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!

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.

After nearly a year of anticipating the birth of your baby, the big day finally arrives. However, despite the excitement and happiness that accompanies your baby’s arrival, there is a considerable amount of recovery to prepare for.

It’s incredibly important for new parents to know what to expect so that when the time comes, you’re ready to make your postpartum experience a positive one. By looking ahead and having an idea of what to expect, you will make a much faster recovery. Here are some of the best tips for a smooth comeback following birth.

Anticipate Ranging Emotions About Your Body

Your body goes through a considerable amount of changes during the time of your pregnancy. By the final weeks, you’re likely anxious to finally give birth. Many first time moms think that they’ll fit into their pre-pregnancy jeans the next day; however, it’s not quite that simple.

Your body took the better part of a year to get to where it was at on the day of your delivery. It will take a similar amount of time to go back to its original size. It’s normal to look at your body and feel strange about the changes you see. You may consider surgery, or be eager to start working out as soon as possible. However, it’s critical that you take it slow and trust your body’s process. Don’t rush into anything too soon!

Treat Yourself To Comforts

Your body will go through a lot during the birth process. The recovery will be a lot easier if you give yourself the tools that you need for your healing process. Make sure that you’re equipped with plenty of pillows, vitamins, nipple cream, and anything else that will help your body make a comeback from the birth. Whether you have a cesarean or a natural birth, your body will still go through a lot. Make sure you have what you need to make a full recovery! Your baby’s health and yours depends on it!

Get Plenty Of Sleep When You Can

It’s not uncommon to hear people advising new parents to sleep whenever their baby sleeps. Although this isn’t always realistic, it’s essential to keep in mind. You will need all of the sleep that you can get to be the best parent that you need to be for your little one.

Self-care starts with giving your body the sleep that it needs to function properly.

Eat Healthily

Your diet will play a significant role in how well you recover from your birth. Try to focus on foods that are made from natural sources, and low in processed ingredients and chemicals. You’ll feel better in no time!

Caring for a fish can provide many benefits such as teaching responsibility, providing friendship, and helping create a warm and calming atmosphere.

Want to get adventurous with your fish keeping? Learn the steps you need to take to start your coral aquarium in this guide.

What is a Coral Aquarium?

A coral reef aquarium is a marine aquarium that mostly displays marine invertebrates, live corals, and which give fish swimming in their environment a more natural habitat to thrive.

A coral reef aquarium continues to change and grow on its own. This natural evolution makes your aquarium more vibrant and environmentally friendly to the fish and other inhabitants.

What Do I Need to Start a Coral Reef Aquarium?

Whether you are an expert in saltwater aquariums or just a mere beginner, setting up your reef aquarium is quick and easy if you have the right tools and supplies. Here’s what you need to get started:

• Saltwater aquarium
• Corals, fish, and other invertebrates
• Reef tank clean up crew
• Live rock
• Live sand
• Protein Skimmer
• Algae skimmer
• Light timer
• Salt Water mix
• 2-3 circulation pumps
• Aquarium heater

Before you get started, if you already have fish, be sure to keep them in an alternative fish tank. Properly setting up a coral reef tank takes a few weeks.

Assemble the Components

Start with pouring the sand into the aquarium then prepare your saltwater mix. This can vary from tank to tank, so make sure you check to see what the proper saltwater mixture is depending on the size of your tank.

Fill the tank with your saltwater mix and gently rinse the live rock with the water you just put into the tank. Once the live rock has been rinsed a few times, position the rocks as desired.

Add your filtration system, protein skimmer, circulation pumps, and any other tank equipment. Over the next few weeks, be sure to test the water to maintain optimum quality. Check ammonia levels and adjust pH levels as needed.

Check ammonia levels and adjust pH levels as needed. You need to buy a hanna ph meter kit to test the pH balance of your aquarium’s water. With a saltwater aquarium, it is vital to manage the chemical and mineral levels. You can buy ready-made test kits which generally involve assessing samples of the water against color charts, using chemical drops to test for different chemical levels.  You will need an ongoing supply of test kits to enable you to check the water regularly.

Add the Creatures

Add your invertebrates and making sure you acclimate them to the temperature of the aquarium. Follow the acclimatization guide that your animals came with. Use your light timer to go on and off in 10-12 hour increments.

Wait about two weeks to get your invertebrates comfortable with the tank before heading to the next step.

Add Corals

Purchase a rock coral starter pack and add them to your aquarium. These packs include yellow colony polyps, hairy mushroom coral, bulls eye mushroom coral, and button polyps.

Change 25% of the water out and follow your coral acclimation guide.

Wait two weeks and add aqua-cultured corals such as regular pumping Xenia, toadstool mushroom leather coral, or spaghetti finger leather coral.

Add Your Fish

After you’ve waited an additional two weeks, its time to add your fish back to your tank. Again make sure you follow proper acclimation protocol for your fish.

After this, the process of setting up your coral reef aquarium is complete.

Maintenance is Key!

Maintenance is vital when managing any aquarium but especially a coral reef aquarium. Monitor and test the water parameters regularly to maintain a healthy marine environment.

Keep in mind that a coral aquarium takes a considerable amount of time to establish itself. If maintained properly, your aquarium should be thriving at its peak within a year. If this guide helped you out, make sure you take some time to give it a share!

When the cold weather starts to creep in and the boiler gets switched on, it is important that you have an eye on the energy bills for the coming months and what you should be doing in order to keep them down. You will want your home warm during the winter months of course but that is no reason to pay more than you have to for your energy usage. Through a smart approach you can make sure that your home heating is efficient and that your bills don’t spiral out of control during the winter months. To help us with some tips we spoke to the guys at South Bay Energy, who offered this advice.

Service

The first thing to do in anticipation of the winter months is to ensure that your home heating system is firing on all cylinders. Whilst it is recommended that you get this serviced every other year, spending the money on an annual checkup makes much more sense and will ensure that your boiler, your radiators and the system on the whole is in good shape.

Windows and Doors

There is little point in having a fully functioning heating system if you are only going to allow that heat to walk right out the doors and the windows. This happens when either windows or doors are not properly sealed and it is important that you get this checked and remedied as soon as possible. Sealing can easily break and split over the course of the year owing to varying temperatures, so be sure that you have resealed all of these areas of the home.

Thermostat

Make sure that your heating is coming on at the right times during the day, and not being used when it just isn’t needed. For example if you are getting up each morning at 7 then you only need the heating to come at 6, not any earlier. Equally if everyone is out of the house by 9 then you don’t need the heating to stay on until 10 or later, make sure it is switched off by 830. The same goes for the afternoon when everyone will be getting home. Don’t have the heating on when you don’t need it.

Isolating

If you have empty rooms in the home then make sure that the doors remain shut on those rooms throughout the winter months, and that you have turned off the radiator in that room. Again there is little point in using heat where it isn’t needed and this will save you a lot of money on your heating bills.

Dressing Up

As nice as it is to have a nice warm house, it isn’t always necessary to put the heating on. For example if you are at home alone, using just one room, then there are better options to keep you warm than firing up the heating system. Wearing extra layers, using a portable heater or putting the fire on will serve you much better than switching on the heating.

Follow these tips and save money on your heating bills this winter.

When picking over potential candidates for a job, there are times when the most qualified ones are tossed aside without a second look. The main reason for this to happen is a resume that is sub-par. It doesn’t matter if you have 5, 10, or 20 years of industry experience, a resume that looks sloppy or doesn’t meet the same standards of the other candidates will greatly decrease your chances of a job offer.

We can’t even begin to tell you the importance of a high-quality resume that stands out from the rest. According to some of the most qualified resume writers in the professional resume writing industry, here is a bit of advice that will help your resume reach its fullest potential.

Utilize keywords from the job posting

This is one of the oldest tricks in the resume writing book, but now it is becoming more of a necessity to utilize job posting keywords and phrases. It’s a lot easier than it sounds. All you have to do is take a look at the job posting of the position you’re applying for. Check out the list of necessary skills, qualifications, and certifications on the posting page. Then, jot down a few of the recurring words or phrases that stand out to you.

These words might include “strong communication skills”, “solid work ethic”, or “leadership experience”. There also might be specific ones relating to the job description, like “must be knowledgeable in WordPress”. Use these general and specific keywords throughout your resume. This will make it stand out and also show that you are highly qualified for the job.

Check out sample resumes from the industry

You can get a solid understanding of what the industry leaders are looking for by reviewing a few sample resumes. Check out ones that are specific to the job title to see what should (and should not) be included. Obviously don’t copy this information, but you can get a good idea of proper formatting and necessary work experience.

Use professional formatting, but add your own personal flair

Your resume should look professional, but this doesn’t mean it has to be boring. Yours needs to stand out from the other 100 resumes in the pile. The best way to do this is to use a resume writing template and find the one that appeals to you most. These templates help resume writers to put words on the page in an appealing way, rather than just listing everything off.

Include only what’s relevant and essential

There’s no need to write about your ability to juggle on your resume – unless of course you’re applying to the circus or clown school. Only include what is absolutely essential. Try not to include anything from years and years in the past, but keep it relevant with your more recent experiences.

Be active, not passive

Speaking and writing in an active tone shows that you have authority. When you write in a passive voice, you fail to use power words like accomplished, achieved, and completed. With an active voice, you’ll come off as confident and it eliminates “fluff” from your writing.

If you have some tips to add to the above, feel free to comment below or contact us at the Family Ever After Blog!

Although we really shouldn’t, judging a book by it’s cover it’s still something we all do – and gifts are no exception. How many times have you seen an exquisite wrapping job, only to receive another pair of socks. Or maybe you have a loved one that’s a practical jokester and wraps their expensive gifts in a heinous way. Either way, gifts that look personal before unwrapping can make gifts, and the relationship between the giver and receiver, seem that much more special, memorable, and heartfelt. And of course, a personalized gift would make the occasion even more meaningful.

Sticker Tags

One of the most important parts of your gift is often the last thing you put on it – the gift tag! Obviously the person you’re giving it to needs to know who it’s from. For a fun and unique gift tag, try making one out of a custom sticker. A custom sticker of your recipients name, monogrammed initial, or even date of the special event can not only elevate the gifts personalization, but makes for a super fun and unique added bonus as well. A custom sticker can be used to decorate notebooks, water bottles, laptops, cell phone cases, or anything your loved one can think of. Best part is, everytime they look at their sticker they’ll be reminded of you and your awesome gift giving skills.

Stamped Paper

Tired of wrapping your gifts in generic wrapping paper? This hands on DIY is a great way to get the whole family involved and all you need is some kraft paper, paint, and a set of hands! Paint you and your family’s hands complimentary or seasonal colours and stamp away on some plain kraft paper for a totally one-of-a-kind and personal wrapping paper! This idea is great for gifts that are from the entire family because literally every family member had a hand in creating it.

Cloth & Patches

A great way to gift presents for the eco-friendly friend in your life (or maybe you are the eco-friendly friend) is to use reusable and waste-free cloths as wrapping. Patterned cloth makes for unique stand-out wrapping that the recipient can then use as they desire. To take your cloth wrapping up a notch, attach a custom printed patch as a tag that your loved one can use as a cool personalized accessory. You can find it in Stickeryou.com. Make a patch of your friend or family members favourite character, saying, initial, or photograph and even merrow the border in a complimentary or favourite colour. This way your friend not only gets a sustainable gift, but also a thoughtful added bonus.

Map Wrapping

Maybe you have a friend who’s moved far away, or you and your special someone met somewhere you don’t reside in currently. A super personal way to wrap gifts is to do so with a map! Maps are still relatively inexpensive and can be found at most tourist centres or even online. Wrap a gift for someone from a map of where you met, or wrap separate gifts in maps from the place you live and a map of the location your friend or family member has moved to. This lets loved ones know that no matter where you are in the world, your relationship knows no bounds.

Get Magnetic

This gift wrapping idea is a little out of the box – literally. For a totally one-of-a-kind wrapping idea, forgo the gift boxes and paper and opt for a tin! Perfect for smaller gifts, tins that mints come in can be found at convenience stores, and plain reusable ones are readily available at a lot of dollar and craft stores as well (of course mint tins can also be decoupaged with patterned paper if you don’t want them to think you’re pulling a fast one on them). To up the ante, include a gift card that’s actually a custom magnetic name badge. You can make the name badge something related to the gift or something that symbolizes your relationship. Magnetic badges are a cool accessory because they can be easily removed and repositioned from any article of clothing, accessory, or kitchen appliance. Magnetic backed badges make for an incredible personal gift that lets others knows just how attached you are to them.

If you’re in the process of revamping your home and are looking to replace your home’s flooring, you may want to consider opting for modern moduleo floors or checking out Lifestyle Flooring UK for alternative options.

Moduleo Floors an Excellent Alternative to Laminate: Key Reasons to Opt For Moduleo Flooring

1. You’ll be able to selection wood look and stone look options

If you love the look of solid wood flooring or stone flooring but can’t justify the high cost of wood flooring options and stone flooring options, it’s well worth considering moduleo flooring. As there are a wide array of wood look options and stone look options which look and feel like the real thing but are a whole lot cheaper than real wood or stone flooring options.

So if you’d like to purchase flooring which looks more expensive than laminate and which gives the same look as solid hardwood floors or stone floors, it’s well worth seriously considering opting for moduleo flooring.

2. Moduleo flooring is made to be durable

If you want to install a flooring option which will look just as great as it does 5 years after you fit it as the day you fit in into your home, there’s no need to look any further. As moduleo flooring is known to be extremely durable and can withstand the weight of heavy furniture as well as heavy traffic and excitable pets such as cats and dogs.

As an added bonus, as Moduleo flooring is so resistant to wear and tear, you won’t have to worry about your flooring developing scratches, scuffs or nasty dents. That will ruin the look of your home’s flooring!

3. Moduleo flooring is just as easy to clean as laminate flooring options

In fact, while you may need to use laminate specific cleaners on laminate flooring, you can use virtually any type of flooring cleaner to clean moduleo flooring. Just remember never to use flooring wax on your floors as while wood flooring may need to be waxed a few times per year, moduleo flooring never needs to be waxed.

4. Moduleo flooring is waterproof unlike laminate flooring

One reason why most individuals shy away from using laminate flooring in their bathrooms and kitchens is that laminate flooring is not waterproof. However, as most types of moduleo flooring have been designed to be waterproof, you’ll be able to use moduleo flooring in areas of your home which are prone to getting wet. Like your bathrooms and kitchen.

5. You’ll be able to install your moduleo flooring yourself

One of the key reasons why moduleo flooring is becoming extremely popular is that as it clicks into place, it’s extremely easy to install. Which means that you should be able to install your home’s flooring on your own, over a couple of weekends or with the help of a few of your DIY inclined friends and family members.

So if you’re looking for a stylish, durable, fuss-free flooring option to give your home a revamp, you can’t go wrong opting for moduleo floors over laminate floors.

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