As fall begins and the temperature starts to change, we often spend more time at home, taking refuge from the cold and enjoying some of our favorite comfort foods. But before the cold weather hits, it can be a good idea to prepare our homes for the upcoming season, making sure that you can enjoy your sanctuary without having any big maintenance problems.  

Here are some of the things that you can do to make sure your home is ready for pumpkin carving, Thanksgiving dinner, and the smell of baked goods.

Inside the House

1. Make sure you don’t have drafts. Check your doors and windows for drafts. If you find some, seal them using caulk or visit your local hardware store for something stronger. 
2. Get your furnace checked. An HVAC pro can check your furnace and do necessary maintenance. 
3. Program your thermostat. Change your thermostat settings to reflect the colder weather. If you don’t have a programmable thermostat, you might want to consider buying one. They can save you money on your energy bill. 
4. Keep your home safe. Make sure your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are working well and buy extra batteries.
5. Do some humidifier maintenance. Change your filters and keep your humidifier clean.

Click the link below for more tips.

Read the source article at Lifehack

“Make room for life” is the newest theme to be unveiled by the world’s largest furniture retailer, IKEA. The IKEA 2018 catalog was recently released featuring space-saving ideas for rooms of any size.

Real Simple magazine highlighted 9 of their favorite items from the new catalog, everything from sofas to side tables and clocks. Which is your favorite?

The new catalog is available at http://www.ikea.com/us/en/. How are you planning to “make room for life” in your home? Drop me a line about the ideas you have anytime. I’d love to hear from you!

Source: Ikea and Real Simple Magazine

“Make room for life” is the newest theme to be unveiled by the world’s largest furniture retailer, IKEA. The IKEA 2018 catalog was recently released featuring space-saving ideas for rooms of any size.

Real Simple magazine highlighted 9 of their favorite items from the new catalog, everything from sofas to side tables and clocks. Which is your favorite?

The new catalog is available at http://www.ikea.com/us/en/. How are you planning to “make room for life” in your home? Drop me a line about the ideas you have anytime. I’d love to hear from you!

Source: Ikea and Real Simple Magazine

On Monday, Aug. 21, the contiguous U.S. will experience a total solar eclipse for the first time since 1979. The eclipse, which occurs when the moon passes directly between the sun and the Earth, will cross the country from the West Coast to the East Coast, leaving portions of 14 states momentarily immersed in darkness. Even those states that don’t see a total eclipse will experience a partial eclipse, which occurs when the moon only blocks a portion of the sun, a phenomenon that can last for about two or three hours.

The total solar eclipse will cover an area that is about 70 miles wide and will move diagonally across the country from Oregon to South Carolina. While the map of the eclipse’s path of totality touches 14 states, it clips a few very narrowly. This leaves just 10 states — Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina — that will get a good view of the total eclipse, as long as the weather cooperates,according to NASA.

Read the source article at time.com

By now, we can all agree that sleep is important. It gives the brain time to process everything that happened during the day and it’s an important opportunity to relax. But sleep doesn’t come easy to everyone. There are a hundred things that can disturb sleep, from anxiety to noise pollution to bad habits.

But no one is destined to a lifetime of sleepless nights. There are plenty of things that we can do to get some extra shut-eye and avoid that all day sluggish feeling that leads us to be less focused and productive at work. Here are a few to try:

Giving yourself a bedtime helps train your body to fall asleep at a certain time. And consistently waking up at the same time, even on weekends, reinforces the amount of sleep your body gets used to.

Some suggestions are actually a bit surprising. For example, one study suggests that having warm hands and feet can help you fall asleep faster, so keep a pair of socks handy. Other studies suggest that taking a warm bath or shower before bed will raise your body temperature and help you fall asleep faster.

Going to bed with a clear mind can also have a positive effect on sleep. So if something is troubling you, consider some of the many activities that can quiet the mind such as exercise, keeping a journal, meditation, or yoga, to name a few.

Check out the link below for more tips to help with sleep.

Read the source article at huffingtonpost.com