Kids love Halloween! They get to dress up and get free candy! What a perfect holiday! Give your kids some precious Halloween memories that they’ll have for life AND keep them safe

If you take your kids to a sponsored event, like a safe Halloween thrown by your church or community center, make sure to keep an eye on them at all times. Even though it seems less dangerous, you are still in a strange environment full of people that you don’t know.

A cell phone would be a good idea to give to your child on Halloween night with all important numbers in there !

Below are a few more tips that can help adults keep your kids safe:

Know the route your kids will be taking if you aren’t going with them. Let them know that they are to check in with you every hour, by phone or by stopping back at home. Make sure that they know not to deviate from the planned route so you will always know where they are.

Help them pick out or make a costume that is safe.  Make sure the eye holes are big enough for the little trick or treaters to see out of!

Make sure you set a time that your kids should be home by. Make sure they know how important it is for them to be home on time or to call immediately if something happens and they are going to be delayed.

Kids will be kids. Explain to kids of all ages the difference between tricks and vandalism. Throwing eggs at a house may seem funny but they need to know the other side of the coin as well, that clean up and damages can ruin Halloween for everyone. If they are caught vandalizing, make them clean up the mess they’ve made.

It would be a good idea to make sure they have a healthy dinner before going out.  That way you know that they have a full belly and they won’t be as tempted to eat all the candy!

Have fun, and make a promise to yourself that this year, you’re not going to eat 50% of their delicious chocolate bars, candy, and chips!

Don’t forget, with our Realty Sites Plus website, we have over 200 Banners to choose from with lots of seasonal ones, so check them out and put a fun Hallowe’en Banner up on your site!

Happy Trick or Treating,

Carolyn

Are We Working too Much?

My daughter sent me an essay that she wrote to see what I thought. Although the essay  refers to Canadian society,  it can apply to our American counterpart as well.

The content really made me stop and think.  I’m not going to post the entire essay because it’s too lengthy.  But I would like to share a section of it with you…

Carolyn

In Canadian society, work is what consumes the time and energy of most citizens. In many cases, work comes before more important things like health and family. We as a people have become obsessed with our jobs. Whether we are working solely for monetary gain or for the satisfaction of a job well done, we need to find balance between work and the rest of our lives. Working a little less and enjoying the simple pleasures in life a little more often than we do.

This doesn’t mean that “It’s better to have a low-paying job and freedom than a high-paying job and a 60-hour workweek.” (Niedzviecki, 279)  The cost of living cannot be attained by simply being employed part-time at a job where you are allowed the freedom to ‘achieve…a drooping catatonia’ (Niedzviecki, 275).

One major aspect of our job that we need to consider is the reason behind the amount of hours spent working. If we are working simply because we enjoy our job, then we may not want to cut back our hours. If we did find it a little much, there are  ways in which you may be able to shorten your work week without compromising the productivity of your work. You may be able to negotiate with your employer to change your hours to work from 8:00am until 5:00pm, taking one hour away from your workday but also freeing up more time at the end of the day to enjoy leisure activities such as having dinner with your family or joining a community activity of your choice. Such a small change could considerably affect your life in a very positive manner.

If we are working to support an extravagant lifestyle that goes beyond our basic needs:larger than our needs, a car priced far above average (and therefore needing to pay an increased price on insurance every year on the extravagant home and vehicle), then we may need to re-evaluate our circumstances and try living more modestly. We may also want to consider what exactly our basic needs are. Asking the question: Are all of these material items really worth not being with my family, and the stress/exhaustion I feel every day of my life? Possibly, but probably not.

Every year, Canada’s average workweek grows longer; up to a third of people in some cities, such as Edmonton, are working more than fifty hours a week. (DeWolf, 304). Considering there are 168 hours in a week, with 56 hours hopefully spent on sleeping and 50 hours spent on working, we are only left with about 30% of our time in the week for other things such as eating, spending time with loved ones, going to health appointments and getting groceries, etc. This is not a healthy lifestyle. Working too much gives you stress and sucks away the time you can spend doing the things you love. (DeWolf, 304)

Work is something that Canadians cannot escape but may be able to rearrange in order to make it less painful and strenuous. Simply finding a balance between the hours you spend at work and the time you spend enjoying other activities is key to finding more enjoyment in life. Even a small change in your work week can make a dramatic constructive change in your life.

Nicole Bickerton