Things Men Really Need to Call a Professional For (Really.)

We all know the scenario: something breaks down, Dad’s in the basement swearing and pounding on something metal with a wrench; Mom’s on the phone with the plumber / electrician / furnace guy. It’s a classic story. Fixing things with tools seems to be a statement of manliness and to tell the truth, that’s how we like it to. Women don’t want to take the power away – we just want to direct your energies to more important tasks. Tasks that we really hate doing: mowing the lawn, taking out the garbage, shoveling snow. These are tasks that you are an expert at, and we get a certain sense of satisfaction seeing you do them. It makes us appreciate you even more.

But when we see you head into the bathroom with your “plumber’s pants” on because the toilet is making a god-awful noise, it strikes fear in our hearts. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule: some hubbies know what they’re doing. And most are handy enough to handle replacing light fixtures, unclogging the central vac and replacing the trim that came off the floor. But when it comes to certain fixes, we want, nay – we need you to call in the professionals.

PLUMBING
I fully trust my husband to unclog the toilet, fix the leaky faucet (a maximum of three times before I get on the horn to the plumber) and put the chain back on the toilet plunger. Heck, I can do these things as well, but I know that these are things I can count on my man to take care of – things my kids can help with too. But leaking toilets, hopelessly clogged pipes and strange noises warrant a trip from the plumber. For instance (honey I love you but I have to break the silence…) this writer’s toilet has been, for lack of a better word, screaming when we flush it for a few months. Every few days my husband scratches his chin, makes a small adjustment, and the noise stops… for a day. And then we all have to sit through the melodic strains of Ode to Toilette once more; time to call a professional. The general rule of thumb for plumbing is: anything that can’t be fixed within 30 minutes warrants a plumber. Unless you ARE a plumber, 30 minutes plus worth of work is out of your league!

FIXING THE CAR
When it comes to the family vehicle, only extremely minor repairs are allowable. Changing the battery or the tires is something we can stomach you doing. Bumper repair, dent removal and pretty much anything under the hood lies in the realm of the mechanic’s job. We really don’t feel better when we notice you’re under the hood trying to replace brake cables or spark plugs – it makes us fear for our lives. And just for the record, black Sharpies do NOT hide scratches. (Sure, it may have been me who scratched the car, used the Sharpie, then blamed it on the kids but that’s not the point.) Even small damage repair needs to be done by professional – it’s the rule.

ELECTRICITY
This category is the scariest for women. Perhaps because we are afraid of losing our husbands and the fathers of our children… Perhaps because we are afraid of our houses burning down due to an unforeseen inner-wall fire which we all know can happen because we watched it on that animal show where the lady’s cat acts weird all night and wakes her up by licking her face because there’s an unseen fire in the wall. Anyway, the point is, even if you are not super-paranoid, the dangers of messing around with electricity are real, especially for amateurs. Fellas, we know you can switch the light bulbs and change light-plates. Heck, I let me husband install our light fixtures. But when it comes to any major rewiring, it’s time to fork over the dough.

GAS
We know you think you’re experts in this subject (insert laugh-track here) but the rule when it comes to gas is this: Yes, I CAN smell gas and yes, I have called someone in the time it took you to argue with me that you can’t. It is not permitted for husbands to tackle anything in this category.

ROOFING
I have to admit, I don’t have much experience in this category as my uber-man is afraid of heights; I have never had any arguments happen due to loose shingles. There have, however, been enough stories floating around the school-yard and enough videos on Youtube of Dads falling off the roof or getting stuck in the chimney. We are of two minds on this subject. While we believe that repainting the window sills is most definitely a job you can do and save some money at, we want to make sure you’re steady up there. Small repairs are allowable, such as replacing ONE shingle, repainting or clearing out a vent. But anything that goes beyond that, especially anything to do with the chimney or major leakage on the roof, needs to be paid for. Sorry guys – you’re too valuable alive to us – you’ll have to make the call.

So, when it comes to these hopefully infrequent because they are bloody-expensive fixes, pick up the phone and call someone who’s trained to do it. We honestly think it’s sexier to see you call Dan the Plumber than it is to see you in the hospital or staring at your house while it’s burning down.

Lilly Gordon is a freelance web publisher and writer. She is a Mom of two, stellar wife (most of the time) and enjoys writing and researching on a variety of topics including her wonderful husband, the joys of parent-hood and sincerely apologizes for thinking car painting can be done with a Sharpie.

Carpet vs. Hardwood: Which is Better in New Homes?

St. Albert, Edmonton, Calgary – you name the city, new home buyers everywhere across Canada are having the debate: Carpet or Hardwood? Both types of flooring can be beautiful and both can be somewhat cost-effective. The question is: which is right for you? New homes in St. Albert and across Alberta have followed the home decorating trends over the years. In the late 1960s, carpeting in homes became increasingly popular. Then in the 90s, hardwood flooring started making it’s comeback. The comfort and warmth of carpet seemed comparable to the ease of cleaning and clean lines of hardwood flooring. The popularity of hardwood overtook carpet easily (especially in bathrooms – yuck!) but now has evened out again, and the debate rages on.

Any experienced new home sales team will tell you that right now, hardwood flooring is easier to find in a house. The majority of carpeting in houses right now is going to be fairly old and in need of replacement. So, when you and your real estate agent are searching through the MLS listings in Alberta, take a minute to look at the home’s features and decide whether you want existing carpet or hardwood; or whether you’d rather spend the money replacing your flooring with a material of your own choosing. Any high quality flooring chosen and installed properly is going to add value to a home – new or old; both carpet and hardwood have advantages and disadvantages so weigh them carefully when making your decision.

CARPET
Carpets are considered to be more of a dated choice when choosing flooring for homes, but at one point so were hardwood floors. Trends come and go and if you are planning to stay in your home for any extended time frame, trends should not be the only factor when making your decision.

Advantages of Carpet:

• Price: Even high-end carpeting can be less expensive than hardwood.
• Noise: Carpet absorbs sounds and helps keep the noise level to a minimum.
• Foot Health: Carpet provides a necessary padding that your tootsies will appreciate.
• Health: With allergen and pollutant levels on the rise, carpet manufacturers have finally seen the light and started making hypo-allergenic carpets available.
• Installation: Carpets are usually easier to install than other types of flooring.

Disadvantages of Carpet:

• Price: If you are tearing up new carpet and find hardwood underneath, it is probably more cost effective to refinish your hardwood, rather than installing new carpet.
• Overall Health: Carpets are notorious for harbouring harmful bacteria and emitting toxic vapours. Even the carpets touted as hypo-allergenic can be more harmful than the new stains used on hardwood.
• Life Span: Carpets will probably need to be replaced every 10-15 years, whereas hardwood can last a lifetime with proper care.
• Endurance: Carpets are easily stained and patterned carpets can be easily damaged as they usually have loops that can pull.

To reap all of the benefits of carpet, be sure to plan a maintenance schedule for cleaning. Infrequent cleanings will leave dirt in your carpet which will eventually leave immovable stains. To avoid staining, blot up liquids immediately, and place mats on high-traffic areas (entranceways, exercise areas, etc.)

HARDWOOD
Hardwood, when stained correctly, can be a beautiful addition to any new home. Sales agents across Canada can attest that buyers’ ears seem to perk up when they see that the specs for a new home contain “hardwood flooring”. The popularity of hardwood has been steady over the past century with some noticeable peaks over the years. Hardwood flooring, however, is not necessarily better than our fuzzy friend, the carpet, just better in different ways.

Advantages of Hardwood Flooring:

• Price: With the invention of engineered and tongue in groove hardwood, the price for materials has come down significantly.
• Health: Hardwood floors are a much healthier option, as long as a water-based stain is used to avoid other, toxic fumes. They obviously cannot hide any bacteria or dirt as everything stays on the surface of the floor and can be easily vacuumed or swept up.
• Maintenance: Hardwood is extremely easy to maintain on a regular basis and should only be re-stained every 10-15 years.
• Lifespan: As stated earlier, hardwood flooring can last a lifetime with proper maintenance and stained in a variety of colours should you get bored with the appearance.

Disadvantages of Hardwood Flooring:

• Price: High quality hardwood flooring is generally very expensive as are the installation and staining costs.
• Endurance: Hardwood floors may last a lifetime but they are quite easily damaged. Even a fine layer of dust and dirt can cause the finish to scratch. Little ones can be tough on this floor as well with trucks, strollers and frequent un-noticed spills. Hardwood can also warp, stain, splinter, dent and break with heavy use.
• Health: Some stains and sealants can emit toxic fumes when used in your home. Try to choose water-based products whenever possible (your choice may depend on the type of wood you choose.)

To keep your hardwood in fine form, clean up wet spills A.S.A.P.; liquids can warp and stain your floor. Use hardwood floor cleaner and place mats or area rugs in high-traffic areas.

Lilly Gordon is a freelance writer and web publisher. Lilly is a real estate enthusiast and loves to stay on top of decorating and real estate in Edmonton, where she currently resides.

Let’s face it: celebrities' kids are born into a different world. A world filled with lights, cameras and… well, you know the rest. But just because they’re born into privilege doesn’t mean they don’t have the normal urges that every kid has come pumpkin day every year. Whether they’re famous or not, kids’ Halloween costumes all over North America are bound to be similar. Here are some surprisingly normal costumes for some freakishly famous tots.

1. My spidey senses are tingling… I sense that Ruby Maguire, daughter of Spiderman’s leading man Toby Maguire and Jennifer Meyer had a lot of fun dressed as a big orange pumpkin on Halloween night.
2. Real-life princess Suri Cruise dressed as (drum roll) a princess last Halloween! A pretty standard costume for such a little lady. Oh, did I mention her costume cost over $6000…?
3. Max Bratman, son of Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman, was spooky dressed as a bony skeleton.
4. Alyson Hannigan went the cute route for her daughter, Satyana’s first Halloween with a kangaroo outfit.
5. James Wilkie was a bird – no – a plane… He flew threw NY in his Superman costume with mom Sarah Jessica Parker.
6. Gewn Stefani and Gavin Rossdale’s little boys, Kingston and Zuma sure looke ferocious in their dino costumes! (Ferociously Cute that is.)
7. Little Apple Martin (Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter) really embodied her Alice in Wonderland costume last Halloween.
8. I hope they cleaned up after themselves! Brooke Shields and hubby Chris Henchy’s girls sniffed and begged their way into doggie costumes. Rowan was a dalmation while Grier preferred a pink poodle costume.
9. Russell Crowe’s son, Tennyson put out fires and broke tiny hearts in his heroic Fireman costume on a past all hallow’s Eve.
10. Following in mom’s fashionable footsteps, Lola, daughter to talk-show queen Kelly Ripa, danced her way through the city as a wholesome Disco Queen.

So, this year skip the trashy, skimpy and bloody costumes for the little ones. Take a hint from these kids who have it all and stick with traditional, fun kids’ costumes. This year, fill the streets with little pigs, train conductors and superheros!

Lilly Gordon is a freelance web publisher and writer. She is a Mom of two, and enjoys writing and researching on a variety of topics, especially shopping for children and Canadian baby boutiques.