Are You Going To Be Moving? It’s A Lot Of Work

 If you’re going to be moving any time soon, then you need to make sure you’ve got yourself sorted. There are so many different elements when it comes to moving that you need to get sorted, and it’s going to be difficult to manage if you think you can leave it all to the last minute. We do not recommend this approach at all, and instead would argue that getting yourself organized as fast as you can is going to be your best bet. Having said that though, we don’t want you to rush through getting ready, only to let things slip through the cracks. So, it’s a delicate balancing game that you’re going to need to play, and we’re here to assist you with that.

In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the best tips that we’ve got for you when it comes to moving. So, want to find out more? Keep reading down below where we’re going to get started!

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Sorting Out Your Property

The first thing that we’re going to recommend is that you get to work sorting your property. You need to make sure that it’s ready to go on the market if it isn’t already, which is a big task in itself. You need to make any and all repairs that need to be done, you need to ensure that you have gone through all of your items and put as much away as you can to make the space look bigger, cleaned and so much more. It’s a lot of work that you’ve got to put into this, but this is especially important if your move is contingent on you being able to sell the property that you are currently in.

So that you can keep yourself organized, we strongly recommend making a list of all the things that you need to do, and then ticking them off as you go along. You don’t then have to panic that you’ve forgotten anything as it’s all written down for you, making your life nice and simple.

Finding Somewhere New

Next up, you’re going to need to find somewhere new to live. You can start having a look online at the listings that interest you, and you can even speak to a realtor about this if you think that you would like some help. Having a realtor on your side makes the search a lot easier if you don’t have a lot of time as they do the looking for you, and then they come up with a list of properties for you to view based on what you have said you wanted.

Which brings us to our next point, you need to know what you want from a property. If you’re moving it’s likely because you need to relocate for work or because the home you are in currently doesn’t meet your needs anymore, So, you need to determine what it is you want from the new place for a few different reasons. One, so you can make sure the properties you view cover all of your needs so that you’re not wasting your time. Two, so that you can give all of this to the realtor so that they can find you the perfect place. And three, so you don’t get sidetracked by a property that doesn’t work for you, but seems perfect. 

Going Through The Legalities

There are a lot of legalities that need to be sorted through when you’re buying a new property and when you’re selling one, so you need to have a lawyer on your side for this. They can talk you through all of the legal jargon that you need to know, handle all of the paperwork for you, and generally make your life as easy as possible through what is quite a complicated process. 

It’s important that you attempt to understand as much as you can so that you don’t feel left out during the process. Your lawyer will explain everything to you of course, but it’s still essential that you try to know as much as you can. There are a lot of helpful articles online that explain the process to you, some of the legal terms, what you should and should not ask for in a sale as well as more.

Packing Your Items

On top of that, you’re going to need to start packing your belongings. Now, if you do this far enough in advance, you won’t have to panic and stress about getting it done at the very last second which nobody needs. Of course, it’s important that you don’t pack up things that you need as this is simply going to make your life more difficult. Instead, you should start by packing up items you know for sure that you will not need until you have moved, as the quicker you can get these out of the way, the better.

Decluttering is always going to be a chore, and a tough one at that, but it’s also an important part of packing. You don’t want to end up taking items to your new place, only to throw them away when you get there. It’s pointless, and it’s not going to do you any good.

Moving From A To B 

Finally, you’re going to need to move from A to B. The time has finally come for you to leave your past behind and start your future in your new home, and this is hopefully going to be the easiest part logistically. You need to look into finding a residential mover near me that has availability on the date that you are moving, and hire them to help you. This makes everything ten times easier for you as you’re not doing a whole load of heavy lifting and moving, which to be honest, is a pain.

Once you’re in, you can get yourself settled, and then get going with unpacking your items, making the new space your brand new home.

Two Big Sustainability Trends To Bring To Your Wedding This Year

 

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You’ve seen countless wedding trends that pop up for a year or so and disappear into the abyss. Themed weddings were a big thing a few years back, but now nobody cares about them. It’s good to be aware of flashing trends like these so you can avoid adopting them for your wedding and looking back in anguish at how cringe everything was. At the same time, it’s also great to know of long-term trends that will always be a hit - and that brings us to today’s topic. 

Sustainability is one of the most prominent wedding trends in 2025 and it looks set to continue being a big focus for many years to come. People are realizing how non-eco-friendly a lot of weddings can be, so they want to switch things up and introduce some more sustainable elements. It’s a great trend to jump on, and here are two excellent ideas to get started. 

Minimizing Food Waste

Research from a major grocery store across the pond suggests that as much as 10% of all wedding food is wasted on your special day. That equates to a lot of food thrown in the garbage - not to mention a massive waste of money. 

Cutting down on food waste is therefore one of the biggest sustainability trends for modern weddings. You can achieve this in two simple steps: hire a catering company and partner with local food banks/charities. 

A catering company lets you manage how much food you produce, and you can run a set menu so you only provide a specific number of meals. Partnering with local food banks or charities gives you somewhere to donate any uneaten food products at your wedding. Maybe you have some small bites leftover from a buffet. Take them to a food bank or homeless shelter and they don’t go to waste. 

Cutting Down On Transportation

Despite the fact that eloping is making a comeback, many couples are eager to cut back on transportation for their weddings. When you elope, it’s usually just you and your partner - not the entire family. For more traditional weddings, couples look to hire coaches or buses so loads of people aren’t driving dozens of cars on the big day. 

There’s also this big trend of one singular wedding venue for the day. You get married and have the celebration in one place, which slashes your wedding’s carbon footprint because everyone travels to one location. It also helps your wedding budget because you’re not renting out two separate venues; churches and other places of worship are notoriously expensive! 

The one venue option also gets rid of a very non-sustainable wedding tradition: driving away in a wedding car. As nice as this is, most wedding cars are old classic vehicles that guzzle gas and pump out loads of fumes. Removing that from your itinerary helps to make the wedding that little bit more eco-friendly. 

Once you start thinking of sustainability ideas for a wedding, thousands flood your mind. These two have arguably the biggest impact in terms of making your wedding a greener place. Use them to spark as many other ideas as you can think of to get on board with a trend that’s genuinely worth following.

Tips for Better Dental Health

 When it comes to your oral health, you should be doing everything that you can to ensure that your teeth stay at their best and brightest. Of course, everyone knows the basics of dental care like brushing twice a day, flossing, avoiding sugary snacks etc, but there are plenty of other things that you need to know as well.

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For bigger changes and treatments for you or your kids, you may well want to go to the professionals like teen orthodontics specialists. However, if you are looking for a few things that you can do by yourself, these are what we will be taking a closer look at in this article.

Angle the Brush Correctly 

First and foremost, when you are brushing your teeth, you need to ensure that the bristles are angled correctly. You should be aiming to get the head of the brush at a 45-degree angle to the gum line when you are cleaning both the inside and outside surfaces of your teeth.

Don’t Forget About Your Tongue

To make sure that you are really tackling any plaque and bacteria that has gathered on, around or under your tongue, you should be cleaning it on a daily basis. You can either use a toothbrush or a specialised tongue cleaner to do this. Some toothbrushes even come with a tongue cleaner on the opposite side to the bristles. The other advantage of cleaning your tongue on a daily basis is that it will help you to prevent bad breath.

Wear a Mouthguard for Physical Activity 

While sports are good for your body, they do present potential hazards to your mouth. If you want to take extra care of your teeth, it may be worth investing in a mouth guard yourself - particularly if you are planning on engaging in any ‘rougher’ physical activities. Even if it is not a team sport, there is always a chance you could trip into something and damage your mouth.

Don’t Use Mouthwash Straight After Brushing 

Hopefully, you are already using toothpaste which contains fluoride. But if you are using mouthwash right after you brush, it may not have had the chance to take full effect. So, you should aim to wait at least 15 minutes after you have brushed so that you have given the fluoride a chance to work its magic. 

Chew More

After eating or drinking (particularly sugary food), you could chew sugar-free gum to help protect your teeth and gums. An alternative solution is to finish off your meal with a cube of cheese which plays a part in reducing the effects of acid on your teeth.

Get Out in the Sun

You may not have automatically thought of stepping outside into the sunlight as a way to improve your oral health, but the vitamin D that you receive from the sun helps to keep both your teeth and your gums strong and healthy.

Seal Off Your Back Teeth

The back teeth are often prone to problems as they are harder to reach and so you often don’t brush them as well as you can. To help protect them, you could apply a thin protective coating known as a sealant which is designed to prevent both decay and cavities. Taking an extra precaution like this can make all the difference in the long run.

Avoid Bad Habits

There are plenty of bad habits which can have a detrimental effect on your dental health. For example, excessive nail biting can end up causing hard to both your teeth and your gums. Similarly, grinding or clenching your teeth is something which you should get out of. The last thing that you want is to have an improper bite or crooked teeth. While brushing on a regular basis is important, you don’t want to brush too hard as this can wear away the protective enamel on your teeth. Avoid putting your teeth through any trials that you don’t really need to. If you are the kind of person who crunches on ice whenever you have a drink or use your teeth as a bottle opener, these are two habits which you really need to get out of. Finally, people tend to eat a huge amount more sugar than they need on a daily basis, so if you can cut out some drinks or snacks from your life, your mouth will thank you for it.

So, there you have just a few of the things that you can do (beyond the obvious) to improve your dental health.    

Cowboy Beans

Last weekend we had plans to go to Lake Erie, which is pretty close to our house. In under an hour we can be there, ready for some water fun. Adam wanted to fish from the bridge access, and the kids are always up for a swim. I knew I would be busy packing the towels, floats, changes of clothes, and snacks for the next day, and I certainly wouldn't want to come home and cook after a hot day on the beach. So, I pulled out my slow cooker and made a big batch of cowboy beans. We happily reheated them, and had hearty meals for 4 days. We could have stretched it to 5 days with the addition of potatoes or smoked sausage, but we were pretty full of beans at that point.

Cowboy beans are awesome. They make enough to feed a crowd, so they are perfect for potlucks or family meals. They reheat like a dream, and they are budget-friendly.

Ingredients

2 28 oz cans of baked beans

1 15 oz can of pinto beans

1 15 oz can of great northern or navy beans

1 can of kidney beans

1 can of black beans

1 can of pork n beans

1 1/2 pounds of bacon

1 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef

1 cup of ketchup

a few dashes of steak sauce or bbq sauce

1/4 brown sugar

1 large onion, diced

2 tablespoons of mustard

Directions: 

Brown the ground beef, drain.

Fry the bacon until crispy and drain.

Open and drain your canned beans (not the pork n beans or baked beans!)

Chop the bacon into small chunks.

Add all ingredients to the slow cooker and stir.

Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Why we love this recipe: 

It is protein packed, easy, and pairs well with corn bread, potatoes, hot dogs, smoked sausages, and more! 

It has plenty of smoky bacon flavor in each bite.

It can feed a hungry crowd AND it is budget friendly!

I always have plenty of canned and dry beans in my pantry to whip this up, even when I am low on ingredients for other dishes.

Find more crock pot recipes here: 

Chicken and Dumplings

Slow cooker dinner rolls

Shredded chicken tacos

 

5 Strategies for Raising a Happy and Healthy Child

 All parents want their children to be happy and healthy. After all, this won’t just ensure that they have an enjoyable childhood, but can also set them up for success in their adult lives, too. It’s much easier for young adults to find success in all aspects of their lives, including their professional and personal relationships, if they’re mentally and physically in tip-top condition.

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There are, of course, many variables that’ll influence your child’s existence, some of which might negatively impact their overall well-being. The way to combat those is to do what you can — and you can do a lot — to nudge their physical and mental well-being in the right direction.

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In this post, we’ll run through a bunch of strategies for developing a well-rounded child, all of which are relatively easy to follow.

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Healthy, Delicious Meals

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Eating healthy meals is paramount for ensuring that your child’s mental and physical well-being can be in peak condition. Varied meals consisting of fresh, healthy ingredients can have a significant impact on your child’s overall health. In contrast, unhealthy meals — such as those that contain processed foods — can have the opposite effect. By taking the time to prepare good-for-you meals, you’ll be giving your growing child’s body and mind the sustenance they need to be at their best. Research also suggests that children who follow a healthy diet in childhood tend to go on to lead healthy lives as adults, making this approach a gift that’ll benefit your child for the rest of their lives.

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Fun Physical Activities

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Did you know that this generation of children is the least active on record? Thanks to the rise of personal devices and other factors, many children just simply aren’t getting the levels of exercise they need to be at their best.

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Yet it’s important that children do engage in physical activity, which isn’t only beneficial to their physical wellbeing, but also boosts their mental health and confidence, too. The key to getting your child moving is to find an activity that they enjoy. After all, it’s simply not realistic that they’ll be eager to put on jogging shoes and go for a long run multiple times a week. Signing them up for exciting activities such as soccer, dancing, or karate classes will ensure that they get their full dose of physical activity while also having fun. Plus, aside from getting fit, they might just discover that the activity they choose becomes a passion that sticks with them for the rest of their lives.

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Self-Care Habits

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You won’t always be there to look after your child’s mood or emotions. Teaching them how to do it themselves can be powerfully influential and can result in long-lasting benefits that can set them up for success in their later lives. Teach them the power of meditation, yoga, exercise, and sleeping well, and they’ll have a lot of the tools required to make themselves happy and healthy.

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Limit Screentime

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It’s probably not possible, nor recommended, to prevent your child from using screen devices all the time. Still, it’s important to be mindful of the effect that excessive screen time can have on a child’s overall well-being. Studies suggest that too much time in front of a screen can increase a child’s risk of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.

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So how do you manage screens in a world that encourages us to use them all the time? It’s simple — you set boundaries. Your children may not like that the internet is turned off after a certain hour, or that you have screen-free Sundays, but it can be a gamechanger for their well-being. Without screens, they’ll have the time and space to engage in other, genuinely beneficial activities that support their health and happiness.

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Be a Happy Parent

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Finally, keep in mind that raising happy and healthy children is about more than what you do for them. What you do for yourself counts for a lot, too. Children pick up a lot from their parents, much more than simply what they’re told. You’ll be a role model for their happiness, and as such, it’s important that you treat your own well-being as a priority. Many parents put all their energy into their children because they believe that it’s the right thing to do, but actually, it’s vital to invest in your self-care too. You can’t pour from an empty cup, and in any case, your child will be much more  likely to walk around smiling if they see that you have a smile on your face. Remember: positivity is infectious!