Author: Mars Salazar Page 15 of 29

Marianne is Nixplay's Web Content Editor. Her hobbies include exploring new places, playing table tennis, and cuddling puppies. Send her a message at marianne.salazar@nixplay.com.

8 Gift Ideas for the Cool Dad

By Mars Salazar

On June 4, 2019

In Gifting Guides

Choosing a Father’s Day present for your dad can be an arduous task. Sure, you can get him a new necktie and call it a day, but he deserves all the best the world can offer and more. Try these gift ideas, all guaranteed to put a smile on dad’s face.

Tickets to see his favorite musician

Will your dad’s favorite musician be in town soon? Surprise him with tickets so he and mom can have an extra special date night.

A smartwatch

In a perfect world, we’d give dad the luxury watch he’s dreamed of owning since he was young. If you can’t afford to splurge just yet, a stylish watch that lets you access essential apps and doubles as a GPS and fitness tracker should make your father the happiest guy in town.

A new fragrance

Is your dad still using the same cologne he’s been spraying on since you were a teen? Give his grooming routine an upgrade with a new scent that’s approved by your mom.

A dash cam

For most men, their cars will always be their babies. Help dad keep his prized investment secure with the latest automobile must-have.

An action camera

Is your dad into hiking, scuba diving, and other extreme sports? Help him immortalize his adventures with a camera that’s as tough as him.

Sunglasses

You can never have too many sunglasses. Gift dad a pair in a classic silhouette–you can’t go wrong with classic Wayfarers or Clubmasters.

An orthopedic pillow

Give your father the gift of good sleep. An orthopedic will contour to his neck and head, promoting proper spine alignment. Better yet, ask your siblings to pitch in and get dad an orthopedic mattress, which should give him more restful evenings.

A Nixplay Seed Wave

The Nixplay Seed Wave does way more than simply displaying your dad’s favorite photos. Connect it to his phone via Bluetooth so your dad can enjoy his favorite songs while sipping his morning coffee. Get it at up to 25% off, only until June 16!

Mars Salazar

Marianne is Nixplay’s Web Content Editor. Her hobbies include exploring new places, playing table tennis, and cuddling puppies. Send her a message at marianne.salazar@nixplay.com.

What Would the World be Like Without Moms?

By Mars Salazar

On May 6, 2019

In Lifestyle

It’s impossible to fathom a world without mothers—there would be far fewer people in the world, for one thing. But let’s take a moment to imagine such a scenario. What would the world be like without mothers? Read on for some possibilities.

We’d miss mom’s cooking terribly.

A meal at your city’s top restaurant is great, sure, but nothing compares to mom’s cooking. Few things are as comforting as a slice of home-baked apple pie after school, or a bowl of stew on a blustery evening. And while moms are usually generous enough to pass on their signature recipes to us, they just don’t taste the same.

We’d be sick more often.

Moms have a magical healing touch that can ward off fevers, sore throats, scrapes, and all sorts of body pain. They just know what to do to make you feel better (and they also know when to take you to the hospital should your ailment be beyond their healing powers’ limits).

There’d be way less love to go around.

Moms are amazing at soothing teenagers’ heartaches, chasing away kids’ bad dreams, and dealing with toddlers’ tantrums. Without mothers, you can expect to see more moody, angsty people in dire need of hugs and love.

We’d have really unhealthy eating habits.

Moms are notorious for squirreling away junk food to promote healthy eating habits. When there are no mothers to hide the chips and chocolate in the pantry, we’ll succumb to temptation faster than you can spell ‘candy’.

We’d lose a lot of things.

If you’ve ever lost something at home, chances are your mom knows exactly where it is. They just seem to always know where everything is. With no moms to guide us in the right direction, our lost things will most likely be gone for good.

A world without mothers is a lonely world, indeed. That’s why you should treasure every moment with your mom, and take each opportunity to let her know just how amazing she is. Do just that with a Nixplay Frame stocked with her favorite family photos—every picture should let her know just how much she means to you and your family.

Don’t miss the chance to get up to 25% off selected Nixplay Frames for Mother’s Day, only until May 13!

Mars Salazar

Marianne is Nixplay’s Web Content Editor. Her hobbies include exploring new places, playing table tennis, and cuddling puppies. Send her a message at marianne.salazar@nixplay.com.

6 Superpowers All Moms Have

By Mars Salazar

On April 29, 2019

In Holidays

Mothers love with a fierceness that can overcome any obstacle. This love propels them to achieve amazing feats for the sake of their families, granting them superhuman abilities that make everyone love and respect them. Here are a few of their most notable superpowers.

Super Strength

To start, giving birth can be an excruciatingly painful process. It’s an ordeal that can drastically change a woman’s body, possibly resulting in torn parts, broken bones, and a host of surgical procedures. It’s a very impressive task that definitely warrants a hug (or two!).

Healing

When you’re feeling under the weather, who do you call first? Most likely your mom, that’s who. She just knows how to deal with any health mishap, be it a small scrape or a bad fever.

Magical Storage

Need a bandaid? Your mom probably has a few in her purse. Feeling peckish? There’s a granola bar with your name on it inside your mother’s tote. Looking for a pen? Your mom’s bound to have one or two, plus a notebook to boot. Whatever you need, you can expect to find it in your mother’s bag.

Super Searching

Your mom knows where everything in the house is. Your favorite socks? In the second drawer in your closet. A screwdriver? In the box on the shelf in the garage. Sheet music of your favorite Broadway songs? In a folder under your sister’s bed. It’s like her brain has a built-in GPS.

ESP

Moms just know when there’s something fishy happening at home. You’ve probably been caught red-handed doing things you weren’t supposed to do, like drawing on the wall or eating some chocolate after you’ve already brushed your teeth. Their spider senses are amazingly on point, and they’re always right.

Time-bending

Ever wondered how moms manage to wake up at the crack of dawn to prepare breakfast for the family and send off the kids to school before going to the office, then rushing after work to attend a PTA meeting, prepare dinner for the family, and help the kids with their homework? If that’s not a superpower, we don’t know what it is!

This upcoming Mother’s Day, honor your Supermom with a Nixplay frame! Get up to 25% off selected frames, only until May 13!

Mars Salazar

Marianne is Nixplay’s Web Content Editor. Her hobbies include exploring new places, playing table tennis, and cuddling puppies. Send her a message at marianne.salazar@nixplay.com.

How To Celebrate Earth Day, Every Day

By Mars Salazar

On April 23, 2019

In Lifestyle

Earth Day may be held on April 22, but if you ask us, we should be celebrating it every day. It just doesn’t seem right to impose a 24-hour window for becoming an eco-warrior. The Earth is the only planet we have, after all: We should do everything in our power to take care of it and keep it beautiful so our children and their children will have a better world to live in.

That said, here are some easy measures you and your loved ones can do to reduce your carbon footprint and contribute to a cleaner, greener, better world. Read on!

Pick up litter when you’re out and about

Trash is never a nice sight, whether it’s a pile of garbage or a plastic bag floating in the air. If you see even a tiny plastic wrapper on the street, don’t hesitate to pick it up and toss it in the appropriate trash can. And while you’re at it, you can also (gently!) reprimand people you catch littering. Being a litterbug is never a good look on anyone!

Buy less, and buy wisely

How many times have you bought something you don’t really need, or only used once? We’ve all been guilty of this, and it’s a really hard habit to break. Starting today, carefully evaluating all your purchases. Before you head to the cashier, ask yourself if you really need the item you’re checking out. It also helps to buy from smaller local businesses, instead of from mass-market corporations—this reduces your carbon footprint while giving you access to handcrafted, unique items that aren’t owned by a lot of people.

Another way to be a better consumer is by supporting companies that give back to the environment. Nixplay is proud to support Trees For The Future, a non-profit organization that improves the lives of impoverished farmers by planting Forest Gardens, which have been proven to be more beneficial than conventional agriculture methods. Through our Seed For A Seed campaign, a tree seed gets planted in one of Trees For The Future’s Forest Gardens with every purchase of a Nixplay Seed Frame. To date, we have planted 209,643 trees—and with your help, we can plant thousands more.

Say no to plastic

We discard millions of tons of toxic plastic every year. These end up nearly everywhere, polluting our soil, our forests, our rivers, and our seas. In fact, there is are already at least two main trash dumps in our oceans: the Great Pacific garbage patch and the North Atlantic garbage patch, each spanning thousands of square kilometers.

While it might take a lifetime to rid our seas of the plastic soup, you can contribute in small ways. Start by being mindful of your plastic consumption—refuse disposable straws and utensils, avoid buying bottled water, and use a canvas bag when shopping so you don’t waste plastic bags. These actions might seem small, but when they’re done by thousands of people, they can add up and make an impact.

Walk (or bike) more often

Instead of driving to a restaurant located less than a mile away, why not take a leisurely stroll going there? It shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes, and this adds to your daily cardio count. You can also ride a bicycle to get around: It’s quick, free, and good for the body!

Don’t waste food

According to The Economist’s 2017 Food Sustainability Index, the average American wastes 277 kilograms of food annually. Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of people around the world are starving. Don’t add to the problem by mindlessly buying food. Before leaving the grocery, check expiration dates, finish what’s in your pantry before going to the grocery, and use your food waste to create compost pits.

Mars Salazar

Marianne is Nixplay’s Web Content Editor. Her hobbies include exploring new places, playing table tennis, and cuddling puppies. Send her a message at marianne.salazar@nixplay.com.

Unique Easter Egg Hunt Ideas You Should Try This Year

By Mars Salazar

On April 11, 2019

In Holidays

No matter what your age is, you’ll never be too old for an Easter Egg Hunt. It’s one of those games that always brings out everyone’s competitive side, and the mad scramble that ensues can be infectious.

This year, make your Easter Egg Hunt more fun by adding an interesting twist or two. Read on for some ideas!

Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt

We’re pretty sure you know how scavenger hunts work, so doing one for Easter should get everyone excited. First, map out the route the participants will take–they can start in the living room, then the kitchen, then the backyard, then the neighborhood park. Write down a series of clues, each one leading the contestants to the next destination, and insert each clue in a plastic egg. The first contestant to figure out all the clues will get the grand prize.

Golden Ticket Easter Egg Hunt

Want to raffle off one big prize and maybe a few smaller prizes on Easter? Write them down on small pieces of paper and place the paper inside plastic eggs. Hide these eggs around the place, along with other eggs with candy inside. Ask the kids to collect the eggs, and get them to open their eggs at once at the end of the game.

Spell-Your-Name Easter Egg Hunt

This game works best if only a few people will join the Easter Egg Hunt. Write each letter of every participant’s nickname on an egg, and hide the eggs around the place. The first contestant that can spell his or her name with the eggs wins.

Decorate-Your-Own Egg Hunt

Prepare some paint, brushes, markers, and other decorating materials, and get the contestants to decorate one egg each at the start of your party. After a few hours, when the decorations have dried, ask the contestants to hide their eggs around the place. Then, prompt them to look for each other’s eggs, making sure they can’t get their own egg. The contestant with the most number of eggs gathered wins!

Needle-In-A-Haystack Egg Hunt

Get a small inflatable pool and a lot of plastic eggs. Pick a few eggs, and insert strips of paper indicating the prizes in them–these will be the lucky eggs. Fill the other eggs with candy, popcorn kernels, seeds, or just leave them empty. Then, place all the eggs inside the pool, and give each person a few seconds to find the lucky eggs. The contestants can be blindfolded if you want to make the game more challenging.

Take your Easter celebration to the next level with Nixplay! Get up to 25% off selected smart frames, only until April 21!

Mars Salazar

Marianne is Nixplay’s Web Content Editor. Her hobbies include exploring new places, playing table tennis, and cuddling puppies. Send her a message at marianne.salazar@nixplay.com.