3 Kids and Us

4 ways to increase your energy levels

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In order to make the most of every opportunity that life throws your way, it is vital that you have an enormous amount of energy to work with. Otherwise, you may find it difficult to stand out from your peers, push ahead with your plans, and ultimately achieve your goals. If you are currently concerned about your energy levels, don’t worry! It is never too late to take control. Below are four tips that will help you to do this.

Take plenty of breaks

Firstly, you need to make sure that you are taking plenty of breaks. This will prevent you from becoming overwhelmed by your daily duties and running yourself into the ground. If you are trying to strike the right balance between getting on with your day and taking some time for yourself, it is important that you have a list of suitable break time activities. For instance, you should visit Mt Baker Vape and explore their wide range of equipment. This will provide you with something fun and simple to enjoy during your breaks. You could also take a stroll outside or listen to your favourite playlist.

Work it out

You can also increase your energy levels by making an effort to get fit and active. Even if you struggle to get excited about exercise, there is sure to be an exercise activity that suits your interests. Perhaps you like to spend time with your friends and would benefit from a group workout session. Or, maybe you want to take in more fresh air and would enjoy going for a run in your local park. Whatever you decide, just make sure that your chosen activity is scheduled for a point in the day when your energy levels usually start to drop. This will help you to feel reinvigorated and ready for the challenges ahead.

Eat well

Another important step is to evaluate your diet and make sure that you are eating well. It is vital that you are following a balanced diet and getting all of the nutritional content you need. Ideally, you need to eat foods that will provide you with a slow release of energy throughout the day. You should also put together healthy snack boxes that you can keep in your bag or on your desk.

Enjoy a good night’s sleep

Finally, you need to make sure that you are enjoying a good night’s sleep. You can achieve this by establishing a strict bedtime routine. Firstly, you should switch off your technology and turn your phone to answer machine. Then, you should indulge in a relaxing bubble bath and change into comfortable clothing. Last but not least, you should unwind with some calming meditation or your favourite book. It is also vital that you go to bed at the same time every evening and set your alarm for the same time every morning. All of these steps will help you to achieve deep sleep and dramatically improve your energy levels.

How to get through a tough day of parenting

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Raising a young family is one of the most difficult jobs in the world. There will be some days when it all gets a bit too much. You may feel as though you have too many jobs to get done and too many people to keep happy. In order to avoid these situations, it is best to be prepared. If you are wondering how you can do this, you will need to read on. Below are five tips for getting through a tough day of parenting.

Have a little fun

If you are looking for a quick fix, why not find yourself a joke of the day? This is a fantastic way for you to have a little fun. Whenever you are dealing with a particularly stressful problem, having a laugh could be the best way for you to work through the situation. You could even use your joke as the necessary motivation to get through a long list of tasks.

Take plenty of breaks

Perhaps you could enjoy your joke during one of your many breaks. Instead of running yourself into the ground, it is vital that you divide your day into manageable chunks. This will prevent you from becoming overwhelmed by all of your responsibilities. It will also help you to manage your stress levels. You could spend your break times reading a short story, watching a YouTube video, or taking a walk around your backyard. You could even try a spot of meditation, as this is a perfect way for you to escape the stresses and strains of daily life.

Relax with a bubble bath

You should also remember to give yourself something to work towards. One way of doing this is by ending every day with a relaxing soak in a bubble bath. If this is the main thing that is getting you through your day, it is important to go all out. Make sure that you invest in luxury bath soaks, put on some soothing music, and light some scented candles. You will also need to find someone else to take on the task of looking after your children, as you don’t want to be disturbed during your time out.

Always make sure to plan ahead

If you are always struggling to manage your time, you will need to plan ahead. This will help you to stay on top of all of your family’s activities. Why not create a rota for you and your brood? This should detail what everyone is doing, where they are doing it, and what preparations need to be made. You should also encourage all of your family to contribute to this plan, as this will ensure that you aren’t faced with any last minute surprises. When you have finished putting together your weekly schedule, why not display it on your fridge, or create an online version that everyone has access to? If your family life is going to run smoothly, you all need to be on the same page.

Keep your energy levels up

Throughout your day, it is vital that you have plenty of snacks to keep you going. Instead of counting calories, you should be thinking of your food as fuel. If you are constantly running around looking after your little ones, you can’t afford a dip in energy. Make sure that you eat plenty of healthy and energy-boosting snacks. You will also need to stagger your snacks throughout the day. Perhaps you could prepare a trail mix for during the school run. Or, maybe you could treat yourself to a healthy smoothie, during your afternoon break. The most important thing is that you have the energy that you need in order to keep going.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Another important step is to ask others for help. When it comes to raising a family, you should never feel as though you are on your own. In order to avoid this, make sure that you have a strong social circle around you. Perhaps you could reach out to other parents who live on your street. This will ensure that you always have someone to turn to on an extremely stressful day. You should also speak to your family members and your partner. It is important that they understand the pressure that you are under and that they do everything in their power to help you out. Another option is to look online. There are plenty of useful parenting forums that are filled with interesting discussion topics and helpful pieces of advice. It is said that a problem shared is a problem halved and this is certainly true when it comes to parenting. Whenever you find yourself in a difficult situation, it is vital that you are not dealing with it alone.

Use technology to your advantage

In this digital age, you should be using technology to your advantage. This is a great way for you to ensure that your family life is running smoothly. There is a wide range of apps that you can download to help you through your day. Say you are breastfeeding your new-born baby, there are actually apps that will help you to monitor your feeds and stick to your schedule. Or, if you are struggling to get your children to go to bed on time, there are apps that will help you to manage your children’s sleeping patterns and to take control of your household. If you are going to run your household successfully, it is important that everything is working in your favor. You could also use technology to keep your children entertained. You could treat them to a fun television show or give them an interactive tablet to play with. If you go down this route, just make sure that you limit their time on these devices. It is fine for technology to be a big part of your family life, but it should never be allowed to take over.

Recharging Your Mom Batteries

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From the moment you become a mom, it seems like your motor can never stop. It begins with midnight diapers and goes on to homework, soccer practice, band camp, and watching curfew. There is never time to slow down.

For the busy mom, it is important to figure out how to rebuild your stores of energy so that you can keep up with all the things your kids need you to do. That includes not just your physical energy but also your physical condition and your mental state. If you pay close attention to these, you’ll be able to maintain your Super Mom routine. If not, you’ll find yourself tired, frustrated, and irritable, and your family will suffer as well.

First, you’ll want to take care of your physical needs with your demanding schedule. As we age, things change with our bodies. Everything from our joints to our circulation isn’t what it used to be, so it is important to take care of those things. Therafirm offers a line of compression socks that does just that when you’re on the go, providing comfortable but stylish socks and stockings that will be easy on your body even as they make you look great.

Next, get some exercise. It may sound backwards to say that more activity creates more energy, but it’s true. In between all the commitments of school-age kids, find a time to load up and take a hike together. It can make an incredible difference in your mental state, and the exercise will help you lose weight, lower blood pressure, and feel more energetic for the rest of the day’s endeavors. As a bonus, it will help the kids go to bed earlier!

Speaking of sleeping, make sure that you get good rest too. Those hours are the times when you are least likely to be interrupted with the demands of parenting, so make the most of them. Invest in a good mattress will help you get the most hours of body-soothing sleep, helping you get up in the morning with the ability to pick up where the previous day left off. And as tempting as the bed may be for some catch-up time on social media, leave the screens alone until morning.

Another great strategy is to find a way to make a daily routine into something enjoyable. There is something about making those activities fun that takes the work out of doing work. Teach the kids how to do certain cleaning tasks, yard work, and even decoration, and then find a way to make a game of it. See if you can make a competition out of folding laundry or raking leaves. Not only will the kids help you get some work done, you will also have a different viewpoint on those daily needs that is a little more fun and a little less drudgery.

Finally, don’t forget to be an adult sometimes. We can get so caught up in all the essential activities of our kids that we neglect our adult lives. We lose touch with friends, costing us that adult interaction that we need. It is so important to come up for air once in a while, and you need adult time to do that.

Go out with friends. Go to a concert, a play, or a museum. Don’t go shopping; you’ll spend the whole time looking at things for your kids and you’ll miss the entire point.

Raising kids is a great responsibility. To keep up, we have to take care of our bodies and minds. Keep that perspective and you’ll find your stress levels will be lower and your happiness will be higher.

Getting Fit With Your Kids

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Staying in shape is so important to a healthy life, and yet sometimes – more times than we’d like to admit – working out and exercising takes second priority. Everyone works so hard, hours are long, and downtime is precious. That’s why, when we want to spend time with our families, we don’t want to forsake them for the gym. What if you could do both, though? What if you could get fit and healthy and spend time with the kids? What if the kids benefitted too? Now wouldn’t that be awesome? Well, here are some ideas on how to do exactly that.

Get Outdoors

Getting fit and healthy doesn’t necessarily mean lifting weights or going for a run. You can take it pretty easy and still get some goodness into you. Going for a walk when you would have normally taken the car is a great start. Children spend a lot of time strapped into car seats, chugging along the road. Try something different and go exploring in your local neighborhood, or head out to the park and run around.

Join A Kid-Friendly Gym

If you do want to join a gym, do your research before picking the one that’s closest, or has the best deals. They might not be the best ones in the long term. There are gyms that are family friendly, and these are the ones you want to look out for. These gyms will have family days, with activities for everyone, or they might have kids’ classes which they can enjoy while you work out – afterwards, you can meet up for a healthy meal, and a debrief on how your various classes went! This is perfect for having a little bit of ‘me time’, which is something we all sometimes need. If you want complete solitude at the gym, don’t forget to find the best wireless headphones for working out so you can really enjoy it.

Another selling point can be whether the gym has a swimming pool – not only can this provide swimming lessons for younging children, but it’s also a great way to keep the whole family in check without it seeming like exercise!

Sports Night

For super busy moms and dads, organising a weekly sports night could be the answer to getting fit and spending time with your kids at the same time. It could be anything; you could even pick a new sport each week if that’s what you’re into. For the more competitive families you can tally up the scores and the monthly winner can get a prize. For those who prefer the taking part to the results, just go ahead and have fun. Swimming, tennis, soccer, baseball… there are dozens of sports to choose from, and all of them will make you feel healthier.

Around The House

You don’t even have to leave the house to get fit. Does the yard need tidying? Spend an hour out there with the kids and get it looking good. Working hard sweeping leaves or picking weeds is still exercise, even if it’s not a sport or a gym class. Washing cars, cleaning windows, walking the dog (okay, that one requires leaving the house, but you get the idea), anything and everything that means moving about is good. There will be a huge sense of achievement when the jobs are done, at which point you can reward yourself – and the kids – with a movie, a video game, or whatever else makes you all happy.

Four Household Dangers You Need to Watch Out For

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Young children and pets seem to have a knack for finding and exploiting all the dangers you never noticed before in your household. As soon as it might hurt them, they zero in on it and terrify you when they start playing with whatever hazard it is. That is why everyone should look out for and rectify these five household dangers before you bring in young anything, whether it is a child, a puppy, kitten, or even a pet rodent that you intend to let run around:


  1. Mold

Mold isn’t dangerous on its own, per se, but they can be dangerous and can trigger asthma attacks and other health concerns. Mold in general should be taken seriously as well, as it indicates a leak somewhere in your home. Over time this mold will turn to rot, so it is important to get it checked out immediately.


  1. Fire Hazards

There are many fire hazards in the home. Ensure that all your appliances are in working order without any malfunctions or reasons for concern and that you don’t have any exposed wiring where an errant kid or pet can play with them. A young child doesn’t have to play with a fire hazard for it to not become a safety issue. If you have an old, trying stove then replace it immediately for a newer and safer model. You should also ensure that your fire alarms and your carbon monoxide alarms are fully operational.


  1. Insect Infestation

Insects are, in many ways, worse than rodents. Rodents typically stay inside their nest during the day and come out only when people are away or sleeping. Insects, on the other hand, come and go as they please. The worst ones are bed bugs or other flesh-eating insects like lice or ticks. These are the ones you really need to be wary of, as they can cause severe allergic reactions and anxiety that makes it difficult to sleep at night. When a pest has invaded your home, you need to contact Reynolds Pest Management Pest Control to ensure the problem is entirely eradicated. If a substandard job is done, then the pests can and will come back.


  1. Rodent Infestation

Rodents carry diseases and can infest and create nests inside your home. If they don’t carry diseases, then there are other dangers as well. Rodents will eat through your food, your wiring, and other areas of your home. Once their urine dries it is very difficult to see, meaning your counters could be covered in waste. The key to getting rid of a rodent infestation is to watch out for the signs and to take the necessary steps as soon as you see chewed food or wiring, feces, or the rodent itself.

There are many household hazards in the home. The steps and measures that you take depend on your home and the age of the young child or pet that you are bringing into your home. Watch out for mold or other structural issues, fire hazards, and signs of pests and you’re off to a good start.

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We left our home in Sydney, Australia many moons ago in May 2012 and, other than a brief stint back in Perth for Christmas and a wedding in early 2014, we have been travelling the world nomadically ever since, running a business from our laptops and we’re here to show you how to do it!