Just because most of your days are spent at home, doesn’t mean you cannot treat yourself to a nice pampering pedicure.
It’s very important for your overall health to have well maintained feet. And your feet carry you through the day all your life and deserve TLC. You do not even need to dedicate too much time or expensive products to you feet care.
Here is an easy 5 step DIY Pedicure treatment for home but before you do, clip your toe nails and file down any sharp nails that result from the trim:
Step One: Make a soak Combine 2 cups of mouth wash, 2 cups of white vinegar and 2 cups of warm water into a basin.
Step Two: Soak Submerge your feet in there for about 18 minutes.
Step Three: Exfoliate Using a pumice stone or washcloth, rigorously scrub under the foot and heel to remove callouses and dead skin.
Step Four: Rinse Run cool or warm water over your feet to rinse all the yucky away.
Step Five: Moisturize Slather a moisturizing balm like a rich emollient lotion or oil to the feet.
Optional: Step Six: Polish Use a base coat, polish and top coat to make it look pretty. Go with a natural shade, subtle or bright seasonal color depending on your mood!
If you are grilling for Memorial Day this weekend and need some grilling tips, you’ve come to the right place. Here are 15 of our fave tips we spotted from various sources and around the web and assembled into top 15 tips
1. Gas vs. Charcoal? – The age-old debate over which grilling method is “better” involves multiple variables, from flavor to cost to convenience. While no studies prove that either is healthier, gas does burn cleaner. Charcoal grills emit more carbon monoxide, particulate matter and soot into the atmosphere, contributing to increased pollution and higher concentrations of ground-level ozone. From a taste perspective, on the other hand, many people prefer the smokier, richer taste of food cooked on a charcoal grill.
2. Get It Hot!– Preheat your grill 15 to 25 minutes before you start cooking to make sure it reaches the right temperature (and to kill any bacteria). Your grill should be 400-450°F for high, 350-400°F for medium-high, 300-350°F for medium and 250-300°F for low heat. A properly heated grill sears foods on contact, keeps the insides moist and helps prevent sticking. While searing doesn’t “seal in” the juices (contrary to popular belief ), it does create improved flavors through caramelization.
3. Brush It Off – It’s easier to remove debris when the grill is hot, so after preheating, use a long-handled wire grill brush on your grill rack to clean off charred debris from prior meals. Scrape again immediately after use.
4. Oil It Up– Even on a clean grill, lean foods may stick when placed directly on the rack. Reduce sticking by oiling your hot grill rack with a vegetable oil-soaked paper towel: hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.)
5. Marinate Your Meat -Marinating does more than infuse food with flavor; it also inhibits the formation of potentially carcinogenic HCAs (heterocyclic amines), which form when grilling “muscle meats” like poultry, red meat and fish. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), marinating can reduce HCA formation by as much as 92 to 99 percent.
6. Is It Done?– The best way to know if protein is fully cooked is to check its internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer.
7. The Hand Test– To gauge the temperature of a grill without a thermometer, place your open palm about 5 inches above the grill rack; the fire is high if you have to move your hand in 2 seconds, medium if you have to move your hand in 5 seconds and low if you have to move your hand in 10 seconds.
8. Tame The Flames– Flare-ups happen when fat drips onto the heat source and catches fire. This causes carcinogenic PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) to form and accumulate on your food. Meat licked by flames also tastes “off” and flames may char the outside of food before the inside has thoroughly cooked. To reduce flare-ups, select lean cuts of meat, trim excess fat and remove poultry skin. And, keep a squirt bottle of water near the grill to quickly douse any unexpected flare-ups.
9. Give It A Rest – Let finished meats rest on a clean platter, tented with foil, for about 10 minutes before carving so juices can redistribute evenly.
10. Veggies Lift – Keep the lid up for Veggies so they don’t become too limp and are crisp not soggy
11. Fishy Fish – For fish, slice lemon and make a bed of them and lay the fish on top to grill.
12. Ribs Boil – Boil ribs for 10 to 15 minutes before grilling to make sure you kill all bacteria from them.
13. Get Saucy – Add the sauce during the last 15 minutes of grilling.
14. Keep it Juicy – Don’t flatten your burgers and cause all the succulent juice to run out. Instead poke them with a fork.
15. Portion control – To avoid overcooking or undercooking, grill smaller pieces of meat at a time.
Photographing a newborn can be challeging for professionals, and even more daunting for parents or amateurs. It doesn’t have to be if you do some advance prep and get some advice from the experts. Dreamstime Professional Photographer Barbara Helgason offers these 10 must-see tips:
1. Safety first. This should go without saying. Babies have a startle reflex and their strong little legs can do a froggy kick and propel them forward. Always, always, have mom sitting right next to baby within arm’s reach.
2. Young babies are sleepy babies and sleepy babies make the best little models. Try to photograph them as young as possible, usually between 7 and 10 days old. As they get a little older they start becoming a bit more awake and alert. Also many newborns develop newborn acne around two weeks of age, so that is another reason to plan your sessions as early as possible.
3. Warm babies are sleepy babies, and do we love sleepy babies. Crank up the heat a couple of hours before a newborn session. It should be uncomfortably warm in the room so baby can rest well.
4. Hungry babies are not happy and they are definitely not sleepy. Babies should have a full tummy and to be prepared to feed, a lot if needed. Ideally we want baby to feel the way we do after a big turkey dinner.
5. All babies love white noise. You can also get womb sounds online. Those a bit more soothing. You can play them on your phone and tuck it under the blanket behind baby’s head. If you do use your phone, don’t forget to put it into the do not disturb mode. For a really fussy baby shushing in his or her ear will also work wonders.
6. Patience, patience patience. Newborn sessions should absolutely not be rushed. Getting those cute little poses takes time. Hold their little arms and legs gently in the position you want until you can sense they’ve settled into a deep sleep. Pay attention to detail. Take the time to open those little fists and uncurl each of their tiny fingers. Rub the frowns out of their little foreheads. Gently tug their cheeks and if you’re lucky they may even give you a little smile.
7. Invest in the right props. Bean bags, thick plush and textured blankets, knitted hats, head bands, and wraps and diaper covers are great investments. Also, a basket of washcloths in various shapes and sizes are great to slide in under the blanket, to help position baby. These can be tucked under to tilt baby’s face just so, to lift their bottoms a bit more, etc etc.
8. Don’t forget to zoom in and get close ups of their eyelashes, little fingers and little toes. And if baby is crying, keep it real and capture those tears as well.
9. Don’t shoot up the babies nose. It’s the one angle that’s never ever attractive.
10. And last but definitely not least is lighting. Really, if you don’t have good lighting, none of they above tips will matter at all. Placing your beanbag next to large bright window. Look for soft shadows and learn to see the light. Photography is always about the light. You may have the most expensive camera and the best and fastest lenses, but if you don’t have the right lighting, you will not get a single good image.
If you look back on your own childhood, were you involved in sports very much? Some people will remember every spare minute being at a sports club or in an after school sports team. Some of us many not have memories like that and just have the PE lessons at school to remember when we think of sport and our childhood. The latter does seem a bit of a shame, as there is so much more to sport and being active when you’re young than a formal lesson at school, doing something that you might not normally excel at.
There are so many benefits to getting involved in sport from a young age. Child psychologists often talk about these benefits and how they can help children to grow in confidence and help them to socialize and work in teams. They can also help our children to learn vital life skills, like hard work, determination, cooperation with others, and commitment to doing something, and achieving a goal.
There, of course, can be some tough patches to work through. When you’re watching your child on the sidelines, could it potentially lead to things like anxiety for them? You will also go through the process of choosing the right activity for them to take part in. That process can lead to some heartache and even some feelings of being upset and sad as they discover that they aren’t as good at some things as they are at others.
Teaching our children to be gracious in defeat is also something that they will need to learn along the way. So with all that in mind, it can seem like a bit of a minefield to even start thinking about. We don’t want to do anything wrong with our children and end up scaring them, so there some certain considerations. Here are a few of the best ways to get your children into sport, so that they can reap the rewards.
Be Selective
One of the most important messages, when you’re picking activities for your children to be involved in, is to not overdo it. Many parents make the mistake of getting them intensely involved in just one sport, with weekends and evenings taken up with it. Equally, if they are involved in too many different sports, it can be detrimental too. When they’re only focussed on one, it can take the fun out of it as it is more of a chore. But when there are too many, it can stop them from taking the time to enjoy their favorite one or two.
Is there a magic number of the sports or activities that they should get involved with, though? Around the age of eight or under, they should be doing about two or three a year, as it can help them to learn a broad range of skills. From there, they should then be able to decide which they like and enjoy, and they ones that they are happy to not continue on with.
Give Your Child Choice
To start with, at around the age of four or five, it can be a good idea to ask (or heavily suggest) which team sports they should try out. For some, it might be because of friends doing a certain class or because you as the parent had enjoyed it when you were younger. But after a while, you need to give your children choice over the activities they do. If they’ve tried soccer but really have found themselves to be no good at it, it won’t be good for their confidence to carry on with it. So hear what they have to say about it and let them choose. Of course, giving them some options as to what is viable for you is fine. But don’t sign them up for anything without having that conversation with them.
Along these lines, it is a good idea to check with them what they think they are best at. They might have friends that do the baseball club, but they might actually be better at gymnastics. So speak to them and find out their skills and preferences. They shouldn’t only be going to a sports club because they have friends that go there too.
Support Them With Equipment and Kit
It can be hard as sports kit can cost quite a lot of money, but a few little things here and there can be a good to get for your children. They will feel set up for football or soccer if you’ve researched and got them the best football gloves and boots. The same goes for tennis, the right clothing and perhaps a racket can be really helpful and give them a confidence boost to get going with the sport. Goggles for swimming and a specific towel for their swimming lessons can make it more fun and exciting for them. So where you can, try to support them in their chosen sporting activity with some kit or equipment to help them to excel.
Talk About The Commitment
Before embarking on a sports activity, and before you get any kit for it, it is a good idea to explain what they will need to commit to for it to work. If you are just going to be trying something out for a semester, then they need to know how long they’ll be expected to go for. Then after that time is up, they can let you know if they want to carry on or not. It isn’t a good idea to just stop after two weeks when they don’t want to go anymore. They will learn commitment and dedication when they have to go to something for a number of weeks. It can also give them the right amount of time to hone their skills and to improve. You never know, they might like it enough to carry on after that season or semester.
Avoid Burnout
If you think that you might be giving your child too much to do or get involved with, then there are some signs to look out for. Often they might not communicate it to you as they don’t know how. Or they might feel like they’re letting you down if they say that it is getting too much for them.
So bear in mind your child’s personality and opinions too. Watch out for these signs of burnout:
They will make any excuse to not attend practice, or will regularly complain of being ill on the day of a game or practice.
If your child is getting fed up of the sport (or sports) that they are doing, they won’t talk about it anymore. This could be especially evident if it were something that they always talked about previously. If you have to wake your child up each morning, then it could be a sign of burnout or exhaustion. It can also be a sign that they aren’t sleeping well because of a feeling of guilt or from feeling depressed or anxious. If you discover over a number of weeks that they eat much less than they normally do, or regularly complain of feeling sick, then it could be a sign of anxiety that has led from the feeling of being run down.Wow As you can see, there are many benefits to kids taking part in sport. But there are also many things that they should be thinking about, looking out for, and avoiding if necessary. The most important thing is involving them in the decisions and keeping the communication channels open.
In what is suddenly starting to feel like a few short weeks, your kids are going to be on summer break. And right now is the time for you to start preparing for that. Because when you know that you want to spend the summer with your kids, if you leave everything to the last minute, you’re just not going to be able to enjoy your time together as much. Instead, you’ll want to start planning.
The best news is, there’s a lot that you can do right now to get those plans in place. From just thinking up ideas to researching the best things to do, you’ll easily be able to come up with a summer schedule that you’ll all enjoy. So let’s kick things off with these ideas.
Spend Some Time Outside
One of the best things that you can do any summer is just to get outside. Right now, you know that your kids spend so much of their time glued to screens. But that’s just modern life. However during the summer, when the weather is really nice, it’s a good idea to get outside a bit more. This is something that you can look to do every single day, even if you have no other plans in place. It’s easy to just head out for a walk or to the local store – anything just to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine. Because you never know where the day may take you.
See Some Notable Sights
The best thing about this incredible country is that there are so many notable sights for you to see. And why wait to see them? This summer, you have the perfect opportunity to introduce your children to some of the most amazing attractions in the world. So pick out some that you’d really love to show them and plan a road trip or a weekend break so they get to see as much as possible.
Visit Family
If you have family across the country, why not make some plans to see them? Going on a road trip or two and enjoying a mini vacation around your favorite family members can be a great way to break up the summer and shake up your scenery too.
Enjoy Fun Days Out
From here, you’re going to want to think about enjoying a day out or two. Whether you want to have a fun day out at the escape room or to head to a local zoo, there’s a lot of different activities that you can do as a family. Make sure you research to see what’s local, as this is often a great way to bulk out your schedule.
Bond Better
Finally, you’re going to want to make sure that you think of things you can do to just bond with your children better. From planting a vegetable garden to having a slumber party, choosing the enjoy some quality time with them, without any gimmicks or distractions is often the best way to spend the summer with your children.
A lot of restaurants use the occassion of Mother’s Day in the United States to offer free meals and deals. Despite the challenges to the food and beverage industry during the pandemic, they are still rolling out the red carpet to feed the moms.
We curted a list of over 35 meals, snacks, drink and other offers for your last minute Mom’s Day planners.
Bahama Breeze
Get a Mother’s Day meal bundle for four for as little as $45.
Baskin-Robbins
Order a special Floral Cone Bouquet Cake for Mother’s Day. Sign up for emails or download the mobile app for discount codes that could help you save up to $5 on your order.
Blaze Pizza
Get a free 11-inch pizza when you order Mom a $25 Gift Card.
Buy mom a $50 gift card or buy one to use to treat her to lunch on Mother’s Day, and then get a bonus $10 card to use later at The Cheesecake Factory
Chili’s
For Mother’s Day, Chili’s is offering a 3-for-$10 to-go special featuring either a 6-oz. sirloin or chicken fajitas, a drink, and a starter.
Cracker Barrel
Order a Family Meal Basket to-go, and get a $10 bonus card.
When you order Cracker Barrel’s Pancake Breakfast or their Sunday Homestyle Chicken Family Meal Bundles for pick up or delivery, you’ll get a $10 bonus card to use in the Cracker Barrel store. Both breakfasts feed a family of five for $31.99.
Einstein Bagel
Get a Mom’s Brunch Box, which comes with a free mimosa starter kit (aka 16-oz orange juice). For $29.99, it includes a variety of fresh baked favorites: one Farmhouse Egg Sandwich, two Bacon & Cheddar Egg Sandwiches, six fresh-baked bagels, one tub of plain shmear, four Twice-Baked Hash Browns and four blueberry muffins. Available at participating locations, from May 7 to May 17, 2021.
The restaraunt is celebrating all the hardworking moms with limited-time menu offerings and custom cocktails, available at participating locations throughout North America through Sunday, May 9, 2021. Additionally, participating Hard Rock Cafe locations are offering a “Momosa Bar,” which allows diners to create their own “Momosa” using a flight of juices and a bottle of Riondo Prosecco
Get free delivery on an order placed on the Jamba site or app. Plus, you can get a free breakfast item if you hit the $18 minimum thru Mother’s Day May 9
Jimmy John’s
If mom is craving a giant sandwich, Jimmy Johns is offering $5 off orders of $20 or more with promo code 5OFF20 through June 13. Order must be placed online or via the Jimmy John’s app.
Buy a muffin, get one for free on Mother’s Day. (Unless you’re at the St. Louis location. No free muffins will be found there.) Grab a coupon for this deal on Kolache’s social media.
Krispy Kreme Buy a dozen glazed donuts, you’ll get a second dozen for a dollar on Saturdays and Sunday through May 23. If you got your COVID-19 vaccine, Krispy Kreme will give you a free donut every day for the rest of the year through December 31
The restaurant is offering new Carlo’s Cookies & Cream Tsunami Cake created by Cake Boss Buddy Valastro and half-priced bottles of wine and a lineup of cocktails.
For every $25 eGift card purchased through May 9, you’ll receive a $5 bonus card via email to use on a future visit between May 10-31.Bonus cards are valid only on food or beverage purchases in-store (not valid for online orders, third-party delivery, or other gift card purchases).
With Mother’s Day just around the corner, it’s time to start making those gift purchases for the special Moms in your life. Finding the perfect present for these ladies can be a challenge; here are a few tips to help ease the stress of coming up with something a little more lasting than breakfast in bed.
Gift Baskets – While there are certainly a staggering array of pre-made gift basket options, putting one together yourself is both surprisingly easy and the best way of ensuring that each and every item is handpicked for the guest of honor. Personalized Gifts – It’s possible to personalize almost any gift you can come up with; adding a birthstone, a monogram or any other signifying features is one of the best ways to give your selected item a personal touch. Jewelry – There are entire lines of jewelry, all with varying price points, designed for the Mother’s Day gift-buying set. From necklaces with charms to symbolize each of her children to bracelets with each child’s birthstone, there’s definitely no shortage of precious adornments created with Mom in mind.
WHAT TO GET AN EXPECTANT MOM FOR A GIFT!
Flowers – Though it might be so common that it’s almost a cliché, flowers are the perfect gift for a friend or relative with children. While you might want to step it up a bit for your own mom or the mother of your children, they’re a time-honored tradition for moms that aren’t immediate family. Day Spa or Salon Gift Certificates – The frantic pace of today’s world makes it difficult for women to fit a day of pampering and preening into her schedule. A gift certificate for just such a thing makes a spa day seem like less of an indulgence and more of a treasured gift.
Gifts Tailored to Her Specific Interests – Everyone is different, and harried moms are no exception. Taking your special lady’s interests and hobbies into account when selecting your gift is a good way to go the extra mile and provide her with something that she’ll actually use and appreciate. Family Tree Artwork – Artwork that incorporates genealogical information can range from minimalist and sparse to very ornate, so there’s a style to suit any décor. Moms are sure to love a family tree painting or print, and there are several retailers, both online and brick-and-mortar, that specialize in them.
WHAT TO GET A BRAND NEW MOM AS A GIFT!
Luxury Items – “Luxury” items don’t have to be big-ticket purchases; they’re simply things that Mom might want but would never get for herself. For families that have been forced into serious belt-tightening by the economic climate of the last few years, a luxury item can be something as simple as a more-extravagant-than-usual dinner or a bottle of her favorite perfume.
Handmade Gifts – Moms of small children are sure to be moved to tears by a gift they helped to make, so giving little ones a hand in creating her gift can be a big hit. However, handmade gifts aren’t restricted to the smaller set; crafty or artistic grownups can get in on the fun, too!
A Day Off – Though it might seem simple, often the best gift that a mother can receive is to spend her special day alone, pursuing her own interests with no responsibilities. Sending her along the way with reassurances that the kids and household will be well looked after in her absence will give her a break that is likely to be much-needed.
Just as there’s no one-size-fits-all Mom, there are no one-size-fits-all gifts. Take the interests and tastes of the Mom in your life into account when choosing her gift, rather than falling back on the old standards. Even a small amount of effort will go a long way!
It’s the season for pumpkin spice everything, sweater weather — and a potential second-wave of COVID-19 infections. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local governments monitor outbreaks around the country, you may need to get a little creative with your fall date ideas, so they are pandemic friendly. This means booking or planning activities and experiences that allow you to maintain six-feet of distance in public or provide the privacy you need to be mask-free safely. The good news? In a turbulent year, the Autumn season offers plenty of romantic, bond-building adventures for twosomes.
Here, we spoke with dating experts and matchmakers for their best recommendations for happy, fall-loving couples.
“Beginning of all kinds. Pliability, an unfreezing, a wakening. Wild sudden growth. Release. Energy. Hope. Lifeforce. Threshold.” That’s Ali Smith, writing about spring. But she might as well have been writing about the autumn/winter 2021 trends.
These are the sentiments that designers described and attempted to convey in the collections they unveiled in February and early March, and which will start trickling into stores in August. After a year of lockdown, another season of digital-only shows, but with a vaccination-led route out currently being tested, the sense of coiled energy in the fashion industry is palpable.
Consider putting together a fun and informative DIY first period kit to celebrate your child’s big milestone and help her feel prepared and confident at home and at school! This is a memorable time in a young person’s life, and I did this a couple of years ago to make my own daughter’s first period as comfortable and normal as possible, and I’m so glad I did.
Do you remember your first period?
I know I was terrified the day my first period arrived while attending a friend’s sleepover birthday party, and I was completely unprepared for that experience. I was one of the first in my friend group, so I initially felt uncomfortable and full of anxiety!
