When you’re a single mother, you often have to do work for two people, no matter if you share custody or get help from people around you. Mothers have a lot of tasks from cooking and cleaning, to helping kids with homework and solving various kid issues. And things only get harder if you have a career of your own. So it’s only natural and understandable to neglect certain home improvement jobs. But with these tips, you can stay on top of all fixes and issues around the house and achieve the impossible.

Assemble Your Tool Kit

Of course, you won’t need any heavy machinery or complicated electronics for work around the household, but there are a few tools you simply can’t survive without. Grab a toolbox and fill it with a few essential hand tools like a hammer, tape measure, screwdriver, pliers, wrench, utility knife and a cordless drill. All of these are very intuitive when it comes to handling and don’t require any special training. And don’t forget a few painting tools. Painting is the most common home improvement task people do and with a wide brush, angle brush, short-handle brush and a roller, you can tackle any paint job from walls to furniture.

Seek Help From YouTube

You’ll be surprised how many solutions to problems you can find on YouTube or similar networks. These are not only free but presented by regular people like you, so you have a high chance of understanding simple terminology and having all the necessary tools. From diagnosing problems with your appliances, to painting walls and putting up fixtures, you can find all of it by performing a simple Google search.

Consider Safety

No matter what kind of tasks you’re performing (painting walls, hammering nails or doing yard work) you need to be safe and protected.  Many countries like the UK have an established work safety culture, so you can easily find quality workwear and protect your body, head and feet from any accident. This is especially important when you have kids around because you want them to see you use proper protective gear and develop safety habits. Sturdy work pants and shirts are a must, as well as a proper hat for outside work. You also want boots with toe protection that will keep your feet safe from falling objects, sharp tools and bumps.

Nip Issues In The Bud

Don’t wait for small issues to grow and become big and costly problems. Instead, tackle them as they come. In most cases, a small drip or a small chip of paint will only take a few minutes to solve, but if you wait, you might need to replace fixtures or a complete repaint. Come up with a maintenance and improvement schedule so you can stay on top of all the tasks. For instance, once a month you might need to trim shrubs and trees, twice a year to clean your gutters, and once a year to flush your water heater.

Look For Budget Home Improvements

Many single mothers have a shoestring budget to work with, so some heavier home improvements are off the table. If you also struggle with money yet want to refresh your home, choose certain improvements that cost next to nothing. For instance, repainting your entire house is quite cheap, yet brings amazing results. Things like repainting your furniture are also very effective, but you also tackle your front door or build nice shelving for the living room. With a few tools and materials, you can do a lot in one afternoon.

Make It A Family Event

You’d be surprised to know how much kids love to be helpful around the house. If you make your home improvement projects into a family affair, you can all have a blast while doing something beneficial for the entire household. Kids can do a lot of things from painting and sending to hammering and helping with tools and lighting. As long as you’re there to assist and provide safety gear, your kids will love your little home improvement days. Plus, this will provide them with many useful skills they will most definitely need in the future.

As a single mom, you most likely have a lot of things to keep in your mind, but with these easy home improvement tips, your home will always look absolutely amazing (minus the daily mess, but that’s forgiven).

Author Bio

Diana Smith is a full time mom of two beautiful girls interested in business and marketing related topics.

In her free time she enjoys exercising and preparing healthy meals for her family.

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We might not realise it, but we are bombarded with self improvement messages on a daily basis. From make up and hair adverts on TV, through to weight loss stories and fitness plans on the covers of magazines, we are constantly told we are not good enough. Yet if we buy this particular product or follow that particular celebrity, we could be. And what happens is that these subtle subliminal messages, rather than making us feel good about ourselves, actually have the complete opposite effect. Which sees us about as far removed from self improvement as you can possibly get.

So, what we want to focus on today is not necessarily how you can improve yourself, because honestly, we think you’re pretty awesome as you are, but instead to concentrate on showing you some ways to help build up your self esteem in order for you to believe it too!

Know Yourself

Before we can self improve we really need to know what it is exactly we want to improve, or to look at it another way – to address some of the things we’re not happy with in our lives. It’s time to start making some lists!

Grab yourself a large sheet of paper and divide it up into different category blocks – relationship, career, health, money, fitness, aspirations etc. Jot down all the things that aren’t quite working out for you, the things that you like about your current situation, as well as how you would like it to be in an ideal world.

The very act of ‘brain dumping’ can be incredibly cathartic and helps to clarify and make sense of things. It allows you to make positive and actionable steps, rather than having all of those thoughts swirling around in your head.

Keep Learning

School days may seem like an absolute lifetime ago, but that doesn’t mean we ever need to stop learning. Indeed, continued learning throughout our lives can help give us purpose and encourage a growth mindset. If you’re unsure where to start you can try going for one of the many distance learning courses online. These offer a variety of different courses; anything from healthcare and nutrition, through to journalism, animal care and IT courses; there is something to suit all interests.

Alternatively, why not take up a new hobby, join a sports club, learn a new language, read a new book about a subject you know nothing about. Absolutely anything that enriches your mind and motivates you in some way is such a positive step in helping you to feel good about yourself.

Be Your Own Cheerleader

I’ll bet you dish out compliments to your friends all the time, right? But how often do you give yourself those same words of praise? I think we all know the answer to that one!

I’m not going to lie, singing your own praises and being your own cheerleader is far from easy. But if we constantly focus on the negatives and think unkindly towards ourselves, this can get in the way of so many of those life goals you are hoping to achieve.

One thing that can help you to change the way you speak to yourself is setting yourself some daily check in habits.

• Keep some positive affirmation cards by the side of your bed and read one every morning.
• Make sure the first thing you do when you look in the mirror is smile at yourself.
• At the end of each day write down at least one thing you have achieved, are proud of, that made you happy that day.

Take control of your inner critic, show yourself some self compassion, and start blowing your own trumpet a bit.

Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Sometimes doing something that scares the living daylights out of you is the one thing that gives you the biggest sense of achievement, so pull up those big girl pants and give it a go.

OK, OK so maybe don’t rush out and sign yourself up to a skydiving session just yet, after all some of us do have genuine phobias, but how about doing something that is completely out of character, that gets your tummy filled with butterflies, makes your heart beat faster, makes you feel alive!

The secret to building self confidence is to take that giant step out of your comfort zone and experience the things that make you feel this way. Sure it’s scary, and no it’s not easy, but I’ll tell you something for nothing, it’s incredibly rewarding and will make you feel completely empowered once you’ve done it.

Stop Procrastinating And Just Do It!

And finally, these action points are all well and good, but they’ll only work if you get on out there and actually do them. So, stop procrastinating, stop making excuses, stop thinking about the what if’s and just do it.

*collaborative post

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We all want to add value to our homes, not just as a home investment for potential resale but also to enhance our own joy of living in a beautiful home. Making home improvements is one of the best methods of investing in the value of your house.

DIY Home Improvement

If you can carry out your own house improvements without paying for a tradesperson, all the investment will go into your home.

Here are a few simple home improvements you can make.

Revamp Your Radiators

Radiators are no longer simply a functional appliance in your home. You can now buy radiators in a wide variety of sizes, styles and colours. For example, vertical radiators make a huge style statement as well as saving space in awkward room layouts. Heated towel rails add luxury to a bathroom.

You can buy radiator paint if you want to transform an existing radiator, or you could purchase a new radiator from a radiator specialist, such as Stelrad Radiators. Installing a radiator is easier than you think, and you’ll find videos online to support any installation instructions that come with the radiator.

Freshen Up Your Kitchen Cabinets

A whole kitchen overhaul isn’t always necessary. If the carcasses of your kitchen cabinets are sound, then updating the doors is all you need to do. The simplest task is to buy new door handles or knobs. Or you can remove the doors, sand them down and paint them in a fresh, on trend colour. There are also companies that will just provide new cabinet doors so all you need to do is take down the old and add the new.

Add Contemporary Coving

Often overlooked, coving can define the style of a room. The absence of coving can leave a room feeling incomplete. Adding period-appropriate coving to a Victorian or Georgian home, for example, can increase the authenticity of the property. Modern coving can add the finishing touch to the latest interior design. Adhering coving is a simple DIY task if you are confident cutting mitre corners.

Professional Home Improvements

There are some home improvements that require a higher set of skills. If simple DIY is where you draw the line, you will need to get a professional tradesperson to carry out the following home improvements.

Add A Conservatory

A conservatory adds another reception room to your home. You will get to enjoy the light and extended living space that a conservatory provides. Plus, if you ever put your house on the market, you can list an extra living room which will appeal to more potential purchasers and add to the asking price.

Make sure to balance out what you lose in garden space with what you gain in living space. Even a small conservatory will add value with a well thought out design.

Level Up Your Loft

A loft which is insulated, boarded and has a fitted ladder becomes an appealing storage space. Life is made much easier when Christmas decorations, suitcases and those old children’ toys you can’t bear to part with have an easily accessible, organised area in which to be stored safely.

Going a few steps further and actually converting your loft is one of the home improvements which adds the most value to a property. It maximises space in a home and can accommodate a growing family – all beneficial to you and to potential purchasers.

Install Bifold Doors

Bifold doors have become a hot trend in home design in the last decade. Opening up a room to the outdoors creates a feeling of space and calm. They are a sizeable investment and require a specialist installation, but as a home improvement bifold doors add significant value to your home as well as enhancing your lifestyle.

After all, isn’t that what all home improvements should do?

*collaborative post

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I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on self-help books and seminars over the past three years. I’ve devoted thousands of hours reading blogs and listening to podcasts about personal growth and self-improvement with the goal of finding the answers that would “fix” me. After my divorce I became addicted to the idea that the answer to my happiness and healing was in a book, podcast or a blog. I kept waiting to read or hear that magic “Ah Ha” tip that would change my life forever.

“Hi, I’m Jasmine. And I’m a recovering self-improvement addict”.  When I was faced with several unexpected challenging transitions in my life, all in a very short period of time, I became compulsively consumed and obsessed with self-improvement and personal growth. Don’t get me wrong, some of the most powerful breakthroughs I have had in my personal growth have been due to a seminar I attended, a book I read or a life coach that I worked with. But it was as if I was never satisfied with what I read or heard, I wanted MORE MORE MORE!

What Is Self-Improvement?

Let’s start with talking about what self-improvement is. Self-improvement is wanting to improve upon your knowledge, thought patterns, or character by one’s own efforts. The goal is to reach a point where you no longer feel the need to improve yourself.

Comparable to nirvana. A transcendent state in which there is no longer desire. It’s as if some people strive to get a Self-Improvement PhD and life will be perfect. If you find yourself picking yourself apart and comparing yourself to others when you are reading self-help books, is that really helping? Can self-improvement be poisoning your mind?

“Things do not grow better; they remain as they are. It is we who grow better, by the changes we make in ourselves.” ― Swami Vivekananda

The Webster Dictionary defines addiction as: A compulsive, chronic, physiological, or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity having harmful, physical, psychological or social effects and typically causing well-defined symptoms (such as anxiety, irritability, tremors, or nausea) upon withdrawal.

When you think of an addict, you probably envision someone who is addicted to alcohol, drugs or sex; not a 40-something professional who is reading “Girl Wash Your Face” before she turns in for the night.

Placing importance on self-improvement doesn’t necessarily mean that you are addicted. When looking at whether or not there is an addiction, ask yourself this, do you keep repeating the same patterns and behaviors no matter how much you try to improve yourself?

According to Market Research, the self-improvement market in the United States was worth $9.9 billion in 2016 and is estimated to grow to $13.2 billion by 2022.

So, if it works so great, why are people constantly waiting for the next self-help best seller by Tony Robbins to be released or the next TED Talk by Brene Brown to go live? Wouldn’t you read one book, listen to one seminar and have achieved self-improvement nirvana?

The truth is that self-improvement, personal growth and self-care are all constant. That is why there are millions of book options and thousands of seminars with different approaches.

It is healthy to want to work on continuing to develop yourself, but do you ever take time to be in the present and appreciate who you are in that moment? Take a minute to process the tips and tools you have read and reflect on how you want to implement them into your life before you buy the next best seller.

I’m certainly not suggesting you should never purchase another self-help book again. But keep in mind, those books, blogs, podcasts or seminars, all they can do is give you ideas, suggestions and recommendations. It’s YOU that has to put all of it into motion.

Those tools are just someone else’s opinion on what you should do or they’ve done research on what “could” work for some people. They are just that, opinions.

If you have focused on self-improvement for quite some time and feel as if it may be taking over your life, I encourage you to take a break. In your efforts to continually improve, you can end up sending yourself the message that you are not enough, you are lacking, or that you are not worthy just as you are.

As you take time to slow down and look at all that you are trying to improve, it can be helpful to allow yourself to look at the ways you are succeeding in life and give yourself credit for even your baby steps.

“No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you’ve come from, you can always change, become a better version of yourself.” ― Madonna

Accepting Yourself Does Not Mean Complacency

Just as placing importance on self-improvement doesn’t mean you have an addiction; accepting yourself does not mean that you stop growing or improving. Accepting yourself simply means that you are able to look at the big picture and acknowledge your strengths in conjunction with the areas you would like to develop.

Striving to develop yourself and work on self-improvement can be positive if you are balancing it with acceptance. It becomes toxic when it becomes your addiction. Acceptance doesn’t mean that you can’t still read the books, listen to podcasts and attend seminars to develop who you are. It means that you allow yourself to also see the amazing qualities you currently have, today.  

Self-improvement can become a never-ending project; you can always find something else that needs to be changed. To break the self-improvement addiction, you have to take a step back and decide to be happy with who you are now.

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