Notepad Corner

Going away to college is one of the most exciting times in a young person's life, but it can also be overwhelming and stressful. Don't let the nerves get to you early. Here are seven things you should know before starting your first semester. Get to Know the Campus You don't want to be late on your first day of class, so learn the layout of campus before school starts. If you're going to be walking around at night, find safe paths in well lit areas that will get you back to your dorm safely. If it is going to be a new town for you, get to know the local supermarkets and the nearest parks and libraries. If you know the hang-outs early on, you'll have a good idea of where to make friends. Budget Your Time After the structured world of high school, creating your own schedule might seem intimidating, so be sure to give yourself ample time to study and prepare assignments. You don't want to burn out either, so be sure to schedule in time for rela...

Photo credits: flooringamerica.com So you just had hardwood flooring installed throughout your house. The beautiful natural luster of this stunning flooring option is sure to bring years of enjoyment, and a lifetime of beauty, but there are a few tips to take into consideration to take care of your new hardwood flooring. Many people are often confused as to the best practices to follow when cleaning their hardwood flooring. Below is our easy guide to caring for your brand new hardwood floors , or old hardwood floors alike. Hardwood flooring looks best when clean. Dry mopping is perhaps the best way to keep your floors clean. Never use a cleaner on your hardwood flooring unless it was specifically mentioned by the flooring manufacturer or the professional installers who handled your flooring installation. Never use water on your hardwood floor, as it can ruin the finish and damage the wood. Never use abrasive cleaners on your floor like steel wool. Wax is also nev...

Kids grow up really fast so while they are young, nurture their creative minds by showing off their artwork and creative expressions. From toddlers to pre-school ages, they kids can be very adept with coloring materials, molding clay and others. All their creation can easily light up any proud parent’s face. But the fruits of their creativity can pile up and displaying them can become a challenge for most parents. So here are some ways of creating your kid’s artwork display: Kid’s bedroom – you can put up a clothesline and use wooden pins or clip to display their paintings and drawings. Allow them to decide which they want to put up and display.  Family art gallery – choose whether it’s the family room or the stairway that you can designate as your art gallery. You can frame favorite snapshots, drawings or painting for a less cluttered look. As your collection grows, you can sort and keep the older ones in a clear book or album. Art shelf – three dimensional pie...

Fashion and interior home décor has slowly shifted from the grandiose to the modern minimalist. Today, you will notice many homeowners choose to have a simple and modern interior especially in their living room style. While it looks easy to achieve, a modern minimalist living room style can be quite challenging to pull off. When it comes to furniture especially with your sofa set, go for sleek and elegant lines. Slim and monochrome furniture are in while bulky wood and heavy fabrics are out. Your decorations should revolve around simple and slim. This can be applied on most living room accent such as vases, lamps, furniture and appliance. If you are to fill up your living room with entertainment appliance, go for LED TV on a wall mount and vertical speakers. Lights around your living room should be limited to pendant and spot lights. You can also set up modular panels with in-ceiling lights to highlight specific areas and corners. Remember that grandiose lighting fixture...

For many years, someone who really loved their food was just that: a hearty eater. In recent times, however, more and more emphasis has been placed on the idea of food addiction. Is enjoying your Kraft or McDonalds just that, something to be enjoyed? Or is it something more? Let’s take a closer look and explore what can be quite a contentious issue. Is food addiction legitimate? The general consensus in 2014 seems to be that yes, food addiction is a genuine condition. There are legitimate food addiction anonymous bodies currently in operation , and thousands of people have attested to feeling out of control with regards to their eating habits. A number of different symptoms are associated with the debilitating condition, including: Food cravings straight after eating If you continually feel a craving to eat despite having just done so, then the desire is coming from somewhere other than the body's natural need to eat when hungry. Rather than focusing ...

Windows are the eyes of the house and they connect the dweller to the outside world. Hence, windows should be treated with curtains and valances. The window coverings can make or break the entire look of your window. There are a lot of coverings for the windows but are they in harmony with the window design? Photo credits: swagsgalore.com If your window has come of age and renovating it is beyond your budget, you can cover the flaws by hanging layered curtain valances. A layered valance is a type of window covering with two fabrics layered on top of another giving the window an attractive look. What makes layered valances interesting is they are versatile because they can jive with any type of window design whether they are Gothic, Spanish or Italian. The layers give a romantic feel to a bedroom, cozy atmosphere to the living room and relaxing feel in the kitchen. Layered curtain valances are available online with different shades of blue, green and red. For rustic appe...

Working in an office with the job you truly love maybe enjoyable for some, but it could also lead to a sedentary lifestyle. You get stuck at the office, sitting in front of the computer all day and draining you of all the motivation to drag yourself off for some physical activities afterwards.  Well if you don’t start now, you might realize too late that sitting can kill you slowly with lifestyle diseases caused by living a passive, unhealthy and sedentary life. There are simple exercises that you can do at the office safely and without affecting your work or your officemates. Here are some suggestions –