Rebecca Alston, Author at Mamas Like Me

Turn Your Home Into Your Personal Cozy Sanctuary

Besides the loving members of the household, it takes certain elements to really make a house a true home, a place where you feel most at ease, where you can calm your mind, improve your mood, energize and decompress. Your home is the extension of your personality – you need to add elements that mean something to you and that can make you feel cozy. So, what exactly could you do?

1. Beloved photos

Our loved ones always need to be close to us, and there’s no better way to do it than to surround ourselves with their pictures. Whether they are photos of your family members, friends, pets or memorable journeys and events, those photos are what will add personality to any room. If you don’t want to drill into the wall, you can print large-scale posters and simply lean them against the wall, or you can hang several photos on a piece of string and place it over the mirror. The possibilities are various – find your own style by displaying the photos.

2. Bring the nature in

Nature is a part of us and we should constantly try to get closer to it (or to say, get back to it). Fill your home with plants that you find lovely and easy to maintain. Whether it’s flowers, foliage, cacti or simple herbs, get the plants that attract you and let them bring the outdoors in for you. There are tons of ways plants can decorate your home. And don’t forget – they help you ease your mind and clean the air, too.

3. Choose how you want your home to smell

You know that feeling when you’re away for a couple of days and when you come back, you instantly know you’re home the moment you enter through the door? That’s what specific smell of a home can do to you. In case you don’t smell anything when you enter your home, find some fragrance that you like or some fragrant plants and let their smell soothes you whenever you come back. It’s a great feeling.

4. Create a nook

A nook is an incredibly inviting spot in every room. If you have the space for it, push a twin bed or a simple sofa against a wall and decorate it in a specific way. Put several blankets on it and some designer pillows (or maybe you could make some on your own!). Make it as comfy and soft as possible. Place a coffee table near it with a soft light porcelain table lamps and decorate the wall around it with calming paintings or interesting decorations.

5. Have a gym room

To be able to stay fit and let out the steam whenever you need it, it’s important to provide yourself a space for exercise. You can have a room with exercising equipment, but it’s even better if you can use your basement for creating your personal gym. Some homeowners find it easier to ask help from companies like Impecca Build to equip their basements to become a true private gym. That way, people can let go off the negative energy inside their homes whenever they feel stressed and anxious. It’s what having a home is all about, right?

6. Be generous with soft textiles

Soft textiles look inviting, comfortable and homey. When choosing rugs, opt for plush, heavy rugs or have several of the thinner ones and layer them around the room. Choose deep, soft furniture and place floor pillows in the corners or near the coffee table. Soft ottomans and benches also add to the ambiance of a cozy room.

7. Colors matter

The color of the walls and furniture can incredibly influence the overall feeling of the room. To achieve a cozy and soothing effect, opt for a gentle, light palette for the walls, from white and beige to light yellow and blue. Pastel colors go well with almost everything and they have a positive and calming effect on us. On the other hand, dark warm colors like dark red, wood, and dark green are perfect for wintery evenings as they remind us of Christmas, and that feeling never gets boring.

8. Warm light everywhere

When buying lamps, always choose the ones with warm lighting – they are better for your eyes but they also add to the relaxing atmosphere. Besides lamps, why not hang string lights on the curtains or place them on a chest of drawers? Just because it isn’t Christmas, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy romantic, holiday atmosphere every night.

Final words

Your home should be your sanctuary, so pay attention to every detail and every room. You need to feel stress relieved when you come back home after the hard day at work, that is the most important thing. And, it’s the details that make a true home. If you do that, you will feel relaxed and happy from the moment you step into it.

About the author

Sarah Jessica Smith is a young blogger from Sydney. She is in love with life and all the things that can make her daily routine easier. She loves to write about home improvement, lifestyle, and all the small things that make life such a great adventure.

How to Find Inspiration for Creating Ornaments and Crafts

It’s completely normal to experience a lack of inspiration at some point in your life.

You are not a machine that can produce creativity all the time. However, there are many different ways to find inspiration almost anywhere you go.

Luckily for you, we live in a time where information is available anytime and anywhere, making it much easier to find inspirational ideas.

You simply have to know where to look, and once you start searching for it, you will see that it’s actually everywhere around us.

Pinterest and Instagram are probably the most used platforms for inspiration. They are perfect for getting new ideas and inspiring you.

People who like crafts and creating ornaments often find themselves in these kind of situations.

They can be challenged to think up some new techniques and original designs, and that can be difficult when creative thoughts just won’t come to their mind.

Fortunately, there are quite a lot of things you can practice that will get you out of your creative rut.

Just start!

Inspiration won’t come to you if you just sit and wait for it. Many people wait for inspiration to come and then begin, but you need to get up and force yourself to start creating.

Get a simple box and start gluing and stitching supplies on it. Just do something…

It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t look as beautiful as you imagined it to be or if it doesn’t have any purpose. You just need to trigger the creative process and you’d be surprised how much inspiration you can get while you are creating.

Create daily

Creating something small every day sounds easy, but what if you don’t have inspiration to do it?

Every day, even for just 15 minutes, you need to take the time to create anything in order to form a creative habit. That creative habit will spark a whole bunch of ideas which will then generate even more ideas.

Robyn McClendon, a nationally known artist from the US describes how much she gained from forcing herself to create a collage a day for a whole year:

“This 365-day project has made me more prolific, and I am never at a loss for ideas. Every day, every page, I have new creative inspiration, and by the end of the year I end up with 365 new ideas that generate more ideas.”

Keep a notebook close by

Inspiration may come at the most unexpected times, so you need to make sure to write it down as soon as possible, or else you might forget the idea and never create the piece you thought of.

This can mean carrying a notebook with you or using a phone app to record ideas, either through voice notes or through written notes.

Find something that relaxes you

Crafts don’t necessarily mean you have to create something beautiful or functional. Many people craft just to relax and calm down after a long day.

It’s great for taking your mind off of things and focusing your mind on creativity. Knitting is a great example because it can keep you centred due to its rhythmic movements.

It’s also a great way to express your creative side and create something that you can use to decorate your already made ornaments or make new ones from scratch.

No better inspiration than gift-giving

If some of your friends or family have a birthday coming soon, think about what would really make them happy and try to create it yourself. That way, the present will be much more personal and intimate.

Use the holidays

Inspiration is almost inevitable to find during the holiday season. There are all kinds of different materials, both natural and artificial, that can spark creativity in anyone.

Use crafts to brighten up your home for Christmas, decorating the table for Thanksgiving dinner, or making baskets for Easter eggs.

Keep your supplies organized

Finally, inspiration comes, but you have to dig up all the materials, rearrange your furniture to set up your crafts table and the lights.

It’s difficult not to lose the inspiration or the determination to create when you have to spend 30 minutes organizing your creative space.

By keeping all your arts and crafts supplies organized in one place, you can start at the same moment you get your inspiration without losing your energy and willpower.

Join a community of like-minded people

You’d be surprised how much communicating with other people who like crafting their ornaments can ignite your creativity.

Sharing your ideas and visualizing them with a group of friends can help you get inspiration for many different crafts. They can also give you great advice for supplies and techniques that will make your home-made ornaments even more beautiful.

Visit art and craft fairs

There are many art and craft fairs you can visit where you can find the work of extraordinary artisans and see how they used various methods and supplies to assemble ornaments you haven’t previously thought of. You can find out about these fairs through a quick online search or check out your city calendar.

Take an art and craft class

Taking some classes will not only provide you with new techniques, but it will also stimulate your creativity and help you with coming up with fresh ideas. You can always use these ideas and the things you learned to find inspiration for creating new types of ornaments and crafts.

How to Throw a Party for Your Kid That They Would Never Forget

Everyone loves a party and kids are no exception. Kids get incredibly excited for their birthdays and a great way to show them how much you appreciate them is to throw them a birthday party. There are many fun and unique birthday party themes that you can choose you are sure to find one that is right for your child. You can decide to throw a party for your child anytime not just for birthdays, and they can be a fun way to show how much you love them. Below are some tips and ideas for throwing a party your child will never forget.

Start Early

To make sure your party is one they will never forget to make sure you start planning early. If you wait until the last minute, you may not be able to find the venue or items you need to make your party successful. The earlier you start, the better your party will be.

Budget

It is essential to make sure you set a budget so you can plan accordingly for your party. While a child’s birthday party might not require much budgeting, a sweet 16 or graduation party is a different story. You need to make sure you have the right budget so you can book a venue or location as well as ensure you have enough funds to provide food and party essentials.

Invitations

Be sure to send out invitations with an RSVP so you can plan your party around the number of guests that will be coming. Do not entirely rely on invitations as people get busy or forget to respond, but by sending out invitations, you can still get a ballpark figure as to who and how many guests will be attending.

Theme

Pick a theme; everyone loves a theme no matter how old they are. For kids, this could be as simple as their favorite character or cartoon, and for teens and adults, it could be as simple as their favorite color or special occasion like turning 18. Picking a theme makes party planning easier as you have one central theme and you can shop accordingly. Below are some party theme ideas:

Glow Party
Pirate
Skateboard
1st Birthday
Minecraft
Emoji

Location

Picking the right location is essential to a memorable party. This could be as easy as your own home. But, for a child’s party, you may want to book a unique location. Especially if it’s a milestone like graduating high school. Regardless, make sure that the place is suitable for the number of guests you will be inviting and that they will allow food and entertainment.

Food

Be sure to supply your guests with food to make sure they are happy and having a good time. You can either supply finger foods like chips, dip, fruits, sandwiches, etc., or you may want to have a buffet or full dinner for more formal parties the choice is up to you and your budget. To make your party memorable, you may want to rent a food truck, a snow cone machine, or cotton candy maker. These add to the fun and are appropriate for all ages.

Entertainment

To keep guests from getting bored make sure you have some activity or form of entertainment for them to enjoy. For children, you can rent a slide or bounce house for them to play in or have a magician or clown entertain them. For older teens and adults you may want to consider hiring a DJ or band to play so that guests can dance and have fun. The type of entertainment you choose will also depend on your theme and budget, but just make sure your guests are entertained to make sure your party is a success.

Photo Booth

A great way to make a part memorable is to rent a photo booth. You can provide theme-based props or costumes, and guests can have their picture taken as a souvenir and a fun way to remember your party.

Party Favors

Be sure to prepare party favor or goodie bags for your guests so they can have a little memento of the party. These do not have to be elaborate or expensive, just something to show you appreciate them coming and be a part of your party.

Conclusion

To ensure that you create a party for your child that they will never forget, be sure to plan early and make sure you budget to be sure you can afford what you want to do. Be sure to have entertainment and food to keep guests happy and send them home with a small gift bag as a show of appreciation. Whatever party you decide to throw just take the time and effort to make it one you and your child will always remember.

Top Lifestyle Blogs You Need to Know About

Good blogs come in all shapes and size but when they’re written by bloggers wanting to help their audience and share something personal that´s where the magic happens.

Finding a blog that you can read day by day is really hard, especially since there are some many of them online – different topics and categories you are often bored with. By choosing the handful of blogs you believe to make your life better, you´re signing up for a handful of happiness in every new post.

I believe that the best lifestyle blogs are the ones that ¨add some flavor to your coffee¨, the blogs that you look up to when you want to start a blog, those blogs that you have to sum up to your bestie who didn´t read it, the blog that will make you try out the new DIY tutorial right away or read a book recommendation.

In 2019 make it imperative to read the best blogs. To help you out with that, here are some that will for sure tickle your imagination:

1. ManMade

ManMade is updated a couple of times per month not just by one author but by multiple authors. It usually talks about do-it-yourself projects, cooking, technology, and design. It’s updated daily and includes posts by multiple authors.

2. A Cup of Jo

A Cup of Jo is a daily blog written by Joanna Goddard. The award-winning blog covers fashion, beauty, design, food, and parenting. Joanna writes honest personal stories about relationships and motherhood, as well as featuring home makeovers, hair tutorials, and weekly recipes.

3. The Betty Rocker

The Betty Rocker is a blog with a mission to empower you with real nutrition and fitness knowledge so you can be a role model of health and fitness to the people who look up to you, ROCK your life and be the best version of you!

4. Great Big Minds

Great Big Minds is everything about empowering, motivating and inspiring others to live life great and go after their passion. Ever since starting in 2017, their reach has grown exponentially with over a million followers and readers, often sharing practical and effective strategies many will find useful. Their topics cover a number of personal and professional development categories such as entrepreneurship, financial education, leadership, happiness, motivation, relationship, health, and fitness; to name a few.

5. Delightful Snapshots

Delightful Snapshots is a blog created by two photographers who love to share the great ideas they learn from capturing weddings. The main focus is writing about unique photo locations. You can also find tried and tested posing tips for brides who want to look their best. They even made their own polaroid guestbook, and love the roll-up-your-sleeves DIY attitude on anything to do with wedding decor.

6. Blysee

Blysee is an online resource for young women who strive to live a blissful life. A life that encompasses a happy well kept home, a rewarding career, a curated wardrobe, valuable relationships, and a secure sense of purpose and self-actualization. Topics covered on Blysee includes finance, food, design, beauty, wellness, career, living, and travel. Blysee aims to inspire women to find their bliss.

7. Dreamlines

Dreamlines is the perfect way to remember your wedding! Give him, her or the perfect wedding or anniversary gift! Personalized wedding photo sketch will be a great reminder of the wedding day.

8. Brilliant Bridal

Just like love, Brilliant Bridal was created out of passion and desire. A passion for selling affordable designer bridal gowns and a desire to do so in a boutique environment, providing 5-star customer service to every bride that walks through their doors. They love creating content on their blog to help inspire brides through their styled shoots, highlight their brilliant bride’s weddings, and give their favorite advice and tips! You can find their blogs posted every Monday & Wednesday at brilliantbridal.com.

9. Swagger

SWAGGER Magazine is North America’s Premier digital first Modern Men’s Luxury Lifestyle Publication. This lifestyle website has much to offer to your men when it comes to style, health tips and luxury lifestyle in general. If you have a modern man by your side, SWAGGER is a must-read as it will empower him to confidently pursue a life of sophistication, adventure, and purpose.

10. Carrie Wildes Photography

Carrie Wildes Photography Blog is curated by their team of photographers who love all things wedding, and lifestyle. They love sharing all the inside tips and ideas for making weddings personal, memorable, as well as showcasing unique locations for portraits and weddings.

11. Wrytin

Wrytin is a fast-growing platform for bloggers where they can publish content and make it reach an interested audience. It has bloggers ranging from categories such as Lifestyle, Travel, Music, Food, Art, Health, Business, etc.

12. Angela Cappetta

Angela Cappetta is curated fine art and photography-themed blog written and edited by the eponymous photographer herself. Angela is addicted to bringing lesser-known artists with the unstoppable talent to the forefront. Additionally, Angela adores sharing here, only the most extraordinary weddings she has shot. “My clients have inimitable style. Anyone can learn by observing their approach.” Furthermore, Angela says “I don’t love tooting my own horn, but I do love sharing my photographs of the gorgeous weddings my clients create. After all, that’s my job. Moreover, it’s my dream job. I’m so lucky.”

13. Katie Kav Photography

Katie Kav Photography is a wedding photographer based in Ireland. Her blog shows not only gorgeous weddings on the beautiful island but is packed full of tips and tricks for enjoying your wedding day to the fullest. She’s recently married so she knows the score.

14. Love Stories TV

Love Stories TV is a media company building the first and only library of real wedding videos, aka your happy place. Founded in 2016 by Rachel Jo Silver their mission is to connect the readers with the products, services, ideas, and inspiration they need for their wedding in a fun and stress-free way.

15. Andy Dane Photography

Andy Dane is a documentary wedding photographer based in Norfolk, UK. Showing off real weddings packed full of emotion as well as guides for brides on how to make the most of your big day, and hints and tips for aspiring photographers.

16. Perfect Venue

Perfect Venue is an exclusive venue finder which focuses on finding the best venues in Spain. We help find the most beautiful and suitable places to assist you in organizing not just weddings and private events, but corporate events, conferences, workshops, networking, and team-building events.

All of the venues that can be found in our venue finder have undergone several tests and been handpicked in order to ensure the highest level of exclusivity and luxury. Each venue is either 4 or 5 stars and meets a specific list of criteria that we deem extremely important, including location, capacity, cost, etc. We take lots of time and effort to ensure that we know our selected venues like the back of our hand; perfection and luxury are what we strive for, so we won’t settle for less when it comes to our customer’s venues.

17. Joanna Sue Photography

Joanna Sue Photography centers around real stories of people – mostly love stories. She highlights what makes couples tick – their goofy and awkward first dates, their favorite date night spots, and what makes them laugh. She features weddings and engagements that are unique and intentional in incorporating meaningful details that communicate the couple’s values of family, culture, and their own interests. She tries her best to emphasize her process as a photographer – which is to simply capture the relationships that are there (when no-one is looking) rather than manufacture moments or photograph artificial poses. She is a wedding photographer based out of Raleigh, but she travels all over the East Coast and South and is totally down to go anywhere.

18. The Most Chic

The Most Chic has been established in 2017 Los Angeles, California’s The Most Chic is an online publication dedicated to the trends and best ideas in home decor and good living.

19. Apropos Creations

The name says it all. Apropos Creations managed and owned by Jo Ann M. Grant, CPCE is a weddings and events blog focused on the latest event decor trends, traditions, and tons of fun celebrations! Jo Ann of Apropos Creations has been planning weddings, social celebrations, and corporate events for almost 10 years now! She just recently acquired her CPCE (Certified Professional in Catering and Events) designation which differentiates her from the others by giving value to continuing her education in the event industry.

Jo Ann posts one time per week and the information she shares can be very eye-opening and informative, making it very interesting for her audience.

After all, who doesn’t want to have a beautiful party with realistic goals?

20. Ellis James Desings

At Ellis James Designs, they believe that everyone deserves a touch of class and quality in their day-to-day lives. That’s why they’ve created an exclusive collection of luxurious bags, organizers, and travel accessories, each designed and crafted with care for you and your lifestyle.

21. Endless Exposures

Endless Exposures wedding blog is dedicated to showcasing local + destination weddings + elopements, best of vendors, advice, and tips for traveling couples! We are a husband and wife destination wedding + elopement photography team that is always up for an adventure. We focus primarily on love stories from proposal to maternity. Intimate, authentic, and passionate about what we do, this is our lifelong dream to come to life to become worldwide wedding photographers. Internationally published with a natural eye for detail and captivating soul-moving moments, we are here on this planet to document the history of love and romance through images and cinematography. I am a light chaser, daydreamer + doer, lover of love. I am creative!

22. Philip Warren Photography

Philip Warren is a wedding photographer based in South Wales but also covering the whole of the UK along with destination weddings. The site is primarily used for portfolio reasons but the blog is a great place to look at the latest weddings, hints, tips, and articles on wedding-related topics. Guest writers from industry leaders also provide content on wide-ranging subjects too!

23. Kiss Photography

Margherita’s natural, fun, (and when necessary) cheeky personality provides her ability that she can consistently capture truly authentic portraits for her families. Margherita’s approach to family photos is that if you were putting your family portrait into a time capsule then you’d only want the single best image possible – the one of everyone in your family looking really gorgeous, all at the same moment.

24. The Gardens of Castle Rock

The Gardens of Castle Rock is located in Castle Rock Township, south of the city of Farmington in Dakota County. The Township derives its name from a nearby St. Peter sandstone formation. Switzer’s is known for creating life-enhancing outdoor living environments. The Gardens of Castle Rock Wedding & Event Center is a natural extension of Switzer’s creativity. Working with new materials and techniques, along with time-honored standards, The Gardens is always expanding, growing, and changing with the seasons. We hope that you enjoy your time at The Gardens as we share our love for beautiful gardens & landscapes!

25. Budgeting is a Challenge

It’s about living your best life with your family and friends! But budgeting is a great part of that and can give you the freedom to make more life choices. Here at Budgeting is a Challenge, they provide you with straightforward, easy to action solutions, to help you budget your money, pay off debt, save more, and hit your financial goals.

26. The Multitasking Woman

Eva, the woman behind The Multitasking Woman, transformed her blog into a Mental Health & Wellbeing blog after her diagnosis with Bipolar Disorder in 2017. The Multitasking Woman aims to give hope, inspiration and guidance to women struggling with the family, career and mental health juggle.

27. CaribDirect

CaribDirect.com is an online news and information portal for Caribbean nationals and lovers of all things Caribbean around the world. The company is owned by CaribDirect Multi-Media which also owns the Caribbean Food and Drink Conference (www.caribbeanfoodanddrinkconference.com) and the Jus’ Caribbean brand which manages projects such as the Jus’ Caribbean Drinks Pavilion trade show, Jus’ Caribbean Festival (www.juscaribbean.com), and Jus’ Caribbean Marketplace (http://shop.juscaribbean.com).

28. Sustain Health

Sustain Health, produce positive, engaging, informative content that you can identify with, and news/features that cut through the wellness noise. Content-specific to all Sports, Fitness Fashion, Exercise, Gym Clubs, Health Resorts, and Celebrity workouts from experts in their chosen fields to support your health and sporting journey and in doing so, embrace conversation within our communities.

29. Amor Magazine

Amor is a women’s lifestyle magazine aimed at young women.
They are a printed and online medium, allowing Amor to be accessed by young women all over the world! Their magazine is dedicated to the representation and promotion of real women. Their main purpose is to unite and empower women by offering representation for everyone, regardless of; color, height, shape, or size. One of the overriding aims of Amor Magazine is to progress our readers by incorporating elements of personal development into their content and through featuring testimonies and articles of women making positive progress in their lives.

30. Food and Health

Food and Health is your source for health care and services, health insurance, health plans, weight loss, anti-aging, and sexual health. We all want to be our fittest selves, but with so much advice floating around out there, it can be hard to hone in on what healthcare tips actually work. Healthcare experts offer their tips and insights at @DailyHealthcareTips

31. Modamily

Modamily is an online network that helps connect people who are ready to start families, whether they are looking for romantic, platonic parenting, or known-donor relationships. Modamily was the first digital platform of its kind to provide this service in the U.S. and its app continues to be a great resource for prospective parents around the globe. They also feature blog content related to building a family whether it be a co-parenting, sperm donor, or even surrogate resources as their blog aims to help educate prospective parents on all the opportunities available to them.

32. Silk Touch Med Spa

Silk Touch Med Spa is an award-winning cosmetic surgery practice in the PNW offering the latest in surgical and non-surgical medical aesthetic procedures.

33. Sumo Gardener

Sumo Gardener has developed over the years, starting with gardening tips and advice from Ann Katelyn, and blossoming into a well-developed and trusted resource for all things to do with gardening. Sumo Gardener now has a team of gardening experts, including a horticulturist, landscaper, tool expert and an exterior designer who consistently dedicate their time and knowledge to their gardening enthusiast audience.

34. Best For Bride

Best for Bride is a wedding blog for everything a bride needs to know! They have posts ranging from advice about wedding venues, decor, planning and much more!

34. PhotoWhoa

PhotoWhoa.com – A photography deals website to enhance your photography skills. This is your one stop shop for all your photography related needs. PhotoWhoa has a wide range of premium photography products right from photo editing tools, software, ebooks, video courses, tutorials, Photoshop action packs, Lightroom presets and much more. They also have a fabulous collection of free deals which you can download for free and start improving your photography skills.

That’s not it. We have exclusive membership program called PLUS. If you become a member, you get EXTRA 20% off on ALL PhotoWhoa purchases.

Visit PhotoWhoa.com NOW

Total Redesign Of Your Old Garden And Creation Of A Fabulous Wonderland

Are you tired of your garden’s old fashion look?

Do you feel ashamed your water fountain isn’t as sparkly as it could be?

Well, you’re not alone!

Many people lament their decorative decisions from the past (or perhaps a complete lack thereof) and so take a burning interest in redesigning their garden so that it looks more up-to-date and represents its owner in a proper way.

There are many ways to design a garden, really. You can build a wall to create a new section or grab a sledgehammer and take down borders to give your garden a new look. You fashion your water fountain so that its color matches the color of your house.

In this article, we’ll talk about how to approach a total overhaul of your garden. We’ll mention certain consideration factors, ways of getting the manual labor part done, as well as some of the legality matters connected to such an undertaking!
Alrighty, then folks here’s the deal.

Redesign Consideration Factors

Before you set out to make plans about what objects you want to remove, move about, or otherwise add to the lot, it might be a good idea to first list all the objects in your garden, as well as the characteristics of your garden that you already know.

For example, a list containing certain points of interest in your garden might look something like this:

Shrubbery (Positioning)
Walls and Natural Boundaries
Water-Spewing Stations (or wine-spewing, depending on how much money you want to spend)
Unpopulated Area (lawns, empty patches)
Activity-Designated Areas

With all of these neatly listed, it can be easier to decide what you want to do with them and how you should move them about. Also, if you spot that something important is missing, you can add it to your wish list of items and obtain it for your up-and-coming redecoration efforts!

Hiring a Professional

Now, once you’ve decided on the arrangement of your dreams for this season, turning it into reality is a task that can be approached in two different ways. DIY-ing it or hiring a professional like Deltona gardening and tree doctors to do it.

If you decide to hire a professional, you’ll probably be offered some pre-arranged solutions you can choose from.

For those who have their own arrangement in mind, hiring a professional might mean some additional expenses, but then again you can rest assured they’ll do a good job. (If you hire some reliable people, of course.) If you’re from Australia, hiring some experienced Sydney home renovation experts can be a great way to ensure your redesigning undertaking will go according to the plan! And if your backyard has some overgrown trees and bushes, tree trimming and pruning might be vital. Tree Trimming Riverside is a licensed and certified company that can handle the job for you.

DIY-ing It

Not a bad move, but then you must have some idea about what you’re doing.

Remember, professional renovators typically bring a team of well-versed people with them and it still takes them sometimes weeks to accomplish your renovating mission. And remember, if you want your own wonderland you have to be patient and realize that all good stuff requires some time.

So, if you’ve decided to go after this dream of yours all on your own, you better arm yourself with patience and, for starters, some of these materials:

Bricks (for Building walls)
Paints (for painting walls)
Heavy-duty tools (for breaking walls, because we are talking about total redesign)
some sand (for optimizing the composition of your soil… that’s near a wall)
fertilizer (again, making soil fertile and ready for grass)
the list goes on…

Of course, these are only some of the suggestions, and, having hopefully organized a list of to-dos or your renovation mission, you’ll already know what materials and tools you’d need to make it a reality.

Obtain the Necessary Permissions

Turns out, you can’t just build objects willy-nilly, even if they’re in your own garden. (Especially if you’re building a fence or some other form of structure close to another public property such as a road.)

So, before setting out to do any work, make sure to contact your local civil engineering office or a similar institution, and check if you’re allowed to build the object of your choice in the place you designated for it.

Sometimes you may not need a permit at all, other times the permit can be costly and tough to acquire, but the bottom line is – this is something you have to take care of in order to be able to proceed with your project! So, don’t shrug it off – if it has to be done, it has to be done.

All in all, a well-maintained and organized garden is a place where you can sit back, relax, and have a cup of coffee in the evening after a busy day at work. Always remember to keep it as easy to maintain as possible, because you certainly want to have more time to relax and enjoy the nice view, but reconsider how gardening can be calming, too. Therefore, any effort you invest in making this special place more beautiful is a step in the right direction, especially if you have kids, gardening can help you spend more time with them, too. We hope you found this article helpful and wish you the best of luck with your garden redecoration exploits!

And just like Marcus Tullius Cicero once have said: “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”

About the author

Tip For Traveling Moms That Want to Maintain a Fitness Routine

Staying in perfect condition is of utmost importance to me. It’s virtually the only word ay that I can get along with my everyday life routine and handling 2 grown boys with my husband almost constantly away.

Being an avid traveler as well, it can get kinda hard maintaining a healthy life while frequently traveling, whether we’re talking about family relocating to an entirely new home in a new neighborhood, or we’re simply going on a family vacation.

If you also have a growing anxiety if you’re not in a perfect condition 24\7 and you find it difficult to keep the training routine while on the move, you might find some or all of these tips helpful.

Research Up Ahead

No matter where we go for a vacation, one of the crucial things I’m always looking for when searching for proper accommodation is access to gyms and fitness centers.

Booking an accommodation in the hotel that doesn’t have a gym can make it super hard for you to stay in shape, especially if you don’t know how to improvise.

However, if you’re booking a stay in the private apartment or in a cheaper hostel where there is no gym included, the best you can do is to inquire about the proximity and availability of fitness centers near the place of your stay.

Finally, if you already have a vacation that can be considered as active enough for your body (if you’re an active surfer or you’re going skiing in Thredbo for example) then you should consider if going that extra step with regular gym sessions is what you really need.

Plan for Proper Food Supplies

Eating healthy is equally important for your health as sticking to your training schedule. Physical activity can push you over the edge and exhaust your body if you don’t have a proper fuel.

When you’re at home and near the oven, with the grocery store just a couple of miles away, it’s not detrimental for your fitness for you to plan your meals ahead (even though it’s still recommended if you’re serious about your progress).

However, when you’re away from home for a longer period with limited access to kitchen supplies and appliances, the worst thing you can do is leave your body to the nutrients found in the junk food you get on the go.

Instead, stocking up with a nice set of protein bars, healthy snacks, fruits and lots of fresh water to prevent dehydration while traveling is essential. Give your body enough room to fight the shortage of proper fuel and to overcome the lack of body movement.

Bring Your Stuff With You

Lastly, if you have your gym accessories in your home (and being a stay-at-home mommy myself, I certainly have my toys everywhere around the house) you should consider bringing some of them along with you for a journey. There are multiple YouTube videos with great exercises if you are willing to stay fit around the world (or at home)!

Using your yoga mat for a morning stretch or doing a few sets of dumbbell raises won’t do any harm while on holiday.

Happy Food for Happy People

Stress is floating all around! Whether it is due to work pressure or something at home and sometimes it’s there because you want to get out of it (stress). What if, keeping away from stress is as simple as eating?

There are certain (easily available) foods which are capable of lowering down the stress hormones. Here are some of the many.

Banana – All of us know, that banana is full of potassium, but do you know that, this tasty fruit also contains “tryptophan”, a brain chemical, which helps in regulating your mood. Researches also indicate that a good amount of Vitamin B also reduces the level of despair and makes you feel better.

Dark Chocolate – Ahaa, this is interesting, isn’t it? A delightful way to lower down the stress level. Being rich in antioxidants, it is found in several researches that, dark chocolates can considerably reduce the stress hormone cortisol (source of Information: Journal of Proteome Research.). Some people find dark chocolates bitter, but you don’t necessarily need a pure dark chocolate, you can find the one with lesser percentage of purity. Try it out, I must say, it works for me.

Green Tea – there are lot of people shifting their choice of beverages from black or milked tea and coffee to Green tea. Although, this is mainly because of its weight loss benefits. Many people, who follow hectic lifestyle, they find it easy to sip a few cups of green tea then hitting the gym or a yoga class. But this wonder tea is also capable of lowering down the stress level. So, if you have not yet included the green tea in your lifestyle, go for it now. It’s never too late to start with a good habit.

Berries – Blue or Black, raspberry or strawberry, all of them contain chemical similarity to valproic acid, which is a prescription mood-stabilizing drug. Berries also help in reducing the inflammation, which has been associated with a higher rate of depression.

Turmeric – This yellow spice, which is an essential part of the East Asian cuisine, contains curcumin that has the capability to enhance the mood and lower down the stress-causing hormone. Turmeric is known for anti-inflammatory and healing qualities. But it also uplifts your mood and makes you feel calm and relaxed.

Apples – An apple a day does keeps the doctor away. Fruits like apples produce a calming effect, creates more energy, and enhances overall happiness and well-being (as per the British Journal of Health Psychology).

Coffee – Many types of research suggests, that in addition to stimulating your brain cells; Coffee consumption also helps in lowering the levels of depression. So, next time, when you are feeling low grab a cup of coffee and let your mind relax instantly.

Besides, these few superfoods, Walnuts, mushrooms, oranges and Eggs are a great help in calming down your nerves and make you feel relaxed. This food is also a natural remedy for your stomach if you have any issue and do not use medicines.

Taking medication to reduce the symptoms of depression does have its own set of side-effects. The only idea is to keep away from the stressed mind. If making small additions in everyday life can be helpful, what is better than that?

If you have experienced calmness and reduction in stress level with some other food, please do share them in the comment box.

Happy Mind- Happy Life

This is a guest Post by Jais. She is a multi-passionate entrepreneur, creative-writer, Fitness enthusiastic confident, Nature Lover, Animal Lover, an observer, a traveler on the path to self-discovery. Focused on Raising Happiness level and simplifying life. Love to Live. Live to Love. She blogs at www.getsethappy.com

How To Manage Your Kid’s Anxiety For The Dentist

Good dental habits are important to establish in children early. This can be difficult, because many children today fear going to the dentist. Dental anxiety is so common among children that it is being labeled a major public health concern. As a concerned parent, you might feel uncertain how to handle your own child’s anxiety. It is obviously unpleasant to see your child worrying about it. Your kid needs to get used to going to the dentist though. If they don’t, they are likely to stop going as an adult and their oral hygiene will suffer accordingly. Fear not, there are effective ways to manage the anxiety and encourage a lifelong habit of good oral hygiene. Here are tips and tricks how to manage your kid’s anxiety for the dentist.

Be Upfront And Honest

Convince your child to visit the dentist through honesty. Let the child know well ahead of time that they are going to the dentist. Don’t lie to them about where they are going or say it is just an annual health check. Be candid about they should expect. If they have questions answer them honestly and to the point or encourage them to ask the dentist. Lying to your child will always come with a consequence. Don’t make the dentist seem worse by indicating you have to lie about it. Your child will remember that, and it will color how they view the experience. Like most things in a child’s life, honesty is the best policy.

Focus On Oral Hygiene

When discussing the dentist with your child, make sure to focus on why they must go. This is important to establish good oral hygiene for your child. Encourage them to view their healthy teeth as the reward for the dentists. If your child looks at it this way, they are more likely to carry on going to the dentist as an adult. It will make your child think of the dentist as a needed service, rather than a resented obligation. The same can be done for brushing teeth and flossing. It’s important with young children to emphasize cause and effect. If they understand why dentist visits are important, they’ll start to resist the anxiety. And for those looking for a reliable dentist, you can solve your dental woes with this family dentist in greenville.

Choose A Child-Friendly Dentist

Taking your child to a dentist who works regularly with children can also help their anxiety. A children’s dentist already has experience dealing with anxious children and has worked out procedures to handle them. They will know how to use distraction to keep children calm during the most uncomfortable parts of the procedure. A dentist in Atascadero, Dr. Farr explains, “I know many people have anxiety in coming to the dentist, and it’s my great pleasure to help ease their anxiety.” These sorts of things will mean everything to your child, even if the medical outcome is the same.

Reinforce A Positive Attitude

When talking about the dentist with your child, focus on the positive. This doesn’t just mean the positive of the child’s experience. Make sure you avoid referring to your own dental experiences as painful or unpleasant. A major reason many children have anxiety over the dentist is that many adults also have this anxiety. They see the adult around them express fear and anger about the dentist and draw their own conclusions. Your child can pick up on that sort of thing, even if your trying to hide it. Make sure you give them the impression you have no anxiety over the dentist, and they will soon learn to copy you.

Start Early

To avoid anxiety in the first place, start taking your child to see the dentist early. You should bring your child in no later than their first birthday. If you start routine visits that early, your child will be familiar with the dentist’s office before they start developing lasting memories. This may prevent dental anxiety all together. Most of this anxiety is the product of the unknown. If your child has always known what’s in store and the dentist’s office, they won’t get the anxiety in the first place. Starting this early is also good for oral hygiene and will put your child on a path to lifelong healthy teeth.

Your child’s anxiety about the dentist is common and quite easy to manage. Make sure you always tell them the truth about their visits to the dentist and what will happen. Present the dentist’s office as a part of good oral hygiene and important for white teeth. Make sure the dentist you take your child to is good with children. Reinforce a positive outlook on the dentist, in your child and yourself. Start taking your kid to the dentist early. These tricks will ensure your child grows up knowing that dentist appointments are an important part of their lives.

How to Plan the Perfect Birthday Party for Your Child

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For a parent, their child’s birthday party is often more important than their own. We want them to have a good experience and make the day really memorable, take some great happy birthday images, and there’s no way we’re letting our little ones have their special day ruined with poor planning. So, how can you make sure that the birthday party is fun both for kids and the parents who bring them over? Take a look at some of our tips and you can start planning.

Set a budget

This is the first thing to do because it will help manage your costs and give you a better idea of what kind of things you’ll have at your disposal. It’s not necessary to make your child’s birthday party into a grand spectacle, so don’t worry about having to spend too much. They’ll have fun as long as there are good food and their friends show up, so relax and realize it’s supposed to be just a simple, fun party.

Involve your child

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After all, it’s their own birthday. Feel free to let them pick a theme they’ll enjoy the most, and you’ll already have a good idea of what the whole event is supposed to look like. But it’s not just about having them point their fingers at the things they want—let them help. You could make some easy crafty ornaments together and let them prepare snacks with you, and this will help them feel like they’re more in control of what gets to happen at the party.

Send out cute invitations

This is yet another thing that you can help them make at home and put a personal touch, and it also makes them practice their handwriting. You can find a few templates to help you out, or you can order invitations online if your kid isn’t all that crafty or just wants invitations with a specific cartoon character.

Put emphasis on good food

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This is important both for children and adults. Imagine a party with bad food where all the kids are commenting on the yucky taste. Don’t worry though, simple things like mac and cheese balls, hot dogs, pizza, and taco cups are more than enough to please them. Also, to avoid spending several days stuck in the kitchen, you can rely on good catering companies to make delicious finger foods for adults at the party. Those delicate hors-d’oeuvres are tricky to get right if you’re inexperienced, so save yourself some time and feel free to let professionals take care of that.

Bake an easy cake

If you’re a good baker, it’s always more charming to bake a cake of your own and let your kid decorate with frosting. You can certainly order one to save yourself some hassle or in case your child wants some very specific decorations, but if you like to cook then find a nice recipe and you’re bound to bake something delicious.

Figure out entertainment

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It’s not very difficult to get kids to have fun, but they do need some direction and planned entertainment for everything to run smoothly. Hiring an entertainer is an easy way to deal with this part, and you can get anything from face painters and clowns to magicians, storytellers, or even DJs.

Bring in some board games

If you don’t want an entertainer, then board games are a great idea as well. Things like Dixit, Sushi Go, and Codenames are wonderful picks, but you can also stick to simple party games like Musical Chairs, Charades, Pictionary, Hot Potato, Pin the Tail on the Donkey, or Treasure Hunt. Another fun thing you can bring in is a piñata.

Prepare cocktails for adults

Some simple cocktails are a great way to get adults to relax a bit, but make sure to include non-alcoholic versions for those who are driving. A little booze can help everyone warm up and talk to each other instead of anxiously staring at their kids and fretting over their safety.

When the party day comes, make sure to enjoy yourself and show your kid how happy you are to be celebrating with them. Good mood and smiles are infectious, and seeing you cheerful will make them feel even more excited about the whole event.

Vital Tips for Mastering a Perfect Family Holiday

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A trip with the youngsters can either be a nightmare or a dream-come-true depending on how you approach the planning process. Every parent knows how hectic a holiday can turn out to be if you don’t have a fun schedule planned ahead for the kids to enjoy and be occupied, while you also need to factor in some alone time with your spouse, you know, to stay sane for the duration of your holiday!

Without further ado, let’s see how you can make your family journey more adventurous, relaxing, and stress-free both for you and your little rascals.

Snack up for the road

If your kids are adventurous little earthlings, they are probably already ecstatic you’re heading for a week of camping in the woods or exploring natural reserves in the vicinity of your hometown. However, what can make kids more irritable than anything else is a lack of energy sources that are both delicious and accessible.

For brave parent souls who do embark on a road trip with their offspring, make sure you prepare, pack, and divide snacks for your little ones. They’ll get cranky after spending hours on the road; if the weather isn’t perfect, they might be tempted to throw a tantrum or two, but well-packed, healthy snacks paired with road trip games can be life-savers.

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Do your homework

Whether you’re headed to a beach resort, a mountain ski resort, or you’re more of urban travelers, you need to be informed beforehand. The old saying that knowledge is power truly comes to life when you become a parent, and you get flooded with questions as you’re unpacking in your hotel abroad.

For example, a trip to Paris makes a wonderful choice both for you and your spouse, plus it hosts a wide range of fun activities for kids – it’s up to you to find them, and book them in time because these get snatched up pretty quickly! If you’ve been saving up, a trip to European Disneyland is a must, of course.

Other options are going to Quebec, you can check out this guide here for tips.

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Be the early bird

We love them to bits, but raising kids in this day and age comes at a hefty price, from getting new clothes as they grow, all the way to covering their various interests and hobbies. That’s why every parent soon becomes a skillful budget manager, and booking early flights, accommodation, and looking for discounts is a significant part of this travel endeavor.

While in search of a perfect family cruise with reliable consultants such as Barge Travel Connection, you can take your kids on an all-encompassing, educational adventure of numerous European hotspots. Looking into such offers early on will give you a head start to plan your budget and save up a decent sum to invest in other aspects of your holiday, or something entirely different for that matter!

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Include the youngsters

Unless they are really young, your kids can be the best go-to peeps for finding the right activities and excursions for your holiday. In fact, they might come up with some of the most appealing options for the entire family that you or your spouse would never think of, simply because they’re in the right frame of mind for the adventure.

Have a talk with them, read through available options you can afford; see how they feel about cruises, beach holidays, winter vacations, or an urban getaway. Then, you can do some research together, collect the most interesting activities and create your itinerary with your kids by your side, so that everyone will know what to expect.

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Think all-inclusive thoughts

Sometimes putting less thought into something is the best solution you could hope for! Some of the finest resorts and cruises out there come with a package of entertainment options for all age groups, including kids, and they’ll make sure that your little ones are constantly busy and engaged.

Plus, you won’t have to worry about food and snacks, which is one less worry for your list of to-dos. If you create a list of pros and cons, you might be surprised to discover that for certain destinations, these all-inclusive options can turn out to be more affordable than those where you’d have to have a separate budget for food and fun.