Tag: Lifestyle

The Pros And Cons Of Getting Married

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Lots of people talk about getting married like it’s the ultimate goal; the be all and end all. This is usually because of the way society has conditioned us to think about married. Some cultures take it very seriously indeed, and if you’re not getting married then it is frowned upon or seems strange in some cultures.

Without bringing different cultures and religions into it, there are some pros and cons of getting married that you should be aware of if you’re already unsure about tying the knot. You can stay with your partner forever without a marriage certificate, right? Read on to learn more.

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There Are Many Legalities To Getting Married

When you get married, there are many legalities that you’re expected to stick to. You and your partner are pretty much considered as one when it comes to things like saving, buying a house, and doing other big things/making big decisions.

Planning A Wedding Is Fun

Planning a wedding can be a lot of fun. Reading through wedding ebooksand other resources can make everything seem so exciting and give you lots of great ideas for your big day.

Marriage Is Old Fashioned

Some people love the idea of the tradition of marriage, others don’t. Many of the reasons people used to get married do not apply anymore, such as proving the legitimacy of children. Of course people still get married because it can be a way to celebrate your love with your partner and all of your loved ones.

Weddings Are Expensive

Not only are weddings stressful to plan, they pretty much drain all of your finances. You have outfits to buy, flowers, the venue, vendors, favors, entertainment, and so much more. The money you spend on a wedding could have easily gone on a car, a new house, or a luxury holiday. That being said, if all goes to plan, you only get married once and it could well be the best day of your life.

People View Your Relationship as More Legitimate

It doesn’t matter how legitimate you think your relationship is. Marriage will always make people look at it differently.

Marriage Could Change Your Relationship

Marriage can change a relationship, sometimes for the positive, sometimes for the negative. A successful relationship takes time, communication, and a whole host of other aspects. Marriage can change the dynamics depending on each partner’s view of the union.

Insurance And Tax Breaks

Probably one of the biggest reasons to get married in the modern day is the insurance and tax breaksyou can benefit from.

There are lots of reasons to get married and a few reasons that maybe you shouldn’t. It’s all down to you and your partner as individuals and what you feel works for you both. Don’t feel pressured to do it just because you think you should or because people are going on at you. It’s 2018 and this is totally your choice.

Leave your thoughts on marriage below!

Top Amazing Benefits of Learning How to Cook

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

If you have never learnt how to cook before or if it is something that you are interested in but you just don’t quite know how to take things to that next level then you are not alone. People across the world try and cook every single day, but if you are able to turn that necessity into a passion then you can really help yourself to be healthier and more confident. On top of all that, it is a skill that can come in very useful in your later life.

Social Status

It doesn’t matter whether you are making yourself way more marketable in terms of dating or whether you want to try and better your position at work because having skills is always important and learning how to cook or evenbakeis a great way for you to get started. You can make yourself look way more unique and appealing, not to mention that people will respect you more for it as well. If you are concerned because you know that you have never learnt how to make even the most basic of dishes before then don’t worry because everyone has to start somewhere and it really is all about taking the time to really develop as a person.

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Cooking is great for Two

Cooking doesn’t have to be hard work. Sure, some people slave over the stove but this doesn’t have to be the case. It is very easy for you to cook with your other half and cooking is now an activity that can be shared. A lot of couples love to learn new skills together and it is great if you want to try and strengthen that bond that you have. You may find that your relationship grows as a result and it is also a great way for you to learn from each other. If you are not good at one aspect of cooking then there is a high chance that your partner will be able to fill in the gaps, so do keep that in mind. Any speaker for nutritionwill tell you how great it is to know how to cook.

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Improving your Health

A lot of people choose to eatfoodthat is bad for them, purely because they don’t know how to cook a very healthy meal. They believe that they have to have some magical skill in order to whip together a great meal but this is not the case at all. If you are willing to take some classes then this is a great way for you to take things to that next level and it can also help you to develop your skills much faster as well. If you believe that you are not cut out for classes then don’t worry, you can still learn everything that you need to know at home and this is a great way for you to really fill up those long and boring weekends.

So learning how to cook is a great way for you to expand your skillset, and by taking the time to really work on your skills, you can be sure to get a positive result.

Stress-Free Parenting Isn’t a Myth–You’re Just Doing It Wrong

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

We’ve heard it all before. Parenting is stressful and it takes the life out of you. It makes you feel tired at the end of a long day and it makes you struggle to manage your own personal goals. You think about your kids all day and it becomes difficult when they start causing trouble for you. It’s understandable and completely believable that you sometimes just want to dump your children with a babysitterand have a fun night out.

Although it’s completely acceptable to do that once in a while, there are actually other ways to help lower your stress when dealing with children. In this article, we’ll be talking about stress-free parenting and why it’s not a myth, but a completely achievable reality.

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1. Get plenty of sleep

Sleep is underrated. Quality sleepis essential for helping you boost your confidence, keep your energy levels high and also help you recharge after a long day. Sleep can help regulate your mood, it can improve your focus, it can bolster your memory and it can help you fight back against illnesses. Taking afternoon naps is fine, but you’ll want to make sure that you get at least 7 hours of sleep per night. If you’re being woken up by a noisy child then learn to accept it. You can make up for lost sleep in the afternoon. If your job is affecting your ability to get quality sleep, then it may be time to take a day or two off just to give yourself a break.

2. Get rid of stress triggers

Stress can cause a number of different problems such as mental health issues, physical health issues, developing addictions and even becoming easily irritable. The last thing you want is to start shouting at your kids or even your partner, so it’s important to get rid of stress triggers. This article titled “Tips To Reduce Daily Life Stress Triggers In Addiction Recovery” will be a great guide to help you reduce your stress if you’re personally recovering from an addiction and find that having children has caused you to slump back into old depressive habits.

3. Simplify things

Keep things simple when you’re with your kids. Don’t take on more than you can handle and always streamline things. Using food preparation to help you cut down on long cooking times, stick to a schedule so that you know where you are in your day and always try to reduce the number of responsibilities you have. It’s completely normal to split your obligations with your partner and you might even find it helpful to ask your kids to learn to do simple house chores such as making the bed.

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4. Stop focusing on perfection

The “perfect” parenting voice in your head is only making things harder for you. You might feel like you’re not good enough for your children, you might get frustrated that other parents are doing better than you and it can easily spiral out of control. Don’t aim to become the perfect parent that does everything in the best way possible–someone like that doesn’t exist. What’s actually important is that you love your children and that you’re doing everything in your power to make their life comfortable as well as taking care of your own health.

5. Keep yourself active

Exercise is actually one of the best ways to keep yourself fit, focused and motivated. It’s also one of the best ways to fight against stress. Not everyone loves to go to the gym every morning, so it’s important to just add bits of physical activityhere and there to help you cope with your responsibilities. This can include walking to work instead of taking public transport, it could involve cycling with your kids or even going out to a park to play with your children.

6. Remember to have fun

You should also remember to have more fun. Far too many parents think of their daily tasks as some must-do list and they forget that they can have fun with their tasks. If you’re cleaning the kitchen, then put the radio on or some music and enjoy yourself. You can also learn to have more fun on a regular basis with your kids. If they’re playing video games, try and get interested in the same games and play with them. This can help you connect with your children and even create some friendly competition that will tighten your bond.

7. Ask for help

Remember that you’re not alone in parenting. Whether it’s calling for a local babysitter to help you look after the kids or visiting a support group for single parents, there’s plenty of help out there if you’re willing to accept it. Trying to do everything yourself will only lead to disaster, so be more mindful of how you approach parenting and realize that you’re not alone.

8. Stop multitasking

Far too many people focus on multitasking to helpthem complete more tasks in a single day. This is sadly counterproductive and it’s much better to focus on completing single tasks. Think of it this way; trying to do five things at once will only increase the time it takes to finish each task. If you just do each thing individually, then you’ll complete them faster and with less stress on your mind because you’re only focusing on a single thing.

If you live a fast-paced life and find it difficult to keep up with parenting, then it’s a good idea to take a step back and look at these eight points that we’ve just described. If you find yourself failing to do one or the other, then it’s worth taking a good look at your life and realizing where you’ve gone wrong and what you can do to improve yourself. As frustrating as parenting can be at times, it’s important to deal with all of the problems one by one so that you can live a stress-free life and raising wonderful children.

Why Isn’t My Child Meeting Important Milestones?

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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If you’re worried about your child because they always seem to be the last of their peers to reach certain milestones like saying their first words or developing motor skills, chances are there is nothing to worry about and they’re just doing things in their own time.

Although there are guidelines as to when kids should reach their important milestones, they are far from art in stone, and many kids will take a lot longer than predicted. That does not mean that there is anything to worry about. However, sometimes, there will be an underlying issue that could be keeping them back and you will need to address those.

Here are some of the most common reasons why milestones are not met to put your mind at ease and/or ensure that you get the necessary help for your child:

Hearing Loss

Depending on which stats you look at, between 2-3 of every 1000 children experiences hearing lossto some degree and this can lead to them not hitting important milestones such as developing speech. On average, children can speak between 30 and 50 words by the time they are 21 months old, with most speaking for the first time at least by the time they are 18 months old. If your child has not reached that target, but they understand speech well, it may just be that they are a late bloomer. However, if they don’t appear to understand what you’re saying, let alone being able to speak themselves, it could be that they can’t hear you well enough to do so and they may need a hearing aid or other treatments for which you will need to see a good ENT.

Asthma

If your child is able to speak, but they do not speak “correctly” and have trouble sounding out words, it could be that they are suffering from asthmawhich can make controlling the air they breath out difficult, thus making it harder to produce the right sounds. If you suspect this could be the case, seeing a doctor should be a priority.

Poor Muscle Tone

If you’re a worried parentbecause your child isn’t crawling at 8 months and hasn’t taken their first steps between 11-12 months, don’t panic yet. Is your child a little less chubby than the other babies? Does he or she have more weight on the upper body than the lower? It could be that weaker muscle tone and a top-heavy body are making it harder for them to do what they will eventually do given time – nothing to worry about.

Temperament

If your baby isn’t walking as soon as you think they should be, or they aren’t developing other motor skillsas quickly as their peers, it could also be that their temperament is the problem. You see, babies and toddlers who are more easily frustrated will push themselves to do things faster and more efficiently than babies who aren’t easily frustrated, simply so they can do what they want to do more easily. This, again, is nothing much to worry about.

Most of the time, when kids don’t hit their milestones as fast as you think they should, there’s no problem, but if they miss lots of milestones and they simply don’t appear to be making progress, you absolutely need to see a doctor because it could be the sign of a more serious illness or disorder. Your doctor should always be your first port of call!

Date Night Ideas That Will Blow Everything Else Out Of The Park

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

When you’re busy with work, children and other commitments, it can be easy to neglect your spouse in the sense of not spending enough quality time together. Queue the idea of date nights. They’re a great way of spending some quality time together, a great reason to put your best frock on, and also gives you the chance to have time away from the kids to be yourself again. However, the same date night over and over can become monotonous quickly, so it’s important to try and switch up the plan for your date nights as often as possible. Here are some date night ideas that will blow everything else out of the park.

Photo by Annie Spratton Unsplash

While you might not get the chance to spend the night away from the children very often, you should make the most of the chances that you do get. Next time you’ve got the opportunity to be child free overnight, consider booking yourself a romantic hotel near the beach. This gives you the chance to take some long romantic walks on the beach, dine in seaside restaurants, and also get away from the full on routine that you have at home for a night. Sometimes simply spending the night away can do you both the world of good!

If you and your partner enjoy a good challenge, then why not book a date night in an escape roomso that you can challenge your minds and also work together to solve the puzzles that come with escape rooms? It encourages you to work together as a team, so if you’ve been finding yourself at loggerheads with your partner, it can really help you solve any issues you have and simply have fun together!

It’s understandable that sometimes you might not have the funds to take yourselves off for a plush date, but you don’t need money to have an awesome time together! Why not have a games night with your partner? Games like Wii sports encourage you to work together (or even challenge each other) and make for a fantastic night in. Have a few drinks and gather some nibbles and you can create a brilliant night without having to spend a penny!

If there’s one thing that’s needed in every relationship, it’s a good laugh as often as possible. With stresses of life it can be easy to forget about the lighthearted things in life, and that’s why you should take yourselves off to an open mic nightwhere you can volunteer yourselves to do five minutes or so of your favourite jokes (or even your own sketch). If you don’t fancy that, simply being around comedy for an evening will have you both laughing in no time. You never know, you might be better at stand up comedy than you think!

Try these amazing ideas so that you can shake up your next date night and fall in love with each other all over again! Remember that it’s not always where you are, it’s who you’re with!

Four Ways to Show Your Mother You Appreciate Her

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

It doesn’t have to be Mother’s Day to show your mother you appreciate her. She does so much for the family it’s never a bad time to let her know how much you care. Consider four ways to show your mom how much you love her.

Give Her a Gift

Making the decision to give your mom a gift is the easy part. The next step is to figure out what she’d like. One way to go about it is to look at her tastes and hobbies. Maybe she loves to cook. If so, give her a new cooking utensil or maybe a set of pans. These gifts would contribute to her enjoyment of cooking. If you want to be more traditional, give your mom a surprise gift of chocolate or other tasty treats. Finding a selection of delicious treats is simple at a place like The Sweet Basket.

Make a Special Dinner

Another way to show your mom you love her is to make her favorite dinner. If she loves spaghetti, then make that entrée along with her favorite side dishes. If you’re not so confident as a cook, take her to a favorite restaurant and treat her to dinner!

Write Her a Letter

Write your mom a letter describing how much she means to you. Bring up specific times in your childhood when you and she really bonded. This letter is going to mean a lot to her. Put the letter in the mail so she can find it in her mailbox one day. She is sure to treasure it for years to come.

Clean Her House

If cleaning is not your mom’s favorite activity, then why not give her a break? Clean all the rooms in your mom’s home. This includes vacuuming, dusting, washing windows, mopping floors and washing curtains. She is sure to be pleased with all your efforts and glad she doesn’t have to clean her home for a while! Of course, if you don’t have the time to clean your mom’s place, you can hire a professional cleaning service. Though you didn’t do the work yourself, you are still giving her the gift of a clean home. As an added bonus, send her to a day at the spa or to a movie while you get her house in shipshape.

Lastly, take some time to think about what your mom would enjoy. She’s going to be able to tell that you gave some thought to her gift and she will appreciate it all the more!

Keeping Everyone In The Family Happy And Healthy

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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Maintaining a happy family in such a busy modern world can be tough. Everyone’s got to focus on their own individual lives, after all. Your kids might be worried about school, whether they get a lot of homework to complete every week or they have problems with certain teachers, friends, and fellow classmates. You might have a lot on your mind in terms of your job, bills, and other important adult responsibilities. However, staying connected as a family is the best way to keep everyone happy and healthy, and we’ll discuss that in this article.

 

Stay physically active.

First of all, physical health is essential to happiness both today and in the long-term. When you’ve got so much to do in the average day, exercise is probably the last thing you want to put on your ‘To Do’ list. If you do have any free time then you and other members of your family probably watch TV on the couch or take a power nap to get through the rest of the day. It’s time to change this mentality in your household. Staying physically active won’t just ensure that you maintain a healthy figure but that your mental health improves too.

 

You should find some sort of physical activity that can get the whole family to spend time together. It’s also a great way to ensure that everybody commits to this new lifestyle. You might all want to go on more walks around your local park, for example. But you could really push yourselves by joining a new club. Perhaps you could take up dance as a family. That’ll be a fun way to socialize and relax without really thinking about the fact that you’re exercising. As we’ve discussed before, it’s important to look after the older members of your family, so you should invite the grandparents to join in with your new exercise routine. Remember, physical activity doesn’t have to be strenuous; getting your body moving is the important thing. If you choose an easy activity then everyone in the family can get involved.

 

Save money.

If you want a happier household then you should start saving money. It’ll mean you don’t have to worry so much about covering costs and your kids don’t have to worry about you. You could reduce energy bills by insulating your home more effectively and getting energy-efficient appliances, for example. If your kids are prone to ripping or ruining their clothes as soon as you buy new gear then you could even check out a service such as www.stitchit.co/services/ to mend their jeans, shirts, and so on. There’s no point in wasting money on new clothes all the time when your kids are just going to wreck anyway. Save that money for when they actually need new clothes because they’ve outgrown their old ones. Being frugal is about taking a look at your expenses and cutting out the waste. Your family will be much happier if you don’t have to worry about money. You can go on nice vacations or treat yourself to luxuries if you start being smarter with your finances.

 

Have weekly family meetings.

A final way in which you could keep everyone in the family happy and healthy is to hold a weekly family meeting. Happiness and healthiness are synonymous in many ways. If you want your family to have a healthy life then you need to prioritize their mental states. The best way to do that is to gather in a room and check in with everyone. Let people air their issues if they’re struggling at work, at school, or even at home. This is a chance for everyone in the family to support each other. It’s also a chance to have fun and bond as a family. Everyone could swap stories, as suggested over at www.webmd.com/parenting/. You could tell a funny story from your week or an old story from many years ago to make the kids laugh.

Help for Individuals with Parents in a Nursing Home

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

As your parents get up in years, they will face a variety of challenges that will be difficult for them and for you. Many have gone the route of finding a nursing home where their parents will be able to get the care that is needed as they age and as they face new challenges.

 

It is important for you to be as involved as possible in the care that your parents are receiving in the nursing home. You may not be able to spend all of your time there, but make sure that you are visiting often and that the doctors and caretakers know who you are. The more often they see you, the more likely they are to tell you things that are going on with your parents. If you can establish a good relationship with the caretakers and medical professionals who work in the facility, your parents are likely to get the best care possible.

You want to be fully aware of the medication and medical treatments that your parents receive. There is usually a nursing home MAR that contains information about the type of medication your parents have been prescribed and have taken. Make sure that you fully understand the type of medication they are taking and make sure your questions get answered. Take time to find out more about the conditions that your parents may have and learn about the variety of treatments that are available. It is extremely important to be proactive when it comes to the medical care they receive.

It is good to remember that emotional and mental health is just as important as physical health. This may require that you take your parents on outings if it is possible and provide them with friendship and entertainment. Of course, the type of activities your parents will be able to engage in will depend on their circumstances. Also, the amount of time that you have to dedicate to their care will depend on your circumstances. However, do the best you can to give them the emotional and mental support they need.

Easy Ways to Beat Depression

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Depression is a common symptom that affects people who have various medical problems. If you’re suffering from depression that’s caused by psychiatry problems, there are easy ways to beat the behavior patterns. A practical defensive strategy for depression should involve proper daily routines, efficient exercise, and many hours of sleep.

Design Practical Routines

Because breakfast is a very important meal, it can help patients who are dealing with depression. In order to use breakfast to resolve depression symptoms, you must select food items that provide proper nutrition. This strategy is effective, as proper nutrition can enhance mood patterns throughout the day. If you need help picking suitable breakfast items, consider anything that has fiber or grains, and you can wash these products down with a cold glass of milk or a delicious cup of juice.

Exercise

By exercising on a regular basis, you can maintain general mood swings. In order to implement exercise procedures, you’ll have to focus, and this process will help you avoid typical behavior patterns that cause severe levels of depression.

The process of designing an easy exercise routine is simple because there are many practical options for patients who enjoy indoor and outdoor activities. Yoga equipment, bar bells, and exercise balls can help you workout in a residential environment, and you can burn calories outdoors by jogging around your neighborhood or by trying various sports.

Sleep

Proper sleep can enhance your mood so that you can avoid many minor problems that can lead to dramatic depression symptoms throughout the day. In order to get enough sleep, you must manage your mood by following a practical routine that involves healthy food and strategic exercise.

If you need more strategies for depression, consider pursuing psychiatry resource information. In many cases, you could also gather information about depression by consulting a doctor.

Friendship: The Medicine Of The Soul

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Have you ever stopped to notice how insular we’ve all gotten? Look up and down the high street on a busy day, and you’ll see people with their eyes turned downward with headphones firmly placed over their ears, blocking themselves off from the world. Our evenings have become less about life, love and laughter and more about Netflix and chill. In an age where being social means logging onto an app, we are all in danger of losing something truly special. Because spending meaningful time with our friends is extremely important for our general wellbeing. It can keep anxiety, stress and negative feelings at bay, help us to focus on the positives in life (even when life feels overwhelmingly negative) and even make us more attractive…

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Social media is not social

Social media absolutely has its place, but it’s no substitute for spending quality time with the ones we love. Social media has an unfortunate way of distorting our perception of others and ourselves. We feel obliged to present the world with a semi-real, stage managed version of our lives while making us feel with nagging certainty that everyone else is having more fun than us. Ditch the apps and get social!

Your friends make you feel valued

Friends who listen, really listen, are precious as they value us and help us to value ourselves. If you’re having trouble with your partner, your know that your friends will listen and advise as best they can without judgment. If you’ve just been to get a hearing aid fitted, they’re anxious to learn more. If you need to have a lengthy rant about work they’ll be there for you while you get it off your chest and if you’ve had a promotion or a bonus they’ll share in your joy.

Your friends break up your routine

We all know the danger of falling into a routine. Wake up, eat breakfast, work, make dinner, eat dinner, tidy up, sleep. It can all make you feel less like a human being and more like an anonymous drone. That’s why you can never underestimate the value in dropping everything for coffee and a catch up with a friend. It can break up the routine and put us back in touch with who we really are inside. If you haven’t touched base with your friends in a long time, pick up the phone tonight!

Your friends make you feel younger

Old friends have a habit of turning us into young friends. The kinds of friends we make in high school and college tend to stay with us for life because you’re able to dip into that wonderful bank of shared experiences which you can reach into and feel the years melt away.

Your friends even make you prettier!

You’re never more attractive than when you smile! Taking time to hang out with your friends inevitably results in lots of smiles and laughter which are not only great ways of boosting your mood but helps you to look and feel prettier without a single beauty product!