Life Hacks

If you’re looking for ideas on designing professional, attractive med school graduation announcements, to celebrate passing enough papers to finally graduate from med school, you’ve come to the right place! Simply continue reading to discover a few examples of ways to design your med school graduation announcements. Especially if you don’t know the first thing about designing grad announcements.

 

5 Ideas for your med school graduation announcements:

 

Include an image associated with the medical industry on your announcements:

 

If you don’t want to place a photo of yourself on the front of your med school announcements, you may want to opt to place a photo of a medical symbol such as a stethoscope on the front of your announcements. Or you could place the caduceus symbol which is a well-known medical symbol on your med school graduation announcements.

 

Place a photo of yourself wearing a graduation gown on your announcements:

 

You may want to hire a photographer to take photos of yourself in a graduation gown before the day of your big graduation so that you include a photo of yourself as you’ll look at your upcoming graduation, on your graduation announcements. Just be sure to rent a gown and cap for your photo session in advance. To avoid disappointment.

 

Consider using the color blue on your announcements:

 

As the color blue is usually associated with medicine and is a smart, professional hue, you may want to print your graduation announcements on blue paper or to place your announcements in blue envelopes. If you’re interested in printing your announcements out on colored paper and placing them in matching colored envelopes, it’s well worth visiting Basic Invite. As you’ll be able to print your announcements on over 180 different colored pieces of paper. To ensure that you choose the right color, it’s a great idea to send for a sample, so you can assess whether the color that you’ve chosen is suitable or too light or too dark.

 

Place multiple photos of yourself in the center of your announcements:

 

You may want to place your heading above three photos of yourself which you can place in the center of your announcements. If you opt for this option, make sure to place information about your graduation below your photos. You may want to include one photo of yourself at the beginning of your med school journey, a photo of yourself halfway through your journey, and a photo of yourself in a cap and gown. In order to show your progression through med school, to your graduation day.

 

Include any achievements on your announcements:

 

It’s also a nice idea to include a few of your med school achievements on your announcements. For example, if you were an honor’s student, it may be a fun idea to include this information on your announcements.

 

So what are you waiting for? If you’re preparing for your graduation, it’s a great idea to use some of the ideas which have been mentioned above in order to design attractive graduation announcements that your loved ones will appreciate receiving.

 

Although it’s not always easy to do, finding a balance between work and family is critical for your overall success. Choosing one over the other will ultimately affect your quality of life. Therefore, finding the perfect balance is key. Take a look at some of the best tips for finding an equilibrium between both worlds.

 

Prioritize A Balance

 

Anytime you’re setting a goal, you’ll be more likely to achieve it if you prioritize it. Make the decision that you want to be able to balance those parts of your life without favoring one over the other. Once you make a conscious decision to do something, you’ll be that much more likely to do it.

 

Part of finding a balance means that you’ll be willing to listen to feedback. Perhaps your job will tell you that you need to be more present, and perhaps your family will tell you the same. It’s up to you to take constructive criticism from each area of your life and apply it towards your goal of balancing with two important parts of your life.

 

Look Ahead

 

Often finding a balance between work and family is a matter of time management. Obviously, you’re not going to plan a hunting trip with your work colleagues on the same weekend as an important family event, like a birthday.

One of the most effective ways to find a balance is to pay attention to dates and plan ahead. You’d be surprised to find how much you can actually fit in your schedule if you just think about it in advance.

 

Accept Help

 

Sometimes being able to balance work and home is too much for one person to handle. If someone offers to help you, you should accept it. Whether it’s a family member offering to help out with childcare, or perhaps it’s a colleague at work willing to take on some of your tasks.

The idea is accepting help even though you don’t want to inconvenience anyone. In many cases, people are happier to help than you think.

 

Set Boundaries

 

In order to make sure that you’re staying within your goal of finding balance, you should set boundaries for both areas of your life. Your family should understand that when you’re working, you’re working. They should be understanding of how important your job is to you.

However, it’s equally important that your job respects the importance of your family. Boundaries will help protect you from being taken advantage of.

When you set clear boundaries, there will be no question about what is acceptable or unacceptable. Your work should know what’s tolerable, and your family should know the same. When there’s no grey area, there’s no room for confusion.

 

 

 

 

The fall is here. Time for changing autumn leaves, brisk weather, and holiday decorations adorning the front yard. It also means it’s time to check your residential heating and air equipment. Right … we know that as you settle on your couch with a cup of hot cocoa, this may not be the first thing that comes to mind during this time of year. But that doesn’t mean it’s any less important.

Trust us, we know. As industry experts in servicing and installing residential heating and air equipment, Watts Heating and Cooling receives numerous calls this time of year from panicked customers who realize their HVAC system isn’t performing up to par and winter is quickly approaching. Rather than wait until the last minute to check your residential heating and air equipment, here are some things you can do right now to make sure everything runs smoothly so, come wintertime, you won’t be left in the cold.

Change Your Air Filters

One of the quickest and easiest things you can do to improve the airflow of your unit is to regularly change or clean your air filters. It’s a good idea to change the filters at the start of every season, but you may need to change them more frequently, depending on your lifestyle. Homes with pet dander or cigarette smoke may have air filters that become clogged more easily than others. Inspect your air filters frequently and change them when necessary.

Changing your air filters will improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling equipment. This will not only increase the comfort level of your home, but will also save on energy costs during the long, cold winter months.

Adjust Your Thermostat Settings

Take advantage of the cooler temperatures by adjusting your thermostat settings. This will help you save money on your energy bill during the fall season. If you want to continue saving money during the winter months, consider investing in a programmable thermostat.

When you use a programmable thermostat, you can adjust temperatures when you know you’re going to be away from home. You can program your thermostat to return to a comfortable temperature right before you return. This allows you to adjust your thermostat settings so that you can maintain your comfort levels while also saving money.

According to the US Department of Energy, turning your thermostat down 7 to 10 degrees from its normal setting for 8 hours a day can save you up to 10 percent a year on your heating and cooling costs. This is a simple adjustment to make, and the savings can really add up.

Clean the Unit and Remove Debris

If you have an outdoor unit, you’ll want to make sure you clear any leaves or other debris from around the unit. This can inhibit the unit’s ability to work effectively. If plants are overgrown, clear those out as well. Plants should be kept several feet away from the unit.

You’ll also want to see if any branches are hanging overhead. If so, severe weather could knock these branches loose, causing damage to your system. Make sure to trim any overhanging tree branches so you avoid the risk of having them fall on your unit. After any bad storms, check the exterior of your unit for any damage and, if necessary, call in a technician to assess the situation.

In addition to clearing out the debris from around your outside unit, you should also clean out your indoor vents. Now is a good time to assess the condition of your air ducts as well. If they’re leaky, you may need to have them sealed to prevent heat or cool air from escaping. To determine whether this is necessary, it’s a good idea to have an energy assessment performed on your home. Which leads us to our next step.

Schedule a Service Appointment

Now is a great time to schedule a service appointment with your HVAC technician. You should schedule two appointments annually, one in the fall right before winter begins and another in the spring, ahead of the summer months.

Scheduling your service appointments at these times of year will ensure everything is running smoothly before the extreme weather comes. They’ll also give you ample time to fix your equipment if your technician notices something is awry. Regular maintenance also extends the life span of your equipment, reduces your utility bills, and provides a more comfortable indoor environment.

It’s also wise to have your HVAC technician perform a home energy audit. This will allow them to identify areas of your home where you may be losing energy and make recommendations for how to make your system operate more efficiently.

Air Seal Your Home and Add Extra Insulation

An energy assessment will help you determine what steps you should take to make your residential heating and air equipment operate more efficiently. For instance, heat and air often escape from the home through small cracks or crevices. This means you could have the most modern, efficient HVAC unit, but still feel drafts or uneven temperatures throughout your home. If that’s the case, it may be a good idea to have it air sealed.

Once your home is properly air sealed, you may want to add extra insulation as well. Think of insulation as an extra layer of protection. When your home is well-insulated, it keeps your system from going into overdrive to heat or cool your home properly. This means your heating and cooling equipment will operate more efficiently, saving you money and keeping your house comfortable year-round.

The Home Energy Saver is an excellent tool for recommendations on energy upgrades and their return on investment. For more recommendations, or if you have additional questions, feel free to give us a call. Watts Heating and Cooling specializes in residential heating and air products and services. We’ll keep you feeling warm and cozy throughout the winter months and cool as a cucumber during summertime.

 

The world is changing really fast, and one of the biggest topics that we’ve seen explode in the last few years is the topic of environmentalism.

Now, there are a lot of conspiracy theories and misinformation websites out there when it comes to saving the planet, but the one thing that most people will agree with, no matter what side of the argument your views are, is that we should be doing more collectively and individually to protect the planet.

Why It’s Important For Moms

A little goes a long way, and, for us as moms, it’s our job to ensure that our kids are bought up in a home that is safe and healthy for them. We should be helping to make this an environment that instills the values of being a steward for the planet.

There are a few easy ways we can encourage our kids to ‘be more green’ and to improve our family home’s carbon footprint, but for a lot of moms, the big question is ‘why should I?’.

Here are five reasons you should consider improving your home’s energy efficiency and carbon footprint, and they are five solid reasons too!

Healthier Home

Your home is one of the places you can have the biggest impact on your family’s health and well-being. Making your home more eco-friendly can take many forms, from getting into the habit of recycling regularly to going all out with solar panels, but it’s the cleaning solutions you use that will have the biggest impact on the healthiness of your family.

Why not switch to greener cleaning products. These are usually much gentler on the planet and, without harmful substances like bleach, they are a lot safer and healthier for your family too. So you have plenty to benefit from using greener products.

Save Money

Going down the eco-friendly route for your family home could cost you quite a bit of money if you were to go all out, to begin with, but taking small steps to make your home more energy-efficient can actually save you money in the long run.

The first step you should take is to get your home energy rating system sorted. Get in the experts, like the guys at Air By Design, to come and test your home’s efficiency and give you a rating. Then you know exactly what you’re working with and working towards.

Better For The Environment

It almost goes without saying that having a more eco-friendly home is better for the environment, but what does that mean for you and your family home? The answer is simple if you are looking after your little bubble of the environment, you’re taking the first step to look after the rest of the environment, and this is hugely impactful on kids.

Kids raised in a household that puts being good stewards of the planet front and center are more likely to carry this on elsewhere. They will be the ones picking up litter on the street and throwing it in the trash naturally, and they will affect change in their schools too.

It’s a great chain reaction to start.

Better Home Environment

Taking steps to make your home more eco-friendly will not just help the wider environment, but it will help your own environment, your house, and your home.

Studies have shown that having more plants and greenery around is great for the air, and it also makes people, in general, feel happier and calmer, and that’s just the start of it. When you know that your home isn’t having a negative impact on the environment, it’s like a weight lifted off of you and your family.

Increase the Value

One of the best reasons to begin to improve your home’s eco-credentials is because it could add value to your home.

Simple changes like adding a rainwater collection system, energy-efficient lightbulbs, or plotting out a vegetable garden in the backyard may not add much monetary value, but they will be a welcome sight for new people looking around, adding to the ‘wow’ value.

Bigger changes like adding solar panels to your roof, a recycling system, maybe even thermostatic radiators, and climate controls on your aircon go a long way to adding value to your property.

If you can market your property as carbon neutral, or even low carbon, it’s a big selling point for other families who are looking to get started on their own eco-friendly lifestyle. Therefore, energy improvements offer a great ROI.

 

Unfortunately, when winter hits, mice are known for finding a way into unsuspecting residents’ homes where it’s warm and cozy. There are few things more frustrating than finding yourself with a mice infestation. Not only can they enter your cupboards and start eating your food, but they can also destroy your belongings and incur expensive damage. Apart from that, they carry potentially dangerous bacteria that can hurt your family.

So, how do you get rid of these critters as fast as possible? Take a look at some of the best tips for getting rid of mice once and for all.

Find Out Where They’re Coming From

First thing is first. You’ll need to find out how they’re getting into your home. If there is an entry point, then chances are more than just mice are making their way into your home. Make sure that you find the hole and block it off. Take a look around and see if they’ve built a nest, and if so, you’ll need to call a professional exterminator to get rid of it.

Unfortunately, putting mouse traps all over the place alone won’t do the trick. An exterminator knows how to effectively get rid of the problem.

Use Steel Wool

One of the oldest secrets for getting rid of mice is using steel wool to seal off entry points. Since mice are able to fit through a crack the size of a dime, they can easily sneak into places they need to get.

It’s important to know that anything that you place to block it off will easily be gnawed through. Steel wool, however, cannot be chewed through. Mice will not be able to get through anywhere that has been blocked off its sturdy material. Make sure that in addition is steel wool, you also seal off entries with caulk.

Cut Back Trees

One of the worst things you can do for pest problems is surround your home with trees. Tree branches that lead to your house’s roof or windows are basically an invitation for pests to come make a home there.

Even though you may love the shade that trees provide for your house, you’re not doing yourself any favors in terms of pests. In addition to your trees being cut back, you should also keep firewood far away from the home. Piles of wood are inviting mice and all sorts of insects to come make a nest.

Clean Away Food Debris

One of the biggest reasons why mice enter your home is to eat your food. It’s important that any time you make food in your kitchen, you wipe the remains away thoroughly.

In addition to wiping off counters and surfaces, you should also make sure that all of your food is kept in airtight containers. If there’s no food to get to, mice will lose interest in that area.