We’re only just in the beginning of October but the Halloween festivities are upon us! Here are 5 Halloween safety tips to help you and your family enjoy this spooky holiday in the best way possible.

1. Make sure your children are seen at night. Whether you are at a haunted house or just trick or treating, make sure your kids are either carrying flashlights or wearing reflectors on their clothing if they’ll be walking in the dark.

2. Stick with familiar neighborhoods. It’s best to go door to door in a neighborhood that you are comfortable in. You will most likely know the neighbors and you won’t risk getting lost.

3. Watch for welcoming signs and signals. If a house is dark and the lights are turned off, chances are the owners don’t want visitors on Halloween. Stick to the houses that are bright and friendly.

4. If you’re attending a local fair, make sure to decide on a meeting spot in case your group gets separated.

5. If candy or food handed out on Halloween or at parties you attend looks suspicious, throw it out! There’s no sense in risking it. If wrappers are partially open or torn or something just doesn’t look right toss it in the trash. There’s plenty more candy to be had!

We love our furry friends but sometimes their fur and hair can get to be a burden! It covers the couches, our clothes and our carpets. Here are 5 ways to get your house pet-hair free in no time!

1. Cover your pet’s favorite spot with a blanket or cover up – especially if that favorite spot happens to be on the couch.

2. Use lint rollers on your clothes AND your pillows. They will pick up tiny hairs that can’t be seen by the naked eye.

3. When fur causes build up on your baseboards or hardwood floors, use dryer sheets to pick up the mess. They also smell great which is an added bonus!

4. Invest in a vacuum that specializes in pet hair cleanup. Some vacuums have filters that contain pet dander better than others. They also come with special attachments for furniture.

5. Groom your pets as often as possible. You don’t have to spend a fortune bringing them to the groomer either. You can brush them and trim them right at home to eliminate any fur that might fall!

Now that we’ve officially entered the autumn season it’s time to bring out the fall decor! Here are 5 ideas that will spruce up your apartment and give you that festive, fall feeling!

1. <strong>Create a festive centerpiece for your dining room</strong> – Add mini pumpkins and pine cones to a vase or decorating with fall-colored candles

<img src=”{filedir_2}eadf2d2db1c003606a134075ef221460.jpg” alt=”” height=”500″ width=”344″ />

2. <strong>Add mums to your porch or balcony</strong> – The orange, yellow and dark red colors of these plants will brighten up your outdoor space through the season
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3. <strong>Add a festive wreath to your door</strong> Whether you are in a single family home or an apartment, adding a wreath to your front door is a great way to brighten up your entryway for your guests
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4. <strong>Add a seasonal doormat to your entryway</strong> They may just be used to wipe your feet, but switching out your doormat each season is a great way to add some autumn flair.
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5. <strong>Dress up your mantel</strong> Have a fireplace in your home? The mantel is a great place to add pumpkins, garland and other autumn pieces for extra color in your living room!
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We’re still a couple weeks away from the first official day of fall but the temperatures have certainly made it feel like it’s already here! With the season change comes a lot of great family-friendly activities for you to try! Here’s a list of ideas to try between now and winter to get in the fall spirit!

1. Go apple picking
2. Visit a corn maze
3. Go leaf peeping
4. Go to a pumpkin patch
5. Carve pumpkins
6. Go on a hayride
7. Visit your local fair
8. Build a scarecrow
9. Go to a haunted house
10. Bake pumpkin and apple-flavored treats

Football officially kicked off last night and in some households Sundays are football days! Whether you are hosting a crowd or just feeding your family while watching games, we have some great recipes to fit the season!

<a href=”http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Football-Cheese-Ball/Detail.aspx?evt19=1″>Football Cheese Ball</a>
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Labor Day Weekend is officially upon us and that means school is sure to follow (if it hasn’t already started!) Sometimes getting yourself organized and ready for school time can be overwhelming. Here are some tips that might help eliminate the chaos!

<strong>1. Check the weather</strong> – Before letting your kids choose what they want to wear for the first day of school be sure to check your local forecast! Early September weather can be very unpredictable and being prepared will help avoid any last minute changes the morning of school.

<strong>2. Set alarms the night before</strong> – Chances are while being on summer vacation your kids were sleeping later and not setting alarm clocks. Make sure alarms are set well before bedtime and even set a back up alarm on your phone just in case.

<strong>3. Make lunches right after dinner</strong> – While you’re still in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner, start packing the lunches for the next day. This will save you the trouble of forgetting to do it or rushing to do it in the morning.

<strong>4. Make checklists</strong> – Want to pack up your kids backpacks? Make a checklist and cross off the items as you add them to their bag. Leave lunch as the last thing on the list and add it to their bags before they leave the house.

<strong>5. Test out the bus route</strong> – Does your child have to walk far to the bus stop? Make sure you give the walk a test run before the big day. Then you’ll know exactly how long it takes to get from your front door to the location. Make sure you know what time the bus is scheduled to come too!

We hope everyone has a successful start to their 2014/2015 school year!

Check out the video below to learn how to make a simple and fun toy for your dog to enjoy!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NhADhtqcX4&w=560&h=315]

Let’s be honest…sometimes our laundry gets out of control! Whether we’ve been away on vacation or we’ve felt too lazy to throw in a load, the clothes can certainly pile up! Here are 10 tips for making your laundry situation a bit more manageable!

<strong>1. Invest in a laundry sorter</strong> – A stand that has 2 laundry bags (one for whites and one for colors) will make you feel much more organized. This will help you from having to pull out all of your whites from the pile on laundry day.

<strong>2. Keep your laundry essentials together</strong> – If you live in an apartment where you have to travel to the laundry room, try to keep your stuff together in one place! Keep a basket handy with your detergent, change, dryer sheets etc. This will save you the trouble of having to search for it all.

<strong>3. Choose designated laundry days</strong> – If you hate spending your weekends doing laundry, choose designated days during the week instead! If you do a load on Mondays and another on Thursdays, you will feel organized before and after every weekend.

<strong>4. Put the clothes away</strong>- After we’ve waited for the dryer to finish drying our clothes, the last thing we want to do is fold them and put them away. If they don’t get put away quickly, they will wrinkle and piles will start forming. You’ll thank yourself later if you put the laundry away ASAP.

<strong>5. Bring hangers with you</strong> – As you pull items out of the dryer that need to hang, put them on a hanger right away. This will help wrinkles from forming and will make it easier to put your clothes away.

<strong>6. Don’t keep hampers in every room</strong> – If each room has it’s own hamper, things could get out of control. Instead, have one central hamper (in your laundry room or in a centralized place) and when it’s full, throw it in the washing machine.

<strong>7. Keep a bag for dry clean only items</strong> – When it’s time to get items dry cleaned, throw them in a designated bag. This will save the mistake of accidentally washing your delicate items and will help you keep them organized for their trip to the cleaners.

When you move into a new home there’s nothing more exciting than making it your own! You want to add all of your own personal touches and decorate in a style that reflects your personality! Here are five ways you can get the look you want without breaking the bank!

<strong>1. Update old furniture </strong>- Rather than buying all brand new furniture, consider updating old pieces. You can re-stain wood to gain a new look or reupholster chairs/cushions with fun, new fabric.

<strong>2. Make your own window treatments</strong> – Good with a sewing machine? Pick out a fabric that fits your personality and decor and make your own window valances or curtains. You will save a lot of money if you aren’t ordering custom pieces from a store.

<strong>3. Make spray paint your new best friend</strong> – Head to a yard sale or to your local goodwill and pick up pieces like frames, lamps etc and update them by giving them a fresh coat of paint! Many brands make spray paints that are gold/silver and give the look of an expensive finish.

<strong>4. Use natural pieces for centerpiece decor</strong> – Fill a vase in your kitchen with fresh lemons or add real pine cones to a bowl in your living room in the fall. Using natural items look beautiful and save you a lot!

<strong>5. Stay away from expensive department stores</strong> – When buying your accent pieces, try visiting stores like Home Goods, Ikea or Michaels Craft Store. They offer unique pieces that give your home the look you want at a fraction of the cost of other stores.

Sometimes we can get busy and forget about a utility bill or misplace our cable bill.
Follow these steps to sort out your bill paying system and you’ll feel much more organized!

<strong>1.Keep bills together in one area-</strong> Whether its a plastic tray on your desk or a basket on your kitchen counter, always place the bills you receive in one place. Receive e-bills for some of your utilities? Print them out and put them in your designated place too so you don’t forget about them!

<strong>2. Make a calendar-</strong> Use a small pocket calendar to mark the dates that your bills are due along with the amounts. Seeing this visually will help you keep track of your finances for the month.

<strong>3. Designate 2-4 days per month to pay bills-</strong> If most of your bills are due at the beginning of the month, you can probably get away will only paying bills once but most of us have them spaced out. Pick the days that you will sit down and write out your checks and put stamps on your bills to ensure they get out on time.

<strong>4. Record your paid bills immediately-</strong> As soon as you pay each bill, immediately record the payment in your check book (or spreadsheet). Don’t wait until later because if you do, there’s a good chance you will forget.

<strong>5. Prepare envelopes for reoccurring bills that you mail-</strong> If you pay a certain bill by check each month, write out 12 envelopes with the proper mailing address and put stamps on them all at once. Now you have a year’s worth of envelopes prepared and you don’t have to worry about being late with payment if you run out of stamps.