Need Time To Yourself In A Busy House? Make A “Dad Cave!”

02/06/2020 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

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Sometimes when we spend quality time with our children we might think that we just need a little moment to ourselves. If we watch TV with our kids and it’s yet another episode of Teen Titans or something that we cannot comprehend we may need a little time to ourselves. When we don’t have a physical space in our home but now the opportunity is coming to renovate the junk room, setting up a “dad cave” might not be the most popular option in the household but if you’re setting up a room for everyone is there something you can do to get some sort of cave for your needs?

Mix Up The Styles

It could very well be the fact that this spare room has to become an office or somewhere for the kids to play away from the living room, but that doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate something that’s for you! There’s plenty of whiskey decor or colorful pictures that can provide a little bit of your own personality. By taking the opportunity to allocate a little area of this room that’s for you means that when you come to use that space all by yourself you can feel a little bit more comfortable.

Adding Some Creature Comforts

You can put things in there that will please everyone. Not everybody has the luxury of a spare room so there will be a lot of debate as to what will go in there. Crowd pleasers are the usual items of furniture like couches. But if there’s not enough room for a long couch you can set up an armchair and a footstool so you can take the opportunity to relax. You also need to think about lighting. Making the place nice and bright will help if you are doubling the space up as a home office. Installing a dimmer switch gives you the opportunity to create mood lighting so you can turn this space into whatever you want.

Renovating The Basement Or Garage

If you really feel like you need to have some sort of dad cave you might want to think about renovating the garage or the basement because they are not particularly popular rooms. You can make plenty of space in your garage by utilizing Slatwall Systems to get most of your items off the floor and neatly hanging up. A garage can be cold in the middle of winter and a basement might not be easily accessible. This gives you plenty of scope to make it a bit more to your style. Renovating these spaces can be a bit more expensive, especially if you want to install insulation, but with somewhere like the basement you’ve got more scope to put things in there that don’t suit the rest of the house. For example, if you wanted to put in a pool table or a space for your hundreds of video games, this is the perfect chance! But make sure that both spaces are safe first.

Dad caves are few and far between, primarily because they end up being taken over by the rest of the family. Compromise is the name of the game but if you want to set up somewhere that feels like your space you can always try these options.

Going Healthy, Health, Life, Lifestyle

15 Ways To Reduce Ageing

02/05/2020 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

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Time will take its toll eventually but there are ways you can keep it at bay. There are simple things you can do in order to look after yourself a bit better, which aren’t costly or time consuming. You will instantly feel fresher and more confident if you follow these twenty simple tips.

1. Keep out of the sun

Consider using a fake tan or getting a spray on instead of spending hours cooking yourself. Not only will this accelerate your skin ageing but it will also greatly increase your chances of getting skin cancer. Steer clear of sunbeds. Make sure you use plenty of sunscreen when you know you’re going to be out in the sun. It’s recommendable to apply sunscreen on your face as part of your morning routine, or if not use a good moisturizer with a high SPF.

2. Moisturize

Apply moisturizer at least twice a day. After your morning shower and at night before bed. You’ll notice an immediate reduction in dryness. Moisturizer makes your skin more supple and protects it against many things you face during the day, such as pollution and smog. You will find that there are different types for each skin type, normal, oil, dry or combination. Combination skin is an unfortunate combination of both dry and greasy, which often makes it very sensitive, so choose a moisturizer specially designed for sensitive skin.

3. Rest

Get your beauty sleep, literally. Sleep at least eight hours a night and make sure you find ways to combat stress. Maintaining a healthy routine, balancing work, leisure, exercise and rest is the most important thing you can do for your health in general.

4. Things to avoid

Reduce your intake of caffeine and alcohol. Try to spread your alcohol consumption over a few days in the week and have the rest of the days off. Try to drink a maximum of four cups of coffee per day. If you smoke, consider giving up. It has a proven effect on ageing and other health risks. If you need help to finally quit click here.

Be aware of how much sugar you consume. This won’t help you to look younger or stay in good shape. Stick to food without artificial sweeteners, look for natural ingredients.

5. Take care of your teeth

Brush your teeth twice a day and use a whitening toothpaste. Go to the dentist once per year and keep on top of it. It might seem like an unnecessary expense but it’ll save your money in the long run, a healthy smile can take years off you and really brighten up your face.

6. Watch your weight

Maintaining a healthy routine will help to reduce ageing in different ways. Ensure that you get enough exercise. The unhealthier you are, the more you will increase the effect of ageing. If you can maintain your weight to a healthy BMI you will appear younger and more energetic.

7. Combat hair loss

This is a genetic occurrence but there are some natural ways you can delay the process. There are many natural products you can use in order to improve the situation. CBD helps with hair loss, for example, and it has many other health benefits, such as helping you to relax and pain relief.

8. Omega 3

Remember to include plenty of omega 3 in your diet. Foods which are high in omega 3 include salmon and oily fish, nuts and seeds, plant oils such as flaxseed oil, soybean oil and canola oil, but also fortified foods such as some brands of yogurt, eggs, juices, milks and soy beverages.

9. Stay hydrated

Drink at least 4 pints of water per day. Top up your moisturizer, including body lotion. Keep a reusable bottle of water with you at all times to remind you. There are many environmentally friendly options available to buy online.

10. Improve your mood

This doesn’t seem like it would work but always believe in mind over matter. The better you feel the more radiant you will look. Try different ways to improve your mental well-being. Spend more time with your friends and family, take up a new hobby, or go for a walk or even take a trip alone. It can be healthy to make some time for yourself occasionally, even go out to the movies alone, or to dinner.

11. Facial regime

This doesn’t need to be a trip to the spa. Simply have a routine in which you wash your every morning and evening. Thoroughly wash your face, you can purchase a cleansing solution, or simply use a gentle soap and warm water. After washing your face be sure to apply your trusty moisturizer. For the evening consider investing in night cream, as this does all the work for you while you sleep.

12. Antioxidants

There are many ways you can include antioxidants in your diet. These can include more dark chocolate, red wine, tea, and certain vegetables and berries. These help your body protect itself from many diseases by eliminating chemicals called “free radicals” which are harmful to your cells.

13. Eye creams

As well as moisturizing, try using an eye cream before bed as well. Your eyes can be a tell-tale sign of your age, mainly because they show your emotions and energy levels immediately. Try to keep your eyes refreshed with a number of suggestions here.

14. Exfoliate

This should also be part of your skin care regime. It helps to remove dead skin cells and any blackheads. It will give you an instant face lift. You can buy an exfoliator for next to nothing at your local supermarket.

15. Take a trip

Getting away from it all is the best way you can fully rejuvenate yourself over the weekend. Even consider taking yourself on a minibreak. Go and investigate one of the local hiking or cycling trails, try to get in touch with nature. Your coworkers will notice the difference when you get back on Monday.

Life, Lifestyle

Career Change, Take The Leap

01/28/2020 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

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People spend the majority of their adult life working but not many seem happy with where they are in their career. Financial and family responsibilities get in the way and nowadays people decide to go for a career change later in life, perhaps when their children are a bit older, or simply because they have a better understanding of what they want to do. It’s more and more common to change your working field at least once in your life and age isn’t always an issue. People take on further education mid-life and continue to have better prospects in different areas. If you are considering a career change there are certain things you need to think about in order to feel comfortable going through with it. It can seem like a huge risk and it’s hard to face it head on. Here are some strategies to help you process the idea of a career change and finally have the courage to go for it.

Analyse your current job

Before you automatically give up on your current field take a moment to reflect. What areas of your current job do you like the best? What do you like about the working environment, the conditions, the hours and the dynamics? If you currently work in a team of people, would you like to continue to do so? Write a list of the daily tasks you complete and categorize them. Do you enjoy working with a computer, or being outdoors? What are the aspects of your job that you like? What skills have you learnt and how will these be transferable to your new career of choice?

Know your end game

You may not be in love with your current career choice and are seeking change but do you know what you want that change to be and what you are looking to get out of the career move. It’s not always as simple as ‘I would like to be a teacher’. Are you looking for more flexibility, for example? If you are then this needs to be the priority behind any move you make and you need to consider whether you are going to get it by switching careers. Or perhaps you want more responsibility? Can your new career path offer you that? Bear in mind these changes might not happen straight away but is there capacity there to ensure you get what you want from the move at some point?
Another reason you need to know your end game is so that you can identify what it takes to get there. Perhaps you dream of having your own personal injury practice, if this is the case to make it a reality you need to identify all the steps you need to take to make it happen. Do you have legal expertise? The capital? Or even the determination and work ethic to establish yourself and run a successful practice? Perhaps you want to be your own boss and run a social media management company, do you possess the technical know-how? The ability to reach out and drum up a new business? And if you don’t are you prepared to do what it takes, motivationally and financially speaking to put yourself in a position to be able to do it?

Research

Do all the research you possibly can in both the field you are interested in and how other people have managed the transition of a career change. This could involve reading self-help books or autobiographies and online advice from professional gurus or even celebrities. You can find examples online of experts and video tutorials. Ask the opinion of those closest to you as they should be able to put your ideas into perspective. Look into what the new job requires and definitely consider further education. Cross reference colleges with the field you are interested in, for example, this article lays out what you can expect and further training you will need in order to progress in the nursing profession.

Face your fear

It’s not easy to take the leap. Don’t always assume you need a total change of pace, as mentioned before it’s advisable to think about the aspects of your current job that you like and can take with you to your new job. Whereas it’s standard to often start at the bottom again unfortunately, try to picture the end result, after the initial transitional period you could be earning much more. Test your adaptability to change by trying to alter other aspects of your routine, you might find you’re better at it than you think!