Karissa Tunis

Small Gestures to Rekindle Your Romance

A lot of romantic movies teach us that love should be effortless. That if you are going out of your way to make your relationship work, you are not meant to be. Although this may be true when it comes to the honeymoon phase – because if you are struggling to make it at the very beginning of the relationship, you most likely won’t last. But every couple hits a rough patch sooner or later. So how do you get back on track? Try to these small gestures to rekindle your romance.

While during those first months everything is amazing; you can just look into each other’s eyes and feel your spine tingle! But after a few years it can feel like your connection is buried under a pile of laundry, dirty dishes in the sink, and bickering over smallest things. Of course you are still important to one another! But all those bills, work problems, meddling in-laws, or even crying children, can get the best of you.

Keep reading below if you want to reconnect with your partner. Here are some simple ways that you can rekindle your relationship and fit love back into your busy schedules again!…

Connection Between Sleeping Disorders and Memory Loss

Scientists and researchers have been studying the effects sleeping disorders have on the human body for decades now. And while there’s a lot that we already know about, there’s plenty yet to discover. One of the researchers’ areas of interest is whether there is a connection between sleeping disorders and memory loss.

If this is something you are interested in, then you’re in the right place. Below, you will find information about what sleeping disorders are, the most common ones, and how they are connected to memory loss. So keep on reading!

For more on this topic, check out the full Sleep collection

What Are Sleeping Disorders?

Depending on the type of sleeping disorder a person suffers from, it can be broken down into two groups: primary and secondary.

The most common ones are primary. This includes insomnia, sleep apnea, and narcolepsy. Secondary ones include depression, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and schizophrenia. Several disorders fall into the secondary category because they share similar symptoms to primary ones.

[ Read: Sleep Regression ]

Types of Primary Sleep Disorders

What Is Insomnia?

Insomnia occurs when a person has trouble falling asleep, maintaining sleep, or both. Insomnia is typically caused by stress, anxiety, depression, or another mental health condition. A person with insomnia will be restless and unable to relax because their mind won’t shut off. Their brain will continue to race with thoughts throughout the night. If you have this sleeping disorder, it’s important to treat its underlying cause before it affects your memory and cognitive functions.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea occurs when a person stops breathing or breathes very shallowly for short periods during their sleep. Sleep apnea results in oxygen deprivation and interrupted sleep cycles. Those who suffer from this disorder experience extreme fatigue during the day because they don’t get enough restful sleep at night.

[ Read: What to Keep on Your Nightstand to Increase Relaxation ]

What is Narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy is a rare disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), sudden sleep attacks, and muscle weakness. Those who suffer from narcolepsy will experience periods of intense drowsiness that come on suddenly. These episodes can last for just a few seconds or several hours – in some cases, even days.

Sleep Deprivation

How is sleep deprivation affecting your everyday life? Primary sleep disorders significantly affect the quality of your sleep. Thus, making your everyday life much harder to bear. You might find it hard to concentrate, and your work performance can decrease as well. Additionally, you can feel exhausted and irritated, which may cause problems with friends and family.

The Connection Between Insomnia and Memory Loss

Sleep deprivation caused by insomnia negatively affects cognitive abilities. This means that people find it harder to complete various tasks, focus, or learn. People who have insomnia experience not only problems with sleeping, but also with functioning during the day. Sleep deprivation leads to forgetfulness, health problems and drastically worsens the quality of life. Lack of adequate sleep may lead to depression, and in rare cases, death.

Insomnia is a primary sleep disorder that potentially can lead to other health problems if not treated in time.

The Connection Between Sleep Apnea and Memory Loss

One of the symptoms of sleep apnea is called “micro-arousals” – this occurs when a person wakes up briefly throughout the night. These periods of waking are usually short, but they can be long enough to affect your sleep cycle and memory.

The reason why they can cause memory loss is because it takes time for your brain to fall back asleep. If you wake up for long periods of time during the night, you’ll have more trouble falling back asleep than someone who only wakes up one or two times. If this happens often enough throughout the night, it can cause you to sleep fewer hours than you need and leave you feeling very tired in the morning. This can result in memory loss and other cognitive problems like confusion, difficulty concentrating, and decreased alertness.

[ Read: Promoting Healthy Sleep: From Birth to Beyond ]

The Connection Between Narcolepsy and Memory Loss

Studies show that in some cases, people suffering narcolepsy can experience partial seizures during the day that can result in memory loss. In other words, narcolepsy can cause seizures that impair your ability to use memory properly. These seizures can be caused by other factors too. But when narcolepsy is present, it should be considered as one of the potential causes of memory loss.

Because of the fact that narcolepsy is a primary sleeping disorder, this means that it’s possible to develop memory loss and other cognitive problems as well. This is because your cognitive functions are affected by your sleep cycle.

For example, if you suffer from narcolepsy, it’s possible for you to experience memory loss during a period when you have a seizure. This memory loss will typically be short-term – meaning that it will only last for a few hours. However, in some cases, memory loss can be long-term. There have been cases where patients had their memories wiped entirely for several days!

Episodes of confusion or dissociation characterize memory loss that occurs because of narcolepsy. In some cases, patients may not be able to recognize anyone they encounter during these episodes. They may also not remember recent events and might feel like they’re living in a dream world.

Conclusion

Sleeping is one of the essential parts of life. Without enough sleep, your brain works slower, your memory span shortens, and you find it difficult to function throughout the day. Sleeping helps process and store the information gathered during the day. That is why do not let yourself stay late at night and if you experience the above mentioned sleep disorders – consult with your doctor at once.

For more on this topic, check out the full Sleep collection

Things to Keep in Mind When Buying a Mattress

Oftentimes, people have a tendency to wish you Goodnight. But, have you ever paused to ask yourself if you really have it, or is it just wishful thinking?! If the answer is yes, then that’s great! However, if the answer is no, then you have to ask yourself what needs to change. Sleep is so important! And since we spend a big portion of our lives snoozing, we should make sure that the rest we do get – counts. So continue reading below to find out what you need to keep in mind when buying a mattress.

For more on this topic, check out the full Sleep collection

Cause for Improper Sleep

One of the main reasons why people do not have a proper night’s sleep is due to the quality of their mattresses. Even though many of us overlook this very important aspect, sometimes a brand-new one can positively affect us in big ways.

Now, if you haven’t purchased a first-class mattress in a long time, then you are probably wondering what qualities it is supposed to have? If you’re not sure about it, then check out these traits that will help you get the best mattress in the world.

[Read: What to Keep on Your Nightstand to increase relaxation & stay asleep through the night]

Things To Keep In Mind While Buying A Mattress

Comfort Level

It’s worth mentioning that mattresses generally come in various sizes and comfort levels. Starting from firm, to pillow top, and plush, along with personalized and contoured. To provide their consumers with numerous levels of comfort, a lot of stores have comfort by color system that places levels of comfort in different categories so people can determine their comfort zone.

Namely, this system simplifies everything. How come? For instance, consumers who come into a shop can instantly see which mattress falls into the category they are searching for. It doesn’t matter whether they are looking for a firm mattress or any other, these options help them choose the one that was tailored to cater to their needs.

Size

Everybody wants to be comfortable when they are sleeping, and it is sometimes difficult to achieve that if you are sharing the bed with someone else. That’s why mattress specialists at www.puffy.com think that you should pick the right size if you do not want to feel cramped and crowded. And that doesn’t mean that you should invest a fortune to accomplish that.

The whole point while buying a mattress is to find something that is going to provide you with enough space when you are sharing your bed. Does it mean that you should get the biggest one? Definitely not! It means that you should obtain a mattress that is going to be practical. That your room is able to accommodate. And take into account your dresser or a nightstand.

Don’t Forget To Consider These Traits As Well!

Firm Or Plush?

If you see the words plush, ultra-plush, firm, or extra firm on the mattress it means that they are showcasing how hard or soft the mattress really is. Normally, those that are ultra-plush come with pillow-tops and cushions that are going to make your mattress much softer.

Furthermore, you will come across mattresses that have cushion, firm, or pillow top labels embedded on them. Namely, these mattresses have additional padding which makes them much softer.

On the other hand, they are still firm enough to provide you with amazing support. Therefore, if you are having issues with your back then you should definitely opt for these types when buying a mattress. You will be provided with good support!

Various Mattress Materials

Before you make any decisions and purchase a mattress, you should first get all the facts when it comes to materials. We are about to provide you with some useful information regarding the most popular mattress types:

Innerspring are the ones that utilize coils. This material provides consumers with a bouncing feel, as well as a powerful support.
Latex usually also gives you that extra bounce, as well as responsiveness that you may not receive if you choose to buy innerspring.
Memory foam is the type of mattress that was made to contour your body, which may cause pain alleviation. Some people who have used it stated that this material sleeps warm.
Hybrid mixes latex layers, or memory foam, above and on top of an innerspring mattress. The goal of this combination is to provides great support and softness.
Air mattresses employ an air pump to puff up the mattress to a certain firmness level. Normally, every side of the bed utilizes a single chamber of air to conform two people who have different preferences and needs.

[Read: Promoting Healthy Sleep: From Birth to Beyond]

Pressure Point Relief

Unfortunately, there aren’t too many people who aren’t suffering from any type of ache or pain that is related to the back, hips, etc. Now, if you conduct thorough research and see what type of mattress is the best for any of your conditions, you just might reduce the pain you are currently feeling.

As it was previously mentioned, an innerspring mattress is able to spring back with force, and then put some pressure on those sensitive areas. And top-notch foam can provide you with the right pressure point relief.

Temperature

Temperature plays a huge role when it comes to the quality of your sleep. This is not limited to extremely high summer temperatures. Moreover, heat settings, heavy comforters, as well as your mattress can impact the quality of your sleep.

While classic memory foam and pillow tops can help you have warm nights, there are other types of mattresses that are packed with cooling technology that can help you feel comfortable at practically every temperature. Further, if you generally heat up while you are sleeping, this cooling technology can help you decrease the heat, which is why it’s worth considering.

The Price

Frequently, people have a tendency to think that what is pricey is logically better. Even though that can be the case in some instances, in this situation it doesn’t guarantee anything. Namely, a lot of brands are prone to putting high price tags because they already have enough consumers. Or due to the name they support via licensing agreements, marketing, distributions, overhead expenses, pricey showrooms, and many others.

The point is to consult with somebody who has enough experience when it comes to buying a mattress. Ask him or her all of the relevant questions in order to have the right information about the mattress you’re interested in.

For more on this topic, check out the full Sleep collection

How to Help Your Child Sleep Better at Night

There’s nothing more joyful and satisfying than watching over your child while they’re fast asleep. That is, of course, after you manage to get them to sleep after endless rounds of cuddling, chatting, and story-time. While parenthood brings a plethora of challenges, one of the biggest hurdles is to ensure that your child gets a good night’s sleep. But as a parent, you’d know that peaceful slumber isn’t something that comes naturally to kids. In this article, we’ve handpicked a few tried-and-tested techniques to help your child sleep better at night.

For more on this topic, check out the full Sleep collection

Child Sleep Recommendations

While some kids have trouble falling asleep, others might wake up in the middle of the night. Or perhaps you have a child that refuses to stay in bed after sunrise. Needless to say, lack of proper sleep can affect your child’s physical health, behavior, and cognitive abilities.

Sleep time is when the body repairs and rejuvenates itself. Typically, children need 10 to 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night. And adolescents need a minimum of 8 hours of shut-eye.

The good news is that it isn’t particularly difficult to inculcate healthy sleeping habits in children. From creating a bedtime routine, to limiting screen time, various small changes in their daily life can go a long way to improve your child’s sleeping pattern.

Understand the Cause of Their Sleep Troubles

Is your child particularly averse to the idea of going to bed? Do they complain of external light or sound interrupting their sleep? Are they scared of being attacked by imaginary ghosts and monsters?

If you want your child to get a good night’s sleep, you need to first identify the root cause of their sleeping troubles. Find out whether they feel comfortable and secure in their bed. Also, consider whether they’re getting enough sunlight and indulging in physical activities throughout the day.

It’s also a good idea to talk to your kid to check whether they’re stressed or nervous about an upcoming event. Even a simple quiz or school play could keep your socially anxious kid up at night.

20 Free Printable Bedtime Charts

For more on this topic, check out the full Sleep collection

Revamp Their Room

The idea is to make your child’s room more homely and welcoming by turning it into a sanctuary for sleep. Start by getting rid of all the toys, clothes, books, and other objects lying around in the room. The more you declutter the space, the more conducive it’ll be to a good night’s sleep.

Next, take a closer look at the walls, curtains, bedsheets, and door to identify any distracting imagery and stimulating colors. It’s a good idea to use plain light-colored bedsheets, duvet covers, and curtains. If the walls are too bright or dark, try and cover them with soothing photographs or paintings.

Make sure you also check for the presence of any light sources that might keep your kid awake at night. You could also consider sound-proofing the room and adding a source of white noise. Don’t forget to involve your child in the process of renovating their room.

[Read: What to Keep on Your Nightstand & Relaxation Techniques]

Let Them Use a Weighted Blanket

That’s right! Weighted blankets aren’t just useful for adults suffering from insomnia and anxiety. A kids’ weighted blanket can go a long way to make your child feel secure and relaxed at night. It’s particularly useful for children who are prone to nighttime awakenings and sleep terrors.

Weighted blankets for kids are available in various sizes and weights. Make sure you choose a blanket that roughly weighs 10% of your child’s body weight. Also, don’t force your child to start sleeping with it right away. Instead, you can try covering their legs with it while they’re watching TV or playing video games. If they enjoy the calming effect of the blanket, they’ll be more open to giving it a shot while sleeping.

Once they get used to the feeling and want to use it at night, tuck them in like normal. Give them their goodnight kiss, and then drape the blanket over them while saying “And here is my goodnight hug” 🙂

Watch Out for Blue Light

You don’t need someone to lecture you about the havoc that blue light from electronic devices can wreak on your child’s health. Apart from affecting their eyes, it also suppresses melatonin production, thereby altering the body’s sleep-wake cycle. This, in turn, can disrupt their sleep pattern and cause them to stay awake at night.

That’s why you should make it a point to cut down blue light exposure at night. Restrict your kid from using smartphones, tablets, or computers right before bedtime. Instead, encourage them to read a few pages from a storybook. Also, keep an eye on how long they use various electronic devices throughout the day.

Regularize Bedtime

As a ground rule, you should ensure that your child goes to bed at the same time every day. Try to stick to this schedule even on weekends and holidays. It can also help to create a relaxing bedtime routine that sets the tone for a peaceful slumber.

[Read: Promoting Healthy Sleep: From Birth to Beyond]

Make Sure They Are Comfortable

Is your child undergoing treatment for a sleep disorder? It may take time for your child to get used to using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device for sleep apnea, as prescribed, and discomfort may be one of the reasons. Finding a CPAP mask specially designed for kids can help ease them into therapy and get that much-needed good night’s sleep.

You want nothing but the best for your child, and it shows through the actions you’ve taken to ensure they sleep better at night. Don’t forget to take care of yourself and sleep too.

For more on this topic, check out the full Sleep collection

How to Encourage Healthy Habits with Your Kids + Free Printables!

How to Encourage Healthy Habits with Your Kids + Free Printables!

Every parent wants the best for their children, and as hard as we may try to instill important lessons through what we say to our kids, the reality is they learn far more by watching what we do than listening to what we say. That’s why it’s so important to model the behaviors you want to foster in your kids, especially since they pick up on a lot more than we realize.

While it’s easy to accept this truth in theory, it can become more of a challenge to actually put it into practice—particularly when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet. It’s no easy feat staying on top of the endless responsibilities that come with raising a family, and our healthy habits can end up taking a back seat as a result.

If you can relate, you’re not alone! Parenting is tough, and we’re only human. But if you feel like you’re ready to put some healthy habits back on the family priority list, there are a few tips that can help reduce the overwhelm and make the process more manageable for you, and fun for the kids!

For more on this topic, check out the full Staying Healthy collection

Download this free printable below!

Hold a Family Meeting about Healthy Habits

A good place to start when it comes to introducing healthier habits to your kids is by setting aside some time to discuss the topic as a family. Carving out just twenty minutes to discuss why sticking to healthier habits is important for them (and to mom and dad!) can help your child feel less reluctant to try something new. Talking about your health and wellness goals as a family gets everyone engaged and on the same page.

Maybe you want to add more fruits and veggies to your family’s diet, spend less time on screens, or make it a point to get outside more. Whatever your aspirations are, talking them through together helps set everyone up for success.

Download this free printable below!

Make Healthy Habits Fun

One of the keys to helping your kids stay engaged in the pursuit of healthy habits is to add an element of fun to the process. A great way to do this is by using a visual goal tracker to keep up with everyone’s progress. Visually tracking goals helps boost motivation, commitment, and encouragement, and it’s a great way to stay focused as a family.

By having a visual reference of what you’ve accomplished so far, visual goal tracking not only helps you stay on track, but it also stirs up excitement to see what else can be achieved in the future. To help you get started with your healthy habits, these printable Wellness Wheels and Bad Habit Breaker worksheets are great for visually mapping your goals and solidifying them with your kids. Adopting a healthier lifestyle isn’t always easy, but it makes a wonderful way to work towards something challenging as a family!

Healthy Habits Printable Worksheets

For more on this topic, check out the full Staying Healthy collection

No Time to Cook? Here Are Some Useful Tips for Busy Moms

As parents, we know that we want to feed our kids the best possible foods. We want them to feel good, look good, grow up healthy and strong, and also have a good relationship with food. The only way to do this is to provide them with tasty and healthy meals as they go through their developmental years. Continue reading below for some useful tips for busy moms who don’t have time to cook.

For more on this topic, check out the full Staying Healthy collection

No Time to Cook?

We moms have a hard time fitting in top-class chef work alongside all the other Mom tasks we have to deal with! Luckily, there are a few handy tips and tricks that can help you here. In this article, we are going to share exactly those tips. So, busy moms, take five. Read this article, and learn the useful ways you can save cooking time.

Use An Instant Pot

If you haven’t already, you need to invest in an instant pot. These clever devices use boiling, pressurized water, or stock, in an outer pot to power steam around the inner pot to rapidly cook food. Your cooking time will be cut in half with this great tool. Plus, with Instant pot recipes on Corrie cooks taking care of all the ideas for you, you won’t even have to plan meals for yourself. Pick a recipe, throw all the ingredients into your instant pot, and then walk away. In half the time of a traditional stovetop, your meal will be complete and ready to serve.

With instant pots, you can cook everything you’d be able to cook in a normal frying pan or stovetop pot. Many recipes can be adapted to suit an instant pot, and you can often cook every element of the meal altogether within your instant pot. Give it a go, you’ll save yourself hours slaving away over the stovetop – giving you more time for the kid’s homework and all that other fun stuff!

Batch Cook

With your instant pot, or any other cooking method, a top tip we regularly get told is to batch cook. Batch cooking is a great idea because it saves you time for the rest of the week. Let’s say you make a chili con Carne for a family of four on a Monday night. Instead of making four portions, make enough for eight or twelve! This way, come Thursday or Saturday, you can grab portions out of the fridge or freezer and quickly microwave or reheat them. This way you also don’t even have to think about what’s on the menu more than a few times a week!

[Read: 8 Easy Swaps To Make Your Family Favorites Healthier]

15 Minute Meals

If you’re the kind of mom who wants to stand at the stove and watch what you’re cooking, that’s great! But, there are still some amazing ways to save yourself a bit of time. This time-saving trend has become quite popular on social media, leading to a lot of people sharing recipes that can be cooked in 15 minutes or less. This is ideal mom territory, feeding the entire family in just 15 minutes. Search online for 15-minute meals and you will surely find some recipes that change the way you cook every night.

Cans And Freezers Are Your Friends!

Lots of us worry that buying frozen or canned food is somehow not natural or not good for us. This is often not the case, especially when you look at vegetables. Often, freezer veggies are frozen the day they are picked, sealing in all the nutrients and freshness for a few months. Canned veggies are also package very quickly and hold their nutrients due to the airtight container. Both of these options are super handy and very quick to cook. No need to peel, chop or prep any vegetables. Just throw them straight in the microwave or the instant pot!

Meal Delivery Services

If you’re a mom with no time, but you do have a bit of spare cash, you could consider meal delivery services. These subscription-based meal services will be tailored to your family’s needs and provide a variety of meals direct to your door. With some services, everything will be prepped and ready to go straight in the oven or microwave. With others, you’ll receive ready-prepped and portioned food to cook yourself. Either way, you’ll be saving yourself some time.

As you can see, there are more than a few ways to save yourself some time and energy in the kitchen. And, while the instant pot is our absolute favorite, there are plenty of other options! We hope you find some of these tips useful and manage to save yourself minutes or even hours worth of cooking time!

For more on this topic, check out the full Staying Healthy collection

Stop Letting Your Small Business Stress You Out

If you run your own small business, you will know that there are endless sources of potential stress involved in the process. This means you have to be very proactive about looking after yourself. That can be a lot harder than it sounds. But there are a few things you can do to make it at least a little easier. Keep reading below to learn how to stop letting your small business stress you out.

For more on this topic, check out the full Work Life Balance collection

Focus on the good stuff

The fact is that you get to be your own boss now and work in your own terms. Perhaps you have a new product line that is selling better than you expected. Or that you’ve found a great new deal on the towing package on your commercial truck rental. If you want to fight the stress of running a small business, it’s imperative that you focus on the good stuff – the stuff that’s going right for you. Things are always going to go wrong from time to time. But if you only think about those challenges, and not the things that are going right, your mental health is going to take a serious hit!

Get serious about prioritizing

As a small business owner, you’ll know that there are always a million and one things that need to be done. But you do know that you don’t need to do them all yourself, or at least not all at the same time anyway, right? If you want to stay sane, you need to start ranking your business tasks from most to least important and focusing on only the most important tasks at hand. The rest can wait, or you can outsource them. You are only one person and you need to strike the right balance between work and personal life. Don’t try to be a hero and do it all because all that will lead to is stress and burnout.

Learn how to meditate

You might think that you don’t have time for meditation, working out, or taking time for self care with running your own company. You likely are also trying to juggle caring for a family, on top of countless of other commitments you have. However, the thing about meditation is that it gives you your time back. It gives you time back because it makes you a calmer and a more efficient version of yourself. Which is exactly why you owe it to yourself to learn the very simple technique. Or, if meditation sounds like to far of a change for your, at least be mindful about scheduling a little time for yourself. The goal is finding time that allows you to take a moment, reset, and be intentional moving forward.

Take breaks

In a similar vein, you should make sure that you take regular breaks for your work, even if it’s just 5 minutes out of every hour spent working. This will refresh your brain. So not only do you not get stressed, but you should also see your productivity soar. Working smart is what it’s all about – you don’t need to spend every second of every day working to be a success, you really don’t.

[Read: 9 Ways to Be More Productive While Working From Home]

Outsource

If you can afford to do so, outsourcing some of the more tedious aspects of work, such as bookkeeping and web admin, can be a great way to reduce your burden! It can also lower your stress levels, and it has never been easier to find great freelancers to help you out, so why not?

Time to stop letting your small business stress you out!

For more on this topic, check out the full Work Life Balance collection

Ways to Kickstart Your Career Again After Becoming a Full Time Mom

You might have changed careers recently, be a full time working mom, or planning to return to work after maternity leave. Trying to juggle full time childcare with your own career can feel like a daunting prospect! But at the same time you do not want to give up on any passions you have in life, or the ability to try out a new job just because you are a mom now. So it is important to remember that your happiness counts too. Here are some ideas to help you kickstart your career again after becoming a full time mom.

For more on this topic, check out the full Work Life Balance collection

Ways to Kickstart Your Career Again After Becoming a Full Time Mom

Start Your Own Business From Home

You might be quite a creative person and have a great idea for a new product that you could launch from the comfort of your home. The flexibility of working from home and looking after the kids when they are not in school could work out well. You could start by joining an online website and selling your products there to begin with, to see if you enjoy the idea before spending a lot of money to set up the business. This will allow you to see how you cope with the demands as well.

[Read: 9 Ways to Be More Productive While Working From Home]

Good at Selling

If you are good at talking to people, and even better at selling, then why not venture into real estate? You would not need a degree for this. It simply requires you to take some classes and an exam to obtain a license to become a real estate agent. Typically this takes about 6 months, and you are good to go. The pay can be very good as well.

Return to School

If you miss studying and want to get back into it, you could look at courses that would allow you to partly learn from home. Then when the kids are in school you could attend any in-person classes. If one of your skill sets is that you have the ability to help others and listen to their problems, then perhaps you could consider between available occupational therapy degrees that would fit into your current childcare routine.

Creative Role

Perhaps you have always wanted to write your own book or start your own blog to share your experiences about being a mom. This would allow you to share how you are raising your children, or you could focus on one of your specific interests. You could start freelancing as a writer which is a great way to work around a schedule that suits you while also allowing you to tap into your inner creative side. Who knows, you might even find that once you get going you wish you had started this sooner!

The World of Fitness

You might have found a new love for all things fitness during lockdown and are now feeling inspired to become a fitness instructor or yoga teacher. You would need to take a course and complete an exam before you are fully qualified. But it would certainly be easy to set up tutorials from home once you are qualified by streaming through your social media page to attract clients.

For more on this topic, check out the full Work Life Balance collection

7 Things Every Household Should Pay Attention To

May 10, 2021

Whether you’re buying a new house, looking for a fixer-upper, or thinking about purchasing an investment property, there are some key elements you should pay attention to. Buy property comes with some intricate ins and outs that will definitely influence your final decision. You might find yourself fixating on the price, how the house looks, fixtures, and other amenities. And while these are important, they aren’t the most important. When you go into this process you aren’t going in it alone if you’re a family, whether that’s a family of two or more. Your entire household will in some way, shape, or form be involved. And as such, every member of the household that is able should keep their eyes open for these things that we’ve listed below. Continue reading below to find out what 7 things every household should pay attention to!

For more helpful resources, check out the full Moving Tips collection

7 Things Every Household Should Pay Attention To

Depending on what you’re trying to accomplish your mortgage for your new property will be influenced by it. You want to be aware of this and try to have ballpark figures in your mind when viewing various houses. Use a house mortgage calculator to help you get an idea of what a particular property might cost. Once you have these estimates you can then focus on these other areas of concern that you’ll want to pay close attention to.

1. Realtors Relationship With The Sellers

If you find that your realtor is also responsible for the listing you may want to consider looking for another real estate agent. This can potentially be a conflict of interest that will not go in the buyer’s favor (your favor). While it may make for an easier transaction, the realtor and seller will benefit most from making as much as possible from the listing. So this doesn’t protect you, the buyer. Instead look for an agent with no conflicting interest or ties to the listing.

[Read: 5 Tips to Buy a New Family Home]

2. Sellers May Be Recording Viewings

Something that buyers of a household should be aware of is the potential of being spied on by the seller. With all the tech available a seller will likely in some way record or watch a viewing with buyers. When touring a house it’s best to be careful with what you say, both positive or negative as either type of comment can influence the way a seller behaves. You can always discuss your thoughts once you’ve left the location. You don’t want to find yourself overpaying on a home because you love it and the sellers are aware of that fact.

3. Growth Potential And Challenges When Making Changes

Another thing you’ll want to pay attention to is the potential for growth and possible challenges when wanting to make changes. You may think that buying a small place is ideal in the beginning. However, if you plan to grow your family you may find yourself quickly running out of space. Depending on where your home is located you may face a lot of challenges trying to make changes to accommodate your growing family. You’ll want to make sure that the space you’re buying now has room for this potential. Moving is hard enough! But having to move every time there is a new addition, or need for change in your family, can quickly become a nightmare.

[Read: 3 Ways to Make Your House Feel Bigger]

4. Recent Sales In The Area

Something you’ll want to look into is the recent sales in the area. Use the information from these sales to get a general idea of what a house or property costs in the area. That way you can know if a price is fair or not. If it’s overpriced you’ll know why. If it’s underpriced there may be unseen issues that you’ll want to avoid. This is a good method to give yourself some leverage when going into the process of potentially purchasing a place. The price may also give you some indication of what the immediate area is like. Low-priced homes may come with some unsavory surroundings whereas a heavily-priced home may come with some additional amenities. These are all things you’ll want to ask about.

[Read: 4 Things to Look Out for When Buying an Older Home]

5. The Location

Location is probably the most important factor when purchasing a home and it can be one that many don’t pay attention to. Sometimes when considering the cost it can be easy to buy a home in a not-so-great location. You can make all kinds of changes to your home. But if you’re the best home on a bad block it can seriously hurt the value of your home. This can also lower your resale potential and make selling the home a much more tedious process. So remember that location matters when making your final decision.

6. Maintenance Cost

Another thing you should pay attention to is the maintenance cost of a property. Your expenses don’t stop at the completion of the sale. Once you’ve gained the house you have to take care of it. There are certain things that can greatly increase the maintenance cost which may be outside of your monthly budget. Pools are an example of this. A large yard is another thing to consider. Make sure that you can handle these costs before investing your money.

[Read: 8 Tips for Keeping Your Family & Home Safe]

7. Neighbors

This goes without saying but neighbors can make or break how long you live in a particular area. When you’re going for a house tour pay attention to the people you see around and ask questions. If you see a lot of basketball nets, bikes, and other toys around the homes in the area then you can be sure it is a family-oriented place. This is great for families with children. If you are looking for something quieter this can tell you that it may not be what you’re looking for. Neighbors can be one of the single factors that make you dislike where you love. Pay attention to who your potential neighbors may be.

Once you’ve covered these things and found the perfect home you’ll be well on your way to closing on the property. This process takes time so you’ll have to remain patient and also be prepared for some drawbacks or possibly not getting them home. For this reason, you should also have backup listings just in case. You don’t want to rush your decision either. Rushing may make you miss out on key important factors. The right home for you will come along but making the wrong choice can cost you big in the immediate and long-term future.

For more helpful resources, check out the full Family Home collection

Protect Kids from the Sun: 5 Tips from a Doctor

May 10, 2021

In the midst of summer these months mean days at the pool and family trips to the beach, while also meaning increased risk for sunburns. While sunburn may seem temporary, long-term exposure to UV radiation can cause severe damage, and with repeated exposure, potentially skin cancer. Read below for 5 tips from a plastic surgeon to protect kids from the sun….