We had a great day today. We decided to get out of the house while we can before winter gets here, and go to the park. There is a couple of baseball diamonds there and we played ball with the kids for hours. The little guy got to go play for a little while on the playground as well. We did lose one ball over the back fence. As we were in the back field that butted up to the woods, we had to go search for it and found a ton of baseballs as well as a couple of softballs. Some had apparently been there for a long time and were about ruined, but the kids were happy to find them anyway. They will play with them with the dog and that way he won’t get their good baseballs and tear them up. It was a great day.
What’s your favorite chip?
My favorite is Munchos potato chips. I am completely and totally addicted to them. Which is probably why I have such a hard time losing weight. My kids have their own particular favorites and I usually buy a bag per person. One son loves Dill Pickle Chips, the other likes Salt and Vinegar or Funions. The others in the house will eat just about anything, but if I don’t buy them each their own bag, they will get into mine and “nope” that is not happening. lol
I know, this is a stupid conversation, but I am bored. =)
Real Estate is more than selling houses.
Real estate is about more than just selling houses. It is about community and a better life for everyone who lives within it. Being a real estate agent takes dedication to that community, not just making money. As agents, we live within the communities where we work and building it up is as important for our own families as it is for those who have less than we do. It is an investment in our town, our neighbors and our families.
New agents must make a name for themselves and there are ways to do that and help people at the same time. Joining clubs and organizations can not only help build your business, but will also help build your reputation as a community leader. If you only join to help you make money though, people will be able to tell, so you have to mean it. Join something that actually means something to you.
Here is a list of organizations for those agents who wish to help out.
- Boys and Girls club
- Boy Scouts or Girl scouts
- Coaching team sports
- Historical society
- Board of Realtors
- Local politics
- American Legion
- American Veterans
- Red Cross
- Crisis centers
- Knights of Columbus
- Volunteer for hospitals, fire stations, food banks, Food kitchens or even toy and food drives
All of these and many more are great ways to give back to your community and make connections at the same time. ZMG Construction is a perfect example of giving back to the community. They are involved in several organizations, like AMI Kids, which helps troubled youths, as well as the Boy Scouts of America. From Crime Stoppers to CECO, an education center for disabled children, ZMG leads by example. It is precisely this kind of giving back that makes for a really good company. Some of these organizations can be a lot of fun and everyone needs a little bit of fun in their lives. Enjoy the experience and make new friends.
Helping your community to be more sustainable is also a great way to give back. After all, you live there too and want to make sure that it is preserved for future generations. You can suggest ways for your clients to “green their home” and make it more attractive to buyers. Upgrading outdated appliances is a great way to start, as well as “heat as you go” water heating system. If they are going to replace a floor before selling, suggest that they use bamboo for a wood floor. Bamboo is much more sustainable than regular wood as it grows much faster than trees.
No matter what way you decide to join in, make a difference. People will notice that and your business will see the difference as well with more referrals. You will feel good about what you are doing and be successful at the same time. Your reputation will grow and people will know that you have roots in your community as well as a deep feeling of responsibility for it.
Everyone loves music
Everyone loves music, but children are especially drawn to it. They love to dance and sing and do it often and loudly. If you have children, you already know this. They start with the lullabyes we sing them and move on to the preschool songs we play them and that they hear on preschool TV shows like Jacks Big Music show and the Wiggles are excellent examples.
Encouraging music in your children will help them developmentally. Children who play and sing regularly are more inclined to do better in school. They read better, are better at math and science and generally get along better with other children. They are much more likely to go to college as well.
As a parent we begin teaching our children long before they ever reach a classroom. We teach them their first language and many times their second one as well in multilingual households. Giving them a wide variety of musical genres is great for them. Whether you are playing music in the car or as you clean your house, they watch, listen and learn from everything you do. Having them take music classes at some point in their childhood is a phenomenal way to assure that they will be successful in life as musically oriented children tend to make better life choices later on.
When you choose and instrument for your child, take them to a music store with instructors and let the kids play with a few instruments to see what they like the most. This will let you know exactly where their interests lie and just what they can actually handle at their given age. There are certain instruments that will be too heavy for them, or for their small hands to handle. Also, there are a lot of instruments that have “child size” for those little guys to actually be able to learn on and play with proficiency. Violins are a perfect example of that. They come in really small sizes that are perfect for little fingers to play.
The violin is not easy to learn though. At least not as easy as learning the guitar, because drawing the bow across the strings is more difficult than plucking or strumming the strings is. Piano is a common instrument for children to begin learning to play, however if you don’t have one at home and can’t afford to buy one for them to practice on, you probably should choose something else. Learning to play an instrument requires lots and LOTS of practice.
Most schools have music class and usually the children learn how to play the recorder at some point, but it is not the same as private lessons. They do not get the one on one attention in a school classroom as they do from a private instructor. Add to that the music teachers in the school do not teach a variety of instruments either. It is very basic and only teaches them about music in general. Bear this in mind when you make your decision on whether or not to have them take lessons.
Peace of mine
Peace of mind is the first thing every parent and homeowner wants. Whether it is knowing that the toys your child plays with are safe, or that your home is protected against mishaps, you don’t want to stress over these things. Toy safety is relatively easy to assess.
- Buy age appropriate toys for your children
- Make sure there are no small parts that can be a choking hazard to the smaller children.
- Make sure the toys are well made (cheap toys break and can harm your child)
- Never buy toys with lead paint as they are a health hazard.
- Electrical toys that plug in should not be bought for children under 8 years of age to prevent burns
- Toys with strings, cords or straps are a strangle danger and should be rigorously avoided.
- Always throw away packaging as soon as the toy has been opened.
These rules are basic parenting knowledge, but what about your home? How do you protect your home and your family from the many disasters that can happen? Homeowners insurance is the answer. Many mortgage companies and banks require homeowners insurance when you buy the house. Finding a good insurance company that suits your needs and doesn’t completely empty your wallet can be daunting. homeownersinsurance.com is one way to find what you are looking for the easy way, but why should you buy insurance besides needing it for the banks approval? That is easy…
- Peace of mind
- Protection for losses due to robbery
- Protection from natural disasters, which also covers you if you cannot live in the home while it is being repaired. (will pay for hotels and living expenses)
- It will protect the equity in your home should something happen to it
- Protects you from lawsuits and will pay medical bills in the case that someone is injured on your property
- Replaces personal possessions lost due to disaster or theft
All of these reasons are rolled up into one big, “I don’t have to worry” ball and your stress level will definitely come down a few notches. Make sure to study your policy carefully so that you know what your home is covered for and what it is not. You will be surprised to know what your policy covers, such as spoiled food in your refrigerator should your electricity go out. This is standard with policies. Your child’s belongings while they live in a dormitory on a college campus is also covered.
One of the things that is NOT covered in a regular policy is flood insurance. You have to buy a separate policy to cover flood damage. Nor will it pay for earthquake damage or jewelry past a certain amount. These are separate and should be taken into account depending on where you live as far as earthquakes go, and how much your jewelry is worth. If you need these types of policies, you will need to add them to your existing one or buy it separate, so make sure you are in the know.
School project
Some school projects are a lot of fun and some, not so much. Today we have to work on the boy’s science project and it isn’t even an interesting one. It is more of a report and less of an actual project. Oh I know that they can’t all be fun, but when it comes to science, they should be. It engages the children’s imagination and allows for more critical thinking that way. Not to worry though, it will be done and it will be good, but it will be very very boring.
She finally picked one
Well she finally picked a novation for her keyboard. I didn’t think she was ever going to figure out what she wanted. Oh wait, I am talking about my daughter, who has the most difficult time making up her mind about anything. Trying to buy her stuff is such a pain because she insists on picking everything out herself and then takes ten years to do it. Well not exactly ten, but you get the picture.
Interesting
I was looking through the site to price the kids instruments for this year and found this. It is a korg ms-20 mini. I have no clue what it does, but seriously there are way too many knobs on it. How to people come up with stuff like that? What could you possibly need that many knobs and ports for on a “mini”. I don’t know, but I am guessing that my kids might.
Child Custody
When our friends or family have problems and end up in divorce court, it is always good to remind them that the children are the most important part of their lives and they need to work together to make it as easy as possible on the kids. Hiring a Child Custody Lawyer Atlanta who specializes in this field is always best for the family. They are able to mediate and keep both parties calm and working together for their mutual benefit.
It is to be hoped that people think twice before they take the drastic step of getting a divorce. Sometimes, Family Law can see that you get counseling to be sure that you cannot work your problems out before you take that final step. Counseling is definitely required for parents to help them, help their children deal with the divorce. My cousin had to go through it when she and her husband divorced and she was really happy that she did. It made things much easier for her to deal with and she was able to figure out how to answer her children’s questions. That is not always easy to do. It is hard for people without children to divorce, but for families it is so much more difficult.
Late breakfast
Well we slept in today and just finished breakfast. Now it is time for me to get some work done, that is if the kids allow me to. They have a bad habit of interrupting me and that makes it very difficult to write. One part of me will be sorry to see the summer end, but the other part is glad that the kids will be back on school soon. I have probably mentioned that before…lol