle of Gatorade averages 34 grams of sugar. Wow.

We want you to be able to enjoy some sugary treats just as much as you want it. Just make sure to brush your teeth after meals, after plowing through a few candy boxes, and after drinking sugary drinks to keep your teeth and dental gear in great shape. It’s the things you’re least suspecting that will creep up on your oral health.

Bettering Yourself for Life

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Getting back on track in life can be a particularly tough thing to accomplish. Sure, the new year helps to motivate you some since everyone seems to love sharing their new year’s resolutions with one another on social media.

The thing is, how often do those people actually stick to their newly made routines? How often do they stick to it through a month? Half a year? For life?

Well, not often, I’m sure you could’ve guessed. A lot of resolutions on lists are life-changing goals that simply remain unaccomplished because, well, they’re pretty tough to do. To accomplish a life-changing goal, you’ve got to have a life-altering shift of mindset. It’s not all as simple as throwing your junk food in a few cardboard boxes lying around your house and then taking those cardboard boxes out and dumping everything within in the dumpster.

No, it takes a new way of thinking about your everyday life. You can’t simply expect to just get up off the couch every single day and go workout simply because your to-do list remains untouched. Rather, you’ve got to show yourself why it’s important to do, how it’ll change you, and remain tough on yourself at first. It takes over two months of something to make it a routine part of your life, and here we find ourselves just two weeks into the new year.

So, what does it take, then, to shift your outlook on everything?

It takes work. And on that note, let’s compare these resolutions, these healthy changes in your mind and body, to your career.

Why do you go to your job everyday? Well, because you have to. Why do you have to? You absolutely have to make money to pay bills and eat and live, right?

Well, look at your body and your mental health as a necessity, not an option. Look at working out and eating better and budgeting as a necessity because you absolutely have to, not because you can or should or may want to. Because you have to.

Once you shift this perspective to one of necessity rather than want, you’ll begin your path to routine. That’s the first step.

Once you’ve accomplished two or three months of steady exercising, cooking your own meals, saving money, whatever it is that you deem life changing, you’ll be in a very good routine. All you have to remember, though, is that it doesn’t stop here. You’ve got to keep at it every single day. For yourself.

Candy Containers: A Baker’s Special Weapon

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When it comes to finding the right container for your things, it can sometimes be tough. I mean, when you have to turn to packing up and moving all your things, some items are simply too oddly shaped or need specific boxes to house them.

For example, think about picture frames. They almost always have glass covers and usually house a special photo you’ve had for years. You don’t exactly want to stack these in a cardboard box, do you? Seems like a pretty precarious idea. Instead, you look for thin picture boxes suited to protecting your frames.

Well, confectionaries, cupcakes, and candies are no different. You may own your own bakery or candy store. Similarly, you may just be someone who enjoys baking and selling your goods to family, friends, and other people in your community. It brings you joy to create foods that people find sweet, delicious, and comforting.

So, you need a container for them, whether you’re shipping them or simply wanting to give your customers something worth presentation. Look no further than candy boxes. These sorts of boxes are perfect for displaying your sweet treats in specific orders, or simply just separating different types of candy.

The best part of these boxes are how inexpensive they are. You can grab a ton in bulk to have in your storage for the next year, if you please. The best part is that they don’t cut into your profit margins, as they’re very cheap and extremely useful.

By having your treats in candy boxes, you also boost the perceived value that your customer will associate with your goods. They’ll see a nice presentation and container that holds the things they actually wanted within. You’ll come off as more professional, more successful, and more detailed simply by having a sense of presentation attached to the things you bake and create.

So if you’re on the fence about making the plunge into specified containers for your goods, I’m here to say you should do it. Paper bags aren’t enough. And loaning your own tupperware containers out can get exhausting, especially if you don’t get them back in a timely fashion from family members.

Having these boxes will boost your business, create a sense of professionalism, and even give you a “brand” that is recognizable by many. Don’t hesitate on grabbing some of these containers for your next few months of baking. It’ll serve you well.