With the cold winter weather here, you’re probably doing everything you can to keep the inside of your home warm and comfortable. Unfortunately, the winter months often mean an increase in energy consumption. So how can you go green this winter without feeling like you’re living in an igloo? Here are a few tips to help you be more energy-efficient during the winter months.
Unfortunately, the Department of Energy shows that about 56% of the energy used in U.S. homes is for heating and cooling. But the good news is that you don’t have to completely shut off your heat to save some energy. Turning down the thermostat even a degree or two can make a big difference in energy consumption. Getting a programmable thermostat can allow you to have the heat turn down when you’re asleep or not at home so you won’t even notice the difference. And you can always snuggle up in more blankets if you get too cold.
Another thing to keep in mind when considering your heat use is ensuring your home is properly insulated. If there is a lack of insulation or even cracks or drafts around windows and doors, you could be losing a lot of heat in your home. And when this heat is lost, your HVAC system has to work harder to replace it, using more energy. So consider installing weather stripping around windows and doors and sealing entry points for outside lines with proper insulation to avoid losing heat in your home.
With the winter days being shorter and darker, you probably have more lights on in your home than normal. This is another great opportunity for going green — did you know that LED lights use only 15% of the energy that a standard halogen light uses? Not only that, but LEDs offer up to 85% more light output too. So by switching out your halogen bulbs for LEDs, you’ll be reducing your energy consumption and getting more light in your home.
And lastly, consider going green when it comes to your diet as well. When it comes to buying fruits and vegetables, consider buying in-season options. While today’s modern world allows us to have access to fruits and vegetables all year no matter the season, out of season produce has to be shipped from far away. This uses tons of fuel, which is something you can help reduce. So try to make an effort to buy produce that is in season throughout the winter months.
Being more eco-friendly this winter doesn’t have to be difficult. So keep these simple tips in mind for a greener winter.
Pre-pandemic, up to 50% of the U.S. workforce held a job compatible with remote work. Now, millions of Americans are working from work for the first time. While working from home can certainly make you more productive, it can also take a toll on your health and wellbeing. The lack of physical boundaries between the domestic and the professional can leave you thinking about work when you should be relaxing.
To help give you back some self-control over your wellbeing, here are a few ways you can boost your health and wellness even while working away in your quarantined hobbit-hole.
1. Get your greens in
When you’re working from home, it’s all too easy to forego making a healthy lunch. Instead, you might find yourself reaching for ready-to-go snacks that are high in salt or sugar content so you can quickly get back to work instead of taking the time to really get in the vitamins and nutrients you need for the day. To maintain your health and improve your mood, make sure that you’re not treating your meals like a chore. Opt for organic fruits and vegetables that are good for you that will help your body thrive. Organic veggies also make for great snack options so instead of nabbing a bag of chips or a granola bar on your way to your desk, grab a bag of baby carrots or some cut celery instead.
2. Set up a designated work area
You don’t necessarily need to set up a home office when you’re working at home. But you should definitely have a designated work area. The reason for this is that, once you move away from your work area, you’ll be able to relax. If your work area is also your relaxation area, then thoughts about work will continue to plague you as you try to read or watch Netflix. A designated workspace also helps you keep your professional work organized. Storage and data security are important and you don’t want to mix up work notes with your out-of-work to-do lists.
3. Take active breaks
It’s all too easy to forget about taking a break when you’re working from home, especially if your home is plenty comfortable and cozy. But it’s important to remember that your body needs some rest from sitting for so long. Throughout the day, remember to get up and stretch. Doing a few strengthening exercises during those breaks can also help to get the blood pumping.
4. Avoid work communication during non-work hours
If you have flexible hours, you might feel the urge to use them to stay on the clock on certain days longer than you originally planned to respond to emails and stay in correspondence with co-workers. However, those emails will still be there during the next business day. Remember to clock out of your work mindset at the end of the workday and don’t give in to urges to keep going. Your rest is important.
5. Use a calming app at the end of the workday
When you’re working from home, it can be tricky to separate the professional and the domestic even when you have a separate work area. Consider using an app like Headspace or another calming meditation app to help put your mind at ease after you clock out for the day. Even if you meditate just for a few minutes, the small transition will help you leave your work on the table instead of carrying it with you throughout the rest of the day. Just be sure to check app reviews before you download anything new as some apps have recently been removed from Apple App stores and Google Play.
It can be challenging to help ease your mind and keep your body happy when you’re working from home. By following the tips above, you can help to boost your health and wellness even while remote working.
6. Keep the home clean and organized
We are all influenced by our surroundings. When working from home, the knowledge that there are problems with the home could lead to mental distractions. While a tidy and uncluttered property should be at the top of your agenda, it’s not the only issue. Infestations are another potential problem, not least because they can damage work equipment and cause sick days. Asking how do you get bed bugs? is the first step to stopping the issue. After all, prevention is the best form of protection. Alternatively, if they do enter your home, you must treat the issue ASAP. When your mind is free from distractions, you’ll be far better placed to focus on your work. Perfect.
It can be challenging to help ease your mind and keep your body happy when you’re working from home. By following the tips above, you can help to boost your health and wellness even while remote working.
Do you remember what Christmas was like when you were a child?
Sure, as an adult, the winter holidays can be filled with all kinds of stress. You have to worry about family, hosting a big dinner, making sure that all of the presents are under the tree… It’s crazy!
But if you’re a child, it can be pure magic. Santa Claus and snow and reindeer and stockings! They get to be around all of their favorite people for days and be showered with nothing but love and attention. It’s little wonder why kids love Christmas.
And if you really want to build up the Christmas spirit in them, you can work in some fantastic children’s books about Christmas into the evening bedtime story rotation! Here are some of my favorites that I highly recommend you share with them:
Before it was a Tom Hanks movie, The Polar Express was one of the most beloved Christmas books ever written. If you’ve only seen the film, then you should definitely check out the original it’s based on.
On Christmas Eve, a little boy boards a mysterious train bound for the North Pole. Once there, he meets Santa himself, who gives him any gift he desires. His choice isn’t what you might expect and leads to a magical tale filled with beautiful images.
In Arial the Secret Santa, children will follow Arial the unicorn through school, in her community and in nature as she models how easy it can be to share kindness. From giving a compliment to smiling at someone who’s having a bad day, Arial shows children that, no matter how small, words and act of kindness MATTER, especially at Christmas! Included in the book is the Kindness Tree Activity to help encourage your child to give praise and spread positivity into the world.
I love Christmas. It’s a time of peace and kindness. And kindness and compassion are the traits I most want to instill in our kids.
If you’re looking for a book this Christmas to help teach your kids about the power of kindness, then this is the book to have under the tree. I highly recommend this book!
If you would like a moment of calm this Christmas (and a brilliant night’s sleep, shh…) then Festive Flamingo is the book for you!
Flamingo shares a festive selection of breathing exercises and relaxing visualizations. She joins you for twelve magical meditations, where you explore positive themes such as perseverance, curiosity and self-belief. Build a magical camel out of snow, learn to ice-skate with the woodland animals and create an exciting game for the elves.
Enjoy the benefits of meditation, alongside adventure and festive fun!
I mean, do you really need a summary of How the Grinch Stole Christmas? It’s one of the most celebrated children’s books of all-time, let alone one of the all-time great Christmas books! It’s also a brilliant cartoon, two big-budget movies, and the basis of countless toys. And you know what? It deserves every single bit of praise it gets.
The Grinch that Stole Christmas perfectly communicates the meaning of Christmas and is filled with stunning art, hilarious rhymes, and some truly funny jokes. It’s a true classic that should be on every child’s bookshelf. If you’ve never encountered it before, you owe it to yourself to give it a read (even if you’re an adult)!
Do you remember the story of Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer? Everyone told him that he couldn’t be a member of Santa’s reindeer team. Well, here is a children’s book that reflects that story, putting a whole new spin on the idea of following your dreams!
Little Squirrel Squish is a tiny squirrel who wants to be part of Santa’s flying crew. But because he’s so small (and because he’s not a reindeer), everyone keeps telling him to forget about his dreams. But one Christmas, he decides to go for it, changing everything! This book will teach your children that their every dream, no matter how seemingly out of reach, is worth exploring!
Getting back to Santa’s reindeer, let’s talk about Santa’s Reindeer, the book!
Discovering that everyone is different is one of the most important lessons a child can be taught. In this adorable Christmas book, all of the various personalities of Santa’s reindeer are explored. It’s a perfect read for small children, full of cute illustrations and a lovely Christmas message!
If you think it’s only Santa who does good deeds on Christmas Eve, you need to meet a very special mouse!
Spinning off from the “Not a creature was stirring…” line from Twas the Night Before Christmas, this wonderful book features a mouse who is busy all Christmas night doing small acts of kindness, such a cooling the cocoa for Sanata, hanging up the mistletoe, and taste testing the cookies! It’s a fabulous lesson for kids who are looking to drive the meaning of Christmas home: that you’re never too little to make a big difference!
Countless children learn how to read their first words while sitting on their parents’ laps. And if you want a book that will help them sound out letters while also embracing the Christmas spirit, then this is it!
In it, Jingles the elf doesn’t know how to read yet, but needs to figure out Santa’s Christmas list. With the help of your child, they read the list together and make sure that Christmas is a huge success!
One of the reasons why I love Secret Santas so much is that it makes giving anonymous. You aren’t giving someone something with the expectation of a “thank you” from them. Instead, their enjoyment is its own reward.
In this wonderful Christmas book, your kids will learn about Secret Santas and why it can be such a wonderful Christmas tradition. Beautiful art and a wonderful message make this a Christmas must!
Who doesn’t love Christmas cookies? But have you ever noticed that there tends to be one seemingly plain oatmeal cookie left on the plate after all the other cookies are eaten? Well, this is HIS story!
Meet Phil, an insecure fruit-filled oatmeal cookie who longs to be more fancy and famous. With help from his cookie friends, he learns what’s on the inside is more important than fancy sprinkles. Self-love and acceptance are essential qualities for kids to learn, and this rhyming Christmas tale teaches them that character and self-confidence really do matter.
Have you kids ever wanted to catch an elf? It turns out that it’s trickier than you might think…
In this fun and silly story, a clever elf manages to elude all of the traps that children set for him on Christmas Eve! There are lots of fun rhymes and some inventive illustrations that your kids are sure to love!
If you’re looking for a Christmas story with a twist, this might be the book for you and your kid!
Instead of it being Christmas in the book, it’s about a birthday wish gone wrong. A little girl (who has a unicorn) sends a letter to Santa to ask if she can borrow one of his reindeer during their “off-season.” He sends one with a note saying that the reindeer should never meet any unicorns. It turns out that unicorns and reindeer get highly competitive around each other, so the little girl soon has a mess on her hands! This is a funny and delightful book that can even be read when it isn’t Christmas!
Everyone loves a secret agent story, especially kids.
If you want your kids to take lessons of kindness and caring into the real world, this book might be the perfect way to do it. It not only tells a Christmas story about three of Santa’s helpers doing missions of good deeds before Christmas but gives your children some missions of their own!
For example, their Christmas mission might be to give an extra hug to someone they love that day. Or to leave a “thank you” note for the mailman. With these Christmas missions, your kids will be brightening up someone else’s Christmas, a wonderful lesson to learn!
If you worry that presents, tinsel, and trees are distorting the true meaning of Christmas, then this might just be the book for you and your child.
In it, a Mama Bear and her cub explore what Christmas truly means, from what Santa truly represents (the spirit of giving) to the birth of Jesus. It’s filled with beautiful art and a wonderful Christian message.
Have you ever read any books from the Construction Site series? If not, this might be the perfect place to introduce you and your children to some fun and entertaining characters!
In this Christmas tale, all of the vehicles of the construction site get together to build a new home for the fire engines and, after they finish that important job, find Christmas surprises of their very own! A lovely message and some adorable art make for a great Christmas book!
What are some of your favorite Christmas children’s books? Please share them in the comments below!
Being more self-sufficient in the home is a great way to help the planet; the more self-sufficient you are, the more eco-friendly you can be, as you’re not relying on big deliveries in trucks or even really using your vehicle much at all. The more you can do for yourself, the better it is for the planet. Not only this, but being self-sufficient is a skill and something that, once you understand how to do it better, you can be proud of and see as an outstanding achievement in your life.
Here are some great ways to get started; these are things that everyone can do, no matter what their budget or lifestyle might be.
Grow Your Own Food
If you’re just getting started, then the idea of growing all your own food might seem somewhat overwhelming. It can be so problematic that many people choose to forget it altogether, even if they would dearly love to be more self-sufficient. The key to this idea is to start small – very small – and build up as you gain more confidence.
Picking one or two vegetables to start your self-sufficiency journey with is the best idea. Choose things you are going to use a lot, such as tomatoes or corn, and start with these. Even if you don’t have any outside space, you should be able to grow some vegetables indoors, and although this might mean you have a more limited choice, there are special indoor planters that will help you with this task. Take a look at this Planted Shack review for more information on the best ones for you.
Go Foraging
You won’t be able to grow everything you need to survive on your own land unless you are farmers. You’ll still need additional items to make tasty, healthy meals, and this is even more true if you don’t have much space to grow things from scratch at home.
An alternative to growing your own food (at least in part) and certainly something that can reduce or even eliminate your trips to the grocery store is foraging. This means going into the wild to search for food. It’s crucial that you’re able to identify which plants are safe to eat and which should be avoided, but this can be learned and is a worthwhile pursuit if you want to be more eco-friendly and self-sufficient at home.
Use Reusable Cloths
If you were to take an inventory of the amount of plastic packaging you use each day, the total might surprise you. And it might horrify you. Instead of using plastic, switch to reusable cloths. Many of these can be hand-washed, which is even more eco-friendly than using a machine, and they can easily replace the plastic you use on a daily basis.
Reusable cloths are ideal for wrapping packed lunches and leftovers, for example. They can even be used instead of paper towels and other items which, although they may not be as dangerous to the environment as plastic, are still waste when you throw them out. If you prefer not to buy reusable cloths, simply make them yourself out of old clothes such as t-shirts.
When we go to a doctor or any other kind of medical professional, we expect to be properly taken care of and to have our needs and interests put first. Our health is more important than anything else, so when that’s not the case and something goes wrong with the health we receive, it can come as a huge shock.
But what should be done when you find that you’ve been on the receiving end of a less than acceptable medical treatment or care experience? There are steps you can take and we’re going to talk about those now, so keep reading.
Start by Reporting the Issue
The first thing you should do is report the issue to the relevant authorities. You can start by reporting your experiences to the clinic, hospital or healthcare facilities where this happened. They should then be able to process the complaint for you and investigate it. It might also be necessary to file the complaint with the local medical authorities who can then also investigate what happened. They’ll want to know about these kinds of incidents.
Seek Out Any Further or Corrective Medical Attention That Might be Needed
If something went wrong with the medical attention you recieved, you might still be experiencing problems or you might now have further medical issues as a result of the failed medical interventions carried out. If so, you shouldn’t waste any time seeking corrective medical attention. Of course, you’ll no doubt want to get these medical attention from an entirely different professional at a different facility. It’s not a good idea to go back to the same place again.
Speak to Your Insurer
Speaking to your insurance provider and seeing what kind of redress you might be entitled to is a good idea. If you have medical insurance and something goes wrong, you should always notify your insurer, even if you’re not sure what they can do to help or assist you. Let them know and discuss things with them. And seek out further advice if you feel as if your insurer isn’t doing enough to assist you in these matters.
Consider Your Legal Options
It’s also a good idea to consider all of your legal options when you experience something like that. If you’ve been injured as a result of medical negligence or malpractice, you’ll definitely be entitled to compensation, so a personal injury lawsuit is something that should be considered. There are plenty of personal injury attorneys who’ll treat your case with utmost respect and do everything they can to ensure you get the compensation money you’re entitled to.
Think About the Need for Proof
If you are going to push ahead with a legal action against the people responsible for your experience, it’s important to know that you’ll need to be able to provide proof. That’s why taking photos, being assessed by an external medical professional and having them testify as to what’s happened to you can be so important. Having that proof will make your life a whole lot easier when it comes to fighting your legal battles in the courts.
Accept That it Might Take a While
Another thing to understand is that these kinds of proceedings can often take a lot of time to resolve and there’s not much that can be done about that. That’s not necessarily a reason to avoid taking legal action, but it’s important to go into the process understanding that this is not necessarily going to be the quick fix that you might want it to be. But if you can come out of the process with a positive outcome, it’ll make it all worthwhile for you.
Continue to Put Your Health First
If you continue to put your health before anything else, you’ll find that this yields the most positive long-term outcomes for you. It’s easy to feel bitter about the whole experience, but rather than placing an emphasis on those emotions, it might be better for you to put your health first and to focus on getting in good shape and good health. That’s what matters more than anything else in all this.
Medical malpractice situations are tricky to deal with and no one wants to find themselves in a situation of this kind. Nevertheless, these things happen and it’s up to you to make sure you take the right steps to look after yourself and also receive justice for what happened for you.
