Your friend or someone in the family just had a baby and you’re really looking forward to meeting them. But before that, have a look through this guide to visiting a new mum and baby:

Call before you visit

Don’t just show up at the new mums house. Atleast call them and let them know you want to visit before showing up at their door step. On the other hand, wait for them to invite you over when they let you know they have had a baby. Maybe the new parents want to host one gathering for all their friends as a welcome for the baby.

Take a meal with you

If you’re going to meet the new mum and baby, maybe take some freshly cooked meal with you as a gesture. Don’t expect the new parents to serve you food when you arrive there, that’s the least they would want to do.

Take a gift with you

In case you can’t take a cooked meal with you, try and buy a nice gift for the baby such as a blanket or some clothes which can be useful for the new baby. Even something as small as flowers can be a good idea.

Don’t expect to be hosted

Don’t expect to be hosted with tea, cakes and all that stuff when you visit. The new parents would already be so tired with the arrival of the baby that they wouldn’t have time to host guests.

Don’t visit with a cough or flu

If you decide to visit, make sure you’re not ill and suffering from a cough or flu. You don’t want to give germs to the new arrival.

Help with chores

Help around while you’re at the new mums house with the dishes or other household chores. This can be encouraging and be a huge relief for the new mother. You can also chat alongside while helping with the chores.

Don’t overstay your welcome

You’re there just to meet the baby, so don’t overstay your welcome for hours at end. Stay for maximum one hour or so and let the new mum rest.

Wash/sanitize your hands before holding the baby

This is a really important point which most people forget. You should always wash/sanitize your hands before holding the baby. You never know how much bacteria you can pass.

Don’t kiss the baby

An extremely important thing to keep in mind is to never ever kiss the baby. Germs and bacteria travel really fast especially to new borns. This is because a new born has an under-developed immune system which can quickly take the form of meningitis- an inflammation of the tissue that covers the brain and spinal cord.

Refrain from giving unsolicited advice

Last but not the least, refrain from giving any sort of unsolicited advice on how to bring up the baby, which milk to give and so on.

Transitioning from school to university is one of the most hardest and crucial turning points of an individual’s life. Here’s a guide for you to help you survive those crucial university years:

Set a routine

Having a set routine allows you to be organized with your everyday tasks. You should have time to do all your work and still relax. Set a routine around when to sleep which should essentially be around 8 hours of sleep so you wake up energized and still have time for breakfast as it’s the most important meal of the day while keeping your energy levels high throughout the day. A set routine doesn’t mean you can’t change things here and there but it certainly does help keep you productive. Use it as a guideline instead of a timetable.

Interact with people

While we make friends in school, it’s really hard to part with them when we enter university. Everyone chooses different career paths thus making it difficult for people to survive in an altogether different environment. It’s almost the same as going to school for the first time. Seek this new experience to allow you to interact with new people and make friends with individuals with the same mindsets as you. You’ll definitely be needing them for projects (JK!)

Allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from them

It is OK to make mistakes while you’re in university. After all it’s a new learning experience which is totally different from what you were taught in school. You need to give yourself time to get adjusted to it. Even if you fail at the first try, that’s perfectly fine. Don’t get upset over it, instead take it as a challenge to move forward and do better.

Get a planner to organize things

A planner will help you organize your daily tasks and even keep things in mind. Jot down all the important tasks and chores you need to accomplish throughout the day, week or even month wise. You can also color code them so it becomes much more easier to remember.

Don’t compare yourself with others

Different people have varying skill sets. Some might be better in math, others might be better in English, while some might be better in presentations. Thus, don’t compare yourselves with others and focus on yourself. Your grades are going to speak for you and you only. Don’t get into the rat race of being number one just to compete with others but be in the race to compete with yourself.

Set a budget aside

This is absolutely crucial when you’re starting university! If you learn to budget well from the very beginning, that skill will continue to be your saving grace for the next three or four years you have in university and even afterwards! Don’t splurge unnecessarily as this skill will teach you how to budget in your professional life as well. On the other hand, don’t be too harsh or strict on yourself and learn to have fun alongside. Enjoy the ride while it lasts!

Spending too much time watching cartoons or movies can cause fatigue, dry eyes and vision problems in both adults and kids. Although adults know when to stop, the same can’t be said for kids. So here’s a guide for you to help reduce screen time for kids:

You should know what your kids are watching

You must know about what is on the internet and what your kids are watching. Nowadays, kids are so much more tech-savy than adults. Funny enough, they learn to use mobile phones much more quicker than they learn new words. As an adult, you should be well informed about the latest technological advancements, games, applications and videos which are circulating around.

Television is another medium which you must monitor and control in accordance to setting an appropriate screen time for kids. This will make sure your children do not watch anything inappropriate for their age.

Simultaneously, install apps on your mobiles or tablets which will block harmful sites and materials which are not suitable for kids to scroll or watch. Once you’re done with this, kids won’t be spending much time glued to the screen.

Kids learn from elders so practice what you preach

Kids learn from adults so practice what you preach. Limit your own screen time so your kids won’t follow suit. Try not to scroll through your mobile in front of the kids or watch movies and such while they are asleep. Try spending more time with the kids doing useful activities such as reading books, baking, etc. This way you will be setting a good example for the kids.

Set zones with no technology

Kids start crying and whining and throwing tantrums when they need something but you must be adamant when you decide to cut their screen time. Tell them when and where they can get screen time and stick to it. For example, no screen time during meal times, etc.

Instead try and have constructive conversations with them such as asking them about school or wanting to do an activity with them.

Talk about taboos

Kids can be confused as to why parents are limiting their screen time. You need to talk to them and tell them why you’re doing so. Instead of letting kids think you’re being strict or controlling towards them, tell them the harmful effects of too much screen time.

Manage wisely

Screen time is meant to be a privilege for kids. Tell your children that when they do something good, they would be offered screen time and vice versa if they fail in a test, the screen time would be taken away.

Make schedules

It is important to make schedules to do activities which would take children off screen time. Get them to play sports, read or write stories or do fun activities. When they start getting interested in other activities, they would automatically get away from screen time and move to doing the activities.

Your little baby is finally turning one and you can’t decide how to spend this amazing day. Well worry not, here’s a guide to planning your kids first birthday party:

Decide the guest list

First and foremost, you need to decide who all you’re going to invite. Is it going to be a big gathering or a small one? Write down all your friends and family members names and count the number of people who will be invited so you can decide on the venue next.

Decide on the timings and date

Keep in mind not to keep the event on a weekday as obviously it is a working day and you don’t want to create a nuisance for yourself or your guests. Secondly, decide on the time you will be holding the event. You need to keep the time in accordance to your 1 year olds sleeping pattern. Obviously you don’t want your little one to be sleeping during the event. Finally, keep the party short that is an hour or two as max as you don’t want the kids to get cranky or tired.

Decide and book a venue

Decide on whether you will have the party at home or outside in a restaurant or a hall. Keeping in mind that it is your childs big day, even you would want to relax and enjoy, so it would be better to have the party outside. There are a lot of options to book at halls which offer scrumptious food in their package as well.

Decide on a birthday theme

Is it a baby girl or a baby boy? Keeping in mind your childs gender, you can decide a theme for the birthday bash. Baby shark is a popular unisex theme to go with. Little girls usually enjoy Disney themes while boys enjoy car themed birthdays. There are quite a few options for event planning services who would do the job for. Subsequently, if your gathering isn’t that big, you can pinterest a few ideas and do the job yourself with the help of family members.

Order the cake

Apart from the decor, the cake is the main star and attraction of the first birthday. Choose a cake in accordance with the theme and flavors which are enjoyed by almost everyone.

Decide on the menu

If the birthday is in the evening, keep finger food and tea and other snacks to munch on. Additionally, you can keep proper meals if the birthday is around dinner time like chowmein, chinese and such.

Book a photographer

You sure don’t want to spend time clicking pictures or making videos yourself, so hire a photographer for that purpose. You can find great deals with photographers you would do the job for you.

Decide on birthday activities for all

A birthday is for not just the birthday boy or girl but for all the kids present to enjoy. Schedule games and activities like musical chairs, pass the parcel and pinata hitting for all to have fun and enjoy. Lastly whoever wins can be given goodie bags as a winning prize.

English is a really hard language to learn as one word can have different meanings, can be pronounced differently and even spelled different. For example, bear and bare sound the same but have entirely different means and necessarily used in the same context. Most people can’t speak English fluently but learning the language perfectly can help secure good jobs all around the world. Once you’re dedicated to learning the language, you’ll pick it up in no time at all.

Let’s look at ways which will help you get proficient and fluent in the language:

Take out time to read

Take out time to read, whether it is novels or the daily newspaper, reading can enhance your vocabulary by a considerable amount. You can read any kind of novel, whether it is sci-fi, romance, etc. Novels are not only interesting but the way they portray a story can help you into creatively writing English as well. On the other hand, experienced journalists and writers contribute to the daily newspaper which means we can pick up everyday sentences and learn the gist of grammar, punctuation, etc.

Look up meanings of new words in the dictionary

When you hear or read a new word, look up the meaning in the dictionary and try incorporating it in your everyday sentences. Many words have synonyms which can easily be used interchangeably and make one sound way more smarter.

Use apps or stream YouTube to learn new words

Apps like Duolingo, a free app which uses a game to teach you seven new words per session, can help you learn English more faster than self study. You can also stream YouTube and find channels by various users who teach pronunciations and give courses on English learning.

Trick by testing your knowledge

An efficient and fun way to learn the language is to trick yourself by listening to the language and thinking about what the words mean, you can further fit them into sentences and than search them up to see whether you were right or wrong with the meaning.

Take online courses

Enroll yourself into online courses for better understanding on the language. Taking an online course will mean the same as being in a classroom, you’ll have material to study, tests to give and so on. This will keep you motivated and passionate to get a fine grip on the language.

Make it a routine to speak in English everyday

To get fluent in the language, make it a routine to speak in English everyday preferably to people who can’t speak Urdu so you don’t switch between languages. This way you’ll be talking continuously in a flow which will improve your speed alongside making you fluent in English.

Play English word games

Playing word games such as Scrabble or completing crossword puzzles will get you thinking about English words and their meanings. Playing games is a fun activity to boost your confidence in the language and you’re much likely to learn English faster.

Every one of us experiences heartbreak at least once in our lifetime. While it is not easy getting over a relationship you thought was meant to be forever, it is possible with a little time, effort and determination. Here’s a guide for you on how to get over a heartbreak slowly and steadily:

Don’t force yourself to “just get over it“

It can take a lot of time, energy and work to get over a broken heart especially if you truly loved your partner and spent years with them. It’s OK to cry and let your feelings out to a trusted friend or family member. Do not do anything stupid in the process while taking your time getting over things. Remember that feelings can’t hurt you. They are simply an energy that needs to move through you and move on. If you’re finding it hard to move on, consider seeing a therapist to guide you on how to get through this difficult situation.

Let your emotions out

If you’re feeling angry, let your feelings out. Anger, sadness, anxiety, grief, depression, are all energies that want to be released from your body. Try screaming, kicking a punching, listening to music. Being energetic and doing things will relieve all the energy and emotions you’ve been feeling.

Forgiveness

Forgive and forget and move on one step at a time. Stop blaming yourself or the other person for this heartbreak. Sometimes relationships don’t work out because of certain circumstances we have no hold over. In these scenario, we can’t hold grudges for the other person.

Forgiveness is not about the other person or letting them off the hook. Forgiveness is for YOU. In fact, the definition of forgiveness is to stop feeling anger or blame at someone who has done something wrong. By forgiving, you break the chains that are binding you and allow yourself to live a better life with the person you are meant to be with. Write a letter of forgiveness, say a prayer, or set the intention to forgive.

Honesty

Be honest with yourself over why the relationship ended. Yes, you had good times but you had to say goodbye for a reason. Until and unless you accept the fact that the other person is no longer there for good, you will be able to move on.

Learn to let go

Let go of the memories, the experiences and all the wonderful times you spent with the person. The more you stay attached to them, the more difficult it will be for you to move on in life. Some experiences are not there for you just to cause you pain but also teach you lessons in life. Trust God because he gave you this life to begin with.

Get on with your life

Don’t allow this breakup to continue hurting you by hardening your heart and closing off to new love. Get out there and meet your friends,do things you once loved and enjoyed doing. Live your life, laugh again and love again. Be happy and just smile.

Always be there for someone when they are sharing their problems. Even if you can’t offer words of advice, just be a good listener. Sometimes people just want to take the burden off their shoulders by having someone hear them out.

Be kind and listen, don’t make faces or roll your eyes at your friend or tell them to let it go. Be fun and light to amend their mood or be serious and stern when needed to fix problematic situations.

Don’t be scared to tell each other the truth, no matter how difficult it may be. Feeding your friend with sugar coated lies is not going to help them. Even if they decide to stop talking to you, just because you hit them with the facts, eventually they’ll realize you meant well for them.

Guide each other in times of need with your honest opinions, whether it is regarding relationships, work, study or even smaller things like shopping, their weight, etc. Lying once to their face will mean you’ll need to keep on repeating lies which will put you into an unhealthy situation.

A true friend is someone who always listens and is genuinely interested in the good and bad, and someone who calls or writes just to say hello. This doesn’t have to mean that they should be calling or texting you every other day. Someone who cares about you will want to know how you’re doing and what you’re upto.

Always be open and inviting to share concerns, always honest even if you disagree. Just don’t agree to situations to make your friend happy. Be firm and affirmative when you disagree to something.

A true friend tries his best to cheer you up when you are upset and makes you feel special. Send your friend flowers, their favorite dessert to make them feel better when life pulls them down.

Try and improve their life though your friendship. Uplift their spirits if they can’t get the desired marks in their exams or their dream job.

Be genuinely happy when they get, receive, or achieve something they truly desire. Cheer the loudest for them, show them your excitement for their hard earned achievements.

Be who you truly are, be that vulnerable, and provide the other person the space, safety and choice to do the same. Don’t dictate everything your friend does just because you dislike it. Every person is different from one another thus having varying personalities.

Don’t talk behind your friend’s back if they have done something bad to you, instead talk to them about it and fix the situation. Don’t disclose their secrets to the world, they shared them with you for a reason because they knew you would guard them with all your life.

If you’re a girl in a relationship, don’t put your guy before your friend. Always keep your girlfriend first, after all she has been there for you through thick and thin, and no boy can say as much.

Lastly, just be have fun and enjoy your friendship.

Travelling is an amazing experience but of course there are some rules and regulations when you’re traveling via airplane. Here’s a guide to airplane etiquette’s to help you towards a smooth travel:

Be prepared with your passport and tickets.

Always keep your passport and tickets in your hand instead of your handbag or hand carry. There’s a lot of rush and queue at and inside the airport until you get to the airplane itself. You don’t want to keep others waiting just because of you. Be prepared and keep all your things ready beforehand to make yours and others lives easier. Also don’t be impatient if the line is long and check in is taking time, there might be some problem incurring which needs to be resolved. Don’t worry the flight won’t leave without you unless you forget to board!

Don’t hog the armrest and be vary of reclining your seat

Don’t hog the armrest like you own it just because you have been assigned a certain seat.  If you’re on the window or aisle seat, let the middle seat enjoy both the armrests on either side. After all, they’re already in much more discomfort than you. Secondly, when reclining your chair to sleep or rest, be kind enough not to recline it all the way. There are other people in the aircraft and you don’t want to shove your seat in their face. It would have been a whole different scenario if you were in business class but sadly, you’re not. So be kind!

Keep your space clean

There’s a lot to do during a flight, you eat, listen to music, watch shows and…make a mess. The most important thing is cleaning the mess once your flight has landed. It’s basic manners and etiquette’s on your part to leave your space clean and tidy.

Respect the lavatory

Everyone needs to use the lavatory at some point during the flight. Once you’re done, make sure there are no water spills made by you, used tissues are thrown away and it looks clean. You don’t want people to make faces at you once you come out of a filthy lavatory so respect the usage.

Get off the plane in a dignified manner

Your flight just landed, the seat belt sign has not yet been turned off but you get up anyway. That’s not how it should be. Let the plane come to a complete halt. The doors are not opening in another half an hour anyway so why the hurry to leave? Remember that everyone is as eager to get off the plane as you are. Don’t crowd into the aisle if there isn’t room, and let everyone ahead of you get out before making a move.

You’ll have plenty of time to prepare before it’s your turn to exit, so make sure you have everything, and that you don’t take any more time than you need to. Ideally, if you don’t have a connecting flight or are in a hurry to get somewhere, you could wait till people got off as you still need to go through passport control and luggage takes time to come through.

Moving to a new area or a whole new city can be a daunting and overwhelming experience. Not only do you have to start over but you also need to settle down and get on with life. Here’s a guide on how to start over when moving to a new area or city:

Update your mailing address with a new one

Update your mailing address so you can get all your important mails at the right place. Moreover, be sure to cancel subscriptions for the older place so any new people who are moving in won’t be pestered with your name.

Additionally, get new subscriptions at your new place with the cable company, your new work place (if you have moved for work), the bank and so on.

Be friendly with the neighbours

When you are done and settled in your new home, get to know your neighbours. Go over to their place and introduce yourself. Once you’re friendly and get to them, if you ever have a problem or emergency, you’ll know you can count on them.

Your new neighbors can also tell you more about the area or any shops, eateries, etc which you can visit and explore in your spare time.

Get a new doctor/dentist

Find a new doctor and dentist in your vicinity which you can visit for regular checkups or emergencies.

Check the new area out

Go exploring the new area on foot and you’ll surely find some amazing places which can become regular hangout spots. You can use Google Maps so that you don’t get lost while exploring and just let yourself loose.

Check the new cafe out

A cafe which serves good coffee, tea and snacks should be a must on your list for your regular hangout spot. Anytime you have to work from home, you can come down here and change your setting to have a fresh mind regarding your work. On the other hand, a good regular hangout spot can help you make friends who visit the place often.

Meet new people through communities

Join your nearest community which holds events or meetups for people living in the vicinity. This can help you meet new people and make friends and even find a job.

Find or settle in the new job

If you have moved for a job, it would hardly take time for you to get busy. But if you have moved and don’t have a job yet, you really need to start looking for one. Look for jobs online which match your skill set or go online on job websites and drop your CV at designated emails. In the meantime, you can also do volunteer work which can help you land a job.

Enrol in baking classes or any other short courses

If you’re passionate about something or have a talent such as baking, cooking or any other, you can enrol yourself in classes to learn more about it.

A mascara is one of the most important products in the makeup routine. It makes our eyes look awake, fuller and alive. The right mascara has the ability to darken our eyelashes while adding volume and fullness to them. Here’s a guide on how to apply mascara the correct away to achieve desired results:

You should be using waterproof formula mascara

You need to use a waterproof formula mascara to get curled eyelashes. Other than that, you should also use an eyelash curler to curl your lashes to get a false lash effect. In addition, Waterproof mascara will also holds curls better than regular mascaras and also does not smudge easily.

You should be using an eyelash primer

Just like a face primer and eye primer works for foundation and concealer, an eyelash primer helps boost the performance of a mascara by enhancing the volume, length and it’s staying power.

You should be separating your lashes

While applying mascara make sure not to clump the eyelashes together because that does not look pleasing at all to you or anyone. Make sure to use an eyelash comb to separate your lashes so they look natural yet volumized and fluttery. You can also use a spoolie to comb through them evenly.

You should be wiping the excess product off the wand

Once you open a mascara, don’t apply it straight, wipe off excess product from the wand before applying it to your eyelashes. This way you can prevent excess product to get on to your eyelashes and avoid getting clumpy, spider effect lashes which do not look pleasing at all.

You should be applying enough coats of mascara

To get a good use of the mascara which gives a false lash and fluttery effect, you should be applying enough coats of the product. It all depends on how much volume you want on the eyelashes keeping in mind where you are headed off to. A minimum of 2 coats are enough for day time events or office while 4 coats of mascara give a proper false lash effect. Remember to start from the root of the lash wiggling your way to the top to get the desired look you want to achieve. Never apply mascara straight up as it won’t evenly distribute the product and give a horrible look to your eyelashes.

You should be throwing the old mascaras away

Every cosmetic product has a shelf life of a few months. In this regard, mascaras usually have a shelf life of only about 6 months or so. This means you should be throwing away mascaras after their shelf life is done with. Throw them away as soon as they start to smell put off.

Best mascaras to try are Essence Lash Princess and Essence I Love Extreme Volume which you can find in any good cosmetics store. These mascaras give you fluttery lashes and cost below 1000 PKR.