All posts by Tia

ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME

Forget Interior Design! Think About The Exterior Design Of Your Home

Forget Interior Design! Think About The Exterior Design Of Your Home

It’s all too easy to consider the interior design of our homes, to the detriment of the exterior. When thinking about renovations, we consider knocking through the kitchen and the dining room to create an open-plan living space, we choose to replace the avocado bathroom suite, or we consider redecorating the living room. Very rarely do our minds go to our driveway, our garden, the importance of flagpole lighting, or the superior care of the frontage of our dwellings. However, we should be giving our humble abodes the curb appeal that they deserve.

There’s nothing worse than having the most creative, incredible, and imaginative interior and having a crummy driveway up to the front door. This doesn’t match up. You need to coif the outside of your home in the same way as you do the inside of your pad. Take a look at these simple ways that you can bring the exterior of your home up to scratch.

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Frontage

The frontage of our homes should look clean at the very least. It doesn’t matter whether you live in a condo by the beach, a townhouse, or a bungalow, your home should look smart. Any flaky masonry paint, dodgy flashing or cracked window fascias can look undesirable and messy. It’s time to consider how you want your home to look.

Depending on your budget you may choose to replace your windows. Think about whether you’d like wood or uPVC fascias depending on the sort of look you want for your property. Wood looks fantastic if you have an oak front door or if you live on an older property. uPVC fascias are perfect for the more modern home. Either is energy efficient so long as you ensure you are installing double glazing to keep the heat in.

If you have pebble dash on your exterior walls and the beige hues are getting to you, just paint them white. Masonry paint is weatherproof and can actually protect the exterior of your home. The brightness you can achieve from white paint over your pebble dash will lift your home and revolutionise its look, bringing it into the twenty-first century. People crave light, bright and aspirational homes. Make yours one of them.

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Gardens

If you are blessed with a large rear garden, it’s time to tackle the jungle that has somehow emerged. Cut back shrubbery, and don’t be scared to deadhead and strip right back. Starting from scratch is vital. Foliage and flowers are very resilient and will appreciate the cutting back to enable new growth.

If you have a grass area, make sure you mow the lawn. By cutting this back once a week during the warmer months, you are creating the perfect environment for healthy growth. Sprinkle some lawn-meal if needed and water your grass if you have any brown patches. Grass is resilient and will come back from the most severe of droughts, so don’t worry. You will never have to rip up a lawn and start again.

Having an area outside that can be utilized for al fresco dining is wonderful. If your ground is a tad wonky, needs leveling out, and could do with a revamp, why not consider employing patio builders to custom design a deck or patio. With a personalised approach, you can have the patio or decking of your dreams. Hardwood, composite designs or brickwork patterns can add another level of creativity to your backyard. Explore your options and enjoy using your imagination just as you would with the interior of your home.

No matter how small or large your back garden is, try and create two or three zones. This way, you have a clear purpose for your garden and can use it as another room of your home. Have an area for dining and barbecues, an area for growing pot plants, a veggie patch, a rockery, a water feature, or some lawn. You don’t have to create tens of zones, just a couple will do. Think of renovating your garden in the same way as redecorating your bedroom. By adding visual interest to your outside areas, you are bringing new life to your entire pad.

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Driveway

Some people live directly on the road with very little drive to speak of. However, most people have a small section of land to the front of their property that often gets overlooked. Weeds can grow between the crevices of brickwork, the lawn can become overgrown and the hanging baskets we carefully adorn our frontages with, soon die and simply get left to hang for all eternity.

Instead of leaving everything to wallow, take some time once a month to take care of the upkeep of your driveway. Spray some weed killer, mow the lawn and hide the bins behind your wall so that the whole world can’t see your garbage. Your driveway is the route that your visitors, friends, and family take to your home, so make sure it generates a super first impression. Cleanliness and tidiness are essential. If this is spot on, then your home will harness curb appeal.

If you want to enhance the driveway to your home even further, consider installing some lighting to highlight the accompanying gardens or simply to light up the driveway in the dark. You don’t need to be spending a fortune on electronics with solar-powered lights offering up an excellent energy-saving alternative. Under brick lighting, pole lighting, and traditional lamp lighting can lift your exterior and give that much-needed curb appeal.

Hub Of The Home

It’s only right that you want the interior of your home to be where you place most of your creative energy. The kitchen is the hub of your home, you spend most of your time in the evenings watching the TV in the living room with your brood, and you adore making your bedroom a haven of relaxation. However, don’t neglect the exterior of your property, as this also helps your home stand out from the crowd. Give it some much-needed curb appeal and bask in your newfound and revolutionized pad.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.

FOR THE GUYS, SEX & LIFE

Bring back Old-school Dating

by Cy B.

Bring back Old-school Dating

Since it seems to be all the topic on most social media platforms, I have been asked to reflect upon the topic of dating. The Do’s and Don’ts of today. For those not necessarily understanding today’s dating techniques it is a tough platform to tackle.

Over the years so much has changed and now deemed as ‘acceptable’ nature or so-called behavior. What was once known as dating has now become almost a mythical word that has lost meaning, just as ‘courting’ had in the 70’s. Nowadays, it’s almost as if social media decides your fate.

What happened to sending flowers to an address that doesn’t start with www.. or when phone conversations ended because one person fell asleep talking and you stayed on the line just to listen to them breath, because for that moment it was enough? What happened to working disagreements out and fixing problems? Not just acting like, hey I’ll just ignore this and let it build–not say anything and allow it to eventually explode? When did it become acceptable, bouncing from person to person and just leaving people in pieces because communication and motives were never clear, only expectations?

Y’all, love hurts.

I agree, yet expectations hurt even more when led by blinded by love. One of the worst feelings in life is falling in love alone. Both sexes mastered this little game it seems. Because dating has detoured so much, it’s like motives have selfishly changed nowadays. What was once a considered a rebound is, sadly, very popular now and is almost accepted as a relationship status. ‘First base’ and ‘second base’, once took time to access, is now almost expected on a first date by many, when before couples had butterflies even thinking about advancing. It’s so much more when someone can undress your mind.

Here’s a tip, gentlemen undress a womans mind and the body will follow. When advancing too quickly, you cannot touch the passion entrapped within a womans mind. Dont ask her about her imagination, become her imagination. If you feel the need to ask her something, ask her about her passions, her fears, her hopes and dreams. Ask her what she wants in life and what makes her laugh and cry. Take time to discover her favorite color and ask why. Listen to the stories that make her, her.

Those stories created the art that is her. Listen, and in front of your very own eyes, she will allow you the view the creativity through the events and happenings that has helped shape this beautiful woman. You can then see past the visible beauty, and witness her depth, pain, pleasure, vulnerability and the love in which she possesses in her beautiful soul. This my friend is a gift. A gift that you can give each other without a price tag.

Take it back to the days when snap chat and Instagram weren’t dating sites and cheating portals… When ten likes didnt change your mind about a person… When advertising to your following what you want isn’t even close to what you actually desire. Take it back to when catfishing meant there was going to be a good dinner.

All this back and forth mental-game playing, and men this… and women that… blah… blah… blah… We all need to step back and think. We have all been that broken heart, and we all have exes and problems. But remember folks, before social media was in relationships, communication between two people existed. Studies have shone, relationships worked out alot longer just a short decade ago. I’m not bashing social media. Guys and Gals remember, social media doesn’t ruin relationships, acting single or disrespectful towards your partner on social media in public/private chat rooms, does!

If you are searching for a lady, then be a gentleman. Ladies, if you want a gentleman, then simply be a lady. Chivalry is not dead, it’s just waiting to be, as they say today, digitally remastered by those who value its lost meaning.

We add all these new words to the dictionary every year that make no sense. Yet these don’t change… Love, commitment, honesty, trust, chivalry, dating, communication, integrity, humanity, respect, dedication, desire, passion, and the most evil one of all, lust. One must remember, in life, the most beautiful things are seen with the eyes closed. With eyes closed, you are led by trust. With eyes open, you’re often blinded by lust. Love doesn’t hurt, expectations do. Be open about what you want from the beginning. When it’s out on the table then it’s so much easier to understand–no guessing games, no one being led on, and no surprises.

Like the most famous misquote of Eldridge Cleaver, ‘If you’re not the solution, you are part of the problem.’ It’s simple, bring back LOVE.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.

ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME, SEX & LIFE

The Process Involved When Hiring An Au Pair

The Process Involved When Hiring An Au Pair

In the modern day, there are lots of different childcare options available. One option that is becoming more and more popular is an au pair placement. People are choosing to go down this route because it provides them with the most amounts of help – both childcare and house duties. Furthermore, it is a lot cheaper than paying for a nanny or childminder. And finally, a lot of parents like it because it makes it easier for their children. They get used to the individual and do not have to keep going through the process of being dropped off at someone else’s house and alike. It brings them stability.

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If you are considering hiring an au pair for your children, then you need to be aware of the process involved. This is slightly different to normal employment and so it is best to have an idea of what to expect before you embark on the process. First thing is first; you will need to find a credible au pair agency. Make sure you have a look on the internet. Assess the company’s worth. Do they have experience? Are they credible? Do they seem helpful?  Do they vet the au pairs beforehand? If you are comfortable with the agency then your chance of having a successful au pair placement increases dramatically.


You will then speak to the agency about your requirements. You will tell them about your family; the number of children you have, the hours you spend at work, and what you are looking for from an au pair. You may want to tell them about any specific recruitments or your reasons for hiring an au pair. Maybe you have recently had to hire a divorce attorney and you are in the busy of a messy separation so you need help with childcare? Perhaps you’re just too busy with your work life? A good agency will take the time to get to know you because they will want to match you to an au pair who they think you will like and will feel comfortable in your home. They will use their knowledge about you and their knowledge about the au pair to make the perfect match.


Once the agency has decided on an au pair they think would be best for you, you then have the option to speak to the person. The agency will usually set up a phone call or a Skype chat with the person. After all, a lot of the au pairs will still currently be based abroad and so this is the best way to initiate contact. If you are happy then you will draw up what is known as a letter of agreement or contract. In this, you will basically state what you expect of the au pair and they will accept it. This is good because it sets the standards and ensures that you and the au pair are on the same page.


Once you have done this you are ready to begin the au pair placement! Make sure you take the effort to make the au pair feel welcome. You need to remember that this is going to be a difficult transition for her too. And don’t forget to give the au pair time off. She cannot be expected to work every hour under the sun.


Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.


SEX & LIFE

Having A More Amicable Breakup For The Sake Of The Kids

Having A More Amicable Breakup For The Sake Of The Kids

When breaking up with your partner it is never an easy time for one another and especially if there are children involved as it also will have an effect on them too. When going through a break up where Kids are involved then it is always best to go through it amicably to reduce the strain it causes on them and also to make sure they don’t lose any respect for either of you if you were to go about it nastily. Here are some tips to help you get through the break up without affecting the kids too much.

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Stay amicable

Being amicable is about treating each other nicely during the split or at least doing so in front of the children. If you are at each other’s throats all the time the kids will take that in and either bottle up which can affect them mentally or they could even start acting out because of it which would mainly be at school, therefore, having an adverse effect on their school life too. If you are not able to talk things over amicably then it may be best to do it with a mediator or counselor to make sure you get somewhere with your talks.

Get things legalized

When going through a break up involving children it is always best to have any time with the children legalized. This means that you have the children on your set days and this can not be prevented unless done through the courts, this also stops the children from being used as a weapon in a rocky separation as it is in writing when you can have the children, what days and for how long for. This is done as part of the separation/divorce procedure with the assistance of child support who will help you come to the best arrangments with each other on who has who when.

Be fair

When you are deciding on the legal side of things and what you want to get out of the split then make sure you are fair to each other as much as possible as if you were to take too much from one another then this can have implications on having the children and keeping them. If they are not able to look after them because you have taken more off your partner than is fair then that creates more bitterness during the separation and can lead to them making it harder. If you are fair in the legal battle or with splitting who gets what including the children then it will be better for the children in the long run as they will see both parents and have a good upbringing no matter who they are with.

A breakup is awful for both parties but especially the children, this will have an effect on them not only short term but long term too. If you are kind and fair throughout the whole ordeal then they will come out of it stronger and it will be more beneficial for all parties involved. With these tips, you will be able to get through the breakup with as little damage to your children as possible.


Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.