Rebecca Alston, Author at Mamas Like Me

How to Choose a Newborn Baby Stroller

It is such an adorable thing to choose a stroller for your baby. When you take out your baby for the first time to show the world, you will need a good stroller to rely on. It is a crucial decision for you, as you would need it often for your baby’s outing. Selecting the right stroller is going to help you in a lot of ways. It makes it easier to carry your baby on tour on regular days. Whether you visit a mall, to a party, or to take a stroll out on the street, a stroller can make your life easier. Choosing a newborn baby stroller for the first time can be challenging for you. Plus, you need to be particular about the quality and the safety because it is for your baby. So you must know how to choose a baby stroller before directly selecting any of them. Here is a complete guide about a baby stroller, from its types to essential features.

What are the different types of strollers?

There are various kinds of strollers ideal for different situations like jogging, traveling, or walking. Here is a rundown of the major types.

All-purpose stroller

Also popular as a full-time stroller, an all-purpose stroller is useful for all the activities. From taking a walk and going out on a trip, it is the ideal stroller for your daily use and is the most preferable when you want it for all purposes. It’s a multipurpose stroller that offers a smooth ride along with additional features like a string basket, cup holders, and seat recline. However, some of the full-time strollers are heavy and bulky, and it might not be easy to fold them. But it is not the case with all of them. They are available in different price ranges, from hundreds to thousands. Some of them also offer the feature to change the direction of the seat.

Lightweight Stroller

Also known as umbrella strollers, these weigh less than your regular strollers. You can easily lift them and can take them anywhere, keeping them in your car trunk. They are slimmer than other strollers and are ideal to pass through thin doorways and busy sidewalks. They are also a perfect fit for traveling. You can fold them, and some of them are so small that they can fit in overhead airplane bins. You can choose from a wide range of prices that offer cheap to the best quality baby strollers.

Jogging Stroller

These strollers are perfectly ideal for you if you want to take your baby on a ride while you are out jogging. They are perfect for bumpy, uneven levels as they absorb the bouncing that happens during riding fast. If you know where to buy baby strollers, you can look out for this type and can make a difference in your jogging routine with your baby.

Double Stroller

It is an incredible stroller for twins or two close babies. You can choose from two designs; there are side by side -doubles and in line. There is a convertible stroller- you can turn them into a double stroller whenever needed.

Travel Systems

These systems come with a stroller and a car seat that you can attach right to it. The benefit is you can use them right from your baby’s birth, second-when your baby is sleeping, you do not have to wake it up to transfer to the stroller.

Features to consider when looking for a baby stroller?

Certification- You should make sure that the stroller you are choosing has a brand name and logo. It should be certified by the JPMA.
Wheels- The large wheels are ideal for a baby stroller when you want to take it out for long walks and bumpy grounds. At the same time, the small wheels are suitable for the city roads. Consider the wheel size according to your requirement.
Amortization- This is a crucial thing to consider while buying one; amortization prevents any shocks to affect your baby. It is essential for your baby as they cannot control their neck and spine at their age.
Breaks- A friendly newborn baby stroller should have the capability of locking both wheels simultaneously. You may need breaks in a situation where you have to stop the stroller suddenly.

5 Natural Ways To Reduce Symptoms Of Menopause

Women who reach their late 40s and early 50s will naturally experience the symptoms of menopause due to the inability of the body to produce estrogen. The body goes through different stages namely, perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. During these stages, women may experience different signs and symptoms that usually do not need medical treatment. However, menopausal women are also vulnerable to health complications such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases. Hence, some symptoms can have serious health problems and require medical attention.

While menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, weight gain, chills, night sweats, sleep problems, and mood swings could last for months and even years, there are natural remedies that will alleviate these irritable symptoms. Furthermore, natural remedies are the best option for women who do not want to undergo estrogen therapy.

1.Prevent Osteoporosis By Eating Foods Rich In Calcium And Vitamin D

When the body stops producing estrogen, menopausal women become vulnerable to osteoporosis. During menopause, bones can weaken due to hormonal changes, thus, it is vital to consume foods that give nutrients to your bones. Calcium-rich foods such as fish, dairy, and green leafy vegetables can easily be obtained in the market. Moreover, cereals, fruit juices, and soya drinks are fortified with calcium. Vitamin D intake, on the other hand, can strengthen your bones and highly prevent fractures. Sunlight is the main source of Vitamin D, however, there are food supplements such as fish oil or cod oil that are also fortified with Vitamin D.

Vitamin D deficiency not only affects bone health but also is linked to cancer and chronic diseases. While there is much expensive therapy such as anticonvulsants and menopausal hormone therapy, the need for an inexpensive alternative therapy should be a high priority. Hence, treating vitamin D deficiency could eliminate the symptoms of menopause. Furthermore, vitamin D deficiency is also attributed to mood disturbances and musculoskeletal aches.

2.Consume Black Cohosh Herb

Black Cohosh is used to treat menopausal women who experience night sweats. It helps relieve the body of sleep disturbance as well as prevent mood changes. Fortunately, Black Cohosh is already in tablet or capsule form, hence it can easily be obtained. As with other food supplements, it is always crucial to talk to your doctor before taking Black Cohosh as this may cause interference with your other medications.

3.Consider An Acupuncture Therapy

Acupuncture is another natural remedy for menopause that has essential benefits. It is a treatment that alleviates conditions relating to anxiety, hormonal imbalances, insomnia, and mood irritability. When you go through the treatment, acupuncture balances your hormones to improve your emotional wellbeing. In some medications, acupuncture is combined with aromatherapy to improve your health during the menopausal stage.

Acupuncture as a therapeutic alternative in treating menopausal symptoms has effectively treated menopausal women who are in the perimenopausal stage. Moreover, acupuncture therapy is safe and effective in treating hormonal fluctuation and other various health conditions.

4.Practice Relaxation And Controlled Breathing

Relaxation is very important for women who are already experiencing the negative impact of menopause. While this may be an easy thing to do, a lot of women are having a hard time controlling their mind and emotions. During menopause, factors that trigger your symptoms are inevitable, however, you need to get familiar with your breathing pattern. To do this, you need to go to a quiet location and free yourself from anxiety and worries.

Mental imagery relaxation is a type of relaxation that focuses on creating positive thoughts and affirming positive talks. You need to identify negative thoughts and transform this negativity into positive ones. On the other hand, progressive muscle relaxation can be done by letting go of all the tensions in your body, take a few deep breaths and exhale slowly. In this way, you are able to process your emotions and eventually create a positive feeling.

Since menopausal women tend to be emotional and depressed, the practice of slow breathing helps decrease fatigue and stress. Daily repetitions of slow breathing techniques reduce the symptoms.

5.Include Regular Exercise In Your Daily Routine

When you are already in your menopausal stage, it is most important to develop a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise. It will not only benefit your body by minimizing the effects of menopause but exercise will also improve your overall health. With regular physical activity combined with a healthy diet, you will eliminate the possibility of gaining weight. Depending on your body needs, you can do so many physical activities that will strengthen your cardio, burn body fats, and strengthen your bones.

Yoga and meditation are also effective in dealing with menopause because they promote relaxation and relief. Consistent yoga practice promotes better blood circulation throughout the body. Yoga is also associated with eliminating weight gain, improving mental focus and emotional stability.

When should you see a dentist for an emergency tooth removal?

It’s difficult to tell which dental problems are accidents because there are so many different types. Having to wait a day and seeing the dentist in more extreme situations can be the difference between leaving the tooth and losing it. Don’t know how to tell what’s important and what can wait? Look out for these signs to know when you need to visit an emergency dental clinic.

Discomfort or sensitivity

The newly crowned tooth could be fragile right just after surgery when the anesthesia wears off. If the crowned tooth still has a nerve in it, you can sense heat and cold sensitivity. Your dentist can advise you to clean your teeth with such a toothpaste that is designed for sensitive teeth. When biting down, any pain or sensitivity means that the crown would be too far forward on the teeth. If the problem persists, your dentist can recommend a new dental crown.

Experiencing toothache

Gum disease and inflammation can cause unexplained, chronic, and serious toothaches. Try any at-home remedies first if the pain is mild. However, if the pain persists or becomes more severe, you can contact an emergency dentist. You might have had an abscessed tooth in the worst-case scenario. If there is indeed a lump on the tooth that gives you discomfort, feel along the gums. Fever, tooth irritation, and swelling of the mouth or face are some of the other symptoms to look out for. Find an emergency dental clinic as soon as possible if you have either of these signs.

Chipped crown

All-porcelain crowns are accessible, as well as porcelain modified to metal crowns, some of which are effortlessly chipped. If the chip is minor, it can be repaired with a composite resin while the crown remains in the mouth as a temporary replacement. If the chipping is still beyond repair, the dentist will ask you to remove the crown. In this scenario, it becomes necessary for you to immediately start locating emergency dentist nearby.

Crowded tooth

To avoid crowding, your dentist can recommend tooth extraction if you already have more teeth than your jaw can accommodate. Some patients, for example, will have a tooth pulled for orthodontic purposes in order to maintain a straight face. Any dentists and orthodontists would rather not have to remove a tooth before starting orthodontic treatment. It could, however, be appropriate for certain patients, and hence in such cases, tooth extraction may be necessary.

Loose crown

The cement throughout the crown will also wash away, causing the crown to loosen. It not only causes the crown to loosen, but it also enables bacteria to enter the tooth and induce decay. If a crown feels weak, get it repaired or removed as quickly as possible.

Abnormal Teeth Development

When multiple teeth get affected or fail to emerge from the gums, abnormal tooth development happens. Infections and diseases associated with discomfort and gum irritation are more prevalent in teeth that have been affected. If you have either of these signs, you can seek treatment at a nearby hospital that offers emergency tooth extraction. When there isn’t enough space in the jaws, wisdom teeth get entrapped. As a result, wisdom teeth get lodged in the gums or force other teeth out of the way.

These problems are more common in people who have wisdom teeth. The majority of people grow wisdom teeth and have them without problems, while others are unable to hold them and may have them extracted. If your kid is experiencing sudden abnormal teeth development, you must take him or her to a pediatric dentist Voorhees NJ.

Crown falls off

The crown may come loose for various reasons, including deterioration of the existing tooth and loosening of the cementing substance. If anything happens to you, you’ll need to scrub both the crown and the front of your teeth. A dentist will be using a temporary tooth cement or dental glue to replace it temporarily. For long-term outcomes, the dentists will provide detailed guidance about taking care of the tooth and crown. A dentist may decide to re-cement the crown or replace it with a new one.

Allergic reaction

Many people can develop allergic reactions to the metal used in crowns. This is extremely rare; however, if this happens, opt for another material for the new crown.

The appearance of dark line on crowned tooth

A faint indentation along its gum line of your crowned tooth is normal if you have a porcelain-fused-to-metal crown. The crown’s metal seems to have been visible across this dark line. This is not really a problem in and of itself, and you need to visit a dentist and ask him to remove it if you do like the way it looks. If you need a recommendation, you can get fillings from the Dentist in Clifton.

Make sure if you or any one of your loved ones is facing any of these issues, you must visit the dentist immediately.

6 Easy Projects to Prep Your Home For Spring

You’ve probably discovered some of your solutions for getting your home or business in Tip-Top shape for the sunny season. However, we have looked into some of the best 6 easy projects to prep you for spring. Pests and many other pesky critters always want to enjoy the summer indoors. Bugs of all different varieties seek shelter in the confines of your home or workplace.

A smaller but equally annoying pest is the tunnel-digging underground inhabitants, the ant. The Argentine ant is a nuisance pest in and around homes, building its nests and constantly scavenging for food. Indoor nesting sites where ants decide to build nests include wall voids, cabinets, and appliances, behind door and window frames, and under floors and foundations. Redding Spray, which is pest control in redding California, suggests that you check all of your pest control, weed control, and lawn care needs before spring and summer to keep out these unwanted visitors.

1. Keep the Outside Food-Related Areas Clean

The ants can access food in some of the most curious yet popular feeding sites. Keep grill areas clean, lids on your trash cans, and maintain gardens. Rodents are also a big challenge in many homes throughout the country. Norway rats, roof rats, Mice, Moles, Voles, Ground squirrels, are a few of the smaller pests that want to snuggle in the warmer places in your home. Some things that draw these animals to your home are Open trash cans and recycling bins, Gardens and fruit trees, Leaking pipes and fixtures, and more. These rodents love eating any crumbs or residual food left out, and once they infiltrate your home they can be very difficult to remove. This can be infuriating for homeowners that look in cupboards or cabinets only to find animal droppings! They also love our yards, like mice, rats, and other rodents hide under woodpiles and brush piles. They prefer ground cover and tall grass and overgrown gardens. They have even adapted to living in our temperature-controlled homes and businesses.

2. Keeping a Clean Area Inside

This is another one of the best ways to prevent nuisance animals whether you’re protecting a home, office, warehouse, school, or hospital. Keeping kitchens and other high traffic areas free of food and debris will ensure the level of cleanliness needed to keep pests out. It might be challenging, but always sweep up residue from food or crumbs off the floor!

3. Have Your Home or Business Inspected by a Professional

A thorough inspection of your property alerts people to a possible pest problem that is affecting your home or workplace. This inspection allows a professional to develop a customized treatment plan for your home.

4. Find Repair Leaky Pipes, Sinks, Tubs, and Clogged Gutters

Creatures take advantage of any moist damp areas they can find. It is best to repair any leaks that can be a breeding ground or water source for bugs or animals that want in your home! Many ants enjoy moist locations and especially spills in the house.

5. Pick Up or Purchase a Stand for Your Pet’s Food Bowls

Critters love leftovers from animals, as well as your beloved pooches dog chow. Make sure to pick up your pet’s leftover food once they finish eating, to keep any rodents or bugs away.

6. Remove Excess Landfill from Your Surrounding Home

Rodents love burrowing close to their food source. Take excess precautions in keeping your yard free of large vegetation deposits. These areas can harbor freeloading rodents that live close to your home or business.

When talking about prepping our home or business for spring, there are a couple of key things to focus on when striving to keep pests out. These are just a few of the solutions that may take extra work, but the reward is surely worth it. Having a pest and bug-free residential or commercial property brings about peace of mind and higher quality of life. Follow our 6 easy projects to prep your home or business for spring

7 Fun Arts and Crafts Activities to Keep Kids Entertained Without Electronics

Nowadays, it’s easy to find anything that can help distract your kids. Most of the time, this distraction will involve electronic gadgets.

Although it’s easy to rely on devices to entertain your kids, you should refrain from letting them spend their time on these gadgets. Meanwhile, you should do your best to engage with them.

You should find arts and crafts activities to do with them. That’s because such activities can help with their development.

Courtesy Of AGS Scientific

That said, here are seven arts and crafts activities you can do to keep your kids entertained.

Raised Salt Painting

Raised salt painting is an exciting twist to the usual activity of painting. All you need to have with you to do will be glue, salt, watercolor paint (liquid), or even food coloring if you don’t have liquid watercolor paint.

First, you draw an image using glue. After that, cover the glue drawings with salt. Make sure that you cover all possible sides of the adhesive. Once you do that, it’s time to start painting the glue lines, but remember to eliminate any excess salt.

A gentle touch of the brush with watercolor paint should help spread the paint around.

Origami

Origami is a decades-old traditional art form in Japan that will show you that you can make art with just a single sheet of paper.

Teaching this to your kids is an exercise for the dexterity of the fingers and the mind. Therefore, you’ll be occupying the kids with something, and you don’t need to spend a lot of money to do it.

There are plenty of easy origami instructions available online that can be as difficult or as easy as you want it to be. You can start slow and straightforward with them. It would be a good idea to get different colors of paper so that the creations look great.

Origami can help improve your kids’ fine motor skills and patience.

Marble Painting

What You Need:

Marbles
Small bowls or containers to hold the paint
Paint
Paper
A cardboard box that the paper fits into

With marble painting, the marbles will serve as your brush. Dip the marbles into the paint, then put it on the paper.

The paper should be in a cardboard box that should have short sides so that you and your kids can see what they’re doing in the box without a struggle. Roll the marble around by tilting the box here and there.

Slime Making

Slimes are great for sensory practices for your kids.

To make one for yourself, that’s safe for kids, mix 12 oz of glue, one and a half tablespoons of baking soda, and two tablespoons of contact lens saline solution. Add washable paint to create the color of the slime that you want.

You can add more baking soda if the slime is too sticky. If it doesn’t stick together, add more saline solution.

Dream Catchers

The mystique behind dream catchers, the story behind them is sure to keep your kids interested. Once you explain what they’re for, they’ll be doubly interested in helping you make dream catchers.

To make one, you’ll need:

Embroidery Hoops (6″)
Yarn (different colors)
Feathers
Pom-poms
Beads
Any decorative material

Stock up on all these things so that your kids can have the right decorations that they want for their dream catchers.

Sock Puppets

Sock puppets are a classic way of crafting toys with your kids. You can even create an entire stage for them to perform on by using a cardboard box.

It would be ideal to stick to a theme, like a fairy tale so that you know how you want each sock to use. It will help your kids get into crafting while also using some spare scraps that you have lying around the house.

Paper Mache

Paper mache is a cheap but fun way of crafting with your kids.

Paper mache can transform into anything, depending on what you want. It can be a sculpture, a mask, and even a bowl or a pinata. It’s a great way of letting your kids run wild with their creativity.

Like the ones on this list, arts and crafts are great for engaging your kids’ minds. At the same time, it can be an opportunity to bond with them without relying on gadgets. That way, your kids will get a holistic parenting experience from you, and it should help them grow and develop well.

How to Use Bentonite Clay for Hair

Have you heard of bentonite clay before? It is a fantastic product that can add additional moisture to your hair, plus it can remove toxins too.

Bentonite clay is a natural product that is made up of volcanic ash. The substance has a texture similar to mud, and when fluid is added to it, the clay has a yogurt-like consistency.

Where can you use bentonite clay?

Bentonite clay can be used on your hair and scalp and is applied as a hair mask. It can also be used on your skin as a healing clay mask for your face or used all over your body, plus you can use it on bug bites to help your skin repair and get rid of the bite.

The clay has healing properties that benefit your insides as well. It was used as an alternative medicine many years ago to treat digestive issues. Consumers won’t find food-grade bentonite clay for sale, as it is not used in cooking and is not commonly used internally.

What are the benefits of bentonite clay hair masks?

There are many benefits that bentonite clay masks provide and can be used by everyone, although women mainly use them.

One of the main benefits is that it provides a deep conditioner to natural hair and will work on all human hair types. Plus, you can easily incorporate it into your hair care beauty routine to give your curls or locks an uplift.

If you suffer from issues such as a dry scalp, heat damage, frizzy hair, dull hair, or damaged hair, bentonite clay can help restore moisture and promote healthy hair growth. You may have tried other hair products before and not been content with the result; if so, see if the effects of bentonite clay will work for you.

Along with moisturizing natural hair curls, bentonite clay can help remove toxins from the hair and scalp, similar to using products like Old Style Aloe Toxin Rid shampoo and more expensive hair conditioners. The bentonite clay hair mask can help with oil production in the hair and ensures essential oils are not damaged. The way it works is that the bentonite clay has negatively charged irons, while toxins on your hair have positively charged irons. This makes them attach, and the clay can remove the toxins based on the negative charge and positive charge coming together.

How to make a bentonite clay mask

Instead of buying products like a hair mask that contains charcoal, you can use bentonite clay to make a mask that will hydrate your natural hair.

To make your DIY recipe, you will need a few basic ingredients, and the good news is you can adapt this recipe to your liking and add additional ingredients if you wish.

The basic clay hair mask ingredients are:

• 1 cup bentonite clay

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1 cup water

You may be wondering why apple cider vinegar is a basic ingredient; the reason for this is because it has acidity, which helps to give your hair a nice shine.

If you would like to enhance your clay mask, you can add the following:

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or almond oil

• 1 tablespoon castor oil

You can experiment with more ingredients if you wish to create a hair bentonite clay mask that works best for your type of hair, whether it is straight or has nice curls. You can even enter your name and email address onto websites that offer a newsletter with hair tips if you want to discover more recipes.

Simply mix the ingredients to create a paste. You can mix more quantity of the clay mask if you like, although it is best to make it each time you use it instead of batch making.

Before you apply the bentonite, you can do a patch test on a small amount of hair to make sure you don’t suffer any side effects from the mask.

Once completed, you will need to get a spray bottle and spray your hair with warm water.

Then apply the clay to your natural hair, ensuring you cover the tips. This may take more than 15 seconds to complete to ensure your hair is sufficiently covered.

Let the mixture sit in your hair for some time. You can leave the clay on for up to 20 minutes, but you can leave it on for 10 minutes if you prefer.

Then simply rinse out to complete your hair care beauty routine. You will find that your natural hair growth will be better after use.

Bentonite clay for hair has become one of the hair care tips contained in beauty email newsletters. The email promotes many products that are great for women to use.

4 Delicious Ten Minute Baby Snacks Recipes

This list will help you by offering you four Delicious snack recipes full of great nutritional value for your baby.

1. Healthy Banana Bread Recipe

For this healthy banana bread recipe for your baby, you will need: 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, two bananas, ½ cup agave syrup, two eggs, ½ cup whole animal-based milk, and ½ cup butter. To add more vitamins to your banana bread or add a general sweetness, you can add more of any fruit that you choose, including strawberries, oranges, apples, or any other fruit you desire. Just make sure you measured additional fruits into an apple sauce-like consistency to prevent choking. You will bring your oven to 360°F, combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix until smooth, place your mixture into a greased bread baking tin and the oven, bake for about 30 minutes or until your toothpick comes out clean, then just allow your bread to cool and enjoy.

2. Homemade yogurt melts

Homemade yogurt melts are easy to make at home; just by purchasing your choice of healthy baby yogurt, you can find it sugar-free as well. You were going to choose your yogurt, add your yogurt to a Ziploc plastic bag and cut off one of the corners’ tiny corner, and just squeeze a little bit out onto a plate and place your plate into the freezer. Once your yogurt bites are solid, you can transfer them to another, a black bag to store them later, or serve them immediately. These yummy yogurt bites will melt in the mouth of your baby with literally no choking hazard. These yogurt melts can be made in less than 10 minutes; however, freezer time takes longer. These would be delicious on a hot summer or spring day.

3. Homemade puffs

Homemade puffs or made similarly to the homemade yogurt melts in the previous recipe. For this, you will choose your fruit or vegetable that you want your pasta to taste, and you’ll add them into a blender, blending them until they are smooth and creamy, possibly taking around four minutes. After that, you will add them to a bag of pastry bags or a Ziploc bag and cut off the corner again. He will then squeeze your puff mixture onto your parchment paper that is on your pan. At this point, you will bake your puffs in the oven at 350°F for 10 minutes. However, it will need to bake another 30 minutes with the oven at 250°F if you want them to be extra crispy.

4. Baked oatmeal cups

Baked oatmeal cups are an excellent way to add oatmeal to your baby’s diet. For this recipe, you will need: 1/2 cup rolled oats, ground (or quick oats), 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons raisins or other dried fruit snipped into small pieces, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, or honey, optional 3/4 cup milk, warmed until hot (but not boiling.

You need to preheat your oven for 375°F, grease your silicone mold or mini muffin tin, include your ingredients, then add the warm milk and stir. He will place about 1 tablespoon of butter and each of the months and then bake them for 10 to 12 minutes; at that point, you will remove them from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes. Your baby would love this fun, healthy and easy-to-make addition to their diet.

6 Clever House Cleaning Tips for Every Busy Mom

When you’re keeping full-time work and doing all the household stuff at home, keeping a clean house almost seems impossible. You’re busy, we know. With the current pandemic and working from home setup, many can relate to how you feel about trying to clean and make the house organized while still working.

How about some cleaning hacks? If you want to get things done quickly and easily, take note of these six clever house cleaning tips for every busy mom.

1. Create a cleaning schedule.

Cleaning the whole house will take so much of your time. And you need extra minutes for that client’s request waiting for you, right? Try to make a cleaning schedule. When you know what you’re doing and what should be next, you can get things done quicker. You will also learn how to spend time efficiently.

To schedule, take note of what should be done for each day. In this way, you won’t panic if you are not able to do all. You won’t wait to smell something awful in the kitchen before putting the garbage away because it’s on the list of the day.

When you clean up at the same time every day or every week, it becomes a routine and, more importantly, a habit. Even your kids may become used to the schedule and voluntarily join you in cleaning, and that will be awesome.

2. Prioritize cleaning tasks.

Organize the things you need to do. Decide which is more important and urgent, and which would be great to do but wouldn’t cause a problem if you wouldn’t do it now. Identify also which of your chores should be done every day, and which can wait until the weekend.

When you already have a cleaning schedule or chore system at home, prioritizing is easier. This will save you a lot of time, especially when you have a busy schedule. Remember, you’re still human. You can let a non-urgent task wait until you have more time.

3. Include your family.

Do you have kids? Do they love playing around? You can take advantage of it, especially if your kids are old enough to help out. Delegate tasks to them. If you’re trying to vacuum, you can ask them to pick up small things that may have been out of place and put them where they should be. If you’re waxing the floor, maybe they can dust your furniture. They can certainly do these small cleaning tasks. Not only that they are helping you clean the house, but you are also teaching them to be more responsible and self-reliant. To make them more engaged, try giving them rewards with every task they do. They will love it.

4. Outsource when you can.

Nothing is wrong with asking for help. Even if you put on your favourite melody while working, a major cleanup can still be tiresome and time-consuming. These household tasks will not always be easy, and they may even pose a hazard to you and the family.

Hiring a professional house cleaning service won’t hurt. If you are very much distracted by the grime and dirt you’re seeing on your windows, call for a window cleaner. You won’t want to risk falling down the ladder while reaching for the window top while cleaning. Ask for professional help and let them do the cleaning. These experts know exactly how to do things safely. They can even clean better than you. They know their stuff.

5. Automate tasks.

You’re not splurge spending when you decided to buy that automatic vacuum. That’s a wise decision actually. Why spend 25 minutes sweeping the floor when you can have it done in 10 minutes with a vacuum? How about having a frost-free freezer? You won’t need to spend so much time waiting for it to defrost and cooking or eating everything in the freezer so they won’t spoil. And a dishwasher; you can now clean the bathroom while waiting for it to be done.

Automating your household chores will reduce the number of things you need to do and give you some time for yourself.

6. Don’t aim for perfection.

Having a task done is always better than making it perfect. If your goal is to perfect every household chore, you won’t finish anything. Your house doesn’t need to look spotless and perfect.

What’s important is you get simple cleaning tasks done, even if they are not flawless. Who cares if your floor isn’t shiny as that of your neighbour? Don’t worry if you don’t haven’t styled the living area like that in your friend’s Instagram post. As long as your floors are swept and the sofa set is dusted, you’re doing good. Sometimes you can’t get all things done, and that’s totally fine. Stop the guilt. You’re still human.

Managing Expenses: 7 Simple Money-Saving Tips for Moms

Finding a way to be frugal while raising your own family can be challenging.

Providing for your kids alone can be costly. After all, you need to feed them, clothe them, and ensure that they are healthy. And as they grow, you also have to provide for their education.

Trying to come up with a budget despite all these responsibilities is cumbersome. Hence, being frugal can burn you out at times.

Thus, it is not surprising that you will scour the Internet for actionable money-saving tips. That said, we have listed down seven tips on how you can save to ensure that your family is well-taken care of:

1. Budget with your partner

Make a budget with your partner, and do not keep the burden to yourself. Remember that it takes two to tango, so try to involve your spouse with budget planning.

And when it comes to budgeting, maintaining an open line of communication is essential.

Begin each year by discussing your finances with your partner. Check which items in your budget you can adjust, considering the amount of money you are setting aside for your household expenses.

Make sure that your budget is also categorized based on your needs and wants. You can always delay your wants at a much later time. One’s needs shouldn’t be sacrificed over wants.

It also helps that you make your family goals and values your guide.

2. Plan your meals

To save money on groceries, you should be a frugal grocery shopper. You can do it if you do not always buy the most expensive grocery store ingredients.

Also, making meals at home is usually cheaper than buying takeouts or eating out at a restaurant. Still, many people find themselves in a difficult position since they barely have the time (or energy) to cook after office hours.

If you’re a stay-at-home mom, you can take advantage of this to simultaneously make cheaper (and healthier) meals. Don’t allow things to expire. You can plan meals on food items that you already have at home.

Purchasing potted herbs can also be a real money saver for at-home meals. Just remember to care for them regularly.

If you have a vast yard or a community garden area, you should also consider growing a vegetable garden.

3. Teach money matters to your kids

Thinking of ways to save money while raising a family isn’t just for parents. Instead, you can also get your kids involved by having regular budget talks with them.

You don’t necessarily have to go over the nitty-gritty details about your income or expenses at home. It will also help if you educate them about the basics of saving and spending.

What kids will learn from a young age will come in handy later on when they’re older.

4. Maintain your home and belongings

By doing preventive maintenance, you’ll be saving a lot on repair bills in the future. This includes getting rid of lint in your dryer vent, clearing out gutters, and fixing a small leak in the faucet before it turns into a bigger one.

Changing the car’s air filters and doing regular tune-ups can keep you from incurring hefty car maintenance fees.

5. Only buy what you can afford

How many times did you buy something using your credit card and failed to pay the amount?

Having zero interest isn’t usually a great deal if you fail to pay it before the interest accrues. All the fun of getting that new TV set fades once you start getting the bill.

So, please wait until you have enough cash to buy it. A lot of people stay and save up for something that they want. It can be done.

6. Buy generic items

While we have our preference when purchasing fruits and vegetables, you can save up a significant amount in the long run by purchasing generic items.

This is true, especially when buying simple items like oatmeal, lunch bags, paper towels, etc.

7. Walk instead of driving

Try to adopt this simple rule- if your destination is only a mile (or less!), then consider walking than driving.

Walk to your local coffee shop, dry cleaner, or play date. Not only this helps you save up money on gas, but it also gives you plenty of exercises while helping your environment at the same time.

The fresh air will also do the kids well.

The Bottomline

Listed above are seven money-saving tips that can help you ensure that you can provide for your family. You may be doing some of them, while some are new to you.

Nonetheless, we suggest that you keep an open mind and consider doing a tip or two from this list.

You should also remember that you do not have to do things alone. Talk with your partner about how you should manage your finances. That way, you can provide for your family’s needs and enjoy yourself.

5 Tips To Enjoy A Virtual Smoke Session With Friends

The Coronavirus is spreading around the world. Therefore, it is not safe to go outside and cheer with your friends. Isolating yourself in apartments, houses and other places is the safest way. But, this does not mean life ends here, you can still have fun with friends while enjoying smoke sesh. Yes, it is possible with virtual smoke sessions. You can take advantage of advanced technology and join virtual smoke sessions with friends. If you are looking for how? Don’t fret, here we have 5 simple tips to make your party happening at home:

1. Surprise your friends with Bubble delivery

Nothing is better than surprising someone with a useful gift. Therefore, do not leave any opportunity to surprise your friends with bubblers. Order the same or different style bubblers and deliver them to your best friend’s door. It’s hard to imagine the happiness on their face. If some of your friends love the artwork, you can give them a plan bubbler on which they can show their artistic skills. Even during pandemic stress, this gift works as a great wonder to relieve stress.

2. Plan Your Virtual Session

Once you are able to deliver bubbles successfully, it’s a time-plan virtual session. Contact your friends and look for their availability. You can either plan a virtual party at night or on weekends, as the best option. Set a time considering everyone’s suggestions for off-office timings, holidays, or special days. It helps you to set a clock and mood for the special day.

3. Download a Meeting or Group App

The next big thing is to send a link to friends to downloads and join the party. If someone else is good at technology, you can assign this responsibility to him/her. As there are a number of virtual meeting apps like Zoom, Google Hangouts, Facetime, Discord, Houseparty, Whatsapp, etc. All of these are great experiences. But the best advice is to use free apps and have already been used by most people in a group. It saves you if something went wrong during a smoking session.

4. Clean Your Camera

Since you are speaking from different shelters, therefore it is essential each friend able to see your face clearly. Because one of the most annoying things in group meetings is when someone is speaking behind a blurry and smudged camera lens. So, do not let your phone or system camera ruin your party, wipe it before the party is going to begin. You can also use a microfiber cloth or cotton fabric to clean the camera lens.

5. Keep it Light

The aim of virtual smoke sessions is to get people out of people from stressful-life and have fun. Therefore, do not ruin the special day by speaking about stressful news or recalling some bad memories. This is a time to create fresh memories, hence it will be great to speak about the latest movies, web series, or something that enlighten other moods. Keep in mind, speak carefully as lots of screens are watching you.

Bottom Line

Virtual smoke sessions are a great way to enjoy life during boring and training covid-19 crises. So, if you have not tried this session, try once you will surely love the experience.