Q: You should have safety goggles and protective footwear on. The footwear should also have a rubberized sole to minimize the risk of slipping on wet surfaces. You may want to wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt to protect your limbs from flying dirt and debris. Fill a gas power washer with engine oil and gasoline. Hold the start grip and pull to start the engine. Plug an electric power washer into a properly grounded outlet. Turn on the water supply before turning on the pressure washer to avoid damaging the pump. Certain tips may be required when using detergent. Make sure you read the manufacturer's instructions carefully.
A: Wear appropriate safety attire. Protect plants and breakable objects by moving them out of the way or covering them. Get the power washer ready for use. Connect a garden hose to the pressure washer water inlet. Fill the reservoir or a bucket (on a siphon system) with a detergent solution if you want extra cleaning power. Attach the proper spray tip to the nozzle.

Article: Even if you're considering a teenager as a babysitter, they should be able to whip up a quick list of references that includes previous clients or people who can vouch for their character. Ask for a list of at least 3 such people, and call them directly to confirm their recommendation. It's best for your child's safety if any babysitter you use has CPR certification and first aid training. If you've found an otherwise great babysitter who doesn't have this kind of specific training, you might consider investing in the training for them especially if you envision them becoming a long-term sitter for your family. Invite them over for an "interview" at a specific time (e.g., 6 o'clock) and see if they arrive on-time or even a little early. This is always a good sign! Also evaluate whether they seem prepared to discuss the job with you, and whether they seem excited about it. Sit down with the candidate and run through a list of questions you've prepared beforehand. Evaluate not only the content of their answers, but also their demeanor and comfort level. Ask things like: What is it that you enjoy about caring for children? How many other families have you babysat for? What would you do if my child was choking? Could you stay later than scheduled if we're running behind? Check out a detailed list of potential questions at https://www.sittercity.com/parents/find-child-care/babysitter-interview-checklist. If you'd like to take the next step beyond contacting references and asking detailed interview questions, you can typically check things like driving records, court records, and sex offender registries for free. To do so, you'll usually need to contact the relevant government authorities (or check their websites) where you live. You can also pay to have third-party companies do more thorough background checks for you. You must get the person's written consent, however, before you do a background check on them. Your safest bet is to draw up a "Consent to Background and Reference Check" -- you can find free templates for these online. Give them at least 15-30 minutes to "hang out" with your child/children to get a feel for how their personalities mesh. Even better, set up a 1-2 hour "observation session" in which they babysit while you're still in the house and occasionally checking in. Offer to pay for this observation session, like you would for a typical babysitting gig. Your kids shouldn't have the final say on their babysitter, but that doesn't mean you should completely ignore their opinions. Ask them if they liked the person, if they had a good time together, and what specific things they did together. You might want to use your kids' opinions as the "tiebreaker" between two equally-viable candidates, for instance. Go over your house rules, the specific expectations for the job meals, cleanup, bedtime, etc. and the typical times when you'll require their services. Take it as a positive sign if they ask questions and are eager to learn more about how things work in your home. Babysitting rates will vary widely based on factors like where you live, the number of kids you have, and the age and experience level of the sitter. A good general pay range is between $10-$15 USD per hour, though. Ask friends and neighbors how much they pay their babysitters. At the end of the day, you know your kid(s), your home, and your family's needs the best. So if an otherwise qualified sitter just doesn't "feel" right, you're probably right to trust your gut and consider a different candidate. It's great to give people a chance to prove themselves, but letting them do so while caring for your children isn't the best scenario.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Ask for and check their references. Find out if they have emergency training. Take note if they're on-time and seem prepared. Interview them by asking relevant questions. Take additional, more thorough background check measures. Let them interact with your kid(s). Get feedback from your kid(s). Set clear ground rules and evaluate their response. Compare their pay demands to the going rate in your area. Trust your instincts.

Q: Research in the field of positive psychology indicates a direct correlation between being thankful appreciation, or gratitude, and happiness. Increasingly, gratitude is shown to have a beneficial impact on physical health as well. People who practice gratitude have lower blood pressure, stronger immune systems, and feel more connected to others. Making a list of things that you are grateful for, no matter how large or small, is one way that people actively cultivate gratitude in their daily lives. Some people keep a gratitude journal, following the old adage to "count your blessings." Others include a list of things that they're thankful for in daily prayers or meditations. Posting photos, images, or written reminders of gratitude around your home is another way to remind yourself to be thankful. Positive psychology studies demonstrate that the act of expressing gratitude for other people's efforts has been directly linked to living a better life. Thank you notes can be written for any occasion, large or small. A thank you note can be no larger than a emoji, or can be a written letter detailing a major event in one's life. Sometimes people are no longer present in your life. A suggested practice of gratitude is to write a letter thanking them for their positive influence on your life. While you may never be able to mail this letter, the act of writing it will directly benefit you. Gratitude is a discipline, and must be practiced to be effective. Simply relying upon gratitude to arise spontaneously when events are pleasing is easy. To develop a practice of gratitude, one must develop the ability to find thankfulness in everyday affairs. You might set an alarm to call you to be grateful at random intervals throughout your day. When the alarm goes off, simply ask yourself: what am I grateful for, right now, this moment? If you notice that you're having a thought that is resentful or complaining, try replacing that thought with one of gratefulness. For example, when caught in a traffic jam, replace the anxiety about being late to your next engagement with an observation about the seasonal beauty. After all, you might have missed that beautiful fall tree color if you'd been driving at the normal speed!
A:
Make a gratitude list. Send a thank-you note. Set reminders to be thankful.