Lifestyle

Money is tough for everyone, but there are things you can do. If you find yourself struggling to pay off holidays and Christmas, you could probably use a budgeting app that can help you save and allocate money. There is never a better time to start saving than now. Don’t be a slave to debt anymore, find out what you need to do to better save and take care of your finances without stress or inconvenience. Below are a few options you have to begin saving in a fun, dynamic way.

Free Apps for Saving

There are more options to help you save money than you likely realize. Most are approved by the FCA and regulated by open banking providers. Open banking began in 2018 as a way to enable third parties and access financial information in a secure way. These platforms are encrypted and safe. Only current data is included in open banking right now, you may need to share information about credit cards or your mortgage to interact with those details.

Oval Money

The Oval Money app allows you to monitor your spending while setting up steps, rules, and parameters for yourself. You can add rules based on your habits. For example you may pay into your savings when you go for a run, post on Facebook, or buy coffee. You can also set up a weekly deposit into your savings account. Savings on Oval are held in a segregated account at Barclays.

You should keep in mind that the Financial Services Compensation Scheme protects deposits up to £85,000 per provider. There is also the option to invest through the app, and it will not put your capital at risk. Finally, Oval Coach sets savings missions to improve your habits. The more missions you complete, the harder they become.

Money Dashboard

Money Dashboard is available on Android, iOS, and on the Web. This dashboard allows you to see your accounts in one place, including checking accounts, savings accounts, and credit cards. With all of your income and spending automatically categorised, you can see where your money is spent. You can set targets for each category, which is handy when you need an incentive to cut down on extraneous costs like eating out.

This free app is great because it also gives you the option to look into the future. The app predicts your income, expenditures, and balances. Looking to save money for Christmas? Seeing four months in advance can show you how much you need to start saving ahead of time. Money Dashboard is support by 70 UK banks.

Yolt

According to MoneyPug, a site commonly used for budget tactics and to find payday loans, Yolt is also free and available on the same operating systems as Money Dashboard, but it only supports 35 banks and financial institutions. The app puts all of your accounts, cards, and pension investments in a single place, and you spending is split up into categories. This way, you can see where your money is going, aided by a three-month spending history chart. Debits are highlighted so you can avoid surprises. You can also set and track spending limits for each category. You will also be able to monitor renewal dates for bills and subscriptions.

Cleo

The same basics of Yolt and Money Dashboard apply to Cleo, but unlike the other apps, Cleo works through Facebook Messenger. Ask it if you can afford a night out and you will receive insight into your spending. The free app sends notifications, quizzes, and challenges to keep you updated and engaged.

Bean

While subscription is king right now, Bean allows you to track and stay in control of your regular payments. Connect your bank and credit accounts, use the dashboard to find recurring payments, and sort cancellations of things you don’t need to pay for. The apps also provides a comparison and switching service to find a better deal. Bean will notify you if your bills are going up and makes sure you’re not paying more than you need to.

Whatever app you choose, there are plenty of options to help you save money and spend wisely. Take a look at these options today and begin budgeting the right way.

 

 

People live a little differently here in Washington, DC. If someone were to visit DC from a small town in the middle of the country, they’d likely be shocked by the pace of life here. Visitors would also be likely to notice that DC residents work very, very hard; even when they’re technically off the clock, you’ll catch DC denizens firing off emails or cutting deals over dinner. All of this stuff leaves very little time for eating well, so DC residents tend to consume a lot of take-out and restaurant food.

And then there’s the booze; oh, boy, the booze. From government leaders to financiers and from college students to wealthy men and women of leisure, Washington, DC is packed to the gills with folks who like to throw back a cocktail or seven. Studies paint a grim portrait of DC drinking culture; ours is the hardest-drinking city in the country, and one of the booziest cities on planet Earth.

As you go about your daily life in the DMV, you may not realize how exceptional some of these things are. After all, these are the things that everyone here seems to be doing. You need to be careful, because a typical DC lifestyle is not a very healthy lifestyle at all.

Taking stock of your DC lifestyle

Not everyone in DC works long hours, consumes massive quantities of booze, and gorges themselves on take-out. Many of us do, though, and it’s up to us to notice these bad habits and correct them.

Take stock of how you’re living your life. A food and exercise journal can help you keep track of the facts, and so can a daily schedule. Look at how you’re spending your time and your money, and consider what you’re putting into your body and what you’re expecting to get out of it. Are you driving yourself too hard?

Make a list of the things about your DC lifestyle that could be hurting your physical and mental health. Then, resolve to do something to improve each of the things on it.

Making changes and improving your lifestyle

You’ll probably always work hard in DC, and you may never completely banish stress and anxiety. But this doesn’t mean that you can’t make meaningful changes to the way you live. By altering habits and building new healthy lifestyle norms, you could quite literally add years to your life.

To make real changes, though, you’ll have to do two things: Choose sustainable changes and focus on habits. Diets and exercise plans tend to fail in part because those who create them are so bent on making massive changes. Massive changes require massive willpower to implement, and they often end up being short-term solutions. Even if you manage to crash diet your way down to your ideal weight (and you shouldn’t do that, because it’s not healthy), studies show that you’re likely to gain it all back quickly. Why? Because a crash diet doesn’t change the way you eat when you’re not dieting.

So focus on your habits: When do you eat poorly, and why? Break habits loops or, better yet, replace the “reward” with something healthier. Choose moderate changes and keep enjoying a filling diet even as you make it a healthier one.

You should also get some help. There are plenty of therapists in DC who can help you make meaningful changes to your lifestyle that will improve your mood and thought patterns. Therapy has the potential to reshape the way that you respond to stress and negative thoughts, and it can help virtually anyone build a healthier mind and craft a healthier lifestyle.

You won’t change overnight, of course. But you don’t have to let DC’s stresses and unhealthy norms hurt your body and mind. Team up with mental health care professionals, adopt better habits, and get more out of life.

To read more on topics like this, check out the lifestyle category.

Keeping yourself rooted in good mental and physical health is key at whatever age. It can be true that while you get older it can be harder to maintain exerting yourself physically. One of the most surprising is the age at which one of the most common leg issues can impact you. Varicose veins. From young men who spend all day at their desks working, or even those that spend too much sculpting their leg muscles. As with many issues in life it is about balance.

How do Varicose Veins Form?

Your body has a network of veins that spreads through all of your limbs, carrying blood between your extremities and your heart. The veins in your pelvis, legs, and feet have a harder job ahead of them, as they have to push the blood against gravity. To do this, the veins have small valves inside them. These valves help to stop the blood only flowing downwards, and push the blood back towards the heart instead. When these valves are put under too much pressure or are overworked, they can stop working effectively and can fail. If this happens, blood begins to pool in the vein because it isn’t being pumped back up properly.

Blood pooling in the veins can lead to many complications, and rapidly becomes painful. The vein begins to swell and twist, as the blood causes the walls of the vein to distort. Often you can see this kind of bulging vein through the skin of the leg. Sometimes blood can also leak into the tissue around the vein, and this may appear to be bruised skin or an ulcer. In some cases this will also cause the skin to dry out and flake, and can become venous eczema. The biggest risk is that a blood clot (deep vein thrombosis) will develop, which can cause a stroke or death. Varicose veins may look like a cosmetic issue, but they should be taken seriously.

There are a number of different treatment options for varicose veins, but most of them fall broadly into heat-based or chemical-based treatments. Generally these are outpatient surgeries, that take place using local anaesthetic. Having varicose vein surgery doesn’t need to be a big deal, and in many cases you will recover quickly within only a few weeks. This outpatient surgery is quick and easy, but there are a few steps that you should take to make sure your recovery goes as smoothly as possible

Tips for Recovery

Your varicose vein treatment and recovery can be simple and uncomplicated, but make sure you follow some precautions.

The main thing that you should do in the first few days after surgery is rest. Your leg and the incision site will feel stiff and sore for a week or two after the surgery, so you should make sure to take it easy during this period. Keep your legs elevated for the first few days, and don’t do anything strenuous. There will also be bruising at first, which will fade after a couple of weeks as well. You can use arnica for bruising and pain relief,

The exact length of time that you will need to rest for will depend on how many veins you had treated, and exactly where the veins were located.

It’s extremely important that you don’t take any long-haul flights for at least four weeks after your varicose vein surgery. Long-haul flights can contribute to blood clots in the legs due to the pressure changes in the cabin and the long periods of sitting down without moving your legs. If you have just had surgery, these kind of flights can slow down your recovery. If you need to take short flights, this is okay after one week has passed since your surgery.

Another option for helping to speed up your recovery is to wear compression stockings. Generally, you should wear compression stockings for the first two to four weeks after your surgery, as these will help to reduce the pain and bruising from the surgery.

Your surgeon and medical team will also give you painkillers to manage the pain after surgery. Make sure that you take these as prescribed and for as long as your surgeon suggests that you do.

Recovering from varicose vein surgery shouldn’t be too complicated or painful, but you do need to take some steps and precautions for reducing any possible pain that you might experience. Make sure that you take care not to overexert yourself and don’t take any risks when it comes to flying. New treatments keep being developed, and with any luck recovery will also become more simple as treatments improve.

 

You may not have ever heard of Akio Kashiwagi but he was an extremely wealthy real estate tycoon from Tokyo who once claimed to have an annual income of $100 million on top of over $1 billion in assets. Well, casino operators were quite familiar with him. Casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City knew him well because of his outrageous gambling habit. It was not unusual for Kashiwagi to walk into a place like the Trump Taj Mahal and play baccarat for $200,000 per hand. In theMartin Scorsese film Casinothe character of Japanese high roller K.K. Ichikawa was based on Kashiwagi and those who saw the movie will have a good idea of the VIP treatment he received. Would a whale like Akio Kashiwagi have frequented the casinos that he did if those casinos didn’t offer him all the perks and privileges like private jets, the most luxurious suites, and all of those free bath towels? Probably not.

Casino operators have always pulled out all the stops when it comes attracting high rollers and it is the same at online casinos. Most high rollers might not be on the same level as the aforementioned Akio Kashiwagi but they still have a lot more money to play with than the average Joe. Even though high rollers can place single bets of £10,000, £100,000 or even more on a hand of online baccarat without thinking twice doesn’t mean that most of them aren’t looking for all the added value they can get. They are. This is why so many online casinos offer such valuable rewards to people who regularly play for higher stakes. The online casinos are constantly trying to outdo each other in this very competitive industry. High rollers want bigger bonuses, frequent promotions, and the best loyalty rewards programs available.

There are plenty of reputable online casinos for high rollers. These high roller online casinos offer bigger and better bonuses and promotions along with higher limits on deposits, withdrawals, and stakes. They offer rewards programs that feature perks like cashback, faster payouts, and prizes such as comped first-class trips to exotic locations or popular events like Wimbledon and the World Cup. 888Casino’s VIP Casino Club is one of the top loyalty rewards programs for high rollers. Players reach the top tier when they become VIP Platinum members. The estimated £5 million in wagers that is needed to earn the required 750,000 comp points might be out of reach to a lot of customers but high rollers can easily achieve this and, once they do, they are eligible for a whole bunch of extras. Hefty weekly, monthly, and yearly cash rewards, jewelry, high-tech gadgets, free trips, and plenty of exclusive events are just the beginning. VIP Platinum members also get their own account manager, exclusive support staff, and a higher comp point conversion rate among other things. That 100% up to £1,500 first deposit match bonus is just a drop in the bucket when you are a high roller at 888casino.

Those who live the fabulous high roller lifestyle at Mr Green Casino can look forward to being invited into the prestigious Club Royale where they are treated like royalty. Club Royale members no longer pay any transaction fees and their withdrawals are instant. Members can increase their deposit limits and wagering requirements on exclusive bonuses and promotions are drastically lowered. Club Royale members can enjoy members-only events and they can win comped VIP trips to locations and events all over the world. Concierge services that are tailored to the high roller’s desires and a personal accounts manager is at their beck and call around the clock. Add in the regular bonuses like Mr Green’s welcome bonus and their REEL Bonus Spin Fossils through which customers can collect over 1,000 free spins and you have an online casino experience that is far beyond most others.

It isn’t just online casinos that give preferential treatment and amazing extras to high rollers. There are several online bookmakers that also have fantastic VIP programs that cater to the more affluent sports bettor. Ladbrokes is one the most recognizable and trusted brands in online betting and one of the things that keeps their customers happy is their VIP Program. Unlike many other sites that offer casino games and sports betting, Ladbrokes’ VIP Program allows members to earn points when they play at the casino and when they bet at the sportsbook. In fact, points are earned at a faster rate by wagering on sports. Every £10 worth of single bets earns 2.5 points while every £10 wagered on accumulators earns 3 points. It won’t take a high roller all that long before they get invited into the exclusive Platinum VIP club where they will be treated to exclusive promotions, hospitality prize draws, VIP events, their own account management team, and enhanced point redemption.

If you enjoy playing at online casinos or betting with internet bookies and you want to be treated like a high roller should be treated then you certainly have a lot of options. Online betting sites are doing all they can to get you to place your bets with them and you might be surprised at the lengths they will go to. Higher limits, priority customer service, instant withdrawals, and plenty of cash and prizes are just some of the things that are waiting for high rollers at the best online casinos.

To read more on topics like this, check out the lifestyle category.

Salt glazing is an old technique in pottery that is becoming a new craze for collectors. It originated in the Rhineland region of Germany between the 13^th and 14^th centuries but has evolved and developed greatly, making it unique and unpredictable pottery. Collectors love the beautiful results of salt glazing. As stoneware pottery, it is more difficult to find, making it more appealing to hobbyists.

What is salt glazing?

Salt glazing uses a unique method of applying the glaze. Instead of applying a coat of glazing minerals before firing, potters completely cover pots in sodium vapours and fire. The salt is added to the kiln at 200 degrees and releases sodium that acts as a flux of silica. The vapours then melt the surface; that is why it is also called vapour glazing. The discovery of this process came from the use of salt soaked wood from barrels that contained brined food.

The salt creates vapours that react with clay at a very high temperature, or with the silica, and produces sodium silicate. The latter is liquid glass, so it naturally glazes the pot with the clay’s properties. Classic pots made using this method have a distinct orange peel look, but potters would later realise that adding salt when firing can create various effects.

As an alternative to salt glazing, soda glazing was developed as it is less toxic. The technique is the same, and both salt and soda create sodium vapour. Soda produces sodium carbonate, which has no chloride.

How is it done?

Wares should first be bisque fired before salt glazing. Salt is thrown carefully into the kiln’s firebox with a steel angle at a temperature of about 1300 degree Celsius. It should vaporize before hitting the floor. Some potters add sodium carbonate to water and spray it. To achieve the orange peel look, add a pound of salt for every cubic foot of kiln. When the vapours start to form, they will start dropping on the pot. Those drops identify salt glazing. Most potters use separate kilns for salt glazing because residue can build up inside, which may have an effect on other firings.

Beauty

Salt glazing achieves texture, surface and colour quality that no other process can. Each is unique, which is challenging yet remarkable in a market of uniformity and mass production. Firings can affect any slip or underglaze on pots and result in interesting, varied outcomes. No doubt, this technique adds brilliant texture from building up the layers to the marking of salt vapours. No wonder famous potters such as Bernard Leach embraced it. His works are displayed in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.

Salt glazing is a difficult, yet addictive process, as potters would put it. Today, it is practised by a dedicated few. It involves science, as you have to put salt at the right temperature. As an art, it takes a great deal of skill to throw salt. Beginners may take two years to learn it. In the UK, there is only one company licensed to produce salt glazed pottery.

Image: https://pixabay.com/photos/ceramic-clay-container-crock-2138/

If you have any comments to make about this informative article, feel free to leave them below or contact us at Lifestyle Links to share your thoughts!

The notion that we carry of a wedding is either of the wedding attire of the bride and bridegroom or it is the decoration of the wedding. However, the reality is quite different. Many guests attend any marriage only for the food, desserts, and of course, the cake! If you are thinking of getting an idea of your wedding cake from a social media site, then let me tell you, it ain’t a painless job. Did you know that Instagram alone accounts for more than 6000 wedding cake images? Now, would you consider selecting your wedding cake amongst 6000 cakes? So, the one-stop solution to this problem is availing online portal services providing cakes suitable for every occasion. All are required to do is order a wedding cake online, and there you are, done with one of the biggest responsibilities.

You just have to take care of one thing, i.e., just keep the trends and fashion you want for your wedding cake handy. This will help you in getting a clear picture of the type of wedding cake you would finalize. Let’s take you to some trending wedding cakes doing rounds in 2019-2020.

White On White:

A white cake never gets out of fashion. It adds elegance and classiness to any wedding. Moreover, the new features that were added in 2019-2020 are the white decorations that add charm to the cake. Be it edible beats, lace, or piped embroidery, these elements give the cake an extraordinary appearance.

Metallic Cake:

Metallic touch is lit. Be it makeup, decoration or even your wedding cake. The highlights of this metallic forte of the cake are that it gives more of vintage glam, stylized, and art deco feels. Touches of sparkles, edible glitter, luster stencil, gold or silver foil are the decorative elements that make metallic look classy ever than before. Thus, it is quite understood, why these cakes in demand are in the present-day-scenario.

Painted Cakes:

What could be better than oh-so visually incredible wedding cakes? The Monet inspired wedding cakes, the marbelized cakes, and even the stained painted glass cakes are the trending desirable wedding cakes that have been crashing many elite weddings in 2019 already. The best part about these cakes is that these cakes are easy to achieve. How? See, you just need to paint the white marble cake with edible icing colors. Also, you can order cake online to surprise your soon to be the wife and make her fell in love with you even more.

Florals:
I am personally very much in love with this cake. Not just because unbelievably beautiful, but also, they also stand tall on the matter of the taste. The floral pattern is anyway winning the game in every field. Be it the decoration or be it the wedding cake, everybody is going after the floral pattern. Keeping the base simple will consequently give the cake a more classy appearance. For say, pistachio green, white, or peach colors are the most trending colors these days.

Lace Inspired Cakes:

This classic cake has made its appearance in the market with a bang. 2019n is the year for lace-inspired wedding cakes. This delicate French laced cake gives a romantic and fairy-tale outlook on your wedding cake. An amazing fact about this cake is that you can match the lace of this cake with your wedding gown and own your wedding like a boss.

Ombre:
Ombre cake design for wedding cakes is an artful thought. Turn your wedding cake into savage from sophisticated conventional cakes. An ivory ombre is the perfect choice to give your wedding cake a more classic look. This way, your wedding cake will be both, subtle and mind-shattering.

Weddings cakes play a vital role in any wedding. Hence, getting a beautiful cake for your wedding can become a mind-wrenching task. So, Winni brings you a huge collection of wedding cakes that are trending in 2019-2020. Order midnight cake online and get relaxed for your D-day.

 

When it comes to protecting your precious passengers nothing is more needed then the right car seat to fit your growing child. It is even more of a consideration when your child has special needs that need to be met for safe transport and care. Every state has its own rules and regulations for child safety that need to be addressed. It is also paramount that your baby and growing toddler also meet federal regulations for the age of the car seat and how it is placed in your car.

We reviewed the best six car seats for special needs children below:

Our Top Pick: Spirit APS Car Seat – Standard.

This car seat offers the traditional safety options and comes with added support and particular needs of the special needs children. It is designed to grow with the child from a weight range of 25 lbs to 130 lbs which max out around 5’6” in height.

Pros:

• Swing away hip and truck support pads make it easy for parent or caregivers to move the child and adjust when necessary.
• Made of water-resistant materials and is designed to make stains/damage easy to remove especially with bladder/bowel discharge.
• A Buckle Guard is added to prevent the child or young adult from removing the harness.
• A bolt-in hardware kit comes with the car seat to secure it to the vehicle and to make adjustments as needed.
• 3” extender thrust wedge comes out of the seat so the child can be reclined when necessary.

Cons:

• The seat is difficult to adjust once they are installed.
• The Buckle guard can stick when trying to unlatch the child.

Our Second Pick: Carrot 3 Child Restraint.

The Carrot 3 child restraint system is highly rated for children with autism spectrum disorder for children with severe behavioral issues. The way the car seat is designed, it holds even the most extreme mover and keeps them safe and secure in their seat.

Pros:

• High-density foam inserts to position the child correctly.
• Is designed for children 30 to 108 lbs (37” to 60”)
• It comes with a “Free Angle” Recline feature that allows 180° for easy diaper changes and conforms to the car seat for child comfort during those times.
• It comes with LATCH, a secure anchoring system, which is equipped with Low anchors and tethers for the seat to be strapped to the built-in car seats.

Cons:

• Difficult to move between vehicles.

Our Third Pick: Columbia 2000 Therapedic Integrated Positioning Car Seat.

This is a lightweight seat that is designed to be narrower and accommodate a child with mild positioning needs. It has a retainer clip guard to prevent chest piece disengagement during collisions or violent movements. This car seat has been crash-tested for safety by the Federal Moving Vehicle Safety Standards board and comes highly rated by a parent for children who do not have severe body control problems.

Pros:

• Crash tested to FMVSS #213 standards which sets standards for child safety.
• Certified for use in an aircraft for the traveling parent.
• Multi-positioning options are available.
• It comes with a 5 point harness to keep the child safe.
• It has a soft-padded headwinds.
• It comes with Dual hook tether straps to prevent the car seat from moving.
• It has memory foam padding to reduce sores and fatigue on the child.

Cons:

• It does not adapt well with a growing child even with 2” and 5” extenders.
• It does not work for children over 100 lbs.

Our 4th Pick: Pilot Special Needs Booster Seat.

The Pilot is a pediatric special needs high-backed booster seat designed to grow with the child. It has a built-in positioning vest to support their torso and leg guards for positioning as well as lateral trunk pads to make it a snug fit.

Pros:

• It fits a child up to 120 lbs.
• It has two positions for the child to ride in.
• It comes with adjustable height pads.

Cons:

• It is hard for a child to move around normally.

Our 5th Pick: Spirit Plus Adjustable Positioning System Car Seat.

The Spirit Plus adjustable car seat is a special needs system that has a swing-away trunk and hip supports that are usually only found on complex wheelchairs. This system not only secures the child to the seat but also allows for easy adjustments and easy removal of the child from the seat.

Pros:

• Is a unit for children 25 to 130 lbs (66 inches in height).
• It can recline to 30° from the standard upright position.
• Comes with a machine-washable padded cover for easy care.
• It has a 5 point harness to keep your child secure.
• Latex and silicone-free.

Cons:

• It does not recline fully for easy diaper changes.

Our Final Pick: Tumble Forms 2 Carrie Seat System w/Tray & Footrests (available in sizes preschool through small adult).

The Tumble Forms 2 Carrier Seat System is a multi-functional car seat. It is designed to support your child while providing a footrest, a neck stabilizer, and a tray for eating. It is more than a car seat as it can be used in your own home as well.

Pros:

• It comes with a fold-out table for eating and activities.
• The entire seat can tilt back 45° for easy childcare.
• The tray has a quick-release mechanism for easy removal and cleaning.
• The neck supports are adjustable.

Cons:

• While this seat can be used in a car and in a house, it functions better as a house feature.
• It does not provide enough support.
• This unit does not grow well with the child.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that every car seat be chosen for the size of the child that is to be riding in it and that it is installed correctly. There are four types of car seats your child will progress through:

Basics of Car Seat Safety:

• Rear-facing: Birth until around 12 months of age
  • • Infant-only seats can only be used as rear-facing seats.
    • Convertible seats usually have higher height and weight limits in rear-facing mode.
• Forward-facing
  • • 1-3 years

It’s best to keep your child in this type of car seat for as long as you can.

Once your child exceeds the weight and height restrictions then it is time to get the next size up in car seats.

• • • 4-7 years

This larger car seat is designed to be buckled into the seat like a normal car seat. Keep them in this seat until they exceed the height and weight restrictions for it.

• Booster seat
  • • 8-12 years

Until your child exceeds the height and weight restrictions for the booster. The seatbelt should be able to fit snugly across their chest and not restrict the airway of the child. It should keep them as safe as possible.

• Seat belt seats
  • • 12+ years
      • Once your child has reached this age they should be big enough and fit the adult-sized car seats securely, though follow the height and weight regulations on the booster and your child’s own growth because that will determine their readiness for the adult seats.

In Conclusion:

The rear-facing car seats are the safest for all children until they meet weight and height restrictions, especially for children with special needs. For children with certain physical disabilities and poor motor control, the need for additional straps and braces is greater, which means a more custom car seat.

Car seats for special needs children are not as prevalent and tend to be more expensive. Choosing the right car seat is difficult for most new parents, but when you have to have it customized to fit the special needs of your child as they grow, it becomes even more complex and difficult.

A lot of the cheaper car seats are adjustable, but they do not provide the extra straps and support for a child who has difficulty controlling their movements. Car seats should be selected based on how the child’s disability will progress over time. For additional information see https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats for regulations on car seats for special needs children. Be sure to look at the rules and regulations for your own state as well because each state has its own regulations to follow.

 

Keren Simanova is a busy mommy by day and a passionate writer by night. While spending countless hours researching car seats for her children, she created an educational car seat blog, CarSeatsMom.com to educate other mothers about the importance of car seats. Further, along the way, the blog became an invaluable source for research of a variety of car seat brands, unique features, and mommies’ reviews.

Crime’s an inevitability in any city, but it doesn’t have to be something you just sit and wait around for. There are numerous ways to ensure your property is safe from potential thieves, some using technology or tools and other methods just relying on common sense and logic to ensure security.

Here are a few ways you can ensure you’re never leaving your belongings vulnerable to theft.

Lock up your belongings

Locking up your belongings, like locking your front door or car, is common sense. According to statistics, 30 percent of burglaries occur because of an unlocked door or window. However, many burglaries happen when people are out at work during the day and are done by those who live near the home or apartment.

Though we all want to trust our neighbors, they are often the most likely perpetrators of the crimes. Always be sure to lock up your valuables to ensure that no one else can easily access them while you’re away.

Use background checks

If you are ever having work done on your home, apartment, car or personal property, you can use free background checks to ensure that the individuals you’re hiring are safe and trusted professionals.

Some of these background checks aren’t free, so don’t feel like you need to shell out too much for a background check. But overall, this is a good way to discover if someone’s had any run-ins with the law.

If a background comes back clean but you’re still wary of hiring someone to spruce up your kitchen, check online reviews. Someone could be sketchy, but they may have evaded the law. Someone’s online reviews will be very telling if the professional is malicious (or even just hard to work with).

Checking online reviews is a great way for you to double check that you can trust the person you’ll be letting into your home.

Set up cameras

Another way you can ensure the safety of your belongings is by installing cameras and other electronic security measures to ensure your home’s safety. Most criminals can burgle a home in around 10 minutes, so use a motion sensing camera to catch the individual in the act. There are even applications that can sync your home camera with the cloud, in order to send you quick photo updates from the camera, so check ibi reviews to see if that’s feasible for you.

Zip up your bags, don’t use pockets

A smart way to avoid being pick-pocketed is to use bags with zippers instead of buttons or clasps in order to hold your valuables and to forego the use of a pocket unless it also zips up. This is because it’s much easier to slyly pick something out of someone’s bag or pocket if it already has a small opening.

Zippers require more work to open and could notify the theft victim quicker. You can also practice keeping the zipper as close to your front as possible to ensure visibility of the zipper at all times.

Don’t leave things out

Finally, to best protect your belongings from being burgled, you should not leave them out in the open unattended. If you’re at a coffee shop, for example, then don’t leave your purse and laptop sitting at the table while you run to the restroom.

If you’re at the bar, don’t leave your phone next to your drink while you shoot darts. Leaving your valuables unattended is the easiest way a thief could quickly snatch it while your back is turned.

 

A home is a place where all needs can be met to achieve a comfortable life. When one house feature becomes dysfunctional, the way of living is also affected. That is why it is essential to regularly check everything to identify what needs repair or replacement.

Although there are home repairs that are easy to handle, some need a professional hand to ensure the safety and efficiency of the parts being repaired to avoid further damages or losses. The help of an expert is required, especially if there is an urgency to make such repairs like broken water pipes or damaged doors. A professional not only does repairs, but they can also identify the real problem and provide solutions that ordinary people cannot do unless they are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge like what experts possess. Leaving some house repairs to the professionals can save time and resources as well as eliminate the worries of possible consequences if such repairs are left undone.

Electrical wiring and connections

Faulty electrical wiring and loose connections pose not only a danger to the structure but also the lives of its occupants. Many home fires are caused by improper installation, poor maintenance, substandard electrical appliances, and irresponsible usage of electricity, and this occurrence may be prevented if specific measures are applied. Licensed electricians can give concrete advice and solutions for this problem since they are specialised in the electrical wiring of buildings, transmission lines, and other electrical infrastructures. Having them work on the defective or damaged electrical connections can save the house and its dwellers from potential danger.

Unclogging plumbing

When leaks and clogs are experienced at home, then there is a problem with the plumbing that only professional plumbers can resolve. The pipes, regulators and drains are essential for efficient water delivery and waste removal when using the sink, the toilet, and the shower areas.

Professional plumbers not only fix sink and toilet plumbing problems, but their work also ensures that the house is protected from water and plumbing related accidents like a pipe bursting. Their expertise in plumbing systems can provide diagnosis and inspection services as they always come with the necessary tools to quickly fix plumbing issues right then and there.

Gas appliance servicing

Another risky household problem that needs expert handling is the leakage and malfunctioning of gas appliances. Gas engineers are the usual professionals that attend to this matter since they are specialised in the repair, maintenance and installation of domestic and commercial gas appliances, including boiler repairs. These experts can address various gas safety concerns and assessment of the risks of unsafe gas appliances. They can carry out the cleaning, examining, and the testing of devices to ensure that everything is safe and working well.

Entrusting home repairs and services to experts is the most practical thing to avoid or prevent any untoward incident from happening. Just know who the ones are who can satisfactorily deliver the specific services needed to make your house safe from any harm.

To read more on topics like this, check out the lifestyle category.

Planning a summer party — whether it’s for the school, for the kids, or just for a group of friends — can be a little overwhelming. Not only that, but it’s easy to run out of ideas to make the party fun and exciting.

One of the best ways to keep the party going is by checking into dunk tank rental Long Island options to see if they fit the sort of party you’re hoping to throw. Keeping that in mind, read on below for a few things you need to know about renting a dunk tank for your next bash. 

What is a dunk tank?

A dunk tank is a stand which holds a lot of water that’s used as an attraction at fairs, fundraisers, and parties. The fun of a dunk tank is that you get to throw a ball at a target and if you hit that target, someone sitting on the plank inside that dunk tank will fall and splash into the water. 

Dunk tanks are extremely popular and the perfect way to hype up your next party. It’s been around for years, but proves itself over and over again to be the best part of many events, such as kids’ birthday parties, BBQ’s, fundraisers, and even school events. 

How much does it cost?

How much a dunk tank costs depends on a variety of things. Where you’re renting the tank from, and it’s size, shape, design, etc. all factor into the price. So do your research: as with anything else that you rent for a party, you’re going to get what you pay for.

Make sure to search for the best-quality product at the least expensive price. However, make sure that you never sacrifice the quality of the dunk tank for a cheaper price, because safety is a concern as well.

Safety tips

Even though dunk tanks are super fun, there are a few safety rules that you should follow to ensure your party doesn’t end in an accident or tragedy.  

• Always have an adult present when the dunk tank is in operation
• Never leave water in the dunk tank when it’s not in use
• Always supervise children who are in the dunk tank 
• Never operate a dunk tank during a thunderstorm
• Never kneel or stand on the platform

These are just a few of the biggest safety rules you should follow when using your dunk tank. There are many more, and you need to familiarize yourself with them before you use it for the first time. 

Reasons to rent a dunk tank 

There are quite a few reasons why people rent dunk tanks for their events. If you’ve considered renting one yourself, but you just aren’t sure yet, read on below for a few reasons why it’s a great idea:

It’s a popular summer attraction: Dunk tanks are in high demand as a summer attraction. They’re classic fair games, and anyone passing by will recognize that they can dunk the person sitting inside if their aim is on point. Who doesn’t want to dunk their high school biology teacher or their dad at their 10th birthday party?

It’s a way to beat the heat: In many states, the summer heat can be brutal. This is the perfect way for your dunkees to beat the heat and for your kids to have fun dunking them at the same time.