How To Create A Cozy Atmosphere During The Holiday Season

Oh man, there is quite a nip in the air as we inch closer to the holidays. Everywhere you go has glittery, festive decor hanging from every corner. There's a whole lot of hustle and bustle going on as the streets are cluttered with travelers, and holiday shoppers. As much as we love the holiday season, we also love being home away from it all. We love making our home feel warm and inviting, especially during this time of year.

DIY Network host and Pine Mountain spokesperson Jason Cameron, has put together a go-to checklist for parents.   

Some of Jason’s tips include:

• Make a festive snack – Everyone loves making sugar cookies and gingerbread, but the best part is eating your creations! While snacking on cookies, wash it down with some hot chocolate or warm apple cider.
• Light a fire – A fire is a great way to create a sense of warmth and bonding. Using a firelog such as the American Home™ by Yankee Candle® Balsam Fir Firelog is a great way to make your home smell of pine and eliminates the need to cut firewood.
• Watch a holiday movie – From Frosty the Snowman to Elf, we all have a favorite holiday movie. These movies provide a sense of nostalgia for adults, and offer hours of entertainment for kids.
• Decorate your home – Setting up holiday decorations in your home is a tradition that many families across the country have. Play some light music in the background and chat about your favorite holiday memories to make the activity more festive. 

Our home is fully decked out for Christmas, and our fireplace is ready for those cold evenings. We keep a stock of regular firewood on hand every year, but also love keeping a few firelogs that are ready to go with no fuss. The American Home™ by Yankee Candle® Balsam Fir Firelogs are our favorite! They smell like a freshly cut Christmas tree before you light them. That alone makes our home have that festive fragrance. 

They have a 3-hour burn time and easy lighting. All you do is place the log with the wrapper intact on your fireplace grate. Then you light the tops of the paper where the arrows are printed. Once the paper burns off, the log takes around 10 minutes to fully take off burning. 

From there, you can enjoy the radiant light and gentle warmth of a lovely fire. It burns cleaner than ordinary cordwood, producing up to 75% less particulate matter and up to 80% less carbon monoxide. It is so pleasing to have a fire that took little effort to start. No poking or adjusting logs is necessary with an American Home balsam fir firelog. My husband loves that part since he accuses me of messing with the fire way too much. Ha! 

If you have a wood-burning fireplace, you definitely need to pick up a case of American Home by Yankee Candle Balsam Fir Firelogs. They are sold at Home Depot, Walmart, Kroger, Amazon, True Value, Walgreens, and ACE Hardware stores. They are so nice to have available for if you are expecting guests over. It really makes your home feel super cozy. 

What to Do if Your Furnace Short-Cycles

You most likely already need to use your furnace, at least occasionally. Hopefully, you performed the annual furnace maintenance. This kind of maintenance is very important for proper functioning of the heating system throughout the heating season.

Your furnace was dormant for the better part of the year, so it definitely needs some attention prior to everyday use to prevent breakdowns. If, however, you do experience problems with your furnace, you need to act quickly. You don’t want to be left without heating when proper winter sets in. Contact a professional and experienced heating service like https://www.actionac.net/heating-system-furnace-repair-san-diego/. One of the most common problems with furnaces is short-cycling. So, what is short-cycling and how do you recognize it?

Short-Cycling 

Chances are you have heard about this problem associated with air conditioning units, but it can just as easily happen to the heating systems and for the same reason. Namely, short-cycling happens when your furnace starts and stops too quickly and too often.

There are several possible reasons why this could happen. In most cases, you should able to identify the problem, but fixing it is probably out of your hands, and you will probably need professional help.

Your Furnace Is Oversized 

This problem should be evident from the first time you turn on our new furnace. You may think that bigger is always better, but it doesn’t really apply to furnaces. You don’t want the biggest thing on the market, you want something appropriately sized for your home. If you have miscalculated and gotten a furnace which is too powerful for your home, the result is short-cycling.

Essentially, your furnace is too effective at heating your home. However, that comes with a drawback. It means that your furnace will not be as economical doing it. It will expend too much energy in a short time, then stay inactive for a period, and then repeat that process. A more economical setup is an appropriately sized furnace which will work continuously. Not only will it be more economical, but it will also help with reducing the wear and tear, so your furnace will serve you longer and it will be less likely to break down.

Overheating Issues

Another reason why your furnace keeps turning on and off so frequently may be due to overheating. Your furnace may be shutting down automatically to prevent any more severe damage. One of the biggest concerns with this issue is carbon monoxide leaking into your home. Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, so the only way to figure out whether it is in your environment is to have a carbon monoxide detector close to your furnace.

The main cause of overheating is the restricted airflow, whether it is a dirty air filter or a blockage in the vents. This will trap very hot air near your furnace and cause some physical damage to your heat exchanger, leading to the problems listed above.

Thermostat Issues

Maybe your furnace is not to blame, maybe it is getting confusing inputs from your thermostat. The thermostat tells the furnace when to start and how hot it should run, so if the problem lies in the thermostat, your furnace can experience a whole range of problems, including short-cycling.

You can test this by setting your thermostat to different temperatures and monitor the changes. However, ultimately, you will need a skilled professional to come and take a look at the problem.

Short-cycling is not only a nuisance, it could be an indication of much more serious problems, which is why you should treat it seriously and consult your heating technicians as soon as you determine that there is a problem.

To contact Action Air Conditioning & Heating of San Diego
4455 Murphy Canyon Rd Suite 100–5,
San Diego, CA 92123, USA
800-400-4152

Be Prepared For Those Holiday Germs + $25 Visa GC Prize Pack Giveaway

This post has been sponsored by Pfizer Consumer Healthcare. All thoughts and reviews are my own.

The holiday season is officially here! Many of us are busy shopping, and getting our homes prepared for entertaining. It's a hectic time of year, that's for sure. It's also that dreaded time of year again-- cold and flu season. It seems like your child can go from being perfectly healthy and energetic, to feverish and sniffling in a matter of minutes. I have seen this happen way too often over the years, and have learned to do all I can to prepare for those moments.

We always keep some cold and flu supplies on hand year 'round. To help relieve some of those symptoms, we include these items in our cold & flu survival kit:

• Digital thermometer
• Extra toothbrushes so you can toss the old one out 
• Vaporizer  
• mentholated rub, clean washcloths, flexible ice packs stored in freezer 
• books and movies for entertaining your sick little one
• a washable plush toy and blanket 
• paper drinking cups that are disposable so germs don't hang around 
• extra tissue boxes around the house
• A variety of children's *medications including: Children's Advil, Children’s Robitussin DM Day/Night Pack, and Children's Dimetapp. *Remember to follow instructions on packaging for correct dosage. 

Children's Advil Suspension does the trick when this little guy gets a fever, or feels a bit achy. It's good for kids as young as 2 and up to 11. Children’s Advil comes in several great-tasting flavors, including: Sugar-free Dye-free Berry, Bubble Gum, Grape, Blue Raspberry, Fruit and Dye-Free White Grape flavors.

It's virtually impossible to keep our kids away from germs, especially during the holiday season, but they can get some relief with Pfizer Pediatric medications. You can visit the Sick just got real™ site for cold and flu relief tips, as well as product information and money-saving coupons. You can even use their helpful "Sick Sense Relief Finder" to search your child's age, and specific symptoms to find out which medication they need.

***Giveaway***

One lucky Mom Files reader will win a prize pack including: a $25 virtual Visa gift card and (1) Children's Advil® Suspension (various flavor), (1) Children’s Robitussin ® DM Day/Night Pack and (1) Children’s Dimetapp® Cold & Cough. Enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This giveaway is open to U.S. Residents only and ends on November 302017. Must follow rules in Rafflecopter. One winner will be chosen randomly. Mom Files is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

Bedding Styles for Winter 2017

Sleeping well is one of the most important and influential factors in our lives. From well-aired, pleasant sleeping room, to a comfortable, spacious bed, super comfortable, anatomical mattress and pillow, all these elements play an important part when it comes to our sleep quality. You can learn more about that here https://mattressmakers.com/latex-hybrid-mattress-affect-sleep-health/.

Of course, don’t forget the bedding, which should be made of good material, but also well designed. If you’ve seen to the health and comfort aspects, you’ll probably want to pay some attention to aesthetics and make sure your bedding in is in line both with the rest of your interior design, but also with the latest trends. After all, knowing everything is perfectly matched will probably help you sleep tight. Here are a few suggestions for this season, so hopefully, some of them might fit in with your current style. Or if you’re reinventing your bedroom experience completely, they might inspire you and give you ideas for other parts of your home.

All White

This is an ever-green classic, no way you can make a mistake with this. Whether the bedding is just another element in the all-white room, or just set as a contrast to the environment, it will look good anyway. In the first place, it invokes peacefulness and cleanliness, what’s cozier than falling asleep in white, clean, soft, fresh-smelling sheets?

In case we’re talking about all-white surroundings, make sure to use different nuances of white, different patterns, textures and materials to prevent a too sterile, hospital-like appearance.

In case white bedding is used as contrast, it’s really difficult to make a mistake there. For instance, you can try using the monochromatic palette to get a classic aesthetic. One thing is sure, it will bring lightness and vivacity into your bedroom and will fit in well into both modern and more vintage designs.

Ordered Chaos

If you’re more into eclectic style, you’re probably more than happy with this year’s fashion trends which suggest mixing and matching patterns, and which applicable not only when it comes to clothes, but also when it comes to bedding.

If this is your thing, you’re probably already a master in mixing patterns, however, you’re planning your first design experiment in this direction, here are some basic rules. First of all, do not mix more than three patterns, everything more than that is simply considered too much and can hardly look good.

Next, follow the golden ratio of 60/30/10, meaning you choose one dominant pattern which should cover 60 percent of the surface, for instance, you can use it for the quilt, then the second one which should take up around 30 percent, and finally, the third, boldest option for the remaining 10 percent, which you can use for throw cushions and similar details. Be sure to avoid repetitiveness by choosing patterns that vary in scale and type.

Also, make sure to incorporate this explosion of patterns and colors into a monochrome environment. A consistent color palette in the patterns can also help match them more smoothly. 

Clean Lines

A clean contemporary style is another trend that came back both in fashion and interior design. It can be seen in sleek lines of duvets and covers. It might seem like a completely opposite of the above mentioned pattern mixing, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be.

Main traits of contemporary style are sharp edges and high contrasts, but also using geometric patterns. So the major difference between the two styles lies in visual lines they create. In order to follow contemporary style, choose bedding that features solid color or sharply defined shapes with clear edges. 

What’s more, this trend might work best if your furniture is of similar design with similar angles, so you can have these lines somehow echo through the interior.

Hopefully, at least one of these styles can at least give you direction what to try and explore to bring a new life into your bedroom, and definitely into your life as well.

Four Reasons Teaching Can Be A Great Career Change For Moms

If you're a mom who has chosen to stay at home with the kids during the early years, it can be quite tempting to consider retraining so you can have a new and better career once you do return to work.

The availability of online degrees that can allow you to study from home, full or part time, has made it very easy for moms who want to find a new career path to get qualified while they're at home with the family, but what career should you choose? With anything from accounting or an MBA, nursing or hospitality management available from online colleges like the University of Cincinnati, you really do have a wealth of options.

Here, we take a look at why a really good choice can be getting an online masters in education and becoming a teacher:

Match Schedules with Your Kids

In most jobs, it can be hard to find a good time to do things like take vacations as a family, as getting time off work during school vacations can be something of a battle – everyone wants it!

However, as a teacher, your schedule both on a day to day basis and when it comes to vacations will be fairly similar to your school age kids, making arranging family time much easier.

Learn to Teach Your Own Kids in New and Interesting Ways

Not all learning happens in the school environment, and as a parent you are sure to want to be able to teach your children interesting things and get them excited about learning. As you study for a masters in education, you'll gain some great insight into how kids learn, and be able to use this at home as well as in the classroom.

Use Your Existing Knowledge

Depending on what age group you want to teach, there is demand for all kinds of specialisms. This means that whatever your existing background and first degree are in, you can use that knowledge combined with what you learn in doing your masters in education online to become a specialist teacher in your original field, for instance science, IT, language or even things like art and music.

This means that while you are retraining, you are not losing the benefits of your past studies or experience.

Make a Difference to Children

As moms, we tend to empathize a lot with children and want to help and nurture them – even the ones who aren't our own! As a good teacher, you can inspire and motivate children, help those with difficulties at school, and become an important role model for them. Not all kids have good people to look up to and teach them, and so this is something you can take on as a teacher.

If you are looking for a career change that is rewarding, interesting and also has some practical benefits now that you have started a family, then teaching can be the perfect choice, and getting qualified has never been easier!