A mouse infestation is irritating, but it’s also dangerous.  Mice carry and spread diseases dangerous to humans and pets.  When mice contaminate food, it has to be thrown out, a waste of both food and money.

To deter mice, always store food properly.  Make certain cabinets themselves are mouse-proof; mice can gain entrance through very small gaps.  Keep food in glass, metal, or heavy duty plastic containers.  When pets are fed, remove any uneaten food immediately and trashcans with a lid that closes securely.

Seal any entrance to your home that mice might be using undetected.  Check attics and basements especially, as these areas may otherwise go unnoticed.

In spite of your best efforts, mice sometimes find a way in.  If this happens, consider using traps baited with peanut butter (cheese goes rancid too quickly) to capture the mice.  Make sure that traps are not accessible to pets and children. There are kill traps, and catch-and-release traps.  If you decide to use catch and release traps, you must transport the mice at least two miles from your home to ensure they don’t return.

Always use gloves when handling traps and mice, to prevent the spread of disease.

I’m a telemarketer, and I am pretty new to the field. In fact, I have only been working in phone sales for a new months, and I have to admit that I am not great at it. I have a pretty sales-oriented personality, which really works for me, but I am having the hardest time getting to my sales pitch. Every time I get someone on the phone they hang up, or sometimes even spend a few good minutes screaming a me, and then hanging up. I am at my wits end.

But I have been looking into tips and guidelines given by other (more successful) telemarketers, and a lot of them are recommending marketing leads. From what I can tell, these are lists of data fit into a specific category (such as lottery leads), which are then sold to telemarketers for a small fee. They are said to have some great names and numbers from people who have already shown interest in what it is you are selling.

This is exactly what it is I am looking for. Just a simple list with real prospects, not a printed list that claims to be magazine leads, but turns out to have come from a phone book, or random business directory. How do they expect us to make sales from that? I may have a great sales personality, but its harder over the phone than it is face to face. At least there are these leads that I can turn to.

Our 40^th President, Ronald Reagan, designated July as National Ice Cream Month.  Celebrate by learning a little ice cream trivia—and of course, by eating ice cream.

Ice cream has been popular in one form or another since the time of the Roman Empire.  Both Julius Caesar and the Emperor Nero enjoyed frozen desserts made with snow, fruit, and honey.  And Marco Polo brought more than spices from the Far East; he also brought ice cream recipes.

Americans wasted no time putting ice cream on the national menu: the first ice cream parlor in the United States opened in 1776.  And First Lady Dolly Madison served ice cream at the second inaugural ball in 1812.

Today ice cream accounts for more than $20 billion in annual sales.  And the USDA estimates an average of 23 quarts of ice cream is consumed per person per year. Premium and super-premium brands continue to out-pace regular and lower fat/lower sugar options.

To enjoy ice cream at its best, be sure to store it between -5F and 0F in the main freezer compartment (never in the door).  Don’t allow it to melt and refreeze, and be sure to seal your ice cream container tightly.