Stay at Home Wife and Mother

Home and Family from a SAHWM's Perspective

Four Reasons to Get Your Chimney Professionally Cleaned

chimney-sweep-manThe benefits of having a fireplace to use during cold winters allow you to source heat for the home that is affordable and convenient. Much like any other heating appliance, your chimney needs to be cleaned and inspected each year. Below are four reasons to schedule an appointment for a cleaning today.

Reduce the Risk of a Chimney Fire

Creosote can and will build up on the interior pipes of your chimney as it’s used. It’s extremely flammable and should be removed regularly. Without taking care of this dangerous problem, you will end up experiencing a chimney fire that can ruin your home and jeopardize your safety.

Improve the Performance of Your Chimney

Hiring professional chimney cleaning homeowners need will provide a chimney that operates safer and more efficiently. It will help keep it free of debris like bird nests that can clog the system. It also helps reduce odors that come from a build-up of soot or mold.

Make Sure the Interior Chimney Structure is Solid

A chimney specialist can inspect the hearth, firebox, damper, and flue to ensure everything is intact and working right before you light a fire this year. Get any needed repairs done before the weather turns bitterly cold. You can then feel better about using the fireplace as a dependable heating source in the home.

Inspect and Repair Exterior Chimney Surface

The exterior surface of your chimney is as important as the interior. You can get the advice of a masonry expert to determine if your bricks are solid and fixed in place. You can also have an inspection on the crown, spark arrester, and flashing. You want to know that each part is as it should be for safe operation.
Your fireplace chimney is a vital part of the fireplace that allows for safe and efficient operation for heat. It needs to be routinely inspected, cleaned and repaired for optimal function.

How to Save More Money

woman-piggy-bankYou might know that saving money for the future is a good idea. Even though it might sound relatively easy in theory, though, it can be a tough thing to do. If you’re having trouble with saving money, try these tips so that you can save more. Then, you’ll have money that you can fall back on later on when you need it.

Keep a Piggy Bank

Kids aren’t the only ones who can benefit from having a piggy bank of some sort. Keeping your spare change and dollar bills can really add up. Invest in a good Braintree bank that you can’t open too easily, and just add spare change and cash to it when you can. After a few months or years, you can save up more than you think.

Transfer Money to Savings as Soon as You Get Paid

As soon as you are paid each payday, transfer a little bit of money to your savings account before you have a chance to spend it. Even better, try setting up your online banking so that this will happen automatically. You won’t have a chance to miss or spend the money, so it will have a chance to add up in your savings account.

Get a Second Job

You might already stay busy with your regular job, but you might not make enough money to cover your bills and expenses and still save money. If this is true, try picking up a second job so that you can make a little more money. Then, you can add the proceeds from your job to your savings account. You could try getting a part-time job to work on the side, or you can start up a small business that you can run from home, for example.
You can do many things if you would like to start saving more money. Try making a few changes, and you can start meeting your savings goals. Then, you will have money set aside that can benefit you in the future.

Comfortable With Home Care

woman-home-care-roomWhether you’re trying to find health care for yourself or a family member so that there isn’t a need to go to a nursing facility, there are a few things that you want to keep in mind so that you find the best healthcare agency for your needs. A benefit of home health care agencies Bethesda MD offers is that you can stay in the comfort of your home while someone provides the medical attention that you might need and some of the basic cleaning and cooking services that you aren’t able to perform. A nurse or an assistant will come to your home according to a schedule that you create.

If you know that you will need some kind of care in your home, then talk to your doctor to get a referral. There are usually companies that your doctor’s office already works with in the event that extra care is required after surgery or if there are medical conditions that prevent you from caring for yourself as normal. Hospitals would also know of home health agencies that are reliable. You could talk to family members and friends who have used these services in the past as well.

Make a list of the needs that you have in your home. These should include any basic cleaning needs as some agencies provide these while others don’t along with any assistance that you need with bathing, getting dressed, or eating. Some agencies provide companion care for those who are unable to stay at home alone for extended periods. Many workers can ensure that your home is a safe place to be during the day by removing rugs that could cause you to fall or trying to find a resource to install safety equipment in various areas of your home, such as rails in the shower. Talk to a few different companies before you make a final decision so that you are comfortable with the people who provide your care or that of your family member.

Locating Services for Your Aged Loved One

More people are finding themselves tasked with caring for aging loved ones. Rather than put their relatives in nursing homes or assisted living centers, many of these individuals prefer to keep their family members at home for as long as possible.

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However, this ideal can be challenged if the loved one suffers from a condition that the primary caretaker is not equipped to handle. By hiring nurses and assistants for feeding, medication assistance, and other aspects of elderly care Norwalk CT residents like you can keep your loved one at home for longer.

Learning about the Locations

The network of caretakers is spread throughout the area. However, it may or may not reach the area in which you live.

Before you contact the company, you might want to make sure that it services the area in which you live and where you keep your aged relative. You avoid having the cancel the services because it does not come to where you are.

The website shows you all of the places where the network is established. You can make sure your city is listed on it before you make the phone call.

List of Illnesses

You also want to make sure the caretaker you are about to hire can actually help the loved one in your home. Your relative might suffer from an extensive and challenging illness like dementia or Alzheimer that can task someone who is not trained to take care of people with it.

The website gives you a full list of illnesses that its caretakers are trained and ready to handle today. As you can see, they are equipped to help clients who suffer from some of the most common illnesses associated with aging.

You may feel better knowing your relative will be in the care of someone who has the specific training needed to be patient, kind, attentive, and always prepared to respond to any circumstance that your relative faces. These services allow you to keep your relative at home without having to send him or her off to a nursing home or other facility.

How to Make Your Basement Functional

For many homeowners, the basement is a room that often goes unused. Some people use it for storage while others simply keep the room open for a water heater and a few other items that don’t have a place inside the rest of the house. With a few upgrades and the assistance of a basement remodeling Westmoreland County PA company, your basement can be a functional part of your home.

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One remodeling idea is to transform your basement into a spacious family room where everyone can gather for holidays or special events. You can place a large couch and a few comfortable chairs along the walls for people to sit on while they watch television or play a few games. When you design a family room, use brighter colors on the walls and floor so that it’s a warm and welcoming environment. Before you paint or install flooring, make sure the basement is insulated and that it doesn’t leak.

Another remodeling idea is to transform the basement into a spare bedroom for family members or friends who come to visit. It can also be turned into a room for a child who is in college and comes home on the weekends or on school breaks. Consider installing a small bathroom with a bedroom to make the space feel more like the person’s own space instead of just a bedroom in a basement of a house.

A playroom is another idea if you have children. Sometimes, kids don’t want to go outside to play. It might be too hot or too cold to play outside. Put flooring down that is stain resistant and that is colorful for children to enjoy. A few outside toys can be kept in the basement as well as a few storage containers with toys that are organized by the kind that they are and bookshelves with games and books.

4 Tips for Learning Chinese

learning-chinese-alphabet-pinyin-in-class-roomThe Chinese language is one of the most beautiful in the world. Here are just a few tips for teaching yourself how to read, write and speak it so that you can communicate like a native someday.

1. Set Goals for Yourself

The best lessons are always structured ones, so create a study schedule with weekly and monthly goals. For example, you might try to learn a certain amount of vocabulary words every week, or you might aim to speak in simple sentences by the end of the month. It’s okay if you can’t meet these goals every time. The important thing is that you give yourself motivation to keep studying.

2. Engage With Chinese Media

Tons of songs, books, movies and television dramas can improve your Chinese language skills. It won’t even feel like learning when you’re immersed in a gripping wuxia tale! Your brain will still notice the words, however, and you’ll start to recognize common phrases and grammatical patterns as you watch. Don’t be afraid to try a little Chinese media to improve your language ability.

3. Get Your Kids Involved

If you want the whole family to speak Chinese, you’ll need to encourage fluency in your children as well as yourself. Thankfully, there are many ways that kids can join the language fun. For example, you can send them to a Chinese immersion summer camp where they’ll speak it every day and learn functional vocabulary with all of their new friends.

4. Explore Chinese Culture

It can get a little boring to look at flashcards every day. Why not try cooking Chinese food instead? Alternatively, you can experiment with Chinese fashion or Chinese home decor. As long as you are picking up new vocabulary words along the way, you can consider it a valuable lesson in both language and culture.

These are just a few tips for improving your Chinese skills. It might have a reputation as a hard language to learn, but as long as you are dedicated to the task, you can become as fluent as anyone can!

Arranging Visitation That Works

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In the event that you have children with someone else and you are no longer in a relationship with that person, there will likely be a time when you have to let your children spend time with the other parent. If you want to monitor the time that is spent with the other parent, then you can file for a visitation agreement. A judge will determine how long your children spend with you and the other parent and if there are any stipulations regarding the visitation, such as whether it’s supervised or not.

Before filing, you can talk to a child visitation Hillsborough County attorney to find out what your options are and the best way to handle the proceedings. After the schedule is set, you need to try to stick to the times and days as much as possible. If there are any appointments or special events that come up that would mean a change in the schedule, you should talk to the other parent or your attorney to determine a way to work around the changes.

Think about the ages of your children. A baby usually needs more time with its mother and often needs a shorter visitation time than a child who is older. Talk to your children about what they want from the visitation agreement. Sometimes, a judge will listen to the wishes of a child who is a teenager or who has clearly seen the different ways of being treated by each parent. When the time comes for your children to come back home to you, try to have a few activities in mind to get them back into a routine. Remember, most visits only last for a weekend with some being every other weekend. When you meet your ex with your children, show that you can communicate with each other, as this will mean the most to everyone involved.