How do you motivate your stay-at-home wife to do more cleaning? A book that really helped me and my husband sort through our problems is The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman.
Chapman believes that people have five primary methods of expressing love to each other and that different people value different methods more highly than others. When two people's love languages aren't compatible, it can lead to misunderstandings and hurt feelings. Chapman's five love languages are: Quality TimeWords of AffirmationPhysical TouchActs of ServiceGifts From your comments in the question, it sounds to me like you may place a high value on Acts of Service - you take pride in your role as provider for your family and seem to regard your wife's poor housekeeping as not holding up her side of the deal, as it were. If her primary love language happens to be Quality Time, she may be struggling especially hard to reconcile her emotions.
If getting a job of any sort is not an option, are there any expenses you could cut back to allow you to spend more time at home? Choosing a Solar Attic Fan. Choosing a Down Comforter. Weight High fill power results in a warmer comforter.
Another way to increase the warmth of a comforter is to add weight. Most down comforters come with a measure of weight. The most common names are Light Weight or Summer Weight, Classic Weight, and Arctic Weight. When choosing a weight, consider your sleeping preferences. When in doubt, stick with Classic Weight. Humane Treatment If you are concerned about humane treatment of the geese and ducks raised for down, avoid any down that has been "live plucked. " Live plucked down is sometimes labelled "hand harvested" in an attempt to make it sound more humane than it actually is. Hypo-Allergenic Down Comforters Some people have an allergic reaction to down, but thanks to a beautiful wildflower named Asclepias syriaca (better known as Common Milkweed, the favorite food of Monarch butterflies) even people with down allergies can now enjoy the comfort and warmth of down comforters. AGA Cookers. My mother wants an AGA cooker.
She was introduced to the brand in a romance novel, of all places (Rosamunde Pilcher, I believe), and, intrigued, started researching the stoves. The more she read, the more she liked, and now she's piqued my interest as well. AGAs are not only beautiful, they are absolutely unique. Agas are the only ranges that cook using radiant heat. AGA lovers claim this results in better tasting food because the absorption of radiant heat seals the surface of the cooking food, locking in flavor and juices, while traditional convection ovens, which work by moving hot air, tend to dry food out. Additionally, because AGAs are always on, there is no need for preheating.
As you might have guessed, one major difference between AGA cookers and conventional ranges is that the temperatures are preset. Although this results in some adjustments to cooking styles, it has advantages in terms of energy efficiency. This does have disadvantages in hot climates, however. How to Repel Ticks Naturally. Ticks are an annoying and potentially dangerous pest throughout most of the United States and the world.
Not only do they suck your blood (and not in some sexy, sparkly vampire way either), they can carry diseases such as lyme disease, tick paralysis, Rock Mountain spotted fever, and more. Protecting yourself, your children, and your animals against tick bites is therefore very important. Although there are chemicals that can help repel and kill ticks on yourself, your children, and your animals, some work better than others. In fact, a significant minority of people claim that DEET, one of the most popular, not only doesn't repel ticks, it actually attracts them! Some tick-repelling chemicals also have serious health concerns, especially for young children and pets. Here are some tips for controlling ticks around your home without the use of dangerous chemicals: How To Repel Mosquitoes Naturally. Destroy Mosquito Habitat The first step you should take is to examine your yard thoroughly a day or two after a heavy rainfall, looking for areas with standing water that might harbor mosquito larvae.
Not all of these areas will be natural - in fact, some mosquitoes show a decided preference for breeding in old tires and similar man-made water collectors. Dump out any standing water you find, or better yet, remove the breeding habitat completely. Be careful to change water in bird baths at least two times per week. If you own a pond, consider adding a waterfall or fountain to prevent the water from becoming stagnant. Cut edge plantings back so they don't overhang the water, and keep aquatic plants from growing in still corners of the pond, to keep them from providing protection for mosquito larvae.
Plants That Repel Mosquitoes There are a number of plants that repel mosquites. Another well-known mosquito repelling plant is marigolds. More plants that repel mosquitoes: