About This Episode

Stuck trying to find the perfect gift? In this episode we will show you two great gift giving ideas for the holidays or any occasion!

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WANT MORE HOME SAVVY? WATCH THESE EPISODES:

SEASON 2

• Episode 1: How to Install a Bathroom Vanity
• Episode 2: How to Install a Bathroom Faucet
• Episode 3: How to Save Money on Your Home Energy Bills
• Episode 4: Home Decor Tips
• Episode 5: How To Decorate For The Holidays
• Episode 6: How to Light Your Home For The Holidays

SEASON 1

• Episode 1: Creating a Container Garden
• Episode 2: How to Grow Vegetables at Home
• Episode 3: Interior Painting
• Episode 4: Closet Makeover
• Episode 5: Kitchen Backsplash

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You have to be generous to have real love in your life. You need to be willing to change and compromise from time to time, but, it’s too easy (especially for women) to be the only one changing, compromising and giving for the relationship. It worse if you change so often and so much that you start to not realize it. And if you’re constantly in that type of relationship, you may have codependent tendencies. Here are some common signs of codependency:

blackenterprise.com

You never try to disagree
A major trait of a codependent person is a strong desire to avoid conflict, at all costs. You may think it’s no big deal when your partner says one little thing that you don’t agree with, but you swallow your words so as to avoid conflict. But, swallow your words enough and you’ve got a partner who thinks you agree with him on everything, and you’re not being yourself, all for the sake of being with somebody. It’s all right to have an opinion…and a backbone.

Source: Essence

I think we could all run down a list of friends we don’t want nor need in our lives, but what about recognizing the great ones you have or want to have? It’s always nice to know what qualities are great to have in your girlfriends (and male friends) so that you can dismiss the users and abusers with the quickness. There isn’t one perfect friend, but there’s a few great ones you should try to keep an eye out for and add to your “team.”

• The Ratchet But Lovable One: And by ratchet, I mean the friend who does a lot of questionable, crazy and just straight up stupid stuff from time to time. Whether it has to do with the men she messes with (that make you say to yourself, “Oh, girl…” *proceeds to shake head*), or the career choices she makes (she’s consistently undecided on what she wants to do with her future), she’s often calling you with a very interesting story to share. But outside of all that, she’s a great friend to help cheer you up. She (or he actually) has a lighthearted sense of humor and can make you chuckle like no other when you thought you were having the worst day ever. Yeah, she’s crazy, but she’s a loyal and lovable homie.

• The Goal-Oriented And Understanding Friend: While being playful and fun is cool, you also need a friend who can understand your complaints about your career and life in general to give great advice. This lady is someone you can vent about your day to, talk about your aspirations with, and just get a second opinion from because they are going through the same stuff, or have in the past. You two are on the same wave-length and are accomplishing similar things in life. And this friend is helpful at also keeping you on your toes, and most importantly, on track, because she reminds you of the goals you want to reach, even when you’re ready to give up on them yourself.

• The Girls Just Want to Have Fun BFF: A friend to listen to you and a friend to make you laugh is cool, but you can’t forget about the friend who helps pull you out of your shell. When you let yourself get swamped at work or held down by the everyday complications of life, this friend is trying to get you to take shots at the bar. She wants to go dancing with you, to check out that new movie, to go to that after work mixer, and to just keep your life a bit more spontaneous and fun. Who knew pottery could be such a stress reliever? She’s the one that will have you calling up your other friends with a cool (or crazy) story to tell the next day.

• The Rational Homie: But after all the fun has been had, you need a friend who can help you make sense of your issues. Did your man really act like an a** at that party, or were you possibly overreacting? Do you really need another pair of those pumps, girl, or do you need to focus on trying to pay down those student loans finally? Does ‘ol boy deserve a second chance, or do you need to be reminded of the pain he put you in the last time? Rational homies aren’t really the most fun friends in the world, but they can keep your world from spinning off its axis from time to time.

• The Reciprocating Buddy: MAN! Who doesn’t love a friend who appreciates the things you do for them, and is willing to do something for you in return? And without being asked!? Best. Friend. Ever. Too often you have those “friends” who ask you to drive places, jump in and out your car and never give gas. And did you have the “friend” who you gave some money to, but had to go to hell and back to get that money back from? Stingy and ungrateful friends are easy to find (sadly), but truly appreciative and giving friends are a gem to find. They offer you stuff and don’t make you feel like a burden, they help you with big tasks and are supportive, and they’re just overall good people that you don’t mind doing for. If you can find the friend who can give as much as they can receive, hold on to ‘em!

What other kind of friends would you add to the list?

More on Madame Noire!

• Hip to the Game: Red Flags We Overlook In Our 20′s And Look Out For In Our 30′s!
• Ashton Kutcher, “Brown Face,” And Why These Images Persist in Media
• Bet You Didn’t Know: Secrets Behind the Making of “Boyz N The Hood”
• Why Do We Feel The Need to Keep Explaining ‘Our’ Fatness?
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• 20 Years Later, Where Are They Now? The Cast of “The Cosby Show”
• Who You Calling a Bit**? A How-To on Properly Addressing Women
  

Unfortunately, most people don’t enjoy ripping the wrapping paper off of good intentions.  The holidays are just around the corner and you may find yourself scrambling through the sparse store shelves looking for that gift that doesn’t exist.  If you’re like me, you’ve saved the most difficult people on your list for last and you are now completely panicked and at a loss.  But before you pick up that President Obama Chia pet or the leopard print Snuggie, you may want to save your money for a gift that doesn’t seem…well, so desperate.  Here are seven gifts that aren’t worth the holiday hassle–for you or the prospective recipient:

1.  Gifts That Benefit the House

My mother had a rule in her house that you don’t purchase household appliances as gifts, because they aren’t gifts for people, they are gifts for the house.  Unless it’s a housewarming, or someone specifically asks for a George Foreman grill, save your change.  Everyone has different tastes about what they prefer to display in their home, and chances are, your guess will be way off. The last thing you want to see is your gift sitting in a cupboard collecting dust.

In a survey done by Wakefield Research earlier this year, it was found that 71 percent of elementary school and middle-school teachers spend $462 per year on school supplies for their classrooms on average. I don’t know about all teachers, but I know that many aren’t breaking the bank, and shouldn’t have to spend their bill money on classroom supplies. But of course, they do it out of the kindness of their hearts.

In an effort to give back and ensure that students have what they need in their classrooms to get a good education, Bounty has partnered with The Get Schooled Foundation to help support teachers across the country. They’ve provided teachers with the opportunity to get donations for the supplies that are most important for their classroom through a wish list on the website Teacher Wish List. Parents, other faculty members, friends, anybody really, can go online and provide money or help to their favorite teachers. They’re also doing this with the help of our main girl Jennifer Hudson, the gorgeous Adrian Grenier of Entourage and funnyman George Lopez. These big names are contributing supplies to their favorite teachers from back in the day, as well as to their former elementary schools. Hudson contributed a donation to her former music and choral teacher in Chicago yesterday.

Also, through September 27th, teachers who register their classroom wish lists on Teacher Wish List will be entered for a chance to win a $462 grant from Bounty to help them buy would they have spent their own money on. And schools with five or more registered teachers will be entered for a chance to win a $25,000 art classroom makeover from celebrity
designers from HGTV’s Home by Novogratz.

For more information on how your favorite teachers (or you if you are a teacher) can make a wish list and get people to donate, go to TeacherWishList.com. Click HERE.

So you’re sitting on the subway, minding your business, flipping through a new romance novel (or real talk, nodding off to it), when through your car walks an individual in need. They’re attire is a bit on the grimy side, and they’re shaking a cup near your face asking you to help them. What do you do? Depends on the person right? It also depends on your mood. You can choose to pull out your dollars, and/or your hard-earned quarters usually reserved for laundry day, OR keep that head down and say to yourself, “maybe next time.” Giving is an awesome thing to do, and it also makes you feel awesome too for the most part, but with scam artists out on the streets begging and then driving off in Volvo’s, people are becoming less and less willing to quickly provide a handout. Here are rules you need to know when dealing with panhandlers, and also some tips to help you determine when to give, how to say no, and how to help someone in need on the streets without going broke or getting played.