Relaxing Activities to do as a Family

Finding relaxing ways to spend time with your family can end up being pushed to one side in favor of outdoor activities of a weekend. Still, it’s essential to have some downtime occasionally when day-to-day life is chaotic. With children’s extracurricular activities and work, we barely find a lot of spare time. So it’s essential to have some quality time, quality conversation, and quality bonding experiences. But where do we start? And if you don’t already have a routine in place for this, then where can we find ideas? 

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Reading

Reading is a wonderful bonding experience, it’s recommended that you start reading to and ‘with’ your children pretty much from birth, it’s even been reported that babies in the womb react positively to their family reading to them. And of course, this will foster a level of books as well as bond with each other. Reading and sharing stories at a young age is essential, and also helps children learn early, and will benefit from this in many ways. Children who read from a young age are also likely to have beautiful imaginations as well. There are many stories with wonderful messages attached to them, that will help children understand right from wrong and all about friendship. There really isn’t a negative to spending time Reading together, and your children will thank you for these efforts as they grow.

Watching A Movie

Grabbing the popcorn and settling down to watch a film together with many families' ideas of a wonderful evening. Whether it’s Batman or Paddington, you’re going to enjoy spending time with no pressure and enjoying something together. Sometimes choosing the film in the first place can be difficult, TroyPoint can help expand your options with your TV and film access, this means that there should be something for everybody. If not, you can take it in turns to choose. Complete box sets and series of movies are available now at the touch of a button. So why not turn your living room into a cinema? And take advantage of this spare time together.

Making Music

Many families who grew up with music, continue to pass this down to their children, and many people are choosing to make music with The family during the spare time that they have, which is not only a relaxing endeavour, but being creative is great for everyone’s mental health, and mental dexterity. And that isn’t a bad thing. Music can also be used as therapy alone, so sitting down and creating something unusual with your family members, it’s definitely a great way to bond.

These are just a few ideas that people have come up with in the past, and every family is different, so finding what works for you and ways that will help you all relax after a busy week, is perfect. So whether you choose to sit and read a book, watch Aladdin or even get some art supplies out and create something while relaxing, know that it is not a waste of time, it is time that helps your family grow.

Family & Study: The Ultimate Balancing Act

One of the hardest skills that most parents feel they can not master is the skill of balance. When you are already working around the clock in a full-time job, and you have children, time is severely limited. The idea of throwing study into the mix is inconceivable! There never seems to be enough time in the day as it is, so trying to get back to school? Not always easy.

However, this doesn't mean that it’s impossible! You can go back to study if you want to get busy with your own dreams, but you need to find your balance. It’s not going to be a simple process and life will feel hectic, but this is something that you want to do for yourself, which means that you’ll be able to do it if you are organized. Whether you are looking to go back to study engineering or you want to add qualifications in providing primary care, you can make your dreams come true even with children as a part of your equation. Going back to school is a big step, so let’s take a look at something that you could be doing to balance your work, study and family life.

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• Wake Up Earlier

You may not think it, but half an hour is something that can make a big difference to your day. If your usual wake up time is 7 am, get up at 6.30 am. Thirty minutes can make a big difference if you can fit in half an hour of writing a list for the day or re-reading a chapter of an assignment that you have already started. Waking up can help you to get your day started on a positive note.

• Set Time For Homework

When you’re back at school, you are given a certain amount of work to do by a specific deadline. Yes, the evenings are busy, but once the kids are in bed, you can settle for an hour of study or writing and do it without the distractions of noise and playtime. 

• Make A Rota

When you are working full time, you need to divide your remaining time between the kids and your studies. You can hire a cleaner for the house if you must, which will give you more time than you are used to. Create a rota to keep up with everything else and follow it strictly!

• Get Some Help

Most student parents get some childcare help for those days where life spills over a little. More than that, though, you need to make your college aware of your children and your situation so that you can extend deadlines and get some extra help with assignments. 

• Give Yourself Mini Goals

Make sure you set small, realistic targets, so you have a clear view of what needs doing and don’t overstretch yourself. Breaking studying down into bite-sized chunks by setting yourself lots of small goals can really help you see how much progress you’re making. When you see improvement, you’re motivated to do more!

• Get A Study Buddy

You need to find someone in a similar situation to you and pair up. Those days you cannot attend a seminar or a lecture, you need someone to back you up and take notes for you. It can also give you the push you need to study harder before a test - a study buddy is invaluable for this.

• Remember Your Why

It would help if you remembered why you went back to school in the first place and what it means for you to return to education. Keep praising yourself and give yourself goals to hit. Take the evening and remember why you’re doing this and who it’s for; it will spur you on.

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• Note How You Spend Your Time

It can be a big help to you to take note of the way that you spend your time. This way, you can learn where you are wasting minutes. Once you determine where the waste is, you can cut it back and use those wasteful minutes to learn more. Doing what you can to study and fit in family time around your own work deadlines will be stressful, but worth every single second!

• Manage Your Stress

It would be best if you worked in ways of time for self-care, and that means reducing your stress as much as possible. You can meditate, go to yoga, get enough sleep and try to drink enough water. Get as much exercise as you can in between your study time. If you can’t fit in a gym workout, get the kids out of the house and play a sports game together. You won’t regret it!

• Study At Work

If you can, speak to your employer about your new course. They can help you out with time to study around tasks/between phone calls/offer learning and development options. This is ideal when you’re unsure when you can find the time for studying at home. Your employer can be an invaluable resource so use them as much as possible to get your studying done and pass your degree with flying colors.

• Identify Your Learning Style

It would help if you worked to shine a light on your learning style as early as possible. Kinetic learners can learn by doing, with visual learners writing everything down and audio learners recording lectures to hear back later on. Once you know your style, you can work it around everything else in your life.

Real-life is going to slap you in the face over and over when you are trying to find a balance. However, don't let this get you down. As much as possible, it would help if you worked on you, your kids and your job, and this means it’s going to be tough. Studying as a parent opens a whole new world of worrying, but you will be shocked by the level of support that you will receive by people around you - they only want to see you achieve.

11 Things You Don't Need to go on a Walk

I don’t need any special equipment to walk. Just me.

(1) No special shoes that cost a fortune, (2) no special clothes that cost a fortune and
"wick moisture away from your body." Nothing expensive or mandatory.

(3) I don’t need my phone. I don’t need (4) music or a (5) podcast or the (6) Notes app for journaling.

I don’t need (7) an audiobook. I don’t need a (8) person to call or a (9) someone to text or (10) social
media to check or even (11) a friend next to me.

I just need the sounds of nature and appreciation of it and I can think and pray and just be grateful
and happy. I’m doing something good for my body and soul when I walk.

So when you really just feel like going to sleep or arguing with someone on social media or eating, head out for a walk. Make it a new tradition during holiday get-togethers like some families already do. Burn calories, feed your soul, chat with a family member, enjoy the day.

What To Consider When Going Back To University

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Whatever your age, background, or employment history, returning to education may be a way of developing your skills and experience in a way that will take you to the next level in your career. Whether you have been to university in the past yourself, or whether you took time away and decided to focus on working, travelling, or having children, returning to study is something that is open to you at any point in your life, and you should not be put off from doing this. 

You may have already completed an undergraduate degree, and got as far as you can go with that level of qualification in your specist field. Completing a postgraduate degree such as masters or doctorate level qualifications could open the doors to much more rewarding and lucrative career paths. 

But when it comes to going back to education, you will need to think of a few important things. 

Deciding On Your Course Of Study

Whether you want to do a course in music education online with Kent State or you want to go and complete a taught course in your local university, there are so many options out there to choose from it is hard to know where to start. Decide on the following:

• What skills do you want to obtain from the course?
• Are you willing to relocate to complete it?
• Are you planning on doing this course around your current job?
• How important the rest of the university experience is to you. 

Answering these questions will help to narrow down what you want to get out of your studies and then you can start looking for the right institution that offers what you want. 

Watch Your Stress Levels

University study can be very stressful, especially if it is coupled with a full-time job. That is not to say that it is not possible. Many people manage to do it just fine, and you can too, just make sure that you go in with your eyes wide open and understand the workload involved. 

Try and create a schedule for yourself so that manage to get all of your work done across the whole year. Many students manage their time poorly and find that around deadlines they have an intense and unmanageable workload. Start your research early. 

Make Time For Your Family

Your family and your relationships are vital. Do not neglect them. Make sure that you keep a day each week to spend with them. This will give you a break away from your work too so that you can relax a bit. 

Look After Yourself

Try and get plenty of sleep. Eight hours is the ideal amount. You’ll need to keep yourself sharp and a lack of sleep can really hinder your ability to concentrate. In order to give your studies the attention they deserve, you need to give yourself the attention you deserve. This also means eating well, getting some exercise, and drinking plenty of water. 

Financial Problems The Nation Can Relate To

Financial problems seem to be coming in thick and fast at the minute. It's that time of year where if anything is going to go wrong, it will go wrong in January, or in the next few months that follow. It's a time of year where we just don't the same amount of money as in the summer, for example. Because of everything that Christmas and the New Year has us paying for, and the fact that we often get paid earlier than we're used to, means we just don't have any money. But for many of the nation, this applies all year round. The price we pay to live in the country we do is much higher than it is in other countries. Even though we have all of the perks that we do, some of the unique hardships we face can leave us, well, financially screwed. But with better knowledge and better planning, we think financial problems can come to an all time low. Keep on reading to find out more. 

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Healthcare Costs 

Healthcare costs have been on the rise for the last few years. Whilst it has never been more accessible than it is now, it's not always going to benefit everyone. If you ever require serious medical treatment, it can completely wipe out your finances and leave you bankrupt. You need to have good insurance. You need an innovative healthcare finance program that will cover you when your health begins to drop, and will cover you for a wide variety. It will obviously all depend on the money you have and what you're able to afford. The better a deal you can get, the more you're going to benefit. It's crazy to think that countries such as the United Kingdom get their healthcare for free. It's easier to want to live a healthy lifestyle when you know the cost of not living one! 

The Price Of Living

The price of living is going up all around the world. But in the United States, it seems to be higher than ever. It means that having a well paying job is more sought after than ever before. However, we think that everyone can benefit from learning how to be more careful with money. If you use money management apps, your ability to manage money becomes far easier. It sets out your money for you, and gives you updates throughout the month. Long gone are the days of doing a money plan and losing it a few days later! 

Starting A Family

It's most people's instinct to want to start a family, but it does come at a cost. The cost of providing healthcare for them, the cost of clothes and food, the bills to live in your home. Everything goes up. So if starting a family is something you are only thinking about doing, plan everything financially first. Many forget this crucial step, and find themselves in financial hardship for many years. You need to feel financially secure before you make the decision!