Mommy Brain Reports

Mommy Blog

Laurel

Providing a Kitchen with Style

A kitchen is a place where we find ourselves rushing around cooking dinners, preparing the kids lunches, putting away our shopping and doing various washing up chores. It stands to reason that this room needs a durable, sustainable solution for a floor – one that doesn’t require numerous hours of the day to keep clean.

Surely the best option is luxury vinyl flooring for durability and style. Let’s see why.

Quick Cleaning

Food is possibly the messiest item the kitchen faces and whether it be sauce, drinks, cooking oils or various ingredients to dinner, there is always spillage or the dropping of food on the floor.

Stains are commonplace after multiple clean up attempts, the difference with vinyl is that it offers easier cleaning with the extra satisfaction of stain-resistant design. All it takes is a quick sponge down with warm soapy water, possibly mixed with a little vinegar.

It also nicely provides a cushioned padding in its manufacture, with plates shown to land with a bounce instead of breaking in most cases. Certainly, a change from buying new sets.

Easy Installation

No matter if you go with vinyl tile or vinyl planks, the uninstallation and reinstallation of vinyl flooring are relatively easy compared to any real hardwood or stone. We all dread having to pull up large sections of the floor should a singular section be damaged, so it comes as a great relief that these can be done singularly.

You also don’t need to have a professional fitter to install the flooring or even an occasional replacement. It is very simple to undertake yourself and save a fair chunk of change on hiring a pro.

Style

A great little benefit to Quick-Step luxury vinyl is that you can be as creative as you want and no one will be able to tell any difference.

If you have a fondness for light or dark wood design then there is no end to shades, styles and palettes available. If you like the feel of stepping on a stone or marble floor there are plenty of intricate designs that are indistinguishable.

Care

The kitchen provides space for being creative, from food to decor to planning everything for family living – it all stems from one room.

For a room in your house that provides a lot of care for the family, a kitchen floor requires a secure and sustainable solution without the need for constant attention, expensive chemical cleaning solutions or repetitive repair every few months. Luxury vinyl flooring is an option that frees you up to dedicate your time with your family and other things that need your attention, whilst keeping a sense of style that lasts for decades.

 

How to make the most out of the funding opportunities in your area

It is great to take advantage of funding opportunities, especially in scenarios where a business can’t fund their own project. There are lots of opportunities on the market right now to get funding for your business. For example, Green Deal First are offering ongoing funding opportunities for suppliers needing to fulfill their energy company obligation.

Below are a few ways you can guarantee making the most out of funding opportunities in your local area.

Be specific and concise

When you’re applying for funding, make sure you are specific about the question you are answering and you have actually answered it! When a funder is reading your application, they should feel confident that they know exactly how their money will be spent.

Rather than giving long winded explanations of exactly how each pound will be used, consider using bullet points and brief facts to get your point across. A good starting point would be to write a draft that includes every detail you can think of, then work on cutting it down from there, keeping the bare essentials.

Research and contact

Do some research into the company you’re applying for funding from. Firstly, you need to know whether or not that particular funding body will be interested in the activities of your business. If they have a website, be sure to read through it. Do some reading elsewhere online or in local publications to see what kind of projects they have funded previously.

Never be afraid to contact a funding body you’re interested in working with. Finding out whether or not they would be interested in your project first hand, means that you don’t waste your time on the application. A phone call is also a great opportunity to find out any basic criteria the team looks for, like a minimum number of directors. Most funders are able to sniff out blanket emails, no matter how professional they seem, and they don’t like them, so avoid these at all costs.

Be Persistent

Funding proposals are often rejected on the first attempt. Do not interpret a rejection as someone saying your idea isn’t good enough! In fact, they are a chance to revise your proposal and submit to that body again, or go to a different funder. If you are left with no feedback or don’t hear back from the body, get in touch with them. Take any criticism seriously, address them then move forward.

Being polite and persistent can pay off endlessly. Investors don’t always have time to follow up on every project they come across, so popping up again after a few days of silence can work in your favour. However, there is a fine line between persistence and being pushy. Take care not to cross it. If after reaching out several times you still haven’t received a response, it’s time to move on.

Although the above tips should be considered when applying for funding, it is important to avoid the temptation to mould your project to fit the funding requirements. Apply for grants that suit your project, rather than forcing your project to fit and you will be able to take full advantage of funding opportunities in your area.

Crafts With Kids

Quality time with your children can be very fun and relaxing for both of you, but it can also be very educational for your children. You can build interesting, fun things or things that you need around the house with little to no money.

Your children will learn how to recycle and re-use things that you already have.

Here are some craft ideas that will keep all of you entertained:

Create personalized dolls from yarn

If you don’t find yarn, you can use the filling from an old pillow. You can add hand-made clothes, buttons instead of eyes, you can use old pieces of material to add hair and paint to create personalized features. This not only allows you to make toys for a smaller price, but it allows your child to use their imagination and choose exactly how they want their doll to look like. Here is a basic tutorial to get you started.

Work on Christmas decorations

Even if it does not feel like it, Christmas is just a few months away. Christmas or Halloween decorations can be very expensive, especially if you buy them in season. Why not save a buck and have fun with your family?

You can use cardboard, colorful paper, glitter and fake snow to create interesting decorations for your Christmas tree. You can get inspired from here and improvise, as you get more skilled.

Grow your own plants

All children are interested in nature, and growing their own plants or fruits can be a fun and educational experiment. Depending on where you live, you can pick seeds from the fruits and vegetables you have around the house and let them sprout. Make sure to put them in nice vessels in a place with natural sunlight, and teach your child to be responsible and water them whenever is needed.

Use what you would normally throw

Empty rolls of toilet paper can be decorated, painted and glued so they can be turned into robots. Empty bottles can be cut (with help from an adult), and turned into bird feeders. Cardboard boxes can easily become doll-houses or small cars.

This will not only save you some money when it comes to craft supplies, but it will also teach your child how important it is to use whatever you have available and be creative. Too many toys are bought and then forgotten in the corner of a room.

Courtesy Of AGS Scientific

How To Save Money?

As a Mother, no penny goes to waste. There’s always something else you need to buy or an emergency that you need to cover. When everything puts pressure on your wallet, you feel the need to save a few bucks.

We gathered a few great tips on how to save money while still caring for your baby and having fun. Let’s go!

Keep an eye out for hand-me-downs

Babies grow extremely fast, and many parents are left with boxes of clothes that their baby barely got the time to wear. Instead of investing big amounts of money into clothes, shoes or toys, ask around among your friends and family. They probably have some things to give or they know someone who does.

Keep the receipts for everything

No matter if you buy a new bottle, a colorful onesie or a wooden baby chair, make sure you keep the receipts. Chances are that you will not have the chance to use that item before your baby outgrows it, or simply you receive a similar one as a gift. You can easily return them and put that money aside or spend it on something necessary.

Do your research

There are millions of baby products on the market, and they all promise to do something for you. Some gadgets may seem necessary, but in reality you may not even need them. Sure, everyone is buying a stroller, but do you really need one if you like babywearing?

Before buying anything because all your friends swear by it, do your research and think if it fits your lifestyle and your expectations.

Ask for discounts for children

Many places have discounts for children; from restaurants and coffee shops to themed parks and zoo’s. If your child is old enough to pay for a ticket but young enough to get the discount, don’t hesitate to ask for it; it might not seem like a huge amount now, but all these expenses add up.

Buy in bulk

Whenever you can, buy in bulk. Diapers, cosmetics, toiletries, dry food that does not have a short expiry date; all these cost much, much less when you buy big amounts of them. This also gives you the chance to search for the best price and to save some money by taking less trips to the grocery store.

Once you get into the habit of buying large quantities, you will never be willing to run to the store for a single bottle of baby shampoo.

All About MommyHood

Being a mom is special. In an instant, you create a life-long connection with someone who will be forever part of you. It is, indeed, a wild journey; there are times when you feel on top of the world, and moments when you feel that you cannot go on. Here are the things that no one told you about:

It’s normal to feel sad

Yes, really. Baby blues and post-natal depression are very common, even if not many parents talk about it. You have to adapt to an entirely new life, not to mention that your body is going through many changes and a roller coaster of hormones. If you combine this with sleepless nights and the feeling that your time does not belong to you anymore, it is understandable why you feel this way.

It will go away and things will improve from month to month, but don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it.

It takes a village

Many people around you are willing to help, starting from your close family to your friends and even co-workers. Whenever you need a break, ask them to stay with your child for a few hours. Even if you don’t need immediate assistance with something, you can feel relieved if someone is helping you with your chores or small things around the house.

It takes a village to grow up a child, and you should build this village around you and accept all the help you can get.

Everything will pass

There are times when you face more challenges than usual; your baby might have a growth spurt, you may be very busy with work or there could be weeks without you getting a full night of sleep. It does feel overwhelming and you don’t know when you will have your life back.

Here’s the good news: it will all pass. In a few months you will be in a completely different stage of your life and you will completely forget about these negative emotions. It gets better and better!

The only opinion that matters is your own

We know how many advices you get when you are a parent. There are people telling you how to put them to sleep, how to feed them, what medicine to use or not and a million of other things. The majority of these opinions come from a good place, but this does not mean that you have to follow them if they don’t feel right.

You know what’s best for your child and what matches your expectations and goals. Trust your instincts!

Easy And Healthy Family Dinner Ideas

Family dinners tend to be challenging when children are involved. They tend to have strict preferences compared to adults, and you have to keep your meals interesting, delicious and healthy at the same time. Since you don’t always have time to cook something separate for every generation, here are some ideas that will save you some time and effort!

Vegetables Pasta with ground Chicken

Why vegetables pasta, you may ask? It’s simple: they are naturally colorful and bright and they can easily find a place on your child’s list of favorite foods. Besides, they will get some vitamins and minerals without having to convince them to eat their veggies.

Even those children who don’t particularly like meat easily accept ground chicken; it blends really well with the pasta and it is easier to cook, since you don’t have to spend time cutting it.

Bread Pizza

Your children are in the mood for Pizza, but you don’t want to order or spend too much time making the dough? Use whole grain bread!

It’s quick and easy; use toasted slices of bread and add the toppings you would add on their favorite pizza. Place them in the oven for 10 minutes (or a bit more, depending on the topping) and serve with fresh tomato sauce. Your entire family will love it!

Crunchy baked potatoes

I don’t know many children who don’t love potatoes. Cut your potatoes into finger-sized pieces, boil them until tender (but still a bit hard inside) then place them on a baking tray. Smash them with a cup, sprinkle some grated parmesan, olive oil and spices and put them in the oven for 30 minutes. They are quick, healthy, crunchy and delicious. You can also make a healthy dipping sauce to serve together or you can use them as a side dish for your protein.

Chicken Schnitzel on a Stick

First of all, make sure you use sticks that are appropriate for your child’s age; there are special ones that don’t have a sharp end.

This meal requires 30 minutes or less of preparation, it is healthy and fulfilling and it will be very fun for your children to eat their food from a stick. If you want to take it a step further, you can add some veggies on top, as they might be more willing to eat roasted vegetables instead of fresh ones.

Tips For Travelling With Kids

Travelling is supposed to be relaxing, and a good opportunity to connect with your family and forget about your daily problems. On the other hand, when kids are involved, the entire thing can prove to be a bit more stressful. It definitely requires more preparation, but nothing that can’t be handled with some useful tricks.

Leave when your child is well rested

If you can choose the time when you leave for your trip, try to avoid the times when your child should be sleeping. Many people believe that to leave during night or during sleeping times is easier, but in reality, many children will not sleep in the car or airplane. This means you will have a fussy, tired and hyper-stimulated child to handle, which is not fun for any of you.

When your child is well rested, they can find something interesting to do during travel and they will not have tantrum from exhaustion.

Bring some new entertainment

Of course, it is important to bring their favorite toy, but you should also think about some new ones. This will keep them busy for a while and it will give you all the chance to do something fun together, like reading a new story or playing a car game.

Even with new games and entertaining stories, they might get fussy after a while, which brings us to the next tip.

Take breaks as often as you can

This is important to keep in mind, especially if a road trip is included in your vacation. Adults tolerate boredom in a better way compared to children, but you can’t expect the little one to stay still for hours and hours. Take a break every couple of hours and make sure that they take a few steps around.

Also, let them know in advance how much time is left until the next stop (adapted to their language, of course).

Don’t rely on treats and snacks

When you travel, it’s easier to rely on foods that are not necessarily healthy. While it may be convenient for you, it can be an issue for your child. It will not keep them satisfied and the last thing you want is to have a bored child with a sugar load. When possible, bring healthy alternatives from home; cookies that you baked yourself, mess-free fruits, lemonade or natural juice instead of soda.

At Home Job Ideas For Moms

Stay-at-home mothers perform dozens of jobs at the same time: they are teachers, nurses, chefs, professional cleaners, therapists, gardeners, drivers and so on. Even so, these jobs don’t come with a paycheck, so a real job might be necessary. Here are some ideas of at-home-jobs that will allow you to work and take care of your family at the same time.

Freelancing

Many mothers choose to work as Freelancers, because it allows them to choose when, how and how much they work. There are many skills on demand from design to writing, translations or data entry. As long as you have basic computer skills, you have a great chance to get your first freelancing project without too much effort. Who knows, maybe it will turn into a long-time career!

Hand-made creations

You feel like you are talented and you could actually make money off what you make, no matter if we talk about raisin earrings or braided bracelets? Then it’s worth giving it a try! E-commerce is now more popular than ever, and you can easily find a platform where you can sell what you make. Besides, you can choose how much time you want to dedicate to your gig and you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your home.

Online promotions

Many brands offer per sale commissions. This means that you promote their products, you send them customers through affiliated links and you get a small part of every sale. The more time you dedicate to this, the more money you can make. This type of job is a match for you if you have many online friends that you can advertise the products too, or if you have many friends or family members who are willing to try your recommendations.

Virtual assistant

Virtual assistants are more and more popular in the last few years. Many business people need someone who can tackle their to-do list. Most of these things only require a computer and/or a mobile phone, and you can easily squeeze them into your schedule in the evenings, or when your children are in daycare.

Make sure you are very clear with your client from the beginning. They need to know how many hours per day you can dedicate to this project and that sometimes, emergencies may occur and you may need to handle them. Most of the time they just want the job done and they give you complete freedom regarding your working hours.

How To Get Your Finances In Order

Personal Finances are a challenge for many people. We are educated to believe that we need to make as much money as possible and that we need to buy things to keep ourselves happy. However, we have very little information on how to budget our money, how to save them and how to turn them into a safety net. This is what you have to do to get your finances in order!

Know your debt

In a world where credit cards are widely available and common, the majority of the people have some kind of debt. Student loans, credit cards, mortgage, car payments, all these can add up to incredible amounts. When you don’t know exactly how much you owe, it is easy to neglect paying them back.

The first thing you need to do is to write down all your debt and understand how much interest you pay for every single loan. Once you have this figured out, you can move on to the next step.

Make payment plans

Even if the interest seems small, it adds up, especially on big amounts and over the years. Even if you can’t afford to pay all your loans in a few years, make sure you have a stable (and realistic) payment plan. When possible, pay more than the due monthly amount.

A simple trick that you can apply is to save your loose change for the entire month then deposit it towards your loans at the end of the month. It may not seem like much, but it makes a huge difference in the end.

Have a budget for everything

And by this, I mean every single thing. When you get your paycheck, sit down with a calculator and plan your budget. Put money aside for groceries, for gas, for clothing, for fun times, home improvement and whatever else is needed.

When you spend money from a smaller budget, you tend to be more careful towards your spending. Plus, you will know exactly how much money you can spare.

Helpful tip: save first. Put the designated amount in your savings account at the beginning of the month, not at the end, so you don’t get tempted to spend them.

Apply a “stand-by” rule for big expenses

It is much easier if you implement this rule for all members of your household. Whenever you want to buy something that is more expensive (you can set the amount depending on your income), you have to keep it in “stand-by” for 10 days. If you still feel the need to buy it after 10 days, go ahead.

Fun Home DIY Projects

For a parent, it is very important to know how to stimulate the imagination of your children. The more you teach them how to create things by themselves and how to come up with solutions for small problems, the more confident they will become. If you have to spend some time indoors but you still want to have fun, here are some DIY projects that you can do together!

DIY Kinetic Sand

You definitely saw many fun videos of Kinetic Sand, but it is not widely available or maybe it is not the best time to visit the store. Well, you only need regular sand, corn starch, dish soap and food coloring (optional) to create your own. For every cup of regular sand, add ½ cups of cornstarch, a tablespoon of soap, a few tablespoons of water and food coloring. Mix them all together and enjoy!

Pasta crafts

We all have some old pasta left in the back of the cupboard that we will probably end up throwing. The good news is that you can use it to entertain your child instead! You can color it with pencils, you can apply liquid paint, you can use it to make necklaces (you should boil it for 3 minutes for this) or you can glue some of them together and make colorful flowers. The possibilities are endless, and it costs virtually nothing!

3 Ingredients Playdough

Playdough is a great way to keep your child entertained for hours. Instead of buying the store version (which can be toxic, especially for small children who taste on everything and anything) you can make your own. Bonus: it is much easier to clean the DIY version from the carpets.

You need ½ cup of cornstarch, 1 cup of baking soda, ¾ cups of water and food coloring or essential oils (optional). Mix them all in a saucepan and place it on low fire, while mixing continuously. After a few minutes, it will start to thicken. When it reaches the desired consistency, place it on a cool surface and allow it to cool down. That is all! You can make as much as you want in any color you want!

Sensory boards

This is a great activity for younger children. On a thick cardboard, apply various items that seem usually interesting for your child. Zippers, faucets, handles and hinges, door locks, chains, LED lights, lids, create small doors that open and close, pieces of materials that feel different (fur, artificial grass, wool) and allow them to explore and learn new skills. You will be surprised how interested they are in ordinary things!