With summer just around the corner, you probably have home/garden maintenance on your mind, as well as your to-do list!  We’ve included some tips to help you out and keep you on track. Summer’s heat and dry weather can be tough on your home.  A little home maintenance can go a long way to keep your house in good repair.  Follow this checklist to stay on top of your home maintenance during the summer.
Outside
There are many home maintenance projects that you can do in the summer to keep the exterior of your home and your yard looking great.

• Trim back any trees or shrubs that have grown too close to the house. This not only prevents damage from tree limbs but helps with safety, too, by eliminating any blind spots.
• Make sure no water pools or collects anywhere in your yard.  Stagnant water is a breeding area for mosquitoes.  There will be enough mosquitoes about during the summer without providing them a place to multiply.
• Maintain your deck or patio.  Thoroughly clean and scrub your deck or patio and apply a deck sealer the next day. You will need sunny, dry weather for this home maintenance task.
• Wash the exterior of your house using a garden hose.  A pressure washer can actually cause damage unless used by a professional.  An attachment on your water hose should be sufficient.  You can even buy an attachment that allows you to add a mild detergent to aid in washing your siding.
• Repair any cracks in the driveway or sidewalk with a concrete caulk for small cracks or a concrete patch for larger ones.
• Take care of your swimming pool.  Have it ready for the season and maintain it throughout the summer.

Inside
Don’t neglect the inside of your home. Here are some summer home maintenance projects.

• Service your air conditioner.  If you have not done so already, have the biannual service done by a professional.  Also, change out all of your air filters.
• Check the windows and doors.  The weather stripping may need some maintenance.  Cold air can escape through any cracks here.  Caulk around the doors and windows as needed as part of your home maintenance.
• Thoroughly clean the dryer lint.  Clean the lint trap as well as the exterior vent cap.  It needs to be clear to allow air to not be trapped.  It can actually result in carbon monoxide backing up into your house.
• Clean the icemaker.  You are going to need a lot of ice-cold drinks with the summer heat, so make sure that your icemaker is up to the task.
• Before you go on vacation, check your home’s security.  This is an important part of home maintenance that involves the interior as well as the exterior of your home.  You want your yard well-lit and your home easy to see. (With the trees and shrubs trimmed, it should be.)  Make sure all the locks work well on the windows and doors.  Test your alarm system.  Cancel the paper and mail or have a neighbor pick them up for you when you travel.  Leave a few lights on or better yet, have them on a timer.

A few hours of home maintenance can help improve the condition of your home and head off any potential problems.  A little preventative maintenance can save you lots of money in pricey repairs.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you moms!

Our wish for you is a day full of relaxation and pampering that is spent with the ones you hold dear.

Are you still doing some last-minute shopping for your mom? A gift card from Belladerm is a perfect way to show Mom she is appreciated! She will be delighted to schedule a time to come in for a beauty treatment or to purchase a much-needed product.  She may be excited to try Latisse, our new lash product.  We are offering a special 10% off discount for the month of May! Every woman would love fuller, longer, darker lashes! Treat mom to a gift that will make her feel more beautiful than she already is.  We’ve even made it easy for you to purchase a gift card online! Click here to learn more.

You may have seen this before, but it is so funny that we wanted to share it with you for Mother’s Day.  We applaud the hard work and dedication of moms everywhere! Have a special day!

JOB DESCRIPTION FOR MOMS

Position:
Mother, Mom, Mama, Mommy

Job Description:
Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an, often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

Responsibilities:
The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

Possibility For Advancement & Promotion:
Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

Previous Experience:
None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

Wages And Compensation:
Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and then wish you could only do more.
Benefits:
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right.

Are you in pursuit of the perfect pair of comfy jeans but keep finding yourself completely frustrated in a dressing room? You don’t need to have a perfect body to look great in denim–you just need to choose a pair that flatters and fits your body!
Another great tip that you’ve likely heard is to know what dark can do! A dark color will make you look slimmer, whereas a light color of denim can highlight your trouble spots.
You might really enjoy a couple of websites we’ve found that take your measurements into consideration and then dish out ideas of ideal jeans for your body.  It only takes a couple of minutes to find flattering jeans! Yes, it sounds way too good to be true.  What will  you do with the time you used to spend hunting for jeans that fit?
Zafu.com has over 200 different styles of jeans and over 70 different brands to draw from.  They can help you minimize curves, accentuate your best features,  and achieve the exact look you want and so far, they have over 4 million happy customers.  You can also find your best fit in bras, other pants, and accessories.
Another one to try is truejeans.com.  This site serves the guys, too! Check it out!
Happy shopping!