Early pregnancy symptoms

The first signs of pregnancy in no particular order are when you miss your period and your menstrual cycle becomes erratic. This is not necessarily the first symptom. Smell and taste become a heightened sensation and waking up first thing in the morning is the worst time for many women. Symptoms vary from person to person and some women have no symptoms at all and do not even know they are pregnant while others struggle through an uncomfortable period for one or two months.

 

Taste and smell – Your senses are out of whack and the moment the aroma of coffee or the smell of bacon drifts down the stairs you run to the loo to throw up. You become nauseous easily and have a funny taste in your mouth. You try chewing gum and sucking a lollipop, but the taste persist and make you spit out saliva all the time. Gravol is frequently used by pregnant women to get rid of the nausea.

Sore breasts – this is a frequent complaint in the first three months when the breasts feel full and tender. The nipples are sore and the breasts grow larger. The nipples will be sensitive to touch and may require a bra which can accommodate your breasts. A good choice would be one with a flap to feed the baby without taking off the bra.

Food craving – this is a time when your body is changing and your taste buds have the most outrageous cravings; mine were dill pickles and ice cream. For others it was the craziest combinations of peanut butter and jelly or slabs of chocolate. Take note of what you eat. Use spice lightly to avoid heartburn. Stay away from drinks with caffeine. Cut down on sugar, chips and chocolate. Try to maintain your weight with light exercise. 

Hormonal changes come into play big time when a woman is pregnant. Curly hair might straighten; you may have a change in sexual desire, or not want sex at all. You may get swollen feet and be particularly tired. Put your feet up and rest. Make sure you take enough iron, and use a stool softener when you need it. Constipation is a problem during this period. Eat healthily and drink at least five or six glasses of water a day. Luckily, these symptoms do not last forever and after four months your nausea would have dissipated. 

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Work smart as an article writer

In the morning your mind is fresh, fortified after coffee, you have had your fix and you are ready to plunge in. Hold on. Take a few sane minutes and plan your day. This writer knows all too well the pitfalls of poor planning and distractions which can cut a good working day in half. Here are some suggestions on how to get the most out of your work day – so that when you relax you can do so one hundred per cent.

Planning your day – Do not do a little here, a little there and confuse yourself with what is most important to do first. If you have clients to contact, do all your calls in the morning when you are at peak performance. Make list of the articles you want to write about.

Research – Look over the articles you have to write and do all your research at the same time. Do not go from topic to topic or site to site; have your information ready so that you can just write. Take a look at your list of keywords and write down ideas that come to mind.

Keeping records – if you hate the paperwork involved, doing your accounts, calculating taxes for the government, do not put off doing it as it can spoil your day. Do everything you hate most first thing in the morning so that you do not have to stress about the paperwork waiting for you.

Start writing – as soon as you have drawn up a schedule, follow it and vow to write a certain number of articles for the day, and do it. Have a hearty lunch, go for a short walk, and get to the laptop to continue writing. Be ambitious but not too much as you will find yourself biting off more than you can chew. Writing is fun after all and you are not just spewing words out onto a page for the sake of making your word count; you are trying to inform, educate and entertain; do not lose sight of your objective. Stretching your legs every two hours is good not only for your health but it also allows you time to ponder the next article.

Do not multi-task – It is okay to do several things at once when you are serving someone a hamburger at a burger joint and can take orders and serve coffee all at once; it is not all right to do this with articles and clients who are relying on you to deliver well-written articles.  If you are an individual rather than a business do not take on more than you can handle. If you are lucky enough to land a client who wants on-going writing you have the best of both worlds; at least for a day.

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Canadian small business grants

Visit the Centre for Small Business Financing for everything you want to know about grants and loans to expand your business. Take a look at the different types of programs and the federal and provincial programs available to it. Do you need funding in the form of grants and subsidies? Loans, tax breaks? Depending on the size and the kind of business you are in will determine whether you qualify for a grant or loan funding up to $10 million.

Types of funding programs

·         Low-interest or no-interest loans, Government Guaranteed Loans.

·        Grants and subsidies; one-time and renewable, Conditionally Repayable Contribution, Equity financing.

·        Tax Refunds or Tax Credits.

Business advantages

·        Access to Resources: Government Insurance against business risks, government relocation incentives and government information and services.

Various programs

Go online for a list of funding programs offered by the federal and provincial governments. The list is a long one and includes recipients such as Aboriginal Business Canada, BizPal, Business Services Canada, Business Immigration Program, Business Solutions Consulting Group and many more names. The Centre wants you to know that they are not connected with funding programs and no claim can be made that funding is due to the Centre unless so stated. For advice and personal experiences go online to read success stories and advice from recipients who have benefited.

Grants and loans facts

While a grant can be a good option and source of funding, you have a better chance of accessing programs which provide small Canadian businesses through loans – meaning that if you do not get lucky with the banks, you should not throw in the towel. It is said that government loans are better than bank loans. They may offer highly competitive rates or be non-repayable. Government loans are also more likely to be unsecured which means you do not have to put up collateral. To see how much you might be eligible to receive take a minute and fill out an online form for the results. Where is your business located? What business was generated in the last two years? Complete the short form giving your personal and business information, type of industry and financing needs and you have an idea of how much money you might qualify for. Do not give up. Go online and apprise yourself of the facts. 

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