| How to Make M&M Cupcakes Posted: 11 Mar 2017 04:00 PM PST Thanks to the M&Ms included, these cupcakes are brightly colored and fun. They not only taste great but can bring a little more joy to your day! EditIngredients EditFor the Cupcakes: EditFor the Chocolate Buttercream: - ¾ cup milk chocolate chips
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
- Pinch of salt (optional)
- M&Ms for topping
EditMaking the Cupcakes - Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 176 degrees Celsius. Place paper cases into your cupcake tray, or spray the cupcake tray with non-stick greasing spray.
- Combine the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, mix the sour cream, buttermilk, vanilla extract, eggs, and oil using a whisk. Beat until thoroughly combined.
- Add the cake mix. Slowly pour the cake mix in and whisk until well combined. Be careful not to over-mix, or the cupcakes will end up tough and rubbery.
- Pour the M&Ms into the cupcake batter and stir until they're evenly distributed. The colors will start to run in the batter, but don't worry; this is normal and helps make the cupcakes colorful.
- Using a mini ice cream scoop, scoop the cupcake batter into the cases of the cupcake tray.
- Bake the cupcakes. Place the cupcake tray in the oven. Have them bake for about 16-20 minutes, until they rise and are lightly brown on the edges.
- To check if they are fully baked, poke a toothpick in the middle of one of the cupcakes. If it comes out dry, the cupcakes are ready to be removed. Leave cupcakes to cool for about 5 minutes.
EditFrosting and Serving - Melt the chocolate chips. If you're using a microwave, use a microwave-safe bowl. Use a spoon to mix the melted chocolate and have it sit for about 15 minutes.
- Cream the butter and sugar. In a medium-sized bowl, cream the butter and sugar using an electric or hand blender. Blend until light and fluffy.
- Slowly add the melted chocolate chips, vanilla extract, and whipping cream to the blended mixture. Blend again until the frosting is light brown and is creamy. Add the lemon juice and salt for flavor.
- If the frosting is too water or not creamy enough, add more whipping cream.
- Frost the cupcakes. Spoon the frosting into a frosting pipe. Pipe the frosting on each cupcake. Sprinkle M&Ms on top for decoration.
- Serve and enjoy!
- You can substitute the vegetable oil with canola or coconut oil.
- For a twist, make peanut butter M&M cupcakes by using peanut butter M&Ms and making a peanut butter frosting.
- You can also substitute Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream.
- Avoid adding too much lemon juice or salt to the frosting. It won't taste good.
EditRelated wikiHows EditThings You'll Need - Large mixing bowl
- Oven
- Whisk
- Serving plate
- Cupcake tray
- Paper cases or non-stick greasing spray
- Microwave-safe bowl
- Medium-sized bowl
- Spoon
- Rubber spatula
- Hand or electric blender
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| How to House Train Your Dog Quickly Posted: 11 Mar 2017 08:00 AM PST Depending on your dog, your family and your lifestyle, house training a dog can be anywhere from easy to almost impossible. It can work to house train your dog quickly so that you can move past this difficult stage of owning a dog. It takes planning, dedication and patience, but your dog can get house trained in a short amount of time. EditPreparing to House Train Your Dog - Get rid of residual odors in your home. Before you start your house training plan, you need to ensure that your home is free from urine stains and residual odors. Once you've gotten rid of any odors and stains, your dog will not be attracted to certain areas of the house to use as a potty.
- Purchase a black light and a pet odor remover from your local pet store. When it is dark, turn off all the lights and thoroughly inspect your home, floors and carpets, and furniture. The black light will reveal any old stains so you can effectively clean and remove them. There are many effective pet stain/odor cleaning products available on the market.
- Assemble your supplies. Having your supplies on hand will make it easier for you to focus on house training your dog without needing to run to the store. Gather the following supplies:
- Wire crate: Get a good quality wire crate that is large enough for your dog to stand up, lie down and turn around in. Position the crate in a quiet (but not isolated) part of your home.
- Collar and leash
- Chew toys and squeaky toys
- Arrange for help if you aren't home during the day. In order to get your dog house trained in 10 days, you need to follow a strict schedule of potty breaks, meals, play time, and crate confinement. If you can't come home for certain parts of the day, then arrange a dog walker or pet sitter to visit your house to take care of the midday break.
EditFollowing a Consistent Routine - Follow a 24-hour schedule. In order to house train your dog in 10 days, you need to strictly follow a schedule. This will establish a routine for both you and your dog. Your dog needs to go out first thing in the morning, after meals and play times, and before bedtime. Every moment should be accounted for. This is a sample schedule for someone who is home all day:[1]
- 7:00 a.m.: Wake up and take dog outside.
- 7:10-7:30 a.m.: Free time in kitchen
- 7:30 a.m.: Food and water
- 8:00 a.m.: Go out
- 8:15 a.m.: Free time in kitchen
- 8:45 a.m.: Crate confinement
- 12:00 p.m.: Food and water
- 12:30 p.m.: Go out
- 12:45 p.m.: Free time in kitchen
- 1:15 p.m.: Crate confinement
- 5:00 p.m.: Food and water
- 5:30 p.m.: Go out
- 6:15 p.m.: Crate confinement
- 8:00 p.m.: Water
- 8:15 p.m.: Go out
- 8:30 p.m.: Free time in kitchen
- 9:00 p.m.: Crate confinement
- 11:00 p.m.: Go out and crate confinement overnight
- Choose a designated spot for toileting. Select a place in your backyard that is suitable for your dog's toileting. The base of a tree or a green patch of grass is ideal. Use this spot every time you take your dog to the potty.
- At a scheduled potty time, or when you recognize your dog's cues for needing to relieve himself, take him outside to this spot.
- Use consistent language to refer to this place. For example, when your dog reaches this spot, say, "Go potty," or use a similar verbal cue. Then your dog will associate this spot with toileting.
- Be sure to follow your city's ordinances with regards to pet waste removal. If you are in a city and don't have a good green space for your dog to toilet, make sure you have plastic bags to pick up the waste.
- If you live in a small space, such as a high rise apartment, you might need to use a dog litter tray in your apartment. This will give your dog a place to go inside.
- Make the dog's crate a safe place. Your dog will stay in his crate for a few hours during the day, as well as overnight. Dogs like to have a small "den" to sleep in. A crate is a good place for the dog to feel safe.[2] Make the crate comfortable, with a blanket, chew toys and squeaky toys.
- Don't use the crate as a punishment. Otherwise, your dog will associate this place with fear or anxiety rather than safety and comfort.
- Learn your dog's signs. Pay close attention to your dog so that you learn when he has to go. This might include the dog walking around stiffly or in circles, sniffing the floor like he's searching for somewhere to pee, or letting his tail rest in a strange position.
- If your dog looks like he needs to relieve himself, take him out to his designated spot right away. Do this even if you're not at your scheduled potty break.[3]
- Keep track of your dog's habits. Write down your dog's eating schedule and bathroom habits. Note when your dog urinates and defecates. Note the exact time your dog eats and any other treats it is given during the day. Your journal will help you determine how long after eating and drinking your dog typically needs to relieve himself. You can use this information to adjust your schedule if necessary.
- Keep a close eye on your dog at all times. You need to keep a vigilant eye on your dog whenever he is out of his crate. Even if he's in the kitchen during his free time, you still need to watch him. This will ensure that you catch him before he has an accident. It's imperative during this time that your dog associates toileting with going outside.[4]
- You might consider tethering your dog to your waist with a leash when he is out of his crate. This way, you will be sure to keep him very close to you. You can track his movements more closely.
- Clean up messes immediately. If your dog has an accident in the house, clean it up as soon as possible. You don't want your dog associating relieving himself with being inside the house.
- Don't use an ammonia-based cleaner. Urine has ammonia in it, so your dog might associate the cleaner's smell with urinating. Instead, use an enzymatic cleaner on soiled areas.[5]
- Don't punish your dog for having an accident indoors.
EditGiving Praise to Your Dog - Give lots of praise. When your dog has relieved himself outdoors, give him lots of attention and pats. Say, "Good dog!" and other praise. Have a little celebration with your dog. This lets your dog know that its behavior is remarkable and deserves praise.[6]
- Make sure to time your praise appropriately. When your dog has finished relieving himself, give him praise right away. You want to be sure that he associates the praise with the action that he just did. Otherwise, he might get confused about what he's being praised for.
- Keep your voice friendly. Don't use a harsh tone with your dog while you're house training him. You don't want him to feel scared or anxious about going outside or relieving himself.
- Don't yell at your dog if he has an accident indoors.
- Don't punish your dog for accidents. Your dog is learning how to follow your instructions. Be patient with him. Don't rub his face in his waste.[7] Don't yell or shout at your dog. Don't hit your dog. If you're not patient and friendly, your dog may associate fear and punishment with toileting.
- If you catch your dog in the middle of an accident, make a loud noise or clap to startle him. Then he will stop urinating or defecating, and you can take him outside to finish up.
- Ideally, you'd give your dog about 2 weeks to be fully housebroken.[8]
- Keep in mind that your dog may not be totally housebroken when you take him to someone else's house. He knows the routine in your house, but he may not know where to go elsewhere. Be patient with your dog as he learns about another place.[9]
- If house training is not working for your dog, you may need to identify issues that are preventing him from being housebroken. For instance, certain medical conditions make house training difficult.[10] Check with your vet if you have concerns about your dog.
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| How to Stop Obsessing over Disturbing Thoughts Posted: 11 Mar 2017 12:00 AM PST Disturbing thoughts, also known as intrusive thoughts, are common and normal in most cases. But disturbing thoughts may be confusing or distressful. Some people may even become obsessed with their disturbing thoughts and have a hard time moving past them. These obsessions can lead to more serious psychological disorders if left unchecked. If you think that you have developed an unhealthy obsession with your disturbing thoughts, you should seek help from a mental health professional. You can also keep reading to learn about some strategies that may help you stop obsessing over disturbing thoughts. EditUnderstanding Disturbing Thoughts - Understand what a disturbing thought is. A disturbing thought is something that comes into your mind out of nowhere. Disturbing thoughts often focus on violence, sex, and past traumatic events, but they are not limited to these categories alone. Psychologists call these types of thoughts intrusive thoughts because they pop into our heads, often without warning, and cause us distress.[1] Disturbing thoughts can vary greatly from person to person. Some examples of disturbing thoughts include:
- Imagining dropping or throwing a baby while you are holding an infant. Even though you would never do this, it is a common intrusive thought.
- Imagining running over your boss with your car. If your boss has upset you, you may find yourself thinking about something along these lines even though you would never actually do it.
- Having violent sexual fantasies that arouse you, even if you'd never act on them or want to have these things done to you.
- Reliving a disturbing experience, such as a car accident or an assault.
- Know that disturbing thoughts are common. Many people have disturbing thoughts and are able to let them pass with little additional thought. Even though most of us have these thoughts, some people worry and obsess about thoughts that they would never act on, which can cause them distress. If you are distressed by your disturbing thoughts, try to remember that you are not alone. Many people experience these types of thoughts.[2]
- Know that having disturbing thoughts does not make you a bad person. In most cases, having a disturbing thought that you know you would never act on is natural and it does not make you a bad person. Often, we have these thoughts because we '''do not''' want to act in the way we are imagining. Our minds sometimes wander and consider the worst possible thing that could happen in a given situation.[3]
EditExamining a Disturbing Thought - Acknowledge the disturbing thought. While your first instinct may be to simply ignore your disturbing thought, ignoring it is not a good idea. If you try to ignore the thought or block it out, it may recur with greater intensity. Trying to suppress your disturbing thoughts may even lead to an unhealthy obsession with the thought.[4] Instead of trying to block out a disturbing thought, acknowledge it and begin to examine it.[5]
- Identify the content of your disturbing thought. What is it about and what is so disturbing about it?
- Write about your disturbing thoughts. Writing down your disturbing thoughts can help you think of them in different ways. Also, the very act of writing it down can help keep some of the thoughts out of your head and reduce their frequency.[6][7] The next time that you have a disturbing thought, take a moment to write it down in a journal. As you write about the thought, consider the following questions to help you to examine it:
 - What is it about the thought you find disturbing? The fear of acting on it? The fear of having the thought at all? Social stigma?
- How often do you have the thought? Keep a tally the number of times the thought occurs to become more aware of any patterns like when in the day or week the thoughts occur more frequently.
- Is there a trigger for the thought? Do you always have the disturbing thought after seeing something or someone?
- What do you do after the thought pops in your mind? Do you keep thinking about it in detail? Do you talk about it? Do you try to ignore it?
- Is it the same thought or are there a few different thoughts? Are they similar thoughts?
- Are you having anxiety about the thought itself or are you worried about the thought? For example, are you actually worried you will actually throw the baby against the wall, or are you more bothered by the thought of ''having'' the thought?
- Are you more concerned about the thought or the way others would perceive you for having such a thought? Is the thought of others knowing your thoughts and judging you for them bother you more than the thought itself?
- Do you feel like you must think about this thought? Some disturbing thoughts may be recurrent because you have to take action, like making a decision based on them. Others may be recurrent because of anxiety, but there is no reason you have to keep thinking of them.
- Is there something you can do/act on to make yourself feel better? In other words, is there something that you can do to change the situation?
- How do these thoughts make you feel? Use feeling words like angry, sad, excited, etc. to label these free floating feelings.
- Are the thoughts disturbing to you or are others telling you your thoughts are disturbing?
- Determine the origins of your obsessive thoughts. Trying to trace each thought to its source may help to ease your concerns over the disturbing thought. For example, if you are constantly imagining someone breaking into your home and assaulting you, try to figure out when you first had this thought and why.
- Consider the way that the mass media may be contributing to your disturbing thoughts. One study showed that watching media coverage of violent events contributes significantly to acute stress and causes people to experience disturbing thoughts with more frequency.[8] Take a look at how often you watch or read about violent acts.
- If you find that you have a lot of exposure to violent news and that this may be contributing to your disturbing thoughts, stop watching or reading the news for a while or focus only on positive stories.
- Understand the meaning of disturbing sexual thoughts. In most cases, disturbing thoughts about sex don't mean anything at all.[9] If the thoughts that you are having are repulsive to you or they involve violence or other illegal activities, then your mind might just be trying to understand those things.
- For example, someone might fantasize about raping someone who is unattainable to them. But in the process of thinking about raping someone, the person imagining the act would also imagine how the other person would be hurt by that act. Understanding the pain that the act should cause the person imagining the act to stop thinking about it.[10]
EditMoving Beyond Disturbing Thoughts - Distract yourself. Once you have taken the time to think about and review the content of your disturbing thoughts, you should start moving past them. Try some of the following positive activities to distract yourself.
- Exercise- It can help reduce tension and anxiety.
- Pick up a hobby to keep your mind and body busy.
- Go out with friends.
- Go to a cafe and read a good book.
- Write a poem, draw a picture, sing a song.
- Determine if you might need professional help. In some cases, disturbing thoughts can be related to antisocial behavior, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, or obsessive compulsive disorder. If you are frequently having disturbing thoughts, ask yourself the following questions:[11]
- Are you considering acting on potentially harmful thoughts?
- Are you considering hurting yourself or others?
- Are you thinking and planning on how to go about hurting someone with the intent of doing it?
- Are you hearing voices telling you to hurt yourself or others?
- Are your obsessive thoughts or behaviors affecting your home or work life?
- Are you reliving a traumatic experience over and over again?
- If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should seek help from a mental health care professional.
- Join a support group if your disturbing thoughts are related to something that other people may also be struggling against. If the intrusive thoughts are common ones that others may have, seek out support groups where you can connect with other people who will understand. For example, if your spouse has been diagnosed with cancer, there are support groups for spouses where you can share your feelings and concerns.[12]
- Don't try to just ignore the thought. Ignoring things does not make them go away and can make it worse.[13]
- Don't be afraid to seek help and discuss the thoughts with someone.
- Remember that thinking about some disturbing or intrusive thoughts most likely does not mean you are crazy. It is natural to sometimes think about disturbing things (especially with the media coverage we are immersed in).
- Try to busy yourself with a hobby that makes you feel accomplished.
- Do meditation relating to cleansing mind.
- If it gets to the point where it's really bad, you should talk to someone. The best thing to do is get it off your chest.
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