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For most of us, home is the best place in the world. It’s our retreat, a place to relax and spend time with the family that we love. Home should be a place that gives us energy and strength to get out there and tackle whatever life throws at us, and keeping healthy within the four walls is something we should all be thinking about. With that being said, sometimes we develop unhealthy habits because we’re so comfortable we get a bit lazy. However, by reading health news on sites like The Nuherald, making positive changes, and being mindful of when you’re slipping back into habits, you can make your home a healthier place to live. Here are some ideas for going about it.

Keep your home clean and tidy

Keeping your home clean and tidy is hugely beneficial. First of all, it helps you to avoid pests- while pests will target any home they can get into, a clean home allows you to spot them more easily. From dead insects to rodent droppings and other signs of pest activity, you’re much more likely to spot this early when the rest of your home is clean and in order. The sooner you spot pests, the quicker and easier they will be to eliminate using the help from pest control salem. Left for a longer time they can truly infest your home and do a lot of damage. Keeping your home clean and tidy helps you to stay on top of dust and dust mites, spot and remove black mold more quickly and generally keeps other allergens and toxins in the home to a minimum. These are all things that will benefit your physical health.
Spend time de-cluttering every season, create a cleaning rota to stay on top of the weekly tasks. If you don’t have time to clean, consider hiring a Lynchburg home cleaning company or a closer company to you to do regular cleaning or deep cleaning to help stay on top of things. Leaving the cleaning for too long allows dust and dirt to build up, making it harder to remove when you finally do get round to doing it. It’s also a good idea to get some good organisation systems in place. Bins and baskets from sites like amishbaskets.com help you to store and organise everything neatly, you can also use drawer dividers to organize smaller things too.

Make your home beautiful to look at

As well as looking after your physical health, your home should also look after your mental health too. Home is your respite from the world, it should be the place you feel at your happiest and most comfortable. Spend time making it look nice so you enjoy spending time in it- choose a feature wallpaper you love and paint the other walls in a coordinating shade. If you can’t afford new furniture, give what you have a lick of paint and add new hardware to give it a new lease of life. Add accessories like rugs, cushions, photo frames and plants to make it look homely and personal to you. When you come home each day you’ll feel genuinely happy to be back in this space which can really benefit you mental health.

Incorporate exercise at home into your day

We all know that we should exercise more, but getting to the gym multiple times a week might not be something we can do due to time or cost. However, exercising from home is something that just about all of us can manage, clear a space on the floor and follow along to an exercise video on Youtube. From vigorous cardio workouts to calming stretches and yoga, there are plenty of different routines you could try.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

If you’re looking to improve your morning routine but don’t know where to begin then don’t worry, you have definitely come to the right place. Whether you’re looking to make the most of the time you have in the morning or you want to improve your mood, changing your morning routine can be incredibly difficult. From waking up as early as possible to ensuring you eat breakfast every day, the more effort you make the better. With that in mind, here are 8 ways to ensure you have a great morning routine:

– Wake Up As Early As You Can

One of the best things you can do to improve your morning routine is to make sure you are waking up as early as you possibly can. Whilst this doesn’t mean waking up at the crack of dawn, it does mean waking up with plenty of time to comfortably get ready and relax before you have to officially start your day. If you make going to work a part of your day rather than the reason you get up, you’re going to start your day off in a much better mood.

For a guide to getting up earlier, you can visit this site here.

– Ensure You’re Drinking Water As Soon As You Wake Up

Another great tip is to ensure you’re drinking water as soon as you wake. Whether you keep a bottle of water by your bed or you head downstairs right away, the sooner you drink water in the morning the better. When you wake up in the morning you’re dehydrated so having a glass of water helps re-hydrate you right away, helping your brain to focus.

– Don’t Skip Out On Breakfast

Although you may not be a morning person, having breakfast each and every morning is absolutely essential. Not only will it help you focus during the day but it will also help kick start your metabolism, helping you burn calories throughout the day. Whether you grab some fruit on your way to work or you make yourself a sit-down breakfast each morning, you need to be sure you’re eating something to help start your day. For more benefits to eating breakfast each and every day, you can visit this site here.

– Make Time To Exercise

Another important thing to make time for each morning is a little bit of exercise. Whether you prefer to spend your morning stretching at home or you like to head out to the gym, morning exercise will release the endorphins you need to have a great day. Whilst you don’t have to exercise each and every day, you will really start to notice the difference on the days you do exercise.

If you want to learn more about stretching and how it can help, you can visit this site here.

– Spend Time Focusing On Your Daily Affirmations

If you’re focusing on your mental health and you want to make sure you’re starting your day off in the best possible way, you might want to think about focusing on your daily affirmations. For those that don’t know, daily affirmations are short, powerful, yet simple statements that are designed to manifest a specific goal. For example, a daily morning affirmation can be as simple as I am healthy or I am happy to be where I am. You might even check out your favorite blog to see if they have any words of wisdom to offer – this blog, for example, while it may look like it’s focused on tech, actually has plenty of posts with many a good morning message on them that you could take as inspiration for your own morning affirmation, or share them with a loved one and help get them set up for the day too.

Granted, this sort of thing is not for everyone, but it can really help some people when it comes to getting through the day.

– Mentally Plan Out The Day Ahead

If you struggle when it comes to organisation and you need a little bit of guidance each day, planning out everything you need to do is a great way to clear your mind each morning. Often people find that they’re too busy worrying about their to-do lists and because of that, they tend to take much longer to get everything done. With a clear and actionable list, you can’t go wrong.

– Listen To Some Feel-Good Music

Finally, starting your day off and having a great morning routine wouldn’t be complete with some feel-good music. Whether that means putting on your favorite album or listening to the charts, starting your morning with music is one of the best ways to ensure you’re in an incredible mood for the day ahead.

In addition, you could also look at these 54 morning routine ideas to help you create the perfect morning routine for you.

Do you need to improve your morning routine? What can you do to ensure you’re starting your day off in a great mood? Did we miss anything? Let me know your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below.

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.

Pexels – CC0 Licence

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.

Picture Source

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.