Category Archives: sponsored guest post

October 2, 2017 · 12:01 pm

You’ll Never Believe What You Can Do With Reclaimed Wood

Using wood and other natural materials, is huge in interior decor this fall. It’s with good reason, too. Wood finishes are the perfect way to bring the look of any interior design concept together as well as, adding a personal touch to the family home.

Wood finishes add a sense of warmth, richness and comfort to whatever colors, finishes and materials they’re paired with. The sheer range of woods available makes this material extremely versatile. Pale ash, for example can give a room a fresh yet neutral tone, while a deep mahogany adds warmth and prestige to any living space and oak is perfect for more or less anything.

While many of us love to use wood in our interior design, few are aware of the benefits of reclaimed wood. Just go ahead and look at Plank and Mill’s website and you’ll see the distinctive finish that reclaimed wood has, as well as its enormous variety of applications. Using reclaimed wood is not only good for the environment but is also perfect for a wide range of interior uses, including…

Headboards

The bedroom should be a restful, tranquil place decorated with neutral tones and unimposing natural materials. Thus, a reclaimed wood headboard can be a subtle yet distinctive addition to the bedroom. The type of wood you choose to use will depend on the overall aesthetic of your room and the other tones and types of wood already present in your bedroom furniture. For example, a headboard made of reclaimed driftwood can strike the difficult balance between making a statement and compromising the soothing neutrality of the room.

Feature walls

Every now and then you’ll want to call attention to a particular wall and neither paint nor wallpaper will quite cut it. For an accent or feature wall that’s little more distinctive, reclaimed wood creates a pleasing contrast with paler tones elsewhere in the room. It’s important to remember that wood has a tendency to absorb light, so it’s best utilized in spaces where the furniture and decor is light and airy. Wooden feature walls can be dressed up or down, recreating either a rustic log cabin feel or a more sleek, contemporary look. While versatile, reclaimed wood is, of course, unique meaning that your reclaimed wall will look like no other anywhere in the world.

Dining tables

If you’re looking for something truly unique, a dining table made of reclaimed wood is a wonderfully distinctive piece of furniture that doubles as a fun conversation piece among dinner guests. The great thing is that you’ll never need another dining table as the look of the finish will change subtly with age. While a reclaimed wood dining table is seldom cheap, it may well be the last one you ever buy.

Flooring

If you’re aiming for a rural, country effect, distressed reclaimed wood will look (and feel) fantastic under your feet. However, if your tastes lean towards the classic and elegant, a darker tone will give the room warmth and grandeur while subtly complementing any antique furniture you may have in the room.

This is a sponsored post that may or may not represent the views and ideals of Mommy Ramblings. Photo Credit-Plank and Mill’s website

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Tagged as decor, decorating, Decorating Trends, DIY, home, home improvement, Home Projects, Interior Design, Reclaimed Wood

September 29, 2017 · 2:26 am

5 Tips For Your Home Improvement Project

There are many reasons why you might embark on a home improvement project. Maybe you are the owner of a new house and want to add your personal touch. Perhaps the house you bought was a fixer-upper, and you are ready to start tackling those renovations. Certainly, some homeowners opt for home improvements to increase the value of their homes. Whatever the reason, here are a few tips to help you with your next home renovation project.

Start With A Detailed Plan

A home improvement project can be complex, and the best way to make it easier is to have a specific plan about what you want to achieve. What is your budget for this renovation project? According to PlumbingFix, whether you want to buy new plumbing fixtures or renovate your kitchen, your plan needs to include a budget.

Are you planning small improvements you can do on your own or will you hire a professional? What is the time line for your home improvement project? When do you want to start? It seems simple enough, but lack of such a plan may back you into a corner. So, think it out and set your thoughts on paper before you begin.

Your Budget

How are you going to fund your home improvement project? While making home improvements are a great way to change the look and feel of your home, you need to be smart when deciding what areas to focus on based on what you can afford. Taking out a loan to cover home improvement expenses is not a wise move in most cases.

If you’re sure you want to move ahead with your home improvement project, set aside some savings in advance to put towards it. This way, you will not end up straining yourself or having to stop the project halfway through because you are over budget. Even if you have adequate funds for your project, being prepared is critical.

The DIY Option

The trend in home improvement has been leaning heavily towards do-it-yourself projects. One benefit of this is that it will save you on costs. The flip side, however, is that if you are not a professional, you might end up doing more damage than good. If you have set your mind on doing it yourself, then two things will serve you well.

One is to do your research on how to go about it. The second is to make sure you have the proper tools before you start. With the right information in your hands and the professional equipment needed to complete your home improvements, you can do it! However, always start with smaller improvement projects and keep things simple.

Why Hiring A Professional Matters

The type of home improvement contractor you select can either make or break your home improvement project. There are endless cases of people getting scammed by contractors who end up doing a horrible job. To avoid this, spend some time looking for the right contractor. They should be licensed, insured and experienced in doing the type of improvements you want.

Just like you would choose pest control Morristown NJ based experts to eradicate pests, you need a contractor with proven expertise in offering home improvement services to homeowners in your area. A professional ensures a thorough job, offers you great ideas and does the best job based on your budget.

Get Inspiration

Finding inspiration for your home improvement is easy. Look online or go to open houses and see what other homes look like. The bottom line is, with a picture of what you want your home to look like, it’s easier to go ahead with your home improvement project with a little help.

This is a sponsored post, it does not necessarily represent the views and ideals of Mommy Ramblings.

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Tagged as Building, Do-It-Yourself, Hiring a Contractor, home, Renovations

September 28, 2017 · 12:47 am

Is Your Home A Target For Thieves?

The way you keep your home could be making it a target for thieves. While security systems can help, there are a few other ways you can make sure your home is secure against the threat of a burglary.

Thieves like to window-shop

Can your valuables be seen by people walking by if they look in your windows? Placing expensive collectibles on the windowsill or hanging a flat screen TV opposite a window can make your living room a lucrative target.

You could rearrange these items, or you could find a way to obscure the view into your windows. You may want to consider home window tinting to stop thieves from being able to see in. Alternatively, you could install window treatments like curtains or blinds and make sure you close them at night. Thin sheers or drapes can be used to stop people from peering in your windows during the day, while still letting in natural light.

Thieves like to work in the dark

If you are lacking exterior lighting around your home, it will be easier for thieves to try to break in at night undetected. Security lighting that is constantly on can consume a lot of electricity as well as, being a nuisance to your neighbors. Instead, choose motion sensitive lighting fixtures that only turn on when someone approaches them.

Tall front hedges also help to hide thieves in the act

Do you have tall hedges or large bushes in front of your home that act like a wall? While they work well to prevent thieves from peering in your windows, they can also help conceal them when they are in the act of breaking in your home. Beyond that, they will prevent your neighbors from being able to spot a robbery in progress. Consider trimming your hedges and bushes to make it harder for intruders to go undetected.

Open windows and unlocked doors are a thieve’s best friend

This is an obvious one – leaving windows open or doors unlocked when you go out, will make it easy for thieves to rob your home. Loose hinges on doors or windows are another thing thieves look for, because they provide easy access for them to break-in. Make sure that any damaged windows and doors are fixed. You may even consider adding additional locks to windows and doors for extra security.

Thieves will check to see if your home is empty

Leaving noticeable signs that your house is empty makes it a tempting target for thieves. Some intruders are so sly that they may monitor your home for a while to get an idea of your weekly routine. By observing your home they can gather important information including how many people live in your house and when everyone leaves to go to work/school. Throw the thieves off by occasionally leaving a TV or radio on or keeping a light on at night. Thieves don’t like noisy or ferocious dogs. Even if you don’t own a dog, hanging a ‘Beware of the Dog’ sign outside can be an effective deterrent.

When you go on vacation, consider having someone house-sit or simply come by every other day to inspect the property. Try not to advertise the fact you’re on vacation by posting it across social media, as this is how many modern thieves find their targets. Posting ‘Off to sunny spain for 2 weeks’ is the worst thing you can do because it tells thieves exactly where you are and how long your house will be empty.

This is a sponsored guest post and does not necessarily reflect the views or ideals of Mommy Ramblings.

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Tagged as Break-In, Crime, Home Security, Prevention, Thieves

September 27, 2017 · 1:41 pm

Budgeting For A Family Is Hard With Debt

Starting a family and raising kids is expensive. Being part of a family, and properly providing for everyone, isn’t something that generally leaves you with a lot of money to spare. Disposable incomes have largely dried up in the last thirty years. If you want to stay out of debt, you’ve got to be frugal.

Unfortunately, many people starting out don’t realize the costs involved in having a family. They continue to spend money the way they did before having children and soon fall into debt.

If you’ve already got debt hanging over your head, getting what you want requires going deeper into debt. Many understand this in an esoteric way, but it doesn’t hit home immediately. It is not hard to understand, how they soon find themselves tens of thousands of dollars “in the red”, as the saying goes.

Living Beneath Your Means

The key to being debt free as a family is to live beneath your means. You want to prepare meals at home using ingredients that were purchased as cost-effectively as possible. You want to avoid making big purchases that will put you deeper into debt, and cut unnecessary spending.

If you live beneath your means long enough, you’ll be able to buy that new car or new appliances. On the contrary, if you don’t live beneath your means, you will be lucky if you can finance an older car.

Many who have neglected living under their means, have found themselves in steep debt. If you want to get out, you’re going to have to exercise some serious discipline. You can start small. Cut out the fast food, cut out the expensive coffees and cut expenses related to entertainment.

Use the internet. Get a library card. Pursue cost-saving activities that don’t require a lot of money. If your family goes to Starbucks twice a week and gets a five-dollar coffee for everybody, a four-person household could be spending $40 a week on coffee alone, that is $160 a month. Cut that out, find a better way. Make the coffee at home.

Additional Areas Of Savings

Next, look at your other expenses. One drastic, but effective, step you might take, could be to sell the mortgage on your home. This may not be ideal, but a four-person household can comfortably live in a two-bedroom apartment. Additionally, you can get about the same floor space in a “tiny home”.

If you sell your mortgage and put the money into a tiny home, then all you’re paying annually are property taxes—which will likely be much diminished from what they were. You can do this for a few years to get out of credit card and loan debt, then upgrade to a larger house once the big debts are paid off.

You could also visit sites like www.debtacademy.com to find debt solutions so you and your family can live a debt-free life. Consulting professionals can help you identify areas of spending that can be cut from the budget, resulting in a quicker way out of debt.

Overcoming The Worst-Case Scenario

Still, there will always be situations where no amount of cost-effective living can overcome debt. In these scenarios, you may want to seek outside help through crowdfunding campaigns on Plumfund for example.

Between cutting unnecessary costs, seeking professional assistance, and getting funding through the crowdfunding when those methods don’t work, you can get out of debt; it just may take time.

This is a sponsored guest post that does not necessarily represent the ideals or views of Mommy Ramblings.

25 Ways To Personalize Your Family Home

Moving into a new home, or even just wanting to spruce up your current residence, can be a challenge. It takes time to make a house into a home, adding those essentials family touches help to transform it from a dull space into one with soul.

There are many different things you can do to personalise your home and make it your own, from adding a new coat of paint to hanging your family pictures on the walls. You can be as creative as you like and it doesn’t need to cost a small fortune. Here are 25 ideas you can use to add your personal touch to your home.

1. Paint The Front Door

The first thing anyone will see as they approach your home is the front door. It might not seem like the first place you would want to change, but painting your front door immediately adds character to your home. It gives any visitors a small insight into who lives inside.

2. Hanging Baskets

Once your door is looking brand new and shiny, you can decorate your entrance further by adding some plants. If you have the space either side of your front door, placing hanging baskets full of beautiful flowers is the best way to make your home feel inviting and well-looked after.

3. The Front Garden

If you only have a driveway, there’s no need to worry about this. If you take pride in what you home looks like to the outside world, tending to your front garden is an excellent way to make your home feel tidy and bright. Adding hardy plants such as Rhododendrons or Buddleia will make your garden spring to life without having to worry too much about the upkeep.

4. The Back Garden

There isn’t much which is more relaxing than coming home on a summer’s evening and sitting in the garden with your family enjoying a glass of wine. Having an inviting and open garden, no matter how small, is a great way to utilize extra space around your home. You can even include a swing set and trampoline for the kids!

5. Paint The Walls

If you are short on cash and want an easy way to add your own flair to a room: paint the walls. You can mix your own paint color or choose one from the store, either way; you’ll be adding your personality to the room.

6. Add Soft Furnishings

Throws and cushions are the easiest way to feel like an interior designer, adding new dimensions to your home. Picking up some boldly patterned cushions and placing them over a pastel sofa instantly creates an element of style in your living space.

7. Grab A Bargain

Gumtree is the perfect place to find local people who have secondhand furniture they want to sell. You could score a real bargain on a new table or chairs, and even have them delivered to your home. It’s a much cheaper way to spruce up your home than visiting traditional retailers.

8. Seasonal Touches

Aside from the obvious festive decorations, you could also make your home more seasonal by adding some simple touches. Christmas bedding sets will transform your room into a winter wonderland, cute festive cushions and a new tartan throw will add that element of winter to your home.

9. Lighting

Spotlights, LED lights and fairy lights are excellent additions to your home, making it feel cozier and adding ambience to your home effortlessly.

10. Make It Cozy

On cold winter nights, the most satisfying feeling is to snuggle up on the sofa with your family. You can take this a step further by lighting scented candles around the house, turning on some soft fairy lights and cuddling up under a thick throw.

11. Buy New Mugs

A cute way to put your stamp on the kitchen, is to buy new mugs for you and your family. Let your children each choose their favourite mug, and store them on a shelf in the kitchen. You and your family will automatically have a cute personal item to use every day.

12. Replace Your Faucets

Old, rusty faucets can make even the most beautiful room look dull. You can buy really beautiful chrome or brushed nickel faucets online and instantly make your kitchen and bathroom feel clean and new.

13. A New Mattress

New mattresses will help you sleep, relax your muscles and allow you to wake up in the morning feeling ready to tackle the day ahead. No matter what your budget, you will be able to find the right mattress for you and your family. There are details at mattress-guides.net for how to choose the right one for you.

14. Chalkboard Paint

To stop your children from drawing all over the walls, why not try painting some chalkboard paint on the inside of your cupboard doors? Give your kids some chalk, and they can doodle all they like without it being on display, and without it becoming a permanent feature in your house.

15. Wall Art

If you want to vamp up a blank wall, the easiest thing to do is hang some art. You could hang up your children’s drawings, a pretty watercolour or even an inspiring quote. Whatever you choose, it will liven up the space and give it some life.

16. Family Photos

The ultimate way to put your stamp on the home is the hang personal photographs. You could opt for a professionally taken family portrait, or a collage of candid shots from your family vacation.

17. Add Some Houseplants

Do you ever feel like there’s a small space which needs to be filled in your home? Well, the perfect solution is to add a few plants. Plants not only add colour and vibrancy to your home but also produce oxygen and are proven to relieve stress.

18. Install An Herb Garden

If you love to cook, then adding a herb garden to your home is an excellent idea. You will have constant access to fresh flavours and never have to repurchase a dried sachet.

19. Make The Most Of Natural Light

Natural light is the most fundamental tool in decorating your home. It can make the smallest space seem huge and adds a beautiful ray of light to every nook and cranny in your home. Open up the windows by ditching the large curtains and opting for blinds instead. You’ll gain space and light instantly.

20. Keep It Simple

Although you may be tempted to go all out and make everything in your home a feature, try and refrain from doing too much. It can be confusing to the eye and doesn’t look as put together as a simple design. All you need is 2-3 colours for a room, one bold, one pastel, and black or white. If you stick to this rule you will see a huge difference in the overall feel of your living space.

21. Disguise Old Furniture

If you would rather avoid having to invest in a brand new sofa, you can disguise it instead. Adding soft furnishings such as cushions and throws will immediately give a dull piece of furniture a new lease of life. Find some great ideas on revamping old furniture, HERE.

22. Get The Kids Involved

If you have children, let them have some input on your decisions. You could let them design their own bedrooms, pick out paints, wallpaper and soft furnishings to make them feel part of the process. Although children might have some crazy ideas, it might be fun to let them have free rein on their own space in the house. It could mean that you end up with a Disney princess palace in your home, but to see the look on your child’s face when it’s ready; it’s all worth the effort.

23. Match Your Appliances

When you decorate the kitchen, you will usually get new cabinets, countertops, backsplash and new tile for the floor. Once you’ve implemented all of these changes, why not finish it all off by matching your small appliances to the theme of the room? Buying a kettle and toaster to match the decor of your kitchen is a simple and effective way to tie the room together.

24. Add Accent Walls

Accent walls can be a great design feature. Painting one wall a bold color, or hanging some wallpaper on one wall of a room can bring it to life and draw the eye to that area, making the room feel and look a little bigger than it really is.

25. A Book Nook

If you or your children love to read, why not transform a small corner of the room into a cute little reading nook? Add lots of cushions, a beanbag and storage for your favourite novels, and you’ve instantly created a personalized space for you and your family to enjoy quiet time.

This is a sponsored guest post that may or may not represent the views or ideals of Mommy Ramblings.

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Tagged as decorating, garden, home, New House, Redecorating, Tips

September 24, 2017 · 11:31 pm

Tips For Planning A Community Charity Event

Are you planning to raise money for your community? Although some online platforms such as Plumfund.com allow you to raise money online, some people still prefer the traditional way of fundraising.

If you are one of those people, here are some tips that will come in handy when planning a charity event:

Choose Your Target Audience

Once you decide who your target audience is, the event type, venue, and theme options will fall into place. For instance, if you want money to help the homeless in your neighborhood, whom will you target? Is it a general event to which you will invite everyone or do you plan to invite a specific group of people only?

Set Your Goals

Once you define a specific project idea and decide to go through with it, you will need to set some clear goals. Make sure your goals are SMART – specific, attainable, measurable, timely, and realistic. How much money are you willing to spend in organizing this event?

Choose The Event Type

When you know the type of people you want to invite, come up with an event that will resonate with your target audience. Start by doing some research to find out the events that have been successful in your community. Once you find some inspiration from previous events, you should be motivated to go a step further.

Find Collaborators

Find team members who will take over tasks before getting in touch with external vendors. You need to get in touch with caterers, wholesale bulk candy suppliers, and drink suppliers. Make sure you keep in touch with all these people to ensure they are playing their part.

Create A Budget

Once you have a list of external vendors and assign tasks to teammates, start coming up with a budget. Include the expenses needed to hold the event and consider your fundraising goal. When writing down the final number, leave some room for unforeseen costs.

Draw Up A Marketing Plan

If you already have a budget for the event, it is time to publicize the event so your target audience knows about it. Come up with some enticing ways to convince them to attend the charity event. You can use direct emails, social media, and flyers to let people know about it. Do not underestimate the power of word-of-mouth.

Create A Timeline

The deadline for making plans falls on the day of the charity event. Before that day arrives, keep yourself occupied with plans to make the event succeed. Coming up with a timeline will help you to keep things simple.

Follow Up

When the event is over, you need to get some feedback from the attendees. You can send an online survey to people who attended, asking about their thoughts on the event. Do not forget to thank everyone who helped you make the event a success. This is very important, especially if you want to maintain great relationships with your supporters and vendors. Thank the vendors even if you did not like their work; just make sure you find other vendors for your next event.

Organizing a charity event can be a challenging feat that requires a lot of effort and time. If you do not have enough time to plan it yourself, consider using an event planning software. When you do this, make sure you check in on the progress occasionally. Moreover, do not shy away from asking your friends and family for help.

This is a sponsored guest post, it does not necessarily represent the views or ideals of Mommy Ramblings.

The Best Job Experience To Put On Your Resume? Being A Mom

What’s the hardest job in the world? Rocket scientist? Brain surgeon? No. The hardest job in the world is being a mom. Nothing can prepare you for just how difficult it’s going to be raising a family. You’ll have to take on a level of responsibility and stress that no other job in the world would expect of you. Mothers do things that they never thought they were capable of while they’re trying to juggle all of their family responsibilities and they pick up some great skills along the way.

When the kids are grown up, you might think about going back to work but lots of mothers worry that they’re unqualified because they’ve been out of the workforce for so long but that’s not true at all. Mothers don’t quite realize it because they can’t write these skills on their Resume and cite job experience but they’re better qualified than anybody else in the workforce. If you’ve raised a family, these are the skills that you didn’t realize you had and the jobs that you could get with them.

Crisis Management Skills

An experienced office manager might be able to deal with a crisis like the phones or internet going down, or a lack of staff, but they don’t know what a real crisis is. Trying to get kids ready for school when the boiler breaks down is a real crisis and your kids aren’t going to be as understanding or helpful as adult office staff. Pulling everybody together to do the impossible like that is just everyday life for your average mother. Being able to deal with crisis situations like this is useful in any job but it prepares you specifically for certain jobs that a lot of people just can’t handle.

These crisis management skills are vital in any kind of medical job but in fields where you have to deal with difficult patients on a daily basis, they’re extra important. Being a social worker involves dealing with lots of difficult and often unpredictable situations on a daily basis so mothers are perfect for it. They also have the empathy that you need to succeed as a social worker. You won’t be able to get a job with your crisis management skills alone. You can easily get social worker grad degrees that will qualify you to apply for social worker positions. It’s the perfect job for somebody that wants to spend their days helping people and giving something back to society.

If you thrive in these high stress situations then you could also get a job as a dedicated crisis manager. They are the people responsible for putting plans in place to deal with natural disasters like floods, hurricanes or fires. It’s a pretty intense job but as a mom, you’re prepared for it. You’ve got a couple of routes into the field of crisis management; there are specific crisis management degrees that you can do, or you can get certification from the Institute for Crisis Management.

Creativity

Creativity is a skill that a lot of people lack. When you’re a mom and you’ve got kids sitting inside on a rainy day complaining that they’re bored, you have to get pretty creative to keep everybody entertained. Spending so much time coming up with new games and crafts for the kids to do improves your creativity no end. You’ll also have creative problem solving skills because family life throws a lot of curveballs your way and you need to be able to come up with creative solutions at a moment’s notice. Creativity is a great skill that goes alongside crisis management so it will stand you in good stead in any of those jobs. But it also helps out with so many other careers.

Marketing jobs are one of the most common careers that are desperate for creative thinkers. Coming up with great advertising campaigns that catch the eye of the customer is far more difficult than people think. Companies need the most creative thinkers out there to create marketing campaigns that stand out from the crowd and drive sales. If you want to get into marketing, you can apply for entry-level admin roles with your skills as a mom and maybe some basic office experience. After a few years, you should be able to progress to a more senior marketing position.

Communication Skills

Source

They say the best way to explain something clearly is to imagine that you’re trying to explain it to a young child. As a mom, you did that every day for years. Any good business runs on communication so employers in almost any industry are always looking out for that as part of your skill set. Marketing features here as well because when you’ve got a vision, you need to be able to communicate it effectively to your team so that it is realized in exactly the right way and you don’t lose any of the magic of your original idea.

Teaching is another career that you can easily transfer into with your skills as a mom. A lot of your daily duties will be very similar to what they were when you were a stay at home mom, but communicating with the kids is your most important skill in the classroom.

Any kind of job in the journalism or broadcast industry is also well suited to mom’s and their great communication skills but you need to remember that you’ve got a different audience. Those transferable skills should still set you up for a job of this kind though.

Negotiating Skills

Businessmen might pride themselves on their ability to negotiate high stakes deals in the boardroom but when compared to an experienced mom, they’re just beginners. A toddler at bedtime is the harder to negotiate with than anybody you’ll encounter in the business world. These great negotiation skills will come in handy in all sorts of industries. Any salesman worth their salt relies on their excellent negotiating skills so any job that involves face to face selling to customers is perfect for you.

Real Estate is another brilliant and very lucrative job that you can thrive in using your excellent negotiating skills. You just need to get yourself a real estate license before you can legally sell properties. You can easily start out on your own by getting a small property and working your way up. It’s perfect for moms because you can choose your own hours.

As well as finding jobs in the first place, your negotiating skills can help you get more money for doing those jobs. When it comes to discussing salary, benefits, and promotion opportunities with your boss, being a good negotiator means you’ll come out on top.

Event Management Skills

Organizing and hosting a party is always hard work. Getting all of the food, drinks and entertainment sorted is one thing but keeping all of your guests happy is the most difficult thing. Now imagine all of those guests are five years old and high on sugar. If you can handle that then planning events and parties for a bunch of adults will be a piece of cake. There are all sorts of events planning jobs that you can get into. You can do parties, weddings, corporate events, and a whole lot more. You don’t need to have specific qualifications to start an event planning company as long as you’ve got a talent for it. Just advertise yourself well and see what jobs you can find.

It’s true that moms are sometimes at a disadvantage because they don’t have as much recent experience as some of the other applicants but they can more than make up for that with the skills they developed as a parent.

This is a sponsored post. The views expressed may or may not represent those of Mommy Ramblings.

3 Ways to Spot a Damaged Roof

This time of year can throw all kinds of weather at us; rain, wind, hailstones and more. So, whether you want to keep your home as safe as possible or your viewing new properties in the hopes of moving, it’s important to know how to spot damage. One of the most overlooked places on a house is the roof. Yet, if the roof has damage it can cause all kinds of problems inside the house. So, what do you need to look out for?

Check Your Shingles

One of the easiest tips, recommended by Elevated Roofing, is to check the roof for ripped shingles. After a storm, a few ripped shingles are often the easiest things to spot, just by looking at your roof from the ground floor. They may not look like they’ll cause a lot of hassle is left as they are, but it’s important to get them repaired as soon as possible, especially during the wetter months. One of the biggest problems to result from loose or damaged shingles is a leak in the house. You may not even notice it until it’s too late.

Hailstone Dents

It can be difficult to spot hailstone dents, but if you’ve recently had a bout of hailstones that you think could have caused damage, it’s worth checking. If you can spot dents on the roof, take a look at the angles of the roof, where the roof meets the wall. You’ll often be able to see dents in guttering too. If they’re present there, they’re likely to be present on the roof. If your roof slants, don’t attempt to climb it and check it yourself. Call a trustworthy professional who can give you a quote for any damage at the same time.

Inspect Your Attic

If you can’t see any visible damage by looking at your roof from the outside, it’s a good idea to get up into your attic and check for any leaks. If you spot a leak, it will easier to pinpoint where on the roof the damage is coming from and it’s often easier to contain and resolve the damp once found in the attic. If you don’t check or ignore the leaks found in the attic, it’s inevitable the leak will eventually spread throughout the rest of the house. Leaks will often present themselves as stains on the wall, rather than actual water puddles.

If you do find a leak in the attic but you have trouble pinpointing it, here’s a quick tip: Ask someone to help you and take a garden hose up onto the roof. Isolate small areas near to where the attic leak is. Let the hose run for several minutes in each area and have your helper in the attic looking out for leak. After a few minutes, the drip should appear in the attic. It can be time-consuming, but it will help you to narrow down where the damage is and find out how it needs to be fixed.

This is a sponsored guest post and does not necessarily represent the views of Mommy Ramblings.

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Tagged as Damaged Roof, home, Home Maintenance, Home Repairs, Home Tips

August 7, 2017 · 7:22 pm

The Struggle Is Real: Overcoming the Obstacle of Infertility

This is a sponsored guest post and does not necessarily represent the views of Mommy Ramblings.

Many couples assume that when they are ready to start a family, getting pregnant will be easy. In fact, most put more focus on preventing a pregnancy before they are ready. So, when the time comes to start trying, it can be an unpleasant surprise if the pregnancy tests continuously come up negative. You may try different remedies and still get the same disappointing result.

But if you begin to think that you may not be able to get pregnant on your own, and have your suspicions confirmed by a doctor, you’ll find you still have donation options that can help you achieve your dream of parenthood.

Let’s take a closer look at infertility and how donor eggs can help.

The Struggle with Infertility

There’s an entire spectrum of emotion that comes with the news that you’re unlikely to conceive a baby naturally. Like any loss, a loss of fertility comes with stages of grief that include shock, depression, and anger. It’s completely normal to wonder, ‘why me?’ and to feel alone, isolated, and like you have failed at something. There’s the strain it can put on your relationship and the unspeakable questions of blame. It’s important to work through all of these feelings and to have open, honest discussions with your partner and possibly even a therapist.

The reality is that infertility is not uncommon. In fact, after age 30, the average woman’s chances of getting pregnant declines quite rapidly, and by age 40 she has only a 5% chance of pregnancy per cycle – that’s 15% less than the average 30-year-old. While you might feel frustrated at the prospect of undertaking an alternative conception method – and undergoing invasive procedures – you can feel reassured that, thanks to significant advances to fertility medicine over the past few decades, you can greatly raise your chances for success. Egg donation in particular accounts for over 8000 babies born in the USA every year.

Using Donor Eggs as a Solution

When is egg donation commonly looked to as a solution? A few common scenarios include intended mothers over the age of 40 who are having problems conceiving naturally, women who have had repeat miscarriages due to unviable eggs, premature ovarian failure, women who have gone through cancer treatment, or women who carry a genetic disease that they would rather not pass on to a child.

How it Works

The first step is to browse through the available donors at a donor bank and to choose the one that is the best fit for you.
If you opt for fresh donor eggs, you will be required to take fertility supplements to sync your menstrual cycle with that of the donor.
Once you’re in sync or if you opt for frozen eggs, estrogen supplements are provided to thicken the lining of the uterus in order to maximize the chances of implantation.
If you chose frozen eggs, the egg will be thawed.
The egg will then be fertilized with a partner’s or donor’s sperm.
The embryo that develops is implanted into your uterus.
After implantation, you will return after about two weeks to take a pregnancy test.
On each cycle, there is roughly a 50/50 chance that pregnancy will occur. If it does, post implantation check-ups are standard and your pregnancy will be monitored closely.

Are Donor Eggs Right for You?

Choosing to use donor eggs to get pregnant is a big decision. It is one that may enable you to bring the child you and your partner desire into the world. However, there are other important factors to consider, such as having a child with genetic material from another person and how that information will be shared with the child. Many face anxiety about what their friends or family will think. All of these considerations should be weighed and talked about to decide if this route is the right one for your situation.

At the end of the day, donor eggs do give those who are struggling with infertility a potential road to parenthood.

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Filed under Baby, Guest Post, pregnancy, sponsored guest post

Tagged as baby, Donor Eggs, Guest Post, Infertility, pregnancy

July 18, 2017 · 2:41 pm

Best Kitchen Renovation Tips Revealed by the Experts

This is a sponsored guest post that may or may not represent the views of Mommy Ramblings.

There are all kinds of renovations you can do in your home, but few have as much impact as a kitchen renovation. With that said there is a lot to consider when you are planning the renovation, going through the design process, and picking your materials. In order to ensure you don’t feel overwhelmed during the process, here’s a look at some of the best kitchen renovation tips from the experts themselves.

Make Sure the Design Stage Gets Enough Attention

While it’s easy to jump ahead and start envisioning what your perfect kitchen will look like, it’s important not to get too far ahead of yourself. Perhaps the most important step in the renovation process is actually the development of the design.

Ideally you want to hire a kitchen designer who will work with you through this stage. This is even more important if you plan on changing the configuration of your kitchen. You want to be sure the design is well thought out, flows, and makes sense. This is also the time you will be discussing the budget. Sure it would be great to design a kitchen without any concern for the costs, but that’s probably not reality. The designer should be made aware of your budget right from the start so it fits your needs.

As a side tip you may find it helpful to go through various design magazines that showcase kitchens before you meet with the designer. You want to be able to share your thoughts on the configuration, size, color scheme, materials, etc. Showing the designer pictures will help create an idea in their mind.

Picking Your Materials

For many homeowners the most exciting part about a kitchen renovation is getting to pick their materials. This is typically the area that also seems to have the most “opinions” involved. Designers can help you through this process as well, especially when it comes to sticking to the budget.

The designer and contractor can discuss what materials will work best for your needs and what will work with the design. Some of the items you’ll be picking include appliances, countertops, backsplash, cabinets, lighting, paint color, flooring, etc. If possible, it’s always handy to find a place that allows you to take samples home to try them in the space. It also gives you a chance to see how all the different materials work together.

Beautiful custom kitchens are built around materials and designs that not only look great, but also work well for that client’s needs.

Understanding the Timeline

The last process or step is to get an idea of the timeline. Obviously once you decide you want to go ahead with a renovation project you want to hurry up and get it done, but that isn’t usually possible. In general the typical timeline is anywhere from four to six months if you’re talking about a complete demolition job. Obviously this can be shorter or longer depending on the job, the materials chosen, and the construction crew.

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Filed under Home & Garden, Home Improvement, sponsored guest post

Tagged as Kitchen Design, Kitchen Renovation, New Kitchen, Tips