3 Tips: Moms With Toddlers

7 / 30 / 13

Whether you are enduring the terrible twos or the tantrum threes, toddlers are a lot of work. When your kids are infants you want so badly for them to walk but then as soon as they do your praying they would just sit still again. Don’t get me wrong these are precious years of fun, exploring, learning, and developing. These are the years where you can really shape who your child is going to grow up to be. As wonderful and amazing as it is, it is still really tough. Here are a few tips to help moms with toddlers.

1. Snacks

If you have a toddler you know that all they eat are snacks. 85% of their diet consists of cheerios, crackers, cookies, small fruits, and other sugary things. Tiny people love tiny food. At this age toddlers seem to never get full. They just want more, more, and more. As a parents I know you want to watch their food consumption so that they do not become over weight but there are a few things you can do to meet your child’s constant demands for more and still keep them healthy. Just like adults who are weight conscious don’t eat certain foods and always look at the nutritional value, do they same things for your kids. Know exactly what your kids are eating so when they ask for more you are not worried about the amount of sugar, salt, or fats that are going into their bodies.

2. Play Dates

If you are a stay at home or mostly at home mom then you know that being in the house all day with a toddler can drive anyone crazy. We love our toddler’s infectious laughs and loud imaginations but its no lie that there does come a time when you want some silence. When your children first start to talk conversation is pretty hilarious but we all know that adult conversation is needed from time to time. To help solve these problems join a playgroup. Get a couple of moms together that have children around the same age as yours and meet once a week at someone’s house where all the kids can play and the grownups can talk. It would also be really cool if you could work out a schedule where the moms took turn just dropping their kids off and having some alone time once or twice a month. This could be greatly needed.

3. Security System

Toddlers are mobile, smart, and mischievous. Their sense of adventure is exciting but terrifying at the same time. A toddler will wonder right out the front door with no hesitation just to see what’s outside. If you have a toddler you should look into investing in a top of the line home security system. I found a company called Smith Monitoring that offers some of the absolute best features. Smith Monitoring offers home security systems and North Richland Hills home security. With this company they will install sensors on your doors; anytime a door is opened a small buzzer will go off and alert you of what door was opened. This way if your toddler sneaks out of your sight and plans an escape you can bust in and stop the attempt.

About The Author: Katie Melendez is a writer for Smith Monitoring. Katie is also a wife, youth mentor, and a health nut. Follow her blogs for all current trends on home, health, and family.

Organizing The Kids’ Toys

7 / 30 / 13

Last weekend, I was able to find time and way on how to organize and keep the kids toys away the bed, the floor, bathroom and under the pillows. Yes, they are everywhere!!! Haha!

Whenever the kids saw me tinkering on their toys, they will come and offer “help” in sorting out the toys. In this manner, the “for disposal toys” will end up in a few pieces only, telling me that most of the toys are still in good working condition (broken cars, one-leg barbie doll, hard clay, etc) and should not be thrown or given away! 😀

Dear daughter’s plastic and mini pull-out dresser when she was still a baby is now their toy’s new home. I’ll show in the upcoming posts how we are able to do it. No more cluttered toys… For now! 🙂

3 Tips: Moms With Adult Children

7 / 30 / 13

If you have found yourself in this place in life I want to start off by congratulating you because you have done it! You have successfully raised your children too adulthood. Now you either have the house to yourself or you get to peacefully share it with your husband. Whichever it is enjoy it. If you adult child is still living with you maybe you should consider pushing them a little bit hard to move out or building them a guesthouse so you can have the place to yourself. Whatever the scenario here are a few tips on enjoying being a mom with adult children.

1. Cut the Cord

If you are a mom with all adult children its time to cut the cord: its time to push them out of the nest and see if they fly. Adult children like to now and then come back and ask for things. I am not saying that you should never help your adult children but there does need to be boundaries. You need to set boundaries with your children so that they learn to fend for themselves. This might even mean letting them fall on their face a few times and then coming in and helping them pick up the pieces. Your adult children need to be adults and crying to mommy every time something goes wrong just doesn’t cut it. Save your time, energy, and resources to spoil the booties off of your future or maybe present grandchildren.

2. Enjoy

Now that you are free from the daily task of raising children you need to enjoy life! You need to do the things that you never could do because you had children to look after daily. If you enjoy reading, join a book club that meets weekly. If you love to swim join an adult swim team. Whatever it is that you love to do, do it! If you and your husband have always wanted to travel to a specific location, save some money and go. If you want to walk around the house naked then do it! You need to enjoy yourselves. Odds are you only have a few more years until the aches and pains start kicking in (if they haven’t already) therefore you need to make the best out of it.

3. Security System

Remember when we were talking about kicking the children out of the nest. Adult children like to try to sneak in. Adult children think that because they used to live in the house that they can stop by anytime of any day and just bust in. Now if you are going to take me up on walking around the house naked then this is probably something you want to prevent from happening. If you and your husband want to have some alone time (wink wink) you do not want your adult children barging in unannounced. To prevent the above from happening you should purchase a top of the line alarm systems. I found a company called Smith Monitoring that offers the best home security systems and offers some of the best features. Smith Monitoring specializes in Pearland home security.

About The Author: Katie Melendez is a writer for Smith Monitoring. Katie is also a wife, youth mentor, and a health nut. Follow her blogs for all current trends on home, health, and family.

Four Fresh Tips for Hassle Free Home Maintenance

7 / 30 / 13

There’s nothing like moving into a new home. It doesn’t matter whether you’re renting or buying. You’ve unpacked your furniture, you’ve got most of the stuff out of boxes and onto shelves, or into cupboards and wardrobes – and then it’s time to kick back, relax and survey your new kingdom. At first, everything is perfect. The lovely clean walls, the shower that runs hot and fast after a long day at work. But then you start to notice little niggles. The creaking floorboard. The door that doesn’t shut properly. Ignore the warning signs, and those noises and not-quite-flush fittings can become a real problem. Deal with them early, and you can maintain the “new home” feeling for years. Here are a few tips on keeping your castle in tip-top condition.

Know where your services are

Your home is supplied with two or three essential services: electricity, water and gas. Knowing the locations of the key equipment associated with these services means you can react quickly in an emergency, and diagnose any irritating problems. Lights keep tripping? Knowing where your fuse box and trip switches are will keep your home lit up like a Christmas tree until you can talk to an electrician. Tap sprung a leak? If you’ve already located the stopcock, you’ll never have to panic.

Keep condensation at bay

Condensation – surface damp on walls and windows – is caused when the moisture in the air comes into contact with a surface colder than it is. Unattended condensation causes mould and peeling paint, and can also encourage the growth of nasty microorganisms that cause upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). You can minimize the risk of condensation by ensuring your home is well ventilated, and kept warm at night – a very low heating setting can make a lot of difference without bumping the bills up too much. Turn off kettles when they’re boiled, and keep pans covered with lids to prevent excess moisture in the air.

Stopping a knocking radiator

The knocking noise your heating system makes when it turns on is a sign that you have air in your radiators or pipes. This means the hot water isn’t properly filling the system, which means you’re using more power to produce less warmth. Check your radiators to see if they have cold patches. If they do, you can bleed the system using a radiator key. Just make sure you don’t completely unscrew the plug, or you will end up with water all over the floor! Trapped air will hiss out: when water starts to come through, tighten the plug again. Note: combi boiler systems should not be bled.

Keep it clean

Wear and tear in the home is greatly reduced if you make an effort to keep everything clean. Kitchen and bathroom surfaces will stay mould free for years if you give them a thorough going-over once a week – and your floors will retain their look and feel much longer with regular mopping, vacuuming and sweeping. Vacuuming carpets and wooden floors also pulls up the dust and bugs that cause colds and URTIs. Central vacuum systems are particularly useful – powerful and hardwired into your home.

The Author is an experienced web writer with more than 10 years of blogging under his belt. He started with a self-built network of home maintenance blogs in 2000, and has since become a trusted guest blogger on a number of major home improvement and DIY pages. His tips have also appeared on the homepages of internet news providers.

Bedrooms Even Teenage Boys Will Appreciate

7 / 30 / 13

Children are staying with their parents well into their twenties these days. It costs a lot of money to move out and many choose to remain in the family home until they have saved enough money to raise a deposit for a new home or until they feel ready to take on such a huge financial outgoing such as rent. When decorating for an older teenager you need to make sure it will meet their requirements well into their twenties.

By decorating the space well you can ensure the room will give your child and you the space that they need within the family home. Here are some useful tips that will grow as your child does and keep them happy until they are ready to fly the nest.

Start with the Colour

If you haven’t decorated the space in a long time the colour is bound to be outdated, shabby and in need of an update. You will want to pick the colour carefully so your teenager will not feel embarrassed to bring friends back and to ensure they enjoy spending time in the space. Great colours to consider are greys, navy blues and greens. You don’t want the space to be dark and depressing so use the darker colours sparingly, perhaps only painting one wall dark and keeping the others in a pale grey.

Space for Everything

Storage is something you need to get right. You must think about clothing as well as school or work equipment, collectables, magazines, CDs, Games and anything else your son may hoard. Add plenty of storage furniture such as cupboards, wardrobes and sideboards. If space is an issue make the most of the vertical space in the room and add shelving and wall mounted cabinets. Buy pieces of furniture with double usages – beds with drawers and ottomans that can serve as seats as well as providing storage room are ideal.

Soundproofing for the Sake of Everyone in the House (Not to Mention the Neighbours)

Sound proofing the room may seem like a lot of hassle but it will be worth it. Teenagers and young adults often stay up late into the night and the last thing you will want is to hear the constant grone of the television or music beats while you are trying to sleep. Look into sound proofing the room by contacting local contractors; you might be surprised at how cheap it is.

Buy Sensibly

If you buy furniture well it will be suitable for your grown up child to take with them when they do make the move to their own apartment. Buy furniture that they like, let them make the decision but give some guidance. You can find contemporary furniture that will look amazing in the home, serve a purpose and be ideal for a bachelor pad by checking out Custom Furniture Johannesburg. Custom made items will not only look incredible they will also be perfectly suited to the space that is currently available in the bedroom.

The author is a freelance copywriter with an interest in interior design and real estate. She enjoys writing about these topics and sharing advice with the readers so they can make the most of their homes. Her articles and blog posts have been published on hundreds of quality websites and blogs.

Australian Souvenirs and Collectibles

7 / 26 / 13

I have this long overdue PB (photo book) project that I really want to start with and finish as soon as possible to avail free credits in Artscow. The husband went to Australia two years ago and he filled our 4GB memory card with tons of photo memories from that trip 🙂

I am not yet done sorting out which ones to be used and the theme that will go with it, but I have started scanning out materials that I’ll be needing in addition with the other photos.

Here are some of the Australian souvenirs and collectibles that Ian got from the trip!

A souvenir passport on their entrance to the Featherdale Wildlife Park

It got stamps of the different animals that they have visited inside the park. :)

It’s so nice too that they allow feeding and personal interaction with the animals there.

His National Capital Passport, also stamped and marked that they visited the Parliament House, Royal Australian Min Dollar, Australian War Memorial and many more.

Coin Collectibles

Ref Magnets

They got souvenir ref magnets when they went to Snowy Mountain, Thredbo

Australian Money Bills

Disclaimer: these are not real money bills 😀 This is the back part of a souvenir notepad. Ahaha!

AUD $100, $50

AUD $20, $10, $5

I still got a few more scanned photos to share. But that deserves another post 🙂

Finding Winery Around The Globe Through WineMaps.com

7 / 26 / 13

One of the best part of traveling is being able to see and discover historical places, experiencing different cultures and tradition. Some travelers have this certain passion for “wine experience” in every country/ places that they visit. When husband went to Australia last 2011, he was able to visit different wineries and do wine tasting with his sibling. He vowed to do this again on his next trip with me of course! 🙂

For a more detailed and better experience in finding and discovering wineries and vineyards around the globe, checking out WineMaps.com, an interactive travel map that allows consumers to discover, learn and interact with wineries, vineyards, wine bars and events around the world is the best thing to do. We will definitely be needing this on our next wine experience and I just can’t wait!

winemaps

The best thing about WineMaps.com is that they got an app that you can download on your Smartphone for you to be able to plan and discover wineries, vineyards and winebars for your activity.

They are on beta stage, so take advantage on signing up on their newsletter and be the first few to get an invite here for more wineries and vineyards enjoyable experience for you.

Check out an interview on how WineMaps helps wine lovers find wineries and wine

The Importance of Vitamin D in Women

7 / 25 / 13

Our food today is heavily processed, and that means that many vitamins and nutrients are squeezed out of even fresh foods. If you are eating a lot of frozen meals, then you are receiving even fewer of the vitamins and minerals you need. Vitamin deficiency can lead to serious problems like hair loss, bone loss and other health issues.

Biotin is one example of an important vitamin. Also known as B7, it helps keep rashes, hair loss, anemia and even depression away. Found in meat, liver, milk and peanuts, it is also readily available in Wise Woman herbal supplements from OVitaminPro.com.

Scurvy was commonly seen in sailors who spent months at sea eating only salted meats and dried grains. It was a fatal condition, and it is still seen today when people have a severe vitamin C deficiency. Increase the intake of citrus fruits to get more vitamin C, and you can also keep your levels high with supplements.

Vitamin D and calcium work together to keep bones strong. The calcium is used by the bones, but the vitamin D is needed for absorption. It is added to milk, and people can also get their bodies to produce vitamin D by spending some time in the sunlight. If you live in an area that goes through long periods of overcast skies and cold temperatures, then you can also increase your vitamin D intake with supplements.

There are so many vitamins and minerals that people need to survive. Even if you are eating fresh fruits, vegetables and protein, you may not get the required levels of them. The good news is that you can correct the levels and keep yourself healthy by investing in high quality supplements.

Comfy Bedding

7 / 22 / 13

Sleeping is one of the most important factor that affects our health. It has been said that we should get at least an eight hour of sleep for us to be able to function well in our daily activities. It is also the time where our body recharges or rejuvenates energy. Being able to sleep well is beneficial for us health wise.

How Do We Achieve a Good Sleep?!

Our time and schedule of our daily activities is one of the top factor to consider, some of us do our usual routine of the 8 hour day job and some do work on night shifts. In this manner, people find ways how they could get the necessary sleep they need.

Disturbing factors such as physical (sickness) and emotional (problems) also affects our sleep in a negative way. Our memory and thinking ability are often out of focus when we are awake.

Comfortable bedding, this are more often overlook by many. Sleeping in a small, squeaky bed is vey uncomfortable. All the more, having dirty bedding is big no!

You need to find the right size, style and materials for your bed in order for you to have a comfortable one. There goes the single, double, queen and king size of the bed, the latter of course is the greatest, but then again, does king size bed will fit a small bedroom? you need to figure out other things to consider in that manner.

As for the bedding, find the right one that is necessary for your needs. DanielDryGoods.com offer different kinds of bedroom accessories from beddings to rugs and furniture and more. Consider the location and weather too. You don’t really need thick sheets on a summer right?!

Seersucker, is a thin, puckered, all-cotton fabric, commonly striped or checkered, used to make clothing for spring and summer wear.

The seersucker bedding is the right one to use on this kind of weather. It’s soft and cottony fabric keeps the air circulating underneath you skin, giving you enough comfort away from the heat of the weather.

Post-It Smiley’s

7 / 21 / 13

I woke up one morning to seeing this before I enter the bathroom. Underneath our dresser are the kids toys (the one that they usually play with most of the time). I did ask them to put in the plastic box their favorite ones, so as not having a very cluttered toys around the room.

Other toys were put in a separate big box outside our bedroom, bog ones like cars, stuffed toys, etc. Board games like monopoly and puzzles are in the cabinet.

This time, the organizer box is filled with post it notes!

Up close are the messy toys 🙂

… and those smiley drawn by the little boy himself.

He said, “ those are our different moods while we play!” 😀 BTW, he got those post it note from their cousin… and I think he got it without any permission. 😉