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5 Essential Facts To Help You Through Your Pregnancy

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Pregnancy is a beautiful thing that a majority of women go through at least once in their lives. If you’ve never been pregnant before, you’re likely to hear both horror stories as well as tales about how pregnancy was the best time in someone’s life. There’s a lot of truth to that, too, as pregnancy tends to bring out some of the most painful and emotional moments, but those emotions can swing deeply into the positive side of things, too. If you’re pregnant for the first time or plan on becoming pregnant, here are some essential facts that will help you get through your pregnancy and end up being one of those women that talks about how amazing the process was.

5. Continue to Exercise

While pregnant, it’s going to be very tempting to relax as much as possible due to the aches and pains that it brings. However, it’s important to continue to exercise to make things much easier for yourself and your baby. Attempt to do low impact exercises that stretch you out, helping to avoid many of these aches. Exercise will also help make the mood swings far less severe and can prevent you from developing gestational diabetes due to the lack of excess weight gain. The biggest bonus, though, is a shorter labor time.

4. Develop a Birth Day Plan

While it could still be weeks or, more likely, months away, it’s important to have a plan in place for the big day when your baby is born. Pick out some particular clothes that you want to wear, a contingency plan for if things don’t go exactly as you wished and who you want at the hospital with you when giving birth. This will help take your mind off of some of the stress of pregnancy while also giving you a great day to look forward to, similar to a wedding.

3. Avoid the Vices

This should probably go without saying, but your baby’s health is going to be the highest of priorities, which means that you should give up smoking or drinking if you haven’t already. There are going to be strong temptations if you’re already a smoker or drinker since pregnancy tends to bring out the most stress in women. It’s important to stay strong for your baby, and it will help you too in both the short term and in the long run. Try to avoid caffeine, as well, and eat the right foods.

2. Sleep When You Want

When you’re pregnant, sleeping is going to be one of the hardest things to come by. That means whenever you have a chance, even if you’re not tired, it’s important to sleep. This is especially true in the first trimester. Your body is going to be fatigued like no other as you adjust to pregnancy. If you have free time during the day and feel like you could sleep, take advantage of it while you still can.

1. Forge Your Own Path

We could sit here all day and tell you what you should do during your pregnancy, and we’re not alone. There are going to be countless people giving you their real life experiences and letting you know what worked or didn’t work for them. With that said, it’s best to ignore the people who aren’t doctors in your life and do pregnancy the way that’s best for you. Sure, your mother in law might be judgemental, but she’ll get over it.

5 Things You Need To Know Before You Start Your Own Coral Reef Tank

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There was a time not so long ago where the idea of starting a coral reef tank in your house was unimaginable. With the advances in technology, however, it’s not only doable, but it’s actually fairly easy to pull off. We’re seeing an increase in the amount of at-home coral reef tanks, but it’s not something that you can do in just a few minutes. We’re talking about an undertaking much more significant than buying a goldfish and putting it in a plastic tank. If you want to join those that are starting their own coral reef tank, here are five things you need to know first.

5. Location and Size

The first thing you’ll want to do is figure out where your coral reef tank is going to be placed. You don’t want to purchase a large tank and then not have the space for it, after all. You’ll want to pick a spot where you can feasibly place your tank and then measure the area. From there, you’ll be able to determine what size tank you can actually use in that spot. Naturally, the larger the tank, the more effective it’s going to be in the long run, so give yourself plenty of space in your house.

4. Pump It Up

Keeping your coral reef tank clean is going to be vital, and there are plenty of filtration systems and skimmers that will help you along the way. There are a few different filters, with the easiest to use for beginners being the power filter while others include trickle filters and canister filters. Protein skimmers, once you find a good spot for one, will help lighten the filter’s load. Lastly, you’ll need a powerhead that keeps water flowing constantly. 

3. Perfect Water

The numbers might seem confusing at first on your water, but there are some essential guidelines to follow. You’ll want to make sure that the alkalinity of your tank’s water is around 10 dKH with the calcium being optimized at 400 ppm and magnesium at 1,300 ppm. The water temperature should be that of room temperature, perhaps a little above depending on your preference, with a setting of 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Rock Out

While it might just seem like a decorative item, the type of rock you place into your coral reef tank is extremely important. That’s because fish will want to establish a territory, and certain fish gravitate toward certain rocks. Pick up live rock that has plenty of habitable space so that the fish can tuck away from other groups and get some shut eye. The substrate used in your tank will also have an effect on water quality.

1. The Right Fish

Now that you have everything you need all set up, you have to pick the right fish for your coral reef tank. With that in mind, not every fish that you find is going to be safe for your tank. Some of the best types of fish for your tank include angelfish, gobies, clownfish and surgeonfish. Try to get a nice blend with a lot of different colors to really make your tank stand out, especially when under the right lighting.

5 Tips To Make Your Life Easier Using Tech

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Just think about where society was about 100 years ago. There were only a handful of cars on the road and nobody knew what a cell phone was. Some might argue that technology has hampered society in certain ways, but nobody can argue that the benefits overall far outweigh any of the negatives. Society makes our lives easier in ways that you might not even think about. Here are some aspects of your life that tech makes easier.

5. Organization


Perhaps you’re old enough to remember the days when you had to write down pretty much everything or ask people to remind you to do things. Now, you’re able to organize almost every aspect of your life thanks to technology. Need to remind yourself to take your daily vitamin? There’s an app that can do that. The same goes for organizing all of your paperwork (think Google Drive) and even store photographs that you want to look at years from now. Technology is getting rid of filing cabinets faster by the day.

4. Finances


Technology is making it simple to take your finances into your own hands. It used to be that you had to run to the bank and deposit cash, but almost everything is digital now. Even stocks have become insanely simple as you’re able to trade with the push of just a couple of buttons on your phone or computer at no charge thanks to apps like Robin Hood. We could also talk about cryptocurrency for hours on end, but we’ll just remind you that it’s there for now and you can research it at your own leisure.

3. Health

It wasn’t too long ago that people were putting little pedometers in their pockets to see how many steps they were taking in a given day. Now you don’t have to worry about that little Tamagotchi sized archaic device. Instead, most of us have smart watches that not only track steps, but also every detail of your health. From quitting smoking or drinking to your nutrient intake to your body fat percentage, you can do it all from just your phone and watch. It’s also cutting down on insurance premiums since the data is right there to show your provider.

2. Work-Life Balance

Before everyone was connected to high speed internet from their homes, you had to drive to the office and make sure that you were on time so that you didn’t miss a single thing. Now, you don’t even need to leave your home in a lot of cases to get your work done. Telecommuting with services such as Microsoft Teams, Slack and more make it easy to be a remote worker and instantly communicate with your work team. This means more time with your family and less time commuting and wasted office time.

1. Navigation

Speaking of driving to the office, you might still need to do that for your job. If that’s the case, technology is making it easier to travel every day. You can get a shared ride (Uber, Lyft, etc.), find real time traffic thanks to Google Maps and Waze or get the times for public transportation and pay it all through your apps. Needless to say, technology has made almost every aspect of our lives easier.

Is A Smart Home Right For Me?

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As we move deeper into the future that many science fiction movies, books and television shows predicted for us decades ago, the technology is starting to match that of science fiction. Included is the fact that everything is ‘smart’ now and tends to come with an app for our mobile devices. It’s not just watches and cars, either, as homes altogether can be converted into smart homes. What is a smart home, though, and is it the right choice for you, especially when considering the costs?

For starters, there isn’t just one project that you can undertake that will make your home into a smart home. Instead, you’ll have to work on one at a time, focusing on eventually bringing it all together. This includes the lighting, thermostats, audio, security, safety and even lawn and pool care. While these were all expensive when they first debuted, converting certain parts of your home into smart home features is easier and cheaper than ever.

Think of a smart home as an investment. While it might be seen as a luxury with a lot of fancy bells and whistles, smart homes bring a lot of features that will not just maintain your home’s value, but also increase it in the long run. Being able to lock your doors and monitor the premises through cameras will cut down on insurance, while lowering the lights when not in use, not running the sprinklers while it’s raining and turning the thermostat to a higher temperature when nobody’s home will save you thousands in energy bills.

There is one caveat to running a smart home, and it’s the fact that you’ll have to be connected to the internet. While your cell phone will still be able to pick up mobile data when the internet goes out, the same might not be true for your smart devices as these run mostly on wi-fi. Assuming that your internet is working, you can use your phone as a hub to control everything. User interfaces are becoming easier to use, as well, making it simplistic for even the most beginner user. Using this hub also lets you know how much you’re saving in energy and allows you to set timers to adhere to your schedule.

So is a smart home right for you? The answer is probably going to be yes unless you have problems with maintaining a solid internet connection or don’t have the money to spend at the moment. Since it doesn’t have to be done all at once, you can chip away at the costs with one project at a time. If you want to start off with something small, a device such as an Amazon Alexa can be a good hub for your audio needs and to set reminders as you work your way up with feeling more comfortable using all of the apps.

As for the internet, new technology is making it so that smart home devices can still run when not connected. This includes Thread, a technology that is helping with this issue. “ And looking at current use cases, the biggest elephant in the room in terms of bandwidth are cameras,” said Vividh Siddha of Thread and Apple. Once this issue is taken care of, you won’t have to rely on your bandwidth to keep your smart home at its smartest.

5 Positive Psychology Principles To Increase Your Happiness

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Happiness can be hard to find in today’s society with mental health problems coming to the forefront and global issues affecting more and more people every day. Because of this, one major survey asked people if they were truly happy. In the United States, only around one-third said that they are truly happy…and that was taken before the COVID-19 pandemic. So what can we do to make ourselves happier? Here are five positive psychology principles that you can use to increase your happiness.

5. Love Yourself

Throughout your life, there are going to be people that you despise, people that you love, and people that you’re completely indifferent one. The one person that you must have an opinion on (and a good one at that) is yourself. This doesn’t mean you have to be a full on narcissist and think that you’re the best and smartest person in the world. It just means that you have to practice self love. Know your worth, realize that you deserve to love and to be loved, and that you’re beautiful both inside and out.

4. Do What You’re Good at and Love

Have you ever heard the old phrase, “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life?” It’s a common saying because it’s true. Those that might focus their entire careers on something that they don’t love, but are very good at, might not find happiness in chasing money. While what you love doing might not pay the bills, it’s important to at least keep it as a hobby that you actively do to maintain your happiness. If something like accounting is a true passion of yours, though, then you really struck gold.

3. Get Out More

These days, it can be more and more difficult to meet new people and create relationships that last. Perhaps it’s because we’ve become too focused on the technology of our era, but real in-person relationships are still paramount. Technology has allowed us to keep living without stepping out of our comfort zone, but you should still be doing that on a near daily basis, according to psychologists. This helps to give you a real world view, and will boost your overall happiness as you develop friendships.

2. Always a Silver Lining

Bad things are going to happen in life, and there’s zero way of avoiding that. How you deal with these things happening, though, is what can define your happiness. No matter what this negative change in your life is, it’s important to find a silver lining and make the most of the situation. “Even sorrow has its silver lining, as the emotion that pours forth reminds us of our capacity to love, and to be loved,” wrote “Finding Fatherhood” author Rob Kozak.

1. Remember What Makes You Happy

The famous saying from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” says that “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it,” and that’s absolutely true. Every day, try to think about the things that make you happy. Write it down in a journal, say it in the mirror, it doesn’t matter, just make sure that your feelings are expressed, starting with “I’m happy today because…”

5 Countries With Surprising Laws To Watch Out For When Travelling The Globe

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No matter where you go, even if you’re in the town that you’ve lived your whole life in, you aren’t expected to know every law. Every place has their weird and intricate laws that might sound made up at first until you have a fine in your hand. Some of them might sound weird to us, but are taken very seriously where enforced. If you plan on traveling, here are some countries that have surprising laws that you should watch out for as a tourist.

5. Indonesia

If you’ve been holding it in while on a flight to Indonesia and make a beeline to the bathroom upon landing, make sure that you flush the public toilet. That’s because it’s illegal to not do so in the country. Certain members of the police in Indonesia make it their job to inspect public toilets, so don’t get caught being a flush-skipper.

4. Countries without Alcohol

Many of us partake in a few adult beverages when we travel, but there are certain countries where that’s not going to happen. In fact, you shouldn’t even try as the penalties are much more severe than you might think. Some of the larger countries that have alcohol bans include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Sudan and Saudi Arabia. For some countries, non-Muslim tourists are still permitted to drink, so always check the laws before heading there.

3. France

One of the most common hobbies that people partake in while on vacation is hopping into the ocean or pool to go for a swim. If you’re heading to France, though, you may be a little more scantily clad than you anticipated. That’s because since 1903, France has had a law that says men must wear tight fitting swimwear, claiming that it’s more hygienic that way. You can still wear your larger Bermuda shorts when walking around, but get ready to show some skin when getting into the water.

2. Italy

Italy has a lot of rules for tourists that can result in pesky fines, but one of the most interesting ones comes from the tourist destination city of Venice. Apparently, too many tourists were visiting the city without eating at local restaurants, instead opting to bring their own snacks and eat in the street. Because of this, Venice has banned outdoor eating during certain hours of the day. Now, there’s a fee of around $3 to $10 depending on the day just to wander the street.

1. Singapore

Chewing gum is one of those things that westerners just consider to be part of life and, for many, a daily ritual. In fact, about 50 percent of people in the United States chew gum, but don’t try bringing in too much of your own. While the country outright banned non-medical chewing gum over 30 years ago, they have loosened up on the rules, since. However, it remains that Singapore doesn’t like people spitting out their gum, and you can face a hefty fine if you don’t discard your used gum in a trash can. They like things very clean in Singapore, and you’ll pay a large sum if you don’t do your part.

How To Know Which CRM To Use For Your Business

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Nothing is more important to your business than having a satisfied customer base, which is why a customer relationship management process (or CRM, for short) is vital to thrive. These days, there are a lot of CRMs that are vying for your business, so it can be a bit overwhelming to try and pick from all of these platforms that allow you to consolidate your calls, emails, meetings and much more. So when your business is browsing for the perfect CRM, there are some things to consider. Let’s break down what makes a CRM the right one for your business.

What Your Company Needs

Not all CRMs are built the same, and in some cases, you don’t need many of the services that are offered. Because of this, some small businesses end up paying too much money for a CRM, paying for services that go unused. Before you use a CRM, think about what it is exactly that you’ll be using it for. Are you trying to generate sales leads? Retain customers on a monthly basis? Identify the most glaring concerns and, from there, find which CRM is the most highly rated in that particular category. 

Furthermore, will your business need additional customer support that you don’t have the staff for currently? Some CRMs will allow you to purchase a feature that routes questions to a call center. You can have the easier FAQ type calls sent this way, and CRMs such as Freshsales, Agile and Nextiva have call center capabilities to use.

Test the Features

Just like any service that knows that it’s worth your business, a good CRM will allow you to test their services through a free trial. In most cases, the top CRMs are offering a free trial that runs for 14 days, while some such as Freshsales runs for 21 days. This allows you enough time to get familiar with the user interfaces and see if the options in the service are what you need. You can adjust the subscriptions from there so that you’re only paying for what you’re going to be using.

Ease of Use

While you might consider yourself tech savvy, there may be some people within your business that aren’t going to be able to navigate quite as well on some platforms. Because of this, you want to pick a CRM that’s going to be easy for all employees of your business to use. Interfaces are much different when looking from one CRM to another, and ones like Pipedrive were rated as the easiest to navigate while also offering the ability to manage from your mobile phone. That’s another key aspect for ease of use, as some CRMs can only be accessed from a desktop.

Word of Mouth

Before even hopping into the free trials for some of the CRMs that you haven’t used yet, try asking around to see what other businesses are using. Other businesses will have their preference, so try to find someone in the same field that has a CRM. If you can’t find anyone, then online reviews will always help. Currently, the top reviews for CRMs are being given to Zoho, Monday, Zendesk and Insightly just to name a few. 

5 Common Misunderstandings About Physics

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Physics, the science that we’re taught from a young age and get reminded of on a daily basis. We think we know some of the broader points of physics, especially because we’re taught equations as early as kindergarten. However, there are some things that we think that we know, but only actually have most or just part of the story. There are plenty of common misunderstandings and misconceptions surrounding physics. Here are five of the most common that we see on a daily basis.

5. Space = No Gravity

When we think of space, we tend to think that there isn’t any gravity. After all, movies and television shows often refer to ‘zero gravity’ when flying through space. However, there has to be some amount of gravity in all places, and that includes outer space. If there weren’t gravity in space, there would be no orbiting anything. Though the gravity is very minimal, it’s still there. Gravity becomes weaker with distance, which is why it’s lower on planets that are farther from the sun.

4. The Sun’s True Color

Though you should never look directly at the sun, the common thought is that the color is that of a pure yellow or orange. However, the sun doesn’t really have one particular true color. In fact, “The entire sun and all of its layers are glowing,” says professor Christopher Baird of West Texas A&M. “The ‘color of the sun’ is the spectrum of colors present in sunlight, which arises from a complex interplay of all parts of the sun.” With that said, the color of the sun appears to be white since it has all colors.

3. Objects in Motion

We’ve all heard that objects in motion stay in motion. After all, this is a law of physics that was founded by Sir Isaac Newton. There’s a little more to it than that, though. Objects that are in motion will stay in motion at the same speed until they are stopped or slowed down by an unbalanced force. Force isn’t actually needed to maintain speed, which may be a misconception because we spend most of our lives on foot or in cars where don’t really see that aspect of motion.

2. Mass vs. Weight

Often in conversation, you’ll hear people say that mass and weight are the exact same thing. It’s even in the name ‘body mass index’ where we find out our general health from using our weight under the name of mass. However, mass and weight don’t have identical meanings. Mass, by definition, is the amount of matter that an object contains. Weight, on the other hand, is the force that it exerts gravitationally. So, yes, when you are dieting you are losing both mass and weight. However, if you were on Pluto you would weigh much less while still having the same mass.

1. Black Holes

You’ve probably seen dozens of black holes in science fiction by this point, but they’re all just educational guesses as to what they actually look like. The truth is, we have no clue what a black hole truly looks like. They could be large enough to just barely eclipse the sun, or they could be millions of times larger. Let’s just say that it’s a good thing that nobody knows what the inside of a black hole looks like, because it’s probably not good.

What is Walking Meditation

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Because of the way society is set up now, making sure that you’re walking enough on a daily basis can be difficult. Since we’re tied to our desks, have very little free time and live in cities that don’t allow much for walking peacefully, it can be hard to fit in a good walk. After all, the average American is only getting around 3 to 4,000 steps per day, falling well short of the 10,000 step recommendation set by the Center for Disease Control. Many researchers have said, though, that getting 7 to 8,000 is the sweet spot. Make sure you get the most of those steps, however. To do so, try walking meditation. Not only is it great for your physical health, but also your mental health.

What exactly is walking meditation and where did it come from? The original form of walking meditation came from China hundreds of years ago, with practitioners walking around a room with one hand clenched into a fist while the other hand is covering. In between each breath, a step is taken, and the speed of these breaths and steps is completely up to the person meditating. Some prefer to have very deliberate steps for full relaxation while others make an exercise out of meditating.

You don’t have to limit yourself to just one single room, either. If you want to try walking meditation for yourself, try to find somewhere outside that’s quiet. A place like a hiking trail is a good location, or really anywhere that allows you to get in touch with nature. The practice remains mostly the same no matter your location. You’ll want to walk a handful of steps while holding your breath, making sure that each step has you placing your heel on the ground first and then gradually shifting the weight so that the toes are last to leave the ground. You should be able to feel the weight shift in your feet.

After your determined amount of steps (or whenever you feel most comfortable for full relaxation), pause and stand still, breathing in and out as much as you want. Most that perform walking meditation will go back in the direction they came from after stopping and breathing, though you can continue to move forward if you wish. Either way, make sure that your focus is fully on your body and the world surrounding you. Feel the sensations in your thoughts from the weight on your foot to the balance you’re obtaining with each step.

You don’t need to spend all afternoon doing your meditation, as even just a few minutes can bring a lot of benefits. Studies have shown that walking meditation has been linked to a lowered chance of anxiety, healthier blood pressure and bones, as well as blood sugar control. When your mind and body are at ease, the health benefits are endless. 

The late Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh was a notable supporter of walking meditation and lived to be 95 years old before passing away in 2022. “WYou have feet, and if you don’t make use of them it’s a loss and a waste,” he said. “Someone is telling you now so that in the future you cannot say, ‘No one told me that it was important to enjoy using my feet.’”

5 Key World War Two Battles That Were Won By Narrow Margins

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For just over six years, there were over 5,000 battles that made up World War II, perhaps the most well known conflict in human history. It has been nearly 80 years since the war’s conclusion, but there are certain battles that still stand out and are talked about to this day. Here are some of those key battles that had razor thin margins for victory on either side.

5. Battle of Stalingrad

Starting in August of 1942 and lasting for just over five months, the Battle of Stalingrad was fought by the Soviets alone against the Axis in one of the bloodiest battles in human history. The Soviets were outnumbered initially, but more people joined the cause and eventually there were over 1 million Soviets in total. More than 1.1 million Soviets lost their while over 800,000 Axis, but the Soviet resolve resulted in a narrow victory that decimated the German and Italian armies.

4. Battle of Normandy

Perhaps the most famous battle of World War II, Operation Overlord saw over a dozen Allied countries storm the beaches of France and it was a rough start for the Allies. The Allies would recover, though, establishing a stronghold that would then expand into France to help recapture the country. All in all, the casualties were over 225,000 for the Allies and 288,000 for the Axis over the course of nearly three months. The narrow battle has been well documented, especially in film.

3. Battle of Iwo Jima

Another one of those well documented battles that we still see recreated on the big screen today, the Battle of Iwo Jima took place between only the United States and Japan in the latter country’s Volcano Islands. In terms of logistics, this should have been an easy battle for the Americans. There was no land for Japan to retreat and the air/water support made it so that the U.S. wouldn’t lose in the long run, but Japan still put up a fight for more than a month. Iwo Jima turned into a U.S. base at the cost of 27,000 casualties.

2. Battle of Crete

While the Greek army wasn’t a big player in World War II, the country’s land still played a big part with their ~11,000 soldiers that fought to defend Crete from Germany and Italy. Along with the U.K., New Zealand and Australia, the Allies fought off the Axis invasion at first, but things started to go south. When reinforcements from Germany arrived, the Allies fought hard for nearly two weeks but came up short as the Axis claimed victory on June 1, 1941. However, German forces lost a lot of aircraft in the battle that would play a big part in the final years of war.

1. Battle of the Bulge

In the most pivotal battle of World War II, the Germans had a plan to completely surround the Allied forces and could’ve won them the war. What resulted, though, was the Battle of the Bulge being fought in several countries including Belgium and Germany. It took the final weeks of 1944 and first few weeks of 1945 to complete, but the Battle of the Bulge was an even fight that was ultimately won by the Allies, setting up the completion of the war.