How to Secure Your Home While You Are Away

April 30, 2018 By Anne

As a career woman, chances are there will durations during which you are not at home due to work assignments or vacation. Even if you are a work-at-home mom there will be times when you have to leave the house for social functions, holidays and to get some supplies.

While a doorbell helps control the access into your house when you are there, most of them, even the wireless door bells that can be upgraded into a full home security system with motion sensors – see Wireless Doorbell Reviews for more – needs some reinforcement when it comes to unauthorized access when you are not at home. The best they can do is trigger the alarm.

Nonetheless, you need to keep your home and property secure even while you are away for a short period of time.

There is therefore the need to secure your home while you are away. Follow the tips below to keep your house safe while you are away. Here ways to protect your home while away.

Lock the house and carry the key

It’s surprising the number of people who forget to lock the house when leaving. Some even intentionally leave the doors open especially when going to run errands that may take a few hours.

This is dangerous since thieves may take advantage of the easy entry you have accorded them to quickly steal your valuables and leave before you return. The alarm system won’t even go off.

Secure all the doors and windows to your house when leaving, even if it’s for a few hours. If you will be away for a long duration then consider getting a pickproof padlock and reinforce the entry points into your house.

More importantly, don’t hide your spare keys outside the house. Underneath a rock or the mail box are not secure places to leave your keys.

If someone will need to access the house while you are away, give them a spare key or leave it with a trusted neighbour.

Know your neighbours

Know your neighbours and have a good rapport with them. If they are trustworthy, let them know you will be away for a certain period of time and request them to watch over your house during your absence.

They will keep an eye over your property and notify you and/or the police should the notice suspicious activity or persons near your house.

Also, if you can, have some stay in your house while you are away. An occupied house acts as deterrence to most opportunistic burglars.

Don’t advertise your absence

If you must share your vacation pictures on social media then do so after you return. Sharing your travel plans and holiday pics notifies people of your absence and criminals may take advantage of this to raid your home.

Install a home security system

Clear any bushes and shrubs inside and around your home where burglars may hide. Look into alarms like, Verisure. It is also important that your home is well lit with CCTV cameras installed to monitor and record any happenings outside your house and an alarm system to alert you and the security agencies in case of a break in.

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

Wyndham Orlando Resort

April 30, 2018 By Anne

Orlando is not just for families. You can still go kid free and have a lot of fun!

Wyndham Orlando Resort invited me to stay over for the weekend last month. They included 2 tickets to I Drive 360 home of the Coca Cola Orlando Eye!

I took a friend and we headed over after work on a Friday. We are about 2.5 hours away so we arrived around 8pm. The check in staff was very friendly and the process was super easy. We went up to our room and found a wonderful surprise. There were cookies and milk waiting for us. Yumm!

The room was very spacious. We were given the Family Fun Suite. So we had a king sized bed and then off to the side were bunk beds. The bathroom was a nice size with a tub. There was even a big bean bag chair for kids. The room had wood floors which I loved! I’m not a fan of carpet in hotel rooms. Overall the room was awesome. I loved the spacious feel it had. Not cramped like some rooms are.

I want to note that had I brought kids I may have been disappointed as the bunk bed area had no door attached. So everyone was kind of in the same room. Although there was quite a bit of space in between.

All of the Orlando Wyndham Resort rooms feature; BeWell bedding, plush pillow-top mattresses, and feather pillows, 40-inch flat screen TVs with on-demand movies, Spacious work desks, Wolfgang Puck® Coffee makers, Blue Harmony™ bath amenities, Mini refrigerators, Massaging showerheads and Laptop compatible safe. They are pet- friendly and smoke free as well! Yeah!

There are two pools to choose from. Unfortunately it was a bit chilly so we did not go swimming. The fitness center is open 24 hours a day and includes a sauna.

You don’t have to drive anywhere! We never once got into our car except to go home. After we settled into the room, we took a walk around the hotel and a couple neighboring streets. Everything is within walking distance. I mean everything! Saturday we walked over to Denny’s for breakfast. They were busy but the wait was quick. We then just walked around a bit more. There is dining, shopping and attractions right there at your fingertips.

We headed over to the I-Drive 360 entertainment district which includes the Coca-Cola Orlando Eye, Madame Tussauds and SEA LIFE. Along with the 3 main attractions there is also dining and shopping near by. We headed to the SEA LIFE Aquarime first as I was a bit hesitant to ride the Orlando Eye. I was pleasetly surprised at how much there was to see and do at SEA LIFE. We then headed over to the Orlando Eye. The ferris wheel never stops. It goes slow enough that you can walk into your pod as it’s moving. I was a bit nervous going up but I really enjoyed the view.

After another break in the room to rest, we headed out again and had dinner at Kobe Japanese Steak House. We then went headed to a local karokee bar.

We really had a wonderful time and I highly recommend this little section of Orlando and the Wyndham Resort.

Save 30% off their Best Available Rate with NO minimum nights required! Check it out here.

Anne

4 Critical Tips To Prepare Your Kids For Your RV Trip

March 27, 2018 By Anne

Photo Credit

As a mother, even if you’re looking forward to your next family RV road or camping trip, you’re most certainly not looking forward to preparing for that trip. And as the mom of the family, the bulk of the preparation may fall on you.

Here are four critical tips to prepare your kids for your RV trip:

1 – Have Them Pack One Bag Each

RV’s may come loaded with lots of storage space, but that doesn’t mean that space is limitless. Here’s a word of advice: give each of your kids a backpack, and tell them that they can bring whatever they want. But there’s just one condition: everything they bring has to be able to fit in that backpack. This will be one of the best things you can do to help save space.

2 – Bring Your Tablet

If you’ve got a long way to go to your planned destination, chances are pretty good that your kids are going to get bored along the way. To this end, keep your tablet(s) fully charged before the trip so they can keep themselves entertained during the long drive. Have games and movies ready to go, and plan your trip accordingly so you can re-charge the devices during stops.

3 – Brace Yourself For Rainy Days

Even if the weather forecast is bright and sunny for the week of your RV vacation, you must still prepare yourself for a rainy day.

To this end, bring proper rain gear and a variety of indoor games and activities to keep your kids entertained while it’s raining outside. Sticker books, card games, crafts, crayons and paper, and so on will be the usual suspects. At the same time, only you know your kids, so bring what yu think is appropriate.

4 – Give Your Kids Responsibilities

Even though preparing for an RV trip is likely going to be stressful for you, it will be the direct opposite for your kids. Not only will they be excited at the thought of the future trip, they can also have fun helping you get ready for it to.

This is why you will want to keep them involved in the planning process somehow, and the best way to do this is ultimately to give them responsibilities such as giving them tasks to do before and during the trip, going shopping for food with them (and allowing them to pick food items), and sitting down around the dinner table to plan out the trip together as a family.

Also ask your kids for their input on places they would like to visit the most, and they should be more than willing to tell you want they think.

Getting Ready For Your RV Trip

What’s important to remember when preparing for your RV trip is to keep your kids fully involved in the process with what you pack, what you eat, what you’ll do, and so on.

Anne

4 Money Saving Tips for Your Next Trip to Mykonos

January 17, 2018 By Anne

There is a big misconception about the Greek island of Mykonos. Many travellers believe that traveling to Mykonos, or other Greek islands and destinations, is expensive. The island does offer a lot of luxury amenities, allowing you to enjoy the best of Mykonos is style and comfort. That said, you can also travel to Mykonos on a budget.

You can plan the trip better and do things a certain way to keep your trip to Mykonos within budget. Traveling on a budget doesn’t mean skimping or sacrificing a few conveniences either. To help you get started, here are four tips that will help you save money on your next trip to Mykonos.

Travel Off-Season

As one of the most popular package holiday destinations in the world, Mykonos can be very crowded during the high season. Thousands of travellers visit the island every day. Beaches are crowded and you will see a steep increase in hotel prices and transportation costs.

You can avoid that steep increase by traveling offseason. You don’t have to share the beaches and holiday attractions with as many tourists, which means you can enjoy the island better. You will also be able to enjoy a more relaxed ambience rather than a fast-paced one.

To make it even better, you can still sample the perfect weather of Mykonos, even when you’re traveling off-season. The period between May and June is the best time to be on the island without paying double the prices.

Book Mykonos Villas

There is no shortage of hotels on the island. You can find a hotel regardless of your travel budget, including 2-star budget accommodations and holiday rentals. To get the full experience from your trip, it’s advised to stay at luxury villas in mykonos. With this in mind, they aren’t cheap, however, if you book in advance or do thorough research you can find one that won’t break the bank.

Villas come with extra amenities that you will not get from hotels. The addition of a kitchen and a swimming pool, for example, will certainly make your stay more enjoyable; the kitchen will also allow you to prepare meals more conveniently, allowing you to save even more.

There are discounts and special offers on Mykonos villas and you can now book the villa of your choice online just as easily. You can save more on your accommodation when you’re traveling with friends.

Know Where to Eat

Knowing where and what to eat will make a big difference. Most restaurants with a view charge more for their foods and drinks; what you’re really paying for is the view those restaurants provide and not necessarily better, more delicious meals.

Aside from restaurants and bars, you can also save by opting for street snacks. Here’s another secret that will help you save a lot of money on your next trip to Mykonos: gyros. Gyros are only a few Euros, but it is more than enough to keep you full for the day.

Travel Overnight

One of the things you can do when visiting Mykonos is visiting other Greek islands in the area. You can also visit mainland Greece and spend a few days there. The only problem is that the inter-island ferries can be expensive, particularly when you buy your tickets on the spot.

Book your ferries early and you can take advantage of the lower prices; you can book online, so getting tickets and enjoying discounts of up to 25% is indeed very easy to do. Compare schedules and you will also notice that traveling overnight is much, MUCH cheaper.

These are four tips you can use without a problem, but they are tips that will help you save a lot on your next trip to Mykonos. Since you don’t have to sacrifice comfort or convenience to save money, there is no reason why you shouldn’t use these tips and have a blast.

Anne

Four Ways to Have a Family Fun Blast in Miami

January 15, 2018 By Anne

Four Ways to Have a Family Fun Blast in Miami

There isn’t any question that Miami would be a family-friendly vacation as it gets 3,200 hours of sunshine every year. It is a southern state, and the winters are also pretty mild. All you have to do is rent an RV, park by the beach and have a sandy blast. If you’re looking for other family-friendly fun ideas in Miami, continue reading to learn more.

Picnic at the beach

With your RV, you have your home with you wherever you go–even at the beach. Yet, it’s nice to get outside and soak in the rays. Plus, it’s always fun to splash around in the water. Well, you can do just that. Pack up a family picnic, and enjoy the Atlantic Ocean.

You’ll get miles of shoreline with plenty of activities; you won’t know where to start. Several popular beaches include Sunny Isles Beach and Surfside. If your family is feeling adventurous, consider Crandon Park Beach, Matheson Hammock Beach or even Oleta River State Park Beach.

Fun activities include kiteboarding, kayaking and canoeing. If you have teens in tow, take them to the hustle and bustle of South Beach and the Art Deco District for fabulous architecture, people watching and mouth-watering food.

Head indoors

If you’re on a budget, and most families are, then you’ll be happy to know that there are many free places to visit that will provide a lifetime of memories. For an interactive experience, check out the Miami Children’s Museum.

While at the museum, you can even walk into a cruise ship that includes a 32-foot wall. Kids can get a detailed overview of the inner workings of a cruise ship and learn some interesting tidbits about the sea. Other experiences in the museum include a Veterinary Clinic where your children can experience what it’s like to own and care for a pet. If they want an adrenaline rush, they can climb Mt. Michimu.

Gold Coast Railroad Museum

Another inexpensive place to visit is the Gold Coast Railroad Museum. And, this place is a joy for locomotive lovers of all ages. You can take a self-walking tour to view vintage collections of locomotives. You can even take rides on various model trains.

And, you can get into the real operating cab of a train with an engineer. You’ll also learn of the significance of trains in Florida. The best part is admission is free the first Saturday of every month from 11am-4pm.

Jungle Island

This attraction is a must-see for families as you get first-hand experience of jungle life. It is located between downtown Miami and South Beach. This zoological park was also first opened in 1936. It offers free animal encounters and fantastic photo ops.

Children will also enjoy the interactive exhibits such as “Kangaroo Konnection,” the Tortoise Exhibit and the Petting Barn. For an additional fee you can also get a close-up experience with sloths or lemurs. What’s not to love?

In conclusion

Miami is more than just beaches and beautiful people—the city is a true family-friendly powerhouse. Don’t forget to rent your RV, and you are set for the time of your lives.