Lilac City Momma

Life Hacks

How To Save Money On Your Wedding Cake

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The speeches have concluded, the music starts, and everyone leaves their seats to feast on the plethora of platters that you took five loans out to afford. Then, dessert comes and it’s time to cut the cake. The cake you spent hundreds of dollars on is now going to be devoured by uncle Steve’s five toddlers and aunt Sharon’s seven cousins who came uninvited. Nobody even bothered saying thanks.

Now you’re sitting and thinking, was it really all necessary? Of course not! You could do with a much more budget-friendly cake while still keeping your guests satisfied and adhering to the traditional ceremony of cutting it. By saving money on your wedding cake, you’re left with more money to put towards other aspects of your wedding such as the wedding venue, or simply more money to save for the future. After all, this is likely the time when you’ll need every cent you can get.

Tone Down On The Flowers

While tasty icing flowers may look great, each piece takes between 30 minutes and two hours to be completely created and implemented on your cake. Naturally, this will result in a hefty labor cost, especially if you decide to have a whole bouquet of the things stuck to your cake. Instead, you could use fresh, real flowers, provided they’re properly clean.

Of course, you could go the full frugal route and simply use fake flowers, but they likely won’t look particularly flattering. Another alternative would be to use simple sugar flower designs such as hydrangeas and calla lilies. More mainstream options such as roses and peonies aren’t nearly as affordable.

Skimp on Specialists

Chances are there’s a boutique or local baker nearby that can make your cake for even cheaper than a full-blown specialist would. Sure, it won’t look as intricate and extravagant, but the point is to save money. The catering service at your wedding location might also have some affordable options.

As a matter of fact, some caterers will even charge a fee if you decide to use another baker. Scummy, but that’s business. Take a look at allcakeprices.com to get a better idea of the options you have for each type of baker.

Watch Where You’re Putting It

Many couples often overlook other aspects of the cake, such as the stand, and end up wasting tons of money purchasing an unnecessarily extravagant one. After all, who’s going to look at the stand? Many bakers provide decorated stands and boards free of charge, so purchasing a whole tower is completely unnecessary.

If your cake is more on the bland side and you want to spruce it up with some nice accessories, consider adding some candles, linen, and repurposed bridesmaid boutiques to keep it looking as great as the rest of your wedding setup. There are numerous guides available that can help you decide which stand will work best.

Conclusion

If you’re skeptical as to how your frugal cake will be received, keep in mind that’s it’s just a tiny part of a huge event where most attendees will likely be so hopped up on emotions (or alcohol) that they seriously won’t even remember your cake.

5 Ways For Entrepreneurs To Reduce Their Stress Levels

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As an entrepreneur, you are in complete control of your own destiny. Instead of leaving it to others to manage your workload and dictate your monthly earnings, you have taken matters into your own hands. It is a fantastic opportunity for you to achieve your goals and to secure success on your own terms. However, going it alone also involves tons of responsibilities and plenty of stress. If you are struggling with this factor, now is the time to take control. Below are five tips that will help you to reduce your stress levels and embrace a positive frame of mind.

Have a backup plan in place

In order to enjoy peace of mind, it is important that you have a backup plan in place for all of the essential areas of your business. For instance, if your company relies heavily on technology, you will need to invest in your data protection and know exactly what you are going to do if something goes wrong. Instead of giving into a panic, you should reach out to Secure Data Recovery to explore their services. Thinking ahead will help you to stay calm in stressful situations and will save you from fretting about the future of your company.

Take control of your schedule

The next step is to take control of your schedule and ensure you are making the most of your time. If you are going to manage your stress levels effectively, you need to avoid taking on too many responsibilities. You should also look out for opportunities to multi-task, as this will allow you to power through your workload.

Enjoy plenty of downtime

Organizing your schedule will also make it easier for you to find time to relax. This is essential if you are going to avoid running yourself into the ground. If you find it difficult to switch off at the end of a long day, you should look out for a calming activity to enjoy such as meditation or arts and crafts. Another idea is to take up exercise, as this will come as a welcome distraction and provide you with a rush of endorphins.

Accept help

Even if you prefer to work alone, it is important that you learn to accept help from others. It could involve anything from hiring a cleaner to booking a childminder for your young family. Or, if the problem is at work, you should consider hiring an assistant or setting up an internship program. Whatever you decide, the most important thing is that you understand your limitations and only take on what you can handle.

Evaluate your working environment

Finally, you should evaluate your working environment and make sure that it is a space you enjoy spending time in. If you work in a communal office, you should begin by cleaning your office area and organizing your possessions. You could also invest in a pair of noise-canceling headphones, a subtle air freshener, or back support for your chair. Alternatively, if you work from home, you should create a home office and endeavor to keep it separate from the rest of your family. Doing so will make it easier for you to enjoy a healthy work-life balance.

Taking The Stress Out Of Kids’ Parties

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When you have children, one of your responsibilities will be to have all their friends over to wreck your house, scream for three hours and leave half-eaten food everywhere. It is called having a party and is an inescapable duty for all parents. To preserve your sanity and keep your blood pressure under control, it’s worth looking at ways to reduce the stress involved and give your child a party they will love without adding to your grey hairs.

Guests

When they are in kindergarten or just starting school, children usually want to invite their whole class over, and that can be a lot of little people running around your house. As they get older, they will probably be happy to have fewer guests and stick to their close friends, so it does get easier! If you are faced with a long list of potential guests, you might want to consider hiring a suitable venue for the party instead of having it at home. If the party is in the warmer months of the year, putting up a gazebo or large tent outside and letting the kids play in the backyard is a good way of keeping the worst of the chaos out of the house.

Food

Parents often feel obliged to make mountains of sandwiches and finger food for the party guests and spend hours preparing a lavish feast. The trouble is, kids are usually too excited about playing, presents and cake to eat much, so your efforts will go to waste. Keep the catering simple and don’t go overboard, you don’t need to, and none of the kids will notice. A pizza party is nice and simple, just cook up a batch of different pizzas, slice them up and let the kids help themselves. If you need more, it won’t take long to cook a few extra, and if they don’t eat it all at once, they can come back later for a cold snack. Pocket Change Gourmet has a quick and simple recipe for a delicious vegetable dip, which with a selection of vegetable sticks, pretzels or cheese straws, will add a touch of variety and impress the other parents. For dessert, you could follow the theme and have fruit pizzas.

Activities

If you can afford a children’s entertainer, it’s a great way to keep the kids happy and occupied and stop them bugging you. If that’s not an option, try and get them outside for as long as possible, where they can run around and let off steam without causing too much trouble. Outdoor games, balls, a paddling pool, anything that they can all have a go at and doesn’t exclude anyone is ideal.

If you are having a bunch of kids round to your house, it is never going to be calm and ordered, and there is bound to be some wailing, some crying and the odd upset. Aim to keep all your preparations as simple as possible and allow friends and other parents to lend a hand. Having those extra hands and help means less stress for you! Most importantly, don’t put yourself under pressure to throw the best party ever, because kids mostly just want to play and won’t appreciate the effort you put into making lily flowers out of kiwi fruits!

Living With Diabetes – Tricks And Tips When It Comes To Eating

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Being diagnosed with diabetes can come as a real shock. It can leave you feel scared, overwhelmed, and even a bit depressed at what it means when it comes to your lifestyle. There’s a good chance that you will need to make a number of lifestyle changes so that you can remain healthy and manage your diabetes.

One of the biggest adjustments for people tends to involve their eating habits. It’s not just about what you can and can’t eat, but also how often you need to eat, how to pick meals when you’re dining out, and even grocery shopping tips. Here, we’ll take a look at some tricks and tips when it comes to eating and all things food-related when you have been diagnosed with diabetes. You may find that with these tricks and tips it doesn’t have to be as overwhelming as you originally thought.

Find a Source for Easy and Simple Recipes

When it comes to recipes that are diabetic-friendly, it’s a good idea to find a source that you can work from, at least at the beginning. Find a website or a book that focuses on diabetic recipes such as easy-diabetic-recipes.com. As you grow more confident in what is allowed and not allowed, you’ll find that you can then take those recipes and add your own twist and flare to them.

These recipes can be especially helpful when you’re in a rush after work and just want a quick and easy meal and you don’t have the energy to come up with your own recipe.

Plan Meals Ahead of Time

Because you need to be very conscious of what you are eating, it’s a good idea to work with a meal-plan each week. You can then build your grocery list based on that meal plan, taking away any questions during the week. You can even go so far as to plan a month’s worth of meals and then just shop on a weekly basis for the ingredients needed.

Be Wary of Portion Sizes

Even when you are eating healthily and covering all the basics, you still want to be wary of portion sizes. If you eat too much or not enough, you’re not going to be helping out your diabetes. If you happen to be carrying a little extra weight and need to slim down, it’s a good idea to cut down the less healthy foods by 5-10%. You won’t feel as though you’re missing out and making a big sacrifice, but it will make a difference in calories, and your overall health too. You will be consuming that much less fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, and sugar.

It Doesn’t Have to Be a Stressful Process

Learning how to eat in a healthy way that will manage your diabetes doesn’t have to be a stressful process, nor should you feel like you’re making huge sacrifices. With proper meal-planning, a bit of prep time, and always having a healthy supply of foods and snacks on-hand such as, fruits and veggies, you’ll find that living with diabetes doesn’t have to be a huge deal.

Ways To Live A Stress-Free Life

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Stress is a major problem for many individuals – a stressful work environment, unhealthy eating, bad habits and bills to worry about can lead to an entire “pile” of stress. In order to be happier, many people are attempting to make changes in their life. Unfortunately, stress can’t be avoided, but there are certain tips and tricks that might help people reduce the awful effects of stress. Some of them are quite obvious, like taking things slowly or taking time to think about ourselves, while others are not so obvious, such as developing healthy habits or doing something calming.

Although certain severe illnesses can have a genetic origin, a lot more people need to realize that the out-of-control stress plays a major role in this case. In our society, a lot of people who live under stressful conditions can develop heart diseases or even cancer.

One Thing At a Time

One of the easiest and most effective ways of reducing stress consists of decreasing the amount of daily tasks that one has to perform. People need to start taking things easy and focusing on a single thing at a time. They need to remove distractions and write things down. This is an effective way of becoming more organized and stress-free. This is not as simple as it sounds and it might take practice in most cases, but at the end of the day, it’s all worth it. One has to eliminate problems and factors that are causing them to stress. Just remember that procrastinating important tasks might also cause stress.

Look After Your Mental Health

Even though it is the 21st century, there are a lot of people out there who are still not looking after their mental health properly. Our brains play a major role in our day to day life. They can dictate how one feels about certain aspects of life. Some simple ways of doing so include eating well, keeping active, talking to a friend or someone close, asking for help if needed and taking breaks ever so often. Then again, Consolidate Times spoke about a study that informs people that they don’t use their whole brain. The study compares 22 brain species and claims that people are not so special when talking about their brain.

Do Something Relaxing

Whether you meditate daily, go to the gym and burn off some calories, decorating your home, going for a walk in the park or just laying around in your garden, you need to create a space where you can keep away the “drama” that’s causing you stress problems. Sometimes it might be difficult to take the time to do activities that might improve your overall well-being, but you need to remember to put your own happiness first. Make sure you have fun while doing it and keep smiling.

Be Creative

Another great way of forgetting about daily problems and stress is by throwing yourself into an activity that you enjoy doing. Some people love writing, while others prefer listening to music or painting. No matter your passion, it is vital to keep doing it as often as possible. Have you ever noticed that whenever you’re doing something that you truly love you’re not stressed or irritated? Well, the answer is right in front of your eyes. Or, in other words “do more of what makes you happy!”