Easy April Fools' Pranks

It is April 1st tomorrow, and you all know what that means! Time for pranks and fun. This has been a long time tradition that grows stronger every year. There are everything from major pranks, to easy and harmless pranks. I have gathered some easy April Fools' pranks for you to try out!

Pranks for Kids: (Gathered from Mommy Poppins)

Put a egg-dye tab on your kid’s faucet so in the morning the water runs out in a totally different color!

Stuff something soft into your child’s shoes toward the toes. When they go to put them on they won’t understand why they can’t fit into their own shoes!

Do a clothes switch! Put adult clothes in place of their clothes so when they go to get dressed they grab the wrong things.

Dress with all of your clothes on backwards and act like it is completely normal. Have your kids go change their clothes to be “normal” too!

Feed them veggies for breakfast! When it is time to eat breakfast, fill their plates up with veggies and act like that is completely normal.

Adult Pranks: (Found at Bored Panda)

Cut out bug shapes and tape them inside lamp shades! 

Attach an airhorn to your co-worker’s seats so when they sit down it sets it off.

Paint the bar of soap in the shower or at the sink with clear nail polish. They will have no idea why the soap isn’t “working.”

Know an icecream lover? Replace the ice cream with ice! They won’t know what happened!

This one may be a bit time consuming, but replace gum in a pack with the same colored playdough! They won’t understand why their gum tastes so bad.

I hope you have fun pranking your friends and family! Happy April Fool’s Day!

Our goal is to help you reach your goals while freeing up your time for things you really want to do. If you are interested in more information, or for a FREE Business Analysis, call us at 202-469-6774.

The Best Vegetables for Container Gardening

Last week we talked about Spring Cleaning. Another thing to start thinking about with spring, is gardening. Are you an avid gardener and have a huge, beautiful garden? Or do you have limited space and time for a garden? I currently have the room for a full garden, but I haven’t had much success, so I am starting a container vegetable garden. I have compiled a list of the best vegetables for a container garden.

Tomatoes: These are great to grow in containers. The main tips with these are that you need to make sure the soil is damp, not wet, you fertilize the soil on a regular basis, and make sure your plant grows strong roots by planting some of the stem under the soil when planting. Tomato plants also love sun, so make sure they get a lot of sun throughout the day. 

Peas: This is another great plant to put in a container. Your container needs to be at least 12 inches across and have support for the plant when it starts growing. Using a low-nitrogen fertilizer and keeping the soil moist will help the plant get what it needs. 

Celery: This plant has small roots so planting in an 8-10 inch deep pot is sufficient. Use fertilizer and put your pot in full sun for this plant to do its best. 

Bell Peppers: For peppers you need a container 9 inches deep. The sulphur in matchsticks and epson salts will give the peppers what they need. Using fertilizer will also help them grow. 

Carrots: Carrots are so rewarding to grow! As you see the tops of them getting healthy, you can only imagine what’s going on under the soil! Use a pot at least 10-12 inches deep. Make sure to use peat moss and fertilizer when you plant them. You can plant a lot of seeds in one pot, and still get a good, solid harvest. 

Happy Gardening! Our goal is to help you reach your goals while freeing up your time for things you really want to do. If you are interested in more information, or for a FREE Business Analysis, call us at 202-469-6774.

Spring Cleaning: Where to Start

Now that spring is officially here, it is time to think about spring cleaning! First lets think about why we spring clean. When fall comes people open their windows, let the fall breezes come in. Quickly the windows get closed, and winter sets in. During winter months, the house stays closed up. Sometimes cold and flu germs run rampant on your home. You can change your air filter, sanitize everything, and it will still feel stuffy when spring comes. Spring cleaning is to focus on cleaning away the months of germs, dust, and things that have collected over the months of being stuck in the house. So are you ready to get spring cleaning?

When you Google “spring cleaning checklist” you will find tons and tons of different lists. Everything from full house lists, room-by-room lists, and even home maintenance lists. So where do you start?

Where to Start?

It really depends on how long it has been since you did a good spring cleaning, what your goals are, and what your time frame to get it all done is. If it has been awhile since you had your HVAC cleaned, and your gutters are full, maybe a home maintenance list is your starting point. If not, start with an indoor checklist.

After you browse all of the different spring cleaning checklists, find one that appeals to you the most. If you have time limits to get things done, concentrate on the common rooms first.  Once these are done, you can check off one room at a time throughout the house. If you feel like you won’t complete your checklist if you start in the main rooms, start with your easiest room first. This will give you the inspiration to move onto the next room. Don’t save the biggest project for last, but add it right into the middle of your plan. This way you don’t want to quit before you get the biggest one done. 

The best tip I have is to create a plan and stick to it. Don’t let distractions get in the way. If you miss a planned day, reschedule it. Get the family involved. You didn’t make the whole mess, you don’t have to do it alone. 

It is time to start looking for your perfect spring cleaning checklist. Our goal is to help you reach your goals while freeing up your time for things you really want to do. If you are interested in more information, or for a FREE Business Analysis, call us at 202-469-6774.

The History of Daylight Savings

As most of you know, it is time to spring forward and change our clocks. But do you know why Daylight Savings Time exists?

The original idea was to save energy and make better use of the daylight. This started back in ancient civilizations where they would follow the Sun’s schedule and wake with the rising sun. Ben Franklin suggested in 1784 to make use of the morning light to save on the cost of candles, but Canada was the first to start DST in 1908, followed by Germany in 1916.

The United States introduced “Fast Time” in 1918 after Robert Garland came across the idea in the UK. President Woodrow Wilson signed it into law to help support the World War I war effort. This was repealed until Roosevelt brought it back in 1942. Roosevelt implemented year-round DST “War Time.” This went from February 1942 to September 30, 1945. During this time the time zones were called “Eastern War Time,” “Mountain War Time,” “Center War Time,” “Pacific War Time.”

The Uniform Time Act of 1966 was established because of the confusion created by not knowing when the time change would be every year from 1945-1966. This established DST time frames starting the last Sunday of April and ending on the last Sunday of October.

After energy saving efforts through the years, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 was written. This states that Daylight Savings Time will start on the 2^nd Sunday of March and end on the 1^st Sunday of November every year.

Now that you know why the clocks change, get ready for the longer days! Our goal is to help you reach your goals while freeing up your time for things you really want to do. If you are interested in more information, or for a FREE Business Analysis, call us at 202-469-6774.

Boost Your Productivity!

The spring season is starting. That means that business will be picking up quickly, so you need to be prepared! You want to make sure that you are just as productive, with more clients. So how do you boost your productivity when you need it most?

The first thing to do is to look forward. Set goals for this month, the next 6 months, even the next couple of years. Goals keep you motivated and can help you organize what you really want in clear terms.

The second thing to do is prioritize your day, week, and even your month. Make lists and set the items to their level of priority. If you want to focus on your Internet presence, put that as a top priority. If you need help with some of your daily tasks, maybe it is time to get help. Virtual assistants are a great way to get the help you need, when you need it, without having to deal with interviewing an assistant to come in as you happen to need help with things.

The next thing to help you boost productivity is to get some fresh air. If you have been cooped up inside all day and find that you are going in circles, it is time to clear your head.

Have you heard about waking up early so you have time to yourself before you start your day? It is the same idea with getting into the office early. Get there before anybody else and you will get more done right away because there won’t be any distractions.

Stick to one thing at a time. If you are working on your social media posts, stick to it until you are done. If you have to switch tasks midway, make sure you are at a good stopping point and you go back and finish the job. Some think that multi-tasking saves time and boosts productivity, but in reality it is just distracting. It is better to completely finish one thing before you start the next.

And last but not least, eat and drink right! You might be thinking this has nothing to do with productivity, but if you are hungry, or dehydrated, you won’t be able to concentrate well. Drink water and eat healthy foods if you want to be productive during the day.

If you sit down to write out your priorities and realize you need help, we are here! Our goal is to help you reach your goals while freeing up your time for things you really want to do. If you are interested in more information, or for a FREE Business Analysis, call us at 202-469-6774.