All posts by Anne Younger

Anne is a 30-something full-time SAHM mom of 5 ranging from 3 to 17 and grandma of 1 who resides in Ashwaubenon (Green Bay) Wisconsin. She started blogging in 2008 as a way to regain her sanity. She enjoys coffee, chocolate, cheeseburgers and vodka along with spending time with her husband and kids.
Travel

All Inclusive: Tips and Tricks for Squeezing the Most Value Out of Your Vacation Package

Leave a comment

Taking an all inclusive vacation somewhere, such as Tulum all inclusive resort, can be a brand new experience or old walk in the park for seasoned veterans. They’re special trips indeed and you’re going to want to get the absolute most out of your vacation without missing out on anything. There are certain things you should take into account and know before booking that all inclusive stay.

Bundled Package Basics

One of your first steps of action in booking a trip should be to bundle both airfare and your hotel stay. Bundling a flight with your hotel will assist in cutting costs through a discount on the total room costs. Check and cross reference individual hotel prices to see if you’re in fact getting a deal.

When you’re in the process of booking make sure to book as a group, even if you’ll be paying separately, as one representative of your group should work with the travel agency or website. Once that person has everyone’s credit card information, they’ll be able to process the payment faster and more efficiently.

Don’t pass up on some of the best resort deals you can find. All-inclusive resorts will cater to your group if you have a specific plan of action. That is to say if you’re headed to the Caribbean or island vacation. Look for either single or couple resorts that are catered to adults only or one the features fun for the whole family.

Traveling Assistance

There are all sorts of time to travel; either in peak summer time or around the holidays can be busy. There could be some negative aspects of traveling during these prime times and that should be taken into account when booking a trip.

Some of the great times to go after an all inclusive trip are during the April to beginning of summer months. If you’re looking for a relaxing time without having to contend with crowds of people, this is usually prime time.

All of these basics are important before moving on to the different aspects of an all inclusive compared to a regular vacation. As a great resource online they wrote a guide at UpgradedPoints.com, that assists vacationers with the basics of setting up a trip and all the added perks and potential pitfalls to look out for.

Activities To Do

Checking out what there is to do at a resort is a must. Extensive research will be helpful in determining the entertainment aspects, dining and other things that are included in the package. There are some mega-resorts out there that are like self-contained towns you can stay on the entirety of the trip. Some of the activities they include are embarkations offsite to explore the surrounding areas, usually reserved for tropical or foreign countries. Know all your option so you don’t miss out on some free Yoga classes or boating adventure.

Check out the resources that a resort offers to let you and your party adventure off of the hotel and explore the area. Some of these will include external shuttles or bringing you directly through to the area.

Always make sure to make any dining reservations early as these get booked quickly in the beginning. See if you can take your food to go at any of these buffets and have a feast on the beach or in the comforts of your own hotel room. Don’t be afraid to ask for these types of things, as often they will be provided to you as a part of the deal.

Taking Advantage of Deals

Resorts are committed to giving you the greatest experience you’ve spent your money on and they will go above and beyond to meet your needs. That means they’ll be able to supply kid’s amenities with cribs and toys or a little something extra at the buffet.  The inside of the room is a great place to kick back and relax, order some room service and watch some T.V. if you’re tired out from all the other activities.

Make sure to learn policies with tipping and how all of this factors into the package. The start of a well-done all-inclusive trip begins with you being able to book first a good deal on the hotel and plane trip. Following that if you’ve made a great decision on your hotel then you know you’ll be able to take advantage of different deals spread throughout the place. Hopefully your entire trip will consist of partaking in everything you can.

Kiera Wilkins is a single Mom with three kids ages 10 and under. She writes about family life, budgeting, the struggles of single-parenting and anything else that pops into

new jersey

Romantic Fall Fun

Leave a comment

Fall is a great season to get outside and explore with your surroundings. Just because the weather has cooled off doesn’t mean you need to be cooped up indoors. For me, fall is the perfect time to get in some alone time with my husband and celebrate our wedding anniversary.

New Jersey has plenty to offer everyday visitors and residents so why not get out and explore what is going on? Here are some great ideas to get you out and about this season.

Scenic Drive

Pack up and head out for a beautiful scenic drive to check out the fall foliage. There are plenty of scenic roadways to check out and lots to see along the way. Scenic drives can be a great romantic getaway too!

Winery Weekend

Get away with your significant other for the weekend and head to one of New Jersey’s wineries. New Jersey is home to over 35 wineries and vineyards with most offering wine tasting tours and many different types of special events.

Visit a Bed and Breakfast

The list of bed and breakfast facilities in New Jersey is way too long to list.  Stay at one of the best bed and breakfasts in New Jersey, and enjoy a weekend to remember with your significant other.

Other Great Ideas

Of course, you could just plan a weekend getaway to New Jersey and head out for a romantic dinner for two, a day at the spa, or even go for a hot air balloon ride, the possibilities are endless!

 

Food

Coffee Grinders and Brewers for your Home

Leave a comment

Coffee is being widely used by everyone especially in the mornings before going to the office. Coffee is considered as the necessity of life now because it keeps you energetic and active throughout your day and let you perform your daily tasks very well. To make a coffee is not just a duty it is more than that. To brew a perfect coffee is an art. Coffee Grinders and Brewers will help for this purpose as well. If you want a perfect coffee for yourself to make you feel fresh then it is necessary that the quality of ingredients should be high as well.

It is important that you must the right method to brew a perfect coffee otherwise you have to drink a bad coffee. The most important thing in a coffee is the quality of the beans you get for yourself, in the market, there will be many types of coffee beans available for you but you should only choose the beans of your favorite flavor. A bad coffee bean will surely make a bad coffee. Next thing you must check in your coffee bean is the roast of coffee.

Obviously everyone have different taste for coffee so there are many types of roast available for you in the market, like if you like to have light coffee for yourself in the morning or after you come home from office then there are light roast also available for you if you want to have a dark and strong coffee then for this there are also roast available. Next process is to get a fine quality of Coffee Grinder and Brewers which you can View them here as well. This is the most important process in making a coffee with perfect taste and aroma.

You can find many coffee grinders on the online stores but it is the most serious component in making a perfect coffee. Now there are many grinders where you can select the type of grind you want to have in your coffee unlike the past grinders in which there is only one type of grinding ability and if you want another type of grind then you require another different type of grinder for yourself.

The exact time period to get the fine grinding is at least 20-30 seconds in which you can have a perfect flavor for your coffee. Now the grinders come with the automatic timers, now you do not have to wait for the grinding to be completed. Just put the beans in the grinder and start it up when the time is completed it will stop automatically. In these latest grinders, you can make any type of coffee does not matter whatever it is. Just put the beans and select the option for your type of coffee and grinders will start crushing the beans in the perfect form.

These types of grinders are the examples of modern technology, they work at a very low speed so that there will be very less noise in the grinding process. Even in this much low speed, they work perfectly and they can crush any type of coffee beans. With this perfect style of coffee grinding, you can make a very delicious coffee for yourself and live a healthy life, and have refreshing and energetic days with your favorite coffee.

Home Improvement

Homeowner Flood Strategies: Ways to Keep Your Family Safe When the Water Rises

Leave a comment

Having your house flood can be a traumatic and often times expensive disaster. The problem is that many people — even those who live in flood-prone areas — don’t know what to do in case water starts getting into their house.

But flooding doesn’t just occur from storms and broken water mains. Sometimes, a leak within your home can grow to disastrous proportions if left unchecked. However water may get into your home, don’t let it cause more damage than it needs to. Plumbers in Perth can help you look for possible leaks, but if you find water getting into your home, remember these important things:

Find and Stop the Leak

Your first priority when there’s water getting into your home should be to stop it. If the flooding is caused by a natural disaster, then you may not be able to stop the rising waters, but if a pipe bursts then you should be able to locate the problem very quickly.

Never risk your personal safety, however. If an area is filled with water or there are potential problems with electricity, call a professional and stay as far away from the area as possible. If it’s safe, locate the shut off valve that will stop the water. There is a valve located near the front of most homes that will shut of water to the entire house, so if you can’t find the localized valves, find that one quickly.

If the valves have round handles, then turn them anticlockwise to stop the flow. If the handle is a lever, then push it so it is perpendicular to the pipe. Once the water has stopped, you can asses the damage more closely. Just be careful of slippery surfaces.

Look at the Damage

Hopefully you can stop the leak before it causes too much damage. If it was a natural flood, you may have a lot of damage to look for, like cracks in your foundation or other structural damage, so you should call a professional to help you.

A localized flood like a burst pipe can cause a lot of damage too, but typically not structural damage. In this case, you are likely to have floors that will need replacing — especially if the water sits on it for an extended period of time. If the water is not naturally receding, use absorbent cloths around the edges of the flood to begin sopping up as much as you can. Mops and buckets can also move a good amount of water out of the area.

If at anytime you suspect that there could be danger, stop what you are doing and leave. Slips, cuts and even electrical shocks can happen after a flood, so be careful.

What Color is the Water?

Once you’ve stopped the leak, make sure to look closely at the water, because depending on the source of the flooding, the water can be very harmful.

If the water is clear then you are probably safe, especially if the source of flooding came from within your home. This is all fresh water and there should be no cause for alarm.

During a storm or a broken water main, however, the flood waters can be dangerous to you and your family. Ranging from brown dark black, flood waters of this nature should be avoided at all costs. It is highly contaminated with harmful agents from sewers and untreated water supplies that can make you very sick. Under no circumstances should you attempt to handle this situation on your own: call a professional immediately.

Clean Up

Cleaning up after a flood can be a daunting task, but it is necessary that you clean everything as thoroughly as possible. Water can get into places through the smallest openings, so if you aren’t careful, you could find water weeks or even months later.

Once the flood waters recede, mold will start growing fairly quickly, especially on materials like carpeting and carpeting pads. Do your best to sop up all of the water from these places and use fans to dry them. Mold can make people very sick, especially after long exposure that can result from unchecked growth after flooding.

Water can also damage wood, so check out any dry-walled areas that cover up wooden beams that may have gotten wet. Water damage can cause mold and structural problems.

Hopefully, you’ll never have to deal with flood damage, but if you find the waters rising in or around your house, remember these important things.

Olly and his team at WA Asset Plumbing and Gas as a professional, experienced team that cares about the quality of their work and taking care of their customers!

Halloween

Trick or Treat in Style with Halloween Costumes from Oriental Trading

Leave a comment

Shopping for Halloween costumes with a group of kids in tow has never been a pleasant experience for me. I’ll admit, I gave up on taking the kids costume shopping years ago and resorted to ordering whatever they wanted, online, because it just made the entire process easier for me. I have also spent gobs of money on costumes, until this year.

This year we told the kids their costumes had to be something other than their favorite cartoon characters. When you have a kid who has been a Power Ranger (a different one each time) every year for the last 6 years, it is time to make some rules.

Thanks to our friends at Oriental Trading Company, the kids are all set for Halloween with some fabulously affordable costumes!

Great Online Selection for Everyone

Oriental Trading has a huge selection of costumes so you can shop for the entire family at once.  The other thing that makes shopping for costumes at Oriental Trading so great is that they are affordable too!

Picking out costumes was so easy this year. Before we started looking, I told the kids we were not spending more than $25 a costume and not only did we keep it under the limit, they each found a costume they loved and had to have.

Deluxe White Ninja Boys Halloween Costume with ninja sword (sword sold separately)

Girl’s Witch Costume

Red Crayola Crayon Halloween Costume for Toddler

Honestly, I couldn’t be happier with their choices or with the costumes overall. Each costume is durable and seems very well made. I also ordered them a little bigger to make sure there is room underneath them for warm clothes since we live in Wisconsin and it cold be freezing on Halloween. I also like to make sure that they can enjoy their costumes well past Halloween and have fun dressing up.

Joey is more than in love with his costume. He really is the happiest and brightest crayon in the box!

He loves his costume so much that it is hard to get him to take it off…….

At the grocery store.

If you are still on the hunt for a costume for yourself, the whole family, the kids, or even your pet, be sure to check out the selection of Halloween Costumes at Oriental Trading.