Monday, August 27, 2007

How to Impress your In-Laws

Your goal in your marriage shouldn’t be to impress your in-laws because then you will feel like they are looking at you as if you only entered into the marriage to impress them when in actuality you entered into the marriage because of the feelings you have for their child. If you actually focus on your marriage and don’t worry about the way your in-laws feel about you it will help you relax and enjoy your marriage. This will help your in-law to see you for like you are and come to enjoy being around you. They will get to know the real you and not the image you think they want to see. Here are a few tips to help you impress your in-laws:

1. Be yourself – this is the most important tip because if you don’t then they will think you are someone else and not get to know you. This will be difficult for all of you and can go on to cause tension between you and your spouse also.

2. Treat them with Respect – if you force yourself to treat them with respect then you will find that they might actually enjoy spending time with you and won’t interfere as much in your relationship with your spouse.

3. Create Boundaries – this is important because once they know the boundaries then they won’t frustrate you as much without even realizing it. It would be smart to talk over the boundaries with your spouse to ensure they don’t have a problem with them. An example of a boundary is that unless there is an emergency, there aren’t any phone calls after a certain time at night, or something can’t be given to the children with discussing it with you first. My mother-in-law and I have an agreement. If there is something that normally falls into a age limit, i.e. makeup, then it is discussed first before the child is taken out to shop for makeup or whatever the item may be. This eliminates the frustration you can have and stops the hard feelings they can have.

4. Be Honest – if you don’t like the way something is handled, then be honest with them. Let them politely know how you feel and discuss alternatives to what happened. This will stop it from happening again.

If all else fails and you have a difficult time getting along with your in-laws then discuss it with your spouse and see if you can find out some ideas that will help you handle them in a dignified and respectful manner, because even if you don’t care for them, they are still your spouse’s parents and he/she has to get along with all of you. So try and make it easier on your spouse and quit trying to impress them and be yourself.

Friday, August 3, 2007

How to Rent a Container for Home Remodeling Demolition

You have decided to renovate your home and as you start to plan out the steps you need to take you realize you will need to get a container to remove the parts of the room that you are going to remodel. There is a simple method to find a container to rent, look through your yellow pages or online for any local trash pickup companies. They will rent containers for construction trash. You will need to make sure you let them know what you are using it for because construction debris uses a different container than if you were just cleaning excess items out of your house. There is a fee for this service, but they will drop off the container and schedule a time with you to pick it up. Normally you can rent it for a couple of days to a week. If you need to go longer than this they will work with you on an individual basis, but the costs can become expensive.

You also might want to do some research on what size container you will need because they do come in different sizes and you don’t want one that is too small because you are allowed to fill it past a certain spot. You also don’t want one that is too large as it is wasted money.

Another thing you will want to research is the pricing for the different companies. Don’t just stay with the company that picks up your trash, but call around and find out the pricing for different companies, you might find one that is cheaper and easier to use.

The company will very likely want you to sign a contract agreeing to pay the price and for the duration of the use of the container. This is standard procedure, but make sure you look through the contract before signing it. Some companies add large fines into their contracts if you go over a certain weight or need it for a longer period of time.

As with anything, you need to do your research and find the company that will fit your needs the best. Renting a container is relatively simple; the hard part will come when you have to start your remodeling project.

Tips for Masking a Room before Painting

Before giving any tips on masking a room, first you need to know what masking means. It means to tape off the edges of the room to keep them from getting paint where you don’t want it. Masking a room before painting is relatively easy, but time consuming. It is still essential to do it, because it will end up saving you time in the end.

The first step to masking a room is to clear the room out as much as possible. If you don’t have room or any place to put the items in the room then you can move them to the center of the room and cover them with a tarp or blankets.

Then you need to remove the items from the walls, i.e. pictures, shelves, stickers (children), and posters and then repair any holes you have in the walls. A good product to use is wood putty, but if you don’t have any or can’t afford to buy any plain toothpaste will work. If you are going to use toothpaste then make sure it is the paste kind not the one with gel in it.

After you have filled all the holes, your next step is to wash the walls with a simple solution of soap and water. It doesn’t have to be an in depth cleaning, but enough to remove any grease from the walls. The walls may not look greasy but the oils from your hands can get on the walls and it could hinder how your paint adheres to the walls.

The final step to masking the room is to actually tape it. You will need to make sure you take around the windows, door frames, base boards and remove the light and plug plates and tape round them also. If you are painting the ceiling a different color you will also need to tape the ceiling off so you don’t get any of the wall paint on the ceiling. You will want to use a colored masking tape to mask off the room to help you find it after you paint the wall, to make sure you remove all of it. There are also special taping sets to help you roll the tape on the edge, but I have found these are just messy and are more difficult to use then plain masking tape. A good idea when you are taping off baseboards and frames is to extend the tape over the edge because inevitably you will paint over top of the tape and if you have extended the tape you are less likely to make a mess.

The most important tip of masking a room is to not think of it as the worst part of painting, but something you will do to keep the room from becoming a headache. If you put the work into the front end, the back end will be much easier. The job will actually be quicker than if you don’t mask the room, because you won’t have as much of a cleanup. Enjoy painting, it can be fun.