How-to

In this installment of the Connected Home Series, we’ll talk about how security and surveillance options have changed to adapt to growing realtime needs.  Alarm systems aren’t just keypad entries, or services monitored through a paid company, for example. Let’s take a look at some of the options that exist for you to set up your own home security system and stay connected to your home in realtime through your smartphone or tablet.

With 802.11ac (Gigabit Wi-Fi) now mainstream, we are currently in the midst of a big wireless router replacement cycle. I’ve tested so many routers in the past year that I’ve lost count. Despite the potential payoff of a new router, many people are reluctant to make the upgrade. Routers can be intimidating, and once our Wi-Fi is working, it’s such an integral part of our homes now that we’re naturally reluctant to do anything that might rock the boat. After getting a taste of what the latest generation of 802.11ac routers can do, I finally made the jump myself, replacing my own aging router. And to help you understand everything that’s involved, I chronicled every step of the process. Hopefully this account of one person’s Wi-Fi router upgrade will help to demystify the process and show why it’s worth doing.

I’ll come right out and admit it. Until fairly recently, I wasn’t a big fan of experimenting with spices. Part of the reason was because I was stuck in a rut after years of cooking for kids who would turn their noses up at anything that wasn’t completely traditional. Mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and even spaghetti sauce-if I added even a touch of spice, they wouldn’t eat it and I’d end up making them something else. Now that I’ve started experimenting with spices, I’ve taken the most basic dishes I’ve always cooked and jazzed them up until they are virtually unrecognizable. Here are three of my favourite recipes to get you started experimenting with spices.

Losing weight requires effort, diligence, and persistence. Often people expect to see results but they’re not following the right steps. My career as a fitness professional is greatly rewarding when I see clients busting through plateaus, hearing how energetic and alive they feel while losing the weight they don’t need. Follow these 5 tips closely and you too will be on the road to losing weight.      

With root vegetables, every traditional meal you serve could have a new and interesting taste. Kick your comfort food to the curb, try these recipes, then weigh in on what you think about the root vegetable food trend.

Whether you’ve upgraded to one of the standard new Nintendo 3DS XL systems or bought one of the special edition ones, there’s one problem you’ll have to solve before you can ease into it fully – Transferring the data from the previous system to the new one. 

Building muscle is a term that can be easily misconstrued because automatically the vision of a hulk-size man with bulging muscles and popping veins comes up. In reality, building muscle means increasing the amount of lean tissue–which is associated with longevity and being fit. Though snaking on vegetables and eating a lower carb diet is the majority of what we read and hear, it’s not necessarily the best when it comes to building muscle. Read these workout tips to help you build muscle and preserve your fat-burning capacity!

When I was in Grade 3 my mom enrolled me in Ukrainian Cross Stitch lessons. I had always been a creative child, but cross-stitch took my abstract painting and Play-Doh-ing to a whole new level. There’s something inspiring about being able to look at a pile of “stuff” and see something beautiful. It’s almost like being a MacGyver of sorts. Some might see a twig and a glue stick. I see a beautiful centerpiece. The thing is, to craft like a pro you don’t just need the desire to do so, but you need the right tools and an organized space.

We’ve said goodbye to all things kale and hello to cauliflower, given up on the cronut and opened our ovens to the southern buttermilk biscuit. Thanks to the latest food trends, menus this year are going to be seriously delicious. Here are a few recipes you can try at home to tap into what’s hot in food for 2015.

Even if your dining room table is currently covered in electronics and newspapers or your closet is chaos, there are still simple steps you can take to organize your house. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming either – just take it one baby step at a time. Here are a few proven organizational strategies I’ve used to get control of my clutter and organize my home like a pro.