Tag Archives: electronics

The Importance of Quality Family Time

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As a parent, it can often feel like you’re burning the candle at both ends. After a long day of work, nothing sounds more appealing than sitting down and relaxing for the rest of the night to enjoy some peace and quiet while your child plays in their room or entertains themselves on a tablet.

Sometimes, you may not even have that option if your kids are involved in sports, arts, or other extracurricular activities.

When you do finally have some time for yourself, it’s understandable to want to “get out” and enjoy a social life with your friends.

However, none of these are necessarily healthy or acceptable routines to slip into. If you do, you’ll miss out on crucial bonding opportunities with your kids and/or teenagers that you’ll never get back. People like to talk about kids growing up in the blink of an eye, and it truly can feel that way sometimes.

Family time is important for both parents and kids, and it should be a priority in your life no matter what else you have going on. It’s normal to be exhausted sometimes and to just want a night to yourself. However, it’s crucial not to let it become a habit.

Let’s cover the importance of quality family time and how to incorporate more of it into your life with your loved ones.

Bring Back Family Dinner

Family dinners used to be a major component of the stereotypical American family. However, over the years, family dinners have changed. Parents and kids are busier. Activities continue later in the day. Electronics and technology have made it easier for everyone to eat at different times in different rooms.

However, sitting down for a meal as a family is about more than just fitting a stereotype or creating a Norman Rockwell-esque image. Regular dinners allow you and your family members to reconnect at the end of each day. It can take some creative scheduling and possible adjustments to make family dinner work every night, but even sitting down together a few nights a week is better than nothing. Family dinner’s biggest benefits include

  • Having fun with your loved ones
  • Learning about what your kids are going through
  • Strengthening your bond
  • Getting your kids interested in cooking and food
  • Teaching responsibilities
  • Sparking creativity

You don’t have to produce a gourmet meal every night. No matter what you have on your table, focus on the company and the time you have together. Create an ideal environment by choosing the right colors for your dining space, using warm lighting, and setting the table in an inviting and comforting way. When you make family dinner a priority, you might be surprised by how quickly it becomes everyone’s favorite part of the day.

Read Before Bed

When your child was younger, you probably had a nightly routine of reading them a book or two before they went to sleep. Unfortunately, it’s easy for life to get in the way again, and you might find yourself rushing through their nighttime routine now, so you can get some time to yourself.

If it’s been a while since you’ve read to your children, consider adding it back into both of your lives. Dedicating a special time to read a book with your child will strengthen your bond, and can have a profound impact on how they see the world. Reading to your child can also help them to develop a secure attachment from an early age, benefiting them into adulthood. Children with secure attachment bonds to their parents typically

  • Have high self-esteem
  • Get involved in healthier relationships
  • Have an easier time expressing their feelings

While reading before bed is a great way to help your kids wind down and improve their sleep hygiene, reading at any point during the day is beneficial for cognitive development and creativity.

You’ll also benefit from this dedicated time. Reading helps to improve sleep, can reduce stress, and can boost your concentration and ability to focus. Plus, you’ll learn new things along with your child and have an easier time seeing the world through their imagination.

Ditch the Digital Devices

Frankly, it doesn’t matter what you do with your family, as long as you’re dedicating yourself to it. Setting aside time to focus on your kids (and partner) is all that matters, whether you take a weekend camping trip or walk around the neighborhood after dinner.

A good rule of thumb, no matter what you do, is to leave cell phones and tablets behind when you’re spending time together. This shows your child that they’re getting your full attention and they’re the most important thing to you. It sets a positive example for them and can show both kids and teens that technology should never be more important than relationships.

No matter how you choose to spend quality time with your family, focus on being present. The things you do together now will shape your kids for the future and will create memories for you that will last a lifetime.

Incorporating Smart Tech Into That Classic Victorian Design

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The overall theme for a Victorian home is ornate and lavish with a desire for decorations, some dating back to the 1800s. Since then, builders have worked tirelessly to design fancier ways to add ornamentation and decor that is relevant to changing times. The introduction of information technology towards the end of the 20th century opened possibilities for exchanging information between people, appliances and systems, possibilities that are still under exploration.

The smart home is the latest trend in innovative home technology, and it puts the safety and control of your entire home at your fingertips. With the internet of things (IoT) concept becoming a more visible and accessible option, you can transform your house and still keep that Victorian design and theme intact. Upon installation, you would be able to remotely control common aspects such as security, lighting, doors and temperature. Making your home smart could also raise the value of your Victorian house considerably.

Wireless or wired?

“When transforming your Victorian home, it is advisable to use wireless technology,” Andy Stanford-Clark, head of IoT department at IBM told the Guardian. By so doing, you will be causing minimal disturbance and damage to your decorations. In case you encounter problems with signals, you can opt for mesh controllers such as ZigBee because they offer better coverage. In addition, smart lighting systems for the home can be mounted on the wall plates, which can then be customised to look like a traditional switch that matches the exact theme of your interior. If you have to install a wired system, it is advised that you do it when other renovations are done, such as an energy retrofit. You can also snake a wire through the floor joists, though it could be more expensive.

Old heating and smart locks

The difficulty with older homes is that rooms tend to vary in temperature, but you can overshadow that by having smart heating sensors monitoring each room’s temperature and comparing it to external weather from a weather website or an outside sensor. If your home uses storage heaters, purchase a disguise adaptor that sits between the wall socket and the plug of your appliance. When it comes to smart locks, you do not have to destroy your doors and windows. “We had a gorgeous antique door that we did not want to cut into to install the new smart locks. We got a keyless entry system that sits on the top and replaced the deadbolt on the interior, and it works perfectly.,” said Christian Roehl, owner of Incommand Systems.

That 100-year-old house with stunning decor, high ceilings and ornate chandeliers is beautiful, but if it does not feature technology that makes your life easier, then it needs some adjustments. The goal is to install smart technology while maintaining the overall Victorian look. “The good news is that everyday technology is becoming more wireless and devices are getting smaller,” claimed Dan Diclerico, a smart home strategist for HomeAdvisor. He says that internet signals, with the help of WIFI boosters, are overcoming barriers, making installation of smart devices less invasive.

Review: Flips Audio Solo 2 Social Speakers & Headphone In One

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I do not often come across a product that I have fallen in love with and felt compelled to share with others about – but these Flip Speakers have given me reason to tell you just ho much I love them.

???????????????????????????????What has such a major appeal to me is the fact that these sleek headphones can be converted into room speakers with a quick turn of each ear piece which provides a loud volume so you can share with others in the room. These speakers can be used with any 3.5mm jack, which enables you to share music from your mp3 player, computer or other source that doesn’t provide a loud enough volume to share with others in a room.

I must also tell you that I had never considered headphones like this because I thought they looked uncomfortable and possibly heavy – these are neither of those things. They are very light weight and provide  a perfect fit over your ears which creates almost a selfish environment that is just for you. The part that wraps over the top of your head is unnoticeable and you do not feel it at all because they are fully height adjustable.

???????????????????????????????They also come in a great zippered case that is durable to withstand being in a book bag or in a glove box or wherever you store it while you play hard. With a simple turn and fold these guys, along with the charging cord, fit nicely inside the case and you don’t feel like it is a hassle either because it is so roomy.

The sound quality against your ears is a perfect volume with the headphones preventing sound from outside from entering in. Since I have been attending college, I have found that so much information is placed online (like audio lectures, video clips or sometimes entire lectures), and since I wake up earlier than the rest of the house, I found I can slip these on and not disturb the rest of the house and that I am not distracted from the sounds of our dogs or noises outside.

The sound quality that is put out in the room when you are sharing is superb and is loud enough to vibrate the surface of whatever you place them on when you want to jam out with music with your friends or family. I turned these guys to room speakers when my granddaughter was hear and let her jam to some of the tracks I have saved for her on my computer. The sound that comes from Flips is better then the two speakers in my laptop.

These also have a cool factor, since both of my sons (who are 19 and 21) were anxious to try to find a way for them to be the new owners of them – sorry boys these are Daddy’s. They are perfect for older or younger and there is no worry of feeling these aren’t hip or cool! I love them!

???????????????????????????????Here the Flips Headphones can be seen ready to place over your head.

???????????????????????????????Here Flips can be seen ready for your room to be filled with sound you want shared with family or friends.

Information from the manufacturer:

SOLO 2 Social: Flips transforms how you listen to your music. Listen in solo mode, ear cups to your ears, or flip them out to social mode, sharing your music with others.

On the Go: Between classes, at home, at the gym or free styling with your crew, Flips light, compact design fits your life and listening style. Anywhere, anytime. Solo or social. Carrying case included.

Amp’d Sound: Crisp 40mm neodymium speakers and optimized amplifier makes Flips a uniquely powerful social experience. Amp’d high definition sound is powered by a lithium ion battery, rechargeable through any USB, providing hours of playtime.

Hi Def Sound: Flips patent pending technology provides crisp, clear high definition sound experience in either mode. So enjoy your music as it was meant to be, on your own, or with a crowd.

www.flipsaudio.com

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Spring Cleaning – Living Room

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Couches and Chairs: Use the vacuum cleaner attachment for crevices to get underneath the cushions of your couch. This might also be the time to rent an upholstery cleaner and steam clean the fabric of your couches and chairs.

Tables, Lamps and Knick-knacks: Dust and fully wipe your tables, lamps and knick-knacks. Don’t forget to vacuum the lampshades as they tend to get extremely dusty.

Bookcases: Remove all books from your bookshelf and clean the shelves. Don’t forget to dust the books before putting them back!

Entertainment Center and Electronics: If you’ve got a wooden entertainment center or armoire, you should dust and polish the wood surfaces. If you’ve got a laminate, an all-purpose cleaner will do. Most stereos can be cleaned with a damp rag. For your television, there are different cleaning methods depending on what kind of set you own. If you have an older, traditional tube, you can use glass cleaner and a rag. Avoid paper towels for any electronics because the paper fibers could slightly scratch the surface. If you have plasma screen, use just a clean damp cloth. If there is serious dirt, you can mix it with a gentle cleanser, but try to avoid using any cleansers if possible. For LCD screens you want to be especially careful. Wipe very gently with a damp cloth, then dry immediately with a dry cloth. Don’t press onto the screen or you could damage the display.