Author: anwaryusef

Anwar Y. Dunbar is a Regulatory Scientist. Being a naturally curious person, he is also a student of all things. He earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Michigan and his Bachelor’s Degree in General Biology from Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU). Prior to starting the Big Words Blog Site, Anwar published and contributed to numerous research articles in competitive scientific journals reporting on his research from graduate school and postdoctoral years. After falling in love with writing, he contributed to the now defunct Examiner.com, and the Edvocate where he regularly wrote about: Education-related stories/topics, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Financial Literacy; as well as conducted interviews with notable individuals such as actor and author Hill Harper. Having many influences, one of his most notable heroes is author, intellectual and speaker, Malcolm Gladwell, author of books including Outliers and David and Goliath. Anwar has his hands in many, many activities. In addition to writing, Anwar actively mentors youth, works to spread awareness of STEM careers, serves on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the David M. Brown Arlington Planetarium, serves as Treasurer for the JCSU Washington, DC Alumni Chapter, and is active in the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace Ministry at the Alfred Street Baptist Church. He also tutors in the subjects of biology, chemistry and physics. Along with his multi-talented older brother Amahl Dunbar (designer of the Big Words logos, inventor and a plethora of other things), Anwar is a “Fanboy” and really enjoys Science-Fiction and Superhero movies including but not restricted to Captain America Civil War, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Prometheus. He is a proud native of Buffalo, NY.

The University of Michigan Department of Pharmacology hosts 2023 Pharmacology in Color Symposium

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“Once you are maxed out, you need to learn something new!”

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On June 9, 2023, the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Michigan hosted its Pharmacology in Color Symposium. Alumni were invited back to the department to share their career paths and experiences for the first time in person since the Covid-19 Pandemic. On Thursday June 8 there was a dinner gathering for alumni, current students and faculty. On the morning of Friday June 9, students gave seminars on their research and alumni gave talks on their educational paths and current careers throughout the rest of the day. In the afternoon there were breakout sessions where students asked direct questions of alumni before the address by the keynote speaker (described below). Finally, there was a happy hour and a second dinner in the evening.

The students that presented their research included:

● Anthony Garcia, Osawa Lab, “Pharmacological Modulation of Hsp70 Selectively Removes Misfolded nNOS”
● Juan Valentine-Goyco, Auchus Lab, “Biochemical Characterization and Pharmacological Inhibition of Aldosterone Synthase”
● Chanté Liu, M.S., Satin Lab, “Understanding the Mechanisms of Pulsatile Basal Insulin Secretion”
● Loyda Morales-Rodriguez, Puthenveedu Lab, “Location-Biased Activation of the Proton-Sensor GPR65 is Uncoupled from Receptor Trafficking”

The alumni invited back to the department to speak included:

● Colleen Carpenter, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Biology, University of Richmond (Keynote Speaker)
● Nnamdi Edokobi, Ph.D., Patent Agent, Choate, Hall & Stewart
● Mohamad Shebley, Ph.D., Head of Clinical Pharmacology Neuroscience, AbbVie
● Rashonda Flint, Ph.D., Office of the Dean, School of Medicine and Advocate Health, Wake Forest University
● Diamond Thomas, M.S., Clinical Research Coordinator, University of Michigan
● Anwar Dunbar, Ph.D., Pharmacologist, Health Effects Division, Office of Pesticide Programs, United States Environmental Protection Agency
● Tigwa Davis, Ph.D., Director, Health Economics and Outcomes, Inovalon

Opening remarks on June 9 were given by Dr. Lori Isom, Chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Dr. Steve Kunkel, the Executive Dean for Research and the Chief Scientific Officer of the Michigan Medical School. Closing remarks were given by Dr. Alan Smrcka of the Department of Pharmacology who played a key role in organizing the symposium. The sessions were moderated by alumnus Dr. Chiamaka Ukachukwu and student Hongyu Su.

“Once you are maxed out, you need to learn something new,” said Dr. Mohammed Shebley of AbbVie, a native of Southeastern Michigan. As with all the speakers, Dr. Shebley discussed his journey to and through the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Michigan. He further discussed his career at AbbVie and keys for success for working in the company. His quote involved the importance of professionals continuing to evolve and figuring out new career directions, particularly when levels of personal and professional comfort are achieved. Dr. Shebley worked under Dr. Paul Hollenberg for his doctoral studies at the University of Michigan where he worked on projects involving Cyrochrome-P450s.

“I was blown away by everything, the commitment to students – all of it,” said Dr. Colleen Carpenter discussing her arrival at the Department of Pharmacology. Dr. Carpenter worked under the tutelage of Dr. Margaret Gnegy in the areas of Amphetamines and Dopamine signaling. Dr. Carpenter discussed her introduction to science in her native Jamaica, her educational path before arriving at the University of Michigan and her research afterwards. She is now an assistant professor at the University of Richmond where she uses Zebrafish and technologies like CRISPR to screen new drugs.

The alumni in attendance worked in multiple sectors including academia, industry, government, and patent law. One of the key themes that emerged in all their talks was that no career path was a straight line. That is all experienced some form of adversity or made decisions to explore other parts of the Pharmacology world and beyond. The students in the audience were further encouraged to enjoy and take advantage of the expertise and training available to them. Dr. Anwar Dunbar who worked under Dr. Yoichi Osawa for his doctoral training, noted in his talk that science is a culture, a craft, and a way of being which is unique and not well understood by other segments of society. Dr. Dunbar’s thesis project involved the inactivation and cellular degradation of Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase.

The department endeavors to provide the best science training for its students. While academia is the classic career path following Pharmacology doctoral training, it attempts to expose them to all the career options. To learn more about the University of Michigan Department of Pharmacology, its stellar faculty, students and research, visit the department online at: https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/pharmacology .

Essays on the Science of Drugs and More

Pharmacology is the science of drugs, specifically how they modulate biological processes to treat disease and sickness. If you want to learn more about this exciting science, there is an essay discussing Pharmacology and its many aspects right here on this platform. There are similar essays on ADME/Drug Metabolism, Toxicology and Inhalation Toxicology. There are also essays describing the world of Basic Research, and the Transferable Skills learned from science training. Finally, there is a personal story regarding the challenges surrounding doctoral training as a minority.

The Big Words LLC Newsletter

Thank you for reading this piece on the Pharmacology in Color Symposium hosted by the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Michigan. There are several other science-related essays here on my blog with more on the way. As a writer, I have started a monthly newsletter for my writing and video content creation company, The Big Words LLC. In it, I plan to share inspirational words, pieces from my writer’s blog and this blog, and select videos from my four YouTube channels. One of those channels is a science and technology channel. It is entitled, Big Discussions76 Science and Technology. Finally, I will share updates for my book project entitled, The Engineers: A Western New York Basketball Story. Click this link and register using the sign-up button at the bottom of the announcement. If there is an issue with the sign-up form, you can email me at bwllcnl@gmail.com. Best regards.

Home Renovation: 6 Things to Consider for Increasing the Value of Your Property

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. A primary residence is the biggest investment many people will make in their lifetimes. There are key renovations that can be made to increase the value of most homes. The following guest post is entitled, Home Renovation: 6 Things to Consider for Increasing the Value of Your Property.

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• Home renovation can increase the value of your property.
• Look for signs that it’s time to renovate, such as outdated features or changing family needs.
• Plan your project by evaluating the current condition of your property and looking for reliable suppliers.
• Create an open floor plan and invest in energy-efficient appliances to save money.
• Update bathrooms and kitchens and enhance curb appeal to make your home more attractive.

Home renovation is an exciting yet challenging task. This process requires a lot of effort, time, and money. If done correctly, home renovation can significantly increase your property’s value. These days, people don’t just buy homes for shelter or comfort, but they also make an intelligent investment.

Every penny you invest in renovating your house will pay off in the long run. This article will discuss six vital things to consider when renovating your home to increase its value.

Why Renovate Your Home

Home is where the heart is, but what happens when that loving feeling starts to wane? It might be time to jumpstart your passion for your living space by considering a renovation. There’s no doubt that renovating your home can be a big undertaking, but the benefits are well worth it.

By breathing new life into your home, you’ll improve your quality of life and increase the value of your property. Renovating your home can also allow you to tailor the space to your unique needs and style, creating a home that truly reflects your personality.

How to Know if It’s Time to Renovate

There are a few signs that can indicate if now is the right time to start your renovation project. For instance, when you notice outdated features, such as old windows or creaky doors and floors, it’s usually time to make some improvements.

You may also consider renovating if the layout of your home doesn’t fit your family’s changing needs or if you’re looking to boost your home’s energy efficiency. Talking to a professional designer or contractor can help point you in the right direction for tackling any renovation project.

Planning Your Renovation Project

Once you’ve decided that it’s time to tackle a renovation project, it’s essential to have an organized plan of attack. Here’s what to consider:

Evaluate the Current Condition of Your Property

The first and foremost thing you need to do is evaluate the current condition of your property. Take a close look at your house and make a list of the things that need to be repaired or replaced. It can be a leaky roof, outdated plumbing or electrical systems, or poorly insulated walls.

It is essential to address any issues potential buyers may notice when inspecting your property before putting it up for sale. These are the aspects buyers are likely to consider.

Look for Reliable Suppliers

Of course, renovating your home is impossible without suitable materials and supplies. Therefore, you need to shop around for reliable suppliers that offer high-quality products at reasonable prices. You need suppliers for everything from paint and fixtures to furniture and appliances.

Look for reputable names in the home improvement industry, such as Majestic Chemicals Industries, that can provide your project’s materials, like epoxy paint or resin.

Create an Open Floor Plan

An open floor plan is one of the best ways to create a visually appealing home. You can remove the walls that separate your kitchen from your living room or dining room to make your house look more spacious. Potential buyers love homes that are open, airy, and full of natural light. This renovation will not only increase the value of your property, but it will also improve your quality of life.

Invest in Energy-Efficient Appliances

Energy costs are rising, and people are looking for ways to reduce their utility bills. By investing in energy-efficient appliances, you’re not only reducing your carbon footprint, but you’re also saving money in the long run. This investment will make your home look more attractive to potential buyers looking for a cost-effective and environmentally friendly property.

Update Bathrooms and Kitchens

Bathrooms and kitchens are the most essential rooms in any home. They are also the most used, so they must be updated and modernized. Invest in new countertops, cabinets, and fixtures to make them look more stylish and functional. You can also add intelligent technologies like motion sensors or touchless faucets to make them more appealing to potential buyers.

Enhance Curb Appeal

The first impression is the last, and that’s true for your property. Enhance your home’s curb appeal by landscaping, painting the house’s exterior, or installing a new front door. A welcoming and inviting exterior design will create a positive impression on potential buyers, even before they enter the house.

Final Thoughts

Home renovation is an investment that pays off in the long run. By considering the above-mentioned essential factors, you can increase the value of your property and make it more appealing to potential buyers. Remember to keep your renovation plans practical, modern, and affordable, and always hire a professional contractor to help you achieve your desired outcome.

Building a Real Estate Business: What Partners You’ll Need

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. If created correctly, a real estate business can be very lucrative. A little-known secret though is that it is a team sport and choosing the right partners is critical. The following guest post is entitled, Building a Real Estate Business: What Partners You’ll Need.

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• Real estate businesses are incredibly profitable due to the growing demand for housing.
• Real estate brokers provide essential services such as marketing, negotiations, research, and legal assistance.
• Real estate agents have access to databases of properties and can assist with negotiations.
• Property contractors are responsible for repairs and renovations, which saves investors time and effort.
• It is essential to partner with experienced professionals to create a successful real estate business.

Real estate businesses can be incredibly profitable because they offer a unique opportunity to take advantage of the ever-increasing demand for housing. With the population in many cities and countries growing steadily, there is a constant need for more dwellings – and real estate investors can capitalize on this fact.

In the U.S., the total value of all residential real estate reached an estimated $33.6 trillion; this figure is projected to hit $38.5 trillion by 2024 – illustrating just how much potential there is in this sector. Additionally, according to the New York Times, despite some volatility due to COVID-19, property values in major US cities have remained strong and even increased overall compared to pre-pandemic figures. This suggests that investors willing to take calculated risks still stand to make a healthy return from their investments over time.

For individuals or companies to start a successful real estate business, however, they must partner with experienced professionals who understand all aspects of the industry. Here are a few you might need:

Real Estate Brokers

Real estate brokers are essential to any real estate business. They provide a unique set of services integral to a venture’s success. Here are some critical services provided by real estate brokers:

Marketing and Advertising

Real estate brokers specialize in marketing and advertising properties effectively. They have an extensive network of contacts and connections and access to various platforms, marketing materials, and other tools to reach different audiences with tailored messages. Real estate brokers can also create campaigns suited for specific properties or areas, making them invaluable when finding buyers or tenants quickly.

Negotiations

Real estate deals often involve complex negotiations between buyers and sellers or landlords and tenants. Real estate brokers excel at navigating these negotiations with diplomacy, fairness, and expertise. Their knowledge of the market helps them ensure that both parties come away happy with their agreements. Furthermore, their experience managing conflicts provide disputes are resolved quickly and professionally.

Research

Real estate brokers conduct comprehensive research on the local market before investing in a particular area or property type. This research includes researching pricing trends, conducting surveys on tenant preferences, comparing rental rates across different neighborhoods, analyzing housing demographics, etc.; this ensures that investors get the best possible return on their investments by investing in areas where they will have minimal risks but maximum returns.

Legal Assistance

When it comes to real estate transactions, legal assistance is always needed from experienced professionals such as lawyers or title companies who understand all aspects of the industry. Real estate brokers can help identify which lawyers would be most suitable for each transaction and ensure that all documents related to the purchase/sale process comply with state regulations. Additionally, they guide throughout the process so that all parties remain legally protected.

Real Estate Agents

Real estate agents are essential for a real estate business as they provide knowledge and expertise to help investors make informed investment decisions. Real estate agents have access to extensive databases of properties so they can provide investors with detailed information about the local market, including pricing trends, tenant preferences, rental rates in different neighborhoods, etc.

Real estate agents also play an important role in negotiations between buyers and sellers or landlords and tenants. They know market conditions and can help guide both parties toward a fair agreement considering different interests. Furthermore, they act as a mediator in case conflicts arise during the negotiation process. You can contact real estate agents to help them become part of the company.

Consider partnering with a company that specializes in providing a real estate agent database so you can access the right people quickly. With this, you can soon find real estate agents who are experienced and knowledgeable in your area, as well as those that fit perfectly within your budget and preferences.

Property Contractors

Property contractors are essential for any real estate business. They are responsible for handling the physical aspects of a property transaction, such as repairs, inspections, remodeling, etc. Contractors have experience and expertise in their respective fields, so they can help ensure that all necessary improvements are made quickly and efficiently.

Additionally, working with contractors helps investors save time because they don’t need to take care of the maintenance or repair process themselves; instead, they can focus on other aspects of building their business.

To find reliable property contractors in your area, contact local contractor associations or people who already own properties in the same place and ask them for recommendations. This will give you access to experienced professionals who can provide high-quality services at reasonable prices.

Final Thoughts

Real estate businesses are incredibly profitable, but they require a lot of planning and work to succeed. To succeed, you must partner with experienced professionals who can provide the necessary services and advice for each process step. The key partners you’ll need include real estate brokers, agents, and contractors – all of whom should have experience and expertise in their respective fields. Ensuring these individuals are part of your team will significantly increase your chances of success when starting a real estate business.

How To Write Effectively For Any Audience

A key focus of my blog is Blogging/Writing. Writing is a craft and can open up numerous doors for you. The key is to grow in the craft to the point where your writing is distinct and where audiences enjoy what you create. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Write Effectively For Any Audience.

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Good writing is a skill that can be enormously useful in pretty much any context. Whether you are writing something creative for yourself or others, you are putting together some material to share with colleagues, or you’re copywriting, it’s vital that you know how to write effectively and what kinds of rules to follow. One of the main things you always need to keep in mind with writing is the importance of the audience. You have to make sure you are writing effectively for the specific audience that you have in mind.

Pic Credit – CCO License

In this post, we are going to look at some of the things you might want to bear in mind to help you along with that. As long as you have thought about the following, you should find that you are able to write so much more effectively for any audience, and that is a great skill to have.

Research The Reader

First of all, if you want to write effectively for your audience, you need to make sure you know who they are. That means you need to research your reader as thoroughly as you can. If you are writing something like marketing material, then this is probably a process you have already been going through, but at other times you might find that you need to really work on it if you are going to know who you’re really writing for. In any case, it’s important to have this down before you get started where necessary.

The clearer a picture you have of your audience – who they are, what they respond well to – the easier it will be to craft writing that they will enjoy or respond well to. So it’s absolutely worth putting the effort into your writing research before you do anything else.

Pic Credit – CCO License

Follow Basic Principles

There are a lot of principles you may want to know about if you are trying to write effectively, and it is a really good idea to try and be aware of as many of them as possible early on. Many of these have been in place for many years, and while some are hotly contended, most of them have at least a nugget of truth to them. So you are going to find that they are absolutely worth knowing about, at least – and you can then decide how much you want to take them on board yourself.

So what kinds of principles are we talking about here? One perfect example would be Chekhov’s Gun, named after Anton Chekhov, the famous playwright. This is all about introducing an element only if it will advance the plot of the story – otherwise, leave it out. That applies not just to creative story-telling, but to pretty much any kind of writing you may engage in. If it doesn’t serve the piece, leave it out.

Then you also have principles like showing rather than telling. While not always the case, it’s often better to show the reader what you mean, rather than simply telling them. This also comes from Chekhov, believe it or not! As you can see, these two together put you in a pretty good stead when it comes to putting any writing together, so they are the kinds of principles you should try to be aware of.

Pic Credit – CCO License

Avoid Confusing Terms

If you are unsure whether your target reader will understand a piece of jargon or a niche term, avoid it altogether or introduce the concept to them in a way they can understand. This is important because there is no quicker way to frustrate an audience than by throwing some confusing terms their way, in the hope that they already know them. Sometimes the writer might even come off as arrogant as a result of this, so it is clearly something that you need to avoid at all costs.

It’s much better to slowly incorporate those terms by introducing them properly. This is altogether more respectful and more encouraging, and your reader will appreciate it.

Organize The Information Well

A lot of the time, good writing is really about how you organize the information you are trying to present. You want it to be meaningful and well and easily understood, and most of that comes down to the manner in which you arrange it on the page. Think about what needs introducing first, and then slowly go deeper and deeper. That is the best approach you can take if you are trying to talk to an audience of any kind.

Suffering Fatigue But Not Sure Of The Cause

A key focus of my blog is Health/Wellness. Life is more challenging than ever in today’s new digital and fast paced world. As such, it is very easy for fatigue to set in for everyone. The following contributed post is entitled, Suffering Fatigue But Not Sure Of The Cause.

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There are some health symptoms that are not only affect your quality of life, but can be rather frustrating in terms of identifying the source of them. This is because certain symptoms could be contributed to by a mix of issues and causes, which is why doctors spend so much time learning their practice before they’re permitted to apply it.

Fatigue is one amongst these symptoms, and can be quite debilitating. This is especially true if fatigue seems to come on unannounced, without any notable cause that seems obvious at first. Moreover, fatigue can be so nondescript that the only medical advice you may get, at least initially, is to get better sleep, exercise, and eat more healthily. Of course, all those things count, but they won’t resolve the issue in 100% of cases, particularly if you’re already doing those things.

In this post, then, we’ll discuss how to go about considering fatigue, even if you’re not sure where this new issue stems from:

Has Your Nutritional Intake Changed?

If your nutritional intake has changed, then it could be you’re exposing yourself to an allergy you didn’t know you had, or you’re reacting with sensitivity to that new ingredient. It can be worth taking time to consult with an allergy doctor if only to rule this issue out.

For some people, sensitivities to food can be a little distracting but not entirely life-changing. For instance, people can be lactose-intolerant to various degrees, but fatigue is certainly a potential symptom that can be experienced.

If you’ve made a large change to your diet, such as limiting your carb intake, cutting out sugars entirely, stopping alcohol consumption or even switching from a balanced to ketogenic diet, your body can react with disrupted energy levels. This doesn’t have to mean you have to revert the change, only that you have to identify it, gauge its impact, and consider how long it’s going on for.

Note that your change in diet doesn’t have to be so drastic. Maybe you’ve been drinking coffee at around 3pm each day and it’s affecting your restful sleep each night, which is causing you to crash the following day. Even minor changes you don’t think about, such as this, can have an effect.

Are You Using Any New Medicines?

New medicines can, unfortunately, cause side effects or take time to adapt to. You may find this in the case of anti-depressants, anti-histamines causing drowsiness, and other prescription meds that might influence how you feel. Pain medications, especially stronger meds following surgeries, tend to cause people to sleep more easily.
It’s worth consulting with your doctor about your fatigue, especially if you’ve noticed a change since switching or lowering your medication intake. This way, they may be able to find an alternative, suggest that you complete the course to see if this is a temporary symptom, or quit this particular course of treatment altogether. In some cases, it’s just a matter of getting the dosages correct.

How Are Your Stress Levels?

Stress, and the hormone cortisol, can have odd impacts on the body. For example, it’s not uncommon for those under stress to break out in skin rashes because of it. However, stress can also affect fatigue levels too.

As you can imagine, stress is often a fear response, meaning that you often feel alert when under it. However, that “twice-burning of the candle” can lead to a deep crash which can lead to prolonged periods of fatigue.

If you’ve started a new job but feel incredibly tired because of it, have been suffering a health scare and feel exhausted thanks to that, or are simply dealing with new changes in life, it could be that your stress is manifesting itself, and needs a healthier outlet.

Could You Be Suffering Withdrawals

In some cases, withdrawals from both medicines and even bad habits can cause fatigue as our body learns to heal. We mentioned alcohol above (it’s always important to slowly taper off alcohol, particularly if you used to regularly binge drink, because the body needs it to function. A proper medical course of treatment should help with this), but it’s also important to include certain medications, and even consumption habits like sugar.

Even psychological withdrawals can have an impact, such as if you stop playing intensive video games or looking at erotic material online. That might sound odd, but both sets of stimuli are primed to encourage dopamine responses, which if abused over time can lessen your dopamine sensitivity. As your brain heals from this via a process called neuroplasticity, you may experience physical effects such as tiredness and faux-depressive symptoms.

What’s Your Routine Like?

It’s a simple question but it does matter – what’s your general routine like? Asking this question can help you more easily determine the best approach to take here.

For instance, if you rarely have a consistent bedtime due to shift pattern work (or just your neighbor purchasing a new speaker set), then it’s not hard to identify the culprit. If you’re rather disordered and messy in your personal life, such as finding yourself always rushing, or struggling to negotiate with children before the school run, or have too much on your plate, then your routine can be harmful, not helpful.

In these cases, addressing how you could alter your schedule for the better, or how you could help get back into a natural rhythm may assist you in feeling better rested during the day.

What’s The Extent Of Your Fatigue & How Does It Propagate?

Ultimately, it’s important to write down how your fatigue is being experienced. This can help medical assistants help you. Does it come at the same time each day? How pervasive does it feel? Does it stop you from feeling productive? Does it occur on the same days? How about the weekend when you don’t have to work?

These questions, if nothing else, can help identify a cause.

With this advice, you’re sure to take helpful steps towards understanding and potentially resolving fatigue.

How To Balance Family Life As A Working Parent

A key focus of my blog is Health/Wellness. It is a very different world than it used to be. As such parenting has changed as well, with a whole host of career-and family-related changes associated with it. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Balance Family Life As A Working Parent.

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As every parent knows, family life can be challenging to manage. Attempting to strike a balance between all the things you need to do while still making time for the kids can feel like an almost impossible balancing act. Unfortunately, many parents feel this way. As living costs keep rising, more households than ever require both parents to work full-time, sometimes through choice, but more often out of necessity. This means that there is far less time to complete chores, cook meals, and, most importantly, spend quality time together.

Work-life balance is a phrase that is often spoken about, but many people still struggle to achieve this. Research shows that 54% of parents would like to spend more time with their kids. But, it is not as simple as just cutting down on time spent at work and spending more time at home. So, when working less is not an option, you may be wondering how a work-life balance can be achieved. Here are some tips to help you navigate balancing family life as a working parent:

Simplify Mealtimes

After a long day at work, trying to decide what to cook for family dinners each night can become a significant source of stress. You may find that you feel much too tired to cook healthy, nutritious meals for the family. Making mealtimes as simple as possible will make it easier for you to prepare healthy meals and spend less time in the kitchen each night.

There are a couple of different ways to simplify mealtimes. You could batch-cook meals and freeze them. Batch cooking will enable you to have meals ready and stored in the freezer, so you can reheat them whenever needed. Alternatively, you may want to create a meal plan at the start of every week so you already know what to cook each night.

Find Childcare

Trying to balance looking after the kids between yourself and your partner can be a significant source of stress. When you are always trying to arrange childcare between you, you will have very little time left over to spend together. But, it does not always have to remain this way. Arranging high-quality childcare for your kids can make it much easier for you to navigate both your work life and home life and will certainly help to reduce your stress levels.

Childcare settings such as the Play and Learn School offer childcare and education for a range of ages, meaning that your kids will enjoy engaging activities while you work. With your childcare arrangements settled, it will be so much easier for you to enjoy more family time together, and you will no longer be ships passing in the night.

Work as a Team

Finally, working as a team is essential to balance family life. Allocating age-appropriate chores to family members will ensure everyone can play a part in keeping family life running smoothly. For kids, it can be helpful to develop a sense of responsibility and learn crucial life skills.

Why You Need Smart Tech At Your Small Business

Three focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. In today modern digital world smart technology is everywhere. Nowhere is it more than in your business operations. The following contributed post is entitled, Why You Need Smart Tech At Your Small Business.

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With the rise of mobile devices and apps, you are probably aware of some of the most useful features on your personal phone. But you need smart tech at your business to help you stay ahead because your competitors will also be looking at ways they can use new systems.

Actively Monitoring Your Systems

When your services are up, so is business. But if you aren’t there to keep an eye on things, you don’t know how well things are going. One of the key features of smart tech is that it can provide an all-in-one appliance management solution, so you always know what is happening. With a reliable internet connection, smart tech can keep you informed with alerts. This means you can keep an active and stable business going even when you’re not there to manage it yourself.

Solidifying Existing Infrastructure

There is no long-term business if your supporting technologies aren’t up to scratch. So you need to select the right services for what you and your valued customers need. Fortunately, some of the best smart tech around today makes this easier than ever. For example, you can use apps to manage projects and employees, access daily tasks for your business, and provide more security to your critical systems. As a result, you have a robust operation with minimal hazards.

You Need Smart Tech for Safety

Further to security, smart tech enables a safer business, company, and work environment. And you don’t even need to worry about costs. Most reliable services, such as managed IT, offer tiered payment solutions for any size of business with all kinds of needs. And this can be as simple as using automatic updating for your small business antimalware packages. Of course, you can link security systems with apps to alert you to any failures or impending attacks.

Working from Anywhere at Any Time

A vital feature of almost any smart tech system is the ability to link to cloud systems. Cloud systems work over the internet and offer enhanced ways to operate pretty much anything. For example, you can access your store’s CCTV systems while you are at home. Or you can manage your business virtually with collaboration apps, project management, and even HR services. This also applies to your employee who can also access core services from home.

Future Proofing Your Services

There are many smart solutions for all types of businesses. Cloud services alone are predicted to grow to almost 50% of business by the end of 2023. Because of this, partners, employees, and, of course, customers will expect your company to use reliable and common smart technologies, or you risk losing out to the competition. Some of the benefits of future-proofing with modern smart tech include more income, increased growth, and keeping good employees.

Summary

There are many reasons why you need smart tech and other types of modern systems. You can monitor systems for safety, get alerts and updates and ensure your business is ready for any future expansion plans. Also, you can take advantage of the work-from-home revolution.

Making Conveniences, Convenient – A Simple Business Guide

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. One of the keys to succeeding at business is maximizing your conveniences. The following contributed post is entitled, Making Conveniences, Convenient – A Simple Business Guide.

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Convenience is the name of the game when connecting to modern consumers. If you can easily offer your services, products or events, you’re more likely to generate interest. The best part is, you need only consider your own patterns as a consumer to understand how to best pivot your own brand.

For example, many chip and PIN payment providers, and now increasingly online stores, will accept Apple and Google pay for easy payments. This way, no customer ever has to take out their card and input their information to onboard with your software, they just have to give a couple of personal details and an email address.

That said, sometimes, it’s worth considering how convenient your conveniences themselves are to use. For example, the first time anyone walked into a Subway, they had to conform to the ordering process, understanding its step-by-step approach, in order to onboard with that convenience and ultimately appreciate it. Many other companies copied that package and moved with it.

So, let’s consider how to make conveniences, convenient, without diluting your brand. Let’s start, below:

Utilize Apps & Software Integrations

It’s important to utilize apps and software integrations to the extent that you can, not only within your internal systems, but as part of how you present yourself to your audience. Of course, this is only the case if such software can be suitably applied to how you deliver value. For instance, an excellent hospitality app can take the tired effort out of the ordering process, reduce mistakes, and also improve customer turnover throughout the day, potentially improving profits. This way, you can add convenience without detracting from the overall experience, and empowering your customer.

Setting Customer Preferences

When a customer or client can set their preferences with your brand, they’re more likely to return to it. That might sound obvious, but the time it may take to filter out products or services, you don’t want can be tiring enough for a customer to just stay with you. From offering modularity in terms of the packages they subscribe to (scaling up where appropriate), to remembering ordering information or simple preferences like color or filter type, this lessons the conversion time between lead and purchase most efficiently.

Security Seamlessness

It’s essential to ensure security and verification is convenient and helpful, not restrictive and tiresome. Of course, many of us are frustrated when our bank blocks a transaction until you reply to the “was this you?” text with an affirmative, but at least that process is simple and easy, and allows you to try again, safe that your money wouldn’t have been stolen in the event of a card theft. Voice activation to verify customer accounts, integration with smartphone security measures like Face ID, and even two-factor-authentications can make a big difference here. With a little care and consideration, you may help reduce fraud while also showing how confident your business is.

With this advice, you’re certain to make conveniences, convenient, not only offering ease-of-use because it sounds good, but truly making good on and thinking through those systems.

How To Successfully Plan Your Itinerary For A Family Vacation

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Health/Wellness. Vacations are important for our health and wellbeing. Properly planning them out is important though. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Successfully Plan Your Itinerary For A Family Vacation.

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Photo by Pixabay

Planning a family vacation is an exciting thing to do. However, the success of your family vacation largely depends on the activities that you plan for it.

This is why you need to make sure that you plan out your itinerary carefully for your trip. Planning your itinerary requires some special consideration. Here is a look at the best way to go about doing it.

Start With Your Budget

Having a clear budget is the best way to start planning your itinerary. There is very little you can do without a proper budget. Once you know how much money you can spend at any given time throughout the trip the easier it will be to plan your itinerary.

Make sure you plan out your source of funding and how you will access it while you are on your trip.

Make a List

Make a rough draft of all the places that you want to go while you are on your vacation. Once you have created your list, you can then check out all the prices you will need to pay to visit these places.

Consider how much you will pay for transportation and accommodations where necessary. Taking all these things into consideration will help you to narrow down your list based on the budget that you have already created.

Choose the Right Season

You need to select the season that is best for you to travel. Remember, that most travel destinations have what is known as a high season.

This high season happens around summer or Christmas time. These are some of the most exciting times to travel but they are also the most crowded at the airports, and also at your destination.

If you don’t like crowds and value your privacy then the low season is probably best. It will be a lot more relaxing, but in some destinations, the weather may not be as great as in the high season.

Do Your Research

Before you start planning your itinerary you need to do your research on the location where you will be going. Find out about the safety of certain locations that you are interested in visiting.

Research the transportation options that are available, For example, you can get a Louisville charter coach co if you are in that area to you to make your trip a comfortable one. If your vacation is out of the country you need to know where your country’s embassy is located and also the nearest police stations to the places you will be visiting.

Having all this knowledge will ensure your safety and security.

Start Planning

Having a firm understanding of your budget, the places you want to visit and how much it will cost are important factors when considering your budget.

Deciding on the right season for your vacation and securing proper accommodations is a must. Also, consider your safety and security as well when planning your itinerary. Doing all these things will ensure that your vacation is a good one.

How To Make Your Skin Feel Good

A key focus of my blog is Health/Wellness. One of the keys to your personal health is the wellness of your skin. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Make Your Skin Feel Good.

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Everywhere you look there is a magazine that gives you an article about skin care. It will talk about Botox and microdermabrasion, how to cure redness and how to get rid of blushing. Skin care is at the forefront of everybody’s minds, because we all need to have good skin care tips to help us to flourish. The skin care tips usually point to doing the right thing for your skin. It will talk about cleansing correctly or moisturizing deeply, toning regularly and applying the right oils and serums to your face along with face masks. It’s a lot of work and it’s exhausting, and if you don’t have time for this much self care it can feel like a chore rather than a privilege. These are all things that may be great for the health of your skin but they might not feel too good when you’re doing them.

Being able to put your skin care routine in the hands of people such as Dr. Mendez and Dr. Salloum is the smart thing to do. Skin care routines become tiring and we seem to do the same things on repeat every day without being aware of the results. So, it may be that you’re turning to other solutions to make your skin feel good in a way that you can see it straight away rather than having to wait for weeks to see results of a serum you started using. Of course, these are the things you can do in addition to your existing skin care routine and you can spice it up a little bit. You want to make your skin feel pampered and nurtured, so here are the tips that will help you to do that.

Image source: Pexels

● Baby, it’s cold inside. While you may not like the feeling of the cold air hitting your cheeks, you may love the feeling of cold spoons or ice cubes. You can grab them straight from the freezer and it can relax and rejuvenate your skin pretty quickly. If you pop some steel spoons into your freezer at night time, you can then put them onto your eyes in the morning to reduce puffiness and exhaustion. It will instantly lift you up and make your skin feel more awake, fresher and looking lovely. You could even do the same job with an ice cube by rubbing it all over your face to inject that shot of energy that you need to wake up in the morning. The best part is that you also minimize your pause, which will be really helpful when you do your makeup routine.
● Reduce your current skin care routine. If your current routine is very elaborate with oils, lotions, potions and serums, you need to cool it a bit. Minimize your ritual to the following three: cleanser, toner and moisturizer. This may have been something you saw female relatives used for years, so now you need to jump on board. Keep the serums, masks and oils to just once or twice a month as a top up rather than something you do every day. Being able to cut down your current skin care routine is really going to help you stick to it.
● Get a facial. When you apply a moisturizer, it can feel really nice to smooth it across your skin and give yourself a facial massage. Booking yourself into an oxygen facial or to us targeted aromatherapy facial is a whole other ball game. You’ll be so surprised to see how much of a difference it can make in reducing the puffiness of your skin and increasing the blood circulation to the surface. Your skin will feel relaxed and calm, and that’s something that you could really write home about.
● Get your sweat on. When was the last time you did a workout that made you actually sweat? A little exercise can do wonders for the skin, and when you sweat it out you release a lot of toxins. Washing your face afterwards but not in the shower can help you to feel naturally revived and cleansed. You can pick any sport or activity of your choice here, it doesn’t have to be something that forces you to do cardio!

It’s never a bad idea to take care of your skin if you have the means to do so. Making sure that you are keeping your skin looking fresh and revived is going to keep you feeling confident and looking gorgeous. Focusing on your skin care will help you to appreciate the way that your skin looks.