Family

8 Most Rewarding Benefits of Working With Kids

Thinking about a career that involves working with children? Well then you should know about the various advantages that come with it! Working with kids teaches you a lot. You will be making the world a better place by helping kids develop the character and skills that can be critical to their future and that of the world. You’ll be playing a huge part in their confidence and over-all flourishment. Continue Reading

Family

7 Pregnancy Massage Benefits for Expecting Mothers

Massage therapy has been used for centuries to improve overall health and help alleviate a long list of complaints. When it comes to pregnancy, prenatal massages can help decrease mental health issues like anxiety and depression, relieve muscle and joint pain, and even improve labour outcomes and newborn health. Continue Reading

Family

What to Do With Kids in the Summer as a Working Parent

Nobody will ever argue the fact that it is extremely difficult being a working parent. It is even harder if you a single parent raising child or children. The most stressful time is typically the summer when you are searching for many different ways to entertain your child when he or she is home from school, and you still need to fulfill your professional obligations. It takes careful planning and some creativity to balance your responsibilities as a parent and as an employee. What can you do? Continue Reading

Family

6 Super Fun Camping Ideas for Families

So you’ve decided to get away from it all and go camping in some gorgeous locale for a few days (or weeks)? That’s awesome! Congratulations on taking a step back from the helter-skelter quality of everyday life and setting aside some time to unwind and refresh yourself.

However, camping can become a bit boring if you don’t have enough activities planned for each day (unless your plan is to sleep the whole time – which is totally okay). That’s where this blog post comes in. We’ll unpack six super fun camping ideas for your family, which are guaranteed fun for you and anyone you bring along!

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Family

Saving for Your Child’s Future: 4 Comparisons between an RESP and a TSFA

With the increase in the cost of post-secondary education, Canadian parents need to think carefully when deciding whether to invest in a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) or a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP). Want to know more about these saving options? Here are a few comparisons to help you make an informed decision.

1. TFSA and RESP Contributions Grow Tax-Free
There’s no denying the fact that contributions and income earnings in both TFSA and RESP grow tax-free, but it’s a different scenario entirely when you want to get your money out. While TFSA withdrawals are tax-free, RESP withdrawals are taxed at a low interest rate. If you choose the RESP plan, this is usually a non-issue. Since most students are not income earners, they are categorized in the low tax bracket, so taxes will be low.

2. Grants
Contributions to both plans are made with after-tax income, yet a Registered Education Savings Plan offers great incentives to boost your savings. One of the benefits that an RESP has over a TSFA is that contributors qualify for government education grants like the Canada Learning Bond (CLB) and Canada Education Saving Grant (CESG). In addition to that, contributors to the heritage RESP plan may be eligible for provincial grants, particularly for those living in British Columbia, Quebec or Saskatchewan. The grants could increase your savings by up to 20%. Furthermore, this helps your educations saving grow faster than you think.

3. What If Your Child Decides Not to Attend College?
Not all kids will be inclined to pursue post-secondary education. Every parent’s dream is to see their child graduate from college; the reality is not all of them will. If you choose a Registered Education Savings Plan and the plan has received grant money, the government will lay claim to the funds if the child does not continue education after high school. A TSFA, on the other hand, is quite the opposite. TFSA funds may be used for any type of savings, hence parents may decide whether or not to gift the contributions to their child for their personal use other than education.

4. Withdrawing Savings at Will Leads to Overspending
Most financial institutions and online trading platforms offering TFSAs give contributors the chance to access and monitor their savings online. Moreover, this plan allows contributors to save and withdraw money to their bank accounts at will. If you don’t know how to manage funds, a TSFA may not be the best option. This is because you get to withdraw the funds as needed. One of the reasons for choosing either of these plans (TFSA or RESP) is to help secure the future of your child’s education. The purpose of saving will be defeated if you are tempted to make withdrawals from your TFSA account. Conversely, RESP funds are more difficult to withdraw. You only have access to withdraw funds when you have pressing educational needs to settle. And when it comes to withdrawal policies, the Registered Education Savings Plan is stricter, which can help you save.

Your choice between a TSFA and RESP boils down to the financial situation and goals of your family.
om the cancelled RESPS is paid out together with the matured plans. This is very advantageous especially on the parent’s side.

Family

5 Tips to Use When Picking the Best Goat Milk Formula for Baby

Every new parent is always driven to do everything possible to ensure their baby is healthy. And a large part of that lies in understanding the baby’s nutrition. This not only helps the parent plan out the baby’s diets better, but it also helps them smartly plan the baby’s diets. Milk is the one extremely tasty-must have baby food that you need to know as a parent. There are many different types of milk on the market. You find soymilk, buffalo milk, almond milk, and the cow milk which is a traditional favorite.

Doctors are now easing to the possibility of including goat milk to infants. To most parents, this is still a new field of diet to introduce babies to. And it may be wise to tread carefully and understand how to pick the best goat milk formula for your baby. This article has summed up a list of tips that you can use to determine the best goat milk for your baby. Keep reading.

1. Don’t stress yourself

Choosing the right diet for your baby can be a stressful process especially if you are venturing into a new diet. But stress can also land you into big problems as you may end up choosing the wrong diet meals for your baby. It is, therefore, vital that you have a clear head to select the right type of formula for your baby. Ensure you read through the formula on the tin before you make any purchase. You can even get recommendations from your baby’s doctor to get the right formula for your baby.

2. Know the brand of formula for your baby

There are many different formula brands of milk in the market, and that can confuse a parent and lead the parent to choose the wrong formula. With a baby’s diet, you should not have the mindset that if something is expensive, it is probably the best formula. There isn’t always any noticeable difference in the brands of formula. But you might still need to consult your baby’s doctor before making any such change or move.

3. Know the baby’s formula feeding tips

In as much as it is crucial that you choose the right formula for your baby, the next step, which is knowing the right formula feeding tips, is just as important. As a parent, you need to know how to prepare the baby’s milk formula before you feed your child. The most obvious step that you must keep in mind is to ensure all feeding items are clean and free of bacteria or germs.

4. Tell the best formula for your baby

There are many types of baby milk formula. And this can be overwhelming especially for the new parents. It is, thus, wise that you learn about each milk-based formula and know which ones are best for your baby.

5. Know when to switch your baby’s milk formula

Baby milk formula comes in different stages. When your baby is 6 months old, it is safe for you to switch from stage 1 to stage 2 formula if you prefer. It is, however, recommended that any formula that you use from the birth of your baby is the best formula to use until the baby gets to 12+months of age. It is, however, not advisable to use stage 2 formulas before your baby is 6 months or older of age. The nutrient contents in the stage 2 milk formula are not appropriate for younger babies.

Family, Health

9 Interesting Facts About Goat Milk

Goat milk offers many health benefits to those who drink it. In fact, it’s a better option compared to the regular cow milk. The shocking truth is that got milk makes only 20% of the total global milk supply. Since goat milk does not require the homogenization procedure, the processing part during production becomes more affordable. This is also the main reason why goat milk formula is frequently processed into other dairy products like butter, yogurt, cheese and ice cream.

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Family, Relationships

6 Reasons Why February Is The Hardest Month For Your Marriage

Ask a divorce lawyer and they’ll tell you that January is their busy season: it’s the most common month for divorce. Holiday stress and financial woes take an emotional toll on many couples. So it’s tempting to think that if you’re still together by January 31st, your marriage is home and dry.

Unfortunately, if there are problems in your marriage, they won’t go away at the end of the month: and the calendar’s shortest month has many complicated factors that can make life – and love – even harder for you and your spouse.

1. The holiday hangover

The holiday season means spending lots of time cooped up together in close quarters; getting drawn into family arguments; and perhaps the stress of having to organize a holiday meal or party. Then there are the resulting January arguments: every couple fights, but stats show that many couples fight more often in January than in any other month. So by the time February rolls around you may find that you and your partner are experiencing a lot of resentment, and your relationship is strained.

 

2. Financial trouble

 

Money causes more marital rows than just about anything else. So it’s undoubtedly going to have an impact on you, your partner and your marriage when you’re still dealing with the holiday credit card bills well into February – and your next holiday bonus is a long way away.

3. Blame it on the weatherman

The bad weather may not be as relentless in February as it was in January; but it’s still cold and rainy so much of the time that it’s hard to plan any decent time out of the house. No romantic getaways; no Sunday morning walks in the park: just you, your spouse, an overheated home and a stack of bills. Not to mention that the lack of sunlight can have a huge negative impact on your mood, leading to irritability and – you guessed it – more rows.

 

4. You’ve broken all your New Year’s Resolutions already

If your marriage has been under strain you may have started the year determined to put things right. You may have resolved to be kinder to your partner, to share the chores more equally, or even to take up a new hobby as a couple. By February those good intentions are likely to have evaporated, leaving you struggling either to connect as a couple or to accept that things just aren’t working.

5. Valentine’s Day

V-Day can put any relationship under pressure. After two or three months of stress and strain, the last thing you might need is an overpriced night out – especially if it only serves to remind you that you and your partner just aren’t as loved-up as you once were.

 

6. Wondering whether it’s time for a divorce lawyer

The February blues may be a sign that it’s time for you and your partner to make a big change in your lives – and even contemplating that change can be scary. There can be so much to think about, particularly if you have children or own a home together. If you think it’s time to talk to a divorce lawyer, contact a specialised firm – like Ontario divorce lawyers Matrimonial Home – to make sure you know what to expect.

Family, Home Life, Safety

4 Things to Consider When Buying a Driveway Motion Sensor

Although it’s not particularly challenging in deciding to buy a driveway motion sensor to protect your property and your loved ones, it’s more difficult to decide which one to buy, since there are so many to choose from on the market. With the varying models and feature options to choose from, this guide should offer you a helping hand in your decision process.

Budget

1. Take Your Budget into Consideration
For most, spending money on a security system, such as driveway motion sensors isn’t usually an issue. However, some people have a strict budget that they have to adhere to with their purchases, even for security sensors. Although we’re not telling you to settle for the cheapest system on the market, you should consider what you can and can’t afford.

Wires

2. Should You Go Wired or Wireless?
Before you buy a driveway motion sensor, you have to decide whether you want to go wired or wireless. To do this, review your home and see which type of system you would benefit from the most. For example, would you rather have an external wired unit or one that’s located in your home that can send signals to and from?
Usually, wired alarm systems are installed while a house is under constriction, so the wires can be buried under the surface. However, if your home is already built, which is probably is, you can benefit from a wireless system.

Monitor

3. Select the Right Kind of Receiver
After you decide between wired and wireless, you will need to choose the type of monitor you want. First, decide whether you want to be alerted when vehicles approach, humans approach, or both. If you only want to monitor for other vehicles, there are metal detecting probes that can do the trick. This kind of alert system will only produce an alarm when a heavy vehicle approaches. You can also select a motion sensor driveway alert. This will alert you when motion is detected in the driveway, including that of people and animals.

Trusting

4. Purchase From a Trustworthy Seller
No matter what type of product you purchase, make sure you are buying it from a reputable company. Ask friends and family members for recommendations on what to buy and where to buy it from. See if they are pleased with their product and what, if anything, they would have done differently when buying a driveway sensor. Once you settle on a company, ask about any warranties they offer so you can get the best bang for your buck.

With these four factors in mind, you can make sure that you are buying the best driveway motion sensor for your property and your needs from Absolute Automation.

Family, Health

How to Stay in Shape Between Dance Classes

Dance class can help you get in shape and stay fit. It’s ideal if you can dance at least three times a week. Once-a-week dance classes are typically inadequate for getting you the amount of exercise you need to stay in shape. Unless you make an effort to practice what you’ve learned during the week, you’re also unlikely to remember what you’ve learned in class. This brief guide will help you stay in shape between dance classes and practice what you’ve learned so you can maximize the time and money you spend on dance classes.

1. Write Down What You’ve Learned in Class

As soon as possible after class, make a list of all the exercises you learned while you were in class. Write down as many details as you can remember. Picture yourself doing the exercises as you write them down.

2. Schedule Workout Time Every Week

It’s ideal if you can pick a set time every day for your dance workout. Many dancers wake up early on a daily basis and dance before school or work. If that isn’t possible, you could do it after work. If daily dance workouts aren’t possible, try for every other day.

3. Stretch

You need to warm up at the beginning of every dance workout. If you’re taking ballet classes, you probably begin class by warming up at the barre. You can substitute the back of a chair or bench for the barre. If you’re taking modern dance, perhaps your instructor begins with head rolls, shoulder rolls and plies. If you’re taking contemporary dance classes, it’s possible that your warmup begins with gentle stretching or aerobics. Whatever your typical stretching routine is, go through as much of it as you can remember to get your workout started. If you want to learn more, you may be interested in checking out the resources at The School of Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre.

4. Give Yourself a Mini Dance Class

After you’ve warmed up, it’s time to get into repeating the more complicated dance steps and routines you practiced in your classes. If you’re taking ballet classes, you probably want to practice your rondes de jambes, grand battements, pirouettes, grand jetes and tour jetes at this point in your workout. If you’re taking modern dance, it’s time to practice your splits, leaps, kicks and lunges. If you can’t remember what you should be working on, refer to the notes you made after your last few classes.

5. End With a Cooldown

You never want to abruptly end a workout without cooling down. Stretch gently, breathe deeply and think about what you’ve accomplished.

If you make an effort to do all or most of these things, you’ll have a much better chance of staying in shape between dance classes. You’ll also remember more of what you learned in class, and you’ll make faster progress in your dancing than you would otherwise.