Summer is the time of outdoor fun. Splashing in the swimming pool can help to cool off the heat in the summer months. It can be a fun family activity to clean the pool during the beginning of summer so the entire family can enjoy swimming the whole season.

Since the swimming pool remains unused in the winter season, there might be traces of mold, fungus, scum or algae that formed on the walls of the pool. Further, the water might become cloudy due to the accumulated dirt, leaves and other natural factors. It is important to make a thorough check for all the grime, dirt and bacteria in the pool and clean them using pool cleaning chemicals.

It is a good idea to empty the water in the pool to check for any visible cracks or required repairs. Any leaks can also be fixed manually or by calling for professional pool fixing agency. Using a manual or automatic vacuum pool cleaner can further help to get rid of the debris and dirt that has been sitting on the pool floor for long time.

Using organic and mild pool cleaners, some amount of gentle detergent mixed with hot water can ensure eliminating all the scum and slime in the pool. This should be done only after the swimming pool is drained and emptied. Using brushes and scrubs with cleaners can effectively clean the pool.

The swimming pool filter and pumps should also be carefully inspected to check their performance. It is advisable to clean the filter and check the pumps before using the pool in summer. If needed, the pool pumps should be given a back wash. In case the filters are defective, they should be immediately replaced.

Once that the pool is properly cleaned and the pumps and filters are also working fine, the pool should be filled with new water. It is important to ensure that the water balance and ph level is correctly maintained. For this purpose, it would be ideal to opt for a pool shocking exercise. This ensures proper chlorine balance in the pool to prevent any allergies and algae growth.

The water should be tested for 24 hours after a pool shocking process before splashing into the pool. Shocking the pool frequently in summer is essential part of swimming pool maintenance because of the high pool usage in summer months. It is also a great idea to shock the pool before and after a pool party in summer to ensure safety of the bathers and the pool.

All these tips should help you in getting your pool easily ready for the coming summer months. Lots of tutorials and help in this regard are available online. Several reviews about pool cleaners, pool shocking process can be studied online for better idea. Hope this helps in caring and getting the pool ready to splash in summer.

By SRekha

As a Real Estate Agent, I help people everyday who thinks that there is no way that they can afford to own their own properties. Sometimes it seems impossible, but in nearly every market and every town, there is some place for everyone. The first thing that you need to understand is what type of market that you are trying to get in to.

If you are a young couple with a small amount of money, you should probably choose a location where there are affordable options for housing; for instance, you probably don’t want to try and move to Beverly Hills, but you might be able to find a nice place nearby in Van Nuys. I am a Realtor in a cute little beach town on the California coast, and believe it or not, I have helped many young couples who don’t have a lot of money find wonderful starter homes. Here are some tips:

1. Think of your first place as a “starter home”, you probably aren’t going to find that perfect little house with a white picket fence and four bedrooms the first time around, but if you get your foot in the door now, someday you’ll be able to afford that dream.

2. Realize that Real Estate is an investment, and there is always a time and a place to “move up” once you are in the market.

3. Condos, Town Homes and Fixer-Uppers are NOT bad investments for the first time home buyer.

4. The money you “waste” on rent, is usually close to what you could get a mortgage on an affordable place for.

5. Understand WHERE you live, and think about the housing possibilities. You might end up having to live a little farther from your job and commute to find that perfect home, but it’s better than renting.

So, remember to think about your money and your prospects. Budget is important, so try to have one in mind when you go to meet your Realtor, and it’s always a good idea to get “pre-qualified” by a loan agent for what you CAN afford ahead of time.

It is not impossible to find a great starter home, even if you don’t have a lot of money to spend, just be ready to spend some time looking and learning about the market in your area.

By Sarah Williams

When choosing the right method of heating for a home; climate, availability, efficiency, and size are the top determining factors. The climate the home is based in will determine the amount of heating needed. The availability of various heating means will limit the choices to what is local and affordable. The efficiency has to be considered or the heating method won’t be thorough. Finally, the size of the home and the area of open space needed to heat have to be compared with the previous factors.

Before getting to anything else, the most important factor to determining the heating for a home is its insulation. No matter the climate or difference in outdoor and indoor temperatures, proper insulation will keep both as separate environments. Properly insulated homes will have insulated walls, lofts, roof rafters (with adequate ventilation for moisture control), double glazed windows, and doors with efficient weather and temperature seals. Improperly insulated homes will have drafts, higher levels of heat loss through all of the above mentioned, and maintain little difference in temperature when comparing the outside to the inside.

Climate:

The location and the yearly temperature difference is a chief factor when choosing the right method to heat a home. Temperate regions with little fluctuation in temperature extremes will have limited exposure to cold temperatures that would require any substantial heating. These homes could get away with as little as a small fireplace or a space heater, that is just enough to get a room up in temperature and leave the rest as is, especially if there is no danger of freezing to plumbing and pipe networks.

The homes above temperate regions and further into the north will have to worry about their plumbing and potential freezing worries, even if there are rare cases of cold.

Availability:

Whether or not there is a heating method that is properly applicable to an area is the next worry. Although virtually any system can be connected to a home anywhere in the world in thanks to the high degree of transportation means and capable people, not just any system will work. Wood stoves for one, may be a good source of potent heat, but are just about useless without a steady supply of wood to keep them going. It would be nonsensical for a suburban or city home to try to bring in flats of wood. Such a system would be better where the trees were plentiful. Heating oil is a similar case, and more suitable for those out of the country.

City heating systems are more likely to run on electric or natural gas systems, where the distribution grids and supplies are higher and more accessible. Being close to a fuel supply is crucial. Other systems involving solar, geothermal, or another renewable means  would be better in the rural environment as well, though can be adapted for city homes if the case of installation exists.

Efficiency:

A heating unit’s efficiency is another great determining factor. Will the system provide for long hours with little attention, or will there be a requirement of the operator to constantly feed it in order to keep up with the demands? A home trying to use a fireplace or wood stove would not be heated well if the systems could only be stocked seldom at odd times of the day. Instead, electric, gas, and heating oil systems can be left alone for weeks and regularly via thermostats that keep temperatures variable and at preset levels. Such systems that use waste heat or renewable energies may not be capable of producing steady heat for around the clock needs, and may require a back up system. It all depends on the demands of the home itself.

Size:

It’s a fact that large homes require larger systems and more fuel to heat, and small homes require much less. While a small home built at ground level with only one story exposed to the elements could get away with convection heating around its floors based on oil, electric, coal, or other means of boiler heat, it could also use a simple fireplace or wood stove within a centralized area that keeps the essentials from freezing, while radiating enough heat to reach its walls and fill the living areas. Such small scale systems on a medium to large sized home might not work on any floor but the one it is located on.

Medium to large sized homes may require more floor level heating on the lower floors and less as it goes up due to the principle of rising heat, but will still require heating for the upper levels. While a single gas heating system could accomplish this by itself, gas, electric, and other forms of heating may be used together to lessen the economic impact should one fuel source become more expensive than the other. Also, compensation with a space heater can go long ways to regulating various household temperatures by adding only what is needed to a certain area, rather than heating the entire structure more than what is required.

Remember that the interior of a house will have a lot of impact as well. Carpeted floors will retain heat better than wood and stone, curtains on windows will keep heat from escaping faster, and even the outside trees and shrubs will block various winds that would otherwise steal heat away. Choosing the right method for heating a home relies on many factors, not just the size of it and the space to heat.

by Morgan Carlson

What are we spending our time on? Are we balancing our time with our needs? There are many different concepts behind the idea of a Balanced Life. There are no set of exact numbers that work for every single person. Below are guidelines and thoughts to consider. When our lives are out of control in one or more areas we must consider the cause of this imbalance, and in order to be healthy and happy, make the necessary adjustments. Not all of these things need to be enjoyed separately, there isn’t any reason we can’t blend parts of our lives. But, it is important to plan for these parts of our lives that are so important to us.

Sleep: 6 ½ -8 hours per night

Work: 6-10 hours day

Exercise: 4-6 hours week

Quiet time: 30min-1hour per day

Family/ Social Time: 4-20 hours per week

Food: A balance of micro nutrients 40/30/30 Carbohydrate, Protein, Fat

Sleep: According to studies at Pennsylvania State University, physiologic studies show that not getting enough sleep may put the body into a high stress condition:

· Increasing the production of stress hormones

· Driving up blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart attacks and strokes

· People who are sleep-deprived have increased levels of substances in the blood that indicate a heightened state of inflammation in the body, which has also recently emerged as a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes.

Work: Yes, we all want or need to work to be successful, and provide a living for our selves and our families but we must be realistic about our schedules. For a short period of time most of us can handle lengthy days and weeks.

· Major concern of excessive work day is stress

· Negative effects on our mental, physical and social health

· Time away from our families, communities, and other interests

Exercise: As my partner says, most often time’s people either exercise too much or too little. Some people exercise hours a day and then go for bike rides or hikes that last several hours on the weekends. They do this for years until they have some sort of injury that forces them to slow down. Respectively, there are the other folks who don’t exercise enough or at all. They tend to believe that walking the dog is a real workout. Don’t misunderstand, any activity is great and we all are at different fitness levels, but we need to be honest about what we are actually achieving.

It is not necessary to spend hours at a time exercising. For most healthy people, the official recommendations for exercise according to the CDC are:

· Cardiovascular exercise 30 minutes per day 5 days per week (yes you have to sweat a little)

· Strength Training practicing 8-10 strength exercises per day 2 days per week to ensure we maintain our lean muscle as we age

Quiet Time: It is essential to factor in our own time in our daily schedules.

· This is time where we are just alone to think or to journal.

· This helps to keep us connected to ourselves and what’s important to us.

· Any time of day is fine, whether it be early morning, a break in the middle of the day or at night before bed.

· Quiet time is not where we think about work projects or worry about the problems in our lives, it is time where we just relax and think about our life goals, the big picture.

· This is when we check in to see that we are on track and going in the direction of our planned future.

Family/ Social Time: For most of us our families and friends are the number one most important priority in our lives. This time is equally important to all the other areas we have discussed. Without our health and jobs our family time would be grim. To have the satisfying relationships we desire with our loved ones we need to be sure we have planned time to spend and share.

Food: Ok, I will try to keep this part as short as possible.

· Here it is: We all owe it to ourselves and our families to eat with purpose.

· Eating is a pleasure and absolutely without any question be enjoyed. But, the main reason for eating is to fuel our bodies for life’s activities.

· Eating is not a hobby nor should it be a sport.

· The first thing we must do is to think and plan ahead.

· Only eat what you need for the energy you will expend in the next 3 hours.

· Shoot for 40/30/30 balance in micronutrients (Protein, Carbohydrates, Fats) This helps to maintain your energy level by keeping blood sugars more stable.

There is no end to the tales of handymen gone wrong. If you don’t have your own stories, just talk to your neighbors or coworkers.

So how do you spare yourself a similar fate when trying to find someone qualified to take care of a simple home repair issue?

References! References! References!

I, myself, have been a carpenter, a handyman, and a general contractor. I know the inside of the business. Here’s where things go wrong.

THE UNQUALIFIED

Some guys are simply not qualified. At best, they’re well-intentioned but do mediocre jobs for people at cheap prices, and are able to talk their way into new jobs because the unsuspecting homeowner knows even less what they’re talking about than they do, but the price is right.

The homeowner WANTS to believe this man can do the job for that price. Being afraid of paying more for the same job, they take the bargain. Sometimes, it doesn’t go horribly wrong. Sometimes it does. Usually, the guy just doesn’t come back if you have a problem later. He can’t afford to.

You can ask for references, but he may have a few customers with unchallenging work who swear by him. You have to ask specifically what he did for them. If it’s not the same work you’re asking him to do, don’t accept the reference.

THE UNSCRUPULOUS

Some guys are just unscrupulous. Their price is not bargain basement, but they make it SOUND like it is. They have a jargon-filled patter that makes you feel as though you know nothing.

Frankly, they’re sometimes psychologically intimidating. If you try to turn them down, they make you feel foolish. They may give you references, but they may try to make you feel stupid for even asking for references. Don’t take too much stock in the referrals, though, if you have misgivings. They could be cronies or dupes.

If you feel even the least bit uncomfortable when these tactics are pulled on you, politely walk them to the door, and insist that you will have to think about it. Ask for a business card to demonstrate your sincerity, but keep it only in case you have to report them later for harassment.

THE BUMBLING

These are the worst, in a way. They’re sweet guys with great intentions and hearts of gold. They’re not the cheapest and they’re not the most expensive.

You feel really comfortable doing business with them. It just seems like some kind of problem always comes up, and they’ll explain why it’s not their fault, and how they’ll try to make it right. After a while, you let them off the hook, because they tried their best, and you settle for whatever you got.

They truly believe in what they’re doing, but they’re disorganized. Worse, they’ll probably have some good references because people believe in them.

When talking to the references, dig a little to ask about the problems that arose and whether they were adequately taken care of. Even the best handymen will encounter problems-I know I have.

But if you pry gently and hear a consistently recurring theme, think twice. Surely they could have given you a couple of references where problems didn’t occur.

THE TAKERS

These guys are probably fairly competent, and run a professional looking business. They’re not the worst people to deal with, but they’re expensive. You probably won’t have too much problem with their work, except for the bill.

They will, of course, have excellent references, who will no doubt tell you they’re good but expensive. They’re not a horrible choice. At least you know what you’re getting.

THE PROFESSIONALS

These guys are few and far between. They don’t glad hand you and don’t try to be your instant best buddy. And they don’t talk down to you. You’ll feel like your dealing with someone who is competent and professional.

Probably the only difference between the Professional and the Taker is the price. As far as references, you will probably get uniform appraisals of competence, satisfaction, and value.

GETTING REFERRALS

If you’re looking for someone in the yellow pages, classifieds, or Penny Saver, you’re taking potluck. You’ll find one or all of the above types and need your own finely honed sense of people to tell the difference.

Your best bet is to ask your neighbors or coworkers for referrals. You can also call a few real estate companies that handle apartment management to find out if they have any recommendations. Or even ask a few real estate agents you know. If you have an acquaintance who is a contractor, or even an acquaintance who knows a contractor, try making that call to ask who is good at what you need done.

You can expect the best people, the Professionals, to be fairly heavily booked. If you can wait, stand in line. You’ll get the best job at the best price.

If you can’t wait, consider either the Taker or the Bumbling. If you have the money, the Taker will fix your problem for a price. If you want to try to save a little and have some tolerance for rework, go with the Bumbling. Just be patient and politely insistent about the finished product.

CHECKING REFERENCES

Always, ALWAYS investigate a minimum of three potential candidates, and always, ALWAYS call three references for each.

Usually when you call three suppliers, you’ll find a high, low, and medium price. No matter what numbers you hear, it gives you a better sense of the market for what you’re buying. You become a smarter consumer.

When calling the references, have your questions written in advance and write down the answers you get. Don’t just ask your question perfunctorily. Know what it is you’re trying to uncover and dig gently until your question is answered. If you don’t do your due diligence well, who can you blame?

CONCLUSION

I sincerely hope this helps you find the people who can do good work for you. If you have anything you can add, please post another article to this topic.

Learn more about this author, Steve Holder.

By Aysha Schurman

Baking can be a great way to spend fun time with the entire family. Everyone loves yummy treats, and making them together can be a perfect bonding experience.

Anyone of any age can help out with at least one part of the project, so your little two year old girl can have as much fun as your twelve year old son.

Baking can also teach important skills to any children in the family. Basic eye/hand coordination, measurements, math, patience, and the rewards of hard work can all be valuable lessons.

Be careful not to make this like school though, the learning should be secondary to enjoyment and family bonding.

To guarantee the baking project is actually fun for the entire family, elaborate recipes should be avoided. Nobody is going to enjoy the activity if they need to be boiling things to an exact temperature, or mixing complicated measurements.

Remember that anything too easy will bore the older children, and anything too complicated will confuse the younger ones.

Keep the projects easy, fun, and yummy. Bond with the entire family and have a blast. For actual project ideas, try:

* FAMILY COOKIES *

- A really fun baking project for the entire family is baking an entire family! Use gingerbread, sugar cookie dough, or whatever you want, as the base. Create the dough together or go buy some ready-made dough for a super quick activity.

- Just roll out the dough and have each family member cut out a gingerbread man shaped cookie. Each person should either decorate the cookie before or after baking, depending on technique used. Basically just bake the cookie, making two to four cookies per family member.
- Use icing in assorted colors, sprinkles, and candies to decorate the cookie so it looks like the person doing the decorating! Or let each person make a cookie that looks like each member of the family.

- Yellow icing for blond hair and blue “Skittles” for blue eyes! The cookies can be decorated as simply or elaborately as desired, depending on the creator’s skill and age.

- This is a great way to separate treats and figure out who’s had ten cookies and who’s only had three. Just make the rule, you only eat cookies that look like you, and the problem is solved. Kids love seeing the entire family in sweet form, and adore making tiny replicas of themselves to munch on.

* KITCHEN SINK CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES *

- Try some delicious chocolate chip cookies with everything in them! Decide what each person in the family loves in the cookies. Make them prepare and add whatever that ingredient is. So Mom adds chopped walnuts, Dad adds semi-sweet chocolate chips, younger sis adds butterscotch chips, and older sis adds milk chocolate chips.

- Whatever the combination, it’s hard to come up with something that doesn’t taste great. Take turns stirring the dough and have everyone help out with placing the cookies on the baking sheet. Bake, let cool, and gobble up.

* 4TH OF JULY CUPCAKE SURPRISE *

- Whip up some plain white/yellow cupcake mix. Use colorful cupcake papers, put them in the pan, and fill each cup a little less than half full. Take a large pinch of fresh berries, blueberry works best, and place them in the middle of the cupcake. Kids love to help out with this berry task, and do a great job.
- Once all the berries are placed, fill the cupcakes up the rest of the way and bake. Take the cupcakes out and let them cool off.

- Use a bright colored frosting, blue or red works best, and frost the cupcakes. Then take sprinkles, candies, and contrasting colored icing to decorate. Add a tiny American flag to each one or just gobble up right away.

* FRUIT PUDDING CUPS *
- Make or buy some sugar cookie dough and roll it out very thin. Take some cupcake papers and place them in a cupcake pan. Cut a shape out of the dough large enough to line the cupcake. Push the dough down if needed, and reshape it until it becomes a cup.

- Place pan in over and bake it for *2/3* the time recommended for the sugar cookies, so probably around 8 minutes. Take pan out of oven. Add some chopped fresh fruit to the very bottom of the cup, like a mix of Strawberries, Blueberries, Apples, and Pears. Or, for something really, really sweet, use fruit cocktail without the juice.
- Mix up some vanilla or chocolate pudding, and fill the cups about 2/3 full. Add another sprinkling of the fruit to fill cup almost to the top. Now place pan back into oven for rest of cooking time, probably about 4 minutes.

- Take out of oven and let cool. To avoid a real mess, use a fork/spoon and bowl when gobbling up.

* ENGLISH MUFFIN PIZZA *

- These easy and yummy treats can be used as a quick snack or a fun meal. Chop up some ingredients and put them into bowls, creating a do-it-yourself pizza buffet. Just take an English muffin and open it, so you have two halves, and place it on a plate.

- Use pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, or just plain ketchup with a spoon to cover the slices. Then pick and mix the toppings, with everyone only using what they like. Sprinkle on a nice layer of cheese, any kind will do. Pop into microwave, toaster oven, or oven to heat and melt the cheese.

* FAMILY NACHOS *

- Take a large, non-stick baking dish and a bag of corn chips. Let the whole family join in on smashing the corn chips and placing them in the pan, use about 3/4 of the bag. Warm up some refried beans for easier spreading, and let the kids smear it over the chips.

- Take a container of sour cream and smear a light layer over the beans, again, great part for kids to help with. Sprinkle a heavy layer of cheddar cheese over the sour cream. Spread anywhere from 1/2 to 1 pound of cooked and seasoned ground beef over the cheese.

- Sprinkle beef with cheddar cheese. Add any tomatoes, olives, chives, or onions if desired. Add the rest of the mashed up chips. Pour a little salsa over the chips if everyone likes it. Sprinkle with more cheddar cheese. Put in oven at 350 and bake for about ten minutes, or until the cheese is all gooey.