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.
Now is the time to get rewarded just for taking the car you are considering for a test drive!
That’s right, head to East Hills Subaru in Roslyn, NY and you will be rewarded with a $25 Prepaid Reward Card when you take the car you are looking at buying for a test drive.
Customers Love East Hills Subaru
Customers love East Hills Subaru because they have a large selection of new and pre-owned vehicles, have on-site financing ‘gurus’, on-site service and maintenance, parts, and stellar customer service.
What is the Subaru Love Promise?
Subaru and its retailers believe in making the world a better place and the Subaru Love Promise is their vision of respecting all people. This is their commitment to show love and respect to their customers and to work to make a positive impact in the world.
From beginning to end, East Hills Subaru is by your side. If you’re interested in any one of the number of products or services they have to offer, simply stop by and see them today. Located at 1039 Northern Blvd Roslyn, New York.
I grew up watching the legends of NASCAR race around the track with my dad. Nothing was better then sitting in front of the TV, cheering on the legendary Dale Earnhardt (our favorite). I remember sitting there, with my eyes locked on the number 3 car as it went around the track. I have so many great memories.
Of course, when I became a mom, my kids became NASCAR fans at birth. What is really great for my younger kids is that NASCAR makes it easy for kids to learn about NASCAR drivers, tracks and more on the Acceleration Nation website and app.
NASCAR Acceleration Nation is a fun, entertaining and educational way for kids to learn about NASCAR! Kids can learn about the science of speed and more through videos on the website and app.
Kids 12 and under are FREE to all NASCAR XFINITY & Camping World Truck races.
Win!
Don’t miss out on this amazing NASCAR giveaway! 1st prize of $400, 2nd of $150, and 3rd of $75 of NASCAR gift cards. Open to residents of US & Canada, and ends Sept 8th, 2017. The contest is open to US and Canada only. 18 and over.
NASCAR® and its marks, including NASCAR Acceleration NationTM, are trademarks of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Does your home showcase a great first impression to your family, friends, and visitors? Do you smile proudly when you arrive home? If not, discover five ways you can increase your home’s street appeal.
Dress Up Your Home’s Exterior
A fresh coat of paint or repairs to siding gives your home a renewed appeal. Don’t forget to paint the trim, too. Adding a small amount of stone veneer gives a luxurious touch.
Check your gutters and downspouts, too. Keeping them clean and replacing any broken pieces will lengthen their lifespans. Often these elements need minor repairs to keep them looking new and functioning well.
Create a Grand Entry
Your front door should be a focal point of your home’s entry. Dress it up with a fresh coat of paint. You could choose to highlight your entryway with a contrasting color on the door. Alternatively, replace it with a designer door, perhaps wood with trim.
Replace the hardware and decor at your entryway. Doorknobs, door knockers, and house numbers in matching designs and colors are more attractive than missing or mismatched ones.
Entryway lighting should welcome your visitors. Adding light fixtures not only offers safety when approaching the door, but it also creates a warm welcome.
Work on Landscaping and Outdoor Decor
A well-kept lawn with trimmed shrubs creates a delightful ambiance for an entire home. A flower garden, however small, adds color and texture, but keep up with the weeding. Using mulch around shrubs and plants adds contrast and keeps areas neat.
Natural-appearing elements — such as an arbor, garden gates, or perhaps small fence panels — add interest and design to your home’s street appeal. To make your front yard appear larger, add a low fence at the front.
You may also want to add a birdbath, wind chimes, or a statue. A water fountain or a small backyard pond can give a rich feel with a natural touch.
Maintain Driveway Appeal
Often the first object visitors see as they approach your home is your driveway. Cracked pavement with grass tufts shooting through gives an unkempt appearance.
Adding will create a luxury impression from the moment your visitors arrive. In addition to the beauty itself, a paved driveway offers a lasting surface with great street appeal.
Create a Paved Walkway
Like your driveway, your walkway needs to be a strong character reference for your home. Create a smooth walk of gravel, stepping-stones, custom-designed interlocking pavers, or cement. Low lighting along the sides provides safety lights that double as decor enhancement.
Achieve a creative look by tying the driveway pavement to that of the walkway. Continue the look at the front door with a paved or painted step.
Complete the Total Picture
You can greatly improve your home’s appearance with a few enhancements. A great street appeal offers a good impression your family and friends will enjoy. Moreover, it adds to the value of your home.
Many parents want to keep their children safe, but they don’t want to go overboard and completely restrict their children’s freedom. Improving security is a fine line between doing enough and going too far, a matter of finding the right balance and doing what makes the most sense. Explore the following three ideas to consider enacting to help improve your home’s security.
Install Smart Lights and Cameras
Sometimes, you may not be near where the kids play because you’re running an errand or you’re visiting a neighbor’s home down the street. When they are older, you can leave your kids alone for a short time, but you may find that you’ve stayed away longer than you expected. Children don’t always think about turning on lights as the sun sets and dusk settles.
Smart lights connect to your home’s Wi-Fi network, giving you the ability to turn on the lights wherever you are. A camera lets you check in remotely to make sure the lights are on, the kids are where you left them, and no one is around your home who shouldn’t be there.
The best part of this arrangement is that turning on the lights gives your kids an alert that you’re watching even though you’re not home. You can give them a bit of security knowing that mom or dad is checking in even though they may not realize you’re monitoring them.
Get to Know Your Neighbors
Today’s lifestyle has people coming home at night and not going back out to visit with their neighbors. It’s far easier to come home, turn on the TV or computer, and not bother with socializing further. However, you miss out on the chance to learn about your neighbors and open up lines of communication. If your neighbors know who you and your kids are, they’re far more likely to keep an eye out for you and your family. In the event your children have an emergency and you aren’t home, they will know which neighbors they can go to for help.
It’s better to get to know your neighbors and build bridges within your community than ignore them. You never know who will step in and give you help when you need it most.
Install a Fence
“Good fences make good neighbors.” The observation comes from Robert Frost who felt that fences were necessary to keep livestock from getting onto other people’s properties. While your kids aren’t livestock, they may not always pay attention to where they’re at, and they could wind up trespassing on someone’s property.
Before you have to deal with issues flaring up with bad neighbors, installing a fence in your yard is a reasonable solution for you and your children. You don’t have to worry about them wandering, your neighbors don’t have to deal with unwanted people on their properties, and your kids can stay safe.
The above ideas offer ways you can improve your home security without going overboard. Use common sense, talk to your kids, and do what you can to protect them from harm.
A move to a more spacious place is usually a welcomed problem. Once finances are in order, moms and dads adore the opportunity to make a larger home their very own. Here’s how to identify whether it’s your time to move.
The Kids Sleep Together
Some couples save room and money by having brothers or sisters share a room. It’s especially cute when having twins. It’s even advantageous when an older brother can lend advice to a younger brother or an older sister can show her younger sibling how to maintain long hair. A third sibling, however, makes things crowded. It’s tough to pull off a three-child bedroom unless you want the young occupants to feel cramped and grow weary of one another.
The Infants are Getting Bigger
Infants are demanding but in a different way than children aged two and above. Once your children get older and become able to crawl, walk, run, etc, it’s time to find a larger area. What you thought was a cozy two-bedroom nook can start to look rather confining if you have one or more children aged two and over. Even those with a small basement, yard, or nearby outdoor park feel the need to gain space once the kids get older, bigger, and faster.
The Time to Invest in the Future
Buying a larger home is an investment. A growing family is one that needs a mom and dad to begin to invest in the future. That means thinking far into the future when the kids will want cars, to go to universities and furniture for first apartments. It’s time for making sound investments and smart money decisions versus living out of pocket or relying on immediate income alone. Seek online resources or personal counseling from a bank or financial advisor.
The Nearby Traffic is Growing
Often, couples meet in urban settings flooded with young singles. After some time, the couple moves in together, gets married, and has children, though of course not necessarily quite in that order. It’s a likely story for many but urban settings are not always best for having children. Couples that loved going to bars and clubs 10 years ago now prefer better school systems and a number of parks with swing sets. Also, urban populations grow over time, which means added traffic and danger for little ones. For many couples, an aging child or children often means finding safer suburban or rural settings.
The Best Schools
In some cases, the best schools are public and free but require parents to live in particular area codes. The thought of capitalizing on great school systems is enough for some to move to a new and larger area that has premier elementary, middle, and high schools. Competitive colleges notice top area codes throughout the country. For a talented young person, the right high school is a gateway to getting into the best colleges. Seek government data along with online stats providing the best school systems in the nation.
Your Career Has Taken Stride
Young professionals are faced with huge debt and limited jobs. Those who get great positions, however, hit a stride in their late twenties and early thirties. As long as you didn’t make really poor financial decisions in previous years, you may be in a great position to make a present home purchase. If you find you have more money in the bank, don’t start spending on takeout, designer shoes, or short yet expensive vacations. Move your family to a larger home and make each day a vacation. Contact quality home movers for competitive, state-to-state prices.
The Gang’s All There
You may have friends with kids who are a bit older. As with your current circumstances, your friends chose to move to different area codes that could accommodate a growing family. Not to incite feelings of ‘doing as your friends do,’ but there’s nothing wrong with the thought of living in a larger home surrounded by friends who have children of the same age living just down the road. As long as the move is affordable, it makes sense to want a larger home in an area filled with friendly faces.
