Category — Live

Every one of us owns a bed of some description; be it a wooden bed, a metal bed or a leather bed. However, what they all have in common is that they have a mattress on it and, let’s be honest; a bed without a mattress would be useless. So, what is the ideal mattress?

Mattresses have been around for centuries. From the early days of sacks of hay through to modern memory foam mattresses, we have experienced many different types of mattresses and many of us disagree as to which is best.

Metal sprung mattresses are perhaps the most well used mattresses as they are affordable and reliable. With the open or closed spring options you will find that most people will find a hard or soft option that suits them. But, since memory foam mattresses came onto the scene many of us would rather invest in one of those.

So what is a memory foam mattress and how does it work? www.bedstar.co.uk describes it best:

Memory foam mattresses react to body heat and eliminate pressure points on the body, making them very comfortable and good for those who suffer from joint pain. Because there are no springs, memory foam mattresses are effective at distributing weight and you will not be disturbed by a restless partner. They are also hypoallergenic and anti-microbial, making them ideal for allergy sufferers.

So basically it is a wonder mattress! It is one that is said to rid you of those morning aches and pains and surely this is something we would all like eliminated from our lives? No longerwill you have to hobble to the shower and wait for the warmth of the water to sort out your aching back.

Many opt for the memory foam mattress because you have no movement on your side of the bed when your partner is doing a jig or two on the other side. You can sleep soundly, whereas on a normal mattress you would be bouncing around like a jack in a box. This could a marriage saver, not just a sleep saver.

So, perhaps the memory foam mattress is the way to go, what with all its advantages. But the case still remains that they are rather expensive. If you want an investment then they certainly are that, but if you just want somewhere to rest at night without spending all your savings then you might be better going for your normal sprung mattress.

If you would like to buy mattresses online, make sure you take a good look around the Bedstar website. You will be amazed at what deals you might find

Living next to Lake Tahoe in California, I’ve noticed that homeowners most typically choose a house siding made of wood to better blend in with the natural beauty of the region. Wood house siding is my personal favorite wall cladding. Homes with stucco siding fit in at pristine alpine areas such as Lake Tahoe or Aspen about as well as the people who wore those outrageous neon ski suits that were popular in the 1980s.

However, as many homeowners who live in snowy areas can attest, the winters that make the Lake Tahoe area famous for its world-class skiing–and the ensuing warm-weather summers–can be hellish on siding and siding finishes. By following a few tips during installation of the siding and ensuing maintenance, homeowners can get better wear out of their wood siding.

Many people choose cedar lap siding because of its looks and durability. Regardless of what type of wood siding homeowners choose, one of the best ways they can ensure that it lasts–and repels water–is to primer the backs and edges of the siding. The primer prevents water from entering the boards, and it also protects the water barrier behind the house siding from becoming wet.

Siding experts also suggest using regular tar paper for a moisture barrier rather than Tyvek due to the tannins in wood siding, which can break down the integrity of other types of housewrap. Tar paper is about as easy to hang as other types of moisture barriers, and it has an incredibly long life–I have stripped many roofs that were baked by intense summer sun for more than 50 years, and the tar paper was still intact and functional.

Another thing that is crucial for house siding in snowy regions is to choose a high grade of wood siding with few knots since the siding is going to expand and shrink much more than in areas with milder weather. Higher-quality siding can reduce troublesome problems such as splitting or cracking that can appear in knotty siding.

Lastly, be sure to refinish the siding often in mountainous areas. If your siding is bare and looks like it needs another coat of stain, don’t put it off. Severe storms can hit anytime in mountainous regions, so don’t get caught bare-sided. Proper maintenance of siding helps stretch its life and keeps it looking good over time.

I write this article as a tribute to my previous electrician – Mr Lee – whom I have come to find out had passed on due to a work related incident. It dawned on me that whilst his job as an electrician was dangerous, what with being exposed and in contact with raw electrical elements during installation and repair works, we as home owners are also at risk (albeit, less) due to our everyday contact with electrical appliances and electronics. Do you know enough about your home electrical system, disaster preventive actions, and methods to putting out electrical fires? If not, let’s change that today.

Electrocution and electric fires cause thousands of deaths and injuries each year. Knowing good practices can help save lives. Most energy providers are also able to furnish you with adequate home safety measures and checklists. Here are some basic safety checks you can do on your own around your home:

In all living areas

• ensure all lighting is of the correct wattage. If your current wattage is higher than the recommended wattage, you run the risk of overheating and potential fire situation

• check that each socket connection is solid. If you have purchased cheap extension sockets, ensure that plugs work when completely inserted into the socket. Should you have to adjust the plug and move it around to get an electrical connection, replace the socket immediately

• make sure no power cords are frayed (fire hazard) , out of foot traffic (tripping hazard) , not resting under a heavy object (shock hazard)

• ensure all outlets and switches are working properly. Those that don’t or work intermittently indicate an unsafe wiring condition

• if you’ve ever received a slight shock from any appliances, this indicates a highly unsafe wiring condition. Have the appliance checked out immediately

In the kitchen and bathrooms

• unplug all kitchen appliances that are not in use

• ensure power cords are placed in a manner that they will never be in contact with hot surfaces

• do not place appliances near the sink

• make sure no combustible objects are placed near hot surfaces

Outdoors

• ensure outlets exposed to the elements have adequate waterproofing covers

• avoid corded tools in damp and wet areas (try not to mow the lawn after it rains)

Another important periodic item to perform is to test circuit breakers to ensure that they have not become stuck and to keep them in good working order.

Whilst many of you think that going green is a good way to preserve our environment, you are only half right. In fact, taking green measures for your home from an electrical perspective has more gains than just keeping mother earth that much more sustainable. Making concious energy saving efforts also ensure you reduce the risk of electrical accidents and fires as you’re using only what you need, having adequate wattage in your lighting and appliances, minimizing heat production. Visit Synergy Energy Providers for great energy saving tips which allow you to go green and maximise home electrical safety.

If the number of children living in your home outnumbers the number of bedrooms you have available, it’s almost inevitable that your children are going to have to share a bedroom. Although sharing a bedroom does have its challenges, there are definitely ways that you can make a single space work for more than one child. Here are some tips that you can use to make one bedroom do double-duty for two or more children.

Floor Plans that Work

Designing a floor plan that works is often one of the biggest challenges when designing a bedroom for more than one child. It can be helpful to divide the room into separate areas, giving each child their own personal space. If the room is to be shared by two children, dividing the room horizontally or diagonally can often work well. If the room has more than one window, make sure to divide the room so that each child has his or her own window. Then, let each child choose his or her own window treatment. This can be a great way of encouraging personal expression. If the room only has one window, choose a neutral style of window treatment.

The placement of the beds within the room is an important part of the overall floor plan. If you have divided the room horizontally, placing the beds along opposite walls can work well. If you’ve divided the room diagonally, try placing the beds against adjacent walls. Maximize the space by placing a square table in the corner at the head of both beds, so that it can serve as a nightstand for both children. In rooms that are shared by more than two children, bunk beds can be quite handy.

Closet space can sometimes be a problem when sharing a bedroom. It can sometimes be helpful to remove the door, since this will make accessing the closet easier. However, there’s also a lot to be said for maximizing the storage space by hanging a closet organizer on the backside of the door. In fact, you could hang a pocket-style organizer on the front of the door as well, providing your children with even more storage space.

If an older child suddenly has to share their bedroom space with a younger sibling, it can be helpful to make sure they have just a bit more space. Sometimes just giving the older child an extra dresser or a bit more space in the shared closet can help ease the transition from having his or her own room to having to share space with a sibling.

Decorating a Shared Bedroom

Whenever possible, let your children make the decorating decisions in a shared bedroom. Each child should be able to choose their own style of bedding, even if the two patterns don’t actually blend well together. If the children are a bit older, they might be able to work out a compromise and choose coordinating bedding, but don’t push the issue.

Even if the room is small, try to find a way to provide each child with his or her own personal work area. A desk or worktable can be quite important to a child, giving him or her a place to do homework, play, or work on hobbies and crafts.

Creating a shared space within the room where the children can play together without being on each other’s “turf” is also a great idea. The center of the room or one of the corners can work well when designating shared areas.

Home design expert, Alyssa Davis of Metal-Wall-Art.com, is particularly skilled in designing with tropical wall art and outdoor metal wall hanging.

Now that I’ve got my router and media drive set up, the next thing would be to have the peripheral devices connected to my TV sets that can fetch media from the media server and display it on the TV. One might argue, ‘why go through all this trouble of a shared network storage instead of just buying a simple media player that hooks to your TV which you can hook to a USB hard disk?’ While that may appeal to many, the downside is that the media is then playable only on one TV – the one the device is connected to. What if you would like to have your media shared across different TV sets and computers? Streaming via a shared media server is the way to go.

Apple TV

Also, the benefits outweigh the costs in this case. I’ve got an Apple TV that connects to my bedroom TV and it costs USD99 which roughly translates to about RM300. You’ve have to spend at least RM200 to get a decent media player with HDMI connectivity and ability to play 1080p HD content. Fork out an extra RM100 and you’ve got a device that can do so much more  (such as iTunes Home Sharing, playing any media format, direct video/audio streaming off the internet, RSS feeds etc). This is such a sexy looking device, you’ll be proud to have it in your home. It’s got the footprint the size of your palm.

Xbox 360

In my living room, media is served to the TV from the shared media server through my Xbox 360. Instead of just playing kinect games and sweating it out, we sometimes chill out by watching a movie through the Xbox 360. The connection is done via uPnP and is almost completely idiotproof. Anybody could set this up, seriously.

Computer

Naturally, the computers in our home are also set up to read off the media server and can play video, music, and audio files directly on the computer itself. This is done simply by mapping a network drive to the computer. New media can be added to/removed from the media server from the computers via simple drag and drop functionality.

My computer is also set up for the Apple TV and the Xbox 360 to stream media from

iPad, iPhones, iPod

Every iOS device in the household is connected to the media server via Air Video – a most amazing app that is able to convert video files on the fly to be streamed directly on any iOS device.

With the Airplay feature now made available, I can beam videos and images from iOS devices directly to the TV or to my computer. Sharing has never been easier

Having all your media centrally located sure makes great sense as it allows multiple devices to stream media from a single source. Why is this setup great for my family? My son could be watching Barney on one TV while my wife shows our little daughter flashcards on the iPad that are Airplayed to another TV and I could be editing pictures stored in the media server whilst the iPod plays music streamed from the media server onto the speaker dock. We can have so many connections now simply by enabling one central media server to speak to all the smart devices in our home. No more frustration having to take turns to access media. Sharing is the way to go!

Let’s face it. The CD and DVD look like they’re on their way out. With storage being so affordable these days, coupled by the ever growing broadband capabilities, more media is being consumed directly off the internet. I recently upgraded to the Linksys E4200 Maximum Performance router which has the capability to connect a USB storage and present it as a Media Server. What this means to the layman is that by having this router alone, I do not have to buy a separate NAS (Network Attached Storage) device to house all my media. This results in both cost and power savings.

The router is no pushover when it comes to performance with its’ dual band 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz and wireless-N features able to transmit up to 450 Mbps. The range is pretty impressive as well, covering my entire home and up to 4 houses away on either side. Another great feature built in is the ‘guest access’ feature which allows your guests to connect to a different SSID that allows them access only to the internet, but not to your media server. In effect, it will look at though you have two wireless networks within your home – one for guests and one for your own devices.

Having talked about its performance, I must admit that the reason this router caught my eye was the product design itself. The designers have taken great care to hide its six antennas, enclosed within a sexy looking case with a small footprint. The one nice touch is that instead of blinking LEDs like most other routers, Linksys has decided to go with a white illuminated Cisco logo. Very classy indeed. Name me another router that can pass off as an ornament in a modern contemporary themed home?

Next in this series: Getting Media from shared storage to the TV

Due to the rapid appreciation of property prices in recent years, many young families are starting out in apartments and condominiums instead of having the privilege of buying landed property within the city limits. Based on current trend, price per square foot in desirable areas are now upwards of RM500 and sizes of units are getting smaller with average units ranging from 1,000 to 1,200 sqft. What this usually translates to is many units now come with 2 bedrooms on average

With parents naturally occupying the master bedroom, this only leaves the other bedroom for the children. If you have 2 children, you’re going to find it tight, perhaps even impossible to fit 2 beds comfortably. The ideal solution would be to go for a bunk bed instead. And why not since children love these double decker beds?

A bunk bed is both practical in small homes and extremely fun for younger children. I remember wanting double bunk beds ever since I saw one when visiting a cousin’s home. We had so much fun climbing up and down and around the bed that over time, became so adept that our parents stopped worrying about us cracking our heads open from a fall.

My memories of a double bunk bed are still so vivid today. My cousins and I, together with our extremely active imagination used the bunk bed as a ‘pirate ship’, ‘double decker bus’, ‘aircraft carrier’, ‘deserted island survivors’ and lots more childlike imaginative scenarios. The possibilities were endless. The other great plus point with double bunk beds is that it is great for fostering bonds between siblings. My cousins today swear by the fact that it’s the bunk bed that held them close over the years as siblings.

Apart from bonding and fun, a double bunk bed is in fact completely practical and a great space saver. Many modern bunk beds are affordable and solidly built. If you’re out looking for a bedding solution for a small room fitting more than one, a double bunk bed is definitely the solution.

Everybody knows that moving can be a pain but at the same time, there’s nothing quite as rewarding as having your own place to call home. Most people often make checklists and plans for the move but little do they realise that there’s still some work left to be done AFTER moving in.

Here’s a laundry list of items to do after moving in to help make moving that much easier for you:

1. Check that all the basic services are up and running such as water, electricity, gas and for those who must be connected, broadband. Contact your service provider immediately if you do not have access to any of these basic services
2. Check that all major electrical appliances and electronics are working. This is to ensure nothing was damaged during the move. Do this immediately so that you can claim damages from the movers or your insurance company as there may be a limited time to make such claims
3. Change your billing and mailing address so that new mail gets routed to your new abode instead of the old one you moved out of
4. Meet the neighbours. I know this may sound traditional and many people these days don’t pay much attention to the person living next to you but surely it’s worth your time to make their acquiantance as you never know how they might be able to help you out one day. At the very least, it’s worth your while to know who your children might be interacting with in the neighbourhood
5. Check out the area to locate utilities such as clinics, grocery stores, 24 hour supply stores, petrol stations
6. Get home insurance for the new place and ensure your policy provides the desired coverage. Many people forget to set this up early on due to the excitement of moving into a new place so make sure that this item doesn’t sit on the backburner perpetually
7. Once you’re settled in, have a house warming party. Gather close family and friends to celebrate the joyous occasion of having moved into your new home. In fact, why not invite the neighbours too?

Of course every single person in the world will have a different view on what “home” is, but every single person pretty much has the same view on what a “house” is. Think about it. When you are out with your friends you don’t say “I’m going house.” No, that doesn’t even make sense. You say: “I’m going home.”

One of the hardest things to do is get comfortable living in a new home. After making a move, you wonder if you  are ever going to get used to this house while unpacking your moving boxes. All the thoughts about meeting the new neighbors and how the kids (if you have them) are going to fit in start flooding in. Donít fret however! Just keep in mind that there are always aways to make a house feel like a home right away. Here 5 of 1,000 ways to do so.

Choose Paint Colors Wisely

The best way to make your house feel like a home, right away, is to paint the house with colors of the past. Now, you can go one of three ways. You can look at the psychology of colors – painting each room a specific color for how you want to feel in that room, you can go with what you are feeling at the moment, or you can paint the house with colors from your past. This especially works good in the kitchen.

Start a Garden

Starting a garden is one of the best ways to turn your house into a home. Of course, starting a flower garden in your front yard will turn your wasteland of a front yard into a beautiful display for everyone who drives by and it is a good way to meet the neighbors. Taking it one step further and planting a vegetable garden in your back yard calls for some serious work (depending on the size) and it is a good reason for the family to get together and spend some time outside together.

Renovations to Fit Your Fancy

Nothing can make a house your home like  making the necessary renovations to make you feel more comfortable and in your element. These renovations can come in many shapes and sizes and some of the best renovations for your money include adding a wood deck, minor kitchen renovation, replacing your entry door, vinyl siding replacement, and attic bedroom additions. These are the type of renovations that are great for the family and can give everyone who lives in the home a place to call there own.

Getting a Dog

No it doesn’t have to be a dog, it could be a cat or something as simple as a goldfish. Pets give reasons to bring the family together and really help promote the “homely” vibe. The reasons you should get a dog however are as follows: They are loyal, make great companions, have unconditional love, offer protection in your home, and they bring a lot of joy into the owner’s lives. All things having to do with turning a house into a home.

Make a Room Just For You

Everybody in the household has one or two rooms in the household that they can somewhat call there own. Whether it’s the kids in the basement, the dad in the office, the mom in the kitchen, or the grandma in the sitting room. Make the room that you spend most of your time in at home feel comfortable and be a representation of you. If you live a lone, that have one room where you can just sit back, relax, and not have a care in the world. This goes from everything from painting to decorating. The room should be a representation of you.

Your house will become a home over time. These 5 tips will help speed up the process. A house is like meeting a new person. You might feel awkward at first, but once you have everything figured out about it, everything starts to feel comfortable!

Have you ever gotten that call from an old friend or an out-of-town relative that says they are in town and want to stop by?  It is calls like that that can throw you into frantic cleaning mode and make you worry over where they will sleep if they decide to stay the night.  Instead of worrying every time the phone rings, create a room that can accommodate those unexpected guest sleepovers at a moment’s notice.  Once you have the basics in place, you will be much more relaxed and able to enjoy your friend or family member’s surprise visit.

Furniture

The furniture that you include in the room is going to be the first piece of the design puzzle.  While you may love that upholstered Queen Anne chair and elegant sofa, in a room where guests may potentially sleep, they just will not do.  Swap those pieces out for a sofa bed or a sleeper chair instead.  Sofa beds no longer look like the heavy pieces they once were.  Instead, they rival even the most sophisticated furniture designs.  Sleeper chairs are also a lot more stylish than their futon cousins and offer the perfect spot for a lone traveler.  In addition to the chair and sofa considerations, also include a storage ottoman in your room’s decor.  This will make a world of difference when it comes to getting ready quickly.

Linens

Keep a freshly laundered set of linens, a blanket and a pillow tucked away in your storage ottoman.  With the pieces on hand and ready to go, you can have the guest bed made up in just a few minutes.  Some sofa beds also have under the cushion storage where you can store additional blankets or pillows.  You need not invest in a lot of sheet sets, as one good quality set will suffice.  Even if your guest plans to stay longer than a few days, you can easily strip the mattress and wash the sheets during the day with the intention of replacing them at night.

Other Items to Keep on Hand

In your room’s decor, make sure that you include an alarm clock and a nightlight.  While you do not have to keep the nightlight plugged in when guests are not there, keep it in with the linen to pull out when it is time to set the guest bed up.  It is also a nice idea to have a small lamp near the sofa bed that can be dimmed or shut off without having to get up out of bed.  A box of tissues on a side table and a coaster for a water glass are also helpful touches.

Your guests will appreciate your open hospitality and the small touches that have gone into making the room a place where they can rest and relax.  While they are resting, so can you, because getting the space ready for them was easily done.  There is nothing that makes a guest feel more welcome than when their accommodations are prepared easily and cheerfully – both of which you will be able to do.

Alyssa Davis is a staff writer and decorating specialist with Metal-Wall-Art.com and she offers stylish suggestions for decorating with wrought iron wall decor and rustic western wall art