If you have a garden, large gardens, looking after it can be somewhat of a nightmare. Yes, the thought of a big garden space probably sounded amazing when you purchased your house. It gives your kids plenty of space to play around in, and you have enough room for entertaining guests too. However, sustaining a it might be a problem, right? especially if its not a priority chore to maintain it. Fret not my dear as here are some gathered tips on keeping gradens upkeep.

Acquire the best tools for the job
You are never going to maintain your garden efficiently if you do not have the right tools for the job. A big garden requires big tools; those that are capable of getting big tasks done in quick time. Not only should you consider investing in a top-quality lawn mower, but it is a good idea to look for a pull behind fertilizer spreader as well. This is a great way of ensuring your garden gets all of the goodness it needs with minimal effort on your behalf.

Make your garden low maintenance to begin with
The fact that your garden is large presents enough challenges in terms of maintenance, so don’t go and make things worse for yourself by planting flowers that require a lot of upkeep and choosing elements that need a lot of attention. The key to looking after a large garden is often ensuring that it is low maintenance to begin with. There are numerous ways you can do this, from using artificial turf to replacing some or all perennial beds with shrubs.

Create a garden schedule
It is a good idea to create a schedule for your garden. This will ensure you handle all elements of your garden effectively, and it will ensure your approach is much more efficient. For example, you can note that you should water your flower beds one or two times per week, depending on where you live. You can also schedule to do this in the morning, as the soil is cooler and so it will be more effective.

Consider enlisting the assistance of a professional
Last but not least, if all else fails, why not enlist the assistance of a professional landscaping or gardening company? Yes, this may be an expense, but you need to consider the amount of money you are going to have to spend yourself when it comes to looking after your garden. Plus, you know what they say; time is money too, and so if you don’t have the time to spare for your garden, why not let someone else do all of the hard work for you?

Following these tips will find it a lot easier to maintain your large garden. From acquiring the right tools and equipment to choosing low maintenance garden elements, surely you can reduce the workload on your shoulders.

In any home, there will always be some kind of food waste daily. While these food wastes may seem like something that are just thrown away, did you know that you can put these so-called waste into something useful? There’s this thing called composting where you can use these kitchen scraps for the benefit of something else. Plus, composting can be done at any point in the year. You can even do composting in winter even if the weather is really cold! Interested? Here are some steps on how to compost kitchen scraps the right way:

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Understand what composting is
If composting is all new to you, let me define what composting is and what benefits you will be getting when doing it. In a nutshell, composting is the process of turning natural waste into a product that makes the quality of your soil improve. It is similar to a fertilizer minus the chemicals. This makes it better for our environment. Through composting, wastage will be reduced since household wastes are used for this process. Composting makes your soil more healthy which will result to better growth for your plants.

Coordinate with your municipal office regarding home waste management
There may be instances that your local community restricts the activities of food waste composting. Your local office believes that they are more confident in doing that type of work better. Therefore, there is a need to inquire with the respective department whether it is allowed or what the limitations are when it comes to composting.

Know what items are good as compost
In general, most food wastes can be used as compost. However, here are some of the most common food waste materials that can be subjected to composting:
• Vegetable or fruit wastes
• Old flour-based products such as bread or noodles
• Coffee filters and tea bags
• Grains or cereals
• The pulp after juicing vegetables or fruits
• Old herbs and spices
• Expired boxed goods
• Finely-crushed egg shells
• Chopped corn cobs
In terms of what not to compost, avoid meat, fish, dairy, and oils. These materials attract unwanted organisms such as rats and maggots. Also, these will make your compost bin smell really, really bad!

Have a separate trash bin for the storage of your compost materials
Once good-as-compost materials are mixed with waste which can’t be used for composting, it will be hard to separate it. This will result to an increase in waste materials brought to the landfills which can cause harm to our environment. With that, you should have a separate container for your compost materials. These can range to a small bucket or a large trash bin depending on the amount of your waste. However, make sure that these are sealed properly in order to prevent flies from coming. One tip is to have your bin lined with newspaper before covering with the lid.

Add a layer of non-food compost materials to your trash bin
This will prevent problems from occurring such as the attraction of flies and rats or the stench of bad odor. Another benefit of this is that it makes your kitchen waste turn into compost faster. Some examples of these non-food compost materials are soil (of good health), leaves, or lawn clippings.

Keep your compost moist and mix it every two weeks or so
Keeping your compost moist makes nutrients circulate keeping the quality of your compost. However, do not make your compost really wet. Just add water to your compost only when it looks dry. Also, make sure to turn or mix your compost every two weeks or so. This makes air (oxygen) circulate which is necessary to create good compost.

Additional Tip:
If you’d like to compost during the cold winter months, what you can do is add more of the non-food compost materials mentioned earlier than food waste materials. You can also use tarps instead of newspapers to cover your bin. Doing this makes your compost warm making the process of composting still work.
So there you have it. What we have provided are some tips on how to reduce food waste by turning these into compost. Through these, we will minimize the amount of waste being brought to the landfills. Also, it is relatively cheaper than purchasing chemical fertilizers plus it does not harm our environment. We hope that you found the information helpful and encouraged you to turn waste into compost. Let us know your take on composting in the comments section below. If you have any other tips that you’d like to share, feel free to also leave a comment below.

If yours is the kind of household where people are rushing around all the time, you are not alone. Having no house help (like us), juggling house chores from meal preparation to bathing children to cleaning up the clutter might be excruciating. Some people find that the home can get messy, especially when there are a lot of children or extended family around. When it gets like this, it can be hard to know how you can expect to keep the home tidy. However, with the right approach and a decent understanding, you should find that it is actually relatively simple to do so. In this article, we are going to look at some of the things that you might want to consider if you want to keep your home as tidy as you would like.

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Laying Down The Rules

Usually in a busy family home, the biggest reason that it does not stay tidy is because the children are allowed to run amok as they please. If you want to really keep your home as clean and tidy as possible, then you will find it is necessary to ensure that your children pay attention to the rules of the home. Of course, firstly you need to actually lay those rules down. If you are wondering what kind of rules you should try to come up with, the answer is anything that you think is necessary in keeping your home in the best possible state.

The truth is that it is having these rules at all, rather than what they specifically are, that ensures that your family behave in the home, and therefore help to keep the home in the best state. In our home, it is the husband who do the reminding. So you should write down your list of fuels and have them on permanent display in the house somewhere. This alone will make a huge difference, regardless of what the rules themselves actually state. Do that and you will find that it can really help on the whole. Having rules will make for a tighter-run family home, and therefore a tidier and a cleaner one.
Dividing The Chores

It is often a sensible idea to get your family involved in the chores as much as possible. If you do that, it can really make a huge difference to how tidy the home is on the whole, and it also has a way of instilling the sense of being clean and tidy into the home too. You need to find a fair way to divide out the chores, as if there is an argument then this can quickly lead to a divisive home. But you should try your hardest to make sure that everyone is as happy as can be with the chores that they are given. If they’re not, you might be surprised at the kind of trouble this can lead to.

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Given that the chores are divided out fairly, you are then faced with the task of making sure that everyone actually does them. This is something else altogether, and it can be one of the hardest aspects of this whole procedure. It is not a bad idea to introduce something in the way of punishment for anyone who doesn’t do their fair share of the chores. With that, you should be able to ensure that the chores all get done fairly and on time.

Keeping Clean Pets

It is common for family homes to have one or more pets. If you have pets in your home, you will certainly have noticed early on that they can often cause a significant amount of mess around the home. Whether it is from their fury being shed, or worse messes still, there are always ways in which pets can find ways to make mess in the home. If you want your home to be kept as well as possible, you will need to learn how to keep clean pets as best as you can. There are a number of aspects to this to consider, so let’s take a look at a few of the most basic now.

To begin with, you will want to make sure that you keep them clean as much ass you can by bathing them, especially for dogs. If they are muddy, this can be especially important, but its good practice anyway. You will also want to look into getting some Pet-Lock best flea control so that you don’t need to worry about what is in their fur. Then of course there is the process of house training them, which can often be surprisingly hard to get right. The more time you spend on trying to get your pet house trained, the more likely it is that your home will remain in a good state of repair, so this is worth looking into. Train them well, and you will really notice the difference.

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Enjoy The Home

When you focus too much on keeping your home clean to the detriment of enjoying it, you will find that it doesn’t always work. Focusing too much in too fine a detail on the cleanliness of the home can make it seem as though it is just never clean, so you might want to remember that it is also important to enjoy the home as best as you can. As long as you and your family are enjoying the home fully, you will find that it makes a significant difference to how well lived in it is. The truth is that enjoying the home as a home will not stop you from being able to keep it clean, so long as you know how to draw the line here. Spend the necessary time finding that balance, and you will be much better off for it – and your family will be much happier as well.
As long as you keep the home clean while enjoying it, you will be able to be happy and keep it in the best possible state. This is great news, as it means a better home for all the family.

If you are following me on my Instagram, you would have seen my post about the need to invest on bedrooms 🙂 Because next to kitchen, I dream of a cozy and comfortable bedroom! A room designed to be homey and personal, has soft and comfy bed, bed linens and pillows; a blanket that warms me when the air-conditioning is too cold for comfort; a room that smells so good that I want to stay longer and get lazy and just snuggle with kids and hubby. So what does it mean to be a cozy and comfortable bedroom? For me, it must have a:

Everyday, we spend 6-7hrs in our bedroom to be comforted from a day’s stress, snuggle with our loved ones and sleep and get recharge for tomorrow’s new beginnings. Thus, it is fitting to invest in our bed! It is nice to sleep comfortably on a clean and soft sheets, comfy pillows and warm blankets. Good thing @themetrostores.ph have these comforts and they are on sale for as low as 50% discounted price. Perfect for your home and as gifts for your love ones. The Metro White Sale is still ongoing until Nov 19, 2017.

A post shared by Shiella | Mommy After Work (@mommyafterwork) on Nov 10, 2017 at 9:36pm PST

Right Theme
Right color of wall’s paint and window’s curtains accentuate the beauty of the room. Nothing fancy, as long the color is a personal choice then that’s it. For curtains, my husband told me to be adventurous in combining colors – contrast colors are eye-catching and vibrant. You can ask an interior designers for ideas too 🙂

Comfortable Bed
I experience sleeping on the floor with a banig (Philippine Sleeping Mat). Though hard and gives you back pains, it gives a cool feeling. Also tried mattresses made of foam. It is soft but sultry. Whatever type of bed, be sure it suits you that you wake up full of energy and no pains and soreness on your back and sides.

Q​uality Bed Linens
​In this side of the world where is sun is at its hottest all year round, it is better to choose a material that is soft and breathable to keep you cool.

Pillows
The secret to a good pillow is through its filling. There is that feather or cotton filling that is so soft. Then there is that memory foams that conforms to your head’s shape and returns to each original shape when not used. In my childhood years, we have pillows made of old clothes as fillings. Softness depends on the fabric used, ours was hard and becomes harder the longer we used.

Blankets or Comforters?
My favorite! Indeed a security blanket! I used to have a favorite blanket that I used to rub in on my face before I sleep. It was a super soft blanket but was burned together with our house. The habit eventually stop but the need for soft and warm blanket is still in me. As long as it is soft and I snuggle underneath, then I can easily go to slumber land. The husband has it too! He needs a blanket with a rough texture that he can use for his feet before or during sleep. He can’t sleep without it. My kids on the other hand likes comforters especially when the air-conditioning is too cold. Regardless, blankets or comforters, they are a comfort.

All these comforts are available at Metro at a lower price because they are having a Metro White Sale until November 19, 2017. Metro is giving away 20% to 50% OFF on selected lined products of towels, pillows, mattresses, and bed sheets.
Perfect for room improvements 🙂

Note: This is a sponsored post but all photos and opinions expressed are ours.

Home renovation can increase the value of our living space and our own living quality. If we have kids, it can give us more space to make a mess in, and put in some more couches for maximum lounging ability at the end of the day. Yet, DIY seems to be a talent that’s in a bit of a short supply for the common individual these days; we often turn to services to get work done by the professionals. However, despite this being a completely viable way to get some home renovation done, it can be a lot cheaper to try out your own hand at some wood crafting or feature walling. If you need a few tips on picking up some skill in the DIY area, here’s a few tips specially for you.

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Try Out Starter Projects

Don’t immediately go straight into the big things, as this can put you off home renovation forever, and waste you a lot of time and money. Pick out the parts of your home you think you could do with a little pick me up, and take the smallest projects out of your list. When you have low risk like this, you can really flex your muscles.

Painting and decorating is super easy to start off with, but still involves quite a few steps: finding the right paint or wallpaper, laying down sheets to protect the carpet, sanding the walls down, and then mixing the glue for the paper if you need it. Similarly, adding more things to the walls, like TV and light fixtures is also low risk, but you can pick up some good knowledge from it.

Read Up on DIY Techniques

Nothing is going to beat practical knowledge, but that doesn’t mean you have to go into anything blind. For example, you can get a home renovation e-book on plenty of subjects, whether you need your kitchen doing or you’re planning to take out a load bearing wall to open up a room.

A lot of people have different opinions on the best moves to make, so weighing up those differing viewpoints against each other can give you a better insight into what you’re actually doing.

Learn From Other’s Mistakes

When it comes to doing it yourself, use other people as models, for better or worse. If you winced whilst watching someone whack a hammer straight into the wall plaster and completely missing the nail they were trying to get, make sure you don’t do the same thing!

Be sure to pick up all of the right equipment, and don’t start until you have everything. Measure everything correctly, and do it a couple of times before actually cutting some material or making a hole in a wall for a light or picture fixture. These are common mistakes that are so easy to make, so be mindful of them!

Don’t be afraid to get stuck in, as practice makes perfect after all! Make your mistakes and learn from them.

Functionality in the kitchen should always come first. With making meals and eating, you need to maximize the space. Otherwise, one of the most important rooms in the house will be the most frustrating.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that the kitchen should be lacking of personality. Like every other room, it needs to pop and sizzle with character. Sadly, homeowners take the substance over style mantra too seriously and lots of kitchens end up being boring.

If you don’t want to happen, you may want to consider these tips which will help you add a sense of character while maintaining functionality.

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Say It With Color

Traditionally, adding your personality to a room without making structural changes is difficult. The good news is it isn’t impossible with a few tins of paint. Kitchens are boring because they are bland. A splash of color will fix this issue straight away because the right color will make the room exciting. And, all you need to do is throw the paint on the walls or the cabinets for maximum effect. To go one step further, use accessories to your advantage. HGTV reckons brightly colored towels and potholders are just as useful.

Get Artsy

A splash of color can only go so far. To make the room seem less bare, you need to cover the wide, open spaces. There are lots of ways to do this, but a selection of artwork is one of the best options. For starters, it is big and bulky enough to take up a significant amount of room without being too large. More importantly, the artwork that you choose reflects your tastes. There is no better way to add personality to a kitchen than with individual flavors. If you like to draw or paint, you can use them instead of buying artwork from a gallery.

Renovate

In truth, there is only so much you can do without making structural changes. To make the kitchen wow, a renovation is in order. Of course, it is tempting to pick a bog standard version and install it as soon as possible. However, this will only ensure your kitchen is the same as everyone else’s on the block. Rather than be a sheep, be a shepherd. Thanks to Complete Kitchens Kitchen Designs, it isn’t hard to find an individual model. Then, with a few tweaks, the room will be unique and full of character.

Light It Up

The light fixtures can transform a kitchen into something special. The key is to make them adjustable so that they fit any environment. For example, spotlights are an excellent choice because you can turn the light up or down depending on the situation. Or, a chandelier works well because it has a soft, warm glow which creates an elegant atmosphere. Also, don’t forget to introduce ambient lighting in the shape of lamps. If the primary light is too bright, you can always switch the lamps on and turn the main light off.

With these tips, your kitchen can’t fail to be charismatic.

If you think its time to make some changes to your home, then getting some ideas together is the first thing to do. Then you know what kind of budget you are looking at, and then you’ll know how long it will take to turn those dreams of redecorating into a reality.

If you like shabby chic style, then this type of home style is for you since it is less costly. It can mean using a lot of things that you already have, and then adding certain colors and cutesy accessories. At the moment, it makes such a nice change from all of the minimalism and monochrome decor that is all over social media. So if you’re looking to make some changes at home, without it costing the earth, then shabby chic could be for you. Here are some ideas to get you started.

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Upcycle What You Have

If you were thinking of redecorating your kitchen, for example, then it could just be time to upcycle your cabinets. You could paint them and and them down, as well as swap out drawer handles or door knobs. The same goes for other furniture that you have around the house. Tables, chairs, and even things like picture frames and mirrors can all be painted or sanded down (or even have accessories added to them), to give the nod to the shabby chic trend.

Choose Vintage Accessories

The shabby chic trend is a nod to all things retro and vintage, as everything is given a slight aged look. Take your kitchen again, as an example. Think about getting a retro Smeg fridge freezer, for example, or buying an old-school phone for your hallway. Look out for vintage fairs or thrift shops and check out what finds they might have. Remember that some things can look better after being sanded or having a new lick of paint, so don’t always take things at face value.

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Choose Wooden Materials

When you think of shabby chic, you think of country house style. So no granite or marble in sight. So for things like worktops or tables and chairs, wood is the material of choice. You could buy wood kitchen and dining furniture online if needed, as well as look for some in local stores and thrift shops. Think wood for accessories too. Wicker baskets or woven wood trinkets can look great by a wooden coffee table or chair.

Use Pastel Colors

Pastel or pale colors are what you are going to want to use when it comes to shabby chic style. Stay away from anything too vibrant or bright. Use a lot of white, but more of an off-white color really. Then accessorize with pastel shades for things like throws, rugs, table runners, and other accessories. Flowers and floral patterns are big for shabby chic style too. So choose some subtle designs to compliment the rest of the room or the rest of the home. Pale green and pale pink are some of the best colors to go for when decorating or adding accents of color.

Moving to a new house is said to be one of the most stressful things you will ever do. Much more stress if you are moving with children. There is a lot to sort out and think about, and it can all get a bit too much. It took me awhile to sort things out I think I’m not yet done with the packing on our moving day. However, don’t fret as moving to a new home is super exciting. It’s a fresh start for your family, an exciting new chapter in your lives and something that you should enjoy. To help with this, here are some great tips to make it stress-free.

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Take Your Time

There is a lot to do when moving house. You’ll need to find the perfect home and spend time choosing a home loan before you even start thinking about moving in. So, make sure you give yourself plenty of time.

Lists

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When it comes to something as big as moving to a new house, lists are your friend. Write packing lists, a list of people you need to tell, a list of other jobs and lists of anything else you can think of. Carry a notepad everywhere you go and write down anything that crops up as you go.

Start Packing Early

As soon as you know you are moving, start packing. Somethings will need to be left out until the last minute. But, you’ve probably got a lot of possessions that you don’t use or even look at for months at a time. Pack these as soon as you can to get started.

Change Your Address Online

Nowadays you can change your address with most providers and companies online. Work down your list and look on their websites. In many cases, you can do this as soon as you’ve got a moving date which saves a lot of hassle later on.

Label

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Labeling your boxes might not seem like a big deal, but it will make your life much easier once you’ve moved. When you finally get to your new home, after days or even weeks of packing and moving, you will want to relax and enjoy it without hunting through boxes every time you need something.

Prepare Supplies

Move a box of moving day supplies to your new home before moving day if you can. Or at least keep this box separate and easy to locate. Include things like the cups and drinks, a few snacks, pajamas for that first night, essential toiletries and clothes for the next day. That way if you’ve got snacks for during the move and you can leave the bulk of unpacking for another day.

Keep Essentials Separate

Keep passports, medication, driver’s licenses, contracts, contact information, phone chargers and anything else you may need in an emergency separate. Carry these in your handbag, or a separate bag and keep them with you until you arrive at your new home. Then, keep them away from all of the other boxes, so they don’t get lost in the mess.

Get a Babysitter

If at all possible, arrange childcare for moving day. It’s a good idea for the kids to spend some time in the new house and exploring the new area before you move, to help them adapt. But, on the day itself, you won’t want them getting in the way, and it can be confusing and even dangerous for them to be around.

Following these tips should help to ensure your move is successful, stress-free and fun. Good luck with it!