Is that still something that is said? At all?

Anyways! Hi!

Have you missed me? Honestly, I’ve missed me. And that’s why I’m back over here. It may sound a little depressing, (and let’s face it, it is, but I’m embracing all of me these days and some of me is a little depressing) but I don’t have a lot of people to talk to regularly and get out my thoughts, dreams, musings, weirdness with, and really miss connecting socially with other human beings. I have lovely friends, but all of us are busy and life takes over after a certain age, doesn’t it?

This space will look a little different moving forward, and I don’t just mean the facelift it will get soon. You have probably noticed that this is no longer a geeky mom blog, but just tagged as lifestyle. Because there is more to me than being a mom. Or a fangirl. Or a business owner. This space will be about me, and the little things that make me whole. Every single one of them: the good, the bad, and the weird.

I hope you join this wild ride {again} with me, in this new stage of my life. I like this stage. It feels very authentic + raw + pure in its chaos.

Lots more to come.

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As a Mum, life can often feel like a bit of a juggling act. You are often torn between having to get things such as your work done, spending time with your child and keeping things together around the home. Even when you and your partner share the chores and responsibilities, it can still be a difficult task to get everything done. If you find that you are constantly being stretched in all directions, it can be stressful,but all is not lost. There are a host of different things you can try to balance your time as a Mum and we’ve put together some of the top tips below.

Do a deep clean every other week and just top up throughout the week

Without even realizing, a lot of our time can be spent tidying up the house which could be spent doing different things and having your time better balanced. You do however want the house to be clean, so a good compromise can be to do a deep clean every other week to ensure it’s all tidy, then just doing smaller top up cleans as the week goes on. It might be you find issues and need an exterminator for them, in which case it’s better to get it sorted as soon as possible.

Set aside a regular time to spend time with your child 

Another thing you need to do in order to balance your time as a Mum is to set aside regular time to spend with your child. This could be one afternoon a week or an hour each day where you just purely dedicate your time to your little one. There are many things you could do together in this time, from art and craft, to baking together. Think about something they enjoy and what you can do together. You can find out about anything they’re happy about or concerns such as at school.

Don’t forget to have “me-time” 

Another important thing to do in order to balance your time as a Mum is to ensure you have “me-time”. This is important to keep yourself relaxed and happy and be able to face the daily challenges and tasks that might come your way. This could be something as simple as having a bubble bath and reading a book, going out for a coffee or heading to the gym. All you need to do is make sure it’s something you enjoy and can unwind to.

These are just a few things you can do in order to balance your time as a Mum. It can feel like a challenge but just by doing a few things to become a little more organised, you’ll soon find that it’s a little easier. Remember not to be too hard on yourself – it’s difficult to do everything and you can only try your best! What are some top tips you have for balancing your time as a Mum? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you.

Good health is the foundation of a happy and fulfilling life. It is not something to be taken for granted, as it requires effort on your part to maintain. There are many components that make up overall good health, and while some may think achieving optimal health is an impossible feat, there are, in fact, numerous steps anyone can take toward bettering their well-being. Here are some ways you can do your best to improve your wellness and lead a healthier lifestyle.

Photo by Brianna West

1) Manage Stress Levels

Stress can severely impact both physical and mental health, and it is essential to take steps toward managing stress levels to remain healthy. A few tactics that can help with this include keeping a positive mindset, setting time aside for relaxation activities such as mindfulness or yoga, and seeking support from friends and family. Taking regular breaks throughout the day is also beneficial as it gives individuals an opportunity to breathe and reset, allowing them to approach tasks with clarity of mind.

2) Look After Your Oral Health

Taking care of your oral health is essential for your overall well-being. Good dental hygiene habits, such as regular brushing and flossing, should be ingrained in our daily routines to ensure healthy teeth and gums. In addition to brushing two times a day, it is recommended that you visit your dentist at least twice a year for preventive examinations and cleanings. It is also a good idea to have an emergency dentist on hand if a problem arises and requires immediate attention.

3) Exercise Regularly

Exercising regularly is one of the most important steps you can take toward achieving good health. It not only helps to improve physical fitness but also has numerous mental health benefits. Exercise can help reduce stress and anxiety while promoting focus and concentration levels. Furthermore, regular exercise strengthens the immune system, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure levels, and can even help combat depression. When it comes to getting active, it is essential to find activities that you enjoy so that you can look forward to exercising each day.

4) Drink Plenty Of Water

Water is essential for sustaining life, and it is vital to make sure you drink enough daily. Drinking plenty of water helps to keep the body hydrated, which in turn can help to prevent headaches, fatigue, and muscle cramps. Additionally, water consumption assists in cleansing your body by flushing out waste and toxins through sweat and urine. Drinking water also helps to improve digestion, regulate body temperature, support joint health, and deliver oxygen throughout the body.

In conclusion, there are many ways you can do your best to stay healthy. By managing stress levels, looking after oral health, exercising regularly, and drinking plenty of water each day, individuals should be able to achieve optimal overall well-being. Incorporating these steps into your everyday routine will make you feel better not only physically but also mentally too. Ultimately, good health is the key to a happy and fulfilled life.

Are you interested in building up your personal brand? In doing so, you can think about selling products or services. This could be a primary business or a simple side hustle that you can use to fill in the gaps that currently exist in your budget. Regardless of your reason for building up your personal brand, it’s important to make sure that you are taking the right steps. Here are the options that we recommend you explore. 

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Get The Equipment You Need 

First, you should make sure that you are getting any equipment that you need. The equipment that you require will depend on the type of personal brand that you are building. For instance, you might want to set yourself up as a musician. If that’s the case, then you need the right musical instruments. Instrument rental is available if you can not afford the upfront cost of equipment like this. 

Alternatively, you might be interested in setting yourself up as an influencer. If that’s the case, then you might need to invest in video and photography equipment. 

Get Creative

Now you can start thinking about some of the ways to develop your personal brand more, and how you are going to start showing it off. If you are keen to do this, it might be worth taking a look at some options that you can consider. You will soon discover that there are quite a few effective ways to build up your brand in this way, and they are all worth thinking about.

You might, for instance, make use of posters and flyers, or you might be looking at your website to see how that can be brought in line with your new personal brand. Then there is the option for stickers printing online which you can use for this purpose too, or stationery and other merchandise.

It’s entirely up to you how you approach this, but do make sure that you are making good use of your creativity as best as you can.

Get Active On Social Media 

Next, you should make sure that you are getting more active on social media. By increasing your presence on social media, you can guarantee that you are able to gain more attention from your target audience overall. You will also be able to interact and engage with your audience directly. This is going to mean that they are more likely to buy from you instead of other competitors that may exist in your chosen industry. 

Think About Your Business Values 

It’s important to make sure that you are thinking about your business values. This is another way that you can make sure that you are separating what you can offer from what other similar companies and individuals can bring to the table. Your values are going to be specific to your personal brand. It doesn’t matter what these are but you do need a clear idea of them. The reason for this is that they will be present in your marketing and promotional strategies. 

Ask For Reviews 

Finally, you need to make sure that you are asking for reviews from your target audience. Without reviews, you’re going to have issues because you’re going to look untested on the market. This means that customers are going to choose to buy from people or use the services of those that have received reviews. You might think it’s difficult to gain reviews from your target audience. However, usually, this is just going to be a matter of requesting them. If you ask for reviews after the completion of a sale or service, there’s a good chance that your customers are going to respond. Remember, even mixed reviews are better compared with zero levels of feedback. 
We hope this helps you understand some of the key steps that you can take to ensure that you are able to build up your personal brand from scratch. In doing so, you will be able to start getting a lot more attention from your target audience and increase your future business prospects or potential.

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Both puppies and babies are a big responsibility. But which is truly tougher to look after – a baby or a baby? Ask any sleep-deprived new parent with a colicky newborn and they’re certain to vote for babies. Ask any first-time puppy owner cleaning poop off the carpet for the third time and they’re likely to vote for puppies. 

The truth is that both can be equally challenging and both require a lot of mental and physical preparation. Below are just some of the challenges compared – as well as a few tips on how to make things easier in both cases. 

Which is more tiring?

Both puppies and babies can keep parents up at night. However, raising a baby typically leads to a greater amount of sleep deprivation. 

Puppies may spend the first few nights howling and may need to be regularly taken out to use the toilet. However, after a few nights, many will stop crying and may be able to hold their bladder longer. A toilet break 4 to 5 hours after your puppy has gone to sleep at night could still be necessary up until 4 months. However, beyond this, most puppies will sleep through the night.

Newborn babies typically sleep for no more than two to four hours at a time before needing to be fed. Once awake, some babies can take an hour or more to settle. This can result in a much more heavily interrupted sleep. Most babies do not start sleeping through the night until at least 6 months, with some still regularly waking up at night for feeds until they are 1 year old. 

Both puppies and newborns spend most of the day asleep – it is worth catching up on sleep during the day if you can while they nap. Being able to take night feeds/toilet trips in turns with a partner or other person can also reduce interrupted sleep. It’s typically easier to adopt a wake-up routine with puppies than it is with babies. Check out some of these tips at Todays Parent on how to encourage a sleep schedule with babies. 

Which is messier?

Both puppies and babies can create a mess. However, puppies are generally bigger mess-makers.

Babies do poop and puke but this can be contained by making sure diapers are the right fit and by using bibs or muslin blankets while feeding/winding. Once babies start crawling and eating solid food, the mess can intensify. You may be able to reduce food mess by encouraging babies to eat in a high chair or floor seat with a splash mat underneath. Splash mats can also be used under potties when potty training. Make sure to monitor babies once they are crawling and walking and keep objects that can create a mess out of reach (such as drinks, pens or make-up).

Unlike babies that cannot move for the first few months, puppies are mobile from the moment you adopt them. As a result, you need to monitor them more closely. Puppies will instinctively chew on everything around them – out of boredom, frustration or simply to relieve teething discomfort. Fortunately, you can train out these instincts by supplying plenty of chew toys and by encouraging puppies to solely chew these toys instead of your sofa cushions and clothing. Potty training will require the most patience – your puppy will pee and poop in your home, but you can reduce the mess by laying down mats/sheets in mess-prone areas and by regularly taking your puppy outdoors to do their business. Puppy training programs such as Puppy Trained Right are useful for learning training tricks like positive reinforcement and disciplining, which can be used in potty training and when discouraging chewing.

Which needs more attention?

Both puppies and babies demand a lot of attention. However, the type of attention they require differs. 

Babies are born helpless and so you need to do everything for them, however you can put them down and not have to worry about them hurting themselves or causing destruction until they start rolling and crawling. You cannot leave babies alone at home, however you can take them with you to most places and you can easily keep an eye on them once they start crawling and walking. 

Puppies are immediately mobile and are much more likely to cause chaos/injure themselves if you don’t keep an eye on them. Many need regular playtime to keep them stimulated – otherwise they will act up out of boredom. You can only take puppies outdoors once they have their jabs and are typically limited as to where you can go as many places don’t allow dogs. You can leave puppies alone at home, although ideally this should not be any longer than 2 hours at a time. A benefit of puppies is that they are more independent when it comes to feed them – while you still need to get them their food, you do not have to physically feed it to them as you do with a baby, making the feeding process much faster.

All in all, you need to be more regularly hands-on with babies than you do with puppies. However, you can take babies out with you to more places. To feel less restricted with a baby, it’s worth learning a few tricks on how to multitask with a baby. In order to feel less housebound with a puppy, it’s worth exploring dog-friendly activities and places to go in your area. 

Which is more expensive?

Cost is an important factor to consider too. In this instance, it is a tie – both babies and puppies can be expensive. 

With puppies, you have to first consider the cost of adoption. This can vary depending on the breed and the breeder that you choose. Food and equipment aren’t too expensive compared to the supplies you need when having a baby, although you may still want to budget for a good quality crate. Vet bills are also a big cost to consider, although they generally aren’t too high in the first few years of a dog’s life – this is a cost that increases as your dog gets older. 

The cost of having a baby can vary depending on various factors. Many moms have birth costs covered by Medicaid and are able to rely on hand-me-downs when it comes to baby essentials like strollers and cribs. Other parents can spend huge amounts of money on treatments like IVF and may have no choice but to buy all the equipment themselves. Not all women can or want to breastfeed – formula milk isn’t cheap and the cost of it can add up. Diapers and wipes are not too expensive, but it depends on the brand you opt for.

Both babies and kids get more expensive as they get older, however kids will cost you more. Most Americans spend $5,000 to $20,000 on their dog over the course of their lifetime. The average cost of raising a child up until the age of 18 is meanwhile a whopping $310,605!

Which is harder long-term?

The puppy phase is shorter than the baby phase, and the level of responsibility becomes less much more rapidly. While you usually don’t have to worry about puppies chewing things they shouldn’t by the age of 6 months, kids will only just be starting to put things in their mouths at this age and may continue to do so up until 2 years old. This is something that you do need to consider.

Obviously, kids are much longer-term and should outlive you, whereas you’re more likely to outlive a dog. While this does mean that dogs are less of a commitment, it does mean that you have to be prepared for the loss of a dog – which can be emotionally tough if you’ve raised it from a puppy. A child should always be in your life, but of course you need to raise them right to make sure that they make the right choices – which can provide a lot of pressure compared to raising a dog.