Family Ever After Blog

Family Ever After Blog

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4 Tips For Reducing Stress In Your Life

If you feel regularly stressed out, you might be surprised at the reasons causing it. Coping with stress can be difficult if you’re not sure what’s behind it. However, by identifying the cause and changing it, you can achieve a calmer state of mind.

Stress doesn’t do the body any favors. Persistent stress leads to medical issues, aging faster, and affects your personal relationships. It’s in your best interest to get rid of stress. Here are some of the best ways to do that.

Reduce Clutter

Stress can be triggered by our physical surroundings. If your home or office is full of junk that’s piled up, then it could be adding to your stress levels.

Do you ever notice the difference in the way that you feel between walking into a tidy room and walking into a cluttered room? Studies show that minimalistic spaces encourage a peaceful state of mind. Consider purging old junk or getting a storage unit.

Manage Your Time Wisely

One of the biggest causes of stress is running late or trying to get something done in a limited amount of time. As a result, we feel overburdened by our to-do list and stressed about how we will ever possibly finish it.

However, by making a list of everything you need to get done and schedule when you’re going to do it, you can avoid unnecessary stress. Time management is a critical part of leading a stress-free life!

Get More Sleep

Most people get far less sleep than they should. When you lack sleep, you’re much more susceptible to stress and anxiety. Make sleep a priority in your life!

Getting enough z’s will improve your overall health in addition to reducing stress levels. When you sleep, the body has the chance to recover and regenerate, giving you the rest that you need for the next day.

Don’t Set Impossible Standards For Yourself

A common cause of stress is feeling like you can’t achieve as much as you’d like to as well as you’d like to. Yet, often you may be beating yourself up for things that aren’t ’t realistic! You can’t expect to be able to do everything all at once. Set realistic standards for yourself rather than beating yourself up all the time. Give yourself the credit that you deserve!

Remember, stress is a natural part of the human condition and happens to everyone from time to time. However, that doesn’t mean that you should allow it to overrun your life. Untreated stress can lead to serious issues down the road.

However, by applying these tips and staying aware of your mental health, you can reduce stress over time.

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4 Reasons Your Family Needs An Emergency Fund

When everything is going fine, the last thing on your mind is putting away money for an emergency. When you have a steady paycheck, good health, and a roof over your heads, you don’t have a worry on your mind.

However, life can throw a curveball when you least expect it. You never know when something can go wrong that throws your life for a loop. When you have kids to look after, the stress can be even more devastating. Here are some of the most important reasons why you should always have an emergency fund put aside for your family.

House Repairs

When you own your own home, you no longer have a landlord to call when something goes wrong. It’s up to you if you need your roof repaired or a pipe bursts.

Failing to have money set aside for emergency home repairs can put you at risk for catastrophe. Knowing that you can repair the home that your family lives in if something goes wrong is critical.

Job Loss

Although no one wants to believe that they could lose their cozy paycheck, you’d be surprised how often it happens. The last thing anyone expects is to go from steady earnings to nothing. Yet, many people find themselves suddenly unable to pay their bills or even cover their basic needs.

Financial experts recommend putting away at least three months’ worth of pay in case you suddenly lose your job. That way, you don’t have to rely on credit cards or borrow money from family if you’re in a pinch.

Car Problems

Although you might not want to imagine, your beloved car is capable of breaking down at any moment. The problem with car repairs is that they’re never cheap. Usually, if something goes wrong, you’ll find yourself having to foot a bill of at least several hundred.

There’s nothing that puts a halt to your life more than losing your form of transportation. Unless you have special insurance, you’ll have to find another way to get to work or drive your kids to school. Emergency savings makes it possible to make repairs to your car as quickly as possible so that you don’t have to worry about how you’ll get around.

Medical Emergencies

Even though you may have insurance, that doesn’t mean that everything is covered. Most of the time, you’ll still have to pay a portion out of pocket. Therefore knowing you don’t have to stress about how you’ll pay for your health is important.

Hopefully, by looking at these reasons, you may need to dip into your emergency fund, you can prepare yourself ahead of time before it’s too late. Even though chances aren’t always high that something bad could strike, it’s better to be prepared than unprepared.

 

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3 Stretches to Help Eliminate Sciatica

Back issues are more and more common these days. The modern lifestyle – especially the working life, with lots of sitting on questionable chairs in front of the screen all day, causes issues with your back.

These issues almost always lead you to develop back pain. We know, it’s not fun but we’re going to help!

Here’s the issue: Every time you mess up your posture, you apply more pressure on your spine and spinal discs (the shock absorbers between your vertebrae). If you misalign your spine you could develop serious issues, like sciatica.

Sciatica and other similar issues can be very painful so we’re giving you tools in this blog post to relax the strains that can cause them.

It is always better to be safe than sorry and take positive steps to maintain your greatest health! That’s why we are bringing you three types of stretching that can help you eliminate sciatica (if you already have it), as well as help those with early symptoms to avoid developing full-blown sciatica.

1) The Sitting Pigeon Pose

Sitting Pigeon is a great place to start. Can be a little bit challenging but totally worth it.

Start by sitting on the floor. Your legs are stretched in front of you and your back is straight. Legs are next to one another. Your upper and lower body should be forming a 90-degree angle.

Rest your hands on the ground. Move one leg on the knee of the other, for example, left leg on the right knee. Bend it to a 90-degree angle. Stretch your hands forward towards the toes of your right leg. If you can’t reach them, just hold in the closest position you can.

If you can reach your toes, grab them and stay in that position for at least 15 to 20 seconds. Return to the starting position and repeat with the other side of your body.

This stretch opens up the hips and releases the lower back.

2) Knee to the opposite shoulder

For this next pose, lay on the ground, both your arms and legs resting straight on the floor.

Bring your left knee up towards your chest. Bend your leg and grab it with your hands. Position your hands just below the knee.

Firstly, pull your leg towards your chest, gently but as much as you can. After that, try and pull your knee towards the opposite shoulder, for example, the left knee towards the right shoulder. Pull to comfort.

If you experience discomfort or pain, lower the amount of pressure you are exerting on your leg. Hold the position for half a minute to 40 seconds.

Return to the starting position and repeat with the other side as well. Be sure to do this stretching exercise at least 4 or 5 times for both sides of your body.

3) Standing Hamstring Stretch

We’re going to use a prop to help us out with this last pose. You will need a chair or a box.

You start by standing next to the prop. Place your heel on the chair or box and stretch the leg whos heel is resting on the box fully. The leg resting on the box or chair has to be as straight as possible.

Similar to the sitting pigeon pose, stretch your upper body towards the toes of the raised leg. Stretch as far as you can. Ideally, you should hold your toes for about half a minute.

Conclusion

Remember, do all these stretches to your own comfort. Also, many people see the best results when using stretches along with other complementary treatments – like a spinal adjustments from a skilled chiropractor.

If you start to experience pain, release the tension a bit. Lower your leg own while keeping it straight. Repeat with the other leg. Do three reps of this stretching exercise.

Good luck staying loose and healthy!

 

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3 Tips For Buying a Piano

Whether you’re buying a used piano or a new one, it can be a tricky purchase if you don’t know what you’re looking for. It’s easy to walk into a music store and find yourself overwhelmed by all of the choices. Therefore, before you begin your purchasing journey, it’s good to have a place to start.

Take a look at some of the best tips to know before buying a piano.

Consider Who You’re Buying For

The kind of piano that’s right for you will largely depend on who it’s for. Are you buying it for decoration in your living room? Is it for the whole family or just for your child to practice on?

These factors will determine how much quality you’re after and what kind of tone and touch you’re looking for. Ultimately, who you’re buying your piano for will determine how much money you’re going to spend. Obviously, the more you spend, the better of a product you’ll get.

Listen To The Tone

When trying out different pianos, make sure that you play on a few different kinds to hear the various tones. Compare models and the different tones that you like. Listen to them over and over and decide which sound you resonate best with.

Ideally, you should tone test at least three comparisons so that you have an idea of what’s out there. If you plan on buying an electric piano, make sure that you test them with headphones as well. Make sure that you bring your own headphones so that you get an accurate representation of what it will sound like once you’re back home.

Note The Ease Of Use

You can go out and find the fanciest and most expensive piano that money can buy, however, if you don’t know how to use it. Therefore, it’s critical to make sure that you’re comfortable on your piano. Think about the whole picture and whether you can see yourself comfortably playing.

Do you understand the commands? Does the cord sit in a comfortable place? Do you have enough ports to be able to do what you want to? How is the height? Make sure to take note of everything so that you know nothing about it will affect your playing experience negatively.

Above all, make sure that it feels right on your hands! Not every piano is created the same. When you eventually find the right piano for you, you’ll know!

There’s no one perfect piano that is a fit for everyone. By considering all of the crucial factors and taking your time making your choice, you should eventually make the right decision. In no time, you’ll be playing like Beethoven!

 

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What should we do to live a healthy life?

A million-dollar question that many of us ask ourselves every day. People eat healthy, as they think that is what keeps them going. Well, honestly speaking, diet is only a piece in the puzzle. Many things complete the picture. For living a healthy life, one has to be disciplined. There are a couple of other things too that one needs to adhere to like the following:

Early to bed and early to rise– These are the golden words that have yield results for long. Having an early dinner and retiring to bed is one of the best things that you can do. You need to give time to your body to digest the food well and nice. It is also essential to rise early and go for a brisk walk in the morning as that is equally beneficial for your health.

Know what you are eating and the portions– One should be eating three meals a day, which includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Dinner should not be the most substantial meal of the day. Since what you also eat matters, include healthy food that includes vegetables, fruits, whole-grains, and fat-free food products. One’s diet should also include low-fat milk products. The menu should consist of poultry, fish, beans, eggs, nuts, and lean meats. As far as nutrient quotient is concerned, one should opt for food that is low in saturated fats, trans fats, sodium, cholesterol, and added sugar.

Give up on your bad habits– Refrain from having too much alcohol and if you are a smoker, try to quit smoking as fast as you can.

Start exercising- It cannot be denied that it is the best way to stay healthy. Physical activity and regular exercise help to promote an active lifestyle. Following are some of the reasons why regular exercise is beneficial:

With regular exercise, one can prevent and reverse age-related diseases. It can help in improving balance, flexibility, and endurance. Senior adults can be more stable on their feet, enabling them to live a life independently. It also helps to decrease the risk of falls. The chances of coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and obesity, high blood pressure can be reduced to a great extent with regular exercise.

Strength training exercises help build muscles and prevent osteoporosis. Building muscles is vital for those who are trying to lose weight. Exercise, as we all know, it also helps to strengthen the bones.

Exercise regularly can enhance one’s fitness level. If one is fit, then that can keep chronic arthritis away. Individuals suffering from this ailment will find carrying out their daily activities in a painless manner if they have exercise on their routine.

l Individuals who are obese can benefit from regular training and exercise. It helps to shed extra weight.

l Regular exercising can help increase self-esteem and confidence. It also decreases one’s anxiety, and stress levels help enhance mood and improve one’s mental well-being.

l Exercise should be carried out at least 3 to 5 days a week, but one should try to exercise every day, if possible. It should be broken down into 10-minute sessions for more effect. Those are just beginning, should progress gradually. That would help in avoiding soreness or fatigue. The time limit for exercise should range somewhere between half an hour to one hour. Start with all types of exercise like resistance, walking, swimming, weight training, yoga for an all-round effect. One should not exercise, however, if one is tired and sore. That increases the chances of injury.

Get Enough Sleep– Today’s hectic lifestyle leaves most of us to be sleep-deprived. According to experts, adults need at least 8 to 9 hours of sleep each night. That is the average time. In case you see that you are feeling drowsy throughout daily activities, is falling asleep, then you might not be getting enough sleep.

Drink plenty of water– Water is known as life, and one should have plenty of it. Most adults will need to have at least eight glasses of water every day. Keeping the body hydrated is very important. Even while exercising, says Garry Y Itkin, make sure that you are sipping a little bit of water during the resting period. Water also helps in losing weight quickly.

It is not very hard to live a healthy life. Individuals should follow a disciplined life, and a quick checklist to live a great life.

 

 

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5 Benefits Of Adding A Deck To Your Backyard

You want your backyard to be a nice place to relax and to entertain, but also need it to be a functional space for you and your family. Maintaining a backyard can involve a lot of hard work, such as mowing the lawn, planting seeds, fertilizing, watering, and landscaping. But sometimes it can still feel as though something’s missing. If you’ve never thought about installing a deck, you might want to consider it. Here are some benefits of adding a deck to your backyard.

Entertain Guests

A deck can be a wonderful place to set out chairs and tables for outdoor meals or drinks, making it a wonderful place to entertain. It’s also a great place to put a BBQ or a small fire pit.

Increase The Value Of Your Home

In most cases, adding a deck to your backyard will significantly increase the value of your home. Potential buyers will often view a deck as a family-oriented outdoor space. Especially if they have children, a deck might be one of the things they’re looking for in their new home.

Extra Space

Once you have a deck, you will be amazed at how much space is freed up in the rest of the yard. You can keep furniture, a grill, herb garden, and other potted plants – and more – on your deck, still leaving plenty of space for whatever else you may need it for. I’ve even seen people use their deck as an extra place to store items that won’t fit in their homes!

Inexpensive

Compared to other home renovations, a new deck is relatively inexpensive. The amount you spend on building the deck will likely be much less than the amount of value it will add to your home! Decks are also pretty quick and easy to build. Not only is it a renovation that will be completed quickly, but it’s also one that’s much less invasive and keeps the mess outside!

Aesthetic Appeal

Because of the wide range of style options available these days, you can choose whatever look you want for your new deck! You may opt for the unfinished wood look, or to paint it the same color as your house. Or you may paint it a bright color so that it really stands out. From paint colors to materials to different shapes and sizes, the deck design options are limitless. Another thing to consider is how high you want the deck to be raised off the ground. If you choose a low deck with fewer steps, you may start to think about landscaping around your deck. This might be a bit more work for you, but will help you beautify your yard even further!

So if a deck is something you’re considering adding to your backyard, what’re you waiting for?

 

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4 Biggest Causes For Home Buyers Remorse

More and more people find themselves with home buyer’s remorse in today’s day and age. Many people take the plunge with one of the biggest purchases of their lives and end up seriously regretting it later.

A recent survey revealed that as many as 60% of homebuyers regret their purchase within the first five years. So, what is it that leaves these homeowners wishing that they hadn’t bought their homes? Take a look at some of the most common reasons that people regret their purchase.

Not Identifying Problems Before Moving In

It’s critical that you perform a thorough home inspection before you move into a home. An inspector will give a details evaluation of all of the repairs that need to be made. They’ll go in and do everything from identifying termite infestations to pointing out foundation cracks. Based on this information, buyers can either negotiate with the seller to take this cost off of the price of the home or forgo the sale altogether.

However, many buyers don’t want to have to pay for the extra expense of hiring an inspector. As a result, they wind up cutting corners and inspecting their own home. Unfortunately, several years or even months down the road, they end up realizing that they are in over their heads in repair costs. Had they only paid for the price of an inspector earlier on, they wouldn’t find themselves stuck with the bill for the problems they failed to identify.

Focusing Primarily on Investing Rather Than Living

Nowadays, far too many people buy a house with the intention of making an investment rather than considering their home as a place to live. Later on, they end up sticking around for longer than they initially anticipated. However, since they didn’t make their buying decision based on the right reasons, they realize they have to live in a place they don’t love for the next few years, or even the rest of their life.

Underestimating Work

Owning a home requires a considerable amount of work. There is a lot that goes into it that people take for granted. People who have never owned a home before may find themselves overwhelmed with all of the responsibility that comes along with it. There isn’t a landlord to call or property manager to handle any issues. All of the work falls onto the owner, which a lot of people aren’t ready for.

Failing To Research Location

It’s critical that you know exactly where you’re moving before you tie yourself down to a location that could cause you problems later. Many people don’t look into the school district or crime rate, which leaves them regretting their location later on.

 

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Tips For A Successful Moving Day

Moving? This can be an exciting time but also one which can cause a great deal of stress and anxiety because it is a big deal packing up your entire life and moving to a completely new home, particularly if you have been in the same place for a long time. The key to a smooth move on the big day is planning, so you need to know exactly what you are doing and who is helping so that you can co-ordinate the move and make it as simple as possible.

Here are a few moving day tips which should help.

Enlist Helpers

It is important that you have a few people helping you on moving day so that the move is made much easier. Friends and family are usually more than happy to help, but keep in mind that too many people can complicate matters. A few helpers will be able to assist with moving items, staying at one property, looking after the kids and/or pets and anything else that might need doing – just be sure to reward them with something like pizza and/or a bottle of wine at the end of the day!

Get The Right Vehicle

You need to have a big enough vehicle that can make it easy to transport your furniture, such as a van – this will help you to keep down the number of trips that you have to make. If you are borrowing a van for the move, make sure that you arrange temp insurance for cars and vans that allows you to get coverage for anything from 1 day through to 3, which can be an easy way to get covered.

Keep Security In Mind

It is easy for security to go out of the window when you are undertaking such a huge move and switching between two properties. You should avoid leaving your possessions out unattended in the street and always remember to either lock up at one property when moving to the other or have a helper stay.

Set Up Your Bed First

It may be the last thing that you want to do after a physically and mentally challenging day, but getting your bed set up is the first thing that you should do so that you can enjoy a good night’s sleep in your new home. The other items and boxes can wait till the next day, but being able to sleep in your own bed which is properly set up is important.

Treat Yourself

Additionally, you are not going to want to cook after a big move, so it is a good idea to treat yourself and your helpers to a nice takeaway. You will certainly have worked up an appetite and it is much easier simply to get a takeaway than to have to cook which will allow you to chill out and enjoy your new surroundings.

Hopefully, these tips will help to reduce stress on moving day and ensure that everything goes smoothly and according to plan.

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Know the Top Resorts in Prime Metropolitan Cities

There are numerous hotels and resorts that you can book in all of the metropolitan cities if you know where to look and some of them come from FNP Gardens. If you are going to be looking for some of the top resorts, then you need to know what they are called and what cities they can be found in like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and even Chennai. Here are some of the top resorts that you should book in all of the metropolitan cities.

Top Resorts in Metropolitan Cities

You are going to want to ensure that no matter what city you are visiting in India that you are finding one that is going to be a top resort and that would be family friendly. Here are just some resorts that you can book for each of the metropolitan cities, including:

  • Mumbai – If you want to be close to the beach when you are in Mumbai so that your family can head over there easily, then the hotel to book is the Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach. It is a hotel that is on the beach front, which gives you not only the best views, but also easy access to the beach whenever you want to go.
  • Chennai – When you are travelling to Chennai there are so going to be so many options that you can book for your family. However, one of the top ones is The Leela Palace Chennai and here you can enjoy hanging out with your family in their spacious rooms and even heading to the fitness centre or enjoying the pool.
  • Kolkata – For those who are heading to the City of Joy you should ensure that you are looking for a family friendly hotel. There are plenty of those in the city, but one of the top ones is Vivanta where you can enjoy some great food, restaurants and even the pool with comfortable and large rooms.
  • Delhi – If you are heading to Delhi, then make sure that you are booking the Udman Hotel from FNP Gardens. This is one of the top resorts that you can find in the city and it would have everything that you are looking for, including a spa, great restaurants and amazing rooms to enjoy and it is perfect for your family.

You need to know what are the top hotels in every city that you might visit and these are just some of the most popular cities that people head to when they come to India.

Make sure that you are booking your hotels in advance and that you are finding one that you can bring your family to. If you want to head to the beach, then make sure to head to the Novotel Juhu Beach resort in Mumbai, while you can be centrally located in Vivanta in Kolkata with great food and rooms. Chennai and Delhi also have some of the best hotels, so make sure that if you are booking you are looking at what FNP Gardens would have to offer in your city.

 

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All You Need to Know about Luminox Swiss Army Watches

Nowadays watches have become a device that do more than just showing time to us. There is continuous evolution in the field of watches with new and updated technologies. Many brands are making so many watch types that will show more details to us and will endure for a longer time. Among such brands, Luminox is a very famous one. Based in Switzerland, Luminox manufactures watches that are very popular for its long – lasting luminescence and its best durability in any type of conditions. In this article, we are going to see about the specialties of these watches.

Luminox Watches

Made in Switzerland, Luminox Watches are used in many areas of applications, especially in the area of military and defense. For many countries like USA, UK etc., they are making customized watches for their military groups. Additionally, they are very much suitable for adventurous applications like trekking, sea diving, sky diving etc. due to its rugged construction and quality. Following are some of the factors that make the this watch a special one than other brands:

  • One Solution forAll – These watches are suitable for any type of person – a formal, business-oriented people or an adventure seeking guy. Since they are also manufacturing watches for military applications, they can withstand any type of rugged, hard conditions and will serve its purpose well. From the fact that they are the official sponsors of Icelandic Associations for Search and Rescue, whose workers will face the most dangerous situations and conditions in their work.
  • Fantastic Illumination – This property is proved by the business tagline of Luminox Watches – “Always Visible Technology”. The dial indicators of these watches are made of a high-quality element called tritium, unlike the phosphorescent marks used in other watches. With the many researchers conducted all over the world, it can be concluded that the watches can continuously operate for almost 25 years without the need for any external charging. Moreover, the tritium element offers better luminescent properties than any other brands, making it more suitable for any cases, right from the normal day-to-day life to any tricky conditions.
  • Wear Resistance – As previously mentioned, it is a well-known fact that the Luminox watches are able to withstand any type of heavy and delicate weather conditions. Due to such ability, they can also withstand the normal day-to-day life’s wear and tear easily. You can easily use this type of watches without worrying about any crack or breakage occurrence. Moreover, the watch glass is made of sapphire crystal which determines the hardness and durability of the watch.

Luminox Watches as Gifts

Due to the above-mentioned factors, these watches can be considered as a best choice for gifting to your beloved person. Watches are one of the most common choices of gifts all over the world due to the reasons that they are practically useful in day-to-day life. Also, the person will experience your love and concern for them whenever they see the watch. Due to these reasons and the properties of Luminox watches, they can make the best gift for your loved ones.