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How To Spend More Quality Time With Your Kids

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quality time

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Having children is the greatest journey that you’ll ever encounter. However, there is no doubt that it passes in the blink of an eye. Therefore, taking the necessary steps to maximize the joys of family life is essential for all parents. Spending more quality time with the kids should be at the very top of your agenda.

While it may feel like trying to navigate a minefield, the truth is that simple steps can make a big impact. Here are some of the most effective ways to achieve your goal.

Involve The Kids In Cooking

Young children won’t be very enthusiastic about cleaning duties, although playing games can make tidying up more fun. Thankfully, most kids are more receptive to joining you in the kitchen. As long as you make it enjoyable.

The key is to look for recipes that provide tasty results and won’t take up too much time. This peanut brittle recipe in the microwave is a great example that will soon become a family favorite. The time spent preparing the meals together should deliver magical memories.

Other options may include baking pizzas, making smoothies, and growing simple fruits in the garden.

Choose The Right Family Trips

Family days out are an opportune moment to do things you like with the people you love. Sometimes it’s great to simply see your children enjoying an activity or event that is aimed at them. In short, their happiness will put a smile on your face.

Still, it’s important to consider activities where you can participate too. Choosing camping trips instead of the hotel vacation where children spend most of their time in kids’ camps can work wonders. Meanwhile, family sporting activities are great days out.

When you look back on those memories, it’s far better if you played a central role rather than sit on the peripherals. 

quality time

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Embrace Their Hobbies

One of the best ways to enjoy quality time together is to share a hobby. As a parent, allowing your child to lead the way can be one of the best decisions you ever make. The fact that they’ll associate you with their favorite pastime is a game changer.

If your child loves a particular sport, you should support them. Any artistic or creative endeavor should be embraced too. Whether it means attending parent-child classes to learn an instrument or training together in the backyard is up to you. It can become a new routine.

Seeing your child’s development, along with your own, is sure to make it more rewarding for both of you. Perfect. 

Lose Unnecessary Distractions

Oftentimes in life, the biggest improvement is to remove negatives from your life. This is especially true when wanting to spend more time with your kids. While you cannot forget other responsibilities, several tasks can be dropped to save valuable time.

For example, if you spend a lot of time on social media, putting a block on platforms with these apps is ideal. Alternatively, you could look to automate daily tasks or outsource a portion of your work. Either way, the benefits will become instantly noticeable.

When combined with the active effort to improve the times you spend together, incredible results are assured.

How To Make More Money Before Christmas

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The added expense associated with Christmas is coming up quickly. Even in the best of circumstances, stress may be a problem, but dealing with financial difficulties adds another level of difficulty. Before the holidays, some people try to earn a little more money; here are some suggestions on how to accomplish it. 

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Sell your old and unwanted items

One of the quickest and simplest ways to get money is to sell things you don’t need. Have a large number of CDs and DVDs you no longer watch or listen to? Sign them up to sell services. Old video games and systems collecting dust? Also sell them. Stacks of bags of clothing in the spare room sell them on eBay or in a yard sale. Got an old car in your garage? sell it with edmunds.

Use mystery shopping instead 

Paying people to shop? Really? Yup! Ruth Bushi, the editor of Save the Student, explained how to work as a mystery shopper to us last year. Payment can vary per project, but it won’t make you rich. Sometimes the products you buy are yours to keep, giving you an extra Christmas gift to give. 

Live art 

For their art programmes, local institutions and colleges frequently seek out individuals with a variety of physical types. Some models are paid, thus they are not necessarily required to be entirely naked when posing.

Learn to Walk Dogs or Pet Sit 

There are apps that do more than just deliver food that can be used to supplement your income. If you enjoy taking care of animals, you can board or walk dogs to earn extra money. Dog walkers are often hired by dog owners to take care of their dogs while they are at work. Additionally, you may make more money if you could board pets for their owners while they are away.

Complete online polls 

There are other ways to earn additional money before the holidays besides working a part-time job. You can also complete surveys to earn money to bolster your wallet. Paid surveys are a simple way to get extra money for Christmas without making you rich. While waiting for an appointment or while watching TV at night, you can do surveys on your phone. Since they don’t take very long to complete, it’s simple to fill them out whenever you have free time.

Babysit 

Babysitting is a well-known side business to pursue if you’re seeking quick ways to generate money. There is an increase in demand for babysitters as the holidays get closer. If you enjoy spending time with kids, this is a great way to earn additional cash for the holidays. Through word-of-mouth marketing or social media, you can promote your services.

Article Writing for Payment 

One of the best gig economy jobs to get money before the holidays is freelance writing. There is no requirement for a specialist degree, and working from home is possible. Many companies outsource their writing requirements, and some jobs pay very well. Blog articles, white papers, lectures, and other types of content are all possible, if writing is your hobby, start making money from it.

How To Ensure Your Family’s Safety When Camping

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Camping is a great way for you and your family to escape urban life for a period. You can also learn new skills, connect with nature, reduce stress, increase physical fitness, and strengthen the family bond. While considering the excitement and education ahead, it’s advisable to take measures to ensure your family’s safety. The following tips will help keep the family and yourself safe while camping. 

1. Consider any risks around your tent

Image credit – Photo by Xue Guangjian

Irrespective of your excitement, it’s important to consider the risk around where you hammer your first tent peg. If you’re with your children, consider hammering your tent in an area not close to a river. This ensures that your children do not play around the river and end up drowning if they are not so familiar with swimming. You also want to avoid pitching your tent under a huge tree with many branches. This helps to prevent accidents such as some branches falling from the tree, especially when the area you find yourself in is windy.

2. Be informed of the weather

It’s also prudent to consider the season because the weather can be unpredictable. This will also help you to know the kind of clothes to pack, whether you need some sunglasses, thick socks, or hats, among others. That said, you can shield yourself from any unexpected situation.

3. Have first Aid equipment available

Your first aid equipment is essential when camping, as activities happen in remote locations where access to medical aid may be far away. You need fully packed first aid equipment to assist family members in case there are any emergencies successfully. Several websites help with first-aid medications, so feel free to consider them. For instance, your family member may have a cut and bleed profusely. When this happens, you need to prepare beforehand.  It is essential to have basic items such as bandages, some antiseptic cream, safety pins, disposable sterile gloves and a thermometer; preferably, a digital one is needed in your first aid box. Make sure to look through your kit and replace anything that’s missing. Consequently, you can visit site to learn how to administer CPR when needed.

4. Don’t neglect your food and water 

Image credit Photo by Clem Onojeghuo:

Knowing that you will not have access to your gas or electric cooker while camping with your family, you must take as many non-perishable foods as possible if necessary. This will save you the trouble of having less food to eat while camping. Avoid taking along raw chicken, meat, or seafood, as they require temperatures at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s also advisable to cook your fish on the day you catch it to avoid spoiling. Consequently,  avoid drinking water directly from the lake or stream. You must do well to purify any water by boiling it for at least one minute or get water purification tablets to control viruses or bacteria.

Practicing camping safety can help you enjoy your experiences. Hopefully, you’ll leverage these helpful tips for the best results. 

How Can You Cut The Costs Of Your Family Camping Trip?

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Camping vacations are an excellent way to save money. You can either camp in a tent or stay in a caravan. The nicest part about camping is that you can prepare your food, which is inexpensive. Camping vacations are popular since they are inexpensive and allow you to do anything you want when you want. There are methods to lower costs even further if you try a few cost-cutting strategies. Here are some advice and tips for saving money when planning a camping trip this summer.

Photo by Djordje Petrovic

Stay Close To Home

You don’t have to go far to get a complete change of scenery. Swapping a long drive for an hour or two to a local beach or rural location saves money and stress, and it’s also better for the environment.

Stick To A Simple Camping Kit

There’s no need to invest in expensive equipment unless you plan on camping frequently or in harsh weather. Focus on the essentials, such as a good tent and a comfortable sleeping bag, before branching out with items you already own. Bring blankets and old pots for cooking, and never underestimate the ability of a warm pair of socks and a woolly hat at night. You should also think about packing a 18650 batteries button top so you have access to rechargeable batteries on your trip. 

Research Your Camping Equipment

Even if locating a cheap campsite is simple, you must still bring all of your equipment, which can quickly add up if you are not careful.

Before purchasing a tent, camping stove, or even a coolbox, see if any of your friends or family members have one you can borrow. People may even wish to give their equipment away permanently to make room in their garage or loft.

You may even borrow a campervan or caravan instead of purchasing one. “Many people don’t understand that you can even borrow a motorhome – a simple and cost-effective solution for those willing to try it for the first time,” explains a Pitchup spokeswoman.

Shop Out Of Season

Spring and summer are usually the most expensive periods to buy camping equipment, so if possible, wait until late summer, autumn, or even the January sales, when many stores will be selling off last year’s stock.

Signing up for email alerts from your favourite merchants will also notify you of any upcoming discount events.

Plan And Pack Ahead

Buying something at the last minute frequently means paying more for it, whether it’s a next-day delivery sleeping mat or a can opener from the corner store. Make a packing list well in advance of leaving and double-check that you have everything before departing to avoid any surprise purchases.

Take Your Food 

Eating out is part of the fun of going on vacation, but it can get pricey if you do it every day. Bringing meals from home to eat on-site will help you save money, especially if you’re just heating things on the stove or campfire rather than cooking from scratch.

Create Your Own Entertainment

Camping is more than simply a cheap vacation; it also comes with its own brand of outdoor amusement, much of which is either free or inexpensive.

On a family camping trip, a frisbee, a football, and some campfire marshmallows will go a long way – and you can even make the preparation and cooking of an outdoor dinner into a fun activity if you approach it correctly.

Do you have any other ways of cutting down the cost of your family camping trip? Please share some ideas in the comments below. 

Being The Emotional Support Your Teen Needs

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In case you’ve forgotten, going through your teenage years can be tough. There are all of the physical changes of puberty, the plethora of effects hormones can have, as well as social and lifestyle changes to accommodate. Stress, anxiety, and even depression can become a lot more common during these years. So, what can you do to be the emotional support that they need?

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Talk about it

It might sound simple enough, but there are so many topics that can go unaddressed or under-addressed in the average family home, and mental health is one of them. Learn how to talk to your teen about mental health. Check in with them on a regular basis, and make sure that they know that you are a safe place to confide in. Most importantly, listen to them and take the time to verbally acknowledge their emotions. You shouldn’t always try to “fix” what is wrong, even if you feel like they are thinking or doing things you don’t like.

Establish healthier patterns of living

There are many lifestyle factors that can help improve mental and emotional health. It’s not as simple as finding the right band-aid for the job. However, helping them find a workable schedule and routine for school life, encouraging them to join you in getting active more often, and setting a bedtime to make sure that they get enough sleep. Of course, don’t mistake these healthier patterns of living as a working treatment if they are in real emotional distress.

Know when to get some help

There’s a lot that you can do to create a home that is a lot more emotionally healthy for your teens. However, you can’t always be the only help that they’re going to need. Whether they are dealing with things that are a little more than you’re able to handle or you simply acknowledge that they could use help with their emotional health, you should always consider youth psychotherapy to be a valid option. A confident, practiced hand can do a lot of good in helping your teen address their issues in a healthy way that they might not learn otherwise.

Mind yourself too

You want to be a pillar of support for your teen, but it can be difficult if you’re not firing on all cylinders. If stress, anxiety, or other worries are getting to you, then you need to ensure that you’re taking care of yourself. Putting a strong front to help your kids is only going to get you so far. Make sure that you’re aware of when you need help, or when you need to pause, re-evaluate and take some action to get things back on an even keel.

Awareness of mental and emotional health, and taking steps to work through them, is an important part of raising a family and it’s not one that a lot of us talk about enough. Hopefully, the tips above can help you be a little more mindful and helpful where your teens are concerned.