Home Improvement 101: Add More Value to Your Home With New Window Coverings

Embarrassed by the look of your dull windows? If you have old, drab windows and don’t have the money to have them replaced, window blinds will help to improve their appearance. Millions of homeowners will agree that blinds provide the perfect solution. This is a unique feature in your home that will add aesthetic appeal.

Advantages of Window Blinds

You don’t have to spend beyond your budget to enhance all the windows in your home. There are many practical reasons why blinds should be your first choice. Window blinds are very affordable, they are available in various styles, patterns, and colors to add personality to your home, they can be easily installed, and help to modernize your space. When you need to control the light entering your bedroom or living room, blinds are very beneficial for this purpose. Blinds are functional and will make life easier when you need to sleep late in the mornings without being disturbed by the harsh rays of the sunlight.

Choosing The Best Blinds

Browsing through stores, you will come across some of the most popular blinds such as Wooden Venetian blinds, Roman Window blinds, and Vertical blinds. Based on the decor of your home, you can select the product that's right for you. Keep in mind the measurement of the window, and the measurement of the blinds to obtain a perfect installation.

Working from home for the New Year? Try These Ergonomics Techniques to Avoid Injuries

It's always a good idea to apply ergonomics in the home office. If you're working from home, your home office must have equipment designed to reduce discomfort and fatigue in a way that makes the human body more comfortable.

When working long hours repetitively at the computer, it's always best to take frequent breaks to reduce eyestrain and injuries. You should also do stretches for the neck, upper body, and arms. Exercise your wrists frequently to avoid carpel tunnel syndrome. Here are some more tips to help reduce your risk of injury.

1. Make sure you're using an adjustable office chair. You also need to maintain a comfortable posture while you're working. Both feet should be flat on the floor and your back properly supported.

2. When using the keyboard, your hands should be at the same level as your wrists. You can do this by lowering the height of the keyboard. This technique will help you avoid wrist injuries. An ergonomic keyboard is highly recommended because it's specifically designed to provide more comfort for the user.

3. Place your monitor at or below eye level to avoid eyestrain.

Always remember to apply ergonomics in the home office. By using these tips and taking frequent breaks, you will be able to protect yourself from work related injuries.

Here's Why you Need Audiobooks for your Child’s Healthy Intellectual Development

While they are growing up, kids should be exposed to a variety of educational materials to improve their intellect. Parents who have a difficult time getting a child to read should take advantage of the many benefits of audio books. Below are some of the skills that a child will obtain from listening to an audio book.

Parents with busy schedules may not always have the time to read to their child at bedtime. An audio book is a great alternative that fills a child with enthusiasm while he or she falls asleep. The voice of the audio is soft, smooth, and increases the listening and imagination skills of a child.

Children who listen to audio books will also be more interested in reading. Since children love to watch television, listening to audio books with their favorite cartoon characters is a good technique that will inspire them to pick up a book. Kids with difficulty understanding or pronouncing words will learn new vocabulary. As they develop listening skills with their audio books, their vocabulary will also improve.

Entertaining audio books are narrated by professional actors that hold the attention of children. In addition to buying educational toys, audio books are also an excellent choice.

How Do I Build an Emergency Fund?

How do I build an emergency fund? This is a common question that you need to think about if you're serious about saving money for a rainy day. When an issue occurs, you can experience high levels of stress if you're unable to come up with the money you need for your emergency. An emergency fund comes in handy when you're dealing with a job loss, medical expenses, business expenses, home repair costs, and other unexpected expenses.

According to financial advisers, a good rule of thumb is to have at least three to six months' worth of living expenses in your emergency fund. The amount of money you save also depends on your lifestyle, monthly income, and dependents in your family.

Here's how to build an emergency fund.

Get a Side Gig

It's impossible to save money if you're living from paycheck to paycheck. You will need a side gig to earn extra income to make it easier for you to start building your emergency fund. Some simple side jobs that you should consider may include selling your stuff online, renting extra space, pet sitting, and online tutoring.

Don't Overspend

How often do you spend beyond your means? It's critical to not overspend when your goal is to save for a rainy day. You might have a bad shopping habit of buying things you don't actually need each week. Focus on meeting your basic needs. These may include paying rent, food, utilities, transportation, and other necessities. Train yourself to stop overspending by making a list of essential items you need and establishing a budget.

Save On Utilities

Pay close attention to the amount of money you spend each month on utilities. You could be spending too much money on gas, electricity, and heat. Being energy efficient is a simple way for you to save money on the bills you pay. Consider using energy-efficient light bulbs, replacing old appliances, turning off lights when they are not in use, and sealing air leaks around your doors and windows.

Consider these tips to build an emergency fund. Emergencies can happen at any time. So, consider these tips to help you feel more financially secure and prepared to deal with emergencies that could come your way.

Boost Male Virility Naturally with Dodder Seeds

There is a common health problem that lots of men face around the world. The issue so many face is male virility. The quality of a man’s virility is often characterized by certain factors such as strength, vigor, and sexual potency. It is known that a man’s peak virility is around the ages of 25 to 29 years old. However, men should also be aware that sperm quality declines around the age of 30. By 45 years old, some men may often experience a distinctive decrease in semen volume.

What are some factors that could affect the quality of your sperm? According to Yale Medicine, men have a higher risk of infertility if they engage in excessive smoking, alcohol consumption, poor diet, stress, and drugs. Medical conditions are also a major part of the problem. You may face male infertility due to being overweight, endocrine disorders or hormonal imbalances, exposure to toxic chemicals such as chemotherapy, use of anabolic steroids, physical injuries to the testicle, and other conditions.

What is the best way for you to treat male infertility? Medications may improve sperm production and hormonal imbalances. Surgeries are also common treatments that help to remove the blockage that may affect sperm production.

Boost Male Virility Naturally

How can you boost male virility naturally? The answer is with herbal supplements! One supplement that you should consider is dodder seeds. Dodder seeds, also known as Semen Cuscutae as a natural solution that may help you to overcome male infertility.

According to some health experts, Dodder seeds may help to reverse low testosterone levels, and strengthen and improve sperm quality. So, men should consider dodder seeds to increase male infertility. Dodder seeds are available in supplement form. Click this link to learn more about how you can boost male virility naturally.

How Many Bottles of Water Do You Drink Per Day? You Need Super Fresh Drinking Water

How many bottles of water do you drink per day? Super fresh drinking water is the most essential liquid that you need to survive. Did you know that most of your body's weight comes from water?

You may not be aware that around 70% of your body is made up of water. It is also known that the brain and heart have a composition of 73% water. The lungs contain about 83% water, the skin contains 64% water, and the muscles and kidneys contain about 79% water. Your bones also contain about 31% water.

How many 16.9 bottles of water should you be drinking?

Consider the 8x8 rule (8-8ounces of water each day) to determine how much you should be consuming to maintain proper health. According to some health experts, you need to drink at least four 16.9 bottles of water each day. This is equivalent to the 8x8 (64 ounces) rule. Some experts also confirm that you need at least 75 ounces of water each day.

If you're physically active, you may also need to consume more water to prevent dehydration. Your body loses electrolytes and water when you're sweating during your workouts. For this reason, you need to replace the amount of water you lose each time you work out. 

Benefits of Drinking Super Fresh Drinking Water

Super fresh drinking water is vital for several functions in your body. These include:

regulating the temperature of your body such as sweating and respiration

flushing body waste

lubricating joints

forming saliva that helps with digestion

delivering oxygen throughout your body

helping the brain to produce hormones and neurotransmitters

keeping your mucosal membranes moist

You can see that water is beneficial for your overall health. These are good reasons for you to consider increasing your water intake. You may experience certain health issues if you're not consuming enough water.

What happens when you don't drink enough water?

You can experience these side effects:

persistent headaches

constipation

skin health issues

dry mouth 

weight gain and slow metabolism

fatigue

mental fog

increased risk of strokes

Other Ways to Consume Water

Keep in mind there are other ways for you to consume water. How about drinking coconut water? Coconut water is a great option in contrast to plain water. It is rich in minerals and hydrates the body. You can sip coconut water throughout the day to maintain your fluid goals.

Water-rich foods can also help to keep you hydrated. Some of these include cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelon, oranges, celery, lettuce, and honeydew melon. These foods are a great source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to support health.

Do You Need 300 Pieces of China in Your Victorian Parlor? Spoiler Alert: Yes, Obviously

Let’s get something straight: If you’re decorating a Victorian parlor, one teapot isn’t. going. to. cut. it. You’re going to need a lot more than that—at least 300 pieces of china, minimum. Why? Because the Victorians knew that more is more, and if you could still see any surface of your parlor, you clearly weren't putting in enough effort.

In the 1800s, parlors meant more than just a room, they made a statement. They showed off that you had enough time, money, and sheer willpower to accumulate as many fragile, delicate, and completely impractical as you could. China topped this list. Porcelain, ceramic, gilded—if it was breakable, it belonged in the parlor.

Every Available Surface Should Be Covered—Preferably Twice

Victorian parlors had no space for minimalism. Empty surfaces meant you were failing at life. Mantels, side tables, windowsills—every inch of your parlor needed to be occupied by something adorned and unnecessary. Your china collection serves as a good example, artfully (and I use that term loosely) displayed over every available inch.

Teacups, plates, saucers—these weren’t just for tea time. They were for every time. Especially if that time involved someone coming over to marvel at your good taste. Victorian interior decorating was about making sure every visitor knew that you owned at least three times the amount of tableware necessary to feed a small army.

But Is It Hand-Painted? If Not, Please Leave Immediately

Anyone can buy a teapot. But is it painted by hand? Does it have tiny detailed floral patterns that will never see the light of day because no one dares actually use it? If the answer is no, I’m afraid you’re simply not cut out for the parlor life.

During the china-painting craze, entire magazines were dedicated to helping genteel women paint intricate designs on their ceramics making sure each piece was as unique (and as unused) as possible.

More Is More: The 300 Rule

In a Victorian parlor, a few items was a starting point. Two or three pieces of china? Please. Come back when you have at least 300. Your collection should be sprawling enough to require its own cabinet, perhaps even its own room. If you haven’t had to install extra shelving to hold your burgeoning horde of teacups, you’re simply not doing it right.

People expected the abundance of decorations. A well decorated room had walls, surfaces, and maybe even the air packed with items, all vying for attention. After all, why have one vase when you could have 17? And if those vases happen to be fragile, expensive, and completely impractical, pshhh even better.

Matching Sets Are For Amateurs

Victorians didn’t care about matching. In fact the more mismatched your collection the better. Each piece of china should have its own story. You might have bought it at a high end auction or found it in a dusty corner of a secondhand shop. What matters is that you own it now, and it’s going on display.

Victorians loved to mix and match creating a chaotic, over-the-top look that felt deliberate (even if it looked like a ceramics factory exploded in your sitting room). Patterns clashed, colors popped and your guests were left wondering if they’d walked into a museum—or maybe a flea market.

Good Luck Dusting

Of course, there’s a tiny drawback to cramming your parlor with china: the maintenance. All those fragile items need attention, which means dusting. A whole lot of dusting. But then again, no one ever said being a Victorian was easy.

So while you might spend your afternoons cleaning 300 teacups just keep in mind—you’re doing it for the look. The beauty. The sheer satisfaction of knowing that no one absolutely no one will ever be able to out-decorate you.

And that, my friends, is the true spirit of Victorian interior decorating.