There’s a lot of things that we know are harmful to our families – bad food won’t help with health or weight. A lack of exercise is going to zap their energy and turn us all into couch potatoes. Too much screen-time can result in headaches. We know all of that.

While a ninja blender can cut up your fruit for a smoothy and a treadmill can get us running – there’s one piece of furniture that might be overlooked in our pursuit of health in the home.

It’s the bed. There are plenty of health benefits to owning a good bed, and on the flipside, a lack of sleep or interrupted sleep could be disastrous for the health of you and your family. BedTimes Magazine took a look at the benefits of a new bed:

“Through our research, we found that new bedding improved sleep quality by 62% and sleep comfort by 70.8%, and reduced back pain by 55.3% and back stiffness by 50.7% over a four–week period. We also found that lower back pain was much more prominent for those sleeping on cheaper beds and older beds. But regardless of their personal bedding systems, participants experienced immediate reduction in pain and stiffness and improvement of sleep comfort and quality when sleeping on new mattresses. The reduction in pain and improvement in sleep became more prominent over time, and participants improved regardless of age, weight, height or body–mass index. Moreover, when participants were assigned to high and low pain groups based on initial evaluation, both groups experienced a significant reduction in pain when sleeping on new mattresses. Even those who reported minor problems sleeping showed significant improvements in sleep quality and comfort—at levels similar to those who were poor sleepers.”

[Photo courtesy of Jennifer C./flickr.com]

They did the hard work, so we don’t have to, and it’s clear that new bedding or a new bed entirely is going to have immediate benefits to our health as well as our sleeping habits.

What do we look for in a good bed then? Firstly – it needs to be solid and stable. Your mattress needs a good support so it can support you! A creaky and shaky bed isn’t going to help, and you may feel like you’re napping on a sinking ship! As for the perfect bed? It doesn’t exist – you simply need the right one for you. A good mattress goes a long way, and this is the Best Memory Foam Mattress – a good mattress is going to gift you an hour of sleep that a lesser mattress will take away. Most mattress types have their cons as well, so try to get a mattress that you can try out as everyone is different.

[Photo courtesy of  Didriks/flickr.com]

Of course, you need pillows that keep your neck and head in line with your body for comfort and some breathable bedding is a good idea. A number of sets for different temperatures will help.

A good bed – it could do wonders for your health and for your bedroom!

Bigger doesn’t always equate to better. When we’re starting out, there’s a temptation to strive for a bigger house, a bigger car, and lots of stuff. But if the trend to downsize is anything to go by, all of this doesn’t necessarily bring happiness. People are finding that living simpler lives, and getting more out of less, is the way to go.

What Do You Want?

You have a big house, a decent car, and all the latest technologies. But how do you feel when you go to bed at night and when you wake up first thing in the morning? Do you sleep well and get up raring to go, ready to greet the day? Or do you struggle to get to sleep, keep waking up, and feel sick when the alarm clock starts beeping? Many people identify with the latter. They work hard, striving for something they think they want but then when they achieve their goals, it doesn’t bring them happiness or fulfillment. There are many reasons for this, but one of them is likely to be that they strive for what they think they want, without addressing how they want to feel. This is one reason many people have so-called mid-life crises. They get to a point in their life and realize that this is not what they envisaged, and not how they expected to feel.

[Photo courtesy of Brett Sayles/pexels.com]

What Does Downsizing Mean?

We have all seen the articles where people have downsized their lives to such an extent that they are able to live in a tiny one-room house out in the wilderness. While this is fine, of course, it is an extreme example. For most people downsizing just means freeing their lives from unnecessary clutter, living a simpler existence, and feeling freer and happier. It doesn’t necessarily equate to a frugal life, though saving money is one of the benefits.

Downsizing means different things to different people. For some it might be selling their home through a listing agent and moving to a smaller place. For others, it may just mean filtering their belongings, creating more space, and updating their attitude to purchasing.

[Photo courtesy of Ekaterina Belinskaya/pexels.com]

What Are The Benefits Of Downsizing?

There are many benefits of downsizing. For example:

• Reducing unnecessary costs and having more disposable income
• Reducing the time spent cleaning and maintaining your home
• Refocusing your energy and attention on the things that count
• Feeling less encumbered and therefore less stressed
• Feeling freer to do things you enjoy doing

Concentrate On Experiences Rather Than Things

Many people find that spending their money on experiences, rather than things, is a happier and more purposeful way of living. So, rather than having the latest cell phone, tablet, TV, and Blu-Ray player, they invest in holidays, time out with family, hobbies, and interests.

The important point about downsizing is that it forces you to take stock of your life and readdress the things that are important. To downsize you go through a process of removing what is unnecessary and potentially harmful, and focus on what makes you happy.

When you select a mattress, you must find the right kind of base or structure for the bed that creates the look you desire. Dust ruffles are suitable for creating a neat, finished look for your bed. Modern styles, such as platform bases or pedestal supports, are great for foam mattresses.

[Photo courtesy of pixabay/pexels.com]

Common bedding sets often include standard dust ruffles that complement the bedspread, sheets and pillows alike. Often, the pattern matches your curtains or other bedroom accessories. Pairing the bed dust ruffle with a box spring set up is easy; just place the ruffle fabric against the box spring and place a foam mattress over the top. This creates a traditional look that also employs the latest in comfort innovations. Bed skirts may also work with your platform or pedestal bed. Ruffle accents are also available, and these accents snap or zip into place. The lip of the platform base does not get in the way, and you have an attractive finish for any bed. Some inexpensive bases used with foam construction mattresses can be hidden with an over-sized bedspread.

Trying to find bedroom items that all coordinate with each other is a hard task to accomplish for any type of bedroom. However, innovations in both beds and the bedding that dresses them can solve even your most difficult decorating dilemma. Chose a comfortable bed with the kind of mattress that gives you a restful sleep, and make sure all your bedding accessories are suitable for the size and dimensions of your bed.

Anyone who has ever moved home will know that it can be a surprisingly stressful experience. No matter how many times you might have done it previously, it is always stressful and there is always a real difficulty in keeping the stress at bay. However, there are certain things you can do to ensure that the experience is much less stressful than it might seem like it has to be. As long as you are following these simple steps, you should find that the whole experience is much easier to go along with and enjoy. Let’s take a look at some of the essential advice which could make all the difference.

[Photo courtesy of Unsplash/pexels.com]

Organise Early

Usually, the stress of such situations is merely the result of not planning ahead enough. When you fail to plan ahead, it means that you have to make a lot more decisions on the spot, and this can quickly lead to stress building up on the day itself. To avoid this, the solution is clear: simply get yourself organised as early as you can, so as to avoid such an occurrence happening. It’s true that there is plenty to do on the day, but if you organise as much as you can prior to it, then you are helping yourself out in a big way. This means plan what you will do on the day, what order you will do things in, and go down to the smallest detail you can manage on that. This really makes a huge difference.

Get Professional Help

Very few people can carry out such an event as moving day without any help at all. At the very least, you should try to enlist the help of your friends and family. But more than that, you might want to think about the kind of professional help that you could use. Chances are, you could benefit from some kind of help of this nature – so make sure that you go out of your way to find the best moving quotes that you can, ideally long before the big day itself. With this kind of help on your side, the whole experience should be considerably easier – and definitely much less stressful.

[Photo courtesy of Pixabay/pexels.com]

Pack Logically

One of the biggest mistakes that people make when they are moving is that they fail to pack in any logical way. The truth is, the way in which you pack your belongings makes a huge difference to how effectively the day pans out, so make sure that you pack in a way that really makes sense. Keep all like items together, and remember to clearly mark anything that is fragile or has specific needs. This way, everyone who might be helping on the day is sure to know what they are doing much more readily. With a logical packing system under way, you will find that you feel much more in control of the whole day. Your stress levels will be remarkably lower than they would be otherwise, and before you know it you will be relaxing in your new home.

Want your home to look beautiful, but don’t have the funds to hire professional decorators? No need to fear, there’s plenty you can do yourself without breaking the bank! Here are a few points to bear in mind if you’re new to decorating and want to have a go.

Colours and Theme

Before diving in with your decorating, spend some time beforehand on the planning stages. This helps to keep everything looking cohesive, and you will get the best result at the end. Scour blogs and Pinterest for rooms you like the look of, picking out different colours, design features and other elements that catch your attention. Have an idea of the kind of colours and the overall look you want to achieve at the end, this saves you purchasing things that don’t look right and wasting your money. Opting for all neutral walls is your best bet if you are unsure. They will make the room look light, bright and airy and you can bring in colour with home accessories. Paint ceilings and woodwork such as skirting boards and doors in a brilliant white for a super fresh and clean look.

[Photo courtesy of ATBO/pexels.com]

Painting

It’s always advisable to try out a few paint samples on the walls before investing in a big tin. The colour of the walls underneath and the light in the room will affect how it looks once it’s dry so don’t just take a chance. Once you’ve chosen a colour to get a few samples in different shades and paint them onto the wall so you can see which looks best. Start by ‘cutting in’ which is going around all of the edges of the room neatly with a paintbrush, and do the rest with a roller which is quick, easy and gives a smooth finish. Be sure to cover your flooring with old sheets or painters dust sheets to protect it, take your time and do a second or even a third coat if it needs it. Be sure to let each layer fully dry before moving onto the next.

Wallpaper

Adding some wallpaper to the feature wall in your room is a good way to bring in personality, and is good for those who are new to decorating since it’s a smaller area than a whole room. If you’ve never wallpapered before watch a tutorial online first. Follow the techniques carefully, and ideally have another pair of hands to help you. If you’re unsure, you could use repositionable wallpaper, that way if you make a mistake it’s easy to correct. And if you’re renting it’s easy to remove at the end of your tenancy. If you’ve painted the other walls in a light, neutral colour the wallpaper is where you can be a bit bolder. You could go for a bright or bold colour, a statement design or just keep it subtle if that’s more your style.

Do you do much decorating yourself at home, or do you usually call in the professionals?

With billions of people now living on the planet and that number expected to continue increasing, our natural resources are becoming scarcer and it is more important than ever before that we change the way we live so that we can build a greener economy and preserve this amazing planet for future generations. From simple everyday acts, such as recycling or avoiding the use of plastic bags at the grocery store, to making major adjustments to construction plans in order to ensure that buildings are more eco-friendly, there are a variety of ways to live a greener life and contribute to a healthier planet.

Below are just a few of the many ways in which you can make your home greener from the inside out. Some of these are relatively inexpensive while others require a bit of an investment, but each one is more than worth your time and money for the great benefits they provide to both people and planet Earth.

[Photo courtesy of pozytywnewnetrza/pixabay.com]

Non-Toxic Paints

Typical interior and exterior paints contain a host of harmful toxins that actually continue to leak out into the air in and around your home for many years after the paint is applied. That is why many paint brands are now offering lines of eco-friendly paints that do not contain the same toxic chemicals and do not release the fumes either. These are not only healthier for the environment, they are also healthier for you and your family, including your pets. Without worrying about inhaling these toxic compounds, you can rest assured that your indoor air quality is safer for everyone.

[Photo courtesy of Pexels/pixabay.com]

Properly Insulated Windows

Replacing your old windows with newer ones that are designed to keep the temperature just right, you can avoid drafts in the winter that require you to turn your heater up higher and you can also prevent heat from coming into your home in the middle of the summer, forcing you to turn your air conditioner up another notch. By lowering your heater and air conditioner, you will not only save money on your energy bill, you will also be conserving energy as well and you won’t be contributing to harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

[Photo courtesy of Life-Of-Pix/pixabay.com]

Earth-Friendly Flooring

When it comes to flooring, there are many options available that are environmentally friendly. If you prefer carpets and rugs, you can purchase those made from recycle materials or those that do not contain harmful chemicals. Or if you prefer wood floors, choose those made from renewable resources, such as bamboo.

Eco-Friendly Building Materials

From long-lasting building materials to those that come from recycled parts, you can construct a durable and comfortable home in a much more eco-friendly fashion these days. If you are in the construction business or you bought a plot of land onto which you want build your dream home, working with a surveyor Christchurch who can properly assess the land and help you develop your construction plans will also ensure that you can work with someone who will build you an eco-friendly home.

There are a lot of things in our homes that we simply take for granted. This could be the access to clean, fresh water, or even the fact that we have a stable roof over our heads. But one thing that nearly every household doesn’t ever appreciate until it’s gone is the heating system. Most homes have some kind of central heating system, and usually it is gas-powered by a furnace or boiler. This type of system only became widespread across the world in the 1960s, as prior to that many residential properties had to find other ways of heating their homes. But now, we are all used to having a reliable heating system available to us at the flick of a switch. So, what do we do when it fails us?

[Photo courtesy of byrev/pixabay.com]

Don’t panic

If your heating fails you at a particularly desperate time – such as in the middle of winter or when you are expecting guests to come round – it can be pretty annoying. When it happens, many of us tend to go into panic mode and take any measure we can to get it sorted as soon as possible. But before you do anything drastic, stop and think for a second. You may want to try your hand at fixing the issue yourself, but remember it is always better to wait for a professional to deal with it if there is any aspect of the system you are not sure of. Some things – such as re-pressurizing your boiler – are fairly straightforward, but for anything else, always call an expert.

Find a replacement

Just like any other household appliance, boilers have a shelf life. When you move into a new property (whether you are a renter or whether you have bought it) always ask to see a copy of the home’s gas certificates, as this will include all information about the current heating system. Typically, any boiler that is more than 20 years old probably isn’t going to be all that energy-efficient any longer. Therefore, you should consider replacing it with a newer model, and getting an engineer to fit it for you. You can find a whole range of different heaters to suit your needs online at Harsterheating.com/services/residential/heating-systems/, or on similar professional sites.

[Photo courtesy of Unsplash/pixabay.com]

Keep warm in the meantime

It may take a few days for your heating system to get fixed, or for a new one to be installed. During this time you may just have to put up with being cold – but there are things you can do to make this time a little bit easier for both you and your family. Bring down lots of blankets from bedrooms and any that are hiding in draws and all snuggle up on the couch together. Body heat is severely underrated when it comes to keeping yourself warm! If you can, get hold of an electric heater too to spread some warm air around until your system is back on. Not having any heating in your home can be a pain, but it doesn’t mean you need to suffer without it.

The garden is, for most people, one of the most important parts of the house. It is certainly often the most beautiful, and knowing how to tend to it properly can be something of an art form. Keeping the garden aesthetically pleasing and relaxing to be in is one thing, but it is quite another to keep the place as healthy as it can be, and this usually takes considerably more understanding. It definitely takes more work, and perhaps that accounts for the amount of gardens that suffer terribly from not being cared for properly. Don’t let your garden become one of those – take a stand today and learn how to keep it healthy for longer. Take the following tips as a starting point.

[Photo courtesy of Unsplash/pexels.com]

Watch Out For Pests

One of the most important things for you to do is to watch out for any pests that might be lingering around. No matter what kind of plants you do or do not have in your garden, pests are always going to be a potential issue. Therefore, learning how to spot them and deal with them is going to prove to be vital if you are dedicated to keeping your garden as healthy as it can be. Some of the more obvious signs of pests can be that your plants are being nibbled, or even that they look diseased. It is also worth getting to know the different bugs that abound in your part of the world; some will be friendly, and even useful to the gardener, and other will be a nuisance. Learning this is one of the most important steps you can take to looking after your garden more effectively.

Keep The Lawn Trimmed

There are a number of reasons why you might want to ensure you keep the lawn trimmed, some of them aesthetic and others related to the health of the garden. Above all, it is a good idea to mow the lawn every six weeks or so, no matter what time of year it might be, as this helps the all-round health of the garden to no end. This is one of those tasks where the quality of the tools being used really helps, so make sure you have a decent lawn mower before you get started. You might even want to take a look at some lawn mower reviews before you start, to ensure that you have the best one for your particular garden. With a well-kept lawn, often the rest of a garden seems to just fall into place.

[Photo courtesy of Unsplash/pexels.com]

Check Plants Before Buying

Whenever you purchase plants to add to your garden, it is really in your interest to check them thoroughly before buying them, and definitely before planting them with your other plants. This is because they could be carrying any number of unpleasant diseases, diseases which could swiftly wipe out the majority of your garden. Check the roots, first and foremost, as this is one of the easiest ways to tell whether a plant is diseased or not.

Children love mystery and magic of fairy tales or great stories.  One story that is known the world over is the English classic, The Secret Garden.

It is about a young girl, Mary, who is discovering her way in life after growing up in India.  She doesn’t like her new home too much and there is a very sad boy who lives in the house.  Upon adventuring around the grounds she stumbles upon a locked door in the garden.  She is determined to break through and eventually discovers a secret garden.  The story is based around bringing this garden back to life and making the boy better by sneaking him outside.  It is purely delightful and worth a read.

Our garden’s can often be less than magical but that doesn’t mean, with a little creativity, we can’t take a leaf out of Mary’s book and give our children something amazing.

[Photo courtesy of Leah Kelley/pexels.com]

Think about what you want to achieve, a secret hidden away cove behind her wall of roses?  Perhaps a tucked away fruit garden for your kids to discover and delve into? Or even a real modern rockery with water features or even an inverted fish tank.

Before you get stuck in it’s worth giving a termite treatment now.  Prevention is better than cure and discovering you have a problem after all your landscaping could lead to disappointment.  Once you have the all clear and advice on how to avoid any invasions, get to work.

[Photo courtesy of Kaboompics // Karolina/pexels.com]

Busy families mean keeping on top of a garden can be quite demanding.  But if you enlist the help of your little ones then not only will you have them outside creating, you will also have some keen green fingered workers to help you with digging and planting.

A fun and unique twist on a garden, if you have little or no outside space, is the brilliant living wall.  This is an eco wall of oxygen promoting plants.  You can have them indoors our outdoors and they will purify the air of pollutants.  In fact growing an eco wall in urban areas has quite a positive effect on the environment.

Herbs are a really simple grow and offer a variety of scents which your children can enjoy.  Fruits produce both flowers and then edible delights! Roses can hide fences or walls under their beautiful large petals or you could go with another great kid pleaser, the towering sunflower!

Get creative with your outdoor space and encourage the children to play.  Dedicating a little area all of their own will make them feel like they have a little hideaway and also kick start them off on the road to enjoying creating things.  Bringing a plant to life is one of the most humbling things we can do with simplicity.  Just make sure to teach the children any potential dangers of playing outside in the garden, such as eating fruits they don’t know.  A little bit of mud is good for the immune system, but washing hands is vital after handling plants!

DIY projects can be extremely fun and at the same time, they give you the opportunity to save lots and lots of cash. Since the economic recession took its grip, a lot of people have been considering completing tasks in the home rather than employing a contractor. Here is your chance to save huge amounts of cash!

If you are considering doing any kind of DIY projects, you need to read this essential guide. This guide will help you save lots of time with each project, but will also ensure that each project is completed to the highest standard possible.

Plan

The first thing that you need to do before you begin is plan the project. This means ensuring you have the right tools, deciding when you will have time to complete the project and even sourcing materials.

If you plan in advance, you will save a lot of time. For instance, if you don’t have all the materials you might find that you are going from one DIY store to the next, just to pick up odd washers and valves. By ensuring that you have ordered all of these items online before hand, you could end up saving yourself a few hours.

[Photo courtesy of StartupStockPhotos/pixabay.com]

Organize

Once you have planned your project down to every single fine detail, you need to think about organising your work space in a methodical way. Before you begin get all the tools out that you need and place them where you will be using.

Do the same with any materials that you have purchased. If you don’t organise your work place before hand, the job will end up taking a lot longer. Of course, if you are doing things like painting or plastering, you will want to cover up all the windows and carpets to ensure that they don’t get damaged or dirty.

Complex Tasks

The next thing to consider is whether or not there are any individual complex tasks that are part of this project. This might include things such as pipe bending and soldering, carpet fitting or high level plastering.

If you can see any part of the job being extremely complex, it might be worth calling in an expert. Although it will cost money, it will save you lots of time. An expert is likely to take half the time to complete a task in comparison to you, simply because of their experience. They are also likely to complete jobs to a much higher standard.

[Photo courtesy of alluregraphicdesign/pixabay.com]

Tooling

You will need to buy or rent the correct tools for the job. Don’t try and complete a DIY project without the correct tools. If you do you are going to do one of two things; damage materials or take extremely long to complete the job.

There are some expensive tools that might make jobs run a lot more smoothly and a lot faster. For instance, if you are trying to fix a leak in a pipe that is underground, you can use GPR scanning to locate the leak rather than ripping up the floor.

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