Keeping chaos to a minimum when renovating your home

You can't really get through a home renovation without a little chaos. There's no avoiding the fact that it's going to disrupt your life, whether it's for a few days, weeks, or even months. What you can do is take steps to try and keep the chaos to a minimum. If your renovation is well organized, and you prepare for it smartly, you can contain all of the disruption as much as possible. To make this happen, you have to think carefully about how to protect your home and ensure the work will go smoothly. Here are some steps to help you pull it off.

Remove Items Where Necessary

Renovations are likely to involve a lot of dust and general messiness. You don't want any of your furniture or other possessions to be damaged, so it's important to consider how you're going to protect them. Sometimes it's necessary to remove items, not just to protect them but also to allow space for the work to be completed. Looking for storage near me is a smart way to get somewhere to put some of your stuff. If you can't just shuffle it around within your home, it makes sense to find somewhere else you can store it.

Image from Pexels - CC0 License

Protect Anything That Remains

You probably won't want to completely empty your home, so you also have to make plans for anything that you don't remove. For larger items of furniture, it's pretty simple to cover everything up with dust sheets. This should keep the majority of dust and debris away so your furniture is protected. Smaller items might need to be boxed up and moved somewhere out of the way. That could just mean moving them to another room or storing them in your attic, basement, or wherever else you might have space.

Choose the Right Contractors

If you want to ensure your renovation goes as smoothly as possible, you definitely need to hire the right contractors. Of course, you need to hire people who will get you the results you want. But their process when they're working matters too. You need them to be considerate of their surroundings and careful about cleaning up after themselves. They should be able to work with you to develop a schedule that works. When you're looking for contractors, make sure you pay attention to their reviews and what their past customers have to say about their processes.

Stay Out of the Way

Once you've found contractors you can trust, you need to let them get on with the work. It can be tempting to micromanage or watch them working, but doing this could mean they work slower. They could even end up making mistakes if you're breathing down their necks. So try to stay out of their way while they're working if you want them to stay on schedule and get the job done right.

Renovations don't have to be complete chaos. They might be disruptive, but you can take steps to ensure they go smoothly.

heartfelt ways to celebrate your husband on his birthday

Most wives know that finding the perfect way to celebrate their husband’s birthday can be both a joy and a headache. Some are really gifted, and find it easy to do something special, while others tend to struggle with it. With every year that passes, the desire to make it more special than the last one grows. After all, this is the man who’s been by your side through thick and thin. It’s his special day, and you want to celebrate it in a way that captures the essence of your shared journey. Today, we’re highlighting some ideas to help you with this journey. 

Via Pexels

Take A Walk Down Memory Lane

If it is within reach, organize a surprise trip to visit places that have been significant in your journey together. Think of the spot where you first met, had your first date, or where he proposed. Revisiting those memories and taking a moment to reflect on how far you’ve come can be very special. 

A Playlist Of Memories

Music has a unique way of capturing memories and taking you back in time. Create a playlist of songs from different stages of your relationship, starting from high school. Play it during dinner, a quiet evening together, or while driving on a trip, and reminisce about the moments they remind you of. The value here is that the music unlocks the memories, which you can experience again together by talking about those memories. 

Commission A Personalized Art Piece

If you have an iconic photograph of a special moment between you and your husband, you could try to find a local artist and ask them to recreate that iconic image in a painting or a sketch. It’s not just about the finished product, but the thought behind it. 

A Day Off

This is an option not all men will want to take, but let’s face it, adulting is hard! Give him a complete day off. If you can handle his responsibilities for the day and let him enjoy whatever he wishes to - be it a day out with friends, catching up on his favorite series, or just lazing around.

Plan A Surprise Activity

Pick something he’s never done before but has shown interest in. Maybe it’s bungee jumping, an escape room, or a track day with a sports car. It’s the thrill of the unknown that makes it exciting for most men. The key is to keep your ear on the ground throughout the year to find out what those interests are. 

Get Him The Gift He Wants

Men can often surprise you with the lamest gift requests. From things like new socks to that new chainsaw from Redback Tools. Those requests often seem silly to us, but the reality is that those gifts do mean a lot to them, and that’s what matters. So pay attention to their requests. If you feel that the gift they want is too small or insignificant, then bundle it together with other things you can think of, but make sure you get them what they want.

A birthday isn’t just about the gifts or the party; it’s about celebrating the person and the memories you’ve built together. By personalizing his day, you’re telling him how much he means to you. So, while these are just a few suggestions, always remember it’s the thought and love behind the gesture that truly counts.

Naked

After using different brands of creatine, I switched to Naked partially due to the fact that it was rated by Healthline as their top creatine but also because you get a lot for the price. some of their others. It comes with a measuring spoon and mixes well with no flavor.  

Now more than ever, health-minded people are interested in more than just calories and macronutrients—they’re interested in ingredient quality, too.

Sports supplements often feature notoriously long ingredient labels, full of unfamiliar ingredients that can sound more industrial than nutritional.

These ingredients aren’t necessarily harmful, but there’s a huge and growing demand for sports supplements with simple, traceable ingredients.

That’s where Naked Nutrition comes in. This brand’s original Naked Whey isa protein powdermade with just one ingredient: whey protein from grass-fed cows.

Key Features

• Made with minimal ingredients, like grass-fed whey and organic coconut sugar
• Informed Choice certified for sport
• Free of artificial ingredients
• Provides 25 grams of protein per serving

Naked Whey Protein Ingredients

Naked Whey is made with simple, high-quality ingredients that are as minimally processed as possible for a protein powder. All the flavors are gluten-free, GMO-free, soy-free and free of artificial flavors, sweeteners and colors. The whey in every flavor is also sourced from grass-fed cows that aren’t given supplemental growth hormones.

The powder is cold-processed, which according to Naked Nutrition is a gentler form of processing that preserves the quality of the ingredients.

Also, Naked Whey grass-fed whey protein powder is Informed Choice certified for sport—meaning it is free of all banned substances identified by the World Anti-Doping Agency. This certification ensures that it can be used without issue by competitive athletes, and what you see on the label is what you get.

Here’s the ingredient list for each flavor:
Original: whey protein concentrate
Chocolate: whey protein concentrate, organic coconut sugar, organic cacao powder
Vanilla: whey protein concentrate, organic coconut sugar, organic natural flavor
Strawberry: whey protein concentrate, organic coconut sugar, organic dried strawberries 

Every teacher needs to start their day with a protein drink

Satisfy your chocolate cravings and increase daily protein intake on a busy schedule. Chocolate Coconut Almond Naked Shake starts with our best-selling pea protein, adds MCT oil, and natural plant-based flavors. The result is a crave-worthy shake that delivers 20g of protein and only 3g of sugar. Naked Shake only contains the premium ingredients you need to maintain optimal energy levels and manage a healthy weight.

At Naked Nutrition, we are committed to shortening the steps between our farms and you.

Why you're child might be having trouble at school.

You may know that your child is bright and full of potential, but the realities of school can sometimes have a pretty disheartening way of really pushing them to the grindstone. Just because your child is not currently doing well at school does not mean that they’re not capable. But rather, there are a lot of factors that could be getting in the way of the potential they could reach.

Photo - CC0 License

A poor routine

Managing a family can be tough, there’s no doubt about it. However, if your child doesn’t get the time they need to work, sleep, and get ready in the morning, they could be getting into school unprepared and low in energy. Creating a real family routine and being a little more organized in how they spend their time can help them be a lot more prepared and energized for the day of learning.

Neglecting the studies

Children don’t need to spend hours studying every single day, but it is true that if a little too much time is spent away from certain topics and subjects, then your child will forget them. As such, you should make sure that you’re aware of the topics that your kids are understanding, and to try and layer some additional learning for them to be able to keep on top of it. You can make it fun, too, for instance, with educational family trips.

A mismatch of learning styles

Sometimes, it’s all about learning what methods and modes of learning might best suit your child compared to others. For instance, some children tend to be more kinetic learners, others more audial, and others more kinetic. If you can get a good idea of what kind of learning style fits your child, then you can help adapt their curriculum so they might better engage with it at home.

Undiagnosed learning difficulties

Learning needs change from child to child and can develop or be noticed at any age. As well as issues like ADHD, you should also consider options like dyslexia if your child has trouble reading, or even hyperlexia if they have excellent reading abilities, but seem to lag elsewhere. Getting a diagnosis and learning more about the condition can open up the road to therapeutic plans, as well as tools and tips you and your child’s teachers can use to reduce the barrier that such difficulties present.

A poor learning environment

You don’t have a lot of control over the kind of learning environment your child is provided in school (unless you plan to move schools), but you can make sure that they’re not riddled with distractions at home. Creating a study space at home, and making sure that distractions like the TV, video games, or your other kids are kept out can make it a lot easier for them to focus on homework and studying when they get home.

If your child is having trouble at school, before you point any fingers, take the time to investigate the examples mentioned above, first and foremost. It could be that finding and exploring the cause could prove a major help.

A Complete Back to School Guide

A guest has taken over my blog today ( my favourite guest).. she wrote a back to school guide and I liked it so I thought it would be beneficial.   

A Complete Back to School Guide 

From a 3rd year university student...

Here’s a little background information on me. I’m a 3rd year university student double majoring in Music and French. I have figured out what works for me, it may not work for everyone.

Supplies

There are really not many things that you need to survive and thrive in university, at least as far as school supplies are concerned. The biggest necessity is a laptop. We are living in the digital age and everything that you do in university is online. Some other essentials include:

• Notebooks 

• Folders/binders

• Pens/pencils

• Highlighters

• Planner/calendar

• Graph paper

I prefer to take notes on paper, I find that I retain the information better. However, others prefer taking notes digitally using a laptop or tablet. I like to keep any handouts given to me in folders, a binder with dividers would work just as well. In university, there are bound to be readings and textbooks, highlighters and pens are great to write in margins. If you are taking any math or stats classes, graph paper is super important. My favourite option is graph notebooks, keeps everything bound together nicely. After a laptop, the most important school supply is a planner or calendar. There will be plenty of assignments and due dates that are important to keep track of.

To keep organized, I colour code each class. Each notebook and folder are matching, and I like to write all due dates and assignments in the same colour as well. For this semester my colours are red, blue, orange, green, and purple. 

Before Starting School

I have several things that I like to do in the weeks leading up to school starting. The biggest thing is that I like to do a deep clean of my room. If you are moving into a dorm, this will be the equivalent of that step. If you are living at home, like me, or in an apartment, having a clean and organized living space is a fresh way to start your school year.  Shopping for your supplies and getting them prepared for back to school is a good way to get into the school mindset. 

First Week

Your first week of school can be incredibly scary. There are a few things that will help to ease the transition. 

1. Read all of the syllabi and write the due dates down in your planner. 

2. Get to know the school and your classes right away.

3. If possible, get to know your profs/teachers. Not everyone can do this, especially in larger schools. But it is good to try.

4. Set a routine right away. Consistency is great and getting in good study and lifestyle habits is important to start right away.

Important Tips and Tricks

• The most important thing is your physical and mental health. Everyone wants good grades, but your health is the most important thing. Prioritize at least an hour a week to do something for yourself.

• Make sure to socialize with your classmates. Plan a study date or a time to get together with others in your program.

• Don’t be afraid to ask for an extension on assignments. Life happens, professors are usually pretty accommodating with giving extensions.

• Get your assignments started early. It’s easy to say that you will do this, however actually doing it is much more difficult. The hardest part of any task is starting it, just do it.

• Utilize your schools’ resources. The study spaces, the tutoring services, anything may offer is there to help.

Happy back to school season, go out there and do your best!

The Hill

NEVER GIVE UP HOPE! Whatever your dream is, you have to pursue it and make it a reality, it will take hard work but you can do it if you try.  Even with a disability, it can happen.  People will try to knock you down, but you have to keep going, keep dreaming and pursuing that dream. 

Growing up impoverished in small-town Texas, young Rickey Hill shows an extraordinary ability for hitting a baseball, despite being burdened by leg braces from a degenerative spinal disease. His stern, pastor father (DENNIS QUAID) discourages Rickey from playing baseball to protect him from injury, and to have him follow in his footsteps and become a preacher. 

As a young man, Rickey (COLIN FORD) becomes a baseball phenomenon. His desire to participate in a try-out for a legendary major league scout divides the family and threatens Rickey’s dream of playing professional baseball. Based on a true story. 

The Hill is 

• Directed by: Jeff Celentano

• Produced by: Warren Ostergard, Jeff Celentano

• Starring: Dennis Quaid, Colin Ford, Joelle Carter, Randy Houser, Bonnie Bedelia, 

Scott Glen

Buy tickets today to see #TheHillMIN only in theaters starting August 25th!

 Links

Website/Ticketing Page: LINK

Trailer: LINK

Disclosure:

Many thanks to Briarcliff Entertainment, LLC for providing a sample of the product for this review as well as a special thank you to #MomentumInfluencerNetwork . Opinions are 100% my own.