All posts by R.C. Liley

I'm an ex-mutual fund accountant who left the cubicle world to be a stay-at-home dad to my beautiful little girl, Avery, who entered our life on 11/15/13 and handsome little boy, Wes, who joined our family on 11/19/17. Also happily married to my wife, Kelley, as of 8/17/07. Sorry ladies... :) Fitness and nutrition is of the utmost importance in our family and we strive to reflect this in our daily life. I always prepare our meals at home and only go out if it's a special occasion, and even then I tend to not get much. Food should be fun and a joy to eat, not something quickly consumed from a fast food chain or scarf down before the next meeting. I have come from strictly logging high miles to train for the next marathon to keeping exercise varied and focusing more on strength. I still enjoy going for a run when I can, but nothing crazy, and I prefer hill sprints while pushing my daughter, Avery in the stroller. She loves it and I get a great workout! I want to show the world how to appreciate their body and feed it real, wholesome food while moving more throughout the day. In doing so, everyone would be healthier, happier, and we'd all live in a better place as a result. I blog mainly about my life as a stay-at-home dad and frequently include reviews, participate in campaigns, and share my thoughts on fitness and nutrition. If you ever have any questions or thoughts to share, please reach out as I'm always open to listening or helping others however possible. That is, when I have free time since Avery is and my wife are the number one priorities!

Considerations for Home Extensions and Renovations

As the family grows you might need to add a study or increase the size of your kitchen and bathroom area, or even work with your local pool builder to put a pool in your back garden, and might be thinking that this is going to be an expensive thing to do. However, there are many inexpensive and simple ways to improve the quality of your house. Many houses have spouses using the bathrooms only after one has finished using it. Some have houses where all children are using one single room or some have to share a bathroom with their guest. In these cases, people generally opt for a home extension.

Tips to Consider While Extending Your House or Renovation

Everyone wants to change these features in their house. You might think that adding a new extension to your home is difficult because there are a lot of legalities you need to think about, including the money to do the changes. Not only this, but you also need to find a local builder capable enough to take on your project. It’s vital you Learn More about the builders in your area before choosing one, as some may have a better reputation than others. Here are some more things you need to consider:

  • Property Lines: Measure the property lines and prepare a plan of extension which includes the original house plan as well which has the landscape and the location containing the utilities. All these are important as the local laws have a particular restriction in regard to how close any one’s property can be to their neighbor’s says this website.
  • Design According to What Suits Your Current Floor Plan: Always go by the structure and the design of your floor. Consult with an interior designer or an architect and design the extension according to your need. You can make it attractive or useful as per your wish. You should not just add a room to your house, always consider the look of the house from outside as well.
  • Plan: Before starting the extension or renovation create a detailed plan of the extension. Always have the materials and the people working to get the extension ready before you start the work. You should always think of the details when planning an extension because you might not want to lose time gathering the materials. Make a list of materials and have a couple of choices handy. Pick the ones you like the best for the work. You may find that the material which you have chosen is not in your budget. So, decide if you still want to go with the choice or if you can go with the second material you had liked.
  • Cost: Everyone wants the best materials when planning for home extension. However, until you have a bag loaded with money you will have to make compromises. A survey conducted by researchers found out that an average home addition costs about $40,000 and a high-end extension would cost up to $150,000 approximately. Always keep your budget a bit higher if you are leaving inn an expensive area or if there are heavy slopes. Consult with four to five contractors and choose from the list of people you think are capable and experience enough to do the work for you. Take bids and check the price they offer to complete the work. Never go for the lowest bidder as they might not be good enough. Check for hidden costs while dealing with them.

Making Sure Your Family Have Healthy Balanced Diets

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When you have a family, you take on the responsibility of ensuring that everyone remains as fit and healthy as possible. But knowing where to start can be relatively difficult. Of course, numerous factors play into well being – ranging from exercise to mental wellness. But for now, let’s focus on diet and what we consume!

Managing Calorie Consumption

The first step that you need to take into consideration to make sure that everyone’s getting what they need from their daily diet is to effectively manage everyone’s calorie consumption. Now, you don’t have to be hyper-vigilant and excessively strict with this. If your family goes slightly above or below their recommended calories every now and then, it’s not the end of the world. You just need to make sure that everyone’s having roughly the right amount the majority of the time. Calories can be spread across meals and snacks and will vary depending on your age and lifestyle. The below list will give you a good idea of where different family members should be though!

  • Children aged 2 to 8 – 1000 to 1400 calories
  • Girls aged 9 to 13 – 1400 to 1600 calories
  • Boys aged 9 to 13 – 1600 to 2000 calories
  • Active women aged 14 to 30 – 2400 calories
  • Sedentary women aged 14 to 30 – 1800 to 2000 calories
  • Active men aged 14 to 30 – 2800 to 3200 calories
  • Sedentary men aged 14 to 30 – 2000 to 2600 calories
  • Active adults over 30 – 2000 to 3000 calories
  • Sedentary adults over 30 – 1600 to 2400 calories

Ensuring Everyone Stays Hydrated

A factor we often forget to evaluate in our diets is what we drink. Sure, we don’t chew drinks up and swallow them and we don’t dedicate whole meals around drinks, but they do still contribute to what’s going into our bodies. It’s absolutely essential to ensure that your family are all staying hydrated. This involves drinking around eight glasses of water a day, though the recommendation for younger children could be less. This will keep you hydrated, keep organs functioning well and will prevent issues such as loss of concentration or dry skin. Having a fresh water supply available at all times is essential. Generally speaking, the water system in your home will provide you with this. But you could visit this link for backup water sources too!

Balancing Everyone’s Plate

Everyone’s plate should contain all of the different food groups in appropriate moderation throughout the day. This includes fruit and vegetables, starchy food, dairy or dairy replacement, protein and fats. Avoid cutting any single food group out. Everything works together to keep everyone’s bodies ticking over properly. If you’re struggling to get all of the food groups into your family’s diet, consider consulting a nutritionist who will be able to help! Or, if you’re pressed for time and have the budget, meal delivery plans are an excellent option. Most services come with a variety of options, include key nutrients for a healthy lifestyle and can lend themselves to different diets (e.g. vegan, paleo/keto, etc..).

These are just a few steps that you can do to move towards ensuring your family has healthy and balanced diets. The steps are simple to implement and will quickly become routine when you get into the swing of things!

Benefits Of Fostering A Child

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Fostering can bring many benefits into the lives of both the children who are placed and the adults who look after them. There are thousands of children being fostered today in this country. These are children and young adults who would otherwise potentially be alone in the world or be in toxic relationships and homes with their natural parents. There are many benefits to the foster care parents in having these children living with them, not least of which is the feeling of bettering their lives, and giving them a chance they would not have had in other circumstances. 

What Are The Benefits Of Fostering For The Children?

But what of the children themselves? What are the benefits to them of fostering? The first benefit is stability. Children who are put into foster care may well never have had a stable home relationship, and this can damage them in a number of ways. It can give them anxiety disorders about strangers, since they might have a fear that everyone will treat them badly. It could lead to problems forming relationships. It may even mean that, as adults, these children are unable to believe in themselves enough to hold down a good job and build their careers. By offering these children who desperately need foster care the chance of a different life, foster parents are giving them the stability that they are looking for. They can build their confidence and in turn, use that confidence to lead successful lives. 

Another benefit is education. A technique often used with foster children is ‘guided education’. This is learning with the child in mind, using their skills and likes to create a well-rounded teaching experience that will give them the knowledge and qualifications they need. Foster children can be behind their peer group when it comes to education. They may have missed a lot of schooling due to their home life, or it could be that they haven’t been motivated to learn before, due to feeling worthless or unloved. With guided education, they are given the tools they need to help themselves.

You can also help these children to live normal lives and to get access to all of the things they should. Whether this means taking them to dental tests or hearing tests, ensuring that they eat a nutritious diet, and enabling them to go to school; you can help them to lead a normal existence, which they otherwise would not be able to. This is something that a lot of people tend to take for granted today because it is something that is so normal to them and their children. However, for a lot of kids, these basic necessities are not a reality and it is something that they are missing out on. Wouldn’t it be good to be able to give a child all of these things?

How Else Can Fostering Help?

A foster child won’t just have their new foster parents and possibly siblings to take care of them; they will have a social worker to look out for them too. All this extra attention and focus while in foster care will build their self-esteem and will ensure that no matter what their problems and how they want to deal with them, there will be someone they can go to for help. Even though a child may only live with their foster family for a few months, in the majority of cases the children and the foster parents keep in touch. This means that the love, affection, and stability that the children have had will continue for many years to come. 

Finally, although some wisdom states that it is best for a child to remain with their parents (or parent) in as many cases as possible, this is not always true. A foster family is an established way of allowing rifts to heal and bonds to reform, so as to enable families to build themselves up again. This may be because of abusive relationships or in circumstances where the parent simply cannot nurture their child in the way they should – due to drugs or alcohol, for example. Fostering can be the very best thing that can happen to unfortunate children and young people.

So there you have it: an insight into the many benefits that are associated with fostering a child. If this is something you are considering, then we wish you all of the luck in the world on your new venture in life. Being a foster parent is truly incredible.