There’s nothing quite like having your first child. Of all the moments that you’ll experience in life, this is the one that’ll be the most life-changing, the one that will stick with you forever. However, sometimes there’s an issue: while the general feeling will always be remembered, the details and specifics might be a little bit tougher to recall as the years go by. As such, it’s good practice to find ways to immortalize the process. This should be done during the pregnancy and during the first few weeks after birth. It’s a whirlwind time, but you’ll be grateful that you made the effort years later down the line, when you can look back at the experience.

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Keep the Souvenirs

You’re going to acquire a lot of stuff when you’re pregnant. You’ll be getting all those essential items stockpiled up in your home, for instance. While you’ll be mostly thinking about — and making space for — the practical goods connected with your first child, it’s worthwhile looking at setting aside space for those souvenirs. There’s going to be plenty of keepsakes, especially during the first weeks and months of your baby’s life. Be sure to keep them!

Document the Process

One of the best things about living in the modern world is that we’re able to document everything we do, in fantastic detail. So document away! Those photos, videos, and written diary entries will be the best things to jog your memory in the years to come. Just make sure that you’ve got a good camera, space to take photos, and that you remember to do so. You won’t always feel like being in front of your partner’s camera, but let them snap away — one day, you’ll appreciate it. When you do want to be in front of the camera, you can get a professional shot from nycnewbornphotography.com. It’s an excellent way to document the most important period of your life. 

Cards and Gifts

One of the most beautiful things about pregnancy is that you don’t go through it alone. Everyone is excited and happy for you, and you’ll feel the love through all those cards and gifts that you receive. While the number that you receive might be overwhelming, make sure that you’re keeping them somewhere safe. You will appreciate reliving all the love you received (and sharing them with your son or daughter) years later. 

Make Time For Yourself 

One of the best ways to immortalize your pregnancy is to enjoy the process. There is a lot to do, of course, and sometimes things can feel very stressful and overwhelming. But if you look after yourself and set some time aside to enjoy the process, then you’ll find it easier to recall the experience. You’ll have plenty of moments to think back on. Alas, sometimes get too caught up in the madness of the pregnancy, and when they think back, all they have is a vague insight. Whenever possible, enjoy the magic and wonder of bringing life into the world.

Who doesn’t want the peace of mind of knowing their home is safe and healthy? This is especially important if you live with pets and children! Below, you’ll find 5 ways you can make your home healthier today. Take a look:

1. Filter Your Tap Water 

Tap water isn’t the healthiest to use or drink. This depends on where you live – some places have water that is chemically heavier. Invest in a filter and you’ll have drinking water without having to purchase plastic bottles. You can even install a filter so you can shower and do the washing up with filtered water. 

2. Eat Organic 

Organic foods tend to be healthier than other foods. Do your best to purchase organic where you can, and don’t be afraid to grow your own. 

3. Get Rid Of Toxic Items 

Don’t use pesticides or toxic cleaning items. Do your research on the best replacements, and be smart about other items that you bring into your home. Some candles can even be toxic when burned. 

4. Bring In Some Plants 

Bringing in plants can not only make your home more beautiful, it can help to purify the air. Snake plants are very easy to look after and one of the best plants for air purification. 

5. Hire A Cleaner

Don’t be afraid to hire a cleaner if you need a little extra help – it’ll take a load off your mind! The infographic below can give you more information. 

credit to  Houseproud Cleaning

BOO!

Do your kids want some spooky monsters this Halloween?

I do not like scary things, so we steer clear from spooky and gross Halloween decor.

So instead we compromise with friendly spooky things – things like OOLY Monster themed art supplies or other kids-friendly Halloween costumes.

Monster Pals Writing Super Set

The Monster Pals Writing Super Set is perfectly curated for children who love to color, draw and create.  This colorful set comes with a ton of monster themed school and stationery supplies and a fun scratch art kit to boot. It also comes pre-wrapped in a cute white box and blue bow for easy gift giving convenience. This makes the perfect gift for Halloween, Christmas, Hanukkah or a birthday celebration.

Do you remember the days of the Scratch Off Paper? It was a privilege to get one in art class I fondly remember. I never saw these in stores or was gifted them as a child. They were a very sought after item in the kids of the 80’s. Kids now have access to these super fun  Scratch and Scribble Scratch Art Kit-Monster Pals. 

This set comes with 4 sheets with Monster designs to scratch and another 4 sheets of blank black pages that you can draw your won design on and reveal the colors beneath.  Scratching tool is included.

My son loves to make his own books – Little cartoon like situations with silly themes and story lines. OOLY’s Pocket Pal Mini Notebooks (set of 8) are the perfect size (3.5 x 5) for your little monster. He can easily take these hand sized note books along in the car and keep making his stories while on-the-go. 

My daughter loves the 3 Monster Stacking Erasers. They are perfect for small hands and work very well to erase. Each comes with a little plastic “body” which can be removed and swapped between the erasers. Making them more fun that any old eraser you may find. My son loves the Monster ClickIt Eraser which is like a fat pen that can be clicked like a mechanical pencil to release more eraser. It works so well he started making scribbles just to be able to use this Monster ClickIt Eraser on it for fun!

Head over to OOLY’s website to see all there amazing supplies

Homework is seen as an important tool in the process of learning. It reiterates the lessons of the day and uses repetition to help you remember new information.

However, as an adult, you know when you’ve had enough and can put your pen down. Children don’t necessarily have that luxury, they’re given homework and it’s expected to be completed.

But, how do you know how much homework they should really be doing?

In fact, the general rule is quite simple, 10 minutes per night for the first year in school and 10 minutes extra for every year thereafter. By the time you’ve spent five years studying you should be doing 50 minutes per night.

Under an hour is enough to ensure concentration levels remain high and that there is a noticeable benefit to completing the homework.

In addition, it’s a good idea not to give weekend homework, this is supposed to be time for a child to rest and recover, not focus on more work. 

The Importance Of Starting Young

It may seem peculiar for very young children to have homework. But, if you check with some of the best early learning centers you’ll find that it is normal. The reason is not to improve grades or pressure the child. 

Instead, it simply sets up homework as being the norm, preparing children for the years of study that are to come.

Of course, this homework time can be used to reinforce any subjects or areas that a child is struggling with. But, the main aim is building a habit.

For this reason, it doesn’t matter if a pre-school child does just 5 minutes of homework, the principle is still established.

The Best Homework

If you want children to learn at school and at home the work needs to be interesting and fun. In fact, the same is true of adults. 

It’s important to remember that children only have a few hours after school to complete homework and see friends. If the homework takes up all this time they will become resentful and stop doing it, or at least stop doing it properly.

That means setting homework that essential repeats what you’ve done that day, and does it in a fun, simple way. 

This will actually improve the chances of the child absorbing the information and avoid them from becoming stressed.

Monitoring Homework

Your child may not want you to monitor their homework but you can monitor their grades. If they start to slip it is likely that they are finding the homework too difficult and perhaps stressing or becoming tired.

This is a good time for you to step in and assess whether they are doing too much or simply need a little more help. 

What is important for teachers and parents to recognize is that homework is a useful tool but that it should never be done just for the sake of it. Homework should be completed to help a pupil understand a topic if they already understand there is no harm in not giving out homework.

Living with toddlers can be a real challenge. They’re into everything and can cause some real chaos. Even if you watch them closely, they can manage to get into mischief and cause some real damage to your home or furniture. Here’s what to do for these classic toddler disasters to help you clean. 

Image – free for commercial use

They’ve Drawn On The Walls

There are a few ways to get pen ink off the walls if your toddler has turned to graffiti art. Spray the ink stains with a hairspray that contains alcohol, and then wipe gently with a white cloth. Use a clean section of cloth each time you wipe so you don’t smudge the stain. You could also try putting white toothpaste over the marks. Leave for ten minutes, then wipe off with a clean white cloth. For difficult inks, like ballpoint pen, you could try rubbing alcohol. 

They’ve Tipped Paint On The Rug

If crafts time has taken a messy turn and ended up with paint tipped on your favorite rug, don’t panic. If the paint is still wet, blot it with a paper towel. Don’t scrub, or you’ll push the paint further into the rug. If the paint is set in, bring in a company like Devine Rug Cleaning who will be able to advise you on what to use to lift the stain and rent out the proper equipment to do so. 

They’ve Mashed Play Dough Into The Carpet

Toddlers love play dough, but unfortunately they also have very short attention spans. A child happily playing with play dough one minute can have decided to drop it and mash it into the carpet. Vacuum up as much as of the dough as you can before it dries. 

Dampen a cloth with hot water, and place the cloth over the play dough. Leave the cloth to sit for about an hour, to soften the remaining dough. Next, when the play dough is dry, with a stiff brush, brush the carpet to remove the small pieces of dough. Just be careful not to brush out any pieces of carpet. If there’s still some left, you can use more play dough to stick to the dough stuck in the carpet and lift it out. 

They’ve Covered Everything In Nappy Cream

You left the room for two minutes after a nappy change and came back in to find the baby, the walls, the furniture and the carpet are now covered in nappy cream. The best thing to wash everything (including the toddler) is dish washing detergent. The detergent is designed to strip oils, so will lift the cream without leaving oily marks behind. 

If the carpet is badly stained, you can remove the stains with a steam clean, which you can do yourself with a hot iron. 

They’ve Got Gum In Their Hair

They’ve got gum stuck in their hair, or the hair of a sibling. Do not squish the gum more into the hair. Instead, run an ice cube over it to freeze it, then you can try to brush out the gum.

Heavy rain can cause havoc on your garden. And there are a few months a year when the downpour can be relentless. Smaller plants can take some severe damage when the big raindrops start hammering down, and the more delicate plants can be totally wiped out. You can take preemptive action to protect your garden from rainstorms and heavy rain damage. 

Photo by Peter Mason on Unsplash

Coverage

If you have enough warning of a rainstorm, you can head out and begin to cover your plants with a range of overturned pots, buckets, bowls and even overturned wheelbarrows will give good coverage. It is essential that you weigh down the pots and so on because if they get blown over – they can cause more damage. You can also opt to have a plastic sheet and secure the edges with blocks, bricks or rocks to stop it from blowing away. 

Anchors

If you have shrubs, trees or taller fruit and vegetable plants the consider stakes and clips to help prevent the stalks from being bent too far and snapping. You ideally want to have your stakes around 20 inches into the ground. This will mean they are very sturdy. Use removable clips to attach the stakes to the trunk of the plant so that you are maximizing the effectiveness of it. For thicker trunks and thicker stakes, gardener’s twine works very well. 

Guttering

If your guttering is filled with leaves and debris then when the raid hits, it will overflow, cascading a lot of water in concentrated streams into specific areas. This can cause problems for your garden and the walls too. If you have gutter guards installed when the weather is good, you won’t have to consider any of the overflow impacts. 

Native Plants

Flowers, trees and shrubs that are native to the area are going to be able to cope with the weather much easier than other plants. So it is worth researching what is native to the area, and combining that with some of the additions you are like. 

Wrapping

For climbing plants, you might struggle to cover them as easily and ground-dwelling plants. You can use burlap to wrap the climbers against their poles and trellis. Heavy twine will keep this in place until you want to move it again. For any new trees wrapping the trunk is a good idea.  As well as a frame which is taller than the tree by around a foot. 

Row Covers

If you are in the middle of cultivating rows of plants and smaller flower bed, then you can use row cover or frost blanket to protect them from the weight of the rain and the wind too. You will need to leave space either side of the material to make sure you can weight it down in preparation for bad weather. 

Roots

Water damage can be particularly bad for the roots of a plant, so as a simple safety measure to ensure you have a decent layer of mulch down. Just keep the mulch at least three inches from the foliage. 

Kids love playing with tablets and cell phones, anything with an interactive screen really.

My kids are no exception and beg for screen time…but how can I know what they are accessing is safe?

PBS, a trusted brand to me and many others, has done the dirty work and created a table that is kid safe and super fun to use.

The Playtime Pad DVD Combo is our new favorite tablet. This tablet comes preloaded with over 23 educational games and 120 video clips, songs, and music videos that all teach reading, math, and more. It is a 7 inch Android tablet that is locked down with parental controls, which allow you to customize your child experience

With 2 kids this tablet is amazing because it has sign in features for both kids. They just touch their Icon image and their experience begins.

Being an Android tablet it does have Google Play, allowing you to download more apps if you so choose.

On the main screen you will find the PBS Video app, PBS Games app, Sing-A-Long, Paint Box (kids can create fun images with color tools and stickers), Wallpaper, DVD Player and Gallery.

This tablet is such a joy with the built in DVD player. This way when you are driving, flying in a plane or at a location without wi-fi you can simply watch a DVD instead of using apps that require internet connection (some apps on the tablet no not require internet, other’s will). This is DVD player, not a Blue-ray player, so be sure to use the DVD formatted disks.

The Playtime Pad comes with a complimentary DVD of PBS Word of The Week – a fun way to expand vocabulary.

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Staying happy and healthy isn’t always easy in the modern world. Yes, some people have a really good grasp on certain healthy habits; they might have well-rounded lifestyles which appear very appealing to you from the outside. Still, it’s important to remember that everybody struggles with aspects of their wellbeing from time to time. Some people just struggle for longer than others. So, if you’re trying to make a long-term improvement to your wellbeing, then it’s time to develop a healthy routine.

Get into a healthy and regular sleeping pattern.

The first step to developing healthy habits is to get into the habit of sleeping properly. Feeling tired during the week and catching up on sleep at the weekend will not benefit your physical health or your mental health. You need to get into a healthy and regular sleeping pattern. Rather than compensating for a sleep-deprived night by oversleeping the following day, you should try to go to bed and wake up at the same time whether it’s a weekday or a weekend. Your body relies on habits to function properly. This definitely applies to sleep; you need a balanced circadian rhythm (this is the internal process involved with your sleeping cycle).

Of course, a regular sleeping pattern isn’t necessarily a healthy sleeping pattern. Some people go to bed and wake up at the same time every day but deny their bodies the amount of rest they truly need. That morning cup of coffee is no substitute for a good night’s sleep. Neither is a refreshing shower, as nice as it might feel. A good night’s sleep replenishes your energy, but it also keeps your immune system strong, your metabolism working quickly, and it even keeps both your heart and your mind healthy. Caffeine cannot keep you healthy in the same way. So, get 8 hours of sleep every night if you want to feel physically and emotionally better.

If you find yourself struggling to relax before bed you’re not alone, around 68% of Americans struggle to get to sleep at night. Choosing natural medications such as Delta-8 can help to relax your body and mind and put you in a better place to get a good night’s sleep as well as improving your overall sleep quality too. Practicing gratitude, meditation and yoga can also invoke calming feelings to help you prepare for a good night’s sleep.

Don’t shy away from your thoughts and emotions.

The importance of a good night’s sleep for your mental health was briefly mentioned in the first point, but improving your physical health is only one aspect of improving your emotional health. If you want to improve your mental wellbeing, you need to make direct improvements to the way in which you perceive yourself and the world around you. Rather than shying away from your thoughts and emotions, you need to listen to yourself. Talking to friends and family members can help you to open up and accept your feelings. You might also want to talk to a therapist if feelings of stress, anxiety, or even depression are becoming a little too overwhelming. You should do some research if you’re wondering: “is there counseling near me?” You could get professional help and start working through your mental health problems.

Think about the food you include in your meals.

If you want to get into the habit of looking after yourself, you should think about the food you include in your meals. It’s easy to pick up ready meals, takeaways, or simply processed food items in grocery stores. However, even when you read the ingredients lists on such items, you might find yourself wondering what you’re actually eating. Artificial ingredients have long and confusing names. Instead, you should cook your own meals. That way, you’ll know exactly what you’re including in each dish. Focus on including plenty of natural ingredients. Fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes are whole foods that will give you the nutrients and vitamins you need for a healthy diet.

Unless you are someone who moves home regularly, you are likely to get a little dissatisfied with your home from time to time. If you have lived there for several years you can forget what you liked about it in the first place and get accustomed to keeping everything just as it is. We think that by making changes to our homes, it helps us to enjoy them that little bit more. As home is where the heart is, we think that it is worth considering these 3 changes to make to your home.

Plan some home improvements

It can be a lot of fun to plan in some home improvements, and you can decide how far to take this. You might plan in some huge projects or you might just alter some of the decor, it depends on your time, budget and desire to get the work done.

Starting with the exterior, try to improve your kerb appeal. You can do this by hiring a building contractor like Multi M Contracting to build you a new porch, veranda or even an entire extension. Obviously, these are large projects you can’t do yourself, but they can really add some new interest to an otherwise bland property.

Smaller exterior works you can undertake yourself include planting new shrubs, painting windows/doors or changing light fittings. Try to make things look fresh whilst also sticking to the existing character of your property.

You can make some relatively simple changes inside by adding in some new soft furnishings and accessories. For example, if you have a fairly neutral color scheme in your living room, you could add brightly colored drapes, cushions and ornaments to give the room a brand new accent color and look.

You might want to take on larger projects and look at carrying out bathroom renovations or a new kitchen installation. These will require more planning, disruption and money, but will also make a bigger impact and can add value to your home if done well.

Image Pixabay – Pixabay License

Rethink how you use the space

When we first move into our homes we think about where everything will go and how each room will be used. Once we are all settled in, we tend to live in the same way for many years, rarely rethinking how we use the space that we live in. Consider some easy ways to declutter your home today.

Take a step back and try to look at your home with fresh eyes. Get a friend to help you with this, if possible, as they will be able to distance themselves from your home more easily than you can. Could you use the rooms differently? For example, would changing your living areas to the back of the house and then moving your office to the front work better?

Think through how each room is currently used and swap things over if you feel you would benefit from doing so. The next step is to look at how you have each room arranged, as you could reposition all of the furniture to completely change how the room looks.

Declutter and tidy up

Sometimes all you need to do around your home is to give it a good declutter and tidy up.

Start with the exterior of your home and work your way in. You could spruce up the exterior by tidying up the yard, fixing any broken fencing or gates and adding a new front door or some plants and ornaments.

Moving inside your home, make the time to give it a good declutter. Get rid of anything that you no longer have a purpose for and be honest with yourself when you go through this process. If you have not done this before, you will be amazed at just how much you will be able to get rid of.

Now that it is all decluttered, you can tidy everywhere else up and add new personal touches to give it a homely feel, perhaps fresh flowers or a new photo wall.

The biggest battle that any remote worker has to face is trying to keep their home life and their career as separate entities. When you find a job that you love that allows you the chance to work from home, it’s easy to blur the lines. You no longer have a commute, you can build your working day around you and what works for you, but you now have to balance that day with everything else in your house. It’s not easy, but it is doable if you set the right boundaries. Your workplace has been working tirelessly to make sure you are set up and able to work from home during this time, from making sure they have CMMC compliance regulations in place to keep you and your work safe online through security measures, to talking you through the process of remote working days and how you’ll tackle them. This is a tense time for businesses and employees alike, so there will be kinks that need to be worked out as time goes on, patience is important.

You are going to have an eye-opening time of things when you switch to working at home. You’ll start off with the assumption it’s all pajamas on the sofa while you work, and you’ll quickly learn that you want to get up and get dressed for the day. In reality, setting the boundaries for your office life at home is easy enough – let’s just get motivated enough to keep those boundaries. Here are some of the best ways to keep your office and home life separate.

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Keep Home Private

Your home is your sanctuary, but sometimes remote working can feel like your work life is invading your personal space. Keep things separate by using a virtual office in central London as a way to keep your home telephone number private. Virtual offices can supply you with a bespoke phone number and answering service that will prevent any work calls from coming through to your house in the middle of the night, and will also help to protect your identity and location.

Stick To Office Hours

You need your work to be productive, and the best way to do this is to keep office hours. Don’t bleed your working tasks into before and after this time, or you’ll end up mixing office and personal time. You can keep to this even more by arranging for your office business mail and deliveries to go to a virtual PO box with physicaladdress.com. When you do this, you don’t mix your personal mail with your work mail, making it much easier to stick to those office hours.

Choose One Office Space

When you work at home, you can choose any room as long as you have a stable internet connection (which you can get by comparing Dallas internet providers or service providers in your area) along with a router that can send a good signal to every corner of your home. Balcony, garden, terrace – it’s all open for you to work from. However, it can be difficult because all of those places may not be able to keep you productive! You need to pick one space that you want to work in and stick with it. This will ensure that you stay focused on the task at hand. Additionally, ensure that your computer system or laptop is up to handle the tasks. If you think your computer is lagging behind or having technical issues, you can consult a mac repair company near your location. Preparing for WFH in advance can reduce your chances of facing any issues during work hours.

One Schedule At A Time

You have responsibilities at home, but you also have responsibilities to your job. The best thing to do is not take on the extra tasks, but to stick to what you know and do one thing at a time. Don’t over schedule yourself – it’s a recipe for failure and you don’t want to do that! When you want family time, put the computer away. Don’t leave it open to go back to time and again. Take the time to work during work time, and spend time with the family at family time. It’s a balance that you can easily manage if you take the time to do it.

Working from home is a good thing, but it can make you feel like you don’t have a balance. You need to be in charge of creating the balance and you can do it with a little self-discipline!