Winter Is Coming! 3 Things You Need to Do to Winterize Your Home

Fall is officially here, which means winter is right around the corner. Now is the best possible time to get your home ready for the colder temperatures to keep winter from hiking up your utility bills once the first frost hits. To help you prepare your home for the chillier days, here are five ways to winterize your space. Schedule your roof inspection It's recommended to hire a roofing contractor to conduct an inspection and residential roof repair at least twice a year, typically during the spring and fall months. While the hot sun of the summer season can certainly wreak havoc on your roof tiles, winter is a whole other ballgame. For instance, just six inches of wet snow is equal to the weight of about 38 inches of dry snow. You want to be sure your roof is up to the task of … [Read more...]

5 Ways to Get Your Garden Ready for Fall

Fall is one of the best times of the year: the humidity of summer is gone, the air is crisp, and there are fewer bugs around to annoy you while you get your gardening on. But if you're new to gardening (as many of us during the COVID-19 pandemic are), you might be worried what the upcoming cold could mean for your garden. For guidance, knowngarden offers essential tips to help you keep your garden thriving through the colder months. The good news is that preparing your garden for the cooler weather isn't as hard as it sounds. By doing a little work now, you can be sure that your garden will be in full bloom by the time spring arrives. That said, here are five ways you can get your garden ready officially ready for fall. Plant your perennials If you're looking to add more color to your … [Read more...]

How to Celebrate National Daughter Day

  My girls and I this summer. Calling all mothers, daughters, and fathers! Friday, September 25th, is National Daughters Day… a day to shower our daughters with love, affection and appreciation. It’s a great opportunity to add a little extra love and attention to our daughters’ life, cause they absolutely deserve it! My Life, My World I have three daughters. Each one has definitely been going above and beyond during this pandemic. Whether it is taking on additional chores to help us out at home, learning to cook, bake, or garden or care for their pets better they are putting in the work.  They are proving themselves to be adaptable, advocating for themselves and reaching out when they are struggling and asking for help.  The patience, understanding, and willingness to work … [Read more...]

Virtual and Online Options for All Parents to Check Car Seats Even During Covid

Unsplash.com @sharonmccutcheon It's that time again! September is Child Passenger Safety Week During the COVID-19 pandemic, parents are concentrating on many priorities at once, including how to keep their kids safe and healthy. This September’s focus on child passenger safety provides parents an opportunity to place a life-saving emphasis on child safety in cars by making sure their child’s car seat is used and installed correctly. Vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death and injury for American children and correctly used child safety seats can reduce the risk of death by as much as 71 percent. That's way more than I realized. Unfortunately, almost 60 percent of car seats are not used or installed correctly.  Again, I had no idea the number was that high. Remember … [Read more...]

Your New Favorite Self-Care Routines

Dealing with your mental health is something everyone can relate to. At one point or another, you've gone through an experience that causes you to make a conscious decision to focus on yourself. This is exactly what self-care is. Self-care is an important part of mental health. In the United States, 1.1% of adults experience schizophrenia; 2.6% of adults live with bipolar disorder; 6.9% of people battle depression; and 18.1% of us experience anxiety disorders. This means there are plenty of people out there whose mental health will especially benefit from implementing self-care routines. In addition, there are also plenty of people who are experiencing eating disorders that need immediate help and residential eating disorder treatment. If you're someone looking for some new self-care … [Read more...]

3 Reasons Why Your Energy Bills Are So High and How to Get Them Down

No one likes to have utility bills that are outrageously high. But it's one thing to know why your bill is so high and another to be in the dark. If you're unsure why your electric bill is skyrocketing even after a meter reading or if your bills are still running high even after being conscious about your energy use, here are three things that could be hiking up your usage. You're working more from home You might not have noticed a major shift in your electric bill since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic if you're among the 69% of entrepreneurs starting their business from home. After all, the average person already spends 90% of their time indoors. But if you're not used to clocking in from 8-5 in your home office every day, the shift in your electric bill might come as a surprise … [Read more...]

Single Moms: Here Are Some Activities to Keep You and the Kids Busy During COVID-19

The home life of a millennial mom could vary substantially. Whether you're living in an apartment in the city to a house in the country, What doesn't change is the effort you put in to give your children the best life they can have. So, what does home life look like during COVID-19 for either scenario? For the 75% of divorced children who live with their mothers, this time stuck inside is all the more reason to stay busy with activities to do together. Consider these points if you are a millennial mom looking for some inspiration for your home life during these long months kept inside. However, most aspects of home life during the "new normal" will remain the same regardless of where you live. For example, there's the obvious truth that you're going to do everything you can to provide a … [Read more...]

Is Your Family Ready to Get a Dog?

Adopting a dog is a major decision and one of the best you'll ever make. But it's important to make sure that you're completely ready for a dog before you start reaching out to local shelters. Having a dog is a lot of responsibility and a big financial one at that. So how do you know if your family is ready to take on that responsibility? Here are a few signs you're ready to bring a new furry friend into your life. You live in a dog-friendly neighborhood Over 46 million households in the U.S. own dogs, but not all areas are dog-friendly. While you don't necessarily need to have a backyard to own a dog, it's a good idea to live in a community that has plenty of parks and outdoor space where they can run around. If you don't live in the most dog-friendly area, consider doing some … [Read more...]

Unhealthy Habits That Are Damaging Your Health

You know that avoiding exercise and eating junk food aren't good for your health. But certain habits you may be doing have the potential to do significant harm to your body from making you sick to putting you at risk for chronic health conditions. While the occasional vice isn't always a hazard, here are some unhealthy habits you may want to keep an eye on to avoid inadvertently doing serious harm in the long run. Playing your music too loud Many of us like to crank up the volume on our music, especially when the beat really slaps. But it's important to make sure you're setting your music at a safe volume level. About 15% of American adults (37.5 million) report having some trouble hearing, and listening to loud music for prolonged periods of time puts you at greater risk for … [Read more...]

Ghoulish Driving: Essential Safety Tips for Driving This Fall

Fall is right around the corner. While this chilly season is prime for hayrides and pumpkin picking, it's also a time when road conditions get a little tougher. From slick streets to high winds, there are several factors to keep in mind while you're on the road this autumn. To help you avoid spooky scares while you're behind the wheel, here are five tips to help you prepare for fall driving. Avoid hard braking It can be hard to avoid hard braking because usually you don't intend to do it. There might be a squirrel in the road or flying debris that startles you and send your foot rocketing onto the brake pedal. But it's important to avoid hard braking when you can, especially on leaves. During the fall, the pretty wet leaves coating the road can be extremely slippery. It's a good … [Read more...]