DIY Projects That Make Your Home Look and Feel Like New

Home improvement projects comprise the easiest way to change the look and feel of your home - leaving every member of the family delighted. Keen to work on your first home improvement project but you don't know where to start? Read the following ideas that can increase the appeal and value of your home.

Install handmade shelves.

Handmade shelves are attractive compared to typical ones.  Visit a local craft fair or woodworker to see the best designs for customized shelves. You can install these shelves in your bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, home office, living room or even in your garage to store tools, books, knick-knacks, small appliances or what have you.

Paint your walls.

A fresh coat of paint is a simple way to give your home a new and clean look. Depending on your budget, paint the exterior and interior of your home. You can do this yourself or hire someone to get it done if you're time-strapped. You can choose a crisp color to brighten the mood inside and outside your home.

Update your flooring.

Replace your carpet or vinyl flooring. Old and worn carpet or vinyl flooring make homes look dirty and dungy. You can replace them with new ones or you can install stylish tiles to give your floor a lift. Be sure to choose tiles that will match the overall theme of your home.

Install new faucets.

Old faucets wear with age. Their dull appearance can affect the mood in your bathroom and kitchen. Purchase fresh-looking faucets from your local hardware store. Add some plumbing supplies you might need for a leak problem or what have you. You can hire a plumber to install new faucets if you're not confident to do it yourself.

Wash your driveway.

A concrete driveway will dingy overtime. Rent a pressure washer so you can wash it thoroughly. Your grungy concrete will shine like new afterward and this can improve the exterior look of your home.

Install a lighting system.

Install a dusk-to-dawn lighting system outside your home which will automatically turn on if there is any movement outside of your home. This ideal for any type of home - improving the safety and security of your home.

 

Get your windows winter-ready.

Make sure that your family and home are protected from elements when winter comes by replacing or repairing your windows. Doing this can help keep warm air inside your home and the cold air out during those harsh winter months. Hence, you can enjoy a more comfortable winter with your family while keeping your heating costs low.

So, there you have it - seven home improvement projects that will make your home feel and look like new in less time. Try one or more of these home improvement projects now and see how they can add value to your home.

Would you like to live in a new home? A home improvement project can be an easy way to change the look and increase the appeal of your home, make it feel like new. Below are five very easy ways to improve your home and increase the value at the same time. Home improvement projects do not have to take a lot of time or money to make your home look better.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/359653

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Four Reasons To Consider Home Improvements Today

Home improvements are time-consuming. This is one of the reasons why most homeowners, and single parents for that matter, dislike this undertaking. However, home improvements are indispensable projects which come with profitable results - enhancing the beauty and value of your home. If you're still doubtful about giving your home a lift, read the following benefits of home improvement.

It adds style to your home.

Home improvements can be exterior or interior in nature. Owners who lack the luxury of time and money often choose to improve the interior of their homes first since they could be more budget-friendly. These improvements include changing of wallpapers, painting of ceilings, upgrading flooring and adding doors or windows. Need more storage spaces in the different rooms in your home? You can also add overhead cabinets with beautiful design. Apart from being easier to complete, they can make your home instantly beautiful.

 

It adds safety to your home.

Do you have busted lights at home? Changing them can already mean simple home improvements which add safety to your home. Blown lights could be a source of bigger problems with your electrical wirings at home.  The same is true with plumbing upgrades, especially in your bathroom and kitchen. Moreover, you can add affordable fixtures which can make your home more elegant-looking.

It adds security to your home.

Closed-circuit television or surveillance cameras and security systems are home improvements that can keep your family and home safe.  You can use them to deter burglars and intruders or monitor what is happening inside your home while you are away. For them to be effective, you must place them strategically in the different areas in your home.

It saves you from bigger expenses.

Home improvement costs can change depending on the prices of the materials you're going to use. Needless to say, repair of small damages in your home could mean lower improvement costs. Hence, it is always best to perform repairs and renovations at the first sign of damage to avoid bigger problems and bigger expenses in the long run.

Other home improvement projects you might want to try  are home office creation and adding an extra bathroom or bedroom to your home. While they would  require more money and time from you, they can definitely raise the value of your home especially if you consider to sell it in the future.

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Five Essential Life Skills You Should Know

Adaptive behaviors are age-dependent skills that allow us to engage successfully in activities of daily living throughout our lives. We can also think of adaptive behaviors as skills that allow us to be flexible when change occurs in our personal lives or careers. Consider these five life skills for dealing constructively with changing circumstances in daily living.

Source: UNSPLASH

Stop and think to avoid misinterpretations. Give yourself time to analyze situations thoroughly. View actions and circumstances from different angles and perspectives to gain an accurate understanding of what has happened. If people are involved, communicate your concerns and ask questions to get information that might not be apparent. This will allow you to make informed choices.

Think long-term. Ask yourself "What if?" questions. Think about the consequences of dealing with a situation in various ways. Ask, "What will I lose?" and "What will I gain?" "How could this choice affect my family, friends, self, and future well being?"

Prepare for change with continuous learning. Change is a constant in everyone's life. The skills needed to meet various needs will change throughout all stages of life. We will continue to need updated knowledge in such areas as self-care, relationships, parenting, and financial.

Look beneath the surface. Welcome challenges. Every challenging situation brings the chance to grow wiser and more skillful. Somewhere, someone has successfully dealt with the same situation. Even circumstances that seem most devastating carry within them the seed of a new blessing. Those who search for these blessings will eventually find them.

Become clear on your values. the principles that guide your actions. Then look at your needs: those things that must be met in ways that remain true to your values. Ask yourself this question: "Is my reaction an attempt to meet a personal need in a healthy manner, or is it a creative solution to some other problem?" Then ask, "Is my choice of action in keeping with my core values?"

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How to Get Your Child to School

Source: UNSPLASH

Children with school refusal have a very difficult time getting to school and/or staying in school, usually due to some type of anxiety. School refusal can mean that children have trouble going to school – or that they don’t go to school at all. Children who refuse to go to school usually spend the day at home with their parents’ knowledge, even though their parents try really hard to get them to go.

If your child refuses to go to school, you might feel that school mornings are a ‘battle of wills’. Your child might:
>> have crying episodes or tantrums
>> hide under the bed covers
>> refuse to move
>> beg or plead not to go
>> complain of aches, pains and illness before school, which generally get better if you let your child stay at home
>> show high levels of anxiety
>> make threats to self-harm.

Here are some things you can do:

1. Check for physical causes. If your child is complaining of physical symptoms, have her checked by a physician.

2. Talk with your child.  Talk about what's bothering her, while at the same time making it clear that a plan will be made to return to school. Keep in mind, though, that some children can't describe what is bothering them. Don't force conversation if it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. The most important message to convey is this: you believe your child can conquer this problem, and you'll be there to help her through it.

3. Don’t lecture. Avoid lengthy discussions and debates about the importance of going to school. Lecturing won't do any good, and it may actually make matters worse. Any attention, even negative attention, can reinforce and maintain a problem.

4 Keep an open mind. Don't assume the teacher or the school has done something wrong. Similarly, teachers should not assume the problem lies with the parents. When stress levels are high, it's natural to want to point the finger and blame someone, but it doesn't do much to solve the problem. It's important to make sure that any reality-based fears, such as bullying, are addressed and corrected.

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Quick Tips on Setting Your Life Goals

If you want to succeed, you need to set goals. Without goals you lack focus and direction. Goal setting not only allows you to take control of your life's direction; it also provides you a benchmark for determining whether you are actually succeeding.

Set goals that would keep you motivated. Ask yourself why your goals are valuable and important to you. You can use this motivating value statement to help you if you start to doubt yourself or lose confidence in your ability to actually make the goal happen.

Set relevant goals. Goals should be relevant to the direction you want your life and career to take. By keeping goals aligned with this, you'll develop the focus you need to get ahead and do what you want. Set widely scattered and inconsistent goals, and you'll fritter your time – and your life – away.

Set time-bound goals. Your goals must have a deadline. Again, this means that you know when you can celebrate success. When you are working on a deadline, your sense of urgency increases and achievement will come that much quicker.
  
Frame your goal statement positively. If you want to improve your relationship with your kids say, "I will hold on to our good memories and create more memories by having more trips or play time with them".

Make an action plan. Don't forget to plan all of the steps that are needed along the way. By writing out the individual steps, and then crossing each one off as you complete it, you'll realize that you are making progress towards your ultimate goal. This is especially important if your goal is big and demanding, or long-term.

Source: UNSPLASH

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4 Ways to Establish a Good Relationship with Your Adolescent Child

Adolescence is the period between 13 to 19 years. It can also be considered as a transitional period from childhood to Adulthood. It is a period of physical and psychological development from puberty to maturity. During this period, male children seem to be a bit difficult to deal with as a result of which many parents loose interest in them and ultimately loose intimate relationship with their sons. The following are some of the things you need to do to bring your adolescent son close to you:

Create interaction. When you find your son being difficult and unreasonable, book an appointment with him, let's say to a Football Pitch. I know he will like such place. Advice him like a parent and talk to him like a friend. Let him know that he will eventually be a parent, will he be happy if his children behave the way he is doing. Tell him that his behavior is not acceptable to you and the family and make him promise you to be a good person from now on.

Act like a real adult. Remember that he is still a child and you are the grown up. Make sure you have what it takes to solve his problems. When you give orders and he tries to disagree with you, do not engage in argument with him; rather device a way to make him abide by your rules. It is true that he has his own rights and privileges, do not allow your son to look down on you. So you need to show good examples and try to do what you say. Be in charge of your house, do not be a push over and spell out the punishment for those who flout your orders. Let him understand that you are not being wicked but trying to make him a better person. You will be surprised he will start loving your life style and copying it. He will hold you in high esteem as a disciplined parent.

Let him make his own decisions. Inasmuch as you make him obey your rules, he still need some gap to make decisions for his life. Give him chance to choose his friends, his career, hobbies and any other thing that is personal to him. You will only need to advice him on the implications of wrong decisions and guide him accordingly. Also take interest in what he likes. When you are satisfied with his behaviour, tell him he is doing fine and should keep it up, reward him if you can.

Respond. Don't react. By the time he starts coming close to you, he will open up to you to the extent of giving you information about his friends. If he tells you that his friend smokes secretly, do not react immediately by rebuking him of having bad friends, because if you do he will stop telling you about himself and his friends. Instead ask him what he feels about a teenager smoking. This will help you to know his opinion about smoking. If he defends his friend, you should tell him the dangers of smoking and how people view those who smoke. If he is against his friend's attitude, tell him is about time he look for better friends who will help him to achieve his aims in life. This way, you are building a better relationship with your son and he will love you for that.

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Five Steps to a Successful Meditation

The basic tenets of meditation — relaxation and breathing — can be difficult to master in our hectic lives, but if you're able to find just a few minutes a day, that's all you need to get started. The benefits of meditation include stress reduction, sharpened concentration, and improved circulation to start. Once you begin to practice, you'll soon experience a quieter mind, a more open heart, and a sense of inner freedom.

Be comfortable in a quiet place. Find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed. To get started, it doesn't matter whether you sit or lay down as long as you are comfortable. You can sit cross-legged, on the floor, or on a chair. If you can sit erect, then great. If not, it's just important to have your body in a somewhat stable position. Then have the palms of your hands face the sky.

Source: UNSPLASH

Become "present." Become totally aware of your current surroundings. What do you hear? How does it feel to sit? Do you feel tension? Where are your thoughts?

Focus on your breath. As you take long and deep breaths, feel your breath move from your lungs and out through your nostrils or your throat. (Breathing through your nostrils is better though either will work). Your mind will wonder (which is okay), just try your best to be as focused as possible.

Feel your body. Once you're focused, take notice of your body and how each body part feels. Start with the toes and work your way up to your head. If your mind continues to wonder then bring your thoughts back to your breath. Breath 5 to 10 times with full concentration on each breath. Take it a step further and hum "Om" as you breathe out.

Practice! Like anything, practice makes perfect. Make sure to carve out a time each and every day to practice. You'll hopefully find all your practice totally worth it as meditation can be life-changing!

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