Mystic Toad Press Blog

Sanding a piece of material does have a few rules to follow. At first you might think that all you are doing is sanding something, how hard can it be? We are going to discuss the sanding of wood. Sanding wood means using sandpaper to get the roughness out and for possibly putting some type of protective layer over top.

Whenever you start sanding wood you want to first make sure that you don’t get any splinters, so make sure that you don’t rub your hands on the wood. The number one rule to follow when sanding wood is: sand with the grain of the wood, not against it. Use rough grit sand paper and start knocking off the roughness. The rough grit will leave a lot of indentions in the wood, so after you get it somewhat level you then want to switch over to a finer grit paper. You want to continue to go down in grit level until you get the wood real smooth. If you are going after a really smooth look, then you can wet sand the wood with some super fine grit sandpaper, maybe use like a two thousand grit sand paper.

If you are applying a topcoat of lacquer to the wood, don’t make it too smooth, the lacquer needs a bit of roughness to hold onto and absorb into, you can then to the fine smooth sanding to the lacquer after it dries.

There are power tools that can help you sand faster, but hand sanding produces a different product. It is really great for your health to hand sand wood, the motion can get you burning some calories, you could take the Acceletrim supplement before and get an extra boost of energy. The motion of sanding requires a lot of upper body movement, which can build up some muscles and help with your eye hand coordination.

Working from home is a great way to stay home with your kids while still supplementing the family’s income. On the flipside, it can be challenging to be mother and employee at the same time. Your stress level will rise quickly when you have deadlines to keep or phone calls to make while your little ones are acting out. Implement a few of the ideas below to prevent Work at Home Mom Burnout.

1. Don’t work more than you have to. Money isn’t everything. You family needs a happy and sane mom.

2. Create a schedule or to-do list both for work and your personal life. Just realize that you won’t always get everything done and don’t worry if you don’t. There’s always tomorrow.

3. Designate an errand day. Spend one day a week running around town getting everything done for the week. This is when you will grocery shop, drop things off at the drycleaner, go to the post office and anything else you need to do.

4. Enjoy your kids. Take some time to play with them every day. Have a picnic lunch in the yard, take them on a little field trip or just play catch for a while. You’re a work at home mom because you want to spend time with your kids. Work and house chores can wait while you play.

5. Go out on a date with your spouse. Make date night a regular occurrence and connect with your lover.

6. Have lunch with a girlfriend. We need some adult conversation every now and then. Make time to stay in touch with your friends.

7. Call a friend. If you are having a bad day, call a good friend and just talk for a little while. You’ll be relaxed and rejuvenated when you get back.

8. Get some exercise. Go for a walk, join a gym, or try a Pilate’s class. Exercise will not only keep you in shape, it’s also a great de-stressor.

9. Play some upbeat music and dance around the living room. Who cares if your kids and the neighbors think you’ve lost it? You are having fun and are releasing all that build up physical energy.

10. If you own a business, stick to one until it more or less runs itself. Don’t burn yourself out by trying to run several businesses at the same time.

Start implementing a few of these ideas today and watch your stress level go down. You will prevent work at home mom burnout and get to enjoy life more. Your family will appreciate spending time with a fun and relaxed mom. That’s what it’s all about - spending quality time with your family

Nell Taliercio is the owner and founder of www.TelecommutingMoms.com - which is a leading resource website with work at home jobs and everything a telecommuting mom would need. Come visit us today!