No one can deny that the family room is one of the most essential rooms in any home, because it often serves as the central hub where families and visitors can gather and enjoy the company of one another.

Unlike rooms such as your master bedroom which require a more simple style of decoration,  your family room needs to be more fleshed out and make more extensive use out of furniture and décor items.

To help you out, here are five family room design ideas:

1. Keep It Low Maintenance

Keeping your family room low maintenance is especially something you want to do if you have small children in the house. Stick with furniture, rugs, and fabrics that are designed to sustain abuse and that won’t need to be replaced often. Since your family room is where your children will spend much of their time playing, if you have any breakable furniture or décor items of high value to you, it would be wise to keep those items in another room.

2. Make Maximum Use Out Of Your Living Space

Regardless of whether your family room is large or small, you will want to make maximum use out of your living space. This is for looks equally as it is for functionality: an empty space in your family room is going to stand out horribly, not to mention it’s space that could have otherwise been filled with something practical such as a chair or a table.

3. Make Your Family Room Relaxing

Since your family room is where you do fun things such as spend time with friends and family, play games, watch movies, and so on, it needs to be as relaxing as possible when it comes to colors and decorations. To this end, choose colors and décor items that make you feel at peace. Most people prefer darker colors in their family rooms for this reason, such as darker shades of red, blue, green, or purple.

4. Make Space For Storage

Some space in your family room needs to be set aside for storing things such as movies, video games, books, and toys if you have children. Place your storage furniture such as cabinets and bookshelves along the walls where they’ll be accessible but also kept out of the way.

5. Keep It Comfortable

Finally, the furniture that you select for your family room needs to be as comfortable as possible. Think about it, do you really want to sit in rough or uncomfortable chairs and couches when sitting down to visit or watch movies? Obviously not, so be very selective about the furniture that you choose for your family room and actually test them out in your local furniture store before buying.

Designing Your Family Room

While designing your family room is certainly a major project to undertake, it’s also not a project that needs to overwhelm you. The ideas in this article will help you create the best family room for your home as possible while also ensuring that you aren’t stressed out in the process of designing it.

If you think it’s hard for the ladies to start dating again after a lengthy relationship hit the rocks, you might want to take a look at what men face when looking to get back in the loop. Guys, if there is any one piece of advice you can be given, the advice to end all advice, just remember to be cool! No, we don’t mean don the shades and the body piercings, a complete sleeve on one or more arms, but rather a sense of ‘all things in due time’ sort of laid back attitude. This works on a number of levels.

She Can Always Tell You Are Nervous – But About What?

One of the quickest turnoffs for a woman is a guy who is overly nervous. Red flags go up, warning bells start ringing and that girl is wondering why you are so nervous. Even though you may have mentioned that you just ended a relationship of many years, that isn’t what she is going to be thinking, you can be sure of that. What most women will assume is that you have something to feel guilty about or that you are somehow lacking in ‘that department.’ It’s a sad statement on the current state of most women’s minds, but it’s a reality you need to face. Be cool! Don’t let her sense just how nervous you really are inside.

When the Time Comes…

Speaking of lacking in ‘that department,’ this is something that most men don’t need to face today, at least they don’t need to face it alone. For the first time in history, there are medications that can help you overcome fear or nerve based ED and these are going to work because they are chemically formulated to do so! In the past, men would eat oysters, take a number of herbal remedies, all to no avail most of the time. However, with medications like Viagra, you can be sure you will be able to perform. However, one thing to be aware of is the cost.

If Cost Is an Issue

Most of these prescriptions may not be covered by all insurance plans and so you need to spend some time looking for discounts wherever possible. Joining pharmacy clubs that offer a Viagra coupon is probably going to be your best bet. Never, ever order any kind of medication from third world countries! Not only is it illegal but it is dangerous. Stick with those treatments that have been approved by the FDA because there are ways to get greatly reduced prices.

Stress Is Contagious

In the end, it all boils down to how you present yourself. You can tell the truth about the breakup if you so desire or you can simply choose to explain it away as ‘these things happen’ or ‘we grew apart over the years.’ But, never ever show that you are overly anxious about getting back into the swing of things. That will trigger a fight or flight response quicker than you can ever imagine.  You think you’re stressed? Watch what your stress does to her!

Stay calm and if this is the woman for you, good things will follow. If not, you’re back in the loop so make the rounds and the right one will appear. It’s just a matter of time and patience.

Busy moms want to provide a safe environment for their kids with as little fuss and fearmongering as possible, but a lot of articles about indoor pollution, toxins, and allergens are all about the dangers and short on solutions. This cute infographic is just the opposite. It gives you a quick and dirty rundown on exactly what items to evict from your home and tells you what to do instead. The graphic runs you through four of the most common toxins found in family homes: BPA plastics, toxic household cleaners, troublesome hand soaps, and chemical air fresheners.

BPA-containing plastics have been associated with everything from cancer to brain and behavioral issues in children. The graphic gives you a list of recycling numbers, so you’ll know exactly which plastics can cause problems and which ones to use instead. You’ll also learn how to read labels on household cleaners to spot the most dangerous chemicals, and what ingredients to stock up on if you want to make your own organic alternatives. Want more great advice? Keep your indoor air healthy by replacing your HVAC filters and having your equipment serviced instead of spraying chemical products into the air, and teach your kids how to wash their hands properly, so you can do away with antibacterial soaps.

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by conflicting advice about indoor air quality, but this graphic makes creating a kid-friendly environment simple. Following the steps outlined here is an easy path to a healthier home.