Category: Home & Family

Home improvement, Home decor, Gardening, Outdoors, Tools, Health, Fitness, Wellness

The Magic Of A Personalized Handwritten Note

I remember some 5 years ago when cleaning out our attic, I stumbled across a box full of letters that my great grandfather used to write my great grandmother. They were married for over 6 decades and had 4 children.

When he was stationed in Hawaii during World War II, he wrote a letter every month. Each letter is an incredible insight into a decades-long love for his family, filled with humor, romance, yearning, and dedication. Reading them felt like being transported to their home filled with love.

To this day, I still have those letters, and I still read them from time to time. I consider them my most prized possession and a true insight into the lives of where I came from.

This is something that an email can never replicate. In this day and age, we are so accustomed to receiving everything through a digital platform, that a handwritten card has become a lost art.

Handwritten cards sent via traditional mail or given personally have an unmatched authenticity to them that emails just don’t have. If you want to connect with people that are important in your life, handwritten cards and notes are a great place to start.

Having something that you can physically touch and keep as a remembrance that you can come back to is just very different from reading it on your phone or a laptop screen.

Why Buy a Handwrytten Personalized Handwritten Card?

Handwrytten is a handwritten letter writing service that does just this. You may have seen ads for them before. It allows you to send real cards and notes with your message written in pen and real ink–you can even pick your own stationery. And not only can you do one letter or note at a time, but they allow you to send actual, personalized cards in bulk.

All you need is to upload your spreadsheet containing the notes you want to be written, and you’re all set. You can also use templates that you can use over and over to speed up your correspondence.

This is especially amazing when you have more than a couple to write and send out.

Save Time Sending Handwritten Cards

Gone are the days when you used to spend hours each month manually writing birthday postcards to mail out, or thank you notes for your wedding guests, or even just a basic but heartfelt thank you note to show how much you appreciate each person on your team. Now, you can gain both a personalized touch and a way to quickly send out a card to your customer.

With Handwrytten, you only need to spend approximately 15 minutes sending your note to everyone you’d like, even just by using your phone. They have an app for both Android and iPhone to make the process even more fast and easy. Simply download the app to get started.

Personal and Automated

It may make you think, “it’s really not personal if it’s automated.” But unlike other services that offer custom cards that are low quality and laser printed on regular paper with the company’s name, Handwrytten gifts use a real pen to write out the notes–like artists!.

The company invests heavily in robotics to build a machine unmatched in handwriting quality and scalability. They have custom-designed handwriting AI machines that hold actual pens and write out your message in your chosen handwriting style.

After the card is created, it is mailed out to recipients of your choice. Simply search for the person you want it mailed to or choose from your past card orders. It couldn’t be easier to get a personalized card mailed to those you care about.

Business Applications

Handwrytten is also not limited to love letters and holiday greeting cards, though. It’s also for helping businesses build more profound and more personal relationships with their customers. Handwritten outreach can yield amazing results for businesses when sent to customers.

Each message is consistently written in the same handwriting style on your branded stationery and delivered in a timely fashion. This can make a real impact on customers and clients.

Choosing to have handwritten notes for your business customers makes you stand out from everybody else that constantly drowns their customers with electronic communication. The folks at Handwrytten truly are artists, and they’ve designed the perfect method for connecting with clients through cards.

You can also easily connect Handwrytten directly to your marketing processes using the usual integration tools in the market, making it easy to scale. This includes salesforce, Hubspot, Zapier, and more.

Even better, they offer gift cards from over 20 different brands that you can choose to be inserted along with your note. This includes Starbucks, Home Depot, Amazon, VISA, etc.

You can even insert your own business card or a business magnet or even a donation envelope along with your letter. Handwrytten allows you to insert small items for your customer with your orders.

Personalized to Your Writing

Handwrytten also allows you to use your own writing for the cards to give them an even more personalized touch and a greater level of authenticity. You can also send them your design (hire artists for this if you wish) for when you want the notes to be written on customized stationery.

They print your design themselves on their #120 vellum cardstock. This way, you’ll know for sure that your notes are written on quality stamped paper without having to worry about ink smudges.

Fast Delivery

They can complete the cards within the day that you placed an order for them. Of course, mailing time would still depend on the US Postal service delivery time which takes up to 2-5 days locally since they send out the notes via First Class express postage.

They also offer international shipments to Canada and over 180 countries for just the price of an international stamp which is currently $1.30. Additionally, they offer excellent service that you can contact if you ever have questions or concerns.

Flexible Pricing

Of course, all of these things have a price. But Handwrytten has different pricing options for any budget. You don’t need to have a contract for you to be able to send a card or a note. All you have to do is simply create an account, sign in, and start sending.

Should you plan on sending a lot of notes and letters using their site, Handwrytten offers subscription plans and prepay options. Generous discounts are also available for users who want to continually send out several bulk cards a month, such as what might be needed for companies.

Get the Perfect Card from Handwrytten

Handwrytten has sent over 5 million notes and counting since its founding in 2014. It is an easy way to send personalized cards that the special people in your life will love.

They have over 175 patented Handwrytten robots which are capable of autonomously writing nearly 500 notes a day which writes virtually indistinguishable from human writing.

Who doesn’t love actually getting real mail? It doesn’t have to be deep, it just has to be sincere. People will always love receiving letters. Receiving a letter means that someone cared enough about you to take the time to send it. That will never go out of style!

Whether it be a love letter, a thank you note, a holiday greeting card, or even a letter for a business promotion, there’s just something personal and heartwarming when it’s actually written down. Personalized handwritten cards, correspondences, and notes all deserve to make a comeback now more than ever.

July 17, 2022
Moms: Are You Ready To Work For Yourself?
Modern women want it all, and we can have it all. Becoming an entrepreneur is one of the best ways to earn an income, contribute to your community, and still get to be present in your children’s lives. As a stay-at-home mother, you have plenty of options but you should also weigh the pros and cons before you proceed with your professional endeavors.

How to Become Stay at Home Mom Entrepreneurs

Today, we share a few tips for moms looking to break into the world of entrepreneurship while balancing children and social life while preserving their sanity.

“Mom”preneurship Means Dedication

Whether you are opening a brick-and-mortar location or plan to work exclusively from home, the vast majority of business owners work between 40 and 60+ hours each week. When you have children at home, this means working unusual hours, and sometimes in chunks as little as 20 or 30 minutes at a time. Many small business owners find that, at least in the early days, starting their business gives them less free time than they had envisioned. Be prepared to be busy and to feel guilty on those days when you can’t devote your all to either your family or your business.

Small Business, Big Decisions

Business owners have to make big decisions every day. This can include things like whether or not to hire employees, the type of business structure you will have, and which, if any, mentors or consultants you’ll have helping you along the way.

Hiring employees is one of the biggest decisions as it brings with it many implications, such as paying a salary, providing enough work, and making sure they get paid on time. You can eliminate the payment issues pretty quickly by setting up a system that allows you to handle small business payroll the easy way. This will be software that helps you stay organized and integrates with all of your existing systems. You’ll also want to plan for automatic payments and make sure that your program can calculate info for taxes and gives you the flexibility to add same-day direct deposits and alter your employee benefits and payments directly from out.

Another major decision is choosing a business structure. While many work-at-home moms choose to act as a sole-proprietor, forming an LLC might be a smart move. An LLC is financially advantageous, and you may be able to keep more of your profits from being taxed when you set up as a legal business entity. Your LLC or other structure can also help you keep your personal finances separate from your business so that you do not risk commingling funds, which can blur the line between your personal money and your business assets.

If you’re planning to choose a mentor, EU Business School explains that you’ll need to find someone that understands your plan. You must be willing to listen to this individual’s feedback, even if it is not what you want to hear. Remember, there is a reason that your mentor was successful in their business, and there is a lot you can learn from other people’s experiences and knowledge.

What Are the Best Home Businesses for Moms?

Not sure yet what you want to do? That’s okay, there are many types of businesses that are ideal for busy moms. A quick tip here: make sure that you have a great home office, which is set up to reduce stress so that you can be your most efficient best. A few ideas that you may be able to begin as soon as today include:
- Selling products for your favorite company. Mary Kay, 31, and Paparazzi Jewelry are all popular among stay-at-home moms because they solve problems. Mary Kay offers affordable makeup and self-care products, 31 bags are high quality and make it easy to carry children’s toys from one place to another, and Paparazzi Jewelry lets women dress up or dress down without feeling guilty for overspending on something nice for themselves.
- Working as a travel consultant. If you love to travel and have a knack for sales, working as a travel consultant is a great job you can do from home. While you probably won’t make a ton of money – Cosmopolitan notes that the average travel agent makes less than $40,000 per year – you can build your clientele and supplement your family’s income.
Making Time for Everything Else

Balancing work and kids is not always easy. But as a mom and entrepreneur, you have to make time for both of these important areas of your life as well as yourself. Make a point to practice self-care and pull away from your obligations at least sometimes. Our tips for achieving balance include:
- Take at least one day off of work every week. You are going to feel like you work every day, and this may be true some weeks. But, as you begin to build your business, you must not lose yourself and your family relationships in the process. Give yourself at least one day completely off work every week. Use this time to bond (going to the zoo is a great spring and summer Sunday afternoon activity if you plan ahead) or just to relax.
- Meal prep. To be a better business owner, you have to fuel yourself with the right foods. And, no, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at 2 PM every day doesn’t cut it. It’s easy to let your diet get out of whack, so make a point to plan ahead each week. You can make mini quiches, salads in a jar, roasts, pulled pork, veggies, or crock pot fajitas, for example, to have healthy meals at the ready for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Mom/entrepreneur is a joint job title that can mean many things. For one, it means you’ll be busy. It can also mean that you can pick and choose the hours you work so that you can attend dance recitals, karate classes, or adventure outings with the kids. Working for yourself is also a great way to supplement (or even replace) your family’s income so that you can take control of everything in your life. Before you start, take steps to lay a strong foundation, like getting your accounting and payroll software in place, and don’t forget to schedule time away from work so that you can focus on the things that matter the most.
July 3, 2022
How To Take Care Of Yourself As A Caregiver
When you become a caregiver, it can be challenging – especially if you’re showing a little gray yourself. You may be at the top of your game professionally, but suddenly, family becomes priority. If you’re a senior caregiver or about to become one, you’re going to have to take care of yourself as well as your loved one. Below are some helpful tips so you can stay at your best.

How to Take Care of Yourself?

Get Regular Exercise

Exercise is vital to staying healthy, especially as we get older. Physical activity helps the body maintain strength and flexibility as well as improve mental function. Even light exercise can help boost your immune system, raise your energy levels, increase your metabolism, and improve your overall mood. Exercise is also a great way to relieve stress and anxiety.

Get the Right Amount of Sleep

Sleep can help you feel better physically and mentally. The less sleep you get, the harder it is to function well. Sleep deprivation can lead to depression, anxiety, and headaches. You can avoid all these by making sure you’re getting enough sleep each night.

Eat Nutritiously

Eating nutritious foods can help boost your immunity to illness and serve as a buffer against stress. Some healthy foods include:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Whole grains
- Low-fat dairy products
- Lean meats and fish
- Beans and legumes
- Low-fat dairy products such as yogurt and milk
Yoga and Meditation

Yoga and meditation are powerful tools for self-care. They can help reverse the damaging effects of chronic stress and increase your quality of life. The benefits of yoga and meditation are many and far-reaching. They can improve your physical health, mental health, social interactions, happiness, and productivity and relieve depression and anxiety.

Try a New Hobby Together

Find a new hobby you and your elderly loved one can enjoy together. It doesn’t matter what kind of activity you choose as long as you both enjoy it.

Some activities you can try might include:
- Play Nintendo Wii. This video game lets you play sports like tennis, golf, bowling, and boxing. The hand controller senses your movements and simulates them on your TV.
- Make a family cookbook. You can combine all your favorite family recipes into a scrapbook.
- Take a road trip. Maybe there’s somewhere your loved one always wanted to go or someone they’d like to revisit. New York is a big state with plenty of interesting places to see within convenient driving distance.
- Do some crafting. Being creative is a great way to unwind from the demands of caregiving, and you and your loved one can make fun things for your home while also making memories. From upcycling found junk into robots to designing your own wallpaper, the possibilities are almost endless.
- Make a photo album. Take pictures of all your good times together and collect them in an album. You can even have fun exploring different styles, from traditional to something more unconventional!
Go Back to School

Lifelong learning brings many benefits. It’s not only an opportunity to expand knowledge and skills, but also increases opportunities for socializing, is empowering, and studies cited by Science Direct note that it can be a boon to mental and physical health. So why not use your free time to go back to school? If you’ve always wanted to start your own business, it’s a chance to engage in a program that will allow you to do so. You don’t even need to sit in a classroom with people generations younger than you, thanks to online learning programs. Best of all, the flexibility of online learning means you can keep up your caregiving responsibilities while you attend classes at your own pace.

Hire a Home Service

Home services can help you free up your time to focus on your priorities. Depending on your goals, you can hire lawn fertilization, landscaping, or cleaning services. Many of these services are inexpensive and don’t require long-term commitments, which means you can test them out before committing to a long-term plan. If you’re worried about the financial costs of hiring these services, you can also look into companies that offer discounts and deals. For example, before hiring a lawn fertilization company, do a search and check online reviews to find a good company.

Improve Your Well-Being

Caring for others can be physically and emotionally demanding. Therefore, you must take care of yourself by finding help or engaging in activities that improve your well-being. Consider hobbies that enhance your wellbeing as well as your lifestyle, take a class or two, and ensure you cover basics like proper sleep and nutrition. With the right plan in place, you’ll feel better, and you’ll be a better caregiver, too.
May 22, 2022
5 Strategies To Get Your Kids To Make Healthy Choices

We all want our kids to live happy and healthy lives. Unfortunately, we can’t always be there to guide our children in the right direction or protect them from risky behaviors, especially as they grow older. The good news is that there’s a lot you can do to encourage your kids to make smart decisions on their own. Whether you’re dealing with toddlers or teens, it’s never too late to foster the development of healthy habits. In this article, we share some effective parenting strategies to help your kids make the right healthy choices.

How to Help Make Healthy Choices for Kids?

Instill Religious Values

Whether or not to raise your children with religion is a personal decision, but there is a wide range of benefits that come with a religious upbringing. According to the Institute for Family Studies, one study showed that children who attended religious services regularly were less likely to use illicit drugs or experience high depressive symptoms. Adolescents who prayed regularly were less likely to have sex at a young age. Moreover, children with a religious upbringing reported higher levels of happiness, forgiveness, and a greater sense of purpose, all of which can shield our kids from making poor or risky decisions.

Be a Good Role Model

Kids naturally take after their parents. If you want your kids to make healthy decisions, you need to model these behaviors yourself. One way to do this is to pursue your career goals. Going back to school will show your kids the importance of overcoming challenges and working hard for the things they want. This can also teach your kids the importance of education. If you’re a busy parent, consider enrolling in an online degree program in fields such as information technology, business, or nursing so you can study on your own time!

Let them Experience Natural Consequences

When your children make a bad decision, try stepping back and letting them experience the natural consequences of their actions. This will teach them that they have control over their success or failure. Natural consequences also work great for reinforcing or punishing behaviors. For example, if your child decides not to wear a coat, they will feel cold. If they eat too much candy, they will feel sick. If they won’t eat the healthy meal you cooked, they will be hungry. Your children will learn from these experiences and make choices that help them avoid negative consequences in the future.

Make Healthy Behaviors Fun

While natural consequences are a valuable learning opportunity, parents can also play a role in making healthy behaviors more desirable. Look for ways to inject fun into healthy activities. For example, make exercise fun with backyard games and family outings. Ask your kids to help you shop for healthy ingredients and give them some control over the dinner menu. Set family activity goals and make it a fun competition. All of these strategies can help your children build a positive association with healthy behaviors.

Maintain a Strong and Open Relationship

The strength of the parent-child relationship is one of the biggest factors influencing drug use during adolescence. Aim to have an open relationship with your child in which they feel comfortable being honest with you about tough topics like drugs and alcohol. When talking with your kids about these issues, be honest and rational. Speak to your kids how you would want to be spoken to, make them feel trusted, give them a chance to express their thoughts, and don’t scare them away from coming to you when they have a concern.

Child Mind Institute suggests having an amnesty policy in place, meaning your child can ask for help without getting in trouble. For example, if your child has had a couple of drinks at a party and wants to leave, they can call you for a ride without fearing punishment. Instead of imposing regular consequences for this, you will get them out of harm’s way and discuss the incident when the time is right.

Raising kids isn’t easy. There are so many factors to consider when making parenting decisions, and the right methods for one family might not apply to yours. Still, it never hurts to learn a few new tricks to help your kids make choices that support their health!

January 9, 2022
How To Ensure Your Kids’ Safety Online

From computers to smartphones, to IoT devices, the use of interconnected devices among young children is growing at a very high rate. This means more children are likely to become victims of online attacks and other threats including offensive content or cyberbullying. And, with reports of smart toys being utilized to spy on kids, and kids as young as 5 years old having social media accounts, it is evident that the dangers are real for children, both young and old.

This article tackles the different dangers that children are exposed to online and how parents can help their children to stay protected.

Image from Unsplash.com

Risks Faced by Children Online

As discussed above, kids are increasingly using connected devices, and the situation has been made worse with the current Covid-19 pandemic that has forced children to rely on the internet for learning, play, and entertainment. Let’s look at some of the risks that children face while using these devices.

Smart Toys Spying on Kids

Like everything else that connects to the internet, smart toys are an open invitation for predators, hackers, and identity thieves. The thing is, many connected toys come installed with microphones, sensors, cameras, and other extras like GPS and voice recognition. But, most of these toys are not made with security in mind, and this is what brings about the safety and privacy risks to children.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is conceivably one of the most prevalent online threats today. Bullies don’t have to be one-on-one with their victims anymore. Cyberbullying through social media platforms is still as effective as face-to-face bullying, and has the same effects as any other mode of bullying.

Inappropriate Content

The internet is full of “inappropriate content” and your children spending more time online means they could easily stumble on this content. The kids may try to search for such content themselves, or they may bump into it accidentally. This may include pornographic or other age-inappropriate content such as alcohol abuse and foul language, and violent or graphic content.

Dangers While Using Public Wi-Fi

The desire to use the internet all the time may prompt kids to connect to free public Wi-Fi in a bid to save on data. But, this convenience comes with dire consequences: free wi-fi networks offer an easy way for hackers and identity thieves to spy on you and steal passwords, personal information, or both. This is because Wi-Fi passwords in coffee shops, airports e.t.c are shared and so anyone can easily hop on and see what you are up to.

What Parents can do to Ensure the Safety of Their Children Online

While the government and schools try as much as they can to teach kids how to spot possible threats online, there is still a lack of awareness when it comes to basic device protection. That is why parents need to step in to ensure their kids are cyber-secure. Here’s what parents can do to protect their kids online.

Image from Pixabay.com

Use a VPN

Most people, including children, love the convenience that comes with free public Wi-Fi. Likewise, smart toys can connect to unsecured Wi-Fi without any kind of authentication. That is why it is important to download a VPN app and use it whenever you are connecting to unsecured Wi-Fi. This way, you’ll be able to ward off potential hackers and other surveillance threats targeting kids’ smart toys.

Research Before Buying Toys

As we have seen, smart toys come installed with features like cameras and microphones, which allow them to communicate with children. The problem is that these features can be hijacked by cybercriminals and used to spy on kids and eavesdrop on family conversations.

That’s why it is important to research and find out what a particular toy can do before buying.

The internet comes with a lot of advantages to children of today’s generation, but it also has its bad side. Parents and guardians must do whatever they can to ensure children remain safe even as they explore the endless possibilities that come with connected devices.

January 4, 2021