Author: Rebecca Alston

Ways to Tackle Common Household Allergens

Nowadays, our homes are filled with a lot of allergens makes our lives miserable. A home should be a place you feel safe and relaxed, but these allergens can prevent that. However, you can tackle the common allergens in your home in various ways. 

Be smart when dusting

Mold, pollen, and dust particles are the most common allergens in our homes. During dusting, make sure that you start cleaning from the top toward the bottom. This helps in avoiding the dust from spreading to cleaned areas. Remember also that you will need more than a cloth or feather duster to remove dust. You can use damp microfiber cloths, as they will hold the dust. Clean blinds, curtains, and ceiling fans. 

Remember the filters

Ensure that your filters are clean and in good shape. These include filters in the air conditioning units and air conditioning and heating system. 

If you don’t have filters in your home, consider adding them. You can get an air filter with HEPA if you have a single room. You can turn your air conditioning and heating system into a filter system that serves the entire home. 

Cover and wash your pillows

Pillows tend to host dust mites. You need washable pillow covers. You should wash them every three weeks. Some pillows can also be dry cleaned or washed every four months. 

Clean your home often

Consider vacuuming your home with a HEPA filter every week. This will eliminate indoor allergens like pet dander and dust mites. When cleaning around the books section, use an electronic or microfiber cloth. This will trap the dust and not just move them around. Remember to use a filter mask when cleaning since dust will fill the air. 

As much as possible, avoid placing your carpet such that it extends wall to wall. Hardwood floors can be easier to clean because dust can be seen during cleaning. You can also clean with washable area rugs. 

Having a clean home is crucial, but most people are always busy, which makes it impossible to clean their homes. That’s why it is wise to get Bennetts services to get your home sparkling clean and remove all allergens.

Avoid pet’s dander

Pets spend most of their time indoors during winter as we do. Pet allergens can be found in dog’s or cat’s dander and in the saliva. You can reduce the danger that they shed by bathing your pets every week.

Avoidance is crucial when it comes to animal allergies. However, you can wash your hands with water and soap after petting a dog or cat. Keep your pets out of the bedroom and vacuum carpet regularly to avoid allergens, the best vacuums for pet hair are much better for this than regular vacuums.

Check humidity levels

Since air is dry during winter, most people use a humidifier to add some moisture. If you use humidifiers to avoid dryness, remember to check the humidity levels. Failing to do so will be creating a perfect environment that dust mites and mold can grow in number. You need a humidity meter to keep the moisture level in check. The recommended humidity level is 50%. You can use a dehumidifier when required and a vent fan for you to eliminate moisture in the kitchen and bathrooms. 

Reduce the pollen entering your home

You can keep pollen away from your home by ensuring that the windows remain closed. Avoid entering your home with shoes on or at least have a doormat to wipe your shoes before entering. You can also prevent humidity by ensuring that the temperatures are cool. Dust mites do well with high humidity. 

Clean vents

Allergens can be found anywhere in your home. This includes vents. Cleaning the dryer vent helps in reducing the allergens. Clean the air ducts every year as dust mites, pet hair, and others can build up there. You will be sure that you are inhaling clean air when you switch on the heating and air conditioning system. 

Get Mold Services

If you find that there are molds in your home, the chances are that it will bring allergies to your family. This will affect their health. When you can see visible signs that the mold is affecting your health, consider getting a mold removal service. The company will test your home and offer you the best action plan.

Use medications

The best step you can apply to tackle household allergens is to be aware of your allergy’s triggers. This will help in taking preventative measures. Medications usually eliminate allergy symptoms and make you enjoy staying at home. Consult your doctor on the right options you can take. 

Conclusion

Allergens can make our home unbearable to stay in, but with the right steps on how to tackle them, you can make it much more comfortable. Apply the tips above to reduce allergens and keep your family healthy.

How to Help Your Child Get Motivated in Elementary School. 10 Tips

Learning and homework are never fun for students in all grades. It is the desire of every parent to see his or her child perform well in school. MyHomeworkDone provides the best academic assistance services for students in all grades. Lack of motivation will affect the speed of completing the assignments and the urge to study.

 

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https://www.educationnext.org/case-for-quality-homework-improves-learning-how-parents-can-help/

 

In an attempt to keep the students focused on academics, the parent will be required to motivate his or her children to focus on work. This is a delicate task that each parent should master. Here are tips on how to motivate your child to keep working on his academic work.

1. Get Involved In School Work

Talking and staying away from schoolwork is one of the ways to motivate the student to work on his or her own. However, it does not deliver as many fruits as getting involved directly in school work. A parent should follow the assignments his or her child is supposed to handle, how well it is completed, and performance in school, among other factors. The child feels the weight and needs to perform well.

2. Use Positive Reinforcement Strategies

The progress made by a child should be recognized and emphasis placed on these areas. Positive reinforcement with tangible rewards may appear like the best way, but this path is slippery because the child becomes dependant on these rewards. However, such reinforcements as kind words, hugs, hi-five, and such praise formats will transform the academic approach of your child. Ensure that the child will still make an effort to perform better in the absence of reinforcement.

3. Recognize And Reward Effort Even As You Focus On Results

Motivating a student mainly focuses on results. This is a delicate approach considering that the performance will not always be 100%. An improvement from 40% to 50% should be recognized. It tells the student that he or she can perform better tomorrow with more effort. It also shows that the target is not to capture 100% all the time but to improve on the current performance over time.

4. Help The Child To Get External Help

Spending too much time on a difficult question or topic is heartbreaking. It sucks all the motivation and energy of such a student. External help enables a student to unlock some topics or exercises that could be taking a lot of time. Hire a professional assistant who will help your child to work faster and tackle some of the most difficult topics.

5. Talk To The Teacher

The teacher spends a lot of time with students and their academic work. This provides the teachers with sufficient time and data to understand the challenges of such a child. Some of the challenges can be solved by the teacher, while others require effort by the parent. Discuss the challenges the child could be facing and possible solutions. You will find the best ways to keep your child motivated about academic work.

6. Break The Assignment Into Manageable Portions

A complex and voluminous assignment discourages a student and may suck most of his energy. A student will feel the weight of tackling such an assignment. The secret is to cut the assignment into manageable portions. These portions provide a chance for quick wins that are a great source of motivation.

7. Discuss A Reasonable Homework Plan

A homework plan helps the student to tackle all the assignments within the required duration. Develop the plan in consultation with the student. Engaging the student gives the kid control over his or her academics. The responsibility feels like it is his or hers and, therefore, has to be completed.

8. Show The Kids The Bigger Picture

The student should get a bigger picture of studying. The students must drop the mentality that academic work is tough and bother. Help the student to connect the achievement of his dreams with education. A student will make an effort to perform better in school.

9. Allow The Child To Take Charge Of His Or Her School Work

While the assistance from a parent is necessary, it must never go to the point of taking over homework. Children must complete their assignments regardless of the level of difficulty. Let the student design his or her timetable. Only assist the student when the need arises.

10. Diversify Learning Methods

Use different methods to deliver content and teach about different ideas. Each student has a unique way of learning. Applying the same method on all students disadvantages others. The conclusion will, therefore, be erroneous. Using diverse methods like videos, audios, text, field trips, demonstrations, and such varieties will assist the student in understanding complex ideas better and in the process, enjoying learning.

Motivation in elementary school does not translate into helping the kids with work. Follow up on the work they do in school and consult the teacher to give you a better understanding of performance in school. Provide all the support necessary, but still allow the student to take charge of his or her schoolwork.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ways to Earn an Online Degree As a Busy Mom

Ever since you became a parent, your dreams of earning a degree might have taken a back seat. Between parenting and managing the house, it might seem like you barely have enough time for anything else, least of all yourself. But thanks to the internet, busy people—most especially busy moms—can earn that much-coveted degree without having to physically go to school.

But how would you do it with your hectic schedule, you ask? Let’s take a look.

1. Seek the Babysitter’s Help

You’ll need a few hours to yourself while attending your online classes, which means you will most likely not be able to attend to your kids in that span of time. Call your babysitter and ask for help. There’s no shame in relieving yourself of your babysitting responsibilities once in a while, especially if it’s to learn something new. As they say, reliable child care actually helps mothers improve their career.

2. Plan Ahead

If your online classes are scheduled, this means you would have time to plan your activities for the day. So if you have to take your son to basketball practice at 5 p.m. and your classes are at 5 p.m., then take him earlier. If you have to attend a meeting between parents and teachers at your daughter’s school next week, make sure to tell the school to schedule your one-on-one with the homeroom teacher at a time you don’t need to log in to study.

To keep track of all the things you have to do, and to avoid any overlap, make sure to bring a journal and jot those items down.

If, on the other hand, your online classes are not scheduled, then you wouldn’t have any problems. You’d be able to log in to your classes at a time that is most convenient.

3. Take Courses that are Flexible

There are online courses that are “friendly” to the busy people because they are more flexible. Consider avoiding a course that might require too much writing assignments and puts a lot of emphasis on deadlines. Courses like journalism might not be the best because you’ll be tasked to write a lot and trained to respect the dates of submissions, precisely because this is exactly what you’ll be doing once you become a media professional. In communication research, on the other hand, students are trained to conduct different types of research, which includes a lot of fieldwork and a lot of writing. These courses are obviously very time-consuming and will require your full attention. As a very busy mother, you may not be able to give that in the first place.

So, in thinking about which course to take, also consider what kind of career path it can give you. How about getting a marketing degree, where you will be taught how to effectively reach people? While your professor might also be the kind who likes to give deadlines, a course in marketing would be a lot less stressful and time-consuming compared to others.

You might also want to consider learning how to help manage branding and public image. With this course, you can be a social media manager, an event manager or a public relations officer, among other things. These jobs do not require you to render as much time in the office as other jobs would—something that works to your advantage as a busy mom.

  • Social Media Manager: You’re essentially tasked to boost a company’s online presence and client engagement by producing good social media content and analyzing usage data, among other things. These do not require you to be in the office at all times since all you need is a laptop and an Internet connection. As a social media manager, you can actually also work from home and tend to your duties as a mom!
  • Event Manager: You’re in charge of running and organizing promotional events for a specific company. After attending the event, then, you can always go home and tend to other things. No need to report to the office afterward, unless of course there’s some paperwork you need to do. 
  • Public Relations Officer: A public relations officer, on the other hand, concerns herself with managing reputation through events and by writing press releases, among other things. These things can also be done outside the confines of the office.

In these situations, it pays to be practical but without sacrificing what you really want to be in the future.

Final Thoughts

Motherhood should never be a hindrance to achieving your dreams. If anything, motherhood should even inspire you to achieve them because you have a cheering squad behind you all the way—wonderful kids who look up to you in everything that you do.

Go and take that big step. When everything seems to go haywire, just remember that mothers are superwomen when it comes to raising their kids. Surely, earning an online degree is a walk in the park compared to that.

How to Find the Best SAT Prep Material to Help Your Kid Ace the Test

Soon, your child might be taking one of the most important tests of their lives. As a parent, you naturally want to help them ace the SAT (or at least get a passing grade) so they can enter into a good college. You might spend the entire day thinking about what you can do to help but have ended up being unproductive.

Take a deep breath! In this post, we share with you the ways you can find the best SAT material to help your child ace the test.

1. Check the Internet

The Internet is a gold mine of online programs for SAT takers, but always remember that your child does not have all the time in the world to go through all of them. It’s best to be picky and to choose an SAT program like PrepScholar SAT courses, which will pinpoint your child’s strengths, and the weaknesses they have to work on. Choose a program that motivates your child, not one that coddles them. Inspire them and not make them lazy. In short, sign them up for that one program that already covers everything and has been proven to be effective.

2. Spend Time in a Bookstore or Go to a Public Library

If there’s anywhere you have to be to score good SAT material, it’s the bookstore or the public library. This is where you are bound to find prep books that will assess what your child already knows and doesn’t.

These tests are important because they will give your child an idea of what the SAT makers actually want them to learn. Your child can also get a feel of how taking the SAT would be, allowing them to precondition their mind before actually going to “war.” Remember that the SAT is not only about your child knowing their world history or Math; it’s also about them knowing how to cope with the mental stress of having to answer difficult questions for hours on end.

Check out the reference books section, and spend some time going through the books you think your child will easily understand. You can go to other specialized sections and browse through those, too.

Here is a list of subjects you should cover with the books you purchase and borrow:

  • Literature
  • US History
  • World History
  • Mathematics
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Physics
  • Foreign Language: Chinese, French, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Spanish, Italian, German or Modern Hebrew

This is not to say that you have to limit yourself to these subjects alone. The more subjects you can cover, the better.

3. Talk to Other Parents

There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking for tips from other parents who have already gone through the grueling process of helping their child prepare for the SAT. If we go by the saying that experience is the best teacher, these types of parents, then, are the best teachers for you. Go ahead and call your friend whose daughter passed the SAT with flying colors, and ask for titles of books she got to help her prepare. Or maybe host a lunch meeting for the “experienced” and “not-so-experienced” parents so you can get each other’s recommendations for other SAT material. You may have to invest a little time and even money to organize this last one, but once you have that list for your child, you’ll feel like everything was worth it.

Below is a list of questions you can ask fellow parents:

  • What SAT materials did you get your child? Where can I get them?
  • Did you enroll your child in an SAT prep course? If so, where?
  • How did you help your child study? Did you implement a strict study plan, or simply allowed them to go at their own pace?

Conclusion

The SAT is arguably one of the most important tests your child will take. It will, after all, determine which colleges they can go to. But the process of preparing does not have to be as cumbersome for your child. As a parent, you can do your part by making it as easy for them as possible. Get the best materials and courses so they don’t have to spend precious time they could to studying instead. Also, make their environment as conducive to learning as possible. If they want a change of scenery while studying, you can help them design the perfect outdoor reading nook.

Those are only some of the many ways you can help as a parent. If you do your part and your child does theirs, there’s no reason they won’t ace that test.

Tips for Helping Children Develop Better Study Habits

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

The “back to school” mood is a special one for parents and kids alike. In the first week or so, your little ones will excitedly share their impressions from the summer break, while parents still have some time to adjust to their new schedule, probably packed to the brim with extracurriculars, play dates, birthday parties, and let’s not forget the holidays. 

As soon as that youthful frenzy fades in the face of new homework assignments and upcoming tests, your kids will once again have to deal with distractions, study sessions, and limited access to their favorite TV shows. To give your kids the positive nudge they need to study more efficiently, give learning a fun twist, and to eliminate distractions, here are a few tips to get you started as soon as all that buzz dwindles!

Develop a routine

Much like with all else in their lives, kids work best and develop with ease when there’s a reliable, stable routine they can follow. Kids need structure so that they can develop good habits, and if you help them mold the right kind of routine around their studies, then homework and studying will not be any trouble for their curious minds. Although using a planner or a digital tool may be appropriate for older kids with established habits, perhaps a more creative approach would work best with youngsters.

Set up a little to-do board above or next to the study desk in your kids’ bedroom. They can use it to pin tasks, homework reminders, study groups, and new lessons they have yet to master, color-coded, and add any notes they please. You could even use planner stickers to make it more fun for them.

Create a study nook

Photo by Ellen Qin on Unsplash

The little board is neither the beginning nor the end of your project for the kid’s study nook, on the contrary! In order to inspire hours of uninterrupted learning, the kids need to immerse themselves in an environment specially designed for that task only. In addition to equipping their room with a desk of appropriate height and storage space, you should look for an ergonomic chair that will give your little ones ample support.

Help your kids organize their materials, books and notebooks, their drawing material, and other items they need. Encourage them to keep their desk tidy and to use the desk for their school tasks only, so that they can keep distractions to a minimum.

Encourage creative outlets

Every child has different proclivities, and they all have their own processes to master new skills and absorb all of this knowledge shared with them at school. Some kids like to write it all down in neat notes, others love brainstorming, while some enjoy a more visual approach. Both for their art projects and for underlining the most relevant bits of information, using paint markers can be helpful to give their study sessions a creative edge.

They can assign colors to different subjects, such as orange for history and blue for math, or they can use them to practice drawing and coloring. Add to that, help them master the art of mind mapping so that they can remember information with greater ease.

Inspire your kids to collaborate

Photo by Rachel on Unsplash

Some kids do enjoy studying on their own, but that is certainly not always the case. Plus, enabling your kids to study in pairs with their school friends can provide them with new perspectives and ways to better review the subject matter from each lesson, especially if they come up with unique ways to revise lessons together.

Teamwork is a life skill that every child should slowly develop, so even organizing study groups before tests can be a good way for them to revise and go over the lessons more than they would on their own. Plus, the prospect of some fun time with friends after the study session is a great source of motivation to inspire them to be truly efficient and dedicated to the task at hand. 

Work on eliminating distractions

One of the biggest sources of study trouble for most kids is the time they spend using various digital devices. As soon as their social media apps notify them of a message, they’ll quickly abandon what they were doing to check their phones. This kind of disruptive behavior will only make it harder for them to develop self-discipline and focus.

So, from the very beginning, implement certain rules such as limited time of phone and tablet use, and keep those devices away or turned off during study sessions. Of course, you should lead by example, so make sure that you use digital devices in moderation as well!

 

Our kids live in a very noisy world oversaturated with distractions, so your approach to their schooling will make all the difference in how they form their own attitudes towards learning. Use these tips to teach them good study habits from day one, and they’ll later use them in life and work as well. 

Importance Of A Portable Water Filter Among People

Most people are unable to understand the importance of any machine which is easy to be transported to another location. There are water filters that are prepared using the mechanism of moving it along with all the added machines within it, as explained by Bonfilt. This helps maintain its function and also facilitates the process of getting the water filter to a new location. Portability has helped many people who actually need it for their basic requirements and such an important product which is also a part of the general lifestyle of the people should be handy in such a way. Therefore people need to follow a proper method in which they transport the filter. The water filters should be able to be transported without causing any damage to its internal parts.

Portable Water Filters And Is Huge Benefits

Maintaining a product like a water filter is a tough choice when it comes to keeping the filter at its perfect state. The water dispensed by it is basically used in the general life processes and hence it should be pure enough so that the people drinking it can refrain from facing problems like disorders and fever due to water-caused infections. There should actually be a chance that these water filters help people get the best quality water that they can use to serve all the basic purposes.

Technology which is used in the preparation of the filter is considered important at that moment. People tend to try getting all the help they can from the filters, which is why they need to work on getting the best technology they already have in their hands. The portable water filter has helped countless people because it is effective against different sources of water. There are so many sources of water all around the world and that should not be wasted since such technology can help people get the pure water removing all possible problems in it like that of heavy metals and impurity in the form of microorganisms.

There are some added benefits of the water filters being portable and that is why people are using the technology for moving it forward. There are actually some better choices made when it comes to getting the filters in the RO purifier set in the right manner giving out proper functions. The benefits surpass all the processes and that is why getting the benefits to come as an added facility in case of using the technology because purifiers have become a part of the lives of people. This is why choosing the best facility is towards making sure that there might be a chance of getting the filters in the best possible state.

  • Starting from the benefits of using the portable water purifier all those people who are having a transferable job would be getting all the help they can, during the process of transfer from one place to the next people are going to get all the things they require. People can actually carry the RO purifier with them and hence people would get pure water even after they move to the new location. This is why getting such a water purifier is actually a good investment which can help the common folks in the long run. This is where the importance of pure water remains being fully perfect.
  • Significance of the choices related to filter which can be all separated during the time of moving it to a different location is considered important. The parts which are separated can be placed again with perfection as there is the need for filtration of all the water. Supply of water should be constant which is why people should follow the simple choices they have when it comes to changing the place and getting a supplementary source of water. This new source would help get the purified water after the filtration is completed.
  • Common people who need to make proper investments and maintain a healthy lifestyle tend to choose something that keeps up its function at all stages. This is why when there is the chance of getting a water purifier service with RO technology, they would definitely use it. This helps them a great deal because if they intend to get a new place they would not have to spend more on having the same technology installed in their personal space.
  • Portable water purifiers are also easy to maintain as the parts can be separated easily. This is why the filters can work properly and clear out all the impurities present within it because of which people eventually get the idea of filtration. Proper filtration helps the people get the clear water that they are looking for and hence their lifestyle would finally be better.

All these processes are associated with water purification and many people are there who want the portable water purifier at their home. It makes installation simple and it can be removed and relocated that simply. Thus by properly using it, the machine will actually keep working for a really long time. This actually means the similar approach of clearing the water will be there considering the fact that pure water is made available and dispensed. This is why such a technology is being used so that people start understanding the reason because of which they can properly get hold of water they can use at every point.

Conclusion

Things like portable water purifiers are now possible because people have mastered the technology of reverse osmosis and the ways in which the filters are prepared. There are some impurities that are really difficult to tackle causing serious health concerns. All of it can be solved using the same method of getting potable water and that is readily available. This is why people need to carry out that level of purification where only water remains. The water purifier should actually be that good considering the importance of it in getting the necessary water for all the basic life processes.

5 Tips to Increase Parent Engagement in the Classroom

Today, more than ever, it is vital that parents are actively involved in their children’s school lives. Between the increase in bullying and harassment, the decrease in the national graduation rate, and the stress and worry over the possibility of school-related violence making sure that your child’s education and safety should be at the top of every parent’s priorities. To make this process easier, here are a few helpful suggestions:

Student Information System

Most schools today offer various types of easy-access student information systems that allow you to monitor your child’s progress as well as a number of school-related activities such as report cards, upcoming events or field trips, notable school functions, and many other features. They can often be accessed through the school’s websites or with dedicated apps.

Keep a School Schedule

School-age children seem to be busier than ever in this modern world. Numerous after-school clubs and activities, sports, as well as any other interests that they may have can interfere with what is ultimately the most important thing at this point in their lives: their education. Making sure that their academic life remains the focus helps ensure good grades year to year and helps to provide students with better opportunities in the future. 

Penciling in non-negotiable homework time, moderate TV or internet time, and a regular bedtime routine is critical for your child’s academic success. These activities give you a chance to be involved, too.

Create a School Calendar

Another way to stay engaged and up to date on what is going on in your child’s school life is by organizing a calendar with all of the one-time or regular events taking place during the year. Listing items such as sporting events, dances and social activities, special assemblies, career days, and any other special events will give you the peace of mind of knowing what is going on during any given day.

Engage Your Child in Regular Conversation

Something that seems to be getting harder and harder these days is communication between parents and children. While it’s true that kids (especially teenagers) have never been overly eager to chat with their parents, the gap may actually be widening due to the ever-increasing workloads of parents and lack of traditional family time. Setting aside even just a few minutes a day to have an open and honest conversation with your child will help you to stay clued in on what’s going on in their lives.

Keep Open Lines of Communication with Teachers and Administration

Make it a point to stay in regular contact with your child’s teachers and other school staff. Knowing how they are doing not only with their grades, but their social interactions, extracurricular activities, and overall academic wellbeing will let you know what areas in which your child is excelling in, and which ones they may need a little more help and encouragement in. Utilizing all of these tools, in addition to using any available student information systems is your best bet to ensure their success.

Pros and Cons of Debt Management Programs

 

Debt can feel overwhelming to tackle on your own — especially because managing money is typically a learn-as-you-go process. Many people find it helpful to work with a professional for this reason. One available resource people can utilize is the credit counseling agency.

Reputable credit counseling agencies, usually not-for-profit, can help you take a hard look at your budget and formulate a plan for your personal finances. These services are often free or inexpensive, too. You may even find you’re eligible for a debt management plan (DMP) through your credit counseling agency.

Here are some of the pros and cons of debt management programs to consider before enrolling.

Pro: DMPs Tend to Simplify Repayment

Have you ever felt buried under a barrage of bills and credit card statements? Before you can even think about paying your debts, you have to keep track of them — a task made more challenging when you owe money to multiple creditors.

Enrolling in a DMP means you’ll only have to make a single monthly payment to your credit counseling agency, which will then disperse your funds to creditors. This approach tends to be simpler than trying to juggle multiple monthly payments, potentially saving you time and stress.

Pro: DMPs Can Cut Interest Rates

Not only can DMPs consolidate a handful of debts into one payment, but they can also reduce how much you’re paying in fees and interest. As NerdWallet notes, your credit counselor may be able to get you concessions from your creditors such as:

  • Lower interest rates
  • Lower monthly payments
  • “Re-aged” accounts to end late fees

Reducing how much you’re paying in interest and fees means your monthly payments can chip away more aggressively at your debt, ideally helping you pay it off faster. Creditors may agree to more favorable terms if they see you’re committed to a DMP and making a serious effort to tackle your debt. You can usually expect a DMP to take somewhere in the ballpark of three to five years.

Pro: DMPs Damage Your Credit Less Than Other Strategies

You’re still repaying your debts under a DMP, so it makes sense this strategy tends to damage your credit score less than some other strategies — especially bankruptcy, which stays on your credit report for years.

While enrolling in a DMP itself won’t affect your scores, some of the actions you take — like closing old credit accounts — may. If you fall behind on payments, this will also hurt your rating. Some consumers decide these possible adverse effects are better than continuing to rack up debt and interest until they’re forced to take more drastic action.

Con: Only Certain Kinds of Debt Qualify

DMPs are an option for certain forms of unsecured debt, like credit cards and medical bills. Mortgages, auto loans, and student loans are ineligible for this form of debt repayment.

Con: You May Have to Pause Credit Use for Years

The terms of your DMP may restrict you from opening new lines of credit, or using credit while in the plan. On one hand, this may feel restrictive. On the other, it may help you develop your financial habits and avoid worsening your debt problem.

Con: You’ll Pay a Fee

Make sure to inquire about fees before signing up for any program. DMPs may require service fees and monthly fees; the exact nature of these fees varies by location and organization.

As with any debt relief solution, there are pros and cons to consider before deciding to enroll in a debt management plan. Doing your research ahead of time will help you know what to expect.

How to Treat Nail Fungus Naturally During Pregnancy

As a mom-to-be, you know all the joys and wonders of expecting a baby to enrich your life, so you cherish the nine months of that blissful process. Yet, pregnancy sometimes comes with different discomforts that make self-care a bit more difficult. From swelling, backaches, hormonal changes that affect your skin and hair, all the way to various bacterial and fungal infections, your body is changing all around, and treatment often needs to differ from what you’d do without a bun in the oven.

One particularly unpleasant scenario no future mom wants to even think about, let alone plan for, includes treating fungal nail infections. Of course, ideally, let’s hope you never have to go down that path. Just in case you do, there are various natural ways you can help your toes heal without the use of excessive medication and antibiotics that could otherwise cause health issues for you or your baby. Here are a few to keep in mind.

Focus on prevention 

Let’s start off with a few simple, easily applicable tips and behavioral changes that can reduce your chances to get a fungal infection in the first place, which is especially risky during pregnancy when your immune system might be weaker, or you’re experiencing feet swelling. Of course, summer heat can’t help, hence the need for taking extra precautions!

  • Dry feet are healthy feet, so if you work out or sweat a lot due to the weather, make sure to wash your feet with mild soap and water regularly, and keep your feet dry.
  • Regular trimming is essential, and keep your grooming tools clean and disinfected. 
  • Choose breathable shoes and bamboo socks, which are naturally moisture-wicking and keep your nails and skin healthy.
  • You can even wear special anti-fungal, copper-infused socks that help kill the bacteria and fungus that could cause an infection. 

Feat soaks that heal your toes

If you’ve already contracted an infection, you should do your best to heal it in its earliest stages, and preferably before it spreads to other toes. In case you can pinpoint the shoes and socks you’ve worn when you’ve noticed the infection begin, get them properly cleaned and disinfected. 

Some natural soaks are great for treating infections. For instance, adding baking soda paired with vinegar in your warm water soak can be very effective when applies several times per day. Alternatively, some oils such as tea tree oil, oregano oil, and orange oil are extremely helpful with fungal infections. An old natural remedy might not be your favorite, but you can try it nonetheless: rub some garlic over your infected toes, as its natural antibacterial properties can be very powerful against milder infections. 

Laser therapy

Before your mind instantly leaps to hot and painful laser treatments, this option is far more comfortable and actually more effective in treating fungal infections. The key difference is that cold laser treatment for nail fungus uses low-intensity blue light for targeting the actual fungus, and red light for improving your overall immune system. This combination means that you’re using light against the infection without causing any harm to your toenails or skin around them.

One of the greatest perks of this treatment is that your body cannot really develop any form of resilience to it, which is often the case with repetitive use of antibiotics and topical treatments. The duration and number of laser treatments will depend on the severity of the infection, so your doctor will help you determine what you need to do to speed up the process.

Tweak your diet

When you’re relying on Mother Nature to do the healing, you also need to make sure you’re doing everything in your power to help your body heal. For instance, what you eat makes all the difference, especially during pregnancy, in terms of fortifying your immune system and helping you fight off an infection, and prevent one in the future. 

For starters, garlic has antimicrobial properties perfect for the situation, so add some freshly crushed garlic over your tomato salad, or add it to your kefir drink. While we’re at it, dairy products rich in probiotics such as kefir and yogurt are an excellent choice, too. Finally, prebiotic-packed foods such as fruits and veggies are a must, since they are loaded with all of those essential micronutrients that your immune system needs.

As beautiful as this time of your life may be, you need to pay special attention to the kind of decisions you make with regard to your health. If you find yourself battling a fungal infection on your nails, try these natural solutions that will kick the infection to the curb, and of course, always talk to your doctor about the best way to move forward. 

Art Of Styling Your Baby Bump

All mothers to be can’t wait for their babies to come to this world. However, even though beautiful, pregnancy can sometimes be tough on the woman’s body and self-esteem. Luckily, if you’re a mom-to-be, you can rely on some stylish clothes to style your baby bump and still feel and look amazing. So, go through your wardrobe or get the new pieces and style that baby bump relying on these tips. 

Use Loose Fitting Clothes and Busy Patterns

Loose-fitting pieces for the beginning of your pregnancy. Even though there isn’t a bump you still might feel a bit bloated and you might want to hide that and provide a bit more comfort. You can rely on loose-fitting tops or go for a flowy dress and these clothes will help you feel comfier and help you feel less self-conscious about looking bloated. Additionally, clothes with busy patterns will also help you hide any undesirable bulges that aren’t really a baby bump yet. 

Maternity Tops 

Maternity tops are a way better option for styling your baby bump than the regular shirts. This is because they are ruched at the sides which will help you highlight your bump while still keeping your silhouette. A regular shirt will only make you look large and bloated and it will provide no silhouette. So, it’s safe to say that maternity tops will become your best friend and they are really comfy. 

Flowy Maxi Dresses

Unless you have your baby bump during the winter, you can rely on maxi dresses. They are flowy, they are not restraining and you won’t feel bloated and huge. Rather, you will have room for moving, while your baby bump will be accentuated and you will simply look gorgeous. What is more, you can add some accessories to your maxi dress, such as a nice scarf or some simple romantic jewelry and wear the outfit on a date night with your SO.

Ruching All the Way

Just like maternity tops, any piece of clothing with ruching on the sides is simply awesome for your growing baby bump. Not only will such clothes provide some extra space for the bump, but they will help you highlight your bump, instead of just making it look frumpy. What is more, ruching is a pretty trendy style, so it won’t be hard to find various options that are non-maternity clothes. 

Knotted Tops Over Dresses

If you want to look a bit more chic while carrying your child for nine months, you should opt for this combination. Depending on which trimester you’re in, you can pick a maternity or non-maternity dress and throw a stylish top over it. Then put the end of the top in a knot, right above your bump and you are ready. This will help you create an illusion of an empire waist which will nicely highlight your baby bump. Plus, this combo can make a non-maternity dress appear more flattering with your bump and you will simply feel and look amazing. 

Maternity Jeggings are a Must

Everyone puts on their baby weight in different places, but the most common one is on your upper legs. This will make wearing any of the maternity pants and even dresses a bit too difficult and you need something comfy. That is why you should invest in a couple of pairs of maternity jeggings. With these, you will extra space, they won’t tear that easily and nothing will be too tight. Plus, you can easily pair these with any top of your choice and always look stylish. 

Your baby bump is growing more and more with each week, and it may make you feel uncomfortable and bloated from time to time. However, if you know which clothing pieces to focus on, you can easily style your baby bump and feel amazing all the time. So, check out these tips, find your favorite outfits and enjoy every trimester.