When It's Time For Your Kids To Leave The Nest

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Even if your kids are only very young right now, you might be worried about the day that will come when it’s time for them to move out. It’s something that most parents are anxious about - the fact that one day their kids will grow up and be ready to leave the nest. You might wonder how they will cope on their own in the big, wide world. Thankfully, there is plenty that you can do to help them land on their feet when they start to carve out their own path in the world. 

One of the first ways you can offer them a helping hand is by assisting them when they are ready to move into their own place. Here are some great tips to do just that!

Help Them With The Deposit

These days, more and more adult kids are living with their parents because they just can’t afford to rent or buy their own place. Because of this, most parents are contributing a little to their children's first deposit. No matter whether they are going to rent or buy, your child will need to be able to put down a deposit as a downpayment on an apartment. So, if you are able to, it’s worth seeing if you can contribute something to help them save up. It doesn’t matter if you can only spare a small amount - after all, every little thing helps!

Organize Storage For Excess Stuff

There’s a chance that your child won’t be able to afford such a large apartment when they first moved out. If they are moving to student accommodation for university or college, then they will be living in very small quarters! So, they won’t be able to take all of their belongings. If you are unable to store it in your home, then you can help your child organize some storage for everything. Bulk storage can often work out very reasonable, and it’s a safe and secure option for all the belongings they can’t take with them. 

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Offer Them Your Car

If your child wants to carry out their move on their own, it’s important that you let them and don’t insist that you help them out. After all, this is their first chance at doing something for themselves completely independently! However, it would be a nice gesture to lend them your car for the move. That way, they won’t have to spend too much money on using an expensive moving company.

Bring Some Cleaning Equipment

If your child does want you to help them move out, then don’t forget to take some cleaning equipment with you. Once you get to their apartment, you can help by getting on with all the cleaning that will need to be done. You can do all this while they are busy unpacking all their things. 

Don’t be nervous about your children growing up and leaving the next - it’s perfectly natural and will be a great chance for them to embrace life as an adult!

Little Changes That Can Make Life With Kids A Lot Easier

Let's face it, as utterly wonderful as life with kids can be, it can also be a source of some serious stress. Kids can often be something of a handful, and that's putting it lightly. It can often feel like you're pretty much run off your feet trying to figure out how you can go about keeping your kids happy, well-fed, and safe without becoming completely overwhelmed. Of course, it doesn't need to be such a challenge. Here are a few incredibly simple changes that you make to your life that will make life with kids a whole lot easier.

Unbreakable glassware

Every parent has had that moment: you're getting on with some important task, and you realise that the kids have been uncharacteristically quiet for a long time. Just as you think that it might be too good to be true, you hear a crash. Next thing you know you're sweeping up piles of glass while you're kids are huddled in the next room feeling guilty. The amount of broken glasses, bowls, and plates in any given family home is probably pretty ridiculous. Which is why you need to check out SwishPlastic.com.au. These glasses are incredibly high quality, they look great, and they're plastic which makes them virtually unbreakable! That way you can be sure that your kids aren't going to destroy them when you're not looking. 

A daily to-do list

Staying on top of everything is a serious challenge and one that you have to be willing to rise to unless you want to end up buried in unfinished tasks and huge piles of mess. The best way to deal with these kinds of things is to be as organised as possible. Make sure that you create a daily to-do list that's organised by how important each task is. That way you're never going to end up getting overwhelmed by everything you need to do since you can break it up into bite-sized chunks that are much more manageable.

Home safety

Keeping your kids safe at home is often a major priority for many parents. After all, kids love to get into every nook and cranny in the house and put themselves in harm's way. Things like locks on drawers containing anything dangerous, as well as putting things like foam on the door frames to stop any little hands from getting squashed are incredibly small and simple changes, but they can help to stop you worrying too much about your kids hurting themselves. After all, even the best parent can't be watching their kids every second of the day.

Hopefully, with these tips and others like them, you'll be in a position where you don't have to spend every minute worrying about your kids, and you can just get on with spending time with them. Remember, if you're a bit more relaxed and happy then your kids are probably going to pick up on that and feel more relaxed and happy as well. That way all of your lives are going to get just a little bit more pleasant.

When Home Maintenance Equals Health Maintenance

How far do you go to maintain your health? For most, health is synonymous with regular exercises and a balanced diet, preferably without added sugar or fat. In fact, it wouldn’t be exaggerated to say that most of us probably keep an eye on the calories too and make sure to avoid second helpings when they can! With the rise of fitness trackers, it’s becoming incredibly easy to keep track of your activities every day and to make sure that you are not being too lazy. Additionally, if you’ve got a smartwatch – especially the latest Apple watch – you’ve probably noticed that the clever device has an in-built reminder that pushes you to stand up and regularly walk, even if you work in an office. So, it seems that there is no way you can improve your health even more. But you would be wrong to think that there’s nothing left to change. In reality, there’s something that all fitness aficionados have forgotten in their health plan, and that’s their home maintenance. What does home maintenance have to do with health? Read on to find out! 

Declutter your home

Looking after the air quality

You probably know everything about air pollution, and maybe you’ve already decided to reduce car drive and walk more – which will keep your pedometer and the people who measure the quality of the air outdoors satisfied. But have you ever considered indoor air pollution? The air in your home can transport pollutant, contaminants and unwanted bacterial particles, consequently putting your health at risk. You can find houseplants that are recommended to purify the air, such as Boston fern or bamboo palms, which are great to get rid of formaldehyde, for example. Additionally, you need to ventilate your home regularly to avoid the presence of humidity and mold formation. Finally, if you’re using an air-con system, you should book a yearly AC maintenance to ensure that the unit doesn’t spread contaminated air. If you live in a humid home, you should consider the addition of a dehumidifier too. 

Giving no chance to pest and mold invasion

As a homeowner, your maintenance duties include undertaking the necessary renovation work in the flooring, ceiling and wall structure to avoid air or water infiltration that could weaken the building. A damp ceiling, for instance, can present the perfect environment for mold growth, without mentioning the health hazard of stagnant water. Besides, a breach in the wall can also appear inviting to unwanted guests, such as mice or bugs. Good thing, we have pest control experts to rely on. 

Messy home, messy mind

With time, clutter accumulates in your home. From old newspapers to unloved items that you’ve bought and never used, most households have too much unnecessary stuff that collects dust and takes a lot of room. That’s exactly why decluttering can be helpful. As the room cleans from all the things you don’t need; you’ll notice that your mind clears out too. In fact, decluttering has a positive domino effect. Clutter-free environment means clear thinking. 

In conclusion, it’s worth adding a new point to your health to-do list: Home maintenance. A clean home for a clean body, how does that sound to you? 

The Most Popular Mobile Game Types

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By far and away, the most popular apps that people download are games. Whether you are an avid gamer or just an occasional player, there is bound to be something for you with such a wide selection out there. Here, we are going to be breaking down the most common different types that are available on the market.

Action

Action is a fairly broad category that encapsulates classic first-person shooters, arcade games or fighting games. But the one thing that all of these things have in common is that they require fast reflexes. Of course, there is an element of strategy as well, but unless you have those razor-sharp reactions, you are unlikely to be able to succeed when you are playing these types of games.

Adventure

Action and adventure are two categories that tend to be grouped together, but there is generally a difference between the two. Adventure games tend to be much more concerned with puzzle solving, though they also have elements of reflex testing as well. They are a little slower-paced, but they can be just as engrossing as their fast-moving counterparts.

Card and Casino

Now, you can have a casino in the palm of your hand from wherever you are in the world, allowing you to play a host of popular games such as blackjack, roulette and poker. You usually have options whether to play for money or just for fun, and many of them are linked to sports betting services, so it is worth checking out the laws against sports betting if you are planning on using any of these services. There is no doubt that card and casino games are some of the most popular out there.

RPGs

Role playing games (RPGs) tend to be more complex, and involve you steadily building up your abilities and taking your character on a journey. As smartphones become steadily more advanced, many more now have the capability of supporting these types of games, though it is likely that you will need an up-to-date model to get a full experience.

Sports

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Sports games are pretty self-explanatory, and you can find different versions of all your favourite activities. The mobile versions of these games tend to be less complicated and merely focus on a single aspect of the experience. But there is no doubt that they can still be very entertaining for all sports enthusiasts.

Strategy

If you are into the more cerebral aspects of games, and you pride yourself on building strategies that work, these are the type of games for you. Many classic board games such as chess and checkers also fall into this category. But you could also be playing a big-scale army game in which you direct your troops to achieve your objectives.

Most mobile games fall into these categories, so it is worth trying all of the different options and variations out until you find the one or ones that are perfect for you.

Making Room: Building A Nursery

When you’re expecting a new baby in a home that doesn’t have enough bedrooms, you need to get creative. Not everyone has the luxury of a larger house, but the idea of selling the home you’ve worked so hard to decorate can be a step too far. The decisions that come with having a baby feel endless most of the time, but finding a space to fit the baby? That’s a decision that is also a necessity!

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Designing your nursery space isn’t just about finding the right color scheme and giving your baby a beautiful set of cot bedding to sleep on. It’s about deciding whether to utilize a small closet space, like the ideas you find here, or whether you want to add to your home with the help of Siding & Windows Group and tack on a bedroom extension. Regardless of how you choose to do it, you don’t have too much time to make the big decision before your tiny baby comes screaming into the world. The real question is how you plan to design your nursery scheme! Knocking through a wall and building one onto the side of the house and your bedroom is a great way to start afresh and is a practical solution when you don’t want to sell your home. We’ve put together some tips below, so you can have the most beautiful nursery set up right on time.

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Practicality. When you build your extension to your bedroom, make sure you add a lot of light. You need to ensure that the heating is adequate, you also need to apply the right blinds and curtains for night time and you need to ensure that the nursery isn’t too far from your own bed. Be practical with your design here so that when the baby is older, you can shut or slide the door over and keep it private.

Consistency. If you have a traditionally built home, you need to make sure that the décor in the nursery and the layout is in-keeping with the house. You want to be able to sell it one day and an ultra-modern nursery attached to an old-style home really won’t match!

Simplicity. The décor of the actual nursery is going to be individual to your taste, but you need to think about making it a child-friendly space rather than one that is complicated by design. Stay neutral with your colour scheme and jazz it up with accessories instead to make the nursery the place you want to spend time in.

Beauty. A nursery should be a beautiful and part of that beauty comes in the colour scheme you decide to use. Colours should be tranquil, nurturing and not too busy for the baby in the room. Lots of solid colours and soothing tones creates an environment that is peaceful.

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Your nursery addition should match the rest of the house, and it should be a space that you want to spend time in. Make it beautiful and take your time planning it.

Buy or Build: What's The Best Option For Your New Home?

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Buying or building a house, which is the best option for you? If you’re thinking about moving into a new home, then you might be at this crossroads. Well, I’ve got a few arguments in favor of both sides for you to take a look at down below. 

Buy

Buying a house is easily the most obvious choice out of the two. The main reason is that it’s just more convenient for most people. You haven’t got to organize everything from architects to builders, and so on, there’s less work on your behalf. 

Furthermore, it can take a couple of months to find a house, buy it, and move in. When you build, it could take up to a year, maybe longer. Some complications can occur, bad weather might prevent building from taking place on some days; a lot can go wrong. But, if you’re lucky, you could end up with a new house in a few weeks when you buy. 

Also, buying a house gives you the chance to improve on an existing property. You can make a few changes here and there, meaning you increase the market value. As a consequence, you can sell the house for way more than you bought it. 

Build

I think most families don’t even consider this as an option, which is a little strange seeing as it does have many benefits. However, there is one obvious issue that probably explains why so few build rather than buy; planning permission. Some people might not get the planning permission they need to build their new house, and they may not even have a location to build it, to begin with!

But, if you move past that, you will see some excellent positives in choosing this option. The first of which is that you get to completely design your house. You’ll work alongside some home builders and architects to come up with a plan for your ultimate dream home. Everything is built to your desires, it should mean you have a home that’s 100% your cup of tea, and you can’t fault anything. 

Building off this point, you also have a brand new house. It’s hard to find brand new homes these days, and the ones you do find are often overly expensive. Here, you get a new home that’s properly new and comes with no existing faults that need to be fixed. 

Lastly, don’t you hate it when you buy a house and then have to re-decorate it before you can properly settle in. You move, like, half your stuff in, and have to work around your boxes getting the interior design sorted, it’s a heck of a mess. But, when you build, you build your home and design it so you can move in and everything is already sorted!

Should you buy, should you build? In an ideal world, everyone could build their home from scratch. I love the idea of creating something designed specifically for you and your family. However, in a lot of cases, buying is more convenient. It’s a tough one, my advice is to look at both sides of the coin before you flip it!

Stay At Home Moms - How You Can Actually Get Your Work Done With Kids Around

You will have no doubt heard lots of success stories about mompreneurs - these are women who work for themselves from home while also looking after their kids. And on the surface, it definitely sounds amazing - after all, you can drastically cut down on your childcare costs and work from the comfort of your own home! 

Unfortunately, though, trying to work from home while also looking after the kids isn’t quite as idyllic as some mompreneurs might like to make it sound. It can actually end up quite stressful, especially those times you are working on a deadline and the kids are screaming!

Wondering how stay at home moms actually get anything done during the day? Here are some of their tips!

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Work While They Nap

If your kids are still relatively young and take daily naps, it is worth trying to do some of your hardest work during these naptimes. That way, you will be able to work in complete peace and quiet, so it’s a good idea to do some work that requires your complete concentration. Working in quick spurts like this can help you get your work done at other times when your kids don’t require your attention, such as when they are playing or doing their homework.

Automate Your Processes

One of the main things that take up a lot of a stay at home mom’s time is all the admin that comes with working for yourself. This includes admin things like arranging your tax payments and following up on unpaid invoices. Thankfully, there are ways you can speed up the time it takes to carry out these processes - you just need to use software and computer programs that can automate them for you. For instance, you can get accounting software and a check stub maker that speeds up taking care of all your finances. Once you’ve automated everything, your working time will be drastically cut!

Structure Your Day

Throughout your day, it’s important that you have blocks of time that you can dedicate to your work and some blocks that you can dedicate to your kids. The best way to think about how you should structure your work is to take a look at your calendar and add a couple of family activities through the day. This might be things like baking cookies together. That way, your kids won’t feel like they aren’t coming second to your work.

Always Ask For Help When You Need It

There will be times when working from home and looking after your kids gets too much for you. And it’s perfectly fine to reach out for help when all the stress gets too much. You might want to get in touch with a local nanny who can look after the kids for you for a couple of hours so that you can focus on all your work. If your parents or your partner’s parents are free, they might be able to take the kids out for the day so that you can get on with all your business things.

So, that’s how you do it!