Bedroom Redecoration Concepts For You

Decorating Your Bedroom and Having a Total Blast

Redecorating a living space can be a ball. It can be particularly exciting to redecorate your bedroom. Bedrooms are crucial sections of homes, after all. They’re places for rest and serenity. The last thing you want is to design a bedroom that’s the opposite of soothing and welcoming. If you’re thinking about redecorating your bedroom, then you don’t necessarily have to recruit a costly interior designer for the project. That’s because you can just as easily handle things on your own. It’s vital to take all sorts of things into consideration any time you’re redecorating your bedroom as well. You should think about everything from mattresses to art pieces on the walls. The more thorough your design approach is, the better things should be for you in the end. If you have a mattress that makes your back hurt, then you’re ready to swap it out.

Exciting Ways to Redecorate Your Bedroom Independently

Decorating your bedroom without the services of a professional interior designer doesn’t mean that you can’t recruit any outside help. If you want your redecorating project to be thrilling and fulfilling, you can ask your closest friends to lend you helping hands. You can ask your closest family members to do the same. Coming up with design concepts in the company of your favorite folks can be amazing for bonding. It can be a recipe for laughter and smiles as well. If you want to be able to connect with all of the human beings you cherish the most on the planet, then you can have a superb experience decorating a room together. It can make for an outstanding and enriching weekend project for all.

A cozy bedroom is always ideal. If you want your sleep space to be 100 percent cozy, you need to consider lighting elements. Think about the type of lighting you want. Think about task lights, accent lights and beyond. Think about the lighting tone as well. Soft lighting can make you look softer to others. It can also induce feelings of peace. If you want your bedroom to feel cozy to the max, then you need to put a lot of care into the lighting selection process, period.

Flooring should also be high up on your consideration list. Some people prefer to install carpeting in their bedrooms. That’s due to the fact that the carpet is soft and often feels fantastic right next to the feet. If you admire the smoothness of carpeting, yet don’t want to commit to it fully, that’s totally okay. That’s because you can opt for a gorgeous area rug, instead. Area rugs appear in all kinds of wondrous designs, colors, and patterns. They appear in all kinds of sturdy and hardwearing materials. If you want to choose an area rug that can make your exhausted feet feel incredible, then you should test out all sorts of material options in advance.

Furniture selection is always paramount. Think carefully about all of the things you need for optimal bedroom coziness. It’s vital to invest in a tough and firm mattress that can cater to your wellness requirements. If you want to sleep soundly no matter what, then you need to assess mattresses exhaustively prior to completing any and all purchases. Some mattresses aren’t appropriate for specific body types. If you’re particularly tall, then you may want to steer clear of mattresses that are rather small. Twin mattresses in many situations just aren’t suitable for people who have taller physiques. Think in detail about firmness levels. Some people favor mattresses that are remarkably firm and hard. Others favor markedly softer ones. It’s always a matter of simple preference. Nothing can top the coziness of an amazing and well-made mattress, period.

Think about color choices any time you redecorate your bedroom. If you want your bedroom to have an energetic feel, you may want to pick colors that are radiant. If you want your bedroom to be particularly soothing, on the other hand, you may want to opt for colors that are comparatively muted. Tan bedroom design schemes can do a lot for individuals who are eager to establish spaces that can encourage restful sleeping habits each night. If you want to sleep for eight blissful hours consistently, then you may want to think about colors that are particularly pacifying.

Maintaining Quality While Cutting Costs

 

Though competition between businesses is typically thought of as fierce, it often creates lovely customer experiences. For companies to stay ahead of their peers, they need to provide quality products or services, top-notch customer service, and competitive prices.

But how can a business offer quality, care, and price while trimming its bottom line?

It’s all about the delicate but essential balance of maintaining quality while cutting costs. Software can be implemented to streamline business practices, such as answering services for medical offices. This is an example of how this can cut costs, but also benefit existing staff, as well as patients, when outsourcing such a task is involved. This can also be applied to a variety of industries.

Develop Strong Relationships with Partners

Handling business areas in-house can reduce operating costs over the long term. However, most companies can’t establish the infrastructure to run every aspect of their supply chain. This is why building productive partnerships with third-party companies is vital to an organization’s longevity.

The more transparent and loyal two businesses are to one another increases the likelihood of effective collaboration, which could manifest in both cost savings and enhanced productivity.

Companies can also save money long-term by not having to spend time looking for new partners and delay parts of their business as a result.

Consider how much your online store would lose in revenue if you tried to switch web hosts away from a free e-commerce website template like Shopify’s and you’ll understand. This is why profitable, steady businesses put great effort in maintaining the relationships that serve their operation.

Lower Customer Acquisition Costs

A lot of metrics go into assessing the pulse of a business, but none are as important as the customer acquisition cost (CAC). This simple formula divides marketing spends over a period divided by the number of customers acquired over that time.

If you haven’t tracked metrics closely in the past, evaluating different marketing initiatives by their CAC may be an enlightening experience. You may find that certain channels are more or less effective than you thought. The good news is there are a lot of ways to reduce your customer acquisition cost. The bad news is they’re not all quick tweaks.

Some essential things to do if you haven’t already are to:

● Develop targeted buyer personas

● Use the 80/20 rule to spend more time on high-level tasks and less time on minutiae

● A/B test everything you do in every channel you try

Hire and Retain the Right Employees

Businesses should be innovative and quick-to-adapt to the industries they operate in, but internally, they must be beacons of stability. Of course, this is easier said than done. Companies of all sizes struggle to find, hire, and retain the right talent for their workplaces. A lack of processes and bandwidth make hiring difficult but ignoring the needs of today’s employees ensures high turnover and wasted operating revenue.

A key component to hiring people that stick around is to be clear about expectations and what a role offers, as well as offering a transparent culture in the workplace. Providing room for growth and the ability to effect change, whether on a team or in a department, are other defining factors for good employees. And any business trying to appeal to younger generations would be remiss not to offer generous time off and flexible working arrangements. Once hires are made, putting employees through a thoughtful onboarding program helps build morale and set a strong foundation for the working relationship.

Maintaining quality while cutting costs becomes necessary more than a few times during any business’ lifespan. Focus on these three areas to make your organization leaner over the long-term.

Should pregnant women stop taking sodium valproate? 

Sodium valproate is a widely used and effective medication for treating epilepsy, as well as other conditions, such as bipolar disorder and migraines. The drug has been used for decades and is generally considered safe for those people taking it. However, there is now growing awareness that sodium valproate can pose very serious risks when used by women during pregnancy. 

 This means that the drug is now usually not recommended for pregnant women, except in exceptional circumstances. The National Institute for Heath and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that sodium valproate should not be used during pregnancy and if it must be used (where there is no effective alternative for a particular patient) then the lowest possible dose should be used. 

 However, if you are currently taking sodium valproate for epilepsy or another condition, you should not stop taking it without speaking to your doctor first. If you have discovered that you are pregnant and are currently taking sodium valproate, you should therefore seek an appointment with your doctor immediately. 

 What risks does sodium valproate pose to unborn children? 

 Where women take sodium valproate during pregnancy, it has been shown that their children are up to 5 times more likely than average to suffer from birth defects. This equates to 1 in 10 children having a physical birth defect and around 4 in 10 experiencing developmental issues. 

 The physical and development issues associated with exposure to sodium valproate in the womb are referred to as Foetal Valproate Syndrome (FVS). 

 Issues associated with FVS can include: 

 Physical defects 

 Spina bifida (where the spinal cord fails to develop properly causing problems such as paralysis, muscle weakness and incontinence) 

  • Heart problems (due to malformation of the heart) 
  • Cleft lip/cleft palate 
  • Facial characteristic (e.g. epicanthic eye folds and a small upturned nose) 
  • Skeletal issues (including deformation of the feet, contraction of small joints and long overlapping fingers) 
  • Genital issues (e.g. the urinary tract terminating on the underside of the penis) 

 Development issues 

  • Delays in walking 
  • Delays in talking 
  • Poor speech & language skills 
  • Memory issues 
  • Below average intelligence 

Claiming compensation for foetal valproate syndrome 

If your child has been affected by foetal valproate syndrome, this is likely to have a profound effect on their life and yours. Children with FVS often require significant help and support throughout their lives, including medical treatments, physical therapy and ongoing care support.  

While much of this support can be accessed through the NHS, many parents must also fund at least some of the treatments and services their child needs themselves. This is why parents of children with foetal valproate syndrome should consider pursuing compensation wherever possible. 

Foetal valproate syndrome compensation may be substantial, allowing you to cover all of the costs associated with helping your child with their condition and allowing them to live a full, happy life. These claims are complicated, however, so it is strongly recommended to consult with a solicitor specialising in FVS claims to give yourself the best chance of a positive outcome for you and your child. 

Three Fantastic Fashion Options for Cool Summer Nights

I love the fact that the warmer weather is now with us. It feels good to be able to get out more and spend time having fun with the family. We like eating outside and staying in the yard after the sun has gone down. With the right yard accessories and clothing, you can maximize everyone’s outdoor time.

Versatile kimonos If you click here you will see that, for SS19, kimonos are very on trend. They are a great item of clothing for donning when the sun goes down and the temperature drops. Kimonos are typically lightweight, very comfortable and available a range of lengths. You can buy them for everyone in the family because they are a unisex item.

Potentially, you can get a lot of wear out of a kimono. They look good pretty much whatever you wear them with. Kimonos are lightweight enough to be taken on holiday and used as an alternative to a summer jacket. They are also ideal for wearing over the top of your swimming costume, at lunchtime. Kimonos are acceptable attire in most cafes and casual restaurants.

Shrugs

If you want to cover up your bare arms without adding an additional layer of clothing over the rest of your body, a shrug is an answer. They are an item of clothing many women never wear. This is a pity because shrugs are far more useful than you think. Once you have owned and worn one, the chances are you will become a bit of a fan. The trick is finding one that works for your body type. This article explains how to find jackets and shrugs that will flatter you and fit in with the way you like to dress.

A wrap

Wraps are a very useful fashion accessory. They are the ideal way to finish off a date night outfit or to wear for a wedding. Provided you choose one that is relatively neutral color-wise, you will be able to wear it whenever you want.

If it is big enough, you can use it as an alternative to a blanket. They are typically made from very lightweight fabric which means that you should not get too warm when using them like this. Plus, you could fold it up and use it to sit on. Just what you need if you have a metal bench or chairs.

It is also worth choosing one that is light enough to be packed for a holiday. You could potentially use it as an alternative to a sarong. If you like to dry out in the sun rather than towel yourself down you could even spread it on the sand

and lay on it. To be able to do that you would need to buy one that is made from a tightly woven fabric. You can read more of my fashion related articles by clicking here. I update this section on a fairly regular basis, so there is usually something fresh and interesting for you to enjoy reading.

4 Things You Can Do to Protect Your Home From Damage Caused By Pests

Buying a new home is said to be one of the biggest investments that most people will ever make in their lifetime. Therefore, as the years begin to roll on, every homeowner must be able to protect their investment so that the overall value will not fall significantly over time. This is also one of the primary reasons why many homeowners take its upkeep, maintenance, and home improvement projects very seriously each year, especially when the owner of the home is identifying ways to protect their family from pests infestations along with the home itself from the unnecessary damages that they cause.

With these and other issues related to pests infestations, here are four things that you should consider as you make provisions to keep the home clean, fresh and updated with modern features and amenities.

1. Be Proactive — Devise a Pest Proof Plan for Your Entire Home

If you really want to protect your family from having to deal with pests infestations, you will need to be diligent about creating a Moxie Pest Control plan for your home to eliminate the possibilities of these little critters taking up residence in any part of its structure. Thankfully, there is a huge amount of information today on devising an effective proactive plan, which includes doing home improvement projects that are designed to keep them out at all cost. For instance, you may want to hire a professional contractor to seal and repair openings. This contractor will assess the home in advance to inspect the basement and other areas for gaps and cracks. These openings can usually be found in virtually any place around the home, including utility meters, exterior outlets, laundry vents and any other areas that will make it easy for bugs and other little critters to come in.

2. Understand What Pests Found in the Home Can Do– Shatters Happy Home Image

Most people may like to think about that cute home with a white picket fence, especially since it is a simple and attractive picture to visualize. Although this is true, this picture can easily be flawed when the family begins to find pests like mice, termites, and bugs in different areas. In fact, it is not uncommon for the beautiful and comfortable looking living quarters to easily turn into a place where you can see a mouse or two running freely in any room of the home. So if you want to restore the image of your happy home, it is important that the necessary steps be taken immediately.

3. What Should the Family Do When They Find Pests in the Home

Though these problems can occur at anytime, you should always know what your family should do to get rid of these problems completely. One of the most essential and highly recommended is to contact professionals in the industry that know how to assess the extent of the infestation so that they can provide a viable solution. Simply stated, if someone in the home spots these unwanted pests, they should call a local pest control professional as soon as possible to keep them from spreading. These pest control specialists are equipped with the skills, experience, knowledge, equipment and the tools to get rid of these pests completely so that they will never return again. This is because the expertise that they acquire teaches them

how to eradicate different types of pests with the best chemical solutions and remedies in the industry.

4. Damage Caused to the Home By Severe Pest Infestation

There are many different reasons for taking care of these problems before they escalate into full-blown infestations. Once some of these pests infiltrate the home’s walls, roofing, furniture and other things that they can hide in, they can begin to do damage that can be seen and unseen. In some cases, the only way to assess the damage that comes from pests is via the use of smart equipment and technology used by professionals in the pest control industry. These professionals can help to identify severe damage that has been done and they will also recommend a solution to make the necessary repairs.

How to Treat Jet Lag Naturally

With advancements in aviation technology coupled with lower fares, more and more people are flying today than ever before. Despite making the world a much smaller place, travelling greater distances in which you can traverse multiple time zones on a single flight brings with it a problem that is synonymous with modern-day air travel: jet lag.

For many people, especially expectant mothers, treating jet lag without the use of medication is a priority. Here are a few tips for dealing with jet lag symptoms naturally.

When in Rome

You just landed in Heathrow airport after an overnight flight from New York. You may have caught a quick nap here and there, but for the most part, you are feeling a bit worn and ragged. What is your body telling you to do as soon as you check in to your hotel room?

If it is telling you to take a nap, don’t listen!

This advice may sound counterintuitive because you have always heard that it is important to be in tune with what your body is telling you. But when it comes to battling jet lag, you are getting the wrong message. Stay awake and don’t go to bed until the local bedtime hours.

The Hydrate-Caffeinate Equation

What is the most important beverage for a marathon runner? Water.

What is the second most important beverage for a marathon runner? Caffeine – as in coffee.

The majority of Olympic athletes drink coffee to improve their performance. Also increasing mental alertness, the benefits of caffeine for marathoners have been well documented over the years.

If you have just disembarked from a plane after a marathon flight, why not follow the lead of elite athletes? Treat yourself to a healthy and reasonable dose of coffee. For someone who weighs 150 pounds (68 kilograms), a 16-ounce cup should do the trick.

Of course, don’t forget to drink water too. Even when you are not travelling, the standard recommendation is to drink eight 8-ounce glasses daily. If you haven’t been doing that, staying hydrated as a means of overcoming jet lag is the perfect time to start.

Get Out and About

The last thing you want to do when you’re dealing with jet lag is to vegetate in front of the telly in your hotel room.

Besides getting out in the sunlight – which by the way is also a great natural prescription for overcoming a feeling of sluggishness after a long flight – being out and about will give you a

much-needed boost of energy. This energy will carry you through the first day so that you can get to bed at the proper local time and sleep well.

Taking in a few of the nearby local sites will also make you feel good because you didn’t waste the first day of your trip trying to “catch-up” on sleep.

Don’t Make a Meal Of It

It is common knowledge that you should adjust your meal-times to the local clock. But what should you eat when you do sit down to dinner that first night? Foods from chicken to cherries and bananas will help your body to reset its clock and get you out of the jet lag fog faster. Pasta is also a good choice for a meal.

Conversely, stay clear of processed, fatty foods which will cause your digestive system to work overtime, and will make you feel like taking an after-dinner nap.

You should also resist the temptation to drink wine or alcohol of any kind because it will exacerbate any lingering feelings of fatigue. Following this advice may be hard to do, especially if your travels have taken you to wine country in France or Italy. But remember, this is only the first day of your trip, and you will have plenty of time to sample the local varieties without the jet lag hangover.

Finally, and regardless of what you eat, don’t overdo it. You only have to think back to your last festive season dinner to know why this is important.

Sure and Steady

Despite taking every preventative measure you can to deal with jet lag before boarding the plane, you cannot avoid it entirely.

Whether you are eating, getting out for an active stroll or powering down caffeine, do not overdo it the first day. A sure and steady approach to all activities is the ticket.

Also keep in mind that while everyone is different, generally speaking, it will take you anywhere from three to five days for your body to recover from jet lag. Be patient, especially since you get to do it all over again on your return flight. It might be a good idea to book a couple of days off from work when you get home.

6 Home Remedies for Oily Skin

Oily skin can be caused by a whole host of things, including diet, hormones, environmental factors, and cosmetics. While many people tend to think of oily skin as a problem that plagues teenagers, it can persist throughout adulthood. It can even emerge for the first time as you approach middle age – and it never gets less annoying.

A greasy complexion can cause your make-up to wear off more quickly, and can clog your pores, leading to blackheads and pimples. That’s not even mentioning that oily skin can reflect light, causing you to shine like a beacon in photos. We all want a ‘glow,’ but not like this!

Getting rid of oily skin can be quite tricky, as you can accidentally go too far in the opposite direction. Harsh exfoliants and astringents can actually strip your face of necessary oils (sebum), and cause your skin to increase oil production. The result is dry, flaky skin, and the early onset of wrinkles. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways that you can get rid of oily skin without damaging

your face. Here are six tried and true home remedies that can help you wave goodbye to oily skin.

1. Wash your face with a gentle cleanser

This first point almost seems too obvious, but there is an art and a science to washing your face correctly. Attacking it too often or too vigorously with an astringent will dry your skin out, but using something too rich in oils or butters can add to the problem. The best way to clean your face is to apply a gentle foaming cleanser with clean, damp hands, and massage the product into your skin with an even pressure. Rinse with warm water, and pat dry with a clean towel. Resist the urge to scrub your skin with anything exfoliating more than once per week.

2. Create a soothing mask from organic yogurt

Oily skin can be a breeding ground for all kinds of nasty bacteria, some of which can cause acne and breakouts. One way to soothe your skin and fight bacteria is to make a mask from organic yogurt. Plain yogurt is packed with probiotics that will fight the bad bacteria and settle your skin. To use this home remedy, simply place a thin layer of organic yogurt on your skin and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water and pat dry with a clean towel.

3. Apply aloe vera to your face

Aloe vera is a plant with many medicinal properties, and it can help to balance your body’s pH levels, evening out the sebum production in your skin. To make use of aloe vera on your face, simply squeeze the naturally occurring gel from a frond of the plant. Apply a thin layer on your face, and rinse with warm water after 10 minutes.

If you are using commercially packaged aloe vera, make sure that it has not been mixed with alcohol. While alcohol will have an instant drying effect, it will damage your skin over time.

4. Keep blotting papers on hand

Blotting papers are a quick and easy solution for oily skin, perfect for your handbag. They absorb all of the excess oil on your face and leave your skin looking matte and dry. They won’t address the problem at its root, but they can be a lifesaver when you are out and about. While you can buy these thin papers in small packs from most drugstores, you can also make them yourself. Simply cut rice paper (or even tissue paper) into squares and keep them in a container for use as needed.

5. Cucumbers help heal and soothe oily skin

Cucumbers are not only mildly astringent and loaded with vitamins, they are also soothing and cooling, all properties that are perfect for oily skin. You can simply rub thick slices of cucumber on your face, or you can mash them to a pulp and apply like a mask. Do this a few times a week, and you will see a big improvement in your skin.

6. Make a mask from cosmetic clay

Cosmetic clays are incredibly absorbent, perfect for soaking up excess oil without drying out your skin. In fact, many clays (such as French green clay, bentonite, and kaolin, often sold in powdered form) can also be used to treat irritated or sensitive skin.

You can make your own soothing mask by mixing 1 tablespoon of French green clay with rose water, until it has the consistency of pudding. Apply this to your face and allow it to dry, and then rinse with warm water.

Take Your Garden from Blah to Brilliant

The summer is going to be here before you know it, and you’re already thinking about all of the backyard parties you’re going to be hosting. There’s the Father’s Day BBQ, your daughter’s graduation party, and of course, lighting off fireworks on the Fourth of July.

But as you’re daydreaming about all the fun events to come, you look out the window into the backyard and see the less than impressive state that your garden is in. Whether your garden took a hard hit over the winter or your green thumb just hasn’t been working with you lately, check out our tips to take your garden from blah to brilliant before the summer is here!

1. Give Your Garden Beds Some TLC

Though weeding your garden beds and laying down some fresh mulch might not be the most exciting of gardening chores, it makes a huge difference in the overall appearance of your space. Plus, getting some weeding done now will make maintaining your garden beds a whole lot easier when the summer comes around. No one likes sweating it out every day pulling weeds in the hot sun!

2. Plant a Fresh Row of Flowers

While weeding is a bit of a chore, planting some fresh flowers is a much more enjoyable gardening task! Hit up your local garden nursery and pick a variety of annuals to add a pop of color to your back, side, and front yard.

Photo by Krystina Rogers on Unsplash

Remember to choose flowers that are best suited for the conditions that you have in your yard. And if your planting flowers a bit later in the season, consider choosing some summer flowers that will bloom when the spring bulbs are done for the year!

3. Rid Your Garden of Annoying Pests

While bugs and creepy crawlies are just a natural part of the garden, they can be super frustrating when they eat away at all of your hard work! Rather than giving into those bugs that keep eating away at your tomato plants, consider trying an eco-friendly repellent instead! Skip the insecticides, and try a homemade roach or ant killer instead.

Having a garden that’s entirely free of pests simply isn’t possible, but deterring some from feasting on your vegetable garden is definitely possible, and will help make your garden look nice, too!

4. Establish a Breathtaking Entryway

You know what they say, first impressions are everything. By establishing a beautiful entryway to your garden, you’re preparing your guests for just how marvelous your backyard space is! If your backyards entryway is just gravel or grass right now, consider installing some stepping stones and a wooden garden arbor to help naturally lead your guests to the backyard.

 

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Additionally, add some solar pathway lights to illuminate the way back to the front of the house when the party is over. These solar lights won’t add any additional cost to your power bill and they’ll help make the path safer for those who might be prone to tripping around in the dark!

You could also use seasonal decorations like a garden flag.  Get residental flagpoles and show your patriotism with displaying your national flag, or celebrate the seasons and holidays of the year with fun, colorful flags for fall, Halloween, Christmas, Easter and more!

5. Create a Gathering Place for Family and Friends

Nothing makes a backyard feel more special (and brilliant) than a comfy, cozy space for family and friends to gather and laugh the night away. Consider investing in a pergola to add a shady place for your loved ones to hang out in when they need a break from that hot summer sun.

Photo by Tanny Do on Unsplash

Add in a set of outdoor couches and a fire pit for all those outdoor summer gatherings. Or, if you’re more keen on outdoor dinners when the weather allows it, build your own outdoor table that will offer you plenty of space to enjoy the outdoors over a homecooked meal with the whole family!

6. Build a Treehouse For Your Kids

Nothing gets your kids outside quite like building them a place to hang out that’s all theirs. Treehouses encourage your kids to explore their imagination and creativity while getting to enjoy the outdoors. There are a wide variety of treehouse plans available for free online, many of which don’t even require a tree!

Get your kids involved in the process by having them help you hammer wood planks together or decorate the interior when it’s all put together.

7. Add Some Vertical Visual Interest

Sometimes when we’re planning our spring garden out, it’s easy to forget about all of the vertical space we have available to ourselves! If you have space on your fence or the side of your house, you have space for another potential garden bed! Get creative and figure out the best way to utilize your space. You can grow climbing vines with the help of a trellis, or you can grow a vertical herb garden to provide your kitchen with fresh garden flavor all year round!

8. Welcome Some Feathered Friends to Your Space

There’s nothing quite like the sounds of a songbird to make a space feel one with nature. Invite feathered friends to your backyard by adding a bird feeder (or two) and a bird bath.

Photo by Dan Wayman on Unsplash

Chat with your local pet store about what kind of seed is best for the birds in your area and set up the feeders in a space where you can see them from your window. Be patient, and sooner or later you’ll see a whole flock of birds stopping by for a quick snack!

9. Go Eco-Friendly With a Rain Barrel

If you live in a part of the world that gets lots of rain, consider installing a rain catchement system. Rather than sending your rainwater down a storm drain, collect it and use it to water your plants and grass or wash your car.

Utilizing rain barrels will help reduce your water bill during the summer and allows you to water your plants with something other than city tap water. Additionally, if you’re dealing with any erosion problems at your home due to rainwater runoff from your roof, collecting the water rather than letting it settle into the soil can work wonders on your yard’s overall appearance.

10. Add Some Mood Lighting

Who says the outdoor party has to end once the sun goes down? Consider lining the perimeter of your yard with some solar string lights! Charging during the day and coming on at sundown, solar lights won’t increase your home’s energy bill and they will encourage your guests to linger at the party for just a bit longer.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Alternatively, decorate your garden with pathway lights to illuminate those dark walkways that could really use some more visibility.

How are you preparing your garden for the summer to come? What parties are you hosting? Let us know in the comments below!

Bio: Leigha Staffenhagen is the managing editor of Insteading.com, a homesteading and sustainability site focusing on everything from gardening and chickens to tiny homes and off-grid living.

The 3 Best Electrical Maintenance Practices

You’ve invested some significant amount of your money on your electrical system and devices and so, it’s important that you get maximum value for the investment. Unfortunately, lack of proper maintenance triples the failure rate of your electrical components and increases their maintenance costs by almost the same magnitude. You might be tempted to think that electrical services  are costly, but when that idea crosses your mind, just imagine the risk you are putting yourself and other people into and the high costs that you are likely to incur as a result of having poorly maintained electrical equipment or system.  If you want to get maximum value from your electrical equipment, you can’t afford to ignore the following three best electrical maintenance practices.

  • Maintenance planning

Corrective and preventive maintenances should be carried out in an organized way to ensure that the desired outcomes are achieved. Primarily, as you do the planning, you should create a work order system including the maintenance service to be done, the people who’ll be doing it, when it’s expected to be done and the reasons of the service. Also, you or the person undertaking the maintenance service should write down the procedure for the work and when the time for the execution comes, the plan should be followed strictly. This documentation helps the electricians involved to focus precisely on the service needed and paid for, and in the identification of the personnel assigned to a specific task for responsible reporting. Most importantly, the written down plan will help you to get an accurate estimate of the labor, materials, and the time that the maintenance practice is expected to need for its comprehensive implementation.

  1. Preventive maintenance

The main aim of an electrical preventive maintenance program is to minimize down-time of a system or device and maintain its safety to an acceptable and manageable level. Essentially, an effective electrical preventive maintenance program includes cleaning, inspection and lubrication as well as regular performance and integrity testing of electrical equipment or system. Since some of the activities of preventive maintenance can be invasive to the production process of a business or organization, it’s advisable to have the maintenance done when equipment is de-energized or not running. During the maintenance process, the persons in charge of it should identify the equipment which has the most influence on the production or safety of the environment and give it most of their attention. As such, they need to be familiar with the operation and technical risks of the equipment and how to fix it in case of an issue.

  1. Predictive maintenance

Predictive electrical maintenance involves non-invasive activities that are performed as electrical equipment or system is running. This maintenance aims at discovering potential failure modes that the system or equipment is experiencing to predict the ultimate failure should the failure modes be ignored. Some of the activities involved in this kind of maintenance are insulating oil sample analysis, partial discharge testing, walk-through inspections and infrared thermographic surveys.

The best way to minimize downtime and maintenance expenses of your electrical devices or systems is to ensure that proactive measures are taken to avert their possible issues and to fix problems as soon as they arise. Besides, this will help you to optimize the lifespan of the devices and reduce related safety risks.

What is Global Montessori Plus Programme and how does it benefit expat kids

One expat parent to another – it can be frustrating to find a school in your area that suits your child’s learning needs perfectly. There’s the location to consider, the school’s worth, the staff, facilities, as well as its offered curricula. All these are factors that you need to consider before enrolling your kids – and the latter of which can heavily affects his or her development.

So, what is the Global Montessori Plus Programme? In a nutshell, it is an award-winning programme that offers a combination of the reputed Montessori method with best practices of modern pre-school education. Initiated by GIIS, it is currently the only international pre-school curriculum of its kind and utilizes five pillars that provides preschoolers a strong foundation in their student life.

Accelerated literacy and numeracy programme emphasises on fluency in the four major skills of language, which includes Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing or LSRW. The programme also concentrates on accelerated numeracy or Math skills.

Multi-faceted learning aims to boost multiple intelligences in every child. Knowing that each child is different, it is intended to nurture intrinsic personality traits by addressing all eight intellectual capacities of the brain (also called Multiple intelligences). This tactic promotes the holistic growth of the child.

iCare Programme is designed at sensitising children towards the community and the environment. Participation is key to evolving bonds and hence under iCare children are stimulated to get involved in activities that call for communication with community members or the environment. Under iCare universal values like honesty, integrity, punctuality, and kindness are also taught at a young age to build character.

iPlay Programme. Children continually interact with their environment and absorb it, especially through processes like assimilation and accommodation of data. The freedom to make choices about what they prefer to play, how they want to play and whom they want to play with allows children to learn skills such as co-operation, management, and independence.

Future-ready programme has been designed to provide an early start to young children to key disciplines of the 21st century. By presenting students to the fun side of Science, Technology, Robotics, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics, this teaches them to love these STREAMs in a fun and enjoyable way. In the process, kindergarten students learn the basics of the subjects and grow an understanding of logic.

The adoption of a dynamic, hands-on approach to teaching young learners inspires active participation and creativity, while directed active play and interaction promote social skills and help young learners develop vital mental capabilities, such as spatial awareness and critical thinking.

What is the “Plus”?

“The Plus” is based on GMP’s compelling value proposition and its customization of Maria Montessori’s method via the integration of original theory and modern research and insights. In fusing the essentials of formal learning with the modern innovative learning tools, the methodology offers unique and extraordinary growth and growth opportunities for students.

As an expat parent, you naturally want the best education a school in your current vicinity offers for your child without him or her feeling too culturally dominated. GIIS is one of the top international preschools in Singapore that offers the Global Montessori Plus Program as well as the full benefits of enrolling in a child-friendly environment which focuses on personal development while building academic expertise.