Winter Activities to Keep Your Little Ones Active

In some parts of the world, they are now in the midst of winter and if you're one of those people, chances are that you’re running out of things to keep your little ones occupied. In the summer, there seem to be endless opportunities for fun and play outdoors. But when the temperature drops and weather starts getting wet and windy, we end up cooped up in our homes. There are only so many films on the television that everyone is interested in and so many board games to give a go. What’s more? If your kids are of school age, they’re breaking up for the holiday season, so will be around the house all day every day. So, what can you do to keep everyone busy and content over the next couple of months? Well, here are just a few ideas to try out!

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Starting A Family: Important First Steps To Take

You’re here because you and your partner have decided to take the all-important first steps towards starting a family. You may be a little nervous, possibly even overwhelmed, but mostly excited. Below are a few steps that you should consider when you’re thinking about starting a family which should help the whole process feel less stressful, and more like a journey you and your partner are taking together.

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Get a health check

The very first thing you want to do is have a full health check-up for you and your partner. Pregnancy will be taxing on both your bodies, so it’s a good to make sure that everything is working the way it should. You should have a general health check to ensure that you have no pre-existing conditions and are fit and healthy. You should also go to a fertility clinic to make sure there are no reasons that you shouldn’t be able to conceive. Most of the time, everything will be perfectly normal, and your doctor will send you on your way with a little advice to help you. Sometimes, however, you may be told that conceiving could be a little more difficult for you due to low fertility in you or your partner. This may feel like bad news, but don’t be alarmed. While low fertility can decrease your chances of falling pregnant, it does not eliminate them. There are also plenty of options for IVF treatments and Hormone Replacement which can increase both of your fertility levels, helping you to conceive quicker.

Examine your diet, exercise, and rest

The next step you should take is to make sure that all aspects of your physical and mental well-being are geared towards falling pregnant. Diet is key as you need to be fueling your body correctly so it can function in a way to optimize your efforts. Obviously, there are certain foods you should avoid while pregnant, like caffeine, alcohol, and raw seafood. And you would be well advised to avoid these during your attempts to conceive also. You should also make sure that your diet is balanced, and that you are neither eating too much, nor too little. Ensure that the five food groups (fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, and cereals/grains) are present in most of your meals. You should also have a healthy balance of macronutrients. Around half to two-thirds of your daily calorie intake should be from carbohydrates, and the rest should be split fairly equally between protein and fat. Try to receive the bulk of your carbohydrate intake from whole foods, avoiding simple carbohydrates (labelled as ‘of which sugars’) as much as possible. Fat is an important part of your diet and should not be excluded. It helps to provide slow-release energy and can help keep your heart healthy. Try to keep your saturated fat levels as low as possible, but avoid foods labelled as ‘low fat’ or ‘light’. These have had the fat artificially removed, and are instead full of sugar to keep them tasting the same. You would be much better having the ‘full-fat’ version in moderation, or finding a healthier alternative.

Though exercising while pregnant can help keep you active and healthy as your body adapts and changes, it is important to make sure you are exercising while you are trying to conceive also. You don’t need to be running a marathon every morning; just half an hour of exercise per day will make a huge difference. Pick an activity that will make you sweat, up your heart rate, and cause you to be slightly out of breath. The aim here is to keep your body in good all-around health to increase your chances.

With all this exercising, planning your diet, and keeping on top of daily life, it can be very easy to over-do it. Be sure that you are getting plenty of rest to help your body and mind to recuperate. Try and aim for eight hours per night, preferably getting two or three hours in before midnight. Turn off all electronic devices an hour or so before you get into bed so help your body to unwind naturally.

Perfect your timing

There are specific times in your monthly cycle where you will be more fertile, so it’s best to make sure that you are making the most of these windows of opportunity. There are many products that can help you to know when you are ovulating, such as fertility or ovulation tests, as well as an app that can help to track your cycle through the month, letting you know when you are most and least fertile. This means that you can plan your efforts accordingly, leaving you free to spend more time together doing other things.

Keep the romance

With all the planning and effort that goes into starting a family, it can be easy for the whole process to become a little too clinical and matter-of-fact. Take some time to maintain the connection with your partner. You decided to start a family together because you love each other, so make sure you both still feel that way while you’re trying. Have a romantic meal, go for a walk at sunset, plan out activities you can enjoy as a couple. Discuss things together beyond the details of your day. Although starting your family is likely to be something that is very important to you both, try not to let it consume every aspect of your relationship. Take this new chapter in your lives together as an opportunity to reconnect, and remember why you got together in the first place. Having children is a journey that cannot be rushed, so make sure that you give yourself room to enjoy the view as you travel the road to parenthood together.

Hopefully, these few tips have given you enough information to suitably plan out and prepare for your first trip into parenthood. It is a remarkable and rewarding thing to do with your partner, and the whole process should be something you enjoy together. Good luck, and may your family be strong and healthy.

Size Has Never Mattered Less When It Comes To Beauty!

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For the longest time, it has felt as though to be considered beautiful; you had to fit into a pretty rigid and unrealistic image. Of course, while there are people out there who are that perfect size 4, most of the time this is an image that has been fabricated by the media in order to shame women into feeling as though they need to change things about themselves. This attitude towards beauty has always been a lie, and one of the best things about the modern era is that it's a lie that's finally being rejected. Modern women are finally standing up ourselves and saying no to this ridiculous attitude that women need to fit into a specific size and shape in order to to be beautiful. With that in mind, here are a few ways in which size has never mattered less to the idea of whether or not you're beautiful.

Companies are embracing styles for larger sizes

It shouldn't really come as much of a surprise that if you really want to make some changes to the way that people feel about which clothes they can wear, the best place to start it to supply them with those clothes. There's nothing more discouraging than seeing clothes on the mannequin at the store that were clearly designed with someone who's barely skin and bones in mind. Luckily there are companies who are beginning to realise this and change the way that they do things. Companies like the Australian business, The Iconic are paving the way with their line of city chic tops, specifically tailored to women with more curves. And they're certainly not the only ones. There are plenty of businesses that are not only expanding the range of sizes that they stock but also that are creating clothes that are more specifically designed for larger sizes.

Cultural ideas are getting broken down

It's a slow process, but over time there are some big changes being made in the cultural perceptions of beauty. For one thing, there are more and more models on modern runways who don't fit into the strict mould of how they're traditionally supposed to look. Just look at someone like Ashley Graham who was recently named as one of the top ten highest earning models of 2017. In previous years that would have been unheard of, but these amazing, brave women are speaking out and refusing to put up with people telling them that they have to look a certain way in order to be considered beautiful. Sure, there are still going to be people who will want to shame women for the way that they look, but as time moves on, cultural ideas do change, and it's only a matter of time before the idea of a single image of beauty will seem ridiculous.

More women are in charge

Of course, it's not just women on the runways who are making the difference. There are more women in positions of power who are able to influence the way that modern society views itself in terms of beauty. Someone like Elaine Welteroth, the Editor-In-Chief of Teen Vogue has spent this last year pushing the magazine to tackle topics that might have previously been considered taboo, including sexuality, body-image, and other topics that the mainstream media has been incredibly reluctant to talk about. The more women in these kinds of positions of power, especially women from diverse backgrounds, there are, the more of an influence they're going to be able to have on the culture as a whole. Taking all of the power to guide the culture away from a few specific people is always a good thing and it's only going to get better as time goes on.

The reality is that this is still only the beginning of this kind of movement. There is still a long way to go to break down many of the unhealthy ideas people have about beauty. People still treat so-called "plus-size" models as an exception to the rule, and far too many companies insist of projecting this image of a certain style, size, and even skin colour, as the default of what is considered beautiful. If we really want to break down the unhealthy attitudes that so many people still hold about beauty, companies need to start embracing a broader, more diverse, and more realistic spectrum of female beauty in everything from film and TV to beauty products and fashion. Only then are we going to see the world start to except that there really is no single type of beauty that is superior to all others.

NOVUHAIR turns favor with Holiday bash promo

So you’ve got your festive outfit set and the fancy gift wrapped for your “monito” or “monita”. All that’s left undone is a party season-perfect hairstyle. 

The fresh out of the shower look can be seductive yet temporary. Blame it to tropical climate, it can spoil your appearance, besides making you feel sweaty and stale. The heat and humidity brought about by extreme weather condition, likewise, dries out the locks easily and make it more fragile. 

Adding damage to your delicate strands are the chemical contents of various products on hand. From shampoo to conditioner and hair treatment, down to styling goods to groom it to your liking, their harsh synthetic materials jeopardize the natural oil and luster of your mane.

Because you are what you eat, the fate of your crowning glory is in the plate. Your diet must mhave the correct balance of vitamins and minerals to supply hair with all that it needs to become shiny and strong. So don’t overindulge, especially this time of the year when gastronomic feasts are spread almost everywhere you go. Be careful on what you take in, thinking that it’s also what you feed your ‘do.

Even stress can wear off the beauty and health of the tress. And that’s exactly what you should avoid this Yuletide season. Never put pressure on yourself just to please everyone. Just take it easy, let your hair down and party all night long. 

In this time of gratitude, NOVUHAIR makes everyday “a good hair day” for its valued patrons like you with its Christmas and Year-End Promo. Get an extra NOVUHAIR Herbal Shampoo 200 ml. worth P1,040 for FREE if you buy a NOVUHAIR 3-in- 1 pack at participating WATSONS stores nationwide (DOH-FDA CCRR Permit No.: 967 s. 2017).

Packed with 19 natural ingredients—mostly standardized herbal extracts, essential oils and co-factor nutrients—NOVUHAIR Topical Scalp Lotion does not only help prevent the hair fall malady, but also aids in stimulating hair growth. NOVUHAIR helps prevent hair loss, improve overall appearance, promote nourishment and rejuvenation. It is clinically-tested and proven safe and effective.

Opt for the best with this Christmas and Year-End promo. Whether it’s a luxury gift for your loved ones, or a self-indulgent treat for you, NOVUHAIR has the perfect gift to inspire and keep you party-ready this Holiday season, while providing you with the ultimate styling result.

For inquiries, please call 413-6570 or 0922-8830575. You may also visit www.novuhair.com or Novuhair’s Facebook page – Novuhair Official.

Common Causes of Household Furnace Problems

If you own a furnace then you will understand more than anyone else how important it is for you to keep it well-maintained and running as it should. Eventually however, your furnace will experience wear and tear, causing it to exhibit problems such as very little heat, no heat at all or even excessive noise. If you want to try and avoid these problems then take a look below.

Lack of Maintenance

The main reason why furnaces malfunction is because they are not maintained enough. They are left for months without cleaning and the filter may have accumulated dirt, dust and grime over time as well. Other maintenance issues include the wires becoming loose, rusted or even disconnected altogether. By checking your furnace on a regular basis and by making sure that everything is connected as it should be, you can avoid the most common reason why furnaces themselves malfunction. When checking over your furnace, it’s important to check the piping and gas outlet but if you do see a problem here or if you know that there are signs of corrosion then don’t try and be a DIY expert and fix it yourself. You could risk leaking gas into the room and that could cause you even more problems. The best thing to do here would be to call a reputable HVAC contractor.

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Filthy Filters

Filters gather dirt all the time. It doesn’t matter how much you maintain your filter or how much you try and stop this from happening because eventually your filter will need to be changed. Some people believe that if they keep their home very clean, then they won’t experience dust-build up in their filter but this isn’t the case at all. Filters can still trap dust from the air and they can even trap mould spores as well. For this reason, it’s very important that you change your filters to make sure that they are clean. If you don’t then the dust could stop the airflow from circulating the room properly and it could even lead to health issues. If your Kaiser Air Conditioning furnace is blowing cold air then it’s a good idea to check the filter for blockages, the pilot light and even the temperature of the air it is blowing out. This will help you to determine whether the air is not heating up enough, or not at all.

Damp Electrics

Another problem that people experience with their furnace is that the electrics don’t work or that the pilot light on the furnace doesn’t come on. This can make it very hard to heat your home. This could be due to an electrical outage, even if you have a gas furnace. You may also find that the electrics that you have are damp, and this is especially the case if your furnace is located in the cellar or basement. 

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This isn’t uncommon and it happens more in homes that have a problem with leakage or even damp in general. It will take a while for this issue to become visible in terms of the general operation of the furnace but it can still cause devastating effects throughout your home, such as the furnace not turning on at all or even it blowing out cold air and reducing the temperature of the home overall.