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Wordless Wednesday: Hat Creativity
March 10, 2010 by
Budget Outdoor Living Spaces You Can Create
May 6, 2021 by Leave a Comment
Today, I’m sharing outdoor living tips on budget outdoor living spaces you can create. Summer is around the corner. So, it’s time to put a little time and energy in to your outdoor living space so you can enjoy the summer months.
Creating an outdoor living space entails more than creating a garden. Although that is a good idea too. Yes, gardening will get you and the kids outside for fresh air. Furthermore, it’s the perfect opportunity to teach children about nature and maintaining your home as a homeowner.
You can create a garden in containers, raised bed or till a small area in your yard. Whatever you decide, start a few plants from seed with your children. Also, you can use plants from your local nursery if you want to bypass the seed starting endeavor.
Give them incentives for researching a garden plan ahead of time. Furthermore, let them tell you what they want to plant and allow them to do the dirty work. However, check on the plants throughout the season together. Planning your garden, and working with your children will give you an opportunity to spend time outdoor in your garden space.
Enjoying a fresh garden salad grown and prepared by your kids will be an enjoyable experience for all.
Budget Outdoor Living Spaces:
Planters and Patio Furniture
Whether your backyard is a 10 x 10 cement slab or acres of green space, we have a few tips that will help you prepare your oasis. For some, it may be just as easy to shop online and have a perfect patio set arrive in a few days. However, if you’re on a budget try these tips:
- Spring and fall are great times to drive around neighborhoods and see what people are leaving on the curbs or selling at local yard sales. No shame in making one person’s junk your treasure. Sometimes homeowners don’t want to store patio furniture if they plan to buy new furniture the following season, and just want to get rid of it. They leave it curb side or decide to sell at a low price at a yard sale.
Table and chairs as well as side tables, coffee tables and items that you can accessorize with can be found. Make a day of it over a few week-ends, and you will found new projects to make over for sure.
- Check out your local community reuse/selling sites. Some people sell new-in-box items that they had stored for years and can’t take back. You can find great deals.
- Stop by a local construction site/roof construction site. Often, companies like Dominion Roofing are happy to give you scrap wood and pallets they don’t need. Pallet furniture is so chic these days.
- Do your current furniture/planter boxes need to be thrown away, or can you repurpose them? A fresh coat of paint on planter boxes is an easy, refreshing fix. Try new cushions. If you have the skills, make them. Also, check out this excellent way to refurbish old chairs into a bench.
Creativity and some elbow grease will get your outdoor living space ready to enjoy in no time. If the kids see you putting in a solid effort and end up truly loving your backyard, they will also work hard to make it beautiful.
Get out there, and enjoy your outdoor living space this year. Go ahead and start pinning some great ideas on Pinterest.
Easiest Plants to Grow In Your Garden
March 26, 2021 by Leave a Comment
Today, I’m sharing gardening tips on the easiest plants to grow in your garden. Growing a flower garden is probably among the most satisfying activities you can do. But, it can also be a very unpredictable experience too. For example, you may get amazing results one year and pests and disease catastrophe the next. Also, you’ll quickly learn that some growing conditions are easier to deal with than others. But, in most cases it comes down to choosing the right plants.
Whatever the challenge, there are always ways to solve these problems. Experienced gardeners understand this, but it might get tough or frustrating for beginner gardeners. The key is to plant healthy plants that are native to your area.
Benefits of Native Plants:
- Already acclimated to your area
- Requires less watering
- No fertilizer needed
- Not invasive
- Better for pollinators
Easiest Plants to Grow Plants:
Butterfly Bush
The butterfly bush attracts butterflies and pollinators such as hummingbirds and honeybees. However, this bush can become is quite large plant growing up to 8 feet high and 5 feet wide if not contained. It has strong, woody stalks, and in colder zones it dies back each winter.
However, a little pruning in early spring will have your plants looking good as new. Your bushes should be pruned each spring down to 8 to 12 inches to boost its growth. You can also find dwarf varieties which are more convenient for smaller gardens. The plants come in a number of colors such as yellow, pink, purple, red and white, and love full sun exposure with a medium amount of moisture.
Lavender
Lavender comes in many varieties and is quite a short-lived perennial. But, if you’re looking to add a fragrant element to your garden, this plant is the perfect addition. The color varies from light blue and purple to pale blue and white. Its perfumed quality make it an attractive addition to any garden. Lavender can also be used in cooking as well as the dried, which is also more potent in smell and flavor. The plant grows to about 20 inches and blooms in late spring/early summer. It enjoys full sun. Having shallow roots, lavender declines in wetter conditions so it needs less moisture and well-drained soil.
Daisies – Yarrow, Aster, and Tickseed
The daisy family is quite large, offering a great range of plants to choose from. Starting with yarrow, this plant is quite sturdy with lacy leaves and a wide variety of colors. It’s easy to grow in any well-drained soil, loves the sun, and tends to spread heartily, crowding other plants.
You can find it in pastel colors but also in deep red, rust, white and yellow. It grows up to 4 feet and blooms throughout summer and into fall. Prune it following the blooming period and make sure to remove the dead stalks when the season is over.
Aster is another daisy family member that is a late-season bloomer with a color variety ranging from white, blue and lavender. This will bring pops of color to your garden after most other perennials have finished their bloom. Bear in mind that it needs well-drained soil with medium moisture and slightly acidic conditions. It’s a self-sow plant that grows up to 4 feet in height requiring its root groups to be divided every few years.
Similar to most members of the perennial daisy family, tickseed or coreopsis is a durable choice that’s quite easy to grow. It reaches 3 feet in height and blooms much longer than other perennials, over the whole summer into late fall. You can divide the plants into several smaller ones every couple of years. They react well to pruning or shearing by producing new flower buds. These come in varieties of yellow, pink, red, orange, or a combination of the two. They also love the sun and dry to medium moisture.
Cineraria
Cineraria is a warm-weather perennial that prefers shade and is typically grown as an annual. It is a clustering plant that grows up to 12 inches in height. It’s frequently planted in containers and produces beautiful purple, white, or blue daisy-like flowers that combine perfectly with ferns.
This plant reseeds itself, and it can grow in surprisingly shallow, but cool and well-drained soil. It does require moderate moisture as constant wetness causes the roots to rot. On the other hand, underwatering will hinder its bloom as well.
Daylily
The daylily is one of the oldest and best groups of ornamental perennials. It has countless varieties available. Its upright flower stems grow from 2 to 5 feet producing trumpet-like flowers. Unfortunately, many blooms only last for one day. Colors range from red, purple, orange, white, and yellow to bi-color combinations. It’s very well-suited for beginner gardeners as they are very resistant to common insects and diseases.
Most daylily types bloom for several weeks during summer. However, some repeat their blooming cycle giving your garden lively colors throughout all summer. So, daylilies spread in clumps and should be divided every three years. Overcrowding hinders flowering. Daylilies require sunny to partially sunny conditions with medium wet, well-drained soil.
Oriental Lily
The Oriental lilies are a great transitory flower. They bloom in early summer after the Asiatic lilies have blossomed and before most other lily varieties have begun. Oriental Lilies are planted as bulbs, and gradually spread. Lilies love rich to medium moisture, well-drained, and slightly acidic soil.
They can grow from 1 to 8 feet in height with a wide range of blooming colors such as red, orange, pink yellow, and white. Lilies are quite fragrant and if you remove withered flowers, you’ll boost additional blooming.
These Plants Are Also Colorful
Gardening can be an excellent way to express your creativity. Furthermore, it’s a great benefit to your health and wellbeing. Additionally, achieving a lust, beautiful and lovely smelling ideal garden can be incredibly rewarding. Allow yourself to explore different ideas and layouts, mixing different plants and flowers to create a garden that will be fragrant and colorful throughout spring, summer and fall.
Add a few of my suggested easy to grow plants and flowers to your backyard. You will be enjoying beautiful flowers, butterflies and bouquets of lilies in no time.
Creating Child Friendly Backyards
January 24, 2021 by 4 Comments
Today, I’m sharing parenting tips on creating child friendly backyards. With many venues closed because of Covid-19, there are going to be very few outdoor activities for children this summer. Your yard can be the perfect place for them to stay safe and have fun. But, you’re going to need some tools and some creativity to help create a child friendly backyard.
Tips for Creating Child Friendly Backyards:
Installing a Pool
In the past, most people wouldn’t entertain the idea of having a pool in their yard. Pools can be costly to install, with tiles, pumps, and required accessories to build a permanent pool. However, above ground pools are available now, which can make a backyard pool cheaper. You will still need a hose to fill up the pool. But, you can easily assemble and disassemble an above ground pool without much help from others.
Swing Sets
Swing sets are almost like theme park rides to a child. They love the motion of going up and down and back and forth. It makes them feel they’re having the time of their lives. Swing sets can be found cheaply online or in big box stores. However, make sure that you have the tools to anchor the new swing set safely into the ground. Ensuring the swing set is anchored properly will avoid accidents. There are loads of guides around the web that can help you to achieve this goal.
Cornhole Games
Cornhole games are a traditional outdoor pastime that many people haven’t played before or haven’t played in a long time. A small beanbag is thrown at a ramp that has a hole in it. The objective is to get the bag into the hole. Cornholeworldwide.com is one of the leading companies offering this game. Furthermore, it has a large range of options that will make your yard look great. Get your children involved on which game to buy for the family. They will love being involved, and will be more open to playing games they choose.
Tetherball
Tetherball has been around for a very long time. It has been providing tennis players with the means to practice their skills when they are on their own. For those who are not familiar with tetherball, it’s a ball attached to a pole by a rope. And, players can bat it between each other. The goal is to wrap the rope around the pole in a set direction. You can get both floor mounted and freestanding options. So, when you are looking at equipment make them perfect for a wide range of gardens.
I hope my tips have motivated you to add a few ideas to your backyard. It can be hard to find things for the kids to do during a pandemic, but your outdoor space can be much more inviting if you put the work into it.
How to Revamp Your Home
June 26, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Today, I’m sharing home decor tips on how to revamp your home on a budget. If your home looks as tired as you feel staring at those uninspiring walls, then perhaps it’s time for a revamp. Or maybe you just need a change? They say it’s as good as a holiday.
Fortunately, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to revamp your home. You can breathe new life into your living space without breaking the bank. So, get in touch with your creativity and check out our tips on how revamp your home below.
How to Revamp Your Home:
Fresh Paint
Your walls are a canvas of possibilities. You can repaint your entire house, or focus on a room at a time. Step out of your comfort zone and try out new paint colors, or even an accent wall in the living room.
Alternatively, pick out an item – a chest of drawers, an old bookshelf, a kitchen table – anything, and paint it. Preferably in a contrasting color that compliments the rest of the room. It makes a world of difference, and you’ll get to decide how much to spend.
Save the Siding
Siding in need of some TLC affects the overall appearance of your house. Evaluate the extent of the damage, and see if you can replace or repair the worst parts.
Whether you have vinyl, stucco, aluminum, or wooden siding, by fixing a few panels, you’ll get rid of that eye-sore and improve your exterior’s look. It will improve your home’s look and maintain your house in the long run.
However, if the damage is beyond redemption, then it’s worth asking a specialist to conduct a site visit. This will give you an idea of how much it’ll cost. So, either way your efforts won’t be in vain.
Refinish & Replace
Bring dull cupboards and shelves back to their former glory by applying a refinish, or opt for two-toned cabinets to introduce a burst of color into a dull space.
Give your kitchen a fresher look, by replacing that century-old appliance with a new one. Do the same for other household items like rugs, throw cushions, or even bedding.
Liven Up Living Spaces
Invite energy into a tired corner with gorgeous artwork, or a vase of fresh flowers. Lamps are fantastic choices, too. You can easily replace a lifeless lampshade with a more modern one.
Shop around for bargains and see what other beautiful, inexpensive things you can use to spruce up a drab area.
Revamped, Refreshed, and Renewed
Giving your house a facelift doesn’t need to cost a fortune. A fresh coat of paint does wonders, while repaired siding makes a massive difference, too. Small changes like a refinished cupboard, a replaced appliance, or a pop of color will liven things up and revamp your home – all without burning a hole in your pocket.
Teach Your Kids to Have Fun
April 21, 2020 by 1 Comment
Today, I’m parenting advice on how to teach your kids to have fun. Lately, we’re spending a lot more time at home. Fortunately, that means we also have a lot more time to play with our kids. It’s a joy and boon that might be tough to give up when it comes time to go back to work.
Unfortunately, you still have to do work at home and deal with other responsibilities. So, you have to make sure the kids don’t getting bored, cranky, or disruptive. No worries, I have the solution to help you keep your household happy.
Here are a few ways to help your kids have fun:
Help them tap into their creativity
Now is the perfect time for your kids to find their passion. Helping your children get creative can include crafting fun. They can make things to decorate their rooms or other areas in the home. This can be an excellent way to spend time together too. Also, kids can easily get lost in their own imagination for hours with the right tools. Consider ordering a child-safe art set. And, add in things like coloring books that encourage them to tap into that playful side. Be sure to color a few pages with them.
Turn the garden into a playground
Do your children love trips to the local park? Do they miss the swings, slides, and other attractions? If you have the space for it, there’s nothing to stop you from bringing part of the playground to your yard. Seek help from the team at Component Playgrounds. It might be a little more costly than the average toy, but it will bring hours of fun. Most importantly, with the right care and maintenance, they’ll love playing with their new swing set for years to come. It’s a great way to teach your kids to have fun.
Engage Your Children
Kids can and will rise to a challenge when you put it in front of them. There are plenty of toys that will inspire them to play independently. For instance, a train set, playset, or dollhouse as shown at Very Well Family will help to engage them. These items are great way to teach your kids to have fun.
Show Your Kids How to Entertain Themselves
Some might think that you’re being a little neglectful, but playing alone is an important skill for kids to learn. Getting comfortable on their own will be helpful throughout life. So, it’s important that they understand that spending time playing alone is okay. Make sure they understand they are big enough to take care of some of their needs without you. Just as importantly, make sure they understand not to disturb you as well. And, don’t you disturb them when they’re clearly engaged in their own play, too.
It’s important to spend time playing with your kids, and to teach your kids to have fun. Especially, when their opportunities to play are limited to the home. However, you can make sure that the time they spend alone or with each other is still fun and safe with the tips above. So, don’t feel guilty about encouraging independent play. Remember, you still need to keep an eye on them.
Tips on Finding Your Child’s Passion
March 26, 2020 by 2 Comments
Today, I’m sharing parenting advice on finding your child’s passion. All children are creative in their own way. They play and invent, they come up with worlds that you couldn’t dream of yourself. But, while creativity is a natural thing for kids some are more creative than others. To help foster this creativity, there are plenty of things that you can do as a parent.
Here a few tips on finding your child’s passion:
Let Them Play
Every child loves to play. To them, it’s more than idly messing around with their Legos or dolls. When playing, kids are creating. Whether they are inventing absurd family drama with Melody Jane Dolls Houses or reenacting the best action scenes they’ve seen on TV. Either way, they are indulging in their creativity and developing tools needed for story-telling and more.
While it’s essential for kids to learn, it’s just as essential to allow them to play. Furthermore, when playing with friends, they learn to be creative collaboratively. And, this is something that will benefit them later in life. Rather than push them towards education every free moment, allow them to play and create, also.
Make a Creative Space in the Home
While most kids will be happy to play and create in their bedroom or the living room, it’s not always ideal. Especially, when you’re struggling to keep the house tidy. So, try putting together a creative space for them to indulge and discover that creative spark.
Not only will this space keep the rest of the house tidy, but it will also encourage their brains to associate such an area with being creative. Inside, you can fill it with toys, musical instruments, and blank sheets of paper where they can draw and paint. They’ll discover what they love, and pursue it further.
Introduce Them to Books, Songs and More
There’s a lot to be said about letting the TV be the parent for your kids. But, exposing them to appropriate media can help give them inspiration for their creative ideas. They will borrow from other media to create stories, and it will help them invent their own characters and scenarios.
Expose them to music, especially if they’re not proficient at an instrument yet. Rather than invent their own melodies, they can copy existing songs, which gets them used to using an instrument and improve their skills.
The Creative Spark
Every child has a spark of creativity nestling within them. Rather than suppress it, you can encourage the creativity spark to ignite and flame into something beautiful. Regardless of which creative activity they end up pursuing, it will help them to grow, change, and learn. And, this is something that every parent should encourage in their children.
How to Get Your Children to Be Creative
March 18, 2020 by 1 Comment
Today, I’m sharing tips how to get your children to be creative. When it comes to your children, giving them the best opportunities in life is important. Furthermore, you don’t want to limit them in anything they do in life. Being creative is important. Creativity ties into so much of our lives.
Here’s a few tips to get your children to be creative:
Encourage It Wherever You Can
Try to encourage any creativity when possible. Your children might express an interest in painting, or perhaps they want to start attending a drama or pottery class. Whatever it might be, it’s good to encourage them to do it. Exploring new things with your children is important. It can contribute to what they actually end up doing later on in life. Limiting them can be detrimental. So, as a parent encouraging them in anything they express an interest in is good. It’s a great way to teach your children that they can do anything they want in life.
Read To Them
Reading to them can be a valuable way of helping them get more creative. When it comes to reading, make sure that you provide them with books that are inspirational. They could be classic books that you enjoyed as a child or books that will teach them important things about life. Make sure you’re giving them the opportunity to learn something new. Let them pick out the books that they want to read. Start compiling a selection of books that they will take them through their teenage years and beyond.
Provide Them With Opportunities
Furthermore, it’s a good idea to provide your children with as many opportunities as you can in life. One way to do this is by looking at ways to involve your children in creative activities. That can include the Visions Academy of Performing Arts or something online that teaches them about a certain creative skill. They can all be beneficial to your children, and present them with opportunities to learn.
Avoiding Living Your Life Through Them
Finally, one mistake that parents can often make is living your life and aspirations through your children. That’s only going to cause them unhappiness and perhaps some unrealistic expectations that they may not be able to meet. They are their own person, and you should avoid pushing any of your wants and needs onto them. Let them make their own decisions in life.
Finally, getting your children active creatively is important. So, use these tips where you can to give them an opportunity to express themselves.
Understanding Gardening Basics For Beginners
March 13, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Today, I’m sharing gardening tips on understanding gardening basics. Your vegetable and flower gardens should be just as cozy and relaxing as your indoor space. Sometimes a little know how, flower pots, a can of paint and a little creativity is all that is needed to bring your garden to life.
If you’ve left your garden space to the elements and it has been become battered, bruised, and weather worn all is not lost. Check out my tips on backyard gardening basics and you will be on your way to creating beautiful outdoor spaces.
Understanding Gardening Basics for Beginners:
Look at your weaknesses
If you want to maximize your space, you’ve got to put in the effort. So, even if you don’t have the time to look after a garden space, that doesn’t mean that you should let it go. The best place to start is with the grass. Restart this by layering, which involves smothering the grass. This this is a common method used when people want to start a garden. Killing the grass that remains by layering or polarization, gives you that blank canvas in which to start again. Take note, this can result in a lot of hard work. But, you can always hire a professional to do this for you. But if you want to do-it-yourself, you’re off to a good start as a gardener.
Preventing the enemies from rising up
Weeds constantly sprout up. However, if you want to ensure that your gardening area looks pristine use landscape fabrics. It’s a synthetic textile that can be placed on planting areas to block weeds from coming up. This works by blocking the sunlight, which is the way weeds germinate. You can speak to a landscaping company to help you with the selection of fabric and installation. Or, you can purchase the material yourself. The fabric is porous, but you can cut holes into it so your plants can be placed and the water can drain into the ground.
Understanding garden soil
It’s important that you have a basic understanding of backyard gardening so you can properly maintain your garden. The soil is the foundation of your garden. So, the numerous problems that affect soil can result in various issues with your plants. Soil can suffer from three common issues:
- The soil pH: If your soil is too alkaline or too acidic, plants won’t thrive. Be sure that you test the soil so you know the garden’s pH level and you can make the necessary alterations.
- The type of soil: The composition of the soil and its texture can cause problems with drainage. If the soil contains too much clay, this will stop the water draining properly. Sandy soil won’t retain water. It drains through before the plants can absorb it.
- Nutritional issues: This is something that can be remedied with a soil test. Because, much like us, we need specific nutrients, the soil requires specific resources in which to grow plants and vegetables. A soil test will let you know of any deficiencies before you start planting. Fix any problems before you continue your garden. Remember, the soil is the foundation.
Using the right spots for the right plants
A garden is a blank canvas, but you have to be aware of certain limitations. While you may want certain plants in the garden, you’ve got to be aware of the specific limitations for each planet. Plants need to be in the right conditions in order to thrive. First, find out what your planting zone is. For example, I live and garden in zone 6B. Furthermore, you also need to know how much sun and shade you get in your garden area. Choose the type of plants that will survive in your garden area.
Once you understand the basics, you can turn your garden into an area that suits your lifestyle. You can turn your battered, bruised, and weather worn garden space into a space that will thrive. A garden is a lovely thing, but if we want it to flourish we have to be aware of it’s limitations and yours. Having an understanding of gardening basics, doing a little planning and putting in some effort will have your garden area a beautiful space that you desire and deserve.
8 Benefits of Music for Children
October 4, 2018 by Leave a Comment
As a parent, you always strive to give your child the best upbringing. You want them to be prepared to face the world. Music is a great avenue in helping to develop your child. Experts say enrolling children in a music class can help boost their confidence, and help in their overall development. Check out these parenting tips on the benefits of music for children:
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Music Lessons Make Children’s Minds Sharper
According to researchers, playing a musical instrument helps in increasing IQ by seven points. If you encourage your child to play an instrument, it will help shape the power of his brain. Also, music is one of the most innovative and fun-filled brain exercises. It helps sharpen your child’s mind and memory power.
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Music Helps Develop Cognitive Skills
First, regular music classes can help your child with concentration skills and become more focused. It has also been proven that kids who have been exposed to music are more successful. Music stimulates the part of the brain which plays a vital role in mathematics, reading and emotional quotient. Furthermore, these subjects are the foundation of any formal education, and help improve your child’s cognitive skills.
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Music Refines Discipline and Patience
Next, Musical instruments like the piano and violin require discipline and patience. Through music classes, a child can learn these skills at an early age. Furthermore, discipline, patience, and perseverance play a major role in success in life.
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Music Improves Speech and Communication
Also, doctors often advise introducing infants to soothing music. It is known to stimulate their senses. The first thing that an infant recognizes is sound. Next, they start remembering vocabulary. So, regular exposure to nursery rhymes and other songs can help in developing communication skills.
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Music Helps in Gaining Self-Control
So, by enrolling your child in music lessons, you can help them to explore and recreate music with other students. Kids help each other, and they develop friendships. Most importantly, music helps boost self-control, gain self-esteem and confidence.
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Music Inspires Creativity
Additionally, it is a well-accepted fact that musicians are some of the most creative people in society. Either through writing the lyrics for a song or perfecting a new instrument. Your child’s hidden creativity can be exposed through music.
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Music Is a Beautiful Form of Expression
Furthermore, music can invoke many emotions. This includes feeling happy, sad, angry, and joyful. Music can give your kid the opportunity to express suppressed feelings. As a result, they can become emotionally stable human beings.
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Music is an Excellent Form of Engagement
Last, while the internet is informative it has its perils. However, music is a great way to keep your children off the internet. Your child will have fun and find solace in music. Make music a vital part of your child’s life. Finally, instill these positive benefits of music in your child at an early age.
Author Bio: Curtis Dean writes on behalf of Sage Music School. The lessons are based on science and psychology. Their effective teaching methods create confident and capable students who enjoy music.
