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.

Every year over 5,500 cyclists gather from all over the country for the annual <a href=”http://www.pmc.org/”>Pan-Mass Challenge</a> (PMC) bike-a-thon. The PMC has raised over $414 million for adult and pediatric cancer care and research since 1980. 100 percent of the funds raised by riders is donated directly to the cause and amounts to over 50 percent of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue.

This year’s PMC was held this past weekend, August 2nd and 3rd. Princeton Properties’ President, Terry Flahive, is a veteran rider and this year marked his sixth PMC. Terry rode the two-day route, which covers 192 miles and runs through 46 towns across Massachusetts. The cold, wet and slippery road conditions on Saturday made this year one of the most challenging PMC rides in history.

“<em>This year, even more than the last five that I have ridden, seemed more important, meaningful, and unforgettable”</em> Terry said. <em>“I was really chilled and my hands had stopped working. I couldn’t use my fingers to shift gears and I had to get someone help me finally take off my helmet strap!” </em>

As if to put the whole ride into perspective, a cyclist passed Terry and said,<strong><em> “Tough day today, but better than a day of chemo.”</em></strong> Like Terry, thousands of riders, were committed to riding as long as it took, knowing that their efforts were helping to make a difference.

Every year Terry rides for a ‘pedal partner’ – a child currently receiving treatment at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. This year Terry is riding for Jack, a two year old who is fighting for his life (pictured above with his parents and older sister). They cheered Terry on along the route and provided support early Sunday morning. <em>

“Every time I looked at Jack, all I could think of was how lucky I am to have three healthy grand kids and how hard it would be to have one as sick as Jack”</em> Terry said. <em>”Then, there were so many survivors and doctors and nurses out there with me, riding with all their strength to provide more money for more research. We know that with every little break through, someone is living a better life.”</em>

Cyclists put their physical, mental and emotional energy to the test, using their combined strength to bring researchers closer to finding cures for various types of cancer. The 2014 PMC has currently raised just under $30 million of their $40 million goal.

We’ve all heard the trick about adding multiple mirrors to a space to make it appear bigger but there are other steps you can take to give the illusion of more space!

<strong>1. Use light colors</strong> – Decorating in dark colors makes a room look and feel smaller. By keeping the walls white or a light neutral shade it will appear larger.

<strong>2. Make room for natural light</strong> – Open the curtains and blinds and make way for natural light! This will brighten up your space and having the windows open makes any small room feel bigger.

<strong>3. Reduce your clutter</strong> – Make sure you aren’t over-doing it in the decorating department and only display minimal decor. Having too many knick knacks and pieces of furniture in a small room will make it feel closed off.

<strong>4. Rearrange the furniture</strong> – Don’t stick with your original layout! Every once in a while its a good idea to rearrange the furniture in a room to see if there’s a better way to set up. Maybe you’ve been missing out on lots of extra floor space and you didn’t even know it!

<strong>5. Buy multi-functional pieces</strong> – Instead of having a coffee table, an ottoman and an end table in your living room, maybe search for a piece of furniture that can take on all three roles. This will save you both money AND space in your home.

We’re already in August…can you believe it? It always seems like the summer flies by and we don’t get a chance to enjoy the warmth and everything this season brings. Before September hits, try checking these things off your list to get the most out of August!

<strong>1. Pick your own fruit!</strong> Many local farm stands offer pick your own options and now is the time to take advantage before cold weather hits! You can pick your own blueberries, raspberries and strawberries for a delicious, fresh fruit salad!

<strong>2. Put your toes in the ocean!</strong> If you haven’t had a chance to hit the beach yet this summer, now is the time to start planning! You don’t want the end of September to hit and you realized you never got to feel the salty water and sand on your feet!

<strong>3. Visit your local farmer’s market!</strong> Many towns have farmer’s markets weekly throughout the summer but they close up shop once the fall hits. Take advantage now and buy some fresh produce, plants and other goodies from your local vendors.

<strong>4. Relax by the pool!</strong> There’s nothing like putting your feet up and reading a good book while sitting by the pool. Make sure you get in all the pool time you can in the next several weeks before yours gets covered up.

<strong>5. Go to an outdoor concert!</strong> Concerts in the summer are always a great time! Whether you purchase tickets online for a famous act or attend a free show locally, get out there after work and listen to some music in the company of great friends!