Monthly Archives: December 2018

5 Backyard Games to Enjoy with Family and Friends This Summer

A lot of people today spend so much time cooped up in their room playing video games or streaming on Netflix. Such a small amount of time is spent, if any at all, outdoors playing with other kids or enjoying a good ‘ol fashioned barbecue with the neighbours.

All of that should change this coming summer and you can start by playing any of these awesome backyard games. So let’s say that after so many years and countless First Home Buyer’s Guide articles you pored through, you finally have a house and are planning an awesome party. Let’s remind friends and family how exciting it is to drop everything you’re doing to play outside.

Water Balloon Dodgeball

A fun twist to an old favourite, this game is pretty self-explanatory. Load up balloons with water, team up, and get ready to dodge like your life depended on it. You can invite more people to join this game and turn it into your little backyard tournament. Limit the number of people on the field to maybe four or five, and around four teams. The winners of each elimination round will then compete each other and win the title of “Best Backyard Dodgeball Team.” Just remember not to aim for the face, and wear protective gear if you have them.

Picnic basket relay

Divide everyone into teams and give them a complete picnic set, which includes: plates, utensils, glasses, and even food. Each team member must set up a picnic as fast as they can and the put it back in the basket. Once they are done, the next player needs to do the same. The team who can finish the fastest wins.

Try to avoid using materials that will break easily just in case people get too excited and accidentally drop plates and glasses.

Reverse charades

For this version of charades, only one person in the team is guessing. Other members will pick from your pool of topics or phrases. They will not act it out though, instead they will form a picture and freeze, a bit like a tableau. Then the team member will have to guess what the ‘picture’ is. You can do themed charades so that it is easier for them to guess the picture like movies or songs.

Treasure hunt

Do this “Amazing Race” style. Which means you will have to prepare riddles and tasks that the teams will have to figure out and accomplish. The goal is for them to form a puzzle or look for an item around the house. Make sure you go wild with it, too. You can hide items in places they will not think you will make use of and ask them riddles that will really mess with their wit.

You can limit the team members to three or four, and around four teams only. When you are setting up the tasks, make sure there instructions and guidelines so that the game remains safe to play.

Stop Dance

This is the perfect game to show off those dance moves. Everyone joining the game should partner, face each other, with a whole page of newspaper laid out in front of them on the ground. The rules are simple: they will start dancing once you play music. When you stop the track, they should stand on the newspaper, making sure that both of them are on it. After each round, the players will fold the newspaper in half, and then they will start dancing again once you play the song. This goes on until only one pair remains.

So clear up the backyard, call all your friends and family, and get ready for an awesome summer bonding!

Why You Should Hire a Fitness and Diet Coach

Keeping fit is not just about physical fitness, but also about being happy in yourself. A healthy body, so they say, means a healthy mind, and that’s something that many people who enjoy a workout routine can testify to. Keeping fit doesn’t necessarily mean working out strenuously; you might simply want to stay healthy, and keep your body in trim.

There is, of course, more to it than simply getting into a workout routine at the gym (or perhaps in your home gym). We’re talking about a healthy diet, which goes hand in hand with the fitness routine. Eating well is a good part of every fitness regime, but what does ‘eating well’ really mean?

It’s a good question, but what we can say is that it doesn’t mean only eating food you don’t enjoy. There are many delicious and nutritious meals that you can employ within your diet to help you keep your weight and fitness at the right level, and it pays to as the right people for help.

Who Should I Hire?

This is a good question; we recommend that you hire both a fitness coach and diet coach, or one who can help you with both disciplines. The problem is – as with all such things – finding the right one, and it’s not always easy. This is because the person you choose will be integral to your health and fitness for the near future at least, so you need to ensure they are trustworthy and that they can provide the goods.

You should, in the first instance, ask around friends and family who have used such services, and see if they can recommend a fitness and diet coach who they have used with success. Or, you could check out some of the online services available – Medifast is a good example of weight control advice service that we have found – and see how they can help.

Once you have an idea of who you might want to help you with your fitness and diet routine, you should be able to work towards starting on your regime with their help, and building up towards the level of health and fitness you want to achieve.

What Is Involved?

What will be involved when using a fitness and diet coach? The benefit of using an experienced coach – or coaches – lies in the fact they know what they are doing. Each of us is different in terms of build and fitness, and we have different ideals in life. You may be a man who wants to work out to quite a high level, or you might be a woman who simply wants to keep in trim; the coach will be able to advise you as to the relevant exercise regime for you, and the appropriate diet that you should be indulging in.

You will find things difficult at first, but rest assured your coach will ensure that your fitness routine begins slowly and builds up to an intensity that is right for you. This is a further benefit of using a professional coach; they can help you do things at the right speed, as going too hard, to quickly can take its toll on you.

As for the diet side of things, an experienced dietician will be able to advise you as to what you can eat, and how much, but will also be able to ensure that the meals you have are not just nutritious, but also enjoyable.

The benefits to hiring a fitness and diet coach really cannot be overlooked, so why not check them out now and see how they can help you reach your ideal level of fitness?

How Families Can Deal With Common Issues Effectively

There are a lot of dynamics in a family. Because of all of the different personalities that everyone has, some issues can arise from time to time. These are some of the most common things that families deal with.

Agreeing On A Budget

Money can cause a lot of tension in a family. This is especially true if one person is a saver and the other one is a spender. One way to combat this is to create a budget. Sit down together and make a list of the bills that you have. Then calculate the amount of money you bring in every month. Once you figure out how much money you have left over after all of the bills are paid, have a discussion about where this excess money should go. Just make sure that you have a little bit of fun with some of the excess money. Perhaps, set some aside each week for a future family vacation or a large purchase that you want to make.

Some Type Of Addiction

At one time or another, a family member may struggle with one type of addiction. During this time, a family’s love is very important. It will help the person struggling with addiction to feel supported and not alone. It’s also important that family members communicate with that person. They should check in with them each day and be an open ear that will listen to what they are going through, without being judgmental. Whether or not they open up to you, it’s still important for them to get the help that they need. The right drug and alcohol rehab center, such as https://www.harrishousestl.org, will have people on staff that are trained in how to talk effectively with a person in need. While dealing with an addiction can make everyone uncomfortable, the sooner the loved one gets treatment the sooner they can start the recovery process.

Dividing Up Household Chores

There are a lot of chores that need to be done in a household. This includes unpleasant tasks like disinfecting the toilet, scrubbing the grout and cleaning the baseboards. While no one really wants to do these types of chores, they have to be done. If they aren’t, it can cause a lot of tension in a household. This is why it’s important for families to sit down together to divide up the chores that need to be done each week. Determine a time frame as to when these chores should be completed. Switch up the chores each week that each person is responsible for so no one is stuck with a particularly difficult chore on a consistent basis. It may be helpful to make a chore chart and put it on the refrigerator where everyone can see it. This will act as a visual reminder of all the chores that need to be completed that week and who is responsible for them.

Making Time For One Another

Tensions can arise in a family if they aren’t able to spend enough quality time together. With things like work, school, soccer practices, and piano lessons, it may seem as if you very rarely see your family members. It’s important that time be set aside to where families can be together and just enjoy each other’s company. Families should make time for one another at least once a week. Family dinners or game nights are a great way to bring everyone together and really don’t take a lot of effort. You can make elaborate plans for your family, but even carving out just an hour can be very beneficial to everyone as a whole. It certainly may be difficult to find a time to where everyone is free and can get together, but it is very important and worth any sacrifices that need to be made.

With so many different dynamics in a family, disagreements may happen. It’s important to realize that this occurs in every family as tensions will arise from time to time. Just remember that you need to deal with family issues and not ignore them so that they can get resolved fairly quickly. The family should always be a priority, even if you are currently dealing with some sort of issue.