Tag Archives: family

Renovation Frustration: Things Most People Will Overlook

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Renovation Frustration: Things Most People Will Overlook

If you’re planning to renovate or improve your home this year, you’ll have to think long and hard. You need to make sure that your budget stretches to cover everything, or you’ll never feel satisfied with the outcome. However, the issue is that many people overlook simple jobs. Which they only realize after they’ve spent all their money, and so people don’t get the results they desired. With that in mind, we wanted to provide a helping hand with this article today. We’re going to list some of the things people overlook in the hope of making sure that you don’t follow suit. So long as you read this information and consider our tips, you can’t go wrong. With a bit of luck, you’ll perform an entire home renovation during the next few months:

Adding a New Bathroom: When it comes to replacing your bathroom, you will have to spend a lot of time considering your options. In some instances, you won’t have to change the entire suite. Maybe you just need a new bath because the panels are cracked? Most bathroom retailers will sell individual items so you won’t need to break the bank. However, if your bathroom furniture is more than ten years old, you should treat your family. At the end of the day, adding a new suite could make your home appear far more luxurious to guests. Even so, it has functional benefits too. The latest products like modern illusion cabinets are designed to save space and that can go a long way in a smaller bathroom. New fixtures also stay in working order for as long as possible so you shouldn’t have to worry about dealing with any more leaks, creaks, and malfunctions.

Replacing or Fixing Your Air Conditioning: Your air conditioning unit is important if you live in a location with a warm climate. You have a few months before the summer arrives, so there’s plenty of time to sort it out. Again, you should look towards replacing the entire unit if it’s more than around ten years old. Those devices will often stop working properly after that period which could result in wasting electricity by running it when the weather improves. Of course, sometimes your AC unit just needs some care and maintenance. Getting your AC fixed is easy these days because there are many specialists in the marketplace. Just search online for a local firm that can visit your property without too much hassle. Also, make sure that you settle on a price before you let anyone mess with your unit.

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Beep beep boop

Installing a New Boiler or Furnace: Those summer nights can become rather cold if you live in the middle or southern areas of the United States. The temperature often drops below freezing so you’ll also need to think about heating your property. Most homeowners use a furnace or a boiler these days as they’re the most economical and convenient solutions. You need to check yours as soon as possible to discover if you require a replacement or not. Getting a new system installed is easy and it should take no longer than a couple of hours. Indeed, some companies selling those products will provide the installation for free depending on how much you spend. Make sure you don’t overlook this task or you’ll regret it when those summer nights begin to turn cold and a case of the chills comes on.

Converting Your Attic: Most people would agree that adding more space to their properties is a wise move. It could also mean that you don’t have to sell your home and move as your family grows. At the very least, you will make better use of the rooms available to you. Perhaps instead of spending all your money on new kitchen tiles, maybe you should convert your attic? You could turn the attic into an office, recording studio, or extra bedroom. The job is going to cost a few thousand dollars so you need to contact the experts as soon as possible. Obtain some quotes and work out if you can afford to push ahead with the plan. Attic conversions are an excellent idea because they will also add value to your home so you should see the spending as an investment.

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I want an attic room!

Using Your Garage For More Ground Floor Space: If you don’t like the idea of converting your attic, there is an easier and cheaper solution. People who own a property with a garage attached could knock down a wall and extend their ground floor. Maybe you’ve always liked the idea of having a dining room? Perhaps you need somewhere to brew lots of wine or beer? A garage conversion could be the ideal solution. You won’t break the bank, but you could give your home a new lease of life. Just bear in mind that you will have to insulate the space for the best results. Failure to do that could mean the temperature is too low to make the room comfortable. Ideally, you want to ensure that it’s the same as the rest of your home. That way, you shouldn’t notice that you’re walking into what used to be your garage.

Painting the Property Exterior: Many homeowners spend time painting the interior of their properties every single year. It helps to keep the house looking fresh, stylish, and modern. However, almost everyone forgets about the exterior of their building. Painting the outside of your home brings a couple of advantages. Firstly, it will make sure your house looks stunning when people get out of their cars on your driveway. Secondly, it could help to ensure that your home is more resilient to weather damage. Giving your home a new coat of paint will help to protect it. It will also make sure it doesn’t deteriorate. Even so, unless you like working at heights, it’s sensible to employ a Painter in Houston TX or a team in your area. Most professionals would complete a job like that in under two days.

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With a bit of luck, you shouldn’t overlook anything important when renovating your home after reading this post. Now you just need to make your plan and set the wheels in motion. At the end of the day, you want to feel as proud as possible of your house so you should always try to make improvements whenever you have the time and money. It will keep your family happy, but it will also mean that you could make a substantial profit when you decide to sell.

Featured Image By: Flickr

4 Fun Ways to Spend a Night in with Friends and Family

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4 Fun Ways to Spend a Night in with Friends and Family

What are you usual plans for a Friday night in? Do you go out to the bar with your colleagues? Maybe you have a lovely dinner with your partner or family members at a fancy restaurant? Or perhaps you like to visit the cinema and catch up on the latest film releases? Whatever your decision, there’s always the option of staying indoors with your friends and family.

But why? There are plenty of good reasons to stay indoors, such as the reduced cost of having an entertaining night or the freedom of doing what you like and not having to be around crowds, loud music, and sloppy drunk patrons. If you’d like to switch it up this week and enjoy a night in, here are a couple of ideas to get you excited for a change of pace:

Movie Night: Having a movie night can almost become a ritual if you do it often enough. It’s a night to look forward to because you get to catch up on the latest shows or movies with your friends while stuffing your faces with pizza, tacos, or any kind of greasy fast food. It’s cheap as well thanks to subscription services such as Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. There are even specialized services, such as Crunchyroll, if you’d prefer to watch something like anime.

With so many shows and films available on the internet, it’s hard to get bored or stumped on what to watch. You could even have a video night where you browse funny and interesting YouTube videos together with your friends and family, and with the growing library of content you’ll always have something fun to watch.

Bingo Night: Bingo might be associated with seniors playing in a club or retirement home, but it’s still a fun and exciting game that is suitable for the whole family. No matter how old or young the players, bingo is a fun game that can be played almost anywhere. You don’t need complicated machinery either because you can play bingo online and use online tools to draw numbers and print off bingo cards. Or you could take things one step further and make the cards relateable to the players by using their initials and inside jokes or memories as the calling criteria.

Gaming Party: Almost everyone has played a video game once in their life, and it’s becoming increasingly popular for young adults, parents, and children to engage in video game parties. Set up a large television in the living room, grab loads of snacks, and connect four controllers to your video game console of choice and play together. You could even get party games such as Just Dance which is fun even if you’re not a gamer—you don’t even need controllers because you can play with your phone!

Board Game Night: Board games have been somewhat forgotten because of the rise of video games, but it’s still a hobby enjoyed by many people around the world. Whether it’s a humble game of Monopoly or something more immersive such as Dungeons and Dragons, there are plenty of board games and pen and paper games for you to play with your family and friends. Board games aren’t very expensive (they cost about as much as a video game or less) and you can have countless hours of fun with them if you keep them in good condition. Board games also provide the opportunity for some amazing keepsakes for your gaming crew. A surprise like custom Monopoly pieces or Dungeons and Dragons Dice will not only come in handy but commemorate your time together.

Board game specific stores, cafes, and bars have been increasingly popular and for good reason. It is just pure fun whether you are on the go or at home. My husband and I are avid fans of board games and we have some advice. Prior to making a purchase on a site like Backwoods Wizards or your local game store, do your research! We have made the mistake of buying games simply because they look fun but found the rules to be difficult and extensive when we tried to play. Your favorite game store or website will have games for every skill level and interest and will have great options for you when you know what you want in the first place!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Who Is Really Looking After Your Kids? Get Peace of Mind, and Find Safe Childcare

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Who Is Really Looking After Your Kids? Get Peace of Mind, and Find Safe Childcare

Sometimes in life, we have to leave our children in the care of others. Maybe it’s due to work commitments, because of their extracurricular activities and hobbies, or perhaps we just need a break. Parenting is busy and stressful, sometimes you just need a nice date night with your partner away from the kids to keep the spark alive and claw back a bit of sanity! But when our children are so precious, as parents we need to be vigilant about their caretakers. Schools require teachers to have thorough checks done, but not all childcare establishments do, so you have to be careful. Here are some of the ways that you can ensure your child is safe when they’re being looked after by others:

Do a Background Check: When it comes to your kids, you can never be too careful. Doing a background check on anyone who cares for your kids without you there can give you peace of mind. You’re able to pull up past information about people from convicted crimes and warnings to cases that were dropped in court. You can get background checking done from an Expert Private Investigator in Edinburgh – Bondrees.com if you are considering a new childcare provider. While it’s not completely foolproof, a clean record can help if you don’t know the person well.

Of course, always use common sense and good judgment, but if you just need to know their background to be sure, then this is one way to go about it. Whether it’s a nanny, babysitter, an ex’s new partner, or anyone else who is around you children- it’s always good to be cautious. You could click here for free warrant checks online if this is something that you would benefit from.

Ask About Medical Training: If you leave your children at a daycare, babysitter’s house, or with a nanny- ask about what medical training they have had. Do they know first aid, and can they apply it to children? Don’t feel shy about asking to see certificates for proof. Those who have nothing to hide won’t mind showing you. The same applies to food safety. To avoid illnesses and food poisoning, those looking after children and preparing food for them should have a good knowledge of kitchen safety and hygiene.

Request References: Good references will show you that the person looking after your children is competent and good at their job, as well as has prior experience in child care. If you’re hiring a nanny, for example, you will want to choose the most qualified candidate, and past experience is a great way to judge how well they will do when they work for you.

Use a Nanny Cam: In most places in the US it’s completely legal to use surveillance equipment in your home, without the consent of the person you’re recording. It’s illegal to record in areas where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy however, so it goes without saying that bathroom areas are off limits but also your live-in nanny or au-pair’s bedroom. But for use elsewhere in the home, a nanny cam can be useful if you want to keep tabs on what’s going on.

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Featured Image By: Pexels

Never Been On A Date

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Helloooo everyone and happy weekend! I hope all of you are having a wonderful day so far. So in case you guys weren’t aware, my Think Spring guest bloggers series is launching on February 15th. This series has been a fun one to work on and it has given me the opportunity to make some new blogging friends, like Lakshmi from The Rink. Lakshmi will be featured in my guest bloggers series but she was also kind enough to provide me with another terrific post for lifewithlilred. This article is titled “Never Been On A Date” and you saw it here first!

Never Been On A Date:

Terms, which you won’t believe, that exist!

I am L.R. and I come from India. For those who don’t know, there is this system in India known as the “arranged marriage system” – a guy and a girl who are ‘destined’ to be with each other (through the idea of horoscope matching) get married. They need not know each other or even have to love each other before getting married. Why, in the olden times, they wouldn’t even meet each other until the wedding ceremony. Just to clarify, this system doesn’t happen all over India but in the conservative families.

The rules have since relaxed a little. Nevertheless, it is still of importance to get the girl married before she turns a certain age, currently it is 24 (which is pretty late according to them!). I am in this inevitable system. There is this thing known as “trust” – something that I built with quite a strong foundation in my parents’ minds for not ‘loving’ or ‘dating’ any guy. This will keep me out of any relationships with a constant status of “Single but not available”. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to my friends of other lands but that is how it is!

I live in the Present too!

Being in such a connected world in the 21st Century, I have to say that 99% of the movies I see, books I read, and all of media revolve around “love”… not the daughter-parents love or platonic love but love – the feeling you have towards a special someone. While people on every other side of the Earth keep waiting to meet “the one”, I know that I’ll meet him through my parents. Nope, the guys on whom I have crushes on will never be my one. As of now, love is a forbidden emotion, almost like the Candy House in Hansel and Gretel! Yes, I know that I live in 2017!

I mean, forget love… lets talk about the dating game.

Have I ever dated? Nope! Because this will lead to love, of course. While some of my friends go on dates and love guys, I freak out about the fortress of trust. Once we break it, it will take long to re-build it. Do I want to go on a date? I am restricted from giving an absolute answer. I want to try it. Just imagine that you are forbidden from eating chocolate for your entire life and everywhere you see, there are movies and books about chocolate (analogy is, admittedly, not the greatest here). You would want to taste this restricted deliciousness… at least once, right?

Looking back at it now, it is funny that I have grown up with this ‘inserted’ thought that I’m not beautiful and I should be beautiful only for the guy I marry. To tell you the truth, I’m not a very pretty girl but a girl with some definite admirers. Yes, some of them have mustered up the courage to even approach me (dating game and love is still considered a mild taboo). I just rush away from the spot or speak to them meanly or even lie to them about already having a boyfriend. Haha! This is what I did! After all of this, my girlfriends and I sit and talk and laugh about these encounters! Although I kept brushing away dates, deep inside I knew that I wanted to try it once.

When I really wanted to try it and I asked some of my ‘experienced’ friends, they always tell me to never fall into this trap! Then, they would overflow with episodes from their bad dating life – the ones in which I would hate to be a part. Seeing them cry, I would feel that it is the right decision to stay far away from the dating world. But hey! I don’t know how it will be… These friends of mine recommend it one in four times… one in four times, they would actually be content in the game. This left me with the only thing that improved over the years – my imagination.

I imagine being on a date with the most awesome and handsome celebrities out there in the world. Even in my daydreams, the date doesn’t go well! I feel like everything is in the right place except my conscience. Haha! Growing up this way, I don’t think that I will ever sneak around to go on a date. I just cannot be a badass – it’s not me. And guess what? I like this style of living. I am familiar with it. I don’t have heart-breaks. I don’t need to search far and wide for my true love. I don’t need to date a couple of losers to find the one. I kind of get a fast-pass to the real deal in this game! Around 95% of the arranged marriages that happen through this system in India come with a guarantee that the couple will stay together as long as they live!

Welcome to my life!

❤ L.R.

Fashion blogger

THE RINK

^^^ Thank you so much again to Lakshmi for such an informative and delightful read! You can catch her again soon during my Think Spring guest bloggers series! What is the best or worst date that you have ever been on? How does Lakshmi’s lifestyle differ or relate to your own? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: If you are interested in participating in my guest bloggers series, feel free to shoot me an email at sarah.mush6794@gmail.com! 🙂

A New Doggy Friend: The Importance Of Training

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A New Doggy Friend: The Importance Of Training

Make no mistake, when you invite a dog into your home, you’re inviting an entirely different species. Dog behavior is different than ours, and it is necessary for us to coexist. Training is one of the most important elements when it comes to raising a pup. It will form the basis of your relationship and will ensure a caring and fun life together.

Where Do You Start? Dogs are dogs, and we should embrace their spirit and instinct. This should be rewarded with regular treats and praise. However, destructive behavior must be dealt with in a caring but firm manner. Crate training is often seen as a good place to start. Crates can be purchased from sites such as http://indestructibledogtoys.org/dog-crates/. Introducing your puppy to them at an early age will provide them with an area of their own. Add some toys and blankets to the crate so that it feels safe and inviting. This is a place that your dog can go to if there are loud bangs or fireworks outside, etc. Crates can also help when it comes to toilet training. Confining your dog to a crate will train them to hold their bladder until you take them outside or go for a walk.

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DOGGO!!

Lots Of Love: Dogs, like humans, are social animals. They need others around them. Therefore, providing your dog with lots of love and attention will help them grow into happy, healthy pets. Just as they need to learn your ways, you will also need to adapt to their likes and behaviors. Dogs are essentially pack animals and will act accordingly.

Take them for regular walks and let them play with their favorite toys. Find ways to make it as fun as possible. Sites like huffingtonpost.com have lots of suggestions. Don’t leave them alone for long periods but let them understand your absence in short bursts. At first, get them used to you leaving the room for five or ten minutes and build up from there. Once they realize that you’re going to return, this will become more acceptable and tolerable to them.

Reward your dog for good behavior and just for being them (because dogs are great!). Treat them to a new toy and provide them with some healthy, tasty doggy treats. Keep them interested and curious by alternating their walks and trying new things. If you have the opportunity, take them camping and they will love you forever.

Simple Commands: Start with simple commands such as ‘sit’, ‘come’, and ‘down’. There are simple techniques that you can use yourself, without having to go to a class. The ‘come’ command is particularly important as it will ensure that your dog returns to you when you’re outdoors. This will keep them safe in potentially harmful situations such as when you’re near traffic, etc. Teaching your dog to ‘leave it’ is also important from a safety point of view. If he or she spots something that is potentially dangerous, mastering this command may save you a trip to the vet.

Training a dog takes time and patience, but it is an essential part of their maintenance. Tackling this early on will ensure that you both live comfortably and happily together, and that your dog has a loving and safe environment. HURRAY FOR DOGGOS!!! ❤ ❤ ❤

Featured Image By: Unsplash

Curiosity Kills? No – Kids’ Curiosity Gives Them Skills

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Curiosity Kills? No – Kids’ Curiosity Gives Them Skills

A major part of ensuring your children grow up intelligent is encouraging curiosity. We learn more than anything by asking questions. A person could walk past an almost silent classroom and be tricked into assuming that learning was going ahead perfectly. But the classroom where pupils are asking questions is more likely to see a real transfer of knowledge. As long as they’re the right questions, of course!

That curiosity is often what separates the child who will get A and A+ in their exams from those who will get just pass marks. When it comes to excelling in history, it is useful to know that Henry VIII divorced Catherine of Aragon. It is better yet to know why he did it. This curiosity is a part of any subject. Quite early on in learning a language, we will learn full sentences (such as “Comment t’appelles-tu?”). It might then be months or even years until we understand all the parts of that sentence. But understanding what each word means will give a student more confidence in speaking the language.

As a parent, it is useful to be able to encourage this kind of curiosity in a child. Taking a full part in your kids’ education can help them perform better in the classroom and in exams. Here are some tips to making your child’s life as educationally fun as possible:

If You’re Going To Watch TV, Find Time For Brainy Viewing: A lot of people have the opinion that watching TV is bad for children, insisting that they should be studying textbooks and doing homework. Of course, those parts of education are important, but TV can play a part, too. Historical dramas and documentaries on a range of subjects and the evening news are all worth watching. So, too, are quiz shows. Kids of all ages are pleased to see their knowledge reinforced. They will also be keen to enhance it in areas where they’re less strong at the moment.

You’ll Learn More By Traveling: It’s fair to say that if your child went on every school trip, it could end up costing you a great deal of money. Prioritizing the best ones for them can work out well, though. If they show a flair for languages, then school trips to Berlin and similar cities can enhance that knowledge. It’s also worth bearing it in mind when planning family holidays.

You can show support and encouragement for your child’s curiosity by participating in field trips too. You could provide transportation or be a chaperone, which will let your kiddo know you want to be there and learn. After the different expert-led school trips you take part in, make a point to discuss it with your child. What they liked, what could have been better, the most interesting thing that they learned, etc. This is a win/win situation as your kiddo will gain new knowledge as well as quality time with you!

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 Family vaca, anyone?

Take The Chance To Learn More Yourself: Any parent will know how much joy there is in teaching their young ones something and seeing it stick. From the moment they potty-train successfully onwards, there will be chances to do so. It never stops being satisfying. What we often don’t realize is that kids enjoy this feeling too. When you ask them about what they’re studying, and they tell you something you didn’t know, show how impressed you are and ask more questions. This will encourage them to keep learning themselves.

And if there’s a subject that you find interesting, why not take a few lessons yourself, at a night class or online? Speaking French around the house or swapping books on art or history can fuse a common interest which will be useful to you both. Curiosity, at any age, is something we should encourage.

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Mexican Sunday Dinner

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Mexican Sunday Dinner

Hi everyone and happy Monday! I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend. So during the week at my household, we eat easy to prepare dinners – pasta, pizza, stir fry, and the likes. But over the weekends, my mom and I go hard when it comes to cooking an evening feast – soups, homemade pizzas, pasta salads, bread, frittatas, and oh so much more. This Sunday, I prepared a meal that I was particularly proud of that I just had to share on here. Seriously, it was that delicious.

My family loves Mexican food and as a primarily vegetarian household, it is always something that all of us can eat and enjoy. And enjoy, we did. For Sunday dinner I prepared homemade guacamole paired with vegetarian black bean enchiladas compliments of the fantastic website Cookie + Kate. Kate’s website specializes in vegetarian cuisine while her pup, Cookie, cheers from the sidelines. My mom actually found that website and was instantly drawn in by the delicious recipes but most importantly, that it was in some ways dog related (lol). Anyways, here’s the finished product:

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For the enchiladas, I followed the recipe pretty closely because I had never made it before but I did change a few things up to accommodate my cooking style:

  • I added a healthy amount of chili powder and cayenne pepper to the dish.
  • I added cilantro into the mixture as opposed to just using it to garnish.
  • I lessened the amount of broccoli in the recipe as a family preference.
  • I squirted fresh lime juice into the mixture and topped the finished product with it.
  • I used store bought enchilada sauce instead of making it myself because ain’t nobody got time for that.

* If you’re not hip to vegetarian eating, then I would recommend sauteing stripes of chicken, steak, or shrimp (or all three!) in a mixture of olive oil, cumin, cayenne pepper, and chili powder (you could also go crazy and add in some lime juice and a tablespoon or two of enchilada sauce). Then, you could add it into the enchiladas or just eat it on the side.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much my dish looked like the pictures that Kate posted on her website but most importantly, my entire family loved it. For an additional topping, I free-styled some guacamole and here’s what I used in my makeshift recipe:

  • 1 large avocado
  • 6 cloves of minced garlic
  • About 3 tbsp of super finely chopped red onion
  • Juice from 1/2 of a lime
  • Cilantro!!
  • A couple shakes of cayenne pepper
  • Black pepper
  • Morton Kosher salt
  • 3-4 tbsp of small tomato chunks that I wish I added but forgot to get from the grocery store!

I really really love guac and I thought that the above concoction turned out amazing. It was bold and flavorful and although it turned out chunkier than what I normally like, I think that it just added to the deliciousness considering you could eat it by the forkful – which we did!

My mom described my Mexican Sunday Dinner as “going out to eat in our own house” which I thought was super precious and we will definitely be making the above recipes again! What is your favorite meal for Sunday dinner? What kinds of food do you love to cook? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Adventurous Ways To Get Fit As A Family

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Getting fit as a family is a great way to ensure that you all stay healthy and happy in the long run. If you start while your kids are young, you’re going to be teaching them great habits. They’ll learn that exercise and staying active is not a chore and become healthier adults. If you want to make sure that your fitness sessions together are never boring, here are some adventurous ways to get fit as a family:

Skiing: Skiing can be an amazing way to get fit for the whole family AND it’s also a great excuse to take a vacation together to practice your new skills. You’ll need lessons first, but then you can practice to your heart’s content. It can take some getting used to, but this is usually a hobby that stays with people for life.

Hiking: Hiking far and wide gives you a chance to explore the areas around you. You can hike famous trails, mountains, or even lesser known trails just for the views. You should be able to see some amazing things, burn some calories, get the benefits of exercising outside, and bond as a family. If you want a treat, you could even pack a picnic to eat at a nice spot on your journey.

Biking: You never forget the bike rides you enjoy together as a family. There’s nothing quite like cycling through somewhere scenic on a warm day with your family in toe. Maybe stopping somewhere for a snack and then continuing later on. Biking is so much fun that your family will barely realize they’re exercising. Buying your own bikes can be pricey at first, so it could be a good idea to rent a few and see how you feel after a couple of rides.

If you are feeling particularly adventurous, you might want to hit more rugged trails to bike on. However, you will need the proper bike to do so. A bike like the Surron electric bike adapts from paved trails to tough terrain with ease and allows you to explore places you would never experience on a regular bike. No matter what kind of bike you are riding, please be sure to wear a helmet!

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So precious!

Scuba Diving: If you want to try out some water sports as a family and you want something truly different, then scuba diving could be an option. You can do this on many exciting holiday resorts if you’re going away, but there are centers where you can get some practice in at, too. You will of course need to ensure you have the right gear, such as the Octobermoon second generation mask. Read reviews to make sure you make the right choice for yourself and your family.

Trampolining: You don’t need any kind of skill or any lessons to start trampolining. Simply climb on and bounce away! Kids can do this for hours without getting bored, and it’s a great form of cardio exercise for adults, too. Doing it together is lots of fun! You don’t even need to buy one of those huge trampolines for your garden, as there are many centers that have whole rooms filled with trampolines so that you can bounce yourself crazy!

Try out these adventurous ways to get fit as a family and you’ll all have such a great time that you won’t even realize you’re getting fit and healthy in the process! Now that’s a win win if I’ve ever heard one.

Teaching Them To Fly The Nest: How To Help Your Grown-Up Kids Become Independent

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It’s become a main trope in popular culture that parents can’t wait for their kids to leave home. Having the house to yourself, not needing to replace the shampoo in a hurry because someone used more than they needed to. Appreciating the peace and quiet that can only come from nobody under the age of “late thirties” living in a place. It sounds like bliss.

Of course, few parents think about it in so black and white. Though there are definite advantages, you’ll miss them when they’re gone, and there will be tears when they move out. So much so that you’ll be kind of glad when your phone goes and it’s them. Some kind of emergency in their new home that they haven’t the first clue how to deal with. Mom to the rescue!

And yet… when your kids move into a new home, you want them to be self-sufficient. Whether it’s a college house-share or their first apartment, you want them to have the knowledge you’ve accumulated. You know you made mistakes when you first lived outside your childhood home. You know they’ll make some too, but you can stop them from making the ones that you may have made in your youth.

Plumbing: Give Them The Basics, Save A Lot Of Money: When we are kids, we get used to things just showing up and a lot goes on that we don’t see. Food lands on the table in front of us or in the fridge, and we don’t worry about how it got there. We turn on the tap and there is water, flip a switch and there is light. So when we’ve moved into a new place, we can be shocked when the shower drain floods after a few months. Your grown-up child doesn’t need to be an expert plumber. But knowing how (and how often) to clear a shower drain and other blockages can make a big difference.

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Pixabay Image

Prepare Them For The Marketplace: There will be some issues that occur which you’re not able to fix yourself. The first few times, you may deal with them indirectly. Going round to their new home, seeing the extent of the damage and then calling the relevant trades person to fix the problem. Before too long, though, it is important that they know who to call and how to deal with repair companies. Give your kids a list of plumbers, exterminators, and licensed electricians. Advise them on the importance of getting three quotes before hiring anyone.

Become Skilled At Hinting: Of course you will never stop caring or worrying about your own progeny. You will always step in to make sure they are safe, comfortable, and well fed. So when they come back home because they’ve run out of money and just need to eat, take the chance to teach them some self-sufficiency.

Feed them, of course. Give them a good meal and listen to the problems that everyone has when they first move out. Then take them grocery shopping. Tell them why you go here, why you walk down this aisle, and where you get coupons. Don’t tell them straight out “this is what you need to do”. Let them realize that by teaching them. You are running your household by showing them and hopefully they will do the same – or, perhaps even better!

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Happy Gotcha Day, Doggies!

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Happy Gotcha Day, Doggies!

Hi everyone and happy weekend! Yesterday was a special day because it was one of my precious pooch’s fourth Gotcha Day since we welcomed her into our family. Our Golden Retriever, Gem, has been such a wonderful, beautiful addition to our home and the love that my family has for her knows no bounds. Additionally, our little Terrier mix, Ollie, will be celebrating his first Gotcha Day coming up soon on February 13th so it will be an exciting few months to be a dog in the Mushenheim household!

Both of my pups were rescued through the amazing group that my mom, sister, and I volunteer for called Canine Lifeline. Gem and Ollie were both brought to Ohio from rural shelters in Kentucky and each became members of the family at first sight. Our rescue dogs bring so much joy to our home and are each true cases of ‘Who Rescued Who?’. Happy Gotcha Day to you, Gem! And almost little Ollie!! ❤ ❤ ❤

Also – if you are in Ohio and are interested in finding a new furever friend, then I encourage you to check out the pups at Canine Lifeline, where I’m sure you’ll find your new BFF! Not in Ohio but still want to help? CLL happily accepts donations and would greatly appreciate if you would spread the word! 🙂

What kind of pets do you have at your home? What is something unique or silly about your pet’s behaviors or appearance? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah