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How Can You Stop Thieves from Stealing Your Package?

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Image source: Unsplash.com

Nonessential businesses in the U.S. have shut as we fight the coronavirus pandemic. People are doing more online shopping since everyone can no longer go out to physical stores. Opting to the virtual mall is very convenient, keeping us safe from any harmful germs. However, it also exposes people to various thefts, especially package theft.

Good news! You will find different methods to prevent people from stealing your items. New advancements like smart doorbells and smart locks could either discourage thieves or cut off their access to your stuff all together.

There is also a parcel box that helps safeguard your package when you’re away. You can select the right parcel box at Neighborhoodsquare website.

Advanced Solutions You Can Try

New smart home devices are transforming the way people deal with their lives. These devices can change the temperature, music, and even lighting in your home for various times of the day. These technologies could also help you monitor your package before they come and track them on your porch.

Smart lockers

Amazon has stopped all in-car and in-home deliveries due to the coronavirus pandemic. But they are still providing entrée to its Amazon Hub Lockers. You could see these kiosks in grocery stores, convenience stores, malls, or apartment buildings in over 900 towns and cities in the U.S.

In-car & in-home delivery

The Amazon Key kit is composed of Amazon Cloud Cam and a smart lock. The system will alert you when an Amazon order comes. You can utilize the camera to see the delivery guy enter and leave your home. Further, the system saves a video recording of every delivery.

Amazon Key also provides in-car delivery services. It works if you have a connected vehicle service plan.

Package guard

Do you like the concept of an alarm to discourage porch pirates, but you don’t wish to track your door to know when it turned off? Package Guard is the ideal answer to your concerns.

The Package Guard is run by a battery and has a shape and size of a Frisbee. Removing a package once it’s in place will set off a loud noise.

Security cams

You can catch a porch pirate on video as they steal your packages by installing a security cam trained on your entrance. Indeed, having a recording of the burglary does not get your taken items back. Nonetheless, it could help the local authorities catch the criminals.

Image source: Unsplash.com

You might also prefer to share the footage with your neighbors so others could be on the lookout for the offender.

You can increase the restrictive powers of your security camera by making sure others recognize it is there.

Package tracking

One of the benefits of this method is that it does not oblige you to get any gadgets. What you simply require is a dependable smartphone and an internet connection. You can pay attention to the tracking details for any of your orders. You can be updated on the progress of your shipment from the warehouse facility to the delivery truck to your location.

Traditional Methods

Image source: Unsplash.com

Employing advanced technology to prevent package thieves has its disadvantages. On top of the price, a lot of individuals have privacy issues when it comes to smart technology. For instance, the ring doorbell of Amazon could record anything that occurred in the neighborhood. It cannot just be shared with neighbors but with the general public as well. Individuals are not comfortable with that degree of surveillance.

Luckily, you will find various ways to protect your package without innovative technology. Most of these are similar methods folks have been employing for many years to avoid home burglaries. Some of them need to cooperate with your employer, your neighbors, or your delivery service provider.

Here are some of them:

  • Utilize an alternate location
  • Ship items to your office location
  • Make delivery requests
  • Collaborate with your neighbors
  • Make it look like you are at your home
  • Train your dog
  • Polish your landscaping
  • Keep your home well lit

Foiling package thieves is soothing. However, what’s more practical in the long-term is preventing them from happening in the first place. Make sure you look at the crime from the thief’s point of view.

In other cases, what powers this type of wrongdoing is desperation. Other porch pirates are addicts seeking drugs or for anything they can trade to purchase drugs. Some are needy or homeless and are only seeking for a way to feed themselves.

Have you ever lost a parcel to package thieves? What are the things you do to prevent it from happening again?

8 Mom Hacks that Every Mom Should Be Using

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Whether you have one kid or multiple kids, being a mom can be busy, stressful, and at times, overwhelming. And, whether you are supermom or still figuring things out, there are always helpful tips that can help you out along the way. 

These five mom hacks are going to aim to do just that. They are going to focus on several different areas with your children, but hopefully, all of them should provide some helpful mom hacks for you. And, don’t feel like you have to follow each of these mom hacks to the letter. You know what is best for your children, so please, feel free to adjust any of them as needed. 

All that being said, here are eight mom hacks that every mom should be using. 

Educational Entertainment

Whatever your stance is on screens, it seems like they are here to stay. That doesn’t mean that all screen time is equal, though. What you choose to allow your children to watch will have a significant impact on them as they continue to develop. And while most kid’s shows offer some educational benefit, there are shows and educational apps that stand out above the rest. So take your time to do some research to find the right shows and learning activities for your kids. They will be able to enjoy some screen time throughout the day, and will also be able to learn new things as they do. 

Nutritional Smoothies

It can be hard to get your kids to eat vegetables and fruits, but with a little magic (and a blender), you can provide them with everything they need in smoothie form. The right smoothie recipe can hide a number of different nutritious ingredients in a tasty treat. So while you should always be encouraging your kids to taste and eat vegetables and fruits, if they are still not getting enough, give them a tasty fruit and vegetable-filled smoothie to drink as well. 

Take Advantage of the Library

The library has so many excellent resources, and most of the time, they are not fully taken advantage of. From books to movies to learning activities, and more, the library is something that every mother should be taking advantage of. Even if it is to get out of the house for a short time, the library is an excellent option for kids. Also, the more the library is used when your kids are younger, the more likely they are to use it as they get older. By cultivating a love for the library, you will help set them up to use the library as a learning resource for the rest of their lives. 

Outdoor Safe Space to Play

As much as you love your kids, you also don’t want them in your face all day long. Also, kids need to be kids and have the ability to imagine and play on their own. A great way to allow all of this to happen is by creating a safe outdoor space for your kids to play. Whether it is a fenced-in backyard, a playset, sandbox, or whatever, create somewhere that your children can play on their own. Of course, if they are younger, you will want to keep a watchful eye on them, but also allow your kids to be independent, create their own games, and problem solve. 

Bring Toys With You 

Sometimes being a well-behaved kid is hard, especially when bored and in an unfamiliar place. Your kids may even want to behave; they are just so bored that they are looking for an outlet. A great way to help prevent this is by bringing toys with you. If you have to take a long drive, sit in a waiting room, or whatever, make sure that your kids have toys to entertain them. It could be some screen time, but that shouldn’t be your only go to. Instead, ask your kids what toys they want to bring (limit them to a few), and then pack them up to come with. Just make sure that you are also keeping track of the toys when you are out, you don’t want your child’s favorite toy left behind.

Workout at Home

As a mom with younger kids, going to the gym may not always be possible, but that doesn’t mean getting fit at home isn’t an excellent option. With the right workout plan, you will be able to get fit right in your own home. With a number of different bodyweight exercises or maybe some dumbbells and resistance bands, you will have everything you need to get fit.

If you are looking to find workout time during the day, try putting on your kid’s favorite educational TV show, or workout during nap time. 

Be Your Own Handywoman

When it comes to home repairs, some tasks can seem pretty daunting. However, many basic home repairs can be easy to take on with just a little know-how. Whether it is unclogging a kitchen sink, repairing a toilet that won’t flush, patching drywall holes, or painting a room, these are all tasks that you can not only take on but master. So instead of calling a handyman or paying for an over-priced contractor, do a little research and become your own handywoman. 

Start a Hobby/Business

One of the best things about life is being able to learn and try new things. It can be challenging, but in the end, it can also be so rewarding. This only happens, though, if you take the chance and challenge yourself. So if you have a passion, or are simply looking to break out of a rut, look to start a new project. It could be something that you do for fun or something that you are looking to make a little added income each month. 

An excellent example of this is a friend of mine who started Teddy Eva Scents. They are family run business that makes stunning wax melts. What makes this such a great family business is that they love what they do, are passionate about it, and also provide an excellent product. So while your passion project doesn’t have to be wax melts, there is still something out there that you can get behind and pursue. 

8 Mom Hacks that Every Mom Should Be Using Conclusion

Being a mom is one of the most challenging jobs out there, but it is also one of the most rewarding. There are days when you feel like you have it all figured out and then days when it seems like nothing is going right, and that is okay. You will continue to grow and learn as you go, and your kids will continue to benefit from everything that you provide for them. 

Hopefully, with this article, you have picked up a few new tricks that you can try out and will help make being a mom just a little bit easier. 

Do you have any mom hacks that you think other mothers would benefit from? If so, we would love to hear about them in the comments below. 

Birthdays in Quarantine: 12 Best Ideas on Celebrations for Kids

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Does your child have a birthday coming up? Are you worried about what to do to make up for missing your child’s usual birthday party?

Birthdays in quarantine can be difficult for adults, let alone for children! But there are still things you can do to make the day special for your child. Let’s go through the 12 best ideas for your child’s birthday celebration in quarantine.

1. Make It a Virtual Party

If your kid is old enough, moving their birthday party to the virtual sphere might be a viable idea. Group conferencing services like Zoom and Skype are a really great way to keep in touch with your family and friends during this time, and they’re just as useful to make a birthday celebration a little more lively!

You’ll just want to make sure you stagger the arrivals to keep the group small and stop the call from being too overwhelming. And, it’ll give some wiggle room for technical difficulties and other such problems.

2. Throw a Parade

If you live in a suburban or rural area and most of your children’s friend’s families have cars, why not throw your kid a drive-by birthday party parade?

You’ll all be able to stay properly socially distanced, and it’ll help your child feel appreciated and love during this difficult time. Your children’s friends can wave signs, play with noisemakers, and so much more — the possibilities are endless!

Plus, the process of planning a birthday parade for your child will entertain your children’s friends as well, and help engage them in the birthday planning process. Their parents will surely thank you for lifting the mood as well!

3. Bake a Lot of Cake

Even if you’re not big on sweets for your children, a birthday in quarantine is the perfect occasion to break some rules and sample plenty of delicious new cake recipes. Might as well splurge!

Birthdays are a once a year celebration, and it’s really hard to have one isolated from other people, so it’s really important to do what you can to make it special. If that’s sugar, so be it!

You can also make the cake-baking a group activity, so your child can have fun and feel included in the process.

Here are a few different types of cake you may want to try baking for your child’s quarantine birthday:

  • Cheesecake
  • Cookies and Cream Cake (double points for Oreo cookie crust)
  • Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
  • Chocolate sheet cake
  • Rice Krispie square marshmallow cake
  • Red velvet layer cake
  • Homemade confetti cake
  • Chocolate vanilla cake
  • Candy turtle cupcakes
  • Ice cream cake

The above are just some of the cake options out there for you to try. Hey, it doesn’t have to even be cake! You can try cookies, donuts, and more. The world is your oyster!

4. Take It Outside

If you have a backyard or safe access to a park, celebrating outside can be a really good way to help your kids have fun during a quarantine birthday party.

You can set up a campout, roast marshmallows on a bonfire, go hiking, and so much more. The possibilities are endless when you take your child’s quarantine birthday party to the great outdoors.

Just make sure to pay attention to weather conditions, and be very careful about observing proper safety and social distancing measures if you plan to be in a place that other people have access too. After all, birthdays are important, but safety is really the most important thing.

5. Head Online

If you’re looking for something more creative than a Zoom call, why not head to the video game landscape for your child’s party!

Many video games, like Animal Crossing, are both safe for kids and allow for people to visit with each other within the game. This is a great option for engaging your kids with their friends in a creative and collaborative environment. Plus, it’ll take up a lot of time, if you have other surprises in store for your kid’s big day.

6. Go Heavy on Presents

Presents always help, right? Ordering your child the birthday gift of their dreams might help cushion the blow of COVID-19. Find out what will truly make your child happy this year, and (if you can afford it) buy it! When thinking about what to get your kid for their quarantine birthday, make sure it’s something they can use given the current lockdown measures like a bike or a new video game console.

7. Plan a Theme Day

Making a themed party based on your kid’s interests may help them enjoy their quarantine birthday more than they would otherwise! For example, if your child is a big fan of princesses, plan a day filled with tiaras, big poofy dresses, and Disney movies! For more theme ideas, check out the following:

  • Mermaids, fairies, and other magical and mythical creatures
  • Toy Story, The Incredibles, Cars, Brave, and the rest of the Pixar movies
  • Witches, gargoyles, and anything spooky and scary
  • Star Trek, Star Wars, and the rest of the great beyond
  • Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and the rest of the classic Disney gang
  • Sesame Street and The Muppets
  • Hockey, Soccer, Tennis, and other sports games

These are just a few theme ideas you could try. Ask your child what theme interests them, so you make sure you know what they want out of their special day!

8. Rent Plenty of Movies

Is your child a big fan of the screens? Try renting a special movie (or several) for their special day. There are even options for online streaming, so your child’s friends will be able to watch the same movies at the same time!

With all of the different streaming services out there, there is no shortage of funny, entertaining, and appropriate kid’s movies so you can do a great movie marathon for your child’s birthday party in quarantine.

9. Get Crafty

Having plenty of arts and crafts on hand may help make your child’s quarantine birthday more enjoyable. Let’s go through some crafts that your children may want to try out for their quarantine birthday:

  • DIY stocking piglets
  • Tissue paper box guitars and banjos
  • Slime and goo to play with
  • Tie-dye clothing and art projects
  • Bubbles and magic wands
  • Make-your-own-recycled-paper or flipbooks

As long as you have different supplies and materials, you’ll be able to do tons of different crafts to cheer your child up on their quarantine birthday. Just be sure to stock up ahead of the big day!

10. Make a Montage

If you have a lot of friends and family who may not be able to jump on a Zoom or Skype call, why not make a video montage in celebration of your child’s birthday? Have your family and friends send in video clips wishing them a happy birthday. Your child will know how much they’re loved and appreciated by your friends and family, and it’ll be a memento they can cherish for the rest of their lives, even once we’re no longer confined to our homes.

11. Make a Blanket Fort

Everyone loves a blanket fort, right? So why not make a blanket fort for your child’s birthday? You already have the necessary ingredients on hand, and it’ll be tons of fun for the whole family. Make sure you have enough couch cushions, pillows, comforters, and the like to do it justice!

Once you have the fort built, the possibilities are endless. You can have a competition to make the best fort, have a blanket versus pillow fort war in teams, or stick to more chill activities like movie watching or board games. Making a blanket fort for your child’s quarantine birthday really is a great idea with so many possible activities involved.

12. Go Scavenging

A scavenger hunt could be a great way to celebrate a birthday in quarantine. Plus, it’ll take up a lot of your day, and it isn’t terribly difficult to set up!

You can even find resources online to help you set up your scavenger hunt quickly, easily, and without wasting a ton of money. You should definitely look into setting up a scavenger hunt for your child’s quarantine birthday party.

Making Birthdays in Quarantine Special for Your Family

It’s not as hard as you think to celebrate birthdays in quarantine for your kids. As long as you’re creative and do your best, your kid will have just as good a birthday as they would have before lockdown!

Are you interested in reading more about other, related topics? Check out some of our other blogs.

CONCRETE OR FIBERGLASS POOL

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WHICH MATERIAL IS BEST FOR NEW POOLS?

So you’ve decided to have a new swimming pool installed in your backyard. It wasn’t an easy decision. Concerns over things like cost and safety doubtless kept you brooding over cup after cup of coffee. Now that you’re moving forward with the project, however, you’re pleased. More than pleased. Because hey—swimming pools, especially brand new ones, are a blast to spend time in. Not only that, but with a pool, the resale value of your home is going to increase. This is the right thing to do.

But have you thought about what you want this private oasis to be made of? You probably have. Indeed, pool construction material is going to play a huge factor in longevity, maintenance, and all-around fun. It’s important to make the right call here that provides a nice balance of all three. We talked with a concrete contractor in Carlsbad, CA to find out about his perspective on the big difference between two pool deck types; concrete and fiberglass. 

INSTALLATION AND COST

A team of trained professionals should always do the installation of an in-ground pool. The job calls for precise excavation, plus specific tools and equipment. 

Concrete

Dry-mixed concrete is best for pools, as it is less porous and thus holds longer under the waves. Other equipment needed for the task of installing a concrete pool would be:

  • Reinforcing bars
  • Mesh
  • Formwork

Because excavation for the material is more difficult, having a concrete pool installed can take months, with the standard size 12X24 foot job hovering around $60,000.

Fiberglass

Fiberglass pools cost about the same. They are pre-cast and delivered to the site by vehicle. From here, installation goes much faster—the standard time for getting a fiberglass pool in and ready to go is about five weeks. Keep in mind, however, that because fiberglass pools are delivered over the road, their width is limited to around 16 feet.

PERFORMANCE

Concrete

Now, what are you going to get from your pool deck? You’re going to get a somewhat rough surface that can potentially be a hazard to sensitive feet (chafed skin, stubbed toes), though at the same time will be less slippery than fiberglass, which could mean fewer falling accidents around ladders and coping. Concrete can assume many shapes and sizes to fit its environment. This makes it a fantastic medium for customization.

Fiberglass

Being pre-cast, a fiberglass pool isn’t quite as open to shapeshifting as concrete. The surface is smooth, almost like porcelain, which can present some treachery with walking and climbing; however, this also means it’s non-porous, so unlike concrete (which needs to be resurfaced every few years) bacteria will have a much harder time finding a place to grow. Here’s another great thing: Because fiberglass doesn’t readily absorb heat, the water is going to get warmer faster and stay that way for long. Concrete likes to steal some of that warmth from your pool heater, leaving the poor machine with more work.

MAINTENANCE AND DURABILITY

A concrete swimming pool does love its attention. You’ll likely need to scrub it once a week as well as make sure the chemicals are delicately balanced. Fiberglass pools are much easier going. Their smooth surface makes it hard for material to get trapped and start growing. Nor will you need so many chemicals to keep the water safe for swimming.

That being said, a concrete pool is somewhat tougher in the long haul. All of that maintenance is going to give an owner sprawling decades of enjoyment, whereas fiberglass owners can expect around 20 years’ screaming and splashing. Fiberglass also tends to be more prone to cracks, especially if the protective gel finish isn’t re-applied every 8-10 years.

WHICH SHOULD I CHOOSE?

To wrap things up, let’s put them this way:  Fiberglass is far easier to take care of, which means more fun and games, less cleaning, and repair. Concrete gives you more options with size, shape, and depth.

Use fiberglass if you want:

  • A small or medium-sized pool
  • Low maintenance and repair
  • Flexibility for shifting landscapes
  • A smooth, shiny surface (the pool, not the water)

Use concrete if you want:

  • A larger, deeper swim
  • More choices with decoration and design
  • Rougher texture to reduce slipping accidents
  • Longer overall lifespan (though with frequent upkeep tasks)

Consider the above carefully before settling on a material. Your new swimming pool is meant for relaxation, not taxation. You’ll get decades worth of happiness from the fun it creates—so long as you make peace with the fundamentals beforehand.

Perks and Drawback of Powerful Parenting

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Parenting involves guidance to the social, emotional, physical, and behavioral development of a child. Powerful parenting emphasizes the highly-effective strategies of parenting in order to get excellence in behavior management of the child. Holding a newborn may fascinate the parents initially, but it involves a long series of responsibilities and challenges of the developmental period from infancy to adulthood. Therefore, powerful parenting has a long list of pros and cons that affect a child’s behavior either positively or negatively. Here, we will provide you with narrative writing of some very common perks and drawbacks of some powerful parenting:

Authoritative Parenting

One of the parenting styles of powerful parenting is “Authoritative style”. Such parenting somehow manages to develop the balance between too lenient and too strict.

Perks

Children raised under authoritative style are confident, empowered and their emotional understanding is encouraged. This powerful parenting style promotes respect, independence, and flexibility among children.

Drawbacks

The strict rules and regulations in authoritative parenting tend to make children isolated. Such strict commanding parents unintentionally devoid the child of their happiness and joy. Such parenting not only throws a child into the pit of loneliness but it also has the tendency to develop rebelliousness in children.

Too much-involved parenting

This is another type of powerful parenting where parents get too much involved in child’s life whether it is related to his emotional, social, or even academic problems. Such type of parenting loads a child with a number of positive and negative aspects.

Perks

Studies have shown that kids with parents’ involvement in school-based activities show better grades as compared to those raised under uninvolved parenting. Along with better grades, there is remarkable progress in attendance, social behavior, and functioning of the child.

Drawbacks

Getting too much involved in the child’s academic procedures, we see most of the time the teachers are not comfortable with such an attitude. Teachers only focus to satisfy such parents instead of truly focusing on solving their child’s real issues. Moreover, such children are too much distracted by the presence of their parents; causing a lack of focus or behavior problems.

Authoritarian Parenting

Authoritarian parenting is a powerful parenting in which all rules and regulations are set by parents only without the consent of their children. In this parenting, only the parents decide their child timetable, interests, subjects to choose, setting a room, and even what clothes to wear. The children are never told why they are raised with such strict rules. Such dominating and commanding parents create a lot of positive and negative behaviors in their children.

Perks

Such children tend to follow rules all their lives and pass this legacy to their children as well. They are goal-oriented as they are taught to plan their goal from the very start of their school.

Drawbacks

The children raised under powerful parenting of authoritarian parents are not free thinkers. Ever since the child regained his conscious, they are given strict instructions from their parents, to spend their lives accordingly. They are strictly forbidden not budge an inch from such setup. Such an imposed lifestyle tends to develop lower self-esteem and a deep-rooted animosity against their parents and society. They are deeply pressured by being not decisive in their personality.

Too much friendly parenting

This powerful parenting has been appreciated widely due to its positive effects on the child’s personality. In the past, we see that there was a very serious and unfriendly relationship between parents and children. Those children used to hide everything from their parents leading to disastrous results as the cost of child sexual abuse. Today, when technology has not hidden anything from children, therefore being a friendly and cordial relationship between a child and the parents is quite inevitable. Such a relationship has the following perks and drawbacks in a child’s life:

Perks

The child enjoys the essence of life with strong confidence, positivity, free-minded. They can easily live independently. They are good at making decisions. As their friendly parents had been very good listeners, trustworthy, therefore their children do not hesitate to share any secrets with them.

Drawbacks

Though being friendly is escorted with a number of positive aspects but it has few drawbacks along. A child gets over-confident about his personality. He is not taught to listen to others thus this trait leads others to get irritated by him. People avoid making friends with him. Another drawback is that he gets involved in the superiority complex which is the same devastating as being over-confident.

To conclude, we can say that such powerful parenting appears to be very satisfactory for the parents but it brings your child under the quest of everlasting personality disorder. Thus, there needs to be a balanced relationship between the child and his parents to obtain the future goals of your child.

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