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Adulting For the Home Home How To Life

5 Ways To Add Value To Your Investment Property For The Rental Market

Add Value To Your Investment Property

If you own a property that you rent out to tenants, you want to make sure your investment comes with a great return. This way, when it is time to sell, you can ensure that you get more money for your property than you paid for it so that you can secure your financial future. You can achieve this by doing a few things to add value to your investment property for the rental market.

By following these tips, you can expect to increase the value of your investment properties and enjoy the benefits. 

***This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.***

Add Value To Your Investment Property
Kitchen Island and Barstools · Free Stock Photo (pexels.com)

How To Add Value To Your Investment Property For The Rental Market

1. Pay Attention To The Structure 

If you want to hang onto your rental property for a long time, then you need to pay particular attention to its structure. You won’t be able to sell a property that is falling apart, and the house won’t stay around for very long if it gets caught in a storm. If aspects of the outside of the property (such as the roof) are showing signs of wear and tear, then it might be worth using a company such as RPS Metal Roofing & Siding, Inc to protect your property from any potential damage. 

2. Make it Look Good On The Inside 

You want to create a home that looks good and inviting to potential renters and buyers. According to some selling agents, home staging can increase the value of a home by between 1-5%. 

You don’t have to spend too much money on these projects, either. Focus on high-value rooms such as kitchens and living rooms as these are what people tend to be drawn to when they look around a property.

3. Keep Appliances Updated 

The power a new refrigerator or oven can have when it comes to renting or selling a property is unimaginable. Buyers and renters want to know that they’re coming into a place that is well-managed and that they can see themselves living in.

Nobody wants to use a fridge that has clearly seen better days or is functioning questionably. Update your appliances and you’ll be batting away people who want to rent your property for the top dollar. 

4. Focus On Energy Efficiency 

Listing energy efficiency in a home sale listing makes the home more desirable. People want to spend less on their heating bills, as well as having the knowledge that they are doing their bit to save the planet.

Spend the money on working out the efficiencies on heating and cooling, windows and doors, and energy-efficient appliances. 

5. Make the Most of The Space

Poorly thought-out spaces can be offputting to buyers or renters. Galley kitchens are a no-go in favor of the open-plan living situation that people strive for. When it comes time to sell, every time potential investors see something that they add to their mental DIY list then the offer they give you will be lower. This includes knocking down walls, if necessary, to create a more desirable living situation.

Is there extra space in a bedroom that could potentially host a new bathroom? While these are somewhat expensive renovations, they will sell your property in days rather than months if they’re done well. 

If you’re only looking to rent the home, you can ask more when the layout is perfect for potential renters. Plus, you will get more renters after your apartment, which means you can be picky and choose only those with the best references.

Add Value To Your Investment Property

If you want to add value to your investment property, try utilizing some of these tips. Some of them are easy and inexpensive, but if you are willing to go the extra mile, there are bigger things that you can do.

Do you have an investment property? What are some of your best tips? Leave a comment and let me know!

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Adulting Healthy Living Home How To Parenting

4 Helpful Tips For Parents Who Work From Home

Tips For Parents Who Work From Home

Working from home can be rewarding, but it can also be challenging when you’re a parent. Being a parent is a tough job, and throwing work into the mix makes it even more complicated. There are ways to make it an enjoyable and productive experience, though, with some helpful tips for parents who work from home.

Not only can you make it enjoyable and productive, but there are other perks, as well. Every minute of the day is important for parents, so working from home saves you time from your commute back and forth. While that doesn’t seem like much, it quickly adds up to hours each week.

It takes some adjusting, but working from home as a parent can be fulfilling. Remember the benefits, and bask in the comfort of watching your children learn and grow even as you work. You can make it work for your family, and you will be glad you did after you implemtn some of these tips for parents who work from home.

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Tips For Parents Who Work From Home

1. Keep the Kids Entertained

If you’re a mom then you know kids love to have a good time and play. If you want to get anything done then you must find ways to keep them entertained. For instance, consider buying them a favorite toy such as the camp coral [patrick plush toy] or turning on their favorite cartoons. Another idea is to let them do some arts and crafts activities while you focus on your work tasks. Mix it up so each day is unique and different and they don’t become easily bored day after day.

2. Take Care of Yourself

Working and being a mom without any breaks or self-care will take a toll on you and your well-being eventually. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to commit to taking good care of yourself each day and creating more balance. It may require you to get up early to shower or exercise or mean that you rearrange your day a bit to fit in doing something for you. No matter how difficult it becomes to put yourself first you must always do so if you’re going to be able to work from home and care for your kids all with energy and a positive attitude.

3. Get in A Routine

Kids love routines and get pretty good at following them once they learn them. Therefore, one tip for moms who work from home is to get in a daily routine you can all follow as a family. For example, get up around the same time each day, get the kids ready and eat breakfast together. Take breaks for lunch and naps and step away from your computer every so often. Give your kids some structure to their day by planning it out for them and making sure they know what’s coming next.

4. Ask for Help When You Need it

Remind yourself that there’s no shame in asking for help when you need it as a working mom. Reach out and let others know what you need and what they can do to take some stress and pressure off of you. It may be that you need a day off from work here and there or that you have a nanny come into your home or pick the kids up a few days a week. You might also consider asking your spouse to cook or pick up dinner when you’re tired and don’t have the time or energy to prepare your evening meal. You’ll find speaking up and asking for what you need help with is better than bottling up your stress inside and trying to do it all yourself.

Tips For Parents Who Work From Home

Are you a parent that works from home? What are some of your best tips? Share them in the comments!

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Adulting Allergies Big kid fun Family Activities Holiday How To Outside Fun Parenting Spring

Holiday Safety Tips: Don’t Let Mishaps Steal Your Spring Holiday Cheer

Holiday Safety Tips: Don't Let Mishaps Steal Your Spring Holiday Cheer

The coronavirus pandemic has lowered the possibilities of individuals enjoying the Easter holiday. Easter is a joyful celebration, and you can make it possible with a few holiday safety tips. Covid-19 isn’t the only worry, either, with food allergies and other issues being possible.

The traditional Easter activities may be an excellent way to make memories with friends and families. However, you might be worried, especially if you are hosting an egg hunt, that things will go badly. With these holiday safety tips, though, you will be well on your way to a successful Easter celebration.

***This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.***

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Holiday Safety Tips for Easter

Food Safety

You have to protect your family and guests from food allergies. Online shopping can come in very handy for this, as you get a wider variety of allergy-free foods. You can order some candies that are gluten, peanut, egg, and dairy-free. Additionally, you can go for snacks like popcorn, cheese crackers, or other allergy-free snacks to replace the other treats.

Food safety doesn’t stop at food allergies, and you must make sure the food is cooked and stored properly. Eggs should be thoroughly cooked and cooled before decorating them.

If you use hard-boiled eggs for the Easter egg hunt, hide them minutes before the hunt. Hard-boiled eggs should be eaten within two hours of removing them from the refrigerator. If you are concerned about the safety of hiding real eggs, switch them with plastic ones, instead.

Related Post: Living With Allergies: Our Journey to the Diagnosis

Fire Safety

Fire incidents increase drastically during the holidays. You can easily get preoccupied during big family gatherings. To prevent occurrences of fire that can ruin your holiday cheer:

  • Avoid congestion in the kitchen and try as much as possible to keep children out of the kitchen.
  • Always make sure that you are alert when in the kitchen. Don’t use the stove or oven when you are sleepy or drunk. Don’t leave anything unattended; use a timer always.
  • Whenever there is a stove fire, turn off the burners and keep the door open.
  • Be cautious when frying things. In case of a small fire, restrict the flame by gliding the lid to cover the pan and turn off the burner.

Pet Safety

The spring holiday cannot be complete without your furry friends. Ensure that they also get to enjoy their festivities by protecting them from all known toxins and dangers. As a pet owner, you know that the chemicals present in chocolate can be deadly to cats and dogs. It can cause coma, seizures, heart failure, or even death.

Some flowers can be deadly when consumed by cats, so you must be careful with those, too. Flowers like lilies, which bloom during spring, can cause kidney failure or even death in cats. Check your cat for signs of poisoning like fatigue, lack of appetite, and vomiting. Contact a vet immediately if you suspect that your cat has consumed any of the toxic plants.

Egg-hunt Safety

When inside the house, avoid hiding eggs in light sockets, near electric outlets, and in glasses. Instead, keep them below the participants’ eye level and always count and track the eggs you hid.

When outside, avoid hiding eggs in any foliage rooms, animal homes, or play areas. Throw away any eggs that have been cracked to ensure the candy doesn’t become contaminated.

Holiday Safety Tips

The spring holiday comes with many enjoyable family activities, and as a parent or guardian, you need to make sure that you keep safety in mind. Hunt safely, keep food allergies in mind, practice egg safety, protect your pets, and avoid fire accidents.

Do you have any other Easter safety tips to add? Leave a comment and let me know!

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Adulting For the Home Home How To Life

5 Common Household Bugs To Be Aware Of

common household bugs

No matter how hard you try, there will be instances where you find an unwelcome critter in your house. This might alarm you, especially if you’re scared of bugs, have children, or have pets, but it’s important to remember that not all creepy crawlies are bad, and some are even to be expected. There are a handful of common household bugs you might find in your home, and knowing how to deal with the situation will help put you at ease.

Common Household Bugs

1. Dust Mites

Dust mites naturally live in every house, and generally, they don’t cause issues. When there’s a lot of them, though, they can cause a range of symptoms including:

  • Rash
  • Itchy eyes
  • Cough
  • Sore throat
  • Runny nose
  • Sneezing

Dust mites typically can be found on fabric such as carpet, curtains, bedding, and other plush surfaces. You won’t be able to keep them out entirely, but you can certainly minimize their effects by washing bedding, curtains, and soft items frequently, as well as vacuuming weekly.

2. Woodworm Beetles

Dampness is a common issue that many homeowners face in some capacity, and generally, it doesn’t cause major damage. Certain types of damp can attract bugs like woodworm beetles, though. Woodworm beetles can be destructive, but they’re relatively easy to spot and treat.

There are a few types of woodworm beetles, the most common being the common furniture beetle which is brown and roughly half a centimeter long. They don’t usually cause any harm to humans or pets, but they can damage furniture and skirting boards. To avoid woodworm beetles, you need to avoid dampness in your home.

The beetles are attracted to damp wood, so you need to tackle the root cause of dampness first. If the affected area is only small, you can dry out the wood with the use of a heater, or you can inject a vinegar-water solution into the boreholes to drive the remaining larvae out.

3. Fruit Flies

We’ve all had instances where we’ve left fruit on the kitchen counter a little too long past its recommended eat-by date and it’s attracted flies. One or two fruit flies aren’t a problem, but they multiply really fast and things can get out of hand fairly quickly. No one wants to eat fruit that’s got fly larvae in it, so to avoid it, you should store fruit in the refrigerator and get rid of it as soon as it starts to turn bad.

4. Ants

You’re more likely to have an ant infestation in the warmer months, and most of the time they’re not a problem aside from the fact they’ll eat their way through all your snacks, but some types of ants can be potentially dangerous in the sense that they can sting and bite.

If you spot an ant, watch it carefully to see where it’s coming from and apply ant-killing solution. Keep in mind that some ant-solutions can be harmful to children and pets.

If you don’t want to use ant powder, you can try ant traps which are a safer option for those with children and pets. To avoid ants altogether, it’s a good idea to store any loose food like cookies and cereal in airtight containers.

5. Silverfish

silverfish, common household bugs

These pesky creatures are very small and hard to see, but they can cause a lot of damage to fabric, wallpaper, and books. They’ve been known to also eat glue, oats, and flour, so there’s not much these wingless insects won’t go for!

Since silverfish eat anything, it makes treating them hard, especially when you consider how hard they are to see. The best solution is usually sticky traps, but sealing up food, reducing the amount of clutter in your home (letters/newspapers, etc.) and sprinkling diatomaceous earth can also work.

common household bugs

Common Household Bugs To Be Aware Of

Hopefully, you don’t have the misfortune of encountering these creepy crawlies any time soon, but if you do, use the ideas suggested here. Have you had a problem with any of these household bugs before? If so, tell me about it in the comments!

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Adulting Decor For the Home How To Outside Fun Spring Summer

5 Easy Ways To Make The Most Of Your Balcony

Make The Most Of Your Balcony

Does your apartment or house have a balcony? By making a few improvements, you could turn this space into the ultimate outdoor retreat. You have many options when it comes to what you want to do to the space, and you can truly make the most of your balcony by implementing some new ideas.

***This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.***

Make The Most Of A Balcony
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How to Make The Most Of Your Balcony

1. Add Some Cozy Chairs

If you want to sit out on your balcony, you’ll need some chairs. An outdoor lounge suite might be out of the question if you only have a tiny balcony, however, you needn’t settle for cheap plastic chairs.

Cozy options such as these Adirondack chairs from The Best Adirondack Chair Company could be the perfect choice for reading a book or sunbathing. You may even be able to fit a loveseat on your balcony for romantic home dates with a partner. If you’re very limited for space, a pair of cozy bar stools with footrests could be an option. 

2. Add a Small Table

A small table could allow you to eat meals on your balcony or even work on a laptop. You could consider a simple rattan side table or a small glass coffee table. If you’ve got bar stools on your balcony, you may need a slightly higher table – it may be possible to fix a table to your balcony rail. Collapsible tables could be another option for saving space. 

3. Grow Some Outdoor Plants

If you want to get into gardening but don’t have a backyard, you could still use your balcony as a space for growing outdoor plants. Narrow potted plants are the best option as they don’t take up too much room.

You can also hang flower boxes from the railings or hang flower baskets on the walls. Many different colorful flowers can grow in boxes and baskets including begonias, fuchsia, and geraniums. 

4. Light it Up

If you want to enjoy your balcony in the evening, outdoor lighting is essential. You don’t want anything too bright, as your balcony is likely only to be a small space. Ambient and low lighting options could be worth looking into.

You could hang string lights across the railings or from the ceiling. Alternatively, you could add some wall lights. These lights could be battery powered or solar powered to save you energy and reduce the need for electrical wiring. If you live in a rented apartment, you may not be able to get permission to wire in lights, anyway.

5. Install Some Heating

Your balcony could start to get cool in the evening. Adding an outdoor heat source could help to keep the space warm. A fire pit is unfortunately not a possibility, but you may be able to consider an electric patio heater.

There are electric wall heaters that can be fixed to walls and tabletop electric heaters that you can buy. These outdoor heat sources don’t take up a lot of space and are perfect for keeping you warm. Some of these are solar-powered, preventing the need to wire them up.

Make The Most Of A Balcony, balcony vibes, cute balcony, functional balcony, small balcony, balcony

Make The Most Of Your Balcony

Your balcony can be the perfect place to spend time relaxing. Envision yourself reading a book or enjoying a drink at the end of a long day. Make the most of your balcony so that you can enjoy the space that you have.

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Adulting Health Healthy Living How To Life Parenting

3 All-Natural Ways To Battle Insomnia as a Parent

battle insomnia

Insomnia is one of the most frustrating chronic health issues that a person can experience. Insomnia means that you have problems sleeping, meaning that you can’t seem to fall asleep often. It affects your day-to-day life and can interfere with your career and relationships.

Many moms begin to experience insomnia after having children. This trouble for sleeping for moms is because our sleep patterns become distorted when feeding babies during the night and getting our kids into healthy sleeping patterns. When the kids begin sleeping through the night, some parents struggle to do the same and often turn to different methods to get a good night’s sleep. Fortunately, there are ways parents can help with trouble sleeping, whether it’s looking for sleeping pills or getting the best organic Kratom using the latest Kingdom Kratom coupon code to promote a good night’s sleep. 

In this blog post, we will look at three ways to battle insomnia once and for all. Not every method works for everyone, so make sure to check with your doctor before you go ahead with any of these tips!

Battle Insomnia, overcome insomnia
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Ways To Battle Insomnia

1. Use natural sedatives like CBD

Taking prescription sleeping pills is something many people avoid, simply because they aren’t healthy as a long-term solution. While sleeping pills aren’t inherently bad for a person, it can be harsh on your digestive system to take high doses every evening.

Natural sedatives, on the other hand, are excellent solutions to insomnia because they don’t produce many adverse effects on other aspects of your health. CBD oil products like the Dream CBN Tincture from Bloom Farms Wellness can help you to fall asleep easily while producing no ill side effects.

2. Get hypnotherapy

For long-term solutions to insomnia, it’s time to get serious. If you want to tackle this thing head-on, you should consider hypnotherapy to battle your insomnia. 

How does hypnotherapy for insomnia work? Hypnotherapy basically involves re-organizing the way your brain associates with certain things. For example, if you have trauma-based around a car crash, your brain might associate screeching or crashing sounds with extreme fear or injury, causing panic. Hypnotherapy can recalibrate those associations to make life easier for a person.

For insomnia, hypnotherapy can stop your brain from associating nighttime with long periods of lying awake and stressing about your lack of sleep. 

3. Change the way you get ready for bed

Sometimes, the best solution is the simplest one. Insomnia can sometimes be triggered by a stressful, chaotic, or irregular nighttime routine that disrupts your mind’s natural patterns of waking and sleeping. 

If you are experiencing insomnia, make sure you are paying attention to your nighttime routine. A few ways to relax before bed are:

  • Turn off all electronics for at least thirty minutes before getting into bed. 
  • Stretch or do gentle yoga before climbing under the sheets for rest.
  • Have sex. Sex is a great way to relax your brain and tire yourself out before sleep!
  • Listen to gentle, relaxing sounds, such as wildlife sounds or an audiobook.
  • Tidy up your space in a calm, organised manner. Wandering around and putting things away during the evening can be a truly relaxing activity that many people overlook.
Battle Insomnia, overcome insomnia

Ways To Battle Insomnia

If you are struggling with insomnia as a mom, make sure you use this guide to help you sleep better!

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Adulting For the Home How To Life

3 Reasons Smart Homeowners Are So Obsessed With Sealing Their Homes Up

smart homeowners, seal up your home,

These days, the vast majority of homeowners want to live in properties that consume as little energy as possible. They believe their houses should be like frugal hybrid cars, keeping their fuel bills to a minimum. To achieve this, smart homeowners use certain methods for sealing their homes up.

Some homeowners are using all kinds of clever technology, like triple glazing, roofing insulation, and cavity walls. And they are spending thousands of dollars on the way. Interestingly, though, there is a technology that is even more powerful for reducing bills than all these features. Plus, it works in a much simpler way too. It’s called airtightness, and smart homeowners focus on it when sealing their homes up. 

Smart Homeowners
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What Is Airtightness and Why Do Smart Homeowners Swear By It? 

Airtightness is the idea that you can make your home more energy-efficient by blocking off all your drafts. It means more than just shutting your doors and windows. Usually, it works by sealing your property with plastic sheeting, preventing gaps and holes from allowing cool air to enter. 

There are several types of airtightness technology currently available on the market. The simplest just uses builder’s tape. Handymen go around your property, installing tape behind walls to prevent air from moving in and out. 

The most advanced airtightness procedures usually involve fitting a large membrane to the rear side of a cavity wall, preventing any of the micro-pores in the masonry from releasing warm air. 

These systems aren’t perfect, but they do increase the effectiveness of all your energy-saving investments. So if you do decide to spend money on triple-glazing, getting airtightness might be something you want to consider at the same time. 

Why Smart Homeowners are Obsessed With Sealing Their Home

Apart from the obvious, airtightness produces a host of benefits. 

1. Lower Heating Bills

The first reason for getting on board with sealing your home is because it lowers your heating bills. When less air can escape, the warmth stays in your home for longer. That means that your boiler or furnace doesn’t need to work so hard, and your bills go down. 

2. Prevents Bugs From Getting Inside

Airtightness helps keep creepy crawlies out of your home. Things like spiders, ants, and other annoying bugs can make their way inside and begin to multiply. Sometimes numbers can build up so much that you need to call in the spider exterminator. Sealing off your house, however, gets rid of the small gaps that creepy crawlies use to enter.

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3. Makes Air Conditioning More Effective

Think about it: heat exchange happens when there is a difference in temperature between the inside of your home, and the outside. So when the outside is warmer than the inside, hot air molecules travel through gaps in the structure of your home, heating the interior. The air conditioning unit has to work harder in response. The solution? Close off these gaps and prevent hot air from getting in.

Why Smart Homeowners Are Obsessed With Sealing Their Homes Up

Now that you know why eco-conscious people and smart homeowners are becoming so obsessed with sealing their homes. It helps to save energy, makes your home more comfortable, and prevents unwanted pests from entering.

Have you sealed up your home? What are some of your best tips? Let me know in the comments!

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Adulting Healthy Living How To Life Mental Health Our Family Parenting

7 Smart Tips for Parents to Stop Feeling Like a Headless Chicken

Tips for Parents

There’s no doubt that being a modern parent causes a busy lifestyle, so tips for parents are always helpful. Whether you’re a working parent, a stay-at-home parent, or something in between, you always have plenty to do. You might have support from a partner or friends and family, but it still feels like you have a never-ending to-do list.

With lots of different things to do both at home and out of the house, juggling it all can be overwhelming. Getting organized can help, but it doesn’t necessarily eliminate any of the tasks you must do. If you feel like you’re constantly running around like a headless chicken, you need to find ways to lighten your load, and these tips for parents can help.

Tips for Parents
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Tips for Parents to Stop Feeling Crazy

1. Make a List of Everything You Do

Do you know how much you do for yourself and your family? Making a list of all of your responsibilities can make it clear just how much you have on your plate. It might be a little frightening at first, but it can also be a good starting point.

Creating a list of everything you do could be a way for you to get the help you’re not getting. Does your partner insist they do just as much as you do when you know they don’t? Showing them your list might just convince them to start doing more. Creating this list can also help you recognize when you need to ask for help.

Another advantage of making a list is that it can show you which tasks are really necessary. It can help you decide which tasks could be altered, and which you might be able to cut out completely.

2. Adjust Your Standards of Tidiness and Cleanliness

Whether you’re a working parent or not, housework takes time. Even when you split household tasks with your partner and kids, it can still require a chunk of your time.

Being a parent does mean that you will probably feel like you’re always tidying up and cleaning in some way. One way you might consider changing things is by reassessing your idea of what clean and tidy means. Having extremely high standards might not be particularly realistic, especially if you want to get some of your time back. Decide what you can be happy with so you can keep up a standard that works for your family.

3. Hire a Cleaner/Housekeeper

Another option for saving time is to hire a cleaner or housekeeper. Some people feel reluctant to do this because they feel like it’s their job to maintain the home. If you can afford to hire someone, though, there’s no shame in getting help.

You don’t necessarily need to have someone come every day. A housekeeper visiting for a few hours each week can make a difference and save you from some time-consuming jobs.

4. Have Things Delivered

Tips for Parents
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Do you feel like you’re always going from place to place buying things? You have to do grocery shopping, clothes shopping, visits to the drugstore, and many other things.

If you’re always going from store to store and running errands, you must find ways to stop doing so much. One possibility is to get things delivered whenever possible. This can work best when you know exactly what you need.

You can order repeat prescription delivery for any medications or order your groceries online. Some things are better to buy in person, though, like things you should try on.

5. Create a Family Schedule

Tips for Parents
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If you have a long list of things to do but you’re never sure when you will have time, you might want to think about making a schedule. Instead of having one just for you, it can be for the whole family.

Begin by filling in certain things that are scheduled each week. Then, look for free timeslots that you can use for anything else that needs to be completed.

You could have a digital calendar, a weekly printable, or even a whiteboard. It gives you a sense of order and can be a way to get everyone helping around the house.

6. Stop Overscheduling

As a parent, you and your kids are likely always busy. You want to ensure your kids get to participate in extracurricular activities. Plus, you’re involved in lots of things too, from yoga class to the PTA and everything in between. Many of these activities are totally optional, and you might be giving everyone too much to do.

For every activity your kids do, you have to make sure they get there and have everything they need. Not only that, but your child might be tired from being overscheduled too. Remember that your kids put in a full day of school work, so extracurricular activities make their day even longer. Then, you have to plan for dinner after the activities, too.

Even though you want to ensure everyone has opportunities, sometimes you all need time at home to rest. Spending time together as a family unit is important, too.

7. Say No to Things

If there’s too much on your plate, it’s not necessarily all your own doing. Some things just have to get done, while other things can be requested of you from others. Remember that just because someone asks you to do something, it doesn’t mean you must say yes.

There are times when the best option is to politely refuse. Whether your refuse because it would interfere with your health or you have no time, don’t feel bad. If the thing they are asking would interfere with family time, you should also consider saying no. Reluctantly doing something isn’t going to produce the best results anyway, so learning to say no can really help you.

Tips for Parents, headless chicken

Tips for Parents to Stop Feeling Like a Headless Chicken

When you feel like you’re always running around trying to get things done, you need to slow down and lighten your load. Use these tips for parents to stop feeling like a headless chicken. Take control of your life and make sure you do things that make you and your family happy and peaceful.

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Adulting For the Home Home How To Life

3 Easy Ways to Get Rid Of Nasty Smells In Your Home

get rid of nasty smells in your home

We have all been in a situation where there’s a horrible smell in our home but can’t quite seem to get rid of it. Where is it coming from? Why does it exist? More importantly, how on earth can you stop it from stinking up your home and making you uncomfortable?! If you’re currently suffering from bad smells in your home, use these tips to get rid of nasty smells in your home.

Get Rid Of Nasty Smells In Your Home
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How to Get Rid Of Nasty Smells In Your Home

1. Don’t try to mask the smell with air fresheners

Your first instinct is to pick up a can of air freshener and spray it everywhere when there’s a bad smell in your home. In reality, this does nothing. If anything, it makes the smell worse as it now mingles with the air freshener.

When you do this, you’re not dealing with the problem at all. The smell still exists, you’re just attempting to cover it up. It’s literally like seeing a crack in the wall and putting some sticky tape over it! So, save yourself time and money by not spraying air freshener everywhere. 

2. Identify the cause of the smell

The correct way to approach things is by identifying the cause of the smell. Here are a few of the most common causes of bad smells in your home:

  • Moldy food
  • Stinky trash
  • Pet poop
  • Dead animals
  • Clogged pipes

You have to start figuring out if any of these things are the source of the terrible smell in your home. It sounds like a hard task, but you can quickly rule out some of the potential issues. For instance, if you don’t have any pets, you know that they aren’t the cause of the smell!

Nevertheless, the best place to start is with the plumbing system in your home. Go to the bathroom and see if the smell gets stronger – particularly if you sniff near plug holes and drains. The same goes for your kitchen and any other areas of your home with pipes. If you don’t smell any strong scents coming from these areas, the chances are that you don’t have a plumbing problem. Of course, if the smell intensifies, it’s a pretty decent bet that clogged pipes or drains are the issues. 

If you check the plumbing and don’t notice any problems, your next step is to hunt around your kitchen. First, check the garbage – if it reeks, you know that it’s causing the smell! This is so common, and you can easily solve it by taking the trash outside. However, if the trash isn’t the issue, start opening cupboards and looking for any signs that the smell intensifies. If it does get worse, check that area for moldy food.

For most of you, these two steps will identify the source of your smelly problem. Plumbing issues and smells coming from your kitchen are highly common.

If you still can’t find the source, there’s a high chance a small animal might have died in your home. Particularly if the smell has gotten worse over time, and you see flies buzzing around areas of your home. Mice, rats, and birds can get into your home via the attic, ending up trapped. So, if the smell gets really bad as you go to your attic, you know this is the problem. Generally, it’s quite easy to tell if a dead animal is the source of your smell as they have a very distinct odor.

3. Removing the source

After identifying the source, you have to remove it. This is the only way to get rid of the smell for good, and then you can freshen up your home. For any plumbing issues, always get a local plumber to handle them as you want to avoid making the problem even worse. Thankfully, most issues can be solved within a few hours, so your home will start smelling better. After any blockages are cleared, it helps to pour some bleach down plug holes, further freshening things up. 

For smells in the kitchen, begin by removing any moldy food and throwing smelly trash out. Then, clean the area where the scent was found, using disinfectant to kill the smelly bacteria. This will go a long way to removing the scent from your home.

Obviously, if dead animals are causing the smell, you need to call a pest control provider to deal with it for you. They’ll help you find out where the smell is coming from before removing the animal for you. This should have an instant impact on how your home smells. If pet poop is the problem, remove it, clean the area, and teach your pet to not poop inside in the future.

Get Rid Of Nasty Smells In Your Home

Get Rid Of Nasty Smells In Your Home

By following all of these steps to get rid of nasty smells in your home, you will now have a clean and fresh home. Open all of the windows to air out your home and get rid of any lingering smells. Once the smells have disappeared, then you can use candles or air fresheners to make the rooms smell nicer.

Do you have any tips to add to this list? Let me know in the comments!

Categories
Big Kid How To Kindergarten Age Parenting

4 Easy Ways To Get Your Kids To Drink More Water

Get Your Kids To Drink More Water

Water is great, yet so many of us aren’t drinking enough of it daily. As adults, we know that water is great for our energy levels, kidneys, and skin, but kids also benefit from drinking enough water. You can get your kids to drink more water without much of a fight if you use the following tips.

Drinking water is great for children’s energy and concentration, helping them achieve at school. It’s also great for their digestion and helps them to regulate their body temperature. Getting kids to do anything can be a struggle, but you can easily get your kids to drink enough water. 

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Get Your Kids To Drink More Water
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How To Get Your Kids To Drink More Water

1. Lead by Example

If you spend your days drinking soda, juices, and coffee, then you’re not showing your kids that water is important to drink. Telling them they need to drink water when you have something which is a lot tastier (if not good for you) then they’ll likely start to push back against the ‘do as I say, not as I do’ situation. 

2. Make it the Norm

By making water a part of everyday life, your kids will be more likely to accept it as a normal part of their everyday diet. Have water available at every meal, and always take a water bottle out with you wherever you go. That way, you don’t end up at shops and cafes buying sugary drinks when your kid is thirsty. This isn’t only great for your kids, but it’s also great for your weight control and overall health. 

Use a refillable water bottle that has a filter built-in, or get a filter fitted for your water supply at home. There are many to choose from, including the iSpring which is The Best Whole House Water Filter for Iron in 2021 and is great for filtering your water. 

3. Add a Little Flavor

It’s really tempting to start adding sugary syrup or juice to your child’s water just to get them to drink it. This is something you want to try and avoid as the sugars can damage their teeth. Instead, you can add a little lemon or lime slices to flavor the water. 

You can also infuse water with herbs or spices like ginger, lemongrass, or cinnamon. If you’re already in the habit of giving your kids a lot of juice or sugary drinks, then suddenly switching to water is probably going to cause a lot of pushback. Gradually start watering down their drinks until they are more water than juice, and then transition to water only. 

4. Include Water-Rich Foods

Another way to get hydration into your kids is to ensure you give them foods that are rich in water. Foods rich in water are often healthy, too, so they make great additions to any diet. The most common water-rich foods include: 

  • Melons
  • Cucumber
  • Tomatoes
  • Brocolli 
  • Apples 
  • Oranges
  • Spinach
Get Your Kids To Drink More Water

Is the Tap Water Safe?

There’s always the assumption that the tap water at everyone’s homes is safe, right? Usually, there only needs to be a boil water advisory on the few days of the year when it might be unsafe, but outside of that, isn’t it all safe? Well, not exactly. Sometimes, it’s the faucets, sometimes it’s the pipes, and it can even be the water company. 

So, your kids might not want to drink the water because it smells, or maybe it tastes off. It’s one of those natural survival instincts so you can’t really blame them there. So ideally, you should look into getting your pipes checked, and you might even want to look into a new water company such as American Water if you know for a fact that your water always looks or smells off. Your tap water needs to be safe, you drink it, you cook with it, and yes, this is a big deal!

Get Your Kids To Drink More Water

It’s easy to get into less than ideal habits with kids, especially if they are particularly picky eaters and drinkers. Ideally, you’ll establish a love of water early on, but there are still ways to encourage older children to drink more too. Use these tips to get your kids to drink more water and it’ll quickly become a habit.