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How to make a toilet paper bird feeder

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The chirping of birds coupled with green leaves is among the most common tell-tale signs of imminent spring. Kids enjoy watching the beautiful scenery of birds feeding, taking baths and building nests. Believe it or not, you can bring this scenery closer to your home by creating bird feeders and installing them in your yard. The craft is easy and fun for your kids to try out. Below is a detailed guide on how to make a toilet paper bird feeder from scratch.

Necessities

l A toilet paper roll

l Wild bird seed

l Peanut butter

l A string

l A spatula or popsicle stick

l A Pan or plate

l Hole punch

l Two sturdy sticks

Note: If any member of your family is allergic to peanut butter, you can go for sunflower, soy or almond butter. You may also use natural homemade glues as an alternative.

Step One

The first step in making a toilet paper bird feeder is punching two holes in one end of the roll, which should be evenly aligned across each other. Insert a string through the holes from which your bird feeder will be dangled.

Step Two

Punch two holes in the opposite end of the toilet paper roll and align them evenly from side to side. Subsequently, punch a set of two more holes around the same area but slightly higher or lower than the previous set. These holes will be used to insert two sticks so that the birds can have a place to perch on when feeding.

Step 3

Insert the two sticks through each set of holes. Each stick should go through one hole and come out via the corresponding one. Use minimal pressure when pushing these sticks lest your roll tears or the holes become too loose. Ensure that your sticks cross each other and stick out long enough to allow the birds to perch on them comfortably.

Step 4

While holding the bottom part of your bird feeder and right under the sticks, sparingly spread the peanut butter at the top of the structure. Use a spatula or the Popsicle stick for this purpose and be careful not to cover the two holes at the upper part of your feeder. Subsequently, roll the upper side of your feeder in a plate full of birdseed. (Doing this will enable the seeds to stick onto the feeder).

Step 5

Cut your string into the desired length and insert it into the two holes you made in step 1. Successively, tie the ends together in a way that your bird feeder will be dangling from the string. Hang the feeder on your desired spot, sit back and watch as the birds feed on it.

Birds can create beautiful scenery especially when they flock in your garden. Most people lure them in their homesteads by installing bird feeders in their front or backyard. While there are numerous feeders for sale, creating them from scratch using empty toilet paper rolls is a quick, cheap and family fun activity.

How to convince your spouse that you are starting an online business

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How To Convince Your Partner You’re Starting An Online Business

Introduction

It can be a bit difficult to tell your spouse or partner that you’re about to start an online business, without having a spat. The reason why most people have this difficulty are numerous.

For one, it could be that you just got to know your spouse or partner, you may not know what they like or how they feel about you starting the online business; which leads to my other reason.

With the new internet scam going on this day, it is considered a risk even to be associated with online businesses. You would not want your spouse or Partner to have anything to do with the internet business. However, if you want to start an online business, with the approval of your partner, there is a way you can convince your partner that you want to start an online business.

Starting an online business as it were is already hard as it were, there is no need to hide your plans from your partner, with the assumption that, even if you’re them, they would be on board with the idea. To make your online business successful, you have to get the positive support from your partner first; and your family members.

I would like to share with you a few tips on how to convince your partner about your online business idea.

  1. Make the online business a family based business.

* For you to easily convince or rather cajole your partner to supporting your idea, you would have to come up with an online business that is friendly and family based. This way, you can conveniently blend into your work life and family life, plus you have time for your family.

  1. Have an understanding of the family financial situation.

* Another way to help convince your partner is by understanding and analyzing your financial situation. When your spouse can see that your online business will in many ways increase the home income, then the possibility of your spouse getting on board increases. Being part of the family financial aid helps bring you and your partner together.

  1. Have a time frame, differentiating work time from family time.

*One thing you should consider when starting up an online business is that you must always have time for your partner. Ensure that you have a workable schedule, when you work and when you have time for your family. Draw up this plan first, before you pitch your idea to your partner. When your partner sees the dedication and dichotomy, your chances of starting that online business increases.

 

  1. Flexible timeframe

One of the great perks of starting an online business is, you can joggle your schedule. You can have time for your kids and your husband. Attention, if shown to loved ones, elicits support from those loved ones. In essence, therefore, you need to start an online business that makes time for your family.

 

Conclusion

When you have all these in mind, you become a great partner, loving parent and a wonderful business person. Plus you see that it wouldn’t be a big deal for your partner, if you can show that you have time for you kid and work, in fact, they would give you all the support they can.

Giving it all to Christ through meditation and worship

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They have been times when we are in a fix, those times when we are tossed and turned by the strong waves of life. When it seems all is lost, and you can’t take it anymore, what then do you do, do you just quit? No! It is the perfect time to talk to your Maker.

Just so you know, it’s not only when you are down or low in life that you worship or meditate on his word, in fact, the act of worship and meditation should be an everyday activity. It should be a lifestyle, only then can the presence of God, dwell forever in you.


The phenomenon is known as worship and meditation

Giving your all to Christ through meditation and worship is not a new phenomenon, it has been in existence since the beginning of times. Psalms 1 aptly explain and tell us what happens when we fellowship with God through meditation. “We shall be as trees planted by the waters, that yields it’s fruit in its season.”

The art of meditation

Meditation is one way to know God, to have faith in God and to understand the ways of God. It is better to know the ways and the acts of God than to know just the ways of God. While the people of Israel knew the acts of God, Moses knew the ways and acts of God.

When you meditate on the word of God, you not only uncover and know the will God for your life, (Jer 29:11.) You also let Jesus come and rule and be your life. In gal. 2:20, the Bible says when you have Jesus in you, it will not be you that live, but Christ will live in me.” Giving yourself to Christ through meditation and worship is by letting him live and dwell in you, to do of His will and good pleasure. (Phil. 2:13).

The art of worship

Worship is yet another way to communicate with God. When you worship God, what you do is, you open the windows of heaven over your life. Worship God, not only in bad times but also in good times. King David was good at that. He always worshiped God. He said in the book of 1 Chronicles chapter 29:10 that David worshiped God in the midst of the congregation.

David as a worshipper

David, as we know him, was a man after God’s heart; he loved God so much that the Bible recorded that he ripped his Royal garments while dancing on to the Lord. David is an example of someone who put it all on Christ through meditation and worship. He wrote the entire book of psalms, with most of the chapters dedicated entirely to worship the Lord God of the host.

The Bible tells us that, if you want to worship God, (He is a spirit), it has to be in spirit and in truth. What this means, therefore, is that the only to communicate to the Spirit of God, the only what to lay all your burdens on Him, is if you worship him in spirit and truth (with all your heart). When you do that, not only will God make you His priority, your business will be His business, and you will then be classified as a son of God (Rom. 8:14-16).

Conclusion

The moment you decide to give your all to Christ through meditation and worship, you begin to feel the everlasting presence of God in your life, and like Daniel, everything you do will succeed (Dan. 1;7-9).

Essential Oils Home Remedy For Insect Bites

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Bug or insects bite occur at some point. They are things we can hardly stop especially in during the summer or spring time. Even though the bites may cause no harm to your wellbeing, they may cause you some discomforts like swelling, itching, redness and even little pains.

Since they are minor side effects, I believe there is no point using over the counter medications or creams when there are natural ways to solve your problem. Some essential oils do incredible jobs in soothing the pains that come with insect bites. I will be talking about some of them in this article. Read on!


Essential Oils Home Remedy For Insect Bites

Peppermint Essential Oil: Peppermint oil can reduce swelling and relieve pain as well. It also gives this cooling sensation which I believe you’ll love to feel after a bite. It is an essential oil that can help stop itching, burning and stinging. Thanks to its antimicrobial agent. The antimicrobial agent also helps prevent the bite from getting infections. The oil may also fasten the healing process of your sting. It is worthy to note here that peppermint oil can also serve as prevention from insect bites. The smell of it will prevent them from coming anywhere close to you.

Tea Tree Oil:

Here is an essential oil with great effects as an antibacterial, antiseptic and antifungal oil. Aside from being remedial for insect bites, it is also excellent in treating various kinds of skin issues. It helps reduce itching sensations, swelling, and allergic body reactions because it is a natural antihistamine. It also prevents infections.

Camphor Essential Oil:

Having anti-inflammatory, anesthetic and antiseptic properties make camphor oil an ideal treatment for insect bites. It warms up the affected area and relieves the symptoms that that follow insect bites such as itching, swelling and so on. But, this oil may not be suitable for bites that give burning or stinging effects. It can also serve as a mild insecticide.

Lavender Essential Oil:

Lavender Oil can help you soothe and ease the burns and other painful symptoms that follow insect bites, thanks to its analgesic properties.

Lemongrass Essential Oil:

The lemongrass essential oil can prevent you from getting infections as a result of insect bites, this is because it had antimicrobial properties. Also, it has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties, good for insect bites as well.

Rosemary Essential Oil:

What makes this oil a useful treatment of insect bites is its anti-inflammatory properties. When you apply this oil to the affected area, it relieves swelling and pains there. Its antimicrobial agent also helps prevent you from getting infections. Also, you can use the rosemary essential oil as prevention from insects bite. They will stay away from you when you have the oil on your skin.

Conclusion:

In no order of importance, the above listed essential oils are perfect for your bug bites. I tell you, you don’t need over the counter treatments for an ordinary and harmless insect bite when you use any of these. The most exciting part is that most of these oils are readily available in our houses, making them the ideal home remedies for insect bites.

5 productivity apps for moms

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As a mom, there is always a lot to do and a lot screaming for your attention here and there. It is even worse when you’re a working mom, or you own your own business. Everything and everyone wants a bit of you. From the husband to the kids, business partners or boss at work, the house chores are there staring you in the face and all of that. Sometimes, everything feels unorganized and uncoordinated. But, with the right “tools,” you can reorganize and re-coordinate your life. You don’t have to “lose your mind” at any point in time.

With the following five apps in this article, your family plus work stress can reduce to the barest minimum. You can even plan your dinner and shopping lists with your phone. You, your family and work partners can always have smiles put on.


Five productivity apps for moms

Evernote: Evernote is a fantastic app suitable for meticulous note-taking. If you need something with which you can quickly drop your ideas as they come so they don’t slip away, Evernote it is. With it, you can make a to-do list, take notes and save documents there such as word documents, PDFs, and even excel sheets. One outstanding thing about the app is that it allows you to streamline across other devices. It can remind you about some of your jottings to be put on your calendar later. Also, you can share your notes with others so it can even serve as a means to communicate with those who matter to your daily life.

Google Calendar:

The Google Calendar is a fantastic way for you to schedule your programs. And, you can bring it into your calendar for automatic synchronization when you make appointments. With the app, you can plan your activities and daily programs such as doctor’s appointments for you or your kids, your children’s activities at school and all of that. For your business/work, you can always stay connected anytime and anywhere with your colleagues. And guess what? Setting it up is as simple as ABC. Majorly, what it requires is setting up a Gmail account. For a mom, you may need this to keep you productive.

Google Drive:

Google Drive allows more than one person have access to a document or spreadsheet. You can both edit on Google drive at a time, fantastic right? Google Drive is everywhere these days. You can access it on your mobile phone, office computer and home computer. It is convenient to work with. Wherever you go, your necessary documents are always with you, since you can access it on your phone and computers, anywhere at that! You can create word documents, spreadsheets, slides, google forms, Google drawings, etc.

Cozi:

This is a must-have organizer for moms. With it, you communicate and coordinate schedules and activities, stay on the same page with your family without losing your mind. You can make your to-do list with it, track grocery lists and even make a dinner plan ahead of time.

It features family calendar which allows you keep track of what everyone is doing or is to do. It has a color-coded calendar to help you remember where who should be and when. With this app, no one will miss an appointment. You can set reminders, organize school schedules, practices, lessons for your kids, organize your meetings and activities, it also allows you to save recipes, make shopping lists, and more.

Unrollme:

Most times we sign up for newsletters that eventually become a bug and fills up our emails. When the time to pick out the relevant emails comes, it becomes a challenge because there are way too much of junks to go through. Unrollme is an app that comes to help you from drowning in those junks and unwanted emails. With just one click, those junk emails are over for good! You can effortlessly unsubscribe from junk emails and never see them again.

Conclusion

I hope you try any or all of these apps out. For me, a happy woman equals a happy family. So, why not plan your activities and remain focused with the help of the above-suggested applications. Good luck with them!

5 Practical Time Management Tips for Working Moms

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Being a mother is one of the most amazing things in the world. However, this responsibility becomes challenging when you have to balance family and work. With proper time management, you will find enough time to pay attention to your kids and spouse and get your job done on time. The following are some of the time management tips that can help you to be organized.


  • Spend less time on hair and makeup

Most women waste too much time in the morning making their hair and doing makeup. Working women are advised to get a low maintenance hair and go for a more natural look. These days, short hair is fashionable and looks very professional. The time they would have spent on the hair could be spent on family to give the day a good start. You can also spend the saved time to prepare all the things you need to carry to the office.

 

  • Cook meals efficiently

Cooking a meal for three people takes the same time to prepare a meal for six people. To save time, double the ingredients you are going to use and then keep some food to be taken at a later date. This is quite practical when you are cooking dinner. Cook food that can be taken for dinner and lunch the next day.

 

  • Learn to multi-task

You are a working mother and time is not on your side. Learn to accomplish two tasks at the same time. Multi-tasking is more efficient for jobs that are non-physical. A good example is making a phone call while cooking or washing dishes. Trying to cook and iron clothes are difficult, and you could end up in a mess.

 

  • Learn to delegate

Most mothers want to do everything themselves with the aim of helping their loved ones lead a comfortable life. However, doing everything all by yourself can lead to a lot of stress. You will also find that you have not completed some tasks on time. To avoid all this hassle, moms should learn to delegate some duties to other people. For example; children can assist to clean dishes or dust the floor as mom cooks dinner. After dinner, the children can also help to clear up the table. Such activities can bring a lot of fun to the family and provide moms enough time to spend and bond with their children.

 

  • Go to bed early

A lot of moms have admitted that going to bed early does magic for them. They are able to wake up early and get a lot of things done. Having a fresh mind enables one to reduce the amount of time spent on a task and also increases efficiency.

 

Lack of organization can ruin your relationship with your family and your boss. Remember that you need to make money and be a good mother and wife at the same time. This is why you need to have proper time management. If you bring some work at home, set it aside until the kids are asleep. In spite of all that, ensure that you give yourself a break. Enough sleep and rest contribute to health, wealth and wisdom.

5 Monthly and Annual Goal Planning Tips for Moms

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We all love setting goals but the problem is that not many people achieve them. This is because they don’t do much after making a list for the year. As a matter of fact, for you to achieve your goals, it’s important that you break them down into actionable items over a less timeframe.

When implemented in annual, quarterly or even weekly increments, it gives you much more control, scope, and definition over what you will do regarding the overall goal and you even have a greater chance of achieving it. Here are quarterly and annual goal planning tips for busy moms.


1. Start with the Big Picture

The best approach to take towards creating quarterly goals is by seeing those goals as part of a bigger picture. For your quarter goals to be practical and achievable, you should begin by planning for the whole year. If your goal is to lose weight, how many kilograms or pounds do you want to lose in the coming year? Or if it’s for business, how many customers are you intending to add to your numbers?

  1. Think Quarterly

After understanding the big picture for the upcoming year, you can create a strategy for dealing with those yearly goals each per quarter. Break each annual goal into 4 steps that will enable you to be successful at the end of the year. Each step represents the quarterly goal. Now, rather than have a big one-year goal, you have manageable tasks that even look achievable. You can now start thinking of plans that will enable you to meet your goals.

  1. Break the 3-Month Goals into Weekly and Monthly Bits

The advantage of breaking your goals into monthly and weekly bits is that they are not as overwhelming and also give you the satisfaction of attaining them within shorter periods of time, something that keeps you motivated. To achieve this, follow the pattern in point no.2 above- take apart the quarterly goals and divide them into 3 months of each quarter. After that, have each monthly goal broken into 4 smaller increments that equate to weekly mini-goals.

  1. Set Benchmarks

It’s important to have benchmarks which you can do by having regular meetings with members of your team and discuss the goals and he progress being made. The meetings help to ensure that every member of the team stays on track towards achieving their quarterly goal and also provide enough time for course-correction where necessary. This leads us to the next monthly and annual goal planning tip for moms.

  1. Have room for Flexibility

The best strategies and plans always have a room for adjustment or change. Although you can predict many factors to a point, change can and always happens. Such a change might cause your roadmap or goals to change. In addition, a goal that sounded great initially might turn out to be not that good. These reasons explain why flexibility is important to achieving your quarterly goals.

3 things you should know about SEO and online marketing

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Learning about SEO and online marketing is not difficult, but it’s time. When a person creates a website, he wants sales or visits. The same site is not essential, the traffic you receive is valuable. The way to get this traffic is to know more about SEO.


Three things you should know about SEO and online marketing:

Get More Information

Getting more information on SEO and online marketing is the first step to finding resources. Because search algorithms are often modified, older sites offer little value to another person who wants to be educated. Websites in a short time as in a previous year, if they are not updated regularly. I prefer to learn sites that receive frequent updates, and the community’s Internet marketing institution agrees.

Try hidden search

Most webmasters choose to download their site for SEO. Continually learns and adapts to new search algorithms to quickly discourage some website owners. It should always be a better way to surprise your hidden search. What you often use today, tomorrow will damage your site. SEO in their lives, learn and relearn these evasive search factors.

Be careful when buying SEO products

Always be careful when buying SEO products. The work of some products, but may only use the webmaster; they need traffic. Get more information on SEO before investing money in programs that promise traffic. Driven by an enlightened understanding of the processes can be automated and what not. Get thousands of electronic tags to increase search engine rankings in recent days. Today, SEO experts understand that most difficulty, it can be difficult, but it produces results, it is safe and sustainable.

The most important thing about search engine optimization is that it never ends. The site will never be finished. Senior and probably can be served by the website upstart that uses the latest techniques. The specialized training in SEO is determined in part by the speed with which you can cheat the old algorithms. When the algorithm has found a space, the word becomes the search. Indicate any SEO method that is not honest and organic, leaving the site vulnerable to changes in the algorithm.

Knowledge

Hire an SEO specialist: pay for someone else’s knowledge. You have probably accumulated that experience for many years, and you also spend a lot of time updating that knowledge. Almost no other area, it is essential to know precisely how. Search algorithms are always changing, new technologies are appearing, and old methods are obsolete. Having an SEO specialist in your team, you can relax knowing that you are professional but keep all the latest developments.

Skills

Each profession has a unique set of skills required to do the job. SEO specialist and his team of attention and knowledge, develop the skills they use to improve the ranking of your site. Deciding to develop these skills means that you will have to invest a lot of time and money. Hiring an SEO team that can demonstrate the previous results means that you are sure you are recruiting talent.

Conclusion

Most good teams of SEO experts have developed intellectual property, such as unique processes and patented software to support their skills and knowledge. Working as a team means you can use this intellectual property and get proven online marketing for your site too!

Ways to Overcome Common Single Parent Problems

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As parents, we consistently sacrifice our desires, needs, and other obligations just to see that little smile on our child’s face. People say what does not kill you will make you stronger, but that is only when you take up things in your hands and push yourself to overcome your fears no matter how bitter your situation might be. Our lives are filled with challenges, and our happiness depends on how we take up such hurdles and face the world. Here are some of the ways that can help single parents to cope with challenges in life.


Believe in yourself:

Cookies crumble in all our lives and all of us react to it in different ways. None of us is perfect, and as humans, we are bound to make mistakes. But just because things are falling apart in your life, it does not mean that you do not have a future. Don’t ever feel guilty about your situation as it will only leave you burdened. Focus on providing love, attention, and comfort to your child as it will mean a lot to them. You might be overwhelmed by all the responsibilities you might have to face as a single parent but always remember that there is hope for you.

Hardships in life are not permanent:

How to overcome single parent problems

You might be living with the scars of your past but just remember that there is a child who trusts you and looks up to you. Do not blame yourself or your child for your situation as all these will pass away. Look into the future and start to take a glimpse all the hopes and joy the future holds for you and your child.

Never miss out to put your brightest smile even on the darkest days:

Sometimes it is the little things in life which brighten up our day. You are allowed to express your feelings, but amidst all the strife and struggle when you put up a smile, your child will look up to you and have hope. Your children will start to cope with you and understand you better.

It’s the little things in life which matter the most:

As single parents, life can be overwhelming and stressful but never miss out on spending time with your children. Having dinner with them and talking to them will help them stay connected with you. Try reading a bedtime story to them and help them feel the love and care you show them. Attending their school functions will make them feel quite happy, and it is in things like these you will find true happiness.

Focus on such small happiness, and when you look back, you will understand the morsel of strength and confidence you have gained over the years. You might not be able to win the battle in just a day but a little progress each day can add up to the best result.

Tips to Help Your Baby Sleep Well

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Putting the baby back to sleep might sound like an impossible mission, and it is an eternal question for new parents on how to get the baby to sleep, but unfortunately, the newborns have their own ideas on when to nap and when to scream their hearts out. All babies are little owls, and there could be various reasons why they wake up in the middle of the night. If there is a couple out there, who is interested in getting their baby to sleep better the following tips will be your ingredients for your baby’s sleep recipe.


Create the environment:

Cluttering the room in which the baby sleeps with toys and other attractive things will confuse and distract the baby. We all are quite excited about the addition in our family and tend to have so many attractive add-ons attached to the baby’s crib. We as adults get disturbed when we hear noises or if the lights are turned on and how can we expect the baby to sleep properly if they are not in a sleep-friendly environment.

Limit nap times during the day:

You are not an evil parent for waking up your baby when it is sleeping. When your baby sleeps too long of a stretch during the day you are robbing nighttime sleep. Provide sufficient rest for your baby during the daytime but also make sure that you are not depriving its nap time during the night. Also, make sure that you are your baby does not become overtired. When they become overtired, they become agitated and irritated.

Think twice before you eat:

You might want to cut down on your caffeine intake if you are feeding the baby. If you happen to drink coffee, tea or coke and breastfeed your baby, you are creating a vicious cycle. Through your milk, your baby becomes stimulated and irritated.

Keep them near you:

Keep them near you

Newborn babies sleep best when they feel the warmth of its parents. There is nothing more soothing and comforting for a baby than being held by the parent. However, this might not be a permanent sleep position, but it will help you put the baby to sleep. Many experts suggest that you share your room with the baby as they tend to sleep better when are next to their parents.

Keep it cool:

We all know how soothing it is to sleep when the room temperature is perfect, and your little one is no different. It is advised that you keep the temperature of the room between 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit to help the baby to sleep better.

Like adults, babies wake up during the night, and quite often they don’t know how to get back to sleep and thus end up crying. As new parents, it might be a little overwhelming for you to get your baby back to sleep but as time goes by you will learn how to handle the situation and once your baby is back to sleep, all that is left for you is to enjoy the silence.