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5 Activities You Can Do With Your Kids This Summer

Summer is a great time for kids to try new things and for families to connect. There are countless activities you can try out, from sampling new foods to learning a skill like fishing or knitting. Whatever your kids are interested in, summer is a great time to relax in a low-stress environment.

 

Don’t let summer slip away without doing any of these quintessential activities. Step away from the smartphones and video games so you can focus on these fun experiences.

 

1. Reconnect with nature.

 

It’s easy to get caught up in work and school during the rest of the year, especially during the winter when it’s too cold to go out. However, summer is a great time for getting outside and relearning why you love the outdoors so much.

 

Start by hiking on a small scale: visit your nearby park and see if you can spot any animals or insects. You can use your smartphone to identify them and learn what makes them unique. Then, branch out to state and national parks for more advanced hiking and breathtaking views.

 

If you live in an area with a rainy summer, invest in a Stroller Buzz Universal Rain Cover & Weather Shield so you don’t have to worry about getting caught in a stray shower.

 

2. Get creative with arts and crafts.

Without the stress of school, your kids can get creative! This might mean going to an art camp or spending the night with friends painting a masterpiece. Look for ways for your kids to express themselves creatively and see where their imaginations take them.

 

If you want to facilitate opportunities to be creative, check out Paint Loose, which offers DIY kits and craft supplies so you can make your own art. Your kids can even decorate their rooms with the art they created!

 

 

3. Head to the water.

One of the best parts about summer is splashing in cool bodies of water, whether this means heading to the beach or stopping at the neighborhood swimming pool. Grab the sunscreen and floaties and head out to cool off in the nearest body of water. If you are looking to explore new areas, seek out a beautiful lake or float down a river for a change of scenery. These trips will make your kids more confident in the water while giving them a fun afternoon out.

 

 

4. Learn at the community center.

With a little research, learning can be fun and affordable. Many recreation centers and city parks departments offer summer camps or daily activities for kids. Younger kids can attend a storytime event at the local library while older kids can join a youth robotics club. These activities can help kids explore their passions and find out what they like doing.

 

When looking for activities, try to sign up for multiple different clubs or groups. While your child might want to take a dance class, they might decide they really enjoy playing soccer more. You don’t want to overwhelm your child, but you do want to expose them to new ideas.

 

5. Enjoy a night under the stars.

 

Summer means forgetting about your bedtime and staying up late. Let your kids spend a few nights this summer enjoying the night sky, either through camping in a nearby park or simply by watching the moon rise and identifying different constellations. Fireworks offer another great reason to look at the sky at night, so be sure to check out any 4th of July or Labor Day events in your area.

 

The summer always flies by fast, and before you know it your kids will be back in school and worrying about tests and homework. Make sure they enjoy their break and relax with fun activities.

4 Signs Your Older Parent May Require Assisted Living

 

As we get older, it’s not uncommon to start needing more help with everyday tasks. As our bodies become more vulnerable to illness and injury. Moving to a retirement home is something that a lot of older people require doing in order to, and sure they’re well looked after. In order to ensure that the needs of older loved ones are met, assisted living may be necessary.

 

Before making the decision to put your older loved one in an assisted living facility, you should determine that they are showing signs that it’s necessary. Take a look at some of the biggest red flags tight your older parent may need to move into an assisted living facility.

 

Declining Health

 

If your older parent suddenly starts to become noticeably unhealthy, then it’s an indication that they may not be able to look after themselves very well. As older people age, their bodies become more vulnerable.

Many of them require medication, which can be difficult for them to remember to take in their older age. An assisted living environment ensures that someone will always be there to ensure that they’re taking their medications.

 

Forgetting Important Details

 

As you get older, your memory starts to decline. It’s not uncommon to forget where you left your phone or even your house keys. However, in some cases, you may start forgetting important details like birthdays or even paying bills.

It’s helpful to have someone there to ensure that you don’t forget important details. A lack of memory could indicate a more serious problem like dementia. An assisted living facility ensures that you always have someone there to help you remember.

 

Poor Hygiene

 

As seniors age, it gets more difficult to do things that once were quite simple. Something aking a shower can become a monumental task. Older people may find it difficult to be able to look after themselves, and therefore avoid it altogether.

If your older parent starts looking disheveled or even dirty, it could be a sign of a bigger problem period at some point. It’s essential to ask someone to help with hygiene. That way, you don’t have to worry about your loved one looking and feeling their best.

 

Home In Disarray

 

If your loved ones’ home starts looking like it hasn’t been cleaned in a while, or if there are piles of papers that seemed to have no rhyme or reason, it may be time to start looking at retirement homes. A messy living space is often a reflection of a messy mind.

Sometimes details get too challenging for older people to deal with. As a result, they usually start to neglect their home. An assisted living facility will take care of all of the cleaning so that they don’t have to.

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Must-Have Fall Wardrobe Pieces for You and Your Little One

When the weather cools and there’s pumpkin spice everywhere, you know you’re officially into fall. And thank heavens! I’m always up for some memorable summer fun with the family, but we’ve been looking forward to saner temperatures and smaller electric bills.

Besides, I personally like pumpkin spice. I know, I know–it’s cliché, but that doesn’t make those fall concoctions any less tasty.

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But speaking of hot, there are some adorable fashion choices out there for you and your little gal! Autumn’s layering look is my favorite. Here’s what we’ve been seeing so far in the fashion mags.

  1. Equestrian-style Boots with Twirl Dresses

Boots up to the knee are always popping onto must-have lists, but this year we’re not seeing them with those skinny minis like usual. Look for thick tights in fall-friendly colors that appear durable enough for an afternoon ride.

Little girl’s boots also go great with little girl twirl dresses by Presley Couture. These absolutely adorable dresses come in just about every color imaginable and are a great foundation for layering. I love the reasonable pricing, too! I want them all.

Women’s dresses in the twirl style also make for a lovely combination with your leather boots and can be dressed up or down for just about any occasion.

Jackets

The word is out–crop jackets are in. Top that flirty dress with a cute crop or a belted jacket for a more professional or tailored look. They’ll keep you and your girl cozy, but also can be shed if the weather dips back into an Indian summer.

Express your own personal style with some nubby fabric, earthy stripes, classic denim or whatever spins your beanie.

Scarves and Shawls

What I love, LOVE about the Riish website is their scarves. They have a lot of to-die-for tunics and accessories, too–and with modest fashion currently à la mode, you can pick up some great pieces. But their scarves are still my favorite.

They’re reasonable, they carry casual or glamorous styles, and they’re large enough to make a chunky knot under your chin that looks great with a fall jacket. Or you can forgo the jacket entirely and drape the fabric artistically as a shawl.

Also, if you’re in a pinch and we’re still in the times of Covid, you can swirl it around as a head covering and form a makeshift mask.

If you’re using the scarf as a shawl, style it with a pretty pin that keeps the fabric in an attractive drape and secures it from slipping off into a puddle on the floor.

What I particularly appreciate about these autumnal fashion must-haves is that they may be hot at the moment, but they’ll also never completely go out of style, either. They’re good basics for your wardrobe you’ll use again and again.

Unfortunately, your girl will probably outgrow the boots before she can use them for multiple seasons, but the twirl dresses are also lovely in spring and summer. Just don’t layer over the dress and pair it instead with some comfy sandals.

Take lots of pictures! These days with your little girl staying little go too fast.

 

Make Your House Awesome, and Then Sell It for a Profit!

Are you looking to make a little bit of extra money? If so, consider that real estate may be just the ticket. And a specific subset of that concept would be that you can make the house that you’re living in awesome, and then sell it for a profit. There are several different ways to approach this money-making opportunity. The more you plan and understand your environment and social circumstances, the better your chance for making a good chunk of change from your efforts.

Take three ideas and start with them. First, there’s the concept that you can sell your house for cash. Depending on where you are in life, this may get you exactly the kind of profit that you want quickly. In another method, perhaps you buy a house just to flip it. There is a science behind maximizing your value in this process. And third, you can look at DIY design ideas that will give you a great return on investment when establishing your house as something that you want to sell soon.

Cash for Your House

If you currently own your home and are looking to make a profit, one of the best ways to do this is to sell your house for cash. There are several different ways to make this happen. You can sell your home to a private owner for cash. Or, you can find a company that buys houses for cash and create a way for them to give you an offer. When it comes to housing, cash transfers and purchases tend to cut through a lot of the red tape. Because there are not additional loans, interest rates, or other factors in the way, cold hard cash tends to be a hot commodity when moving deeds and titles to property around.

The Purpose of Flipping

If you are a hard charger, consider that getting into flipping houses may be right up your alley. There is an art and a science to this. First, you have to know that there is even a possibility that you could buy a house on a piece of property, fix it, and then sell it for more money. Geography will sometimes get in your way. But, if you have determined that this is a possibility, the next thing to do is figure out how to maintain your best ROI on every stage of your home improvement process.

DIY Design Ideas To Get You Started

Finally, if you want to make money by selling your house, perhaps work your way through a few DIY design ideas. Initially, this may only improve your home’s aesthetics, but if you choose the right project, you can spend $100 doing something that will improve the value of your house by $1000. Get creative with how you intend on doing the math, and then jump right in.

 

3 Tips For Recognizing A Home With Good Bones

With interest rates as low as they’ve been in recent memory, many people are on the hunt for a reasonably priced home that they may not have been able to afford even earlier this year. However, just because a home is within your price range doesn’t mean that it’s going to be a smart purchase for you, especially if you’re planning on taking on a fixer upper.

To help you in making this decision, here are three tips for recognizing a home with good bones that you should buy as a fixer upper.

Love The Location First

When you’re going to be changing a lot of things within the home anyway, you’re going to want to be sure that you absolutely love the things about the home that you can’t or won’t change. And according to Sarah Li Cain, a contributor to Bankrate.com, the all-important factor here is location.

As long as the home is in an area and a neighborhood that you love, any renovations that you do to it will just add to how much you appreciate that property. But if you don’t like where the home is or the lot that it’s on, there’s a good chance that you’ll wind up regretting your decision to purchase that home, even after you’ve made all the renovations that you wanted. So to avoid buyers remorse, make sure you love the location first.

Make Primarily Cosmetic Changes

For a home to have good bones, the main structure of the home is going to have to be sound and able to remain intact. According to Jeffrey Rothfelder, a contributor to This Old House, this means that you’re going to want to pick a home that primarily only requires cosmetic changes.

When you’re looking at the property, try to find a home that has hardwood flooring that only needs some refinishing, walls that only require minor patches or repairs, lighting that could be updated with some new fixtures, and a kitchen or bathrooms that don’t need to be completely gutted. If you can’t find these things in the home you’re looking at, the “bones” of the home may not be as good as you think.

Consider The Windows

There are usually a lot of things within a home that you can change without having to knock everything down and start from scratch. But according to Kate Reggev, a contributor to Architectural Digest, one thing that isn’t always easy to mess with is the windows. Because windows often have to do with the structure and layout of the home, you should try to find a home that already has windows that face the direction you want and are in the location that you want.

If you’re wanting to find a home with good bones that you can renovate to make your dream home, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you find the right property for you.

How To Ship Fragile Goods Without Fear

Shipping products can be demanding, but shipping fragile items can be even more stressful. Extra care is required because if anything gets broken or damaged, you may have to bear the loss and if you are shipping it to a customer, you may be faced with an unhappy one.

Fragile items are things that that can be easily broken, such as glassware, antiques or more.  These delicate items can be made of any material such as crystal and ceramic, and they need extra attention before shipping.

So, if you plan to ship fragile items in your eCommerce business, be prepared to pack and ship them properly.  Do read on to find some tips on the best packing materials to use, how to protect them for shipping and what is the best shipping method for fragile items.

Best Packing Material for Fragile Items

Choosing the best packing material is of ultimate importance when it comes to shipping fragile items.  Some of the top materials to use are:-

  • Packing tape for securing boxes.
  • It is important to have a properly-sized box. The item should be packed snugly in a box but leaving enough room for packaging materials to help safely transport the product.
  • Be sure to use multiple layers of bubble wrap to wrap the delicate item for extra protection.
  • Airbags are great for filling the empty space left in the box as well as for items with sharp edges.
  • Packing peanuts can also be used for filling in any voids in the box. The best is to layer the box with some packing peanuts on the bottom, place the item in and fill the rest of the box in with the remaining packing peanuts.
  • Another simple but effective material for filling in gaps in your shipping box is crumpled craft paper.  Place about two inches of crumpled paper between the fragile item and the wall of the box.
  • You can also use corrugated inserts to strengthen the package and increase its durability.
  • Close the box and tape it securely. Tape the box multiple times to ensure it stays safe during transport.

How Do You Ship Fragile Items Without The Fear of Breaking It?

It is a question we hear every day. To begin shipping fragile items, be sure to do the following:

  • Carefully pack the object in a shipping box with sufficient amount of packing materials.
  • Research couriers and choose the best one based on factors like cost, delivery time and best value.
  • Obtain shipping insurance to minimize risks during transport.
  • Schedule a pickup for your package or drop it off at the courier location.

Before selecting the best shipper for your fragile items, you need to know where you want to ship it and who offers the best value shipping solutions at the most affordable rates. Searching for the right shipping service to move fragile goods can be time-consuming.  This where Shiply, an online shipping marketplace can help.  Simply fill up a few simple details about your fragile goods and the rated shipping companies from their platform will send you personalized quotes that is often 75% cheaper than normal rate.

  • Shipping fragile items either locally or internationally requires special care. Remember to always protect your items with proper packaging materials and take extra care when packing them up.

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3 Tips For Packing Food For A Hunting Or Camping Trip

If you’re planning on taking a hunting or camping trip, there’s a pretty good chance that you’re hoping to get some of the food that you’ll be eating during your trip while you’re out in the wild. But if you don’t get your sights on that deer you were hoping to tag or the fish just aren’t biting that day, it’s good to know what you’ll have some safe and delicious food to come back to once you get to camp.

To help you with this, here are three tips for packing food for a hunting or camping trip.

Do As Much Prep At Home As You Can

Although there’s plenty of convenient foods to bring with you when you’re out in the wild, nothing can replace a good, home cooked meal after a long day of hiking or trekking through the brush. However, you also don’t necessarily want to prepare an entire meal when you’re tired at the end of the day.

To combat this issue, Jessica Lempe, a contributor to OutdoorGearrLab.com, recommends that you try to prepare as much food at home as you can. If you’re wanting to have a meal of meat and vegetables, make sure you’ve cut everything at home and even assembled it all together in some tin foil. This principle can work for a ton of different meals. So as long as you know what you’ll want to eat before you get out into the wilderness, you can prepare it at home beforehand and have it ready to cook and eat at your camp.

Bring Some Electrolytes

The physical toll that hunting, hiking, and camping can take on your body will require you to constantly be replenishing with water. But if you’re sweating a lot and working hard, which you likely will be doing, you’ll need more than just water to give your body what it needs.

Because of this, Ben Romans, a contributor to Field and Stream, recommends that you bring some electrolytes with you to stir into your water and give yourself some additional vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. These packets are light and easy to take with you, along with bringing in some flavors to brighten up your water.

Eat Your Perishable Foods First

Depending how long you’re planning to be out for your hunting or camping trip, you’ll want to be strategic about how you eat the food that you’ve brought along.

If you’ve brought anything that’s perishable, the USDA advises that you eat those foods first. Especially if those foods need to be kept at particular temperatures, be it hot or cold, you’ll want to ensure that you consume that food when it’s still safe to eat. Otherwise, you could wind up getting sick or wasting the food you packed in.

If you’re going to be taking a hunting or camping trip in the near future, consider using the tips mentioned about to help you pack in the right food for your adventure.

Top Seven Financial Tips for Property Owners

Buying an investment property is the only first step is a property owner which of the following is step is managing your property finances. There are some management requirements that you should have as a property owner. It is recommended to wisely plan for you to avoid the cost of property in investment to override their profits. If you are already real estate investor here are the top financial tips for you.

Cash out refinance on a rental property: 2020 rates and rules ...

Research your prospects

Research is the main aim when it comes to real estate. It can mean the difference between failure and success. As a property investor, you should have two main goals when purchasing your property: rental income and capital appreciation. This means that the property you want to buy should not only be able to produce a steady rental income, but also it should increase its value over time.

Purchasing property popular neighborhood will guarantee you this, but you will have to sacrifice a lot of money. For you to get the best value, it is essential to do thorough market research and determine the upcoming events. You can do get information on popular neighborhood online from sites such as Movoto.com. Once you identify the perfect region, the next thing to do is to follow their property trends in the area. You should be able to find the ideal type of property with popular tenants.

Get proper insurance

As a responsible owner, you will require to purchase insurance coverage. If you are sharing your property with anyone who entirely relies on your income to assist them in paying the mortgage, then you’ll require life insurance so that they don’t lose the property in case you die unexpectedly.

You also need disability income insurance which replaces your income in the dire circumstance that you may become disabled and you cannot work. Without revenue, you will be unable to pay the mortgage, and this will cause much more complications. Once you own a property, you have more to lose in case of a lawsuit.

Due to this, you must have excellent car insurance coverages so that in case you get an accident lawsuit against you won’t have to compensate for the collateral damage with your property.

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Keep up with the property maintenance.

One of the most significant things should do with your property; you still keep up with the property maintenance. This is critical for two reasons. First, if your property is not well maintained, you’ll face a hard time when finding and they keeping tenants. People do not want to stay in a rat-invested property with regular plumbing problems.

The second reason is under landlord-tenant law whereby you are legally responsible for keeping your property up to specific safety and health standards. This includes making sure that you are tenants have somewhere to throw their garbage and keeping the common places in good condition.

Make the proper tenant-worthy

Another significant way to successfully manage your property is by keeping your tenants happy so that they can enjoy and keep renting from you. One of the simplest things to do to keep your tenants happy is quickly responding to their repair request and making an effort to please other good tenants in the property. One of the significant reasons why tenants tend to relocate from your property is because they are not happy with their neighbors.

Hire a property manager

Managing a rental property as always overwhelming and time-consuming. Hiring a professional manager is one of the best ways to solve this issue for some property investors.

Hiring a property manager, it’s not cheap end it is a big decision to make. You will require to weigh your financial pros and cons to see hiring a property manager might be the right choice. Remember that there are lousy property managers out there who can completely dismantle property, so you need to take caution when hiring them.

You can consider working with property management companies

Probably you have various obligations, especially if you own a property such as a list is. Perhaps you may be in the second property you purchased just some time ago or bought for other purposes of renting. When one of the problems you will face is time.

Regardless of whether you are a full real-time property owner looking to earn some extra income, you may need to ensure that you are paying close attention to what is going on the ground. That is why you should consider working together with the property management company. The excellent management company can assist you with the following:

  • Collecting rent
  • maintaining contracts
  • screening tenants
  • Managing your records
  • Fingering out the amount to receive for security deposits
  • coordinating repairs

Typically, as a property owner, you will have to pay property managers a percentage for monthly rent. This amount of money is particularly worthy for property owners who have busy schedules within multiple ventures. Since the expense is predictable, they will be part of your cash flow.

For many, investing in property has turned out to be a very successful venture. However, for investors who are not lucky, it has turned out that they have incurred a lot of loss. To minimize the chances of getting into this unfortunate category, you should have a solid knowledge of property invest in first.

3 Things To Consider When Getting A Car Loan

Although most cars aren’t nearly as expensive as homes, people still will very commonly get a loan when buying a new vehicle just like they would when buying a new house. But just because the loan you’re getting likely isn’t as large when you’re getting a new car doesn’t mean that you should take it any less seriously. Since you’ll be paying for this car for months and months, it’s wise to ensure that you’re setting yourself up for financial success.

To show you how this can be done, here are three things to consider when getting a car loan.

Find The Right Lender

When getting a car loan, the first thing you should be concerned with is finding the right lender to work with.

According to Justin Pritchard, a contributor to The Balance, you can either get financing through whatever dealership you choose to buy your car from or you can secure your own financing through a financial institution. Places like banks, credit unions, or online lenders are all available for you to get a car loan from. But depending on your exact financial situation, your credit score, and other variables, the right lender for you may differ from the right lender for others. So before you settle on who you want to work with for your car loan, make sure you see what all of your options are and figure out what’s going to be the best for you in the long run.

Always Ask For A Lower Rate

Once you’ve determined what time to financing you want to use for your car loan, your next priority should be to figure out what the lowest possible interest rate you can qualify for is.

For people that don’t have good credit scores when they’re attempting to get a car loan, David Weliver, a contributor to Money Under 30, shares that you might be tempted to just take whatever interest rate you’re first given so that you can get a car loan and acquire the vehicle you need. However, Weliver recommends that you always ask your lender if there’s any loan with a lower interest rate that you qualify for. By doing this, you’ll ensure that you don’t leave any money on the table when getting a car loan.

Think About How Long You’ll Have This Car

Just because you qualify for a certain amount when getting a car loan doesn’t mean that you should plan on spending that amount of money on a car. Usually, people can get approved for more money on their car loan than is smart for them to spend.

To figure out how much you really should be spending and how much of a loan will be right for you, Reyna Gobel, a contributor to Experian.com, recommends that you think about how long you typically own a car for. If you’re planning on owning the car until it stops running, you can probably get a bigger loan with a longer repayment period. But if you’re only planning on having the car for a short period of time, you may want to get a smaller loan that you can quickly pay back.

If you’re going to get a loan for a car in the near future, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you make the right choices here.

 

3 Ways To Keep Pests Out Of Your Kitchen

While it can be hard to keep certain pests out of even the cleanest of homes, the room that’s most likely to have issues with most household pests is your kitchen. Because most pests that enter your home are only on the lookout for food, the kitchen is the best place for them to pick up and scrap you’ve left out for them.

To keep this from happening in your house, it’s wise to know the best ways to deter pests from coming into your kitchen. So to help you with this, here are three ways to keep pests out of your kitchen.

Get Proper Storage Containers

Although some of the items you buy from the store will come already in airtight containers, for those that don’t, Elisa Roland, a contributor to Reader’s Digest, recommends that you transfer anything that you get from the store into an airtight container before you place it on the shelves in your home.

By doing this, not only will you be able to keep any scent of that food to a minimum, but you’ll also ensure that no little pests are able to get into the container and eat or contaminate your food before you’re able to eat it. While getting these containers might seem like a bit of a financial investment, it’s nothing compared to what you might pay to get rid of pests once they’re infested your home.

Keep Things Clean

Because not all your food is always going to be in an airtight container, especially as you prepare and eat it, it’s important that you take your time thoroughly cleaning your kitchen on a very regular basis.

According to The Daily Meal, pests can find even the smallest of crumbs that you leave on your countertops, floor, table, and more. So if you notice something fall or happen to spill or drop food on the floor, make sure you clean it up as soon as you can so that no pests get led to your kitchen from the smell of that food.

Flush Your Kitchen Sink

One area that many people fail to think about when trying to limit the draw of pests to their kitchen is their sink.

As soon as the food leaves your sight, you might not be thinking about how pests could still smell that food and get to it. To keep this from happening in your home, Lisa Jo Lupo, a contributor to The Spruce, advises that you make sure you adequately flush anything down your drain and use your garbage disposal so that all food particles are gone from your sink. This will keep pests from getting into your kitchen and wreaking havoc with your plumbing.

If you’re wanting to make sure you don’t get unwanted pests in your home, consider using the tips mentioned above to keep your kitchen well maintained.