Mommyfest

How Exercise Can Help Relieve Stress

To have a strong body, you need to exercise. A regular weekly exercise routine will help you maintain a healthy weight and can also help deal with what ever stress you may be going through. An exercise routine of half an hour a day is all you need to start relieving stress. Below are a few reasons why exercise is good for you:

Sadly, even if you already know that exercise is good for you, why is it that you can always have an excuse not to do it? A common excuse is … not having the time to exercise. But the truth is, you need to find time to exercise so that you can have the time to deal with the many stresses in your life. Another common excuse is not knowing what kind of exercise to do.

Have you considered exercising in the morning - just before your day gets busy? You do not have to go to the gym if membership to one is going to be another excuse. You can try walking in your neighborhood or you can even try exercise videos - there are so many varieties available right now - all you really need is a good pair of shoes. If you are unsure of what type of exercise to do, just remember to stick with a routine that you enjoy - any activity that is at your pace where you do not over exert yourself.

Have you started blogging yet?

Blogging in the last few years have become more and more popular. In fact, it is now a common household term. Most everyone with a computer now has a blog, irregardless if they are business people, work at home people, or even the stay at home moms. If you haven’t jumped into blogging, here are a few reasons why you should start blogging now.

If you haven’t noticed, blogs are a great communication tool. If you blog about your business, your blog will most likely have posts that focus on your business but, that doesn’t mean you can’t let your hair down a little. It’s quite alright to post about your personal life sometimes. You don’t have to go into detail - just enough for your readers to be able to relate to you.

Blogging allows you to let your “Voice” be heard. Your readers will get to know you a bit more and you will be able to form a relationship with them. Soon, you will have some kind of interactivity with your readers especially when you allow them to comment on your blog. When possible, reply back to the comments. The back and forth bantering and conversation-style writing will keep your readers coming back for more.

You can use your blog as a way to figure out what your readers want from you. Ask them to leave you suggestions or questions about your business. You can even use these as the beginning of a new blog post/discussion. When you address questions from readers and you provide them with the answers they are looking for, you instantly promote yourself as an expert in your field. Soon, your readers and visitors will develop trust in you and your opinions.

Trust is a wonderful thing. The more people trust you, the more they will use and recommend your product/s. People only do business with people they know and trust. Blogging allows you to give your readers a sneak peek into your life and how you work.

If you already have a traditional website, blogging is an awesome way to promote your website. Blog about articles that are in your website … blog only a snippet of the article - like a teaser and add a link to the complete article in your website. This is an easy way to get incoming links to your existing site in your blog posts.

Blogs are also an excellent way to enhance your writing skills. Blog entries do not have to be very long. You can start with 100 word blog post - making sure that there is always a “Call to Action”. Before you know it, you’ll be an expert in copywriting.

A Timer Can Be Your Best Friend

Mom - do you dread cleaning the house? I did - mainly because I thought it was so time consuming. I never seem to have enough time to keep up with housework. I often times feel overwhelmed and frustrated cause I never get my house clean just the way I like it. But,I have found a way to solve this dilemma.

How? Well, I have given myself permission to work on specific areas of my house for a pre-determined block of time. It has been truly helpful. I know I can not clean my whole house in an hour or two, but while working in increments of time, I am able to make a significant amount of progress. I noticed that if I commit to spending “x” amount of time cleaning specific areas of my house each day, then my house stays in the shape I want it to be.

How did I do it? I used my handy dandy timer.

I set my timer at 15 minute increments and I concentrate on one area or room in my house for that length of time - just doing the task that I think needs the most attention first. When I hear the timer buzz, I am automatically done fixing up that area of the house. Then, I move to the next area and again set the time to 15 minutes.

This trick keeps me from getting stuck in one area for too long and from doing unnecessary tasks. It forces me to work on each area a little bit each day without getting frustrated and overwhelmed. Sure, it’s not the same as deep cleaning but, if you get used to the routine, in time, that area will be clean like the way you want it.

If the task seems greater, I set the timer for a longer period - say an hour or an hour and a half. I even get the entire family in on it and assign each person a task to complete. Every one is pre-occupied with their task for that hour and when all is said and done, the house is so much cleaner and neater then when we first began.

Now, you may be wondering … how does the timer help?

I have noticed that when I set a time limit on a task, it puts me in gear to work swiftly. I tend to accomplish more in a short period of time - I am more focused because I know what results I want to get. I guess my subconscious mind is telling me to hurry and get as much as possible done in the time allotted.

Also, using a timer lets me know that there is an end in sight. This really pushes me to do the best job I can, because I know that it won’t last forever. And when I’m setting the timer for a short time for each area, it also lets me know that I’ll at least get something done to every part of the house by the time I’m done.

Yes, Your Hubby Can Help With the Housework

In this article, you can pick up some tips that can help you make your mate want to help you more around the house.

When you get into a marriage, you get into a partnership. You and your hubby need to work together to keep your household running sanely smooth. Sometimes, couples run into the problem of figuring out who does what.

Sadly, most times, moms get stuck with the task of taking care of the kids and keeping the house clean while their better half works outside of the home. In today’s difficult times, moms need to get a part-time job to help out with the family finances. Gone are the days when most families can survive with one income. As a working mom, I know how difficult it is to juggle housework, taking care of kids and earning an income. Getting your partner to help with housework can certainly make our life easier and less stressful. Below are some tips you can apply when trying to get your mate to help out around the house:

* Look for things that you can do together or alongside each other. You not only get to spend time together but you get work done. Consider this, the pleasure of your company might make an undesirable chore more likable.

* If you need help with something specific, say so. Most husbands are willing to perform specific tasks when we are busy and they are not. If you can, ask him to do something that he enjoys, or at least doesn’t openly hate to do.

* Talk about how your day went without whining too much. Husbands often don’t see how much their wives do in one day, and this can make them think that we should accomplish more than we do. Letting them know about all of the things we have to contend with could evoke some sympathy, possibly even inspiring them to volunteer their assistance.

* If you prefer a more structured approach, assign specific chores to everyone in the house. You could make a chart that tells which chores everyone is to be in charge of. Brain storming with your husband when doing this is necessary. If he is included in the decision making process, he will be more willing to follow along.

* Praise him a lot when he helps around the house for positive reinforcement. Do not nitpick. Doing so will only make him less willing to help. While it’s acceptable to offer some constructive criticism, it is important to find something positive to say as well.

* Offer to help him out when it comes to his regular chores. If you show him that you are willing to help him clean his car or do the yard work, chances are, he will surely appreciate it. Then he might be more likely to offer to help you out when you are working around the house.

Getting your partner to help with housework could be effortless, or it may need some coaxing. By letting him know how hard you work to try and get everything done and asking him to do specific tasks rather than expecting him to know what to do on his own, you can often get some willing assistance. And the final result will be a neater, cleaner, and happier home.

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Is Your Medicine Cabinet Up to Date?

It’s been a while since you’ve gone through your medicine cabinet. You feel like you have some time today so you decide to clean it out and restock. Here are a few simple tips you can follow and you do not have to worry about doing it again until next year.

Get a box and dump everything from your medicine cabinet in there. Clean out your medicine cabinet. You can use some white vinegar. Now, go through each and every item in the box. Go through the medicines first. Make sure to dispose of expired prescriptions. Don’t forget to remove the labels on all of them because it has some of your personal information. The general rule of thumb is to throw out anything that is old, since their effectiveness is diminished. Maybe you have accumulated two or more of one product. Check all expiration labels. Keep the newest one and throw out the old. When you are done going through all of the items in the box, return to the medicine cabinet what you have not thrown out. Now is a great time to organize your medicine cabinet.

Depending upon the size of your medicine cabinet, you may want to prioritize those items you use on a daily basis, such as: deodorants and razors, which you can keep on the first shelf. You may want to use plastic cups to keep your Q-tips in; or disposable razors as well. Place all ointments and creams on another shelf, such as Neosporin and the like. Medicinal products can be put on the top shelf. It depends on your preference. Glass bottles, however, should be kept on the first shelf. Replenish whatever creams or ointments you threw out, and any other necessary items you need to have on hand. For example; over the counter antacids; vapor rub; cough syrup; toothpaste; toothbrushes, and the like.

Make sure you have enough band aids; ointments; and other necessary items you may need, especially if you have children. Cleaning out your medicine cabinet can be done once a year as long as you replace or throw out those items which are expired or no longer useable during the year. Wasn’t that easy?