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December 2019

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Parenting Hacks That Will Make Your Job Easier

The world of being a parent can be rewarding but most of the time it is stressful. Even with kids that are well-behaved the constant driving to practices or recitals can start to compound the stress. You are going to need to have a tight schedule in order to make sure you do not forget anything or anyone due to lack of organization. There are hacks that can allow you to rejuvenate those parenting batteries. This will take the cooperation of other parents at times but it can allow for relaxation. The following are tactics that will make your job of parenting easier.

Schedule Sleepovers At Your House and At Their Friend’s Homes

Sleepovers are great as the kids are occupied and usually are tired out the next day due to lack of sleep. Planning these sleepovers a few weeks in advance with the other parents can allow you to have a night of relaxation when your child goes off to a sleepover. Time alone with your significant other is great and being able to relax on a Friday night is always nice especially when it seems like a foreign concept after having children. One drawback is that kids fight and change friends so it can be hard to find a long term family that you trust enough to take up this kind of arrangement.

Alone Time Means Alone Time!

All mothers need some time alone whether it is reading a great book or relaxing in the bath. Teens will give you your alone time as they value the time they have to themselves. To teach your children about alone time interrupt something they enjoy doing like playing video games. Having boundaries with your children is important as a child needing constant attention is not healthy especially when parents give them all the attention they could ever want. The bath is really the best place to relax as kids never want to run in on their mother in the bathroom. Use essential oils during the bath to boost relaxation and even help with head or muscle aches. Lavender oil’s benefits and uses are extensive so delve into the world of this oil to see how it can help you relax today!

Find What Motivates Each Individual Child

Finding what motivates your child to behave is important whether it is a video game or being able to go to a sports camp over the summer. Many parents see bribing their children as wrong but if it reinforces good behavior then it could not be that bad. All children are different so find what your child loves and use that as motivation for good behavior or even good grades.

Create A Backyard Oasis of Fun

The backyard can be turned into a great place for the kids to play for hours on end. Not everyone can have a pool but setting up a volleyball net or basketball hoop is not out of the question. The more time your children spend playing outside the more you can get done in the house. If your backyard is fenced this offers another reassurance of safety so you will not have to keep a constant eye on them.

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Home

Your Home May Be Worth More Than You Think, Here’s How to Tell

Finding out your house’s value is vital to a lot of business.  If you’re trying to sell it, looking to get a home equity credit, or wanting to evaluate if your yearly property taxes are correct, you’ll need to know your home’s value.  Luckily, although there is a little guesswork with any method, it’s easier than ever to discover your home’s value.

Check Similar Houses In Your Area

This option is the easiest and least invasive way to find out.  Look around for homes that have recently sold in your area.  Although you can also check the cost of houses up for sale, since these haven’t sold yet, it can be hard to tell how good of a reference they are.

Consider the size of your home, what add-ons and perks it has, and what things you think may detract from the price.  It’s vital that you be honest with yourself and not expect your one-story, two-bedroom home to have the same value as a two-story four-bedroom.

Calculate It Online

The internet is any home seller’s best friend.  It has an array of tools from how to find a real estate agent, to a property value estimator.  This option works better if you’re not entirely sure on whether you want a realtor or not, and can help you see why your home’s value is what it is.  With this clarity, you may be able to make changes to improve that value or be pleasantly surprised by how high it already is.

Pay A Professional

A professional, who makes their living in appraising properties, is the one to trust above all.  They take your property, the market, and comparable properties, into account and come back with an estimate closest to what you’d make if you sold the property.  The only drawback is this is the only option on this list where you’d have to pay someone.  

A professional appraiser would give you the best results, the ones closest to reality, but the price of one is a drawback for many.

This option is best for people sure they want to sell their home and want to take the next step to do so.

Talk To A Realestate Agent

This option doesn’t come without strings.  Although most real estate agents will do comparable market analysis checks for you- they usually do these under the assumption that you will hire them to sell your home.  If you’re wanting a free analysis, and don’t mind disappointing someone if you don’t want to sell, this could be a viable option.  Unfortunately, because of the pressure to follow through and hire the realtor, many people avoid this option.

The main point in finding out your property’s value is to decide if you want to sell it.  Although there are countless other reasons to do it, that’s the lead one.  Finding out your home’s value can help you make changes to increase it, or choose to hold onto it longer until the market is in your favor.  Make the choice that’s right for you, but be sure to stay informed.

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Travel

Moms Need Vacations Too

How long has it been since you took your last vacation? It may be time to plan one ASAP. Vacations are not only nice, they are actually essential to your physical and mental well-being and can positively impact your productivity in other areas of your life.

It doesn’t have to be the fanciest vacation ever, and there are ways to save money. For example, I bet you didn’t know that as a mom, you qualify for things such as Avis Rental Car Coupons. Don’t forget to ask for that car seat for baby

Best Destinations

As of this writing, hurricanes have really changed things. A lot of amazing family destinations in the Caribbean are currently being repaired due to extensive damage from the winds and water.

But fortunately, the world is a big place, and two excellent suggestions for vacations for new mommies that have managed to escape are the Mexican Riviera and, of course, Disney World. A little known fact is that Mexico as a country has just about the most mature and well-developed tourism industries that you will find anywhere. And Disney World is in and of itself a major institution that also won’t let you down when it comes to customer services. Both destinations offer various price-points, so pick one that is right for baby and for you.

Another option is Punta Cana, which is all-inclusive, family-friendly, beautiful, great beaches and very stress free. It’s also chock full of activities all day long for every possible age group.

Just as an aside, when the areas that have been affected by the hurricanes re-open to the public, it would be a nice gesture to think about vacationing their soon after, as they are going to need your support.

Places To Avoid

Don’t go anywhere too exotic, or where getting there and back in and of itself is difficult. Travelling with babies is hard enough already! Especially, try to avoid flights over six hours long, as these can be incredibly taxing.

Unless you’re a real lumberjack type, it’s also probably a good idea to avoid camping trips, at least until baby is school age, at which point they can actually appreciate it. Camping means there are certain chores to be done, and if the baby is too young, it’s all on you.

This also goes for big cities like NYC, Tokyo, Mexico City, Hong Kong etc. where it’s almost impossible to get around in a car for whatever reason. Taking a baby around public transportation in an unfamiliar city is just about anybody’s definition of purgatory.

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Mom Stuff

The Joys of Working At Home, Or Not?

Maybe you’ve been a stay at home mommy but it’s getting too hard to balance the books, so you have to look for some extra income somehow. Or maybe you’re a working mommy, and you have been offered the chance to work from home, but are not sure if you should take it. There are definitely advantages and disadvantages to both. Let’s analyze things a bit further and see what we can come up with in order for you to make an intelligent decision;

Logistics

There is no question that the office has the advantage of being a space 100% dedicated to work and getting things done efficiently. Furniture at Work, for example, will almost always be superior, as will a lot of the equipment surrounding you. Having said that, often a properly set up home office can be more than good enough for all intents and purposes.

One clear disadvantage of going to the office is not the office itself but the commute to and from the office. This is especially a big deal if you live far enough away from where you work to make the commute a nightmare, which is an unfortunate reality for many of us.

Environment

This one would seem to go in favor of the formal office as well, but there are exceptions.

It’s true that the home is a hotbed of potential distractions from work life, but it’s also true that even in an office environment, distractions abound. Depending on your personality and that of your co-workers, you may really wind up being more productive in an environment where your co-workers are physically separated from you.

One hack that may sound ridiculous at first, but can actually work for some people, is to dress for work at the office even if you are working from home. This sometimes can put people in the right mindset to be efficient while working. Also, of course, your job may require conference calls which may in turn require a certain standard of personal appearance. Your milage may vary greatly on this points, and they certainly could use your own detailed analysis of the situation.

Compensation

Some companies are nice enough to just allow you to work from home and offer the exact same contract. In these cases, it’s much more advisable to take them up on it, because the savings alone (in both money and time) are probably going to make it worthwhile.

However, in the real world, stay at home positions usually come with some pay cut or some other caveat that makes the waters quite a bit muddier.

In actuality, even more worrisome in many cases than simply getting paid less is the possibility of your employers taking advantage of the situation by trying to make you available 24/7. This is something to be avoided at all costs. A situation like this is guaranteed to turn your dream of working at home into a major nightmare quickly. Clear boundaries must be set as to your schedule.

So are you ready to take the plunge into working from home? Only you can decide at the end.

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Health

Memory-Art and Sustainability

As we age our memory has a tendency to fade. Thankfully if the condition is recognised at an early stage we can prevent or really slow down the further loss of memory. Age related memory loss is pretty much common and also treatable to a certain extent. So if you are getting impatient for a solution, here is what we suggest- Nootropics.

Nootropic products claim to have undergone several clinical studies that measure their efficacy in helping with memory problems. The best thing we feel about such brain supplements are, you don’t have to wait for a prescription from your medical practitioner to enjoy the benefits of such super pill. You can simply go through the reviews and testimonials of nootropics like Prevagen at Smart Pill Guide and decide for yourself whether to buy it or not. These days’ nootropics are so much in trend and demand that there may be instances where you might see several nootropic products in convenience stores.

Prevagen is just one among many of the nootropic supplements that can assist memory boost. There are heaps of choices out there for you to select from. So which is the No 1 memory supplement that can guarantee enhanced cognition? Our view is that each person responds to a supplement differently. Some may benefit very much while others may just experience marginal improvement.

The main ingredient of Prevagen has gone through a lot of evaluation. Apoaequorin is reported as a protein derived from jelly fish which has cognition enhancing qualities. However now the manufacturers are producing this protein synthetically with no change in the chemical structure and function from the original jelly fish derived protein. Studies have shown that apoaequorin can improve brain health; it has the ability to reduce the unwanted quantities of calcium within the brain. Thereby nurturing and preserving the brain health. Prevagen also contains vitamin D3 which contributes to brain nourishment.

There have been mixed reviews for this product, according to some people this product is really effective while others claim that it was utter waste of money. Even after repeated usage there was no positive effect experienced from the pill. Prevagen has records of clinical studies that have being published. The clinical studies conducted state the effectiveness of this super drug in people with age related memory loss. It was also noted that the subjects selected for Prevagen clinical studies did not suffer from any form of serious cognitive issues. You can find detailed information regarding dosage and side effects on websites that cater to nootropics. Prevagen is just one among the growing pool of nootropics, you have to make the right choice. You could always get more information about such pills from your pharmacist or even the internet.

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Uncategorized

Selecting Your E-Juice

Most of us who vape love it, and are obsessed with it. Specifically, we are obsessed with finding the best e-juice possible. This is true whether it we are looking for your traditional tobacco e-juice or some other variety.

Of course, these days, the market is huge and there are a whole bunch of people producing juices of various different qualities, with different standards, most of them making dubious claims as to how good their juices really are. So how are we to sort this mess out? There must be some kind of objective criteria we can apply to the process of selecting our e-juice, right? Fear not, there definitely are, and we are going to walk you through them.

Ingredient Lists

By law, you should be able to easily have access to the ingredient list of an e-liquid. In most jurisdictions, in fact, the ingredient list is required to be clearly listed on the product label itself.

So what are we looking for? Honestly, it’s not that much different than any other product of this nature, or for that matter, any packaged food or drink. Shorter ingredient lists are generally better. And you want to specifically look out for certain ingredients that are often in e-liquids and aren’t super good for your health. We are talking about things like ethelene glycol (which is used as antifreeze and is actually toxic), and its cousines diethelene glycol and propylene glycol, which are all very similar in their nature. None of these substances are really fit for human consumption, but for various reasons sometimes they are snuck into e-juices.

Also to be avoided are acetone and its various related acetyl-like substances such as acetoin, acroleine, diacetyl, etc. Many of you will get it off the bat; acetone is commonly used as nail polish remover. That’s not something you want to be deeply breathing in like that!

The best is if the manufacturer has a proper lab report handy backing up the fact that their products contain only the best ingredients and are free from these sorts of chemicals.

General Quality Issues

We talked about what should not be in your e-juice, now let’s talk about what goes in there.

Assuming it’s a tobacco-based juice, the quality of the tobacco is super important, meaning how it is grown, harvested and cured. And if it’s not, or in some cases of flavored tobacco e-juices, it will probably contain some sort of an essential oil. These should be of the highest grade possible, and should be considered potable. These are of course the most expensive ingredients, but these are your lungs we are talking about here!

Beyond this, one should consider the batch size. Of course, here, smaller is always better.

These few factors will invariably determine the quality of your next vaping experience; this is why we think it’s so important for proper attention to be provided to them.

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