Lilac City Momma

Lynn

Party Ideas Kids (and Parents) Are Sure to Enjoy

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If there’s one thing both kids and adults expect from a party, it’s a fun time. Be it a birthday or a seasonal holiday party, people expect food, drinks, and fun. But planning a party takes a bit of effort, and unless you want your kid’s party coming off as mundane and uneventful, you’ll have to be creative.

Unfortunately, parents have a million things going on, and while you want to give your kids the best, there are important factors to consider like time, effort and (of course) money. Luckily, throwing an awesome birthday party that’ll make your kid the coolest in class without breaking the bank, or your back, is what this article is about. So check out some of these great party ideas.

A dance party

Turn on some music and you’d be amazed by your kid’s dancing skills. And guess what? Parents like dancing too, even though this may involve simply swaying their bodies from side to side in a rhythmless fashion. All you need is a dance hall — your living room should work — and a sound system.

And because it’s a dance party, snacks or finger food and soda should suffice. You can jazz it up by getting neon bangles and accessories. Note that this may be more for the older kids, since managing a bunch of toddlers in the dark could prove cumbersome.

An aqua-explosion party

Okay, you don’t have to call it an “aqua explosion”, but the theme behind it is a great one: create a watery adventure for both your kids and their friends. Now, you may be thinking, “Is a party like this going to send me into bankruptcy?”

The good news is: it won’t, if you know the right people. You can rent affordable water slides like a Blue Crush water slide. It is completely safe with trained specialists ready to install and operate it. You don’t have to do anything except make sure your kid is having fun.

You can also pull of a water party if you own a pool, whether it’s inflatable or permanent. You can throw a luau-themed party complete with tropical drinks, coconuts, barbeque, tiki torches (if you have them) and cute luau outfits.

A movie-themed party

From Star Wars to The Avengers to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, kids have their favorite cartoon and movie characters, and organizing their birthday party around these characters will get them fired-up. You may have to spend a bit on character-themed decorations but it’s nothing that breaks the bank.

A magic show/party

Some kids may not like clowns, but nearly all kids love magic. You can plan a magic-themed party or add a magic show to your regular party, and you don’t have to perform over-the-top magic acts.

If hiring a magician is within your budget, you can certainly do that. But if it isn’t, you can learn a few card and hat tricks and even ask the kids for magic tricks they know — you’d be surprised what some can do. Food can include regular snacks and candy, and the party can be indoors or outdoors.

An outdoorsy party

If you live near the great outdoors and have a lot of space, or your child loves adventure, you could throw an outdoor-themed party with a treasure hunt. You could serve food that kids would generally eat outdoors like burgers, chips, etc. And because the party is being hosted outdoors, you can save by using minimal decorations, like paper lanterns, streamers, and the like.

With an outdoor setting, you have a lot of options. Your party can be a treasure hunt. It can be barbeque-themed or a picnic. The possibilities are endless. With just a little imagination, you can turn your home into an adventure wonderland for your child. At the end of it all, you may be tired, but the smile on your child’s face will be worth it.

 

How To Improve Your Family Life

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Having a family is rewarding but is also a lot of work on a daily basis. The upside is that there are ways to improve your situation so you can be even happier overall.

What’s most important is that you take care of yourself and find ways to manage your stress levels. This way, you can be the best parent possible for your little ones and attentive to your spouse. You want to avoid small mishaps getting in your way of living a more fulfilling life and existence. Stay focused on the fact that you love your family and be willing to change your approach a bit so you can all get on the same page and enjoy each other’s company.

Make Wise Financial Decisions

You can improve your family life by committing to making wise financial decisions. You’ll be a lot more content overall when you follow a strict budget and know how much money you have going out and coming in each month. Keep in mind you always have options such as Personal loans should you find yourself in a bind and need money fast. Unfortunately, some events are out of your control, and there will be times when you might need a little extra cash on hand.

Spend Quality Time Together

It’s likely you’re busy and have a lot to juggle between your work schedule and taking care of your family. However, it’s a good idea not to let yourself get too wrapped up in your responsibilities and to carve out some time for your loved ones. Get in the habit of getting together consistently to participate in fun activities so you can relax, laugh, and have fun as a group. This is your chance to create long-lasting memories that you can look back on and cherish forever. Give everyone a chance to contribute ideas so that you and your family members all feel a part of and involved in the discussion.

Practice Open & Honest Communication

In addition, you can improve your family life by making sure you’re all good about practicing open and honest communication regularly. For example, it may help to host family meetings frequently so you can all get on the same page. This is a good opportunity to discuss chores and any other pressing matters that may be relevant at the time. Try your best to address any issues that do arise head-on so that small disagreements don’t become larger arguments that end up getting out of control. When you’re all consistent about communicating openly and clearly you’ll find there’s less friction and tension in your household.

Conclusion

Taking care of yourself and your family is challenging at times, but at the end of the day, you do it because you love them. The upside is that you can always be making improvements to how you all operate and function. This way, you can each experience brighter days ahead and build stronger bonds as a family unit.

 

How To See A Radical Difference In Your Health

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If you’ve decided that now is the time to take control of your health and actively want to boost it, then congratulations for getting this far. Deciding that some things will have to change can be hard to accept, but now you’re here, that’s half the work done.

You will have to want to alter how you live your life for the better because ultimately, the rest of the hard work has to come from you. You will have to be your own best self-motivator so well done for reaching this stage! To find out where to go from here to radically improve your health to feel happier, healthier, and be more productive, continue to read below:

Tackle Your Problems Head On

This part won’t be easy, but it can have some of the most positive effects in your newfound strive for health. Simply put, you need to accept that you might require professional help for problems pertaining to mental health, substance misuse, and trauma. There’s no shame in asking for support to help you turn your life around, so don’t waste time and begin contacting an outpatient drug rehab center, and starting on an outpatient drug program.

Acknowledging that you will benefit from expert intervention can truly aid you in making a radical difference to your health if you’re able to ditch the drugs for good, figure out a medication plan that works for you, and tackle your problems head-on. As aforementioned, this will be one of the most difficult steps, but it can be the most rewarding, enlightening, and life-changing.

Change Your Diet

That’s right, those chips, cakes, biscuits, fizzy drinks, and sugar-loaded cereal bars masquerading as healthy grain bars are going to have to go. Change your diet for good by drawing up a series of meal plans that revolve around avoiding processed sugars, simple carbs, and alcohol and swapping them for complex carbs such as brown rice, brown bread made at home, plenty of fruits and vegetables, good sources of protein and plenty of exercise. Stop buying food out in your lunch break and instead bring a packed meal from home that you can be confident in what the ingredients are, and that there are no hidden surges in sugar, salt, and additives.

Prepare a lunch consisting of brown rice, chicken breast (alternatively salmon or tuna steak – Quorn pieces if you’re vegetarian), steamed tender stem broccoli, nuts and seeds as snacks, and two or three pieces of fresh fruit.

Be Honest With Yourself

Straight off the bat, accept your fallibilities, your strengths, and what you’ve previously failed on before. If you know that running around the park every evening just isn’t achievable, then don’t include it in your fitness plan. Doing so will set you up for a loss, and you’ll feel disappointed in yourself. Instead, find the exercise that you do enjoy by going to a series of trials until unearthing which sport makes you feel excited to attend. You can also go to the gym, go swimming, walking, and hiking, for example.

The same goes for food, don’t add foods that you can’t stand to eat just because you know they’re healthy for you. Find others as there are hundreds of them!

 

5 Ways to Unwind as a Busy Mom

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Motherhood is probably one of the busiest jobs out there. Not only are you constantly on the go, but you can also find yourself overwhelmed because of the number of tasks you have to perform everyday. When you have a routine in place, it can be tough to break out of it. Having a routine also means that making time to relax can seem impossible. Nevertheless, you’ve got to teach yourself how to unwind as a busy mom for health and sanity reasons. Here are a few tips that should help you relax more often.

Watch a TV Show

For many, television is an ideal way to relax. If you struggle with overthinking, watching TV is a way of redirecting your attention. If you aren’t big on everyday TV channels, try streaming instead. You can find content on any subject under the sun; whether you enjoy documentaries, reality TV or horror movies. Two top streaming sites right now to consider are Netflix and Hulu.

Practice Deep Breathing

Something that you probably don’t often pay attention to is your breathing. It can make a big difference in how relaxed you feel. To help you unwind, start by adopting healthy breathing techniques. Take five deep breaths and make a note of the pause between your inhale and exhale as well as your exhale and inhale.

With regards to your body posture when breathing, relax your shoulders and sit up straight. Try placing one hand on your belly and the other on your chest.

Listen to Music

Music has a way of easing your nerves and making you feel relaxed. Aside from this, research also shows that music can lessen anxiety and improve your mood. During your quiet time, zone out and get lost in some of your all-time favorite songs. While listening to music, you can also vape. Using a range of e-liquids which you can find on ultimatejuice.co.uk could enhance your experience.

Get a Massage

If you’ve never gotten a professional massage, you should schedule in time for your first experience. For those who have gotten a massage before, you’ll already be aware of the immense benefits. For one, massages reduce anxiety, stress, and depression. They also have health benefits, such as boosting your immune system and reducing inflammation. You can get discounted massage coupons on sites like Groupon to help with the cost.

Drink Tea

If you happen to like warm beverages, think about drinking tea to unwind. There are different types of teas out there and they all have different health benefits. Herbal teas are great for those who embrace natural ingredients and there’s also decaffeinated tea in case you’re worried about your caffeine intake. Calming Tea from Teavana is a good recommendation if you want tea that will help you relax.

When you’re a busy mom, you have to find a way to relax. Not doing so could result in your health declining as well as more stress than you’d like. However, if you’re able to relax in some of the ways above, you should find you have a good balance.

To read more on topics like this, check out the life hacks category.

Excavation Cost Estimate and Other Considerations When Hiring for Excavation

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When it’s time to clear a plot of land, you’ll need to hire the best excavation service you can find. While there are plenty of jobs on your property you can do yourself, excavating requires a skilled professional (not to mention heavy, costly equipment). A poorly done excavation can permanently damage your property and leave you with astronomical repair costs. That’s why it’s well worth it to secure the services of a professional excavation company. Despite the upfront costs, it will save you a lot of money down the road.

Finding a good excavation company can be a challenge in and of itself. How much, exactly, does excavation cost? What other things do you need to consider? How can you be sure you’ve hired the best company for the job? Let’s start at the beginning.

What Is Excavation?

To reduce it to the simplest terms possible, excavation is simply the movement of a large amount of dirt. If you need a plot of land cleared, whether that’s the removal of a large amount of dirt, debris, or rocks, that’s a job for an excavation service. Professional excavators also specialize in removing plant matter—brush, shrubs, trees (living or dead), or tree stumps. You might want your plot to be completely flat.

You may also want ditches dug for laying down water lines, gas lines, or electrical cables. If you’re having a swimming pool put into your yard, it’ll be an excavation service that digs it out for you. When clearing land, it’s not always as simple as just removing everything and digging holes. It’s possible you’ll want some things removed and to leave other things. Whatever the service you need, an excavation service can do it.

Why Do I Need a Professional Service?

A poorly handled excavation can be an absolute disaster. All too many landowners have shelled out the money for rental fees, only to accidentally cause irreparable harm to their valuable property. Damage to your property is not always immediately obvious either. Often, it’s more insidious. For example, an improperly excavated piece of land can become vulnerable to erosion, which, over time, can lead to much more serious problems.

It’s simply not worth it for an untrained person to risk their property attempting an excavation project. It’s best to find a professional excavation service that has a great deal of experience, skill, proper equipment, and most importantly of all, a commitment to safety. Safety in excavation requires specialized equipment and an ongoing commitment to your training.

How Do I Find the Right Company?

Finding the right excavation service is a step that’s worth spending some time on. You’ll want to invest effort into researching, interviewing, and vetting any company you’re considering for a big job. It starts with a simple internet search of companies in your area. In most areas, you’ll get plenty of hits, but needless to say, not all of the excavation services you find will be equal to one another. For every one of the best services—like Mr. Tree in Portland—you’ll find there are many cheap companies that do subpar work. Indeed, even if you live in an area with plenty of companies around who offer the services you need, you might have a hard time finding a good one.

Start narrowing it all down by first perusing the online reviews. Is the company consistently highly rated online? Read a few of the customer testimonials to see if they have had good experiences. Don’t rely solely on online reviews, however. You’ll also need to head to the company website and do a little investigation to see if they are experienced, equipped, and insured.

Once you have found an excavation service you are leaning toward, contact them. Ask questions and get references. Check those references. If you are satisfied with your search, you can begin budgeting your project.

So How Much Will It Cost?

Of course, the excavation cost will depend greatly on the size of the job and the work being done. If it’s a big job that requires a lot of material being moved, it’ll cost more than a smaller job. When you hire an excavator, you’ll generally be paying by the hour. Depending on your location, their rates can usually range from $100 to $180 per hour. They may also charge by the cubic yard, which can be anywhere from $50 to $200, depending on the material being moved.

If you want other work, such as grading, to be performed, it will incur an additional cost. The price of excavation will also be affected by what type of material your contractor will need to dig into. For example, a project that involves digging into simple soil will naturally be far less expensive than one that involves cutting into rocks. Even the time of year can affect the project cost: if the ground is icy, it can be more difficult, and therefore more expensive, for your contractor to do the job.

In 2019 the national average for a professional excavation is around $3,106, though projects can easily range from $1,441 to $5,050 or more. Larger, more challenging projects can run more than $10,000 and can be done over the course of multiple days.

Other Considerations

In this article, we’ve tried to answer a few of the more common questions property owners have when it comes to excavation. Because there are so many variables that can affect the size of the project, and therefore its cost, you’ll probably need to talk to a professional to get your questions answered.

If you’re located in the Portland area and have a project in mind, you can call us at Mr. Tree. With decades of experience in both residential and commercial work, they have performed every sort of excavation you can imagine. They particularly specialize if you’re looking to have stumps or fallen trees removed from your property. They can also, of course, keep any trees you’re interested in keeping. Contact them for other excavation related concerns.

To read more on topics like this, check out the budgeting category