Whats So Special About My Front Door? – Home-Improvement
Whats So Special About My Front Door?
"The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live."
- Flora WhittemoreYour front door welcomes all to your home. This declarative statement of your house -- the exclamation point of your home -- needs to sing out your welcoming note.First impressions are not just for guests. Generally, we do not receive as much company as we think we do. We lead such busy lives and simply do not entertain or visit friends often enough.Decorating your home to impress others is not as important as decorating your home for your own pleasure. Create a welcoming and warm retreat in which you feel great joy just to arrive. Do you feel happy when you see your home in the distance? Does your first glimpse of home bring a smile to your face?A problem with many new homes is that developers do not provide a separate walkway to your front door. To make yourself and your guests feel more welcome than a car, provide a separate front walkway from the street to the front door. Don't make guests walk around cars and trip on driveway edges to navigate to the entrance.Feeling WelcomeFlowers lining the walkway provide a warm reception. Cheerful flowers in loud colors near the entry tell the world that you care about your home. Extras like water fountains, fishponds, cooing peace doves, and scented vegetation make all feel gladly received.Sing Out the AddressProud address numbers are bold and beautiful. Avoid tacky peel and stick numbers. Brass numbers need to have screw holes in them, not pronged ends that eventually work loose. As in the past, gold-gilded numbers look elegant on glass doors. Gold-gilded vinyl transfer numbers look especially exquisite in transom windows.Welcoming Accessories:Wind chimes add pleasure to our sense of hearing.Potted plants such as soft ferns (shun unfriendly spiked plants and thorns near the doorway).Floral baskets with bright yellow and white flowers show up better at night.A pair of rocking chairs, a double glider, or a porch swing invites neighbors to stop and chat.A doormat that not only saves your floors but also looks welcoming!What Color Should I Paint My Front Door?Unless your front door is a beautiful wood, paint it a joyful color. Your entry door should be a different color than the rest of your house. Warm happy colors include the shades of red and yellow: burgundy, claret, rust, terra cotta, deep amber, and sunny yellow. Cool happy colors of green include apple, sage, and forest green.After spending time and effort creating a wonderful entryway into your home, use it! Why enter from the garage or back door? Treat yourself as well as you treat your guests. Come home through your welcoming front door!(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other books teaches Real Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports, newsletters, and sales flyer template, see http://www.doghousetodollhousefordollars.com/pages/5/index.htm
Front Packs vs. Baby Back Packs-Toddler
Front Packs vs. Baby Back Packs
For ages caring parents have carried their babies with them as they completed errands, chores and daily tasks. In case you haven't heard, there are multiple benefits of carrying your baby with you for a good part of the day. Some of these benefits include:
Stimulating your baby's development.
Raising your baby's social awareness.
Reducing colic and stimulating quiet awareness.
Freeing your hands to take care of daily chores or tasks.
Simplifying shopping trips without having to worry about placing your child in an unsafe shopping cart.
You'll find often an infant carrier or baby back pack is much more convenient that a stroller or shopping cart to tote your child around in. Selecting a baby pack doesn't have to be a challenging task if you know what to look for. The first thing you will need to decide is whether you need a front pack or infant carrier or a baby back pack. Let's look at each of these choices in greater detail below.Front Carriers
Front infant carriers, packs and baby slings are the only choice for babies under 5-6 months of age. Before this your baby simply won't have the head and neck strength to sit upright in a baby backpack. Front packs offer all the same advantages of a baby backpack. Most will hold your baby up to 25 to 35 pounds, so you can use them for an extended period of time. Still others convert from a front pack to a back pack, allowing extended use.The biggest difference between a front carrier and a sling is that most carriers evenly distribute your baby's weight between both shoulders. This helps reduce strain and neck discomfort. However, many moms prefer the simplicity of a sling for the first few weeks of their baby's life. You'll find that everyone has their own opinion about carrying their baby around. You are certain to find a carrier that will work best for you. Most slings are relatively inexpensive. You might consider buying a sling for your babies first weeks and then an infant backpack when you baby is old enough to ride in one.Baby Backpacks
Baby back packs are perhaps the most clever invention on the market today. What baby doesn't enjoy riding around with mom or dad on any given day? One of the best benefits of wearing a back pack is they leave your hands free to tend to any errands or chores you have to accomplish. Many assume that baby backpacks are only suitable for camping.This is simply not the case. You can use a baby backpack anywhere you would plan to take your stroller or carry your child.It does take some time to get used to wearing a baby backpack. Once you figure it out however, chances are you will wonder how you ever got along without one before. Most back packs are the perfect accessory through the toddler years. Most will carry your toddler up to 40 pounds, though some will carry your child to 70 pounds. (That however, is a LOT of weight to carry on your back). This means you can probably carry your baby around the first few years of life with a back pack. So now that you are excited about a back pack, how do you know which one is best for you? Here are some considerations to think about before buying a backpack:
Think about what you plan to use your backpack for. If you plan to hike a lot, you'll need a more durable and expensive model than a casual backpack for just running errands. You may also need some added features like a rain hood or sunshade.
Consider your height and weight requirements. If you plan to use a pack and are relatively petite or very tall, make sure the straps are adjustable enough to accommodate extreme sizes. This is also a consideration if you plan to share your pack with a large or small partner.
Decide what features you prefer on a pack. Some packs come with a variety of features including a detachable diaper bag, toy loops and holders, bottle holders and more. The more features the pricier the bag. If you are working on a budget, decide what must have features you should look for.
Ant Arthur is a successful freelance writer with 10 years of professional experience providing consumers with informative articles on such topics as Baby Carriers, Baby Slings and Baby Car Seats