Archives for 2019

As a mother, when your mental or physical health is compromised, all you can think about is getting better. You know that you need to be the best version of yourself to continue raising your children and providing for your family. Traditional methods of treatment can work, but not without its downsides.

The medication that is prescribed often comes with a laundry list of side effects and invasive surgeries and other procedures put your life at risk while also putting you out of commission for weeks, sometimes longer. While these may be the only avenues you have, in some instances, many women have been looking for alternative solutions. 

Holistic Medicine

Holistic medicine or treatment is a practice designed to treat a person’s mind, body, and spirit in an attempt to promote all-over healing. The philosophy behind this type of treatment is that a person has the ability within themselves to achieve optimal health by simply rebalancing their life.

Medical practitioners who utilize holistic approaches suggest that the human is made up of various parts (physical, emotional, and spiritual) that are dependent upon one another for wellness. If one part is compromised, essentially, the rest of the body becomes off-balance. 

Examples of Holistic Treatments

The idea is to get patients to start being responsible for their own health and well-being with the support and guidance of holistic practitioners. There are a number of techniques that might be introduced to help you truly heal. Below are a few examples. 

Lifestyle Changes 

Caring for oneself is essential to having good health. Yet, most working moms can agree that’s something that’s often put on the back burner. No matter what you may be suffering from be it depression, anxiety, diabetes, or cancer, the first holistic approach that will likely be taken is educating you on healthy lifestyle changes and the importance of self-care. Here’s what that includes:

• Diet – nutrition is a key component in health. Someone not eating the proper diet increases their risk of suffering from anything ranging from acne to cancer. Changing your diet to include key vitamins and nutrients strengthens your body and rebalances the mind. 
• Vitamins and Supplements – The body isn’t always strong enough to fight off disease and illness. This could be a result of the medications you’re taking, improper nutrition, or the severity of the disease. For example, if you were being treated for colon cancer, holistic treatment for colon cancer would include increasing your vitamin and supplement intake to support your body’s immune system in fighting off the disease, as well as, looking into holistic treatment centers outside of the US.
• Exercise – Beneficial for healing the mind and body exercise is another holistic solution that might be recommended when your health is declining. Exercise helps to build strong bones and muscles, but it also increases your energy, reduces stress, and improves your mood. 
• Talk-Therapy – Some lifestyle changes are easier to accomplish than others. While you can work with a practitioner to develop the right diet or implement a workout routine, trying to manage stress, deal with a toxic relationship, or get past negative or traumatic experiences from your past isn’t that easy. Talking with a counselor is advised to help you vent and, more importantly, learn how to cope with overwhelming emotions.

Complementary and Alternative Therapies

In addition to making healthy lifestyle changes to recover, holistic practitioners might also recommend that you participate in other complementary or alternative therapies to further enhance your healing. Below are a few examples:

• Massages – Massage therapy is more than just a luxury treat it’s a holistic approach to treating a multitude of problems. A few sessions with a massage therapist can relieve stress, lower your blood pressure, reduce inflammation, relieve pain, improve your range of motion, and boost your mood, just to name a few benefits. 
• Meditation – Meditation is a holistic approach that has been used for centuries. When practiced appropriately, meditation reduces stress, promotes emotional balance, improves focus and memory, enhances your self-awareness, and can even help you find spiritual harmony. 
• Acupuncture – The idea of having tiny needles stuck all over your body may not seem like a method for healing, however, this holistic treatment method has been a top-pick for years. It helps to treat anxiety, arthritis, chronic pain, depression, nausea, migraines, stress, and more. 

When mom’s not okay, the dynamics of the entire family change. Wanting to find relief for your medical conditions without the fear of side effects, long recovery times, or invasive procedures is normal. While you should always consult your doctor in advance, turning to holistic approaches such as those described above can help heal your mind, body, and spirit getting you back on your feet sooner. 

Ancestry research isn’t some dry, academic pursuit. It’s the search for stories, the stories of the men and women who came before us. Reading about these stories makes history feel more personal. It makes history come alive.  

Learning about your own family’s history can transform your children’s self-esteem and give them role models to follow. Life has always been difficult, but in earlier times, especially during the first and second world wars, challenging circumstances sometimes brought out the best in a few people. 

Since it’s not always easy to get kids interested in history, even their own family history, here are a few ways to vivify ancestry research so that your children can feel proud of their heritage. 

Discover Your Ancestors 

An obituary search will do far more than tell you when your ancestors passed away.  It will help you discover the story of your family. 

Think of these obituaries as narratives. They highlight what your ancestor’s achieved in life. Their obituaries will reveal how they lived and loved. They will disclose what people remember most about their lives.  

Another benefit of ancestry research using obituaries is that it will give you a few clues on what research further. For instance, you may want to understand more about the large historical events that influenced your family line. 

Serve Dishes Your Ancestors Cooked

One fun way to make the stories of your ancestors interesting for your children is to research the meals they ate and then cook these traditional dishes at home.  

For instance, in the 1800s, Americans only ate locally grown or hunted food. Supermarkets and nationally distributed foods did not exist back then. A common meal in the 1800s might be a simple bowl of corn and beans. 

If your ancestors lived in the North, where cattle were common, they ate beef and dairy foods like milk and butter. If they lived in the South, were cattle were scarce, they ate game meat. Wives and mothers often served venison for dinner. 

Since this was the era long before refrigeration, preservation was challenging. Salting, drying, and smoking foods were necessary. Your ancestors probably stored vegetables and fruits and nuts gathered in the summer in root cellars. They preserved their vegetables for the colder seasons by pickling them.

Find Old Photographs   

Little children love pictures, so discovering pictures from old newspapers and family photo albums can spark their interest in family history research.  

This is an especially good way to interest smaller children because they are primarily visual. It’s much more interesting to see what a great-great-grandfather looked like before learning about his hard life as a rancher. 

Read Old Newspaper Stories  

Journalists wrote newspaper stories in a far different way a few centuries ago. They focused less on facts and figures and made more of an effort to engage readers with interesting and entertaining stories.

Articles were also often brief and written in simple language about homier topics.  For instance, small-town reporters would cover children’s birthday parties at the request of parents who wanted their children’s pictures in the local paper. 

Why You Should Pass Down Your Family Stories 

Family stories will give your children a perspective about their own lives. They will see the courage and hardships that their ancestors faced and that strengthened them against social injustice and adversity. It’s hard for us to appreciate our many blessings until we’re reminded about the challenges faced by others who came before us. 

Learning about their ancestors will also encourage your children to have empathy for the experiences that other people went through in earlier times to eke out a living and contribute to their community. 

You’ve just moved into your nice new home. The boxes are unloaded and you’re finally settling into your home and your new life. While you’re settling in, is the perfect time to make up that checklist of home maintenance jobs that will save you money for years to come. 

1. Check/Install Attic Insulation

If you have an attic, whether finished or unfinished, pop your head up into it and take a look around. You should be able to see the insulation between the beams in the attic space, and there should be plenty of it. Six inches is said to be the average, but it could be more if you live in colder climates. If you don’t see enough or it looks damaged you need to schedule attic insulation installation with a local company as soon as possible. 

2. Clean and Organize

It may be tempting to put those boxes in the corner or to put off cleaning that spare room, but it’s not a good idea. Go ahead and clean, organize, and put away everything from books to dishes, so you don’t have to do it later on. Cleaning and organizing can add years to the life of everything from carpeting and wood floors to counters and walls. 

3. Adjust the Hot Water Heater Settings

If you want to save money on your electric bills, then checking your hot water heater settings is a good idea as well. The optimum temperature for the heater to be on is 120-degrees Farhenheit. Not only will the water be cooler, which can help prevent people from being scalded, but it will also save you money in the long run.  

4. Air Seal Your Home 

While this isn’t much of a problem in new homes, older homes have a ton of cracks that air can seep into. Walk around your house and see where you feel drafts coming in, and then work to air-seal the home against them. The most common places to check for drafts are outlets, around windows, and around your doors. If any of these spots are drafty, it can end up costing you quite a bit of money in the long run — they also make good entryways for pests who want to invade your home.

5. Plant a Few Shade Trees

While this isn’t a short-term fix, planting shade trees will save you money no your utility bills in the future because they’ll help keep your home cool in the summer. You want trees that are leafy during the hot weather to shade your home from the direct sunlight, but trees that lose their leaves in the winter season, so that the direct sunlight can warm your home. On top of that, trees will add to your property value as they grow, as long as they are taken care of properly. 

6. Invest in a SmartStrip/Surge Protector or Two 

When you’re hooking up your TV, gaming consoles, and DVD players, you can save energy and protect them from surges by investing in a SmartStrip or two. It just makes good common and financial sense to get a surge protector, especially if you live in an area that is plagued by thunderstorms during the spring and summer months. 

These are just a few of the top maintenance tips you can follow when moving into a new home to help you save some money in the long run. From insulating the attic properly to turning down the hot water heater, these tips can save you money and keep you and your family safe and cozy in your new home. 

Whether you want to spend your retirement years living on the beach or getting back to nature, you’ll find plenty of amazing locales in California that fit the bill. From lavish estates in glamorous cities to budget-friendly abodes with breathtaking mountain views, California cities offer a plethora of real estate options for seniors. Before you decide where to settle, be sure to check out these cities.

Corona Del Mar

If you’ve been dreaming of retiring to the beach, you should explore some of the available Corona del Mar real estate options. The affluent Southern California neighborhood consists of all of the seaward facing land atop the San Joaquin Hills in Newport Beach, south of Avocado Avenue. 

Corona del Mar has all of the amenities you’d expect to find in a luxury community, including outstanding shopping and dining options. You can spend your days browsing the upscale shops at Fashion Island or relaxing on the beach at Corona del Mar State Park.

Throughout Newport Beach, you’ll find several senior centers and activities ideal for retirees. But if you aren’t ready to slow your pace yet, that’s fine too. You can spend time exploring Disneyland, sailing, or fishing. You can even join a nearby country club to mingle with other locals.

Sherman Oaks

If you love whale watching in Los Angeles, consider looking for homes in the Sherman Oaks area. There you’ll find plenty of options for families and retirees alike. In fact, if you want to really experience L.A. like affluent couples do, you could consider purchasing one of Richard Neutra’s stilt homes. Built in 1966, these stilt homes seem to float off the side of a cliff overlooking Beverly Glen. Of course, if mid-Century modern isn’t your thing, you’ll find plenty more homes in the area.

Sherman Oaks is a great option for active seniors who enjoy being outside. You’ll find several hiking trails close by, including Dixie Canyon Park and Deervale-Stone Canyon Park. Of course, the area is close enough to downtown Los Angeles for you to enjoy everything the big city has to offer as well.

San Diego

WIth year-round nice weather, it’s not surprising that San Diego tops U.S. News Best Places to Retire in California List. In addition to the area’s weather, and plenty of things to see and do, San Diego has excellent healthcare options including Scripps La Jolla Hospital and the UC San Diego Health-Jacobs Medical Center.

San Diego’s North County area has recreational, educational, and social activities for people of all ages, including retirees. You’ll find more than 30 golf courses, 20 live performance theaters, and more than 1500 restaurants to explore. Also, nearby Mira Costa college has a low-cost Learning is For Everyone (LIFE) program that offers free or no-cost courses to seniors who want to learn about creative writing, photography, photo and video editing, knitting, and dancing.

Modesto

If you’re looking for a California retirement location that’s away from the hustle and bustle of big cities, but still close enough to common amenities, Modesto is a good option. Located in the  Central Valley, the city is surrounded by farmland where cattle are raised and almonds are grown. 

The small city gives you views of rolling green hills, similar to those you’d find in the Midwest — but it still has the nice year-round weather that California is known for. The best part about retiring in Modesto is the cost. The area is more budget-friendly than other parts of California, making it ideal for retirees on a budget.

Overall, California is a good option for retirees. The nice year-round weather makes it easy to stay active, there are plenty of high-quality medical facilities, and a plethora of attractions to explore. So if you’re planning to retire soon, consider calling one of these fabulous California cities home.

The kitchen is the heart of our homes. It serves as a place where meals are created, in essence powering the minds and bodies of families and friends across the world. In an ever-evolving technology centred world, kitchens are becoming smarter and more efficient to suit the needs of a modern lifestyle. With modern kitchen technology, preparing healthy and delicious meals at the comfort of your own home has become doable by just about anyone. Current and future kitchen technologies also safeguard our environment by reducing our household carbon footprint. Tech ideas that are finding their way into our kitchens aim at alleviating pressure from the hectic modern lifestyle, saving on energy consumption and delivering tasty meals.

Smart Kitchen tops

In recent years, touchscreen technology has considerably transformed the meal preparation experience by adding a touch sophistication and modernity. Apart from improving kitchen aesthetics, modern kitchen appliances are utilising touchscreen technology to improve safety and efficiency. Smart Kitchen tops such as the Thermador Masterpiece Series Freedom Induction Cooktops not only add a sleek feel to your kitchen but also come with full-colour touchscreen user interface and state-of-the-art technology that allows it to detect pots and pans.

AI-Driven appliances

The world today is making a mad dash towards Artificial Intelligence and in kitchens, the sci-fi dream of having appliances seamlessly working together is finally becoming a reality. AI-driven gadgets substantially increase cooking efficiency and need less of our time and effort, a dream come true for the working class. Among the industry leaders in Kitchen AI is LG. Their InstaView ThinQ smart refrigerator with Amazon Alexa built-in is astonishingly clever. The fridge can suggest recipes based on the available ingredients, monitor expiration dates and purchase groceries. Its internal cameras also allow you to monitor the contents of your fridge through your smartphone. Samsung also offers the Family Hub smart refrigerator which has Bixby. This new generation of Samsung refrigerators has similar features as the InstaView ThinQ refrigerator and enhanced online delivery functionality and the ability to create voice-based profiles.

Refrigerators aren’t the only kitchen appliances that are getting an AI boost. The PHB920SJSS smart oven built by General Electric is powered by Geneva, intelligent software that can coordinate with Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant.

Smart appliances

Chefs can make mouth-watering meals with basic Kitchen tools and equipment. The rest of us, however, might struggle substantially to achieve the same results. Smart appliances come in handy when delivering tasty and healthy dishes while also minimizing water and energy consumption. The smart gadget field is quite diverse. There are task-specific appliances such as coffee makers and multi-purpose devices such as ovens and cookers.

The Instant Pot Smart WiFi (surpassed the multi cooker – our favourite product) is among the best selling smart appliances that are making their way into the kitchen. The pot allows you to start and continuously monitor the cooking process from anywhere through your smartphone. The pot also has Google Assistant Integration. One only needs to download the Instant Pot app which is available for Ios and Android and connect to your WiFi network to begin using its advanced features. The Instant Pot app also offers numerous recipes ranging from breakfast, kid-friendly, dessert recipes among others that can be executed on the device. The Cook Now button which is found alongside the cooking instructions automatically adjusts the setting of the pre-programmed pot to the required meal recipe and starts cooking.

As we head towards an exciting future it will be interesting to see what other tech advancements will be made in the kitchen. Future appliances and related technologies will probably make kitchens more userfriendly and safer.

Things Every Homeowner Should Know

Owning a home is an exciting yet daunting venture. Having a place to call your own can give you a sense of pride and fulfillment. That’s why many homeowners go the extra mile to take care of their home and maintain their property. After all, having a home that you can show off to your neighbors is fun. For some solutions to problems that can happen at any home, check out Guardian Recovery Services. They have been helping Michigan businesses and homeowners recover from various disasters, such as fire, smoke, water, and mold for over 15 years.

As exciting as maintaining a home can be, it’s still no easy task. Whether it’s mowing the lawn or cleaning up nasty mold in your house, you need to know how to solve some of the most basic but serious problems in your house. Here are some common household problems and how to go about fixing them.

1. Things to Check Before Buying a Home

Before you make the decision to buy your future home, you need to make sure that you do your homework. One of the biggest expenses in a home are utilities, so check to see how much they will cost monthly and where that fits in your budget. If the costs end up being a little far out of your budget, then you may want to consider other options.

Another thing to do is to talk to your neighbors. There’s a lot of information you can get from talking to your neighbors, such as what the neighbors are like, whether some of the other neighbors are loud, or if the neighbors stay up late frequently. Knowing just a little bit about what the neighbors are like will be helpful since you could potentially be living right next to them. It also won’t hurt anything to just go over to your neighbors and get to know them while you’re looking at buying a new house.

One of the most important pieces of information to gather about the house while looking is the disclosure statement from the seller. By law, the seller has to make a statement about the condition of the house, but there is always room for the seller to be dishonest or exaggerate some of the details. It’s always helpful to have a professional opinion on the house, which is why it wouldn’t hurt to get an inspection on the house. It may cost a little more to get an inspector to look at the house, but this could save you much more money with potential problems down the road with the house. For more information on what to look out for, check out some advice regarding plumbing inspections.

2. Common Household Problems and Solutions

One of the most common minor problems in homes is certain rooms that are too hot or too cold. One of the biggest causes of this problem could be the lack of ventilation into that specific room. A solution to this problem is air sealing. The tricky part to air sealing is finding out where the air is leaking in that room. Once you find the leak, you just cover that leak to prevent hot or cold air from leaving the room which will allow the air to circulate. Learn more about how to fix uncomfortable rooms here.

A common problem in households, old and new, is mold or mildew formation. It can seem like a small problem at first, but it can become quite serious if left untreated. In most cases, mold or mildew forms due to a water leak somewhere in the house. This water leak usually comes from a fault or leak in the piping. In other cases, the mold or mildew could be from a ventilation issue. Whatever the cause of mold forming, the best solution is to find the source. You could check where the mold is forming to see if you can spot the leak, or you can call a plumbing and heating contractor to have them determine the source and fix the problem.

A build-up of dust can be easily overlooked as just something that needs to be swept. But if dust continues to form quickly after repeated cleaning, then it’s best to have this problem checked out by a contractor as this could be from faulty ventilation or a leak somewhere in the house. If you find yourself having to clean up dust more than once a week, it could be something more serious than you think.

While these are all just a few of the problems and concerns to look out for before and after buying a home, there are still numerous problems that can occur. The best way to counteract these problems is to just watch out for signs that something is different about the house or is changing. The more diligent you are in spotting signs, the faster you can examine and fix the problem.

When you take a look at all the things around your home that you’ll have to pack for a move, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. While hiring packers to do the work for you is the easiest way to get the job done, you can still do it yourself with the recommended tips below. These can make the process easier so you can pack and move better than ever before.

1. Stock up on Plastic Zipper Bags

Plastic zipper bags can make packing the small things inside of your home less of a hassle. In addition to keeping them in one place, it ensures they don’t easily get lost with all of the other things you’re packing. For each bag, label what is placed inside and always place it in the box that coordinates with the room. For example, nuts, bolts, screws, and nails from the garage will still go into a larger garage box.

Plastic bags are perfect for packing small bathroom items, pens, children’s toys, socks, blocks, cords, and even cosmetics. Fortunately, you can re-use them after you move so none of the bags will go to waste.

2. Hire a Moving Truck

Hiring help is as easy as doing a google search.  Just search for a moving company atlanta (or in the area near you), and the movers will take the heaviest physical work out of your moving process. They’ll make sure your belongings, including furniture and other bulky items, are safely placed and packed into the moving truck for transport. They’ll also drive the truck to your next destination so you don’t have to worry about driving a larger car than you might be used to. Movers take a fraction of the time to move boxes than most everyday people, so they are well worth paying to hire.

3. Rent Equipment

If you’re not going to hire a professional, or the movers you hire won’t carry out larger items, then you should rent equipment to make the job easier. While rolling carts will help with heavy boxes or some furniture, a forklift hire from Mars may be necessary for larger items. Fortunately, these can be booked in advance and are very affordable.

4. Go Through Your Things

It’s costly and time-consuming to pack and move things that you don’t want, need, or use. Save yourself the trouble by going through your things months before you head out. Donate, sell, or throw away anything that you’re not going to use inside of your new home. You’ll save yourself a lot of time and money by doing this before you move.

5. Create a Schedule

If you have a schedule of what needs to be done, then the process of moving will be simple and straightforward. Without it, you could easily end up second-guessing yourself and whether or not you’ve scheduled everything to get done. Even if your move isn’t long-distance, you’ll want to be as organized as possible.

A Move Without the Stress

Make moving easier by utilizing the tips above before you get started. You might be surprised at how much simpler they make moving as a whole. From knowing when things are going to be done to hiring tools before you leave, each step will bring you closer to your final destination.