Author Archives: lifewithlilred

Unknown's avatar

About lifewithlilred

Just your average gal blogging an average blog!

A Cleaner Home For A Healthier You

Standard
A Cleaner Home For A Healthier You

It’s no secret that most people want to maintain a clean home. No matter how hard you work on this side of your life, though, there won’t be much point if you’re not using the right tools, methods, and techniques to ensure that your place doesn’t just look clean, but is also hygienic. It’s easy to make something look good, but viruses like COVID-19 can’t be seen by the human eye, and they can last for a very long time on the surfaces and objects found within your home. Let’s take a look at some of the steps that can be taken to overcome an issue like this. This has been split into the rooms you use, making it easier to get started with the right methods in the right places:

The Kitchen:

Kitchens are spaces that have to be clean. With food preparation being the main purpose of a room like this, you could easily find you and your family members experiencing health issues if you’re not working hard enough to clean it. There are a number of key areas that need to be focused on when you’re going through this, and you can find each of them listed below. It’s always worth making sure that you use chemicals that are both safe near food but strong enough to kill hardy bacteria and viruses.

Surfaces & Cupboards:

The surfaces in your kitchen are designed to make it nice and easy to prepare your food, but you have to make sure that they’re cleaned before you use them. Anti-bacterial sprays are perfect for this, with companies like Detol offering options that can safely clean your worktops. The same effort can be applied to your cupboards, too.

Fridges & Freezers:

Any appliance that is used for storing food needs to be kept extremely clean. This makes it well worth disinfecting your fridge on a weekly basis to ensure that you don’t have anything growing unseen. Alongside this, you can find special air fresheners that can help to remove any unwanted odors from your food bearing appliances.

The Oven:

Much like your fridge and freezer, it also makes sense to clean your oven from time to time. It will be much harder for bacteria and viruses to live in a place like this, with the extreme heat killing most of them off. Of course, though, this doesn’t mean that your oven shouldn’t be given the right kind of treatment.

The Bathroom:

Much like the kitchen, bathrooms can be very sensitive rooms. You will perform a range of different tasks in a space like this, and many of them will involve processes that have to be sanitary. Of course, though, alongside performing hygiene tasks in a room like this, you will also be using your bathrooms to get rid of waste, creating a challenge for those who want to keep this room as clean as can be. You can find some of the most crucial cleaning jobs you’ll have to perform in this room below.

The Toilet:

The toilet is probably one of the most obvious cleaning jobs you have in your home. The waste that goes into this vessel is extremely unsanitary, and this means that you will need a strong chemical like bleach to make sure that it’s hygienic. You can wash the whole toilet with bleach, though it’s worth making sure that you rinse it off where the skin will be touching the toilet.

Sinks, Baths, & Showers:

Alongside your toilet, you will also have sinks, baths, and a shower to think about when you’re cleaning your bathroom. It’s always worth making sure that these areas are kept clean, but you don’t have to scrub them as often as you’ll be working on the toilet.

Toothbrushes & Other Sanitation Tools:

Your toothbrush is an item that you will always want to keep clean, and it may shock you to know that many people live with their toothbrush very close to their toilet. Bacteria and viruses can travel through the air, making it well worth keeping your toothbrush somewhere that keeps it out of the line of sight of your toilet.

Communal Spaces:

The areas you share with your family and other housemates can quite easily become very dirty without the right care and attention, and these spaces are some of the most likely to aid in the spread of sickness. This makes it well worth spending the right amount of time cleaning these spaces. You can find a list of the tools and techniques you should use for this below, giving you everything you need to get started with it. Of course, though, communal spaces can be very different from one another, and this means you may need to apply your own ideas.

Tables & Other Surfaces:

Shared tables and other surfaces can be a hotbed for bacteria and viruses. Much like the surfaces in your kitchen, you should be disinfecting these places whenever they’re going to be used for food. Doing this as part of your regular cleaning routine can also be a smart idea.

Shared Tools:

Remote controls, computer keyboards, and other shared tools are another area to consider when you’re making your home more hygienic. Using anti-bacterial wipes to clean these elements of your communal spaces can be an excellent way to keep them sanitary, with each person giving them a wipe down before the next person uses them.

Carpets & Rugs:

Fabrics are surprisingly good environments for many bacteria and viruses to grow in, with moisture and food easily getting trapped between fibers. Professional carpet cleaning can be a great way to turn this around, giving you the chance to deep clean this part of your home without having to use harsh liquid chemicals on them.

Soft Furniture:

Alongside carpets and rugs, it’s also worth thinking about your soft furniture. As these are also made using fabrics, you will have to be careful to make sure that you’re cleaning them properly when people from outside your home use them.

The Bedrooms:

Having somewhere to sleep is crucial to normal life, and most people will get this done in their bedroom. It’s easy to neglect hygiene in a room like this, with many people only spending a small portion of each day in their bedroom. Of course, though, it’s well worth putting some time into this to make sure that you’re not going to make yourself sick. Children’s rooms should always be given extra consideration as you go through this, with your little ones finding it very difficult to keep up with cleaning after themselves.

Tables & Other Surfaces:

The tables and surfaces in the bedrooms in your home can be easy to ignore. Most people will spend very little time in rooms like this, but this doesn’t mean that they will be free from bacteria and viruses. You don’t need to give this space as much attention as you give the other parts of your home, but it’s worth using disinfectant from time to time.

The Bed:

Your bed can also play a role in this. Issues like bed bugs can cause major health issues, and leaving your bed dirty for long periods can be a good way to encourage them to find your home. Changing your sheets on a regular basis can help with this, but it’s also worth spending time cleaning your bed’s frame, too.

The Walls & Floors:

The walls and floors in your bedroom should also be cleaned on a regular basis, with carpets being vacuumed, and hard floors being mopped. The walls can be trickier to clean, and it’s usually best to be proactive with this. Whenever a mess is made, you should be ready to start cleaning.

This extra busy work will all be worth it. Keeping your home clean will make you feel better in day to day life, while also limiting the chances that you or your family members will get sick when they are at home. With issues like COVID-19 causing so many problems around the world, this sort of action could end up being essential in the future.

Thankfully, though, this article should give you everything you need to start making a difference, even if you absolutely hate cleaning. If you’d prefer to give this sort of work to someone else, there are plenty of cleaning companies out there that will happily do the job of cleaning your place. Though it’s always worth keeping in mind that this can end up costing quite a bit of money!

Featured Image By: Unsplash

Lil Red’s Book Club: Christina McDonald’s Behind Every Lie Edition

Standard
Lil Red’s Book Club: Christina McDonald’s Behind Every Lie Edition

Hello! For a while, I was really into reading the thriller/mystery books with an unstable narrator. I loved the plot twists and the grand reveals and all of the pieces finally coming together that seemed so disjointed throughout the book. Then, after a while, I became bored with the premise of another alcoholic or sleep deprived young woman being accused of murder.

Then, Christina McDonald said “hold my beer” and asked “what if the girl was struck by lightning?”. Lol, without giving any spoilers away, this is Behind Every Lie:

253A9D04-74B2-4518-9270-7E50D7717671

Behind Every Lie is a back and forth thriller that alternates between Eva Hansen and her mother, Kat, every few chapters or so. However, all of Kat’s speaking will be in the past tense because her murder is what our unstable narrator, Eva, is being accused of when she wakes in the hospital after being struck by lightning. The catch? Eva can’t remember a damn thing.

Eva is an artist who lives under a cloud of insecurities and stays under the protective wing of her boyfriend, Liam. Already unstable from past trauma and tensions running high since the lightning strike, Eva’s world as she knows it takes a drastic turn when she realizes not everyone is who she thinks she is… Even herself.

So who is Eva? And who murdered her mom? You’ll have to read the book to find out!

For the most part, I really enjoyed Behind Every Lie. I haven’t read an unstable narrator novel in a while and the premise of this one was so different that I went for it. I’m not going to lie, I loved the story line – especially because I guessed what happened before it was revealed in the book and who doesn’t love that? 😀

However, the characters were not the most likeable and I had a hard time caring about any of them. They were all so closed off in their own ways that it was difficult to form a connection to them until the last few pages when the grand reveal was… revealed. Not to say that it wasn’t worth the read because it was for the story line alone. The characters are just not the ones you are going to remember vividly a year after reading this.

Overall, I did like this book and would definitely read something else by Christina McDonald. I rate Behind Every Lie with six and a half out of ten stars for a unique take on an unstable narrator and an unputdownable plot. Not bad. Not bad, at all.

What have you been reading recently? What is your favorite genre to read? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

At Home Concerts

Standard
At Home Concerts

Hello! For those of you who don’t know, my “big girl job” is as an independent provider for people with special needs. I specialize in community integration and the development of daily living skills and have been an “essential” employee throughout the coronavirus pandemic. So, you can imagine how hard it is to do my job of getting my clients out and about in the community when there is a contagious virus and many of them are high risk.

My job has now been limited to the homes of my clients and that is A-okay because it’s what is best for them, their families, and myself. But, that’s not to say it hasn’t been easy, especially when cabin fever is kicking in for everyone. I am constantly trying to come up with fun ways to keep my clients entertained at home to combat the boredom blues and was particularly pleased with my brain blast last week.

My most senior client who I am with the most often during the week LOVES the golden oldies and always tells me about when he saw The Beach Boys and Sha Na Na in concert. After his recollection last week, he asked when we can see those bands live together. I told him as soon as it was safe, as always, and then I realized we kind of could see them in concert.

I told him I had an idea and pulled YouTube up on his TV. Then, I found some live footage of Sha Na Na performing as well as plenty of full length Beach Boys concerts. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw his favorites performing right in front of him again. In fact, he was so elated that he told me to bring his brother up so he could see how much fun he was having. 🙂

My friend and I plan on having weekly “concerts” at home, compliments of YouTube. We have The Beach Boys on deck and who knows what will be next! It was amazing to see him so excited about something and, sometimes, the most fun things can happen right at home. ❤

Which bands have you seen in concert? Who would you love to see perform live? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

How To Consistently Meet Your Health Goals

Standard
How To Consistently Meet Your Health Goals

If you’ve had problems meeting your health goals and you feel like it’s a hopeless task, there are some things you need to get right. The wrong approach to your health goals will mean you experience nothing but sustained failure. A few changes will help you to consistently meet your health goals over the long-term, no matter how much you’ve struggled in the past. Read on to find out more and then start putting what you learn into action:

First of all, you need to think about what your health goals actually are and how you might go about setting them. If your goals aren’t realistic, you’ll keep falling short and that will lead to a spiral of disappointment. What it all comes down to is settings goals that are within your reach and not set your sights too high. That doesn’t mean they can’t be challenging, however!

It’s important that you try not to overwhelm yourself when you’re working towards health and fitness goals. Approaching one day at a time will help you to break down the challenge and get closer to reaching it in small steps. Those smaller steps will be much more digestible than the overall long-term goals you’re working towards, so keep that in mind.

Whatever existing health problems you might have, it’s important to approach those problems in a range of ways. If you try different treatment options you’ll find the one that works for you much sooner. Things like Functional Medicine and other alternative options might provide you with benefits as well as regular mainstream treatments. It’s up to you to explore the options out there and find the right way forward for you. It is helpful to get recommendations from friends or online forums for the different facilities you are considering. Whether you are trying a holistic approach with https://hwofc.com/services/ or searching for a new therapist, you will want them to be well reviewed by happy patients.

Of course, it is also important to discuss any treatment options with your doctor before committing. This could be exploring different medications or seeking referrals for a practitioner like Dr Paul Crowe who treats issues like vascular or prostate disease. Regular appointments with your general practitioner can help pinpoint problems before they get worse so be sure to be punctual. The earlier medical issues are found, all the better.

There’s no need to go at it alone when you’re trying to get in shape or improve your health. Health professionals as well as personal trainers can help you get to where you want to be. You can get help and support from friends and work out together. Having that extra person working out alongside you can really spur you on and provide you with the motivation that you need.

One thing that many people get wrong is thinking that there’s a disconnect between physical and mental health, but that’s not the case. You should remember that these things go hand in hand. When you get one right, it’ll help the other. So when you’re trying to reach your health goals, you should also try to make sure that you pay attention to your mental health too.

Consistency and commitment are key when you’re attempting to reach your health goals month after month and year after year. The tips and ideas we’ve discussed above will help you to get this right and ensure your health comes first, which is the way it should be.

Featured Image By:  Pixabay

Still Need Something To Do?

Standard
Still Need Something To Do?

Hello! If quarantine has been giving you nothing but the boredom blues as of late, then it sounds like you need an activity ASAP. We’re not just talking about the basics of reading, gardening, and baking… We’re talking guest blogging. If you would like to be a featured writer on lifewithlilred for the day to my readers in over one hundred and ninety countries, then shoot me an email at: sarah.mush6794@gmail.com

Join my Quarantine Team and spend an afternoon doing something different! Who knows, it might just light a creative spark to keep you inspired as the coronavirus pandemic continues on. Send me an email with a few post ideas that you had in mind and we’ll get you on your way to becoming part of the lifewithlilred family in no time! ❤

Save Time By Outsourcing Your Personal Admin

Standard
Save Time By Outsourcing Your Personal Admin

Do you feel like you don’t have any time? If you feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to get stuff done, you may be overstretching yourself. It’s okay to pay someone to complete personal admin. From getting help moving house to having your shopping delivered, you can carve some time back for yourself by leaving your daily tasks to the professionals:

Help Moving House:

Were you considering renting a van and driving your furniture to your new home? Moving is already stressful enough without you having to relocate your entire house at the same time. Hire a moving company to do the job for you. You can often select the level of service you require, from long-distance relocation to storage options until you get settled in. Let yourself focus on getting your family into the new place while a moving company does the rest for you.

Grocery Shopping:

Are you fed up with making your way to the supermarket every week? Well, stop doing it! 1.8 billion people worldwide shop online, so it’s time to join a quarter of the population and start saving yourself some time. Choose a delivery service and let your food come to you. If you don’t drive, ordering your food shopping saves you even more time than relying on public transport. You can order more in one go, too, rather than carrying bags home yourself.

Painting and Decorating:

While we’d all love a pristine home, if you’re not a professional, doing some home decor yourself can often be disappointing. You have a perfect idea of what you want the room to look like, only to find your DIY skills are a little lacking. The hours tick by while you’re watching paint dry, knowing you’ll have to put another coat of paint on. Doesn’t sound fun, right? Pay a professional painter or decorator, and you’ll be happy with the finished product and save yourself time in the process. If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to finding a painter, you could make use of a site like My House Painter https://www.myhousepainter.com/painters/texas/ to locate and get estimates from a whole host of local contractors so that you can choose the best one for you.

Gardening:

It can feel daunting to tackle your garden maintenance, especially if your outdoor space has gone unloved for a while. You could seek out Pinterest for some garden inspiration, or you could hire a professional gardener to take the stress off you. Your garden might need a little spruce up or you might take the opportunity to hire a landscape gardener for a complete overhaul. Take back some vital weekend time you might otherwise spend wondering what to do with your garden.

Daily Errands:

Are you tired of having to wait in line or complete daily errands that are otherwise pretty dull? From putting together IKEA furniture to folding your laundry, there are hundreds of daily tasks you can outsource to someone else. See if there’s a service like TaskRabbit in your area to hire someone to take on your daily errands. Or, you might want to earn money doing this for someone yourself.

There are hundreds of little things you can outsource to others to make time for yourself. Start outsourcing your personal admin today, and you’ll be surprised when it frees up time to do the things you actually enjoy.

Featured Image By: Pexels

Keeping Sane In Quarantine

Standard
Keeping Sane In Quarantine

Hello! Yours truly and my boyfriend have essentially been in quarantine mode since March nineteenth when the restaurants and bars in Ohio first shut down. Johnny was on furlough and just recently went back to work while I have been holding down the fort with my clients the whole time as an “essential” employee.

Our interactions with others (outside of work) has been very limited to occasional social distance hang outs with a friend or two and a weekly errand if we need anything from the store. This has, by no means, been the most fun I’ve ever had but with numerous high risk clients and family members, safety always comes first.

There was a point when cabin fever was really setting in and “this sucks” was my signature catchphrase for most of the day (Just ask Johnny!). So, what have I been doing to keep myself sane during close to four months of lock down? All of the following:

Writing Daily:

It has been really important to me to try and keep my daily schedule in tact, which means writing every day for lifewithlilred. Is coming up with content difficult when there’s literally nothing to do? YES!! But, it keeps my brain active and it’s fun for me. I have been continuing on with my schedule of getting up early before work to write and it is just the push I need to get myself up and going each and every day.

Reading A Ton:

There is only so much TV you can watch and video games you can play until your brain feels so mushy it would be a pleasure to read a dictionary. I have definitely been at that point, myself, in quarantine so I try to read a little every day. As usual, I have been loving reading my thriller/mystery books. The best part? A good whodoneit keeps my mind working once I’ve put the book down as I try to figure out what happens next. Bonus!

Perfecting Skills:

It has REALLY sucked not being able to go for my weekly figure skating practices because I looked forward to them so much. So, now, I have been focused more than ever on perfecting things that I can do from home. Like learning languages, for example. About two to three times a week I practice French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Czech while once weekly I work on American Sign Language.

Is sitting on my couch practicing languages as fun as hitting the rink? Yes, actually, in its own way. And, it gives me something to do on a scheduled basis which is why I think I have been so dedicated to Duolingo for the past few months.

Not Going Social Media Crazy:

With everyone butting heads with different opinions right now as well as constantly being flooded with news of the mainly bad kind – social media can feel overwhelming, especially right now. If scrolling through your newsfeed is making you feel more upset than entertained, then maybe it’s time for you to take a brief hiatus. Plenty of my friends have and I find myself shying away from checking my Facebook 24/7 too.

There’s only so much bickering and bad news you can take and if you’re seeing it all of the time, it’s no wonder why you might not be feeling your best! Take a break from your social and replace that time with something that makes you laugh online like your favorite comedy YouTube videos or dog related memes. :*)

dog1

How have you been keeping yourself sane in quarantine? How have you been keeping yourself safe? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

How Do I Go Out Social Distance Style?

Standard
How Do I Go Out Social Distance Style?

Hello! A follow up question that Johnny and I usually get asked after “what do we do all day?” while in quarantine is “how do you go out?”. The answer? Very carefully, of course! Other than going to work, we limit ourselves to one to two individual errands per week and we always have our face masks on and hand sanitizer at the ready.

As far as grocery shopping goes, I try to do a big shopping haul once a month. My supermarkets are trying to social distance the best they can with one way aisles but I feel like not everyone cares to use them. So, if groceries are needed, I try to go first thing in the morning before stores get too crowded.

If there’s a random place we need to go to like the gas station, bank, etc. both Johnny and I formulate a game plan that will get us in and out the quickest. We also have masks and sanitizer on hand in our cars in case we need to make an unexpected stop. It’s just best to be prepared, is all.

Finally, as you all can see, I got my hair and my nails done. How did I do that? Very carefully, of course! Lol, actually, all of the salons I go to for my beauty treatments are being exceptional at following the highest safety precautions. I was informed by either the owners of the salon or an employee of what was being done to keep everyone safe and I felt comfortable with all of the measures being taken. Like the following:

  • Getting your temperature taken before entering.
  • Masks required by all (Employees and customers).
  • Washing hands required immediately after entering.
  • Limited number of employees and customers in at one time (Under ten).
  • Way beyond six feet of room between everyone for social distance standards.
  • Plexiglass between employee and customer (At nail salon).
  • Sanitizing after each customer.

With all of the amazing steps being taken to keep each salon up and running safely, I felt okay going in to get pampered. I spread each appointment out by a week or two so I wasn’t going out too frequently and I was so happy each time because I felt safe and totally awesome after going months without being able to go to a salon.

Johnny and I are taking all of this craziness in stride and are living our lives right now by doing only what makes us feel comfortable. How we feel might not be the same as everyone else but it works for us and that’s all that matters to me. ❤

What social distance standards did stores in your area put in place? Are masks required where you live? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

A Day In The Life Of Quarantine

Standard
A Day In The Life Of Quarantine

Hello! Unfortunately in Ohio, the coronavirus cases are rising again and life in quarantine for me and Johnny will continue on until who knows how long. We both have been limiting our time in the community drastically and only go out for an errand once a week or so apiece since mid-March. Cabin fever, much?! But, with both of our families being high risk as well as quite a few of my clients, the risk is just not worth it.

As an essential employee, I have been working this entire time and, normally, I loved to let my hair down and go out with Johnny and our friends over the weekend. We all know that this won’t be happening again for the foreseeable future and this question has been asked to me so many times now: What have Johnny and I been doing this whole time?

Lol, it’s a great question, honestly. On a typical day when we are both off, there tends to be a TV show or movie marathon at some point. Johnny loves to play video games so while he’s doing that I like to read, write, or practice my languages. Cooking dinner and breakfast for my man also helps pass the time too and it’s so fun for me because I love coming up with new dishes to serve.

Although it’s summertime in Ohio right now, the weather has just been crap so our outdoor options are severely limited. Before, it was cold and raining nonstop. Now, the temperatures are in the mid nineties and it makes being outdoors for even a minute unbearable. It’s too bad because we both would love to go for a hike but when one of us (AKA me) tends to get nauseous in the heat, it just isn’t even worth it.

Quarantine life has been like being grounded except I can have a glass of wine whenever I want and that makes it a bit more fun! Johnny and I both are itching to get out of the house but safety always comes first. So, in the meantime, I am a-okay being in our little apartment building with LEGO and watching Impractical Jokers for hours on end. ❤

How has the coronavirus impacted your life? What are things like in your neck of the woods right now? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Face Mask Festivities: BAWDY X Sephora Flaunt It Butt Sheet Mask Edition

Standard
Face Mask Festivities: BAWDY X Sephora Flaunt It Butt Sheet Mask Edition

Hello! During my last online Sephora haul, I was ten measly dollars away from free shipping and I didn’t want to spend a ton of money to get myself over the threshold. So, I hit up the clearance section and decided on a face mask AND a butt mask. I already reviewed the sheet mask for my face and today it is all about the sheet mask for the bootay! Lol, take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

58C6F90B-1187-493B-A426-153CBBDFD69864B6DD1B-DB69-4771-A9C1-FED35A9EF557F8BA09A4-4FF6-43EF-BEBD-03247253CFD0

A butt mask may seem silly to some but, hey, I’m willing to try a new product out to put on the blog for a whole four bucks! And, you know what? I’ve used beauty treatments that have been worse. At the end of the day, I felt pampered and my butt felt firmer so no harm no foul!

My first impression of the mask was that it was adorable, obviously! I wasn’t sure what the butt mask was going to look like but the watermelon slices with “FLAUNT IT!” written across seemed perfect to me. The application was simple and I figured the easiest way to let the mask sit was laying on a towel.

After fifteen minutes of having the mask on, it dried out. I didn’t notice any mind blowing physical changes to my derriere but it genuinely did feel firmer and much more moisturized after using it.

The real question is: Would I use a butt mask again? Probably not. I wasn’t impressed enough with this sheet mask to continue buying them or a similar product. I think I will stick with the masks for my face from now on! 🙂

Has anyone ever used a butt mask before? What did you think of it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah