Guest Post

How to Get Rid of Ants From Inside of Your House

August 29, 2018 by Painter Mommy Leave a Comment

Seeing a few ants every now and then is not the end of the world. But when a long trail of ants is being spotted marching across the floor of your house on a daily basis, this can be a cause for concern. Not only can ants be a nuisance, but also they can create a health hazard by easily getting into your food causing contamination.

When it comes to controlling ants there are a few different treatment options available, you could try to solve the problem by doing it yourself.

Here are six steps that will help you to effectively get rid of ants in your kitchen inside of your house and the backyard without the need of hiring a professional.

Keep the Area Clean

Ants are most likely to appear in your kitchen and bathrooms first, because of moisture and food being readily available there. All other rooms in your house can also attract ants if there is food left behind. For the most part, ants are drawn to, scattered crumbs on the floor, grease traces on the kitchen counter and sweet products in the pantry.

The most important in not attracting ant is to keep your kitchen area clean. Ensuring that you wash all your dishes and get rid of food stains from the counters is a very good start. Regularly sweeping and vacuuming the floor is always a great help too.

Identify the Type of Ants

Ants are one of the most successful, well organized and structured insects. They live in colonies that range from a few hundred to many thousands of individual ants.

There are many different ant types around, but only a few common pest ant species in the urban environment are known to cause havoc inside homes and gardens. The very first step in successful ant control is to determine what type of ants are causing the problem. Take a closer look at them, or have them identified be a professional. Alternatively you can search for information about this particular ant online in order to find as to what steps can be taken to keep them away from your house.

Use Acidic Wips

If you see only a few ants in an area of your house, you can be sure that more will follow, especially if there is a smaller ant type infestation. What works well in preventing ants is, mixing one part of lemon juice with one part of water and using it for wiping all areas and surfaces on which ants are trailing. Vinegar is also very effective and can be used, mixed with three parts of water for mopping the floors. Ants are deterred by all acidic products and lose their sense of following their tracks. It will eliminate the scent that the outside ants use to follow the trail of those who already inside.

Locate and Kill the Ants Nest

When the odd ant appears it makes sense to spray it immediately. But if you are starting to see an army of ants regularly parading on your kitchen counter, it is a sign there may be a more serious issue. In this instance, it is always a good idea to find out where all the ants are coming from. Follow the trail and it will often lead you to the ants nest. You can use vinegar and water mix to kill the colony.

Set up Ant baits

While finding the ants nests is not always possible, setting ant baits can be an excellent alternative. All ants are drawn to moisture and food and setting food baits for ants is the most effective way to get rid of these annoying pesky pests in your home. Ants will naturally find themselves going into those traps transferring the poison bait throughout the entire nest.

Once this happens the ant colony will be eliminated and all the ants should disappear. This is one of the better choices to ensure the entire nest is dead and ants are no longer an issue.

Weigh up Your Options

It is it not always easy to engage in effective ant control during the hot summer months, especially when the problem gets out of hand. But if you keep the area clean, set bait and use ant traps, you will have a very good chance of eliminating the entire ants nest.

While getting rid of some ants may be an easy task, cases of a severe ant infestations may be best left for the professionals.

DIY Gifts for Kids

August 21, 2018 by Painter Mommy Leave a Comment

There is no a greater joy in life than having children of your own; getting to nurture them, watch them grow into amazing people and guide them through life. Once in a while, during birthdays, holidays, when celebrating milestones and achievements with your child, gifts are an exceptional requirement to show how much you appreciate them and how proud are you of them. Luckily, gifts do not need to be expensive, they have to come from a place of love, and what better way than to make them yourself?

Here are Some gift ideas that you can DIY at home for your kids…

Cardboard Box Castle

Children love stories about royalty and fairy tales such as sleeping beauty, the beauty and the beast, Jack and the Beanstalk, so you can be sure they will be delighted if you turn one of the stories into something real like creating a castle. They are quite easy to make at home, and if you do not know how to do it, there are always videos online guiding you on how to go about it. You do not need much stuff, just cardboard, a few trinkets for decoration, glue, confetti for decoration and a few more things to make the castle beautiful for your kid.

Treasure Chest

Kids develop interests as fast as they drop them, and most of these interests are inspired by stories we read to them or the cartoons they watch. Hunting for treasure is a fun activity for your kids, and you can create a treasure chest for them to store souvenirs they find and keep as they grow for them to reminisce about when they are all grown up. It is also inexpensive; you can use card boxes or cereal boxes to create a dome-like chest and paint the outside of it to resemble cool treasure chests like those of pirates – your kids will love it.

Child’s Tool Belt

If your children (either boys or girls) like building stuff, then a tool belt for them will come in handy. There are a lot of detailed tutorials on the internet on how to make one with things lying around the house, especially fabric and sewing kits; and line the belts with plastic tools – so that they do not hurt themselves – such as hammers, spanners and wrenches. Watch your children play pretend with the tools and enjoy pretending to fix things around the house; you never know; they could be future engineers.

Felted Stuffed Animals

For parents who are tired of buying many gadgets and tech toys, a stuffed animal is another way to go, and they can easily be crafted by hand. Make your kid’s favourite animal into a stuffed toy using only felt wool, a pair of scissors, sewing kit and a steam iron; adding appendages like ears and wings and noses will make the stuffed toys quite adorable. They are inexpensive and simple to make, and your children will want to cuddle up with them during nap time.

Conclusion

Home-made presents are inspired and thoughtful, fun to make, made with love and a personal touch, and save on money. Wrapping your kids’ gifts will give you and them the satisfaction of tearing into the packaging to discover what is inside; just because they are made at home does not mean they cannot be wrapped. This is precisely why The Works have this amazing offer of 3 for £2 Cards and Wrap to make sure your gift looks neat and ready to be open.

Free Summer Activities for Kids

August 6, 2018 by Painter Mommy Leave a Comment

Can you believe it’s already August? The new school year may be right around the corner, but there are still those last few weeks of summer to enjoy. As the summer progresses, you might find the kids start to get a little bored and restless around the house.

There are plenty of super fun summer activities you can do with your kids without breaking the bank. In fact, there are plenty of free activities you can do to keep the kids busy, and your wallet full!

Go Hiking

Hiking is a fun, free, and active way to spend time with your kids. Not only is it a great way to see the outdoors and get some fresh air, it’s also a great way to work some physical activity into your family’s routine. You can hike through community trails or routes near your home. Do some research online to find great walking trails near you.

Go For a Bike Ride

There really is nothing like riding bikes through the neighborhood. If you don’t have an ideal neighborhood for bike riding, take the kids to local parks or community trails for bike riding. Like hiking, this is another great way to work moderate exercise into your kids’ routine, and teach them to enjoy playing outside.

Hit Up a Public Pool

Even if you don’t have your own pool, you can still take the kids swimming pretty often. Take the kids to your nearest public pool (or better yet, beach!). Kids really do love to swim, and many community pools will have a free public swim where you can take your kids to enjoy a few hours of sun and swim.

Host a Backyard Olympics

This is a fun one – have your kids invite some of their friends over and host a backyard Olympics! Split the kids into teams and organize some fun events like: three-legged races, egg and spoon races, water balloon toss, and any other fun outdoor games you may think of. These olympics can take up a few hours and you can do them as frequently as you like.

Turn Your Living Room Into a Home Theater

Family movie nights are always great for night time, but movies are also a great way to spend a rainy day when the kids get a little stir crazy all cooped up in the house. Make it extra exciting by printing out movie ticket templates online and giving them to the kids. If you don’t have a printer, you can make your own homemade tickets.

Pop some popcorn and give the kids some snacks to make the experience super authentic. If your kids have play money, you can have them “pay” you for their tickets and snacks to sneakily practice some math skills while you’re at it!

Host a Book Club

Reading is always a fun way to pass the time, and helps your child’s mind develop. If your kids got a summer reading list at the end of the last school year, turn reading into a fun activity by hosting a book club! You can provide snacks and a list of fun reading questions about what they liked most about the book. Asking insightful questions will help your kids engage with the books.

Hit up your local library to get the books for free!

Color

Coloring isn’t just for little kids! The influx of adult coloring books has given way to plenty of free printable coloring pages for adults and children of all ages. You can print the pages for free and color to your heart’s content. Coloring is great for rainy days or when your children need to relax and calm down.

Bonus: If your kids are big Disney fans, check out the Disney Family page of free Disney crafts and printables! Disney updated this page with plenty of fun (and free!) printable and craft ideas for families.

Sponsored Post by Brittany McGourlay – Content Manager – freebies.com

5 Ways to Make Moving Less Stressful

July 10, 2018 by Painter Mommy Leave a Comment

You’ve finally found the right house in the right neighborhood with the right schools, and the best mall in the state right next door. You navigated the mortgage minefields and managed to get a fairly decent interest rate on your loan without completely destroying your credit score. The negotiations were tough, but you finally got the seller to agree to fix the heat pump and the compressor and knock 15% off the price because of the roof that hadn’t been changed in 22-years. Now, you are ready to make the big move from apartment dweller to homeowner where instead of calling the landlord to fix the garbage disposal; you go to a big box store, buy an In-Sink-Erator and watch the YouTube how-to about 5 times before you finally call a plumber to install it. But, at long last, it’s time to move in.

1. MAKE A PLAN AND STICK TO IT

If you are moving locally, say within a 15-mile radius, you want to plan very carefully so that you get all of your ‘stuff’ out of one home, and into the other, within one day. This is definitely doable – if – you plan your day carefully and intelligently. This also means that all of the pre-packing of boxes, and labeling of said boxes, has been done beforehand. That way, you’ll be able to estimate pretty accurately how long it will take to pack the moving van. Unpacking it will take about one-third to one-half less time than packing because you aren’t mentally organizing the various objects to fit inside the truck.

But if your new home has narrow or complicated entryways and elevators to deal with – those impediments could increase unpacking time significantly. That’s why it’s a good idea to actually visit your new home, with a representative of the moving company, if possible, days before the actual move, so that you can both survey your new home’s location and pre-plan for any impediments that might be there.

2. KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING

Another benefit of surveying your home before your moving day would be to take the time and effort during this scout day to discover the very best route between your old house and your new home. That means driving the route at approximately the same time that your moving van will be doing so on your moving day so that you have some idea of what the traffic will be like. For example, it might be wiser to use surface streets for part of the drive, instead of a freeway because a factory near that freeway changes shifts at the time your van will be traversing that part of your route. Google Maps or Mapquest can be very helpful in your route planning because of their ability to help you change the route and offer alternatives.

3. PAINT BEFORE YOU MOVE IN

If scheduling allows, it is always a good idea to do repair, paint and remodeling tasks before you move into your new home. Also, paint takes many hours to dry completely and the odors and chemical residues during the drying process can be nauseating. But a good paint job is so important not only for the beauty of your home, but also for its durability.

If you are going to paint your home before your moving day, why not consult with a professional stylist to help coordinate your home’s colors to give it a coordinated look. The money you spend on a designer could be more than made up for if you end up changing your mind and re-painting several rooms multiple times.

4. WATCH OUT FOR THE HIDDEN COSTS

Different moving companies use all sorts of different methods for determining the costs of your move. Make sure you pin the company sales rep down on his/her estimate before your moving day commences. It is always a good idea to get an Outline of Moving Costs from any moving company that you involve in the bidding process for your move. You don’t want a big $urprise at the end of a day in which you have been going full-force for 12-to-14 hours and are, consequently, too tired and stressed to even consider haggling about prices.

5. BE PREPARED

In spite of all of your pre-planning, moving days, by their very nature, can be filled with unexpected disruptions. We can all certainly apply Murphy’s Law to any enterprise, like a moving day, that utilizes so many people and consists of so many moving parts. So, be prepared for the ‘wheels to come off’ some time during your moving day. If you’ve anticipated this, and planned prudently, you’ll be able to handle that disquiet with composure and poise so that it doesn’t spoil your day and you can eventually get back on track.

Judy Lees is a super-connector with Photographers In Islamabad who helps businesses find their audience online through outreach, partnerships, Photography, branding and networking. He frequently writes about the latest advancements in digital marketing, digital photography.

Make Your Roof Last As Long As Possible

June 20, 2018 by Painter Mommy Leave a Comment

Because you likely can’t see it in its entirety without a ladder, you might not take as good care of your roof as you should, and that’s perfectly understandable. If you’re in the market for a new home, you might use a roofing check list before you buy or sell a property. With that in mind, know that it’s better to take steps to maintain the performance and appearance of your roof over the years to help it last.

Perform Regular Inspections

Just because you don’t have leaks in your ceiling or missing shingles blowing off your roof doesn’t necessarily mean that everything is in order. Have a roofing expert come out and take a close look at your roof at least once a year, especially before the winter season if you live in a place where it snows a lot. That way, you’ll be informed of minor issues that can come with a major cost the longer they go unattended.

Keep Up With Roofing Maintenance

Besides regular inspections, tending to roof maintenance is another vital step in helping your roof last as long as possible. Specifically, you’ll want to keep your roof’s surface free of any debris that might blow onto it, keep your gutters and downspouts clear and look for indications that water might be seeping its way through your roof and into your home.

Know What You Need to Do to Take Proper Care of Your Roof Type

Depending on what your roof is made of, there are certain care tips you’ll want to make sure you follow to take the best care of it. For example, regular maintenance is key to making an asphalt roof last, and having a metal roof installed by experienced professional boosts longevity. No matter what material your roof is made of, it’s always best that you opt for a reputable manufacturer and brands to avoid problems later on.

Keep Your Gutters Clean and Repaired

Going back to your gutters, it’s vital that they remain clear and clean. This is because clogged gutters don’t drain water well, which can lead to leaks and pest infestations. Poor drainage can negatively impact the foundation of your home, and a pest infestation is an unnecessary expense for you to bear. Another reason to focus on keeping your gutters clean at all times is to avoid ice dams in the winter. Standing water that’s allowed to freeze on your roof can work its way underneath your shingles and cause damage.

Be Proactive

Don’t wait until there’s a problem before you take action; instead, you’re better off being proactive. For instance, you can keep your roof in good condition and your energy bills low by making sure your attic is properly insulated so your HVAC unit isn’t working harder than necessary, and so you aren’t losing air through your roof. Proper ventilation is something else your roof needs to better ensure humidity doesn’t cause damage to your roof.

A little time, effort and research are all you need to take superior care of your roof, no matter if you plan on buying or selling a home in the near future. Be sure to keep these tips in mind now and in the years ahead.