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Archives for February 2014

The Pests You May Find In Your Home

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Unfortunately, Australia has a warm climate that provides perfect conditions for many household pests. Many people are unaware of the number of different pests that may be lurking in their homes. Although it is an unsettling thought, just because you don’t see the signs of a pest infestation, does not mean they are not there. So here are some of the most common pests found in Australian homes.

Cockroaches

Like flies, cockroaches can carry many diseases and germs on and in their bodies due to the fact they spend a lot of time in rubbish piles, compost heaps, and dirt. If they are carrying these germs and then walk over food preparation benches, food, cutlery, or cooking equipment, in the home, they can pass theses germs on to humans. These germs can cause illnesses such as: salmonellosis, shigellosis, gastroenteritis and hepatitis A.

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Flies

Flies are particularly common during the summer when their population sizes increase. There are five common fly types in Australia: houseflies, bushflies and blowflies. Flies are attracted by a variety of different things including: dirty benches and tables, food scraps, septic tanks, lawn clippings, animal faeces and general waste. All flies carry a variety of diseases on their hairy bodies and legs and in their stomachs, from landing on these unhygienic sources. If flies then come into contact with food or food utensils these germs are transferred to the food and can infect humans with: salmonellosis, shigellosis, trachoma, hepatitis A and gastroenteritis. Their eggs and larvae (maggots) can also infest your outdoor garbage bins.

Termites

Termites, or white ants, are common pests in Australia. Termites feed on timber and other wood sources including timber frames and wooden beams that support your house, as well as wooden skirting boards and architraves. Termites infiltrate the wood and eat the wood from the inside out. Once they have infiltrated the wood they multiply quickly and begin to compromise the structural integrity of your home. If left too long they can be incredibly difficult to irradiate and cause serious structural damage to your home.

Rats and Mice

Rodents are very common in both rural and urban homes as they are scavengers that can thrive in open fields or in urban landscapes. They are incredibly adaptable and will find food, water and shelter anywhere they can. In Australia there are three main rodent species: the ground rat, the roof rat (or climbing rat) and the house mouse. In winter when it is colder rodents seek refuge within your home in cracks, pipes, ventilation ducts, attics and basements. Rodents are attracted to un-sealed or open food sources within pantries and cupboards, as well as crumbs left around food preparation areas. They are often attracted to fruit and nut bearing tress and bushes that grow in gardens. Rodents are also the carriers of many diseases and bacteria that are detrimental to humans.

Whether you have seen signs of a pest infestation or you want a pest evaluation of your home for peace of mind, contact Trusted Pest Management Australia.

By Grace Patterson

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored guest post.

5 new hobbies that your kids will love!

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When children reach their teenage years, they often associate their identity with something they excel at. This could be books, writing, sports, painting, dancing or a fandom they particularly love. But before they get obsessed about this particular thing, it starts off as just a hobby they have nurtured for years. This is why it is important to nurture your child’s hobbies because it is something that will follow them for the rest of their lives. After their teenage years have ended, their hobby could become their future career.

In order to inspire you and your child, here is a list of five new hobbies your child could grow to love!

Performing

A lot of notable celebrities started out performing as their hobby when they were young. Such as, actors, comedians, magicians and the most famous of singers. They started performing in their bedrooms and lounge rooms. If your child is more of an extrovert, performing will do them wonders because their self esteem and confidence will grow sky high. To get started why not host a dinner party with your closest family and friends? You’re child could do a short stand up show or perform a short play. You could also use this hobby as another way to teach them about history and improve their communication skills.

Arts and Crafts

Being creative can help younger children strengthen their motor skills and bilateral coordination –the ability to use both hands together. Drawing is really good for strengthening your child’s motor skills from an early age. For older children, encourage them to build things. Such as jewellery and wood work.

Science

They could start a bug collection or start experimenting in the backyard. As long as the experiments are age appropriate. They could do an experiment where they change the colour of water, make a paperclip float, see optical illusions and build their own volcano. They are having fun while they learn about the interworking of chemistry, physics and biology.

Sports

This could be anything. From soccer, football, netball and basketball, your child could play anything they like. All that matters is if they get the support they need to stay committed. Such as, a support team to cheer them on when they play at a game and help training up their skills. For instance, skateboarding requires a lot of practice and many trips to the local skating park. If your child loves the thrill of skateboarding, look at Penny Skateboards for suggestions on which skateboard would suit your child. But if skateboarding is not their thing, bike riding is also very rewarding. In twenty years time they could be competing at the Tour De France.

Collecting

Whether it is dolls, stamps or cards, collecting is a rewarding experience because not only does your child learn about history but it will pay off in time. Some baseball cards and Barbie dolls from years ago are worth thousands of dollars today. Though the value increases if these items stay in their original packaging.

Be my friend…

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In an effort to increase engagement and encourage readers to take the time to leave comments and share posts I have decided that ‘good friends’ aka interactive readers will be rewarded. Basically I am buying your friendship! See that is how desperate I am. hahaha. Every month the most involved, interactive and comment loving follower on facebook will receive a special little gift to say Thank you for your time and effort. For the blog I will be doing something similar however the gift giving will be spontaneous and could happen more frequently.

I have chocolate!

I would also love it if you could follow me at the following places so you don’t miss a thing!! I am starting to get around the web a bit now.

BlogLovin: So you never miss anything exciting.

Facebook: It’s like a fun halfway house between the blog and twitter.

Twitter: Because who doesn’t love to tweet like a bird sometimes!

Instagram: Thanks to Fat Mum Slims ‘photo a day challenge’ I have practically lived here for the past month. It’s been like a second home.

Pinterest: I too love to pin things I’ll never have or make.

Most of all I want everyone to know my blog is a piece of me. It is my digital home and I want my friends and readers to feel welcomed and pop in for a chat.

Leave a comment below and introduce yourself, tell me something about you.

Helpful Tips for Your Interstate Move

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Moving is one of the most stressful experiences in the human condition. It involves moving a huge amount of stuff a long distance over a protracted period of time. If you plan to move with someone it’s also a sure fire source of conflict and annoyance. It costs you money, it takes time and it is endlessly frustrating. Here are some easy ways to make moving safe easy and relatively relaxed. Once the job is done you can get back to a good relaxed life in your new home.

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Plan Everything

The best way to cut down on the little troubles is to have a plan. Know where everything is going to go, measure your old place and your new one for size. Know the right way to get everything important interstate without risking destruction or damage. Do your research on moving vans and companies. You should only proceed when you have a really good idea of how you’re going to manage the move. This won’t solve all of the problems you will inevitably have, no plan is perfect, but it should help plan it out.

Be Cut-throat with Disposals

Sadly when you’re disposing of things when moving house you have to be colder than you’ll like being. You’ll have to get past the sentimentality that leads to people wanting to keep everything no matter what happens. No matter how much you may want to, bringing everything makes the experience so much more frustrating. So decide what you want to keep and what you need to throw out. You may not want to lose the old memories but you have them anyway. If you don’t have any particular sentimental attachment to something and you haven’t used it in a year it might be time to throw it out.

Seek Help if you can

No one likes to do anything alone and moving is basically impossible. Call in every favour you can get, in the old state and the new one. Every strong back to lift a couch, organised mind to load up the truck and friendly face to raise your spirits is one job you don’t have to do. You have friends for a reason, use them if you need them. While there may be some tensions between you and them during the process it will be a better experience over all.

Take it in Stages

Doing things in steps is a good idea, a big job is made up of a lot of smaller jobs. If you have to be out right away feel free to load your possession into a truck and move it to a temporary storage facility. Doing this will give you time to make a few trips and prevent mad rushes of moving back and forth just to get all of your stuff to the new place. Visit www.fortknoxstorage.com.au for more information.

Moving need not be horrible. Just take your time, think of s plan, don’t be afraid to ask for help and be realistic with yourself about what you really need.

5 DIY Renovation Projects for the Family Home

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Renovating your family home can be a great summer project, and it also adds value to your property. Here are some do it yourself projects that any dedicated household can manage.

Replace Your Tired Entrance with a Feature Door

The front doorway is the first thing you see when you enter any building. If your old door is scuffed or splintering, replace it with a new feature door. This is possibly the easiest home renovation project there is – choosing the door will probably take more effort than installing it. Make sure you measure your old door, to ensure your new selection will fit. Remove your old door, but make sure the sill is still intact. Attach the new door, and use some caulk to seal the door in the opening. Insulate around the door with caulk, and if nothing goes wrong, it should be operational just as soon as the caulk is dry.

Retile the Bathroom

If your bathroom is not renovated and still houses its original tiles, then it is definitely time for an upgrade. Before you start, make sure you cover anything you don’t want to get damaged in plastic sheeting, including the bathtub, the toilet, or the mirror. Use a utility knife, and a chisel and hammer to pop off the old tiles, then scrape the floor to remove any old thinset. If there are any uneven areas, you may need to smooth them out with drywall compound. Spread thinset on your tiles, until it is the same thickness as your tiles, and then place them evenly along the floor with spacer in between each one. Don’t forget to grout your tiles to avoid future water damage.

Repaint the House

Painting the house is another easy DIY renovation option, and it’s one you can even do with the kids. Make sure the room is dust free before you start – if dust gets into your wet paint, it can make a nasty bump. Clean the surfaces before you paint them to avoid roughness or grease. Apply masking tape to the edges of areas that won’t be painted to avoid the whole room ending up with a Jackson Pollockesque appearance. Then prime, and paint, and remove the masking tape when you’re done.

Make a Skylight

With the current craze for natural light, skylights are a valuable addition to any house. Make sure you find a spot in the roof free of electric wires or pipes, where the sun will actually shine in. Try drilling a locating nail into the roof to keep you oriented. You’ll need to cut two holes, one in the roof and one in the ceiling – and preferably they should match up! Install a room dome through the roof hole, and down into the ceiling hole to channel the light into your house. Fasten the dome at the other end, sand and seal.

Build a Deck

If none of the options above sounded impressive enough to you, you might want to build your own deck. Mark out the deck site with posts so you have an overview of what you are going to build.

Next, you will need to excavate the deck area to make sure it is level –mini excavators make this work quick and easy. Build the frame on a flat surface nearby, then position the frame and secure it to the posts. Concrete the posts, then level the frame. Next secure the decking boards with screws, making sure you position them correctly by using a ruler. Once all the boards are in place, your deck is done. Easy right?

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