So, you have little one on the way? This is always such an exciting time filled with a lot to do from baby showers to getting the house and family ready for a new member.

Sometimes among all of the busy schedules and preparations for a new baby, designing a nursery suddenly seems overwhelming. Not only do you have to buy furniture, such as a changing station, dresser and maybe a new crib, but you have to buy diapers, clothes, bed sheets and decor.聽

However, if you plan on giving the nursery a theme, it鈥檚 important to decide on your theme before buying anything for the nursery. If you know the theme you want in advance, it鈥檚 easier to design the nursery, because you鈥檒l already know exactly what you鈥檙e looking for when it comes to furniture, color schemes, bed sheets, blankets and more.聽

To get you started on your nursery, here are five ideas to consider when deciding on a theme for your new baby鈥檚 beautiful room.

Animals

A theme you can鈥檛 go wrong with is animals. There are endless amounts of options and choices to go with for both a boy or girl baby. It鈥檚 also a great idea for a growing family, because it can be gender neutral and your kids can help you design the nursery for their new sibling.聽

1. Elephants

A great theme for a baby boy or girl is elephants.聽

The great thing about this theme is that elephants are really popular right now for nurseries. This means that there will be plenty of options for sheets, blankets, chairs, toys, clothes, pillows – you name it. With all of your options, it will allow you to completely customize the nursery to exactly how you want it.聽

Another perk about elephants is their color, gray. Gray is a great color that coordinates well with almost every color. If the nursery is for a baby boy, navy or yellow go excellent with gray. If it鈥檚 for a girl, pink is also another color that looks great.

2. Swans

If you鈥檙e looking for something that鈥檚 not as common as princesses, but also something that鈥檚 beautiful and graceful for your baby girl鈥檚 nursery, a great idea to consider is swans.聽

A perk and disadvantage of this theme is that swans are not as common as other animals. On the upside, that makes them unique and you can have a nursery different from many others. On the downside, it might be harder to find swan-themed necessities when decorating.

Places

Another idea to explore before picking out your theme is places. You could pick absolutely anywhere in the world and theme the nursery around it, such as Paris, the jungle, outer space or even the desert. You can鈥檛 go wrong with any of these ideas, and it鈥檚 a great way to get your growing family involved and have them name their favorite places.

3. Ocean

A great theme that you can鈥檛 go wrong with for a baby boy or girl is the ocean.聽

There is so much you can do with this theme from fish to mermaids. There are also many different color schemes you can use for an ocean nursery. Blue and green, blue and purple, and purple and green are some schemes to consider – just to name a few. If you鈥檙e doing something with fish, you could throw in some colorful yellow and orange fish, or ,if you went the mermaid route, you can even include pink and sparkles. The possibilities are endless for this theme!聽

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Fantasy is a great category to explore if you are looking for something fun and magical. So many things can fall into this category from animals to people to places! The nursery could have a castle theme or even a dragon or unicorn theme, which are all fantasy. It鈥檚 also a really fun idea to explore with your kids, because they could have some amazing ideas for a fantasy nursery (since they have an active imagination) that you might not think of.聽

4. Princess

A very popular and great idea for a baby girl鈥檚 nursery is princess.聽

Much like elephants, this is a very popular theme, which means there are many options and varieties when designing the nursery. There are also many different ways of going about this theme. A castle theme can be incorporated into it or maybe something along the lines of tiaras and fairy godmothers. Either way, this is an idea you can鈥檛 go wrong with if you鈥檙e expecting a baby girl!聽

5. Pirate

Last, but not least, pirates is a great theme for baby boys. Not only is it unique, but you can have a bit of an ocean theme included with it.

Things such as a pirate ship shaped crib and fun wallpaper to match the theme will really add a fun and unique twist to the nursery!

These are just five great nursery themes to explore, which will hopefully help when designing a nursery for your expanding family. Remember that designing a nursery isn鈥檛 an easy task that can be finished in one day, but when you pick the right theme and have help from your family it can be a fun process to enjoy doing together while waiting for the newest member of your family to arrive.聽

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House relocation can be stressful, time-consuming and expensive affair especially if you have lots of items that need hauling over long distances. However, you can make the process easy by planning and getting help from the right sources. Here are five tips to help when planning a relocation.

Plan Early

When you start preparations early, you have all the time you need to put everything in its right place for the relocation. Make a checklist of things that need to be accomplished each week and give timelines to each activity. Tick each activity that you complete.

Waiting until the last minute might prove expensive, labor intensive and stressful. Do not underestimate the effort and planning required in house removals. Start early to be ready when time comes.

Get Rid of Items You Do Not Need

Do not waste your energy moving things that you do not really need. Before packing everything into boxes and moving, take inventory of everything and categorize items accordingly. Broken furniture, dead electronics that you do not want to have repaired, old clothing and other small items you do not need can be sold at a frugal market or donated to charity. You can also get rid of old cars for cash. This will help cater for part or all your relocation costs. Hire a dumpster to dispose of items that are too old or damaged for donation or sale.

Hire Reliable Professionals

Rather than hiring local labor and a truck, consider movers for the work. Shop around for reliable moving companies in your area. Compare about three before picking one with the best combination of service and price. Do it at least three weeks before relocation so to avoid companies already being booked.

Some of the things you should check include whether the company offers insurance on transit, packing boxes, enough labor to lift the heavy items and well-maintained trucks. Only after checking these areas should you consider the price offered.

Pack everything and Label the Boxes Accordingly

Get sturdy boxes for packing your items. If your relocation company offers to supply boxes, have a look at them before signing the contract. Then, pack items according to the type and label the boxes accordingly. For fragile items, write that they are fragile and show the top side of the box. This prevents mishandling of such items. Where possible, you can write the room where the items are destined for the ease of unpacking and arranging at the correct destination.

If you have hired a professional moving team, you do not need to move furniture in an existing home to make removals fast. After packing to move, you can arrange boxes as per the size, heaviness or how fragile the contents are. This will help the team have an easy time putting everything in the right place.

Send Notices to the Utility Firms

Most utility firms need a fortnight to a month鈥檚 notice before ending the supply contract. Consider sending out these notices as soon as you decide to move out. The reason is that you may be overwhelmed when the relocation date draws near. Remember that you should have cleared your utility bills by the time you are ending the supply contract.

As for the postal services, of the relocation and your new address. This is to ensure that any mail that comes with your name after the relocation is sent to your new address. You should also change the mailing addresses you gave to any subscriptions.

With good planning, professional assistance and the tips discussed above, your home relocation should be easy.

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Living comfortably during summer doesn’t have to be expensive. There are various ways to protect yourself from high temperatures without having to break the bank. Read below for tips that will help you cool your home and save money while doing it.

1. Keep the sun away from your home

While windows keep your home well ventilated, they also let sunlight inside which raises temperatures inside your rooms. Use blackout curtains and shades to block the sun from streaming into your home.聽 Placing plants in front of your window and using tainted windows can also be a useful way of keeping the sun away.

2. Check your appliance usage

Electrical appliances such as dishwashers produce heat. Limit the use of these appliances during summer and adopt alternative ways of getting work done such as grilling and drying laundry outside. Doing these activities outdoors will save your home from heat generated by dryers and ovens. Also, ensure that your appliances are unplugged when not in use, as they still produce heat even when not in use.

3. Find a cheap and convenient air conditioner

Find an affordable and efficient air conditioner such as that serves both as an air conditioner and a dehumidifier thus saving you money.

4. Insulate and ventilate your attic

The attic maintains comfortable temperatures in homes during any season. In summer, it traps hot air and thus keeps your home cool. It is therefore essential to vent this space to let the hot air outside. There are several attic fans available in the market that are effective in ensuring that your attic is well ventilated.

Insulating the walls of your attic is also a convenient way to cool your home. This insulation minimizes the heat that flows to your home from the attic as well as the heat that enters the attic.

5. Use Fans

Fans are cost-effective ways of cooling your home during summer. Make sure to turn off your fan when you are not at home to save energy and money. Since moisture makes cooling tough, ensure that your fan is on when you shower and when cooking.

6. Get a Dehumidifier

Eliminating moisture from air lowers the temperatures in your home and makes it cool and comfortable. Air conditioners work more effectively on dry air than in a humid environment. A dehumidifier will, therefore, boost your air conditioner鈥檚 performance and hence cool your home.

7. Clean your air conditioner.

It costs a lot less to maintain your A/C system than to install a new one. Have your A/C professionally checked and serviced annually. Using an electrostatic filter and changing it after every three months is also a convenient way to maintain your A/C as it saves you the high costs of repairing a damaged air conditioner or buying another.

In conclusion, surviving the heat during summer does not necessarily require costly advanced technology. Simple habits such as taking cold evening showers, using cotton sheets and keeping the windows open in the evening can go a long way into ensuring that you stay comfortable.

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The world of mortgage financing can be a little overwhelming for first-time home buyers. 聽

The good news is that there are professionals to guide you through the process of qualifying for a home loan. Lenders are happy to educate buyers on the different mortgage options. You just need to know a few basics so you can have a productive conversation with your lender. 聽聽

Here are finance basics for first-time buyers:

What鈥檚 included in my mortgage payment?

Your mortgage payment is more than just payments to repay the loan (that amount is called principal). Your mortgage payment also includes:

• Interest
• Property taxes
• Homeowner鈥檚 insurance premiums
• Any mortgage insurance premiums (if your down payment is less than 20%, you will need a mortgage insurance policy)

Lenders usually wrap all these expenses into one simple mortgage payment. It makes your life easier, and it assures the lender that your taxes and insurance are kept current. 聽

How do I qualify for a home loan?

Qualifying for a home loan might be easier than you think. You just need to prove to your lender that you鈥檙e able to repay the loan. 聽

Requirements vary slightly from one lender to the next, but here are the general home loan requirements:

• A down payment. You鈥檒l need to pay a percentage of the purchase price upfront. Twenty percent is the old standard, but most first time buyers are qualifying for FHA Loans with as little as 3.5% down.
• Fairly good credit. Aim for a minimum credit score of 620. But if you have at least a 580, you could still qualify for an FHA Loan.
• Enough income to comfortably cover the mortgage payment. Lenders like to see your total mortgage payment stay under 28% of your gross income. And they like to see the mortgage plus all your other debts stay around 35% (or less) of your gross income.

To meet these requirements, you鈥檒l need to provide financial documents like pay stubs, bank statements and tax returns.

Do I need to be pre-approved before starting my home search?

Sorting out your financing is actually step one in the house hunting process. There鈥檚 no point in spending weeks or months searching for a home if you don鈥檛 qualify for a mortgage loan. Getting pre-approved for a mortgage helps you understand how much of a loan you can qualify for so you know what price ranges to explore.

Plus, when you鈥檙e ready to make an offer on a home, your offer will be stronger if you鈥檙e pre-approved. The sellers will be able to accept your offer, knowing that you鈥檒l be able to secure financing to close the deal.

It only takes minutes to get pre-approved online, and it will help your house hunting process go more smoothly.

What is the importance of interest rates?

Interest rates have an enormous impact on your mortgage loan. Lower interest rates mean your monthly payment will be lower, and you鈥檒l pay less over the term of the loan.

Here鈥檚 how to get a low interest rate:

• Get your credit score up. First, check your report for simple mistakes and contact the credit bureaus to correct them. Then, if you have negative marks on your credit report, contact those lenders to see what you can do to remove those marks.
• Put more money down. A bigger down payment means a lower interest rate.
• Take a shorter loan term. A 15-year loan will have a lower interest rate than a 30-year loan.
• Shop around. Lenders offer different rates, so be sure to compare multiple lenders before making your final decision.

Financing your home doesn鈥檛 have to be difficult. Lenders are happy to explain the different finance options available to first-time buyers. So don鈥檛 hesitate to reach out to a lender and start the conversation today.

This post is intended for informational purposes only and should not be taken as professional advice. This post was written by Michelle Clardie.聽Michelle is a professional real estate blogger, specializing in ghostwriting Realtor庐 blogs. Her engaging content helps real estate agents become more visible online, generate more qualified leads, and increase their revenues. You can learn more at聽www.michelleclardie.com.

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