With all the clutter in our daily lives, most days we just want everything around us to be neat and minimal. Do you agree?

We can all I agree, I believe, that there is a very small guarantee of a clutter-free home in a house with more than two kids. There is a toy in every corner of the house. There is something you will inevitably step on especially on the staircase. Experience has taught us that the more you increase the number of storage spaces, the more clutter you will accumulate.

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Simplicity is the key.

The idea is to have a minimalist interior design for the house. Open-plan layout, with just key pieces for the living room, kitchen and dining area, starting with entrance doors up to closets and laundry room. The front door will be painted a striking color: red or blue. The dining area will have a large table with simple wooden chairs. Or it can be a kitchen with kitchen island counter seating. Perhaps a booth seating? The latter is great for small kids. Minimal kitchen cabinets but a pantry will compensate for the shortage in storage area. A living room or family room will have couches, a simple wooden center table, and a floor lamp. There is a laundry room directly after the mudroom. The bedrooms will have a bed, built-in cabinets. The bathrooms will have a shower stall, a toilet, built-in cabinets, too.

With the commercialization of almost every aspect of our lives, we tend to overspend on things we actually do not need. And this applies to our homes. We have too many of any single item especially dinnerware. I do believe majority of us is guilty of this, with the automatic reasoning that we are buying extra for guests.

If our goal is to have a clear mind inside our homes, even with kids, we need to downgrade. Again, simplicity. If we turn to minimalism, a clutter-free home will always be on the forefront of our minds. Our tendency to buy more, store more, will be gone, if not minimized. I would like to think that even kids will have less clutter because of the awareness of a neat home.

Transitioning from a traditional house to a minimalist will not be easy. Imagine the number of items you will have to get rid of when organizing your stuff. Do a garage sale. Give away to charity but only those items which are in good condition and will be of use to the recipients. It will be hard to part with some items but if you are really keen on a clutter-free home, sacrifices have to be made.

Again, simplicity is the key. It will have to start from a decision and everything else will follow. Of course, getting every family member on board the idea is a priority step. If one is not on board, there will be clashes along the way.

Your home is your haven. It needs to be a place where you can breathe and be at peace.

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Studies show that letting kids take on chores at home is good for their health and well-being especially later on in life. The kids who do chores at home are most likely to fare better in life as they grow old.

Some parents are of the mind that kids should be allowed to be “just kids” and let them do the things that are for kids. There is a time for that, I do believe that, too. But I am of the mind that kids who are given tasks at home learn responsibility early on. Kids feel more competent when they know they can take on a given task like washing the dishes or sweeping the floor, or throwing the trash in the bins toronto at the back of the street alley, or even making their beds. The idea that when they do their given chores at home they contribute to the overall cleanliness and upkeep of the house is a great feeling for a kid of any age.

Here are a few suggestions on how to distribute chores to kids at home.

Give kids simple tasks to take on. Make the bed. Sweep the floor. Pick up the dirty clothes and put it in the laundry area, or even, in the hamper. For older kids: wash the dishes, take out the trash, mow the lawn, walk the dog.

There are many simple tasks that kids can do. The idea is to talk to them about the chore assignment, make sure that it is not in the way of school assignments, and that they know the goal of the tasks they are being given. Also, make sure that the tasks are age-appropriate.

Recognize a job well done. This is even if the task is not really that “well done” but given the kid’s age, you know the kid gave his best in doing his assignment. Recognize the effort. Give the kid a pat in the back. That way, the kid will feel proud of what he accomplished and will be motivated to do better next time.

Include the whole family in the assignments. This is something I feel strongly about. I love that the whole family will be involved in as simple as household chores. I am of the mind that the little ones at home will learn best from following the older ones’ examples. Walk the talk. If you want the kids to do their chores, make sure that the adults do theirs, too, and that the kids are aware of it.

Make the chores fun to do! Make the chores fun for the little ones. Give out stars for tasks done on time. Give them something to look forward to on weekends. Think of what will make the kids smile while doing their chores.

Lastly, do not scold your kid when he failed to do a chore the way you taught him how. He might have a better way of doing it in his mind.

Finding a place where you can build your forever home is not easy. It takes a lot of planning, trips to and from potential locations, discussions with family members. It is not just getting a building permit Mississauga. There are many aspects you need to take into consideration. The three that came to mind are location, size of the property, and budget.

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Location

The number one consideration for most families is location. Is there a school in the area? Is there a nearby hospital? What are the amenities that homeowners can enjoy when they live in the neighborhood? Are there parks where kids can play? Is it a safe place for families? Is it accessible to public commute?

Those are just some of the questions that come to mind when scouting for a place where you can build a house. The convenience of living in a great neighborhood is a big plus especially for families with growing kids. Security is also a paramount consideration when checking out a location. You do not want to live in an area where burglars lurk.

Size of the Property

How big do you want your house to be? How elaborate is the planned construction? If you already have the square footage in your mind, you can easily plan how much space your house will occupy on the property you have selected.

Front yard, backyard, car port or garage. Is there a swimming pool somewhere in the plan? Do you plan to have a landscaped lawn? How many rooms are being considered?

Will it be a bungalow or a 2-storey house? How big are the rooms? How many bathrooms are being considered?

Budget

The first two considerations, of course, will be for nothing if the budget is not yet set. How much is your budget? It is the biggest consideration because once you know how much you are willing to shell out to get your forever home constructed, you can easily pinpoint locations where your budget will be enough to purchase a property.

Based on experience, your budget should be twice the amount your architect and engineer tell you to set aside. Always have a big buffer because you do not want to find yourself short on budget when emergency arises. A pause on construction will mean a bigger cost.

So, set an amount you are comfortable to shell out. In that amount, 70% of it should go to the construction fund; 30% should be set aside as a buffer for emergencies.

There are other considerations but the three I have mentioned are the foremost on most families’ minds. I know because I have been there in the past. Our family has gone through the construction phase. And budget was the biggest mistake that we made. We did not set aside a buffer so when we met one hurdle after another, we found it difficult to move forward because our budget was not enough. Construction had to be suspended for a while until we saved enough to push through with it.

Plan the construction properly. Consult professionals. Write it all down. And when you are 101% ready, then that’s when you can push through with it.

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The unemployment rate has been down since the pandemic hit the world. It is not only confined to one part of any country. Jobless individuals are everywhere. From former rank and file workers to managers to executives. The blow on the economy took down numerous companies and with it, its workers.

Most of the time, an increase in unemployment is accompanied by an increase in crime rate. Individuals who are desperate will turn to desperate measures for them to put food on the table. Some who are on the brink of a mental breakdown would even resort to hurting whoever gets in their way.

In these trying times, it is important that we secure our homes, our families. First step is to call on locksmith markham, change the locks, and make sure that the door will do its job when everyone is at home and sleeping peacefully. An additional security would be to install a door sensor or a security door alarm.

A family was sleeping peacefully on a Saturday morning. It was broad daylight when two men entered their home through the back kitchen door. Maybe, a chemical that deepened their sleep was sprayed in the air. Maybe, their sleep was so deep and peaceful that they did not hear the two men who took appliances, gadgets, and bags with money, and other important stuff. It was a couple of minutes, at most, and it was a blessing that nobody woke up or who knew what those two men would do to whoever would stop them.

Secure every door inside your home. After the door, secure all the windows especially the ones in the bedrooms. There was a time when babies sleeping in the nursery went missing because someone took them breaking through the window. It was a scary period as I remember a dear friend went paranoid after giving birth to her firstborn. She had all windows of the nursery sealed shut. Well, nothing happened to her baby and her paranoia did not last. But can you blame a mother for making sure that her baby is safe?

It is better safe than sorry; we always hear that. And it is true. Better to take precautionary measures than be sorry later that we did not do what we must to double the security of our homes and those living in it.

Change locks. Choose the people to whom you will give the keys of the door to your home. Tell them to guard the keys fiercely. Check the windows. Seal it shut if you think it will become a way for burglars to enter your home. Change the window if you see a crack.

Security should be a priority in these trying times. We cannot see the end of this pandemic yet. It may be two years, three, or five as experts predict it to be. The end is so far out of reach. What we can do for now is make sure that we all safe and sound inside our homes.

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A favorite television show at home is HGTV. From fixer uppers to buying and selling to landscaping, you bet we watch every show there is. One thing that I learned from every show that we ever watched is to always make sure the house has a great curb appeal, most especially when you are checking out houses that will turn into a home for the family.

Landscaping plays a big factor in a house’s curb appeal. Imagine the house surrounded by beautiful plants, flowers, vines… It brings nature so close to us even when we are living in the city. We used to have a big house with landscaped grotto. I loved that side of the house when I was a little kid. Whenever I think about it, or would tell stories about it to my siblings, the desire to have the same grotto resurfaces. There are landscaping companies Toronto should you also feel that your house is in clear need of a great curb appeal. Our family will retain the services of one soon.

The front of the house also plays a big role in making sure that the house is appealing to potential homeowners. As for our family, aside from a landscaped grotto, we would love a wrap-around porch, planters surrounding it, cushy couches, even a small swing! I can already imagine us having cozy nights sitting at the porch, walking down memory lane while sipping hot coffee or tea.

A beautiful façade is just one of the items on our checklist now that the family is on the lookout for a new house. We want an open layout, a big backyard, a swimming pool (but can be changed to a basketball court for the boys), and a big garage.

An open layout, I believe, is particularly great for a big family like ours. A big family with kids, I should add. The adults can be cooking in the kitchen while still monitoring the kids playing. Or the guests and those who are prepping meals can still talk to each other and catch up. That’s the appeal of an open layout for me and the family. One where we can all be together even when we are doing our own things.

The big backyard is for the kids and for my sister who loves to plant. A big chunk of the backyard will be for her vegetables that she is so fond of growing. She has chili, calamansi, and tomatoes now. I can only imagine if she has a big yard to work on. The kids can also play outside even in this pandemic. A pool and a big garage are also on the checklist. My nephews are swimmers so the pool is for them. The big garage is for making sure we can secure our cars especially at night.

We have seen two potential houses so far but the curb appeal for both is missing. Landscaped front yard is one that we truly want to find. And we are hoping to find that house we can turn into a home. Or we can always turn to those landscaping companies Toronto.

Have you noticed how a lot of people are buying plants nowadays? Indoor and outdoor plants, small and big ones. A lot of homeowners are turning to plants to beautify their homes and to reap the benefits of having one at home. I am sure plant enthusiasts are checking out Plant Shed New York City locations so they can get their hands on what’s new especially for this season.

Plants are natural air sanitizers. You only need to choose the right one you can place inside your home, especially ones that are safe for kids to touch and be around with. There are local florists in New York City where you can inquire and who can help you choose the best ones for you.

My choices are, and I believe, the best nyc florists will also say these, are purifying plants. Here are eight of them:

1. Devil’s Ivy or pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
2. Dwarf Date Palm (Phoenix Roebelenii)
3. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
4. Philodendron
5. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
6. Chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum morifolium)
7. Rubber plants (Ficus elastic)
8. Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata v. Bostoniesis)

There are a lot more you can choose for your home.

Another important consideration in choosing a plant is your skill and patience in taking care of it. There are low maintenance plants, ones you don’t need to water daily, ones that don’t really need sunshine. There are also plants that can grow taller than you and ones that will occupy a big space. You really need to choose the ones that you can take care of and will be great for the space you have at home.

Lastly, plants need your TLC even those low maintenance ones. So be sure to choose ones you can really commit to.