Living

As we enter travel season, it is not uncommon to leave our homes for days or weeks at a time. I’m sure I’m not the only one whose mind frequently wanders onto whether or not we will return to a ransacked home void of electronics. In my mind wanderings not only is our house empty upon our return, but ironically there are neighbors who didn’t hear or see anything out of the ordinary.

I know.

We are just a few days returning from Spring Break and while I made sure to take certain precautions to ensure our home was safe while we were away, there were still moments when I was worried about returning to a home that was not in the state we left it in.

The obvious is to have a security system and turn it on, the reality is it can take a few minutes for the police to respond and there are other activities we do daily that have nothing to do with home security that still need to be maintained and given thought before we leave. Here are a few tips to consider before leaving your home for an extended period of time.

Arrange Plant and Animal Care: I garden, and making sure my plants are well cared for while I am gone is one of the important things on my preparation list. If you don’t feel comfortable giving someone the keys to your home consider leaving houseplants outdoors or take them to a neighbor or friend’s house for proper care and watering. For plants that live outdoors consider installing drip irrigation, or asking a neighbor to stop by and water your plants if there are no plans for rain.

If you have pets be sure to make arrangements well in advance. If you are boarding your pets, I’m sure it is busy this time of year and you want to make sure your animals are well cared for in your absence.

Schedule Mail Pickup: Nothing says I’m not home like a mailbox full of mail. Be sure to arrange for a neighbor to pick up your mail and newspapers. If you will be gone for an extended period of time, or wish not to bother your neighbors have USPS suspend your mail until you return.

NuBryte All-in-One Smart Home System Automated Lighting and Security System: Burglars and lurkers have gotten hip to the same lights coming on daily as would occur with a traditional light timer. The NuBryte All-in-One Smart Home System offers you the option to put your lights on a timer that illuminates different rooms randomly. This smart home technology makes it more believable that someone is actually home. The NuBryte system also acts as a smart home security system by acting as a subscription free security system. In the event someone broke into your home the NuBryte Smart Home System with its built in camera and motion sensor would alert you by phone allowing you to see what is going on inside of your home. Some security systems for homes even come with security cameras with a built-in gun detection System. While the NuBryte Smart Home System doesn’t quite have this, it’s got tons of stuff that help keep your home secure while you’re gone. We used our system while away and it was another level of security that gave me some comfort.

Deep Clean: After a few days of fun no one really wants to return to a dirty house. I know the days leading up to leaving for vacation are full of chaos and stress. Yes, I know adding cleaning to the mix is just one more thing on your to do list, however coming home to a clean house is the perfect way to end your vacation.

Unplug Electronics: This is optional but after having our TV fried after our house was struck by lightening I make it a habit to unplug computers, televisions and turn off surge protectors when we are away.

Leave Your Phone Number: We have new neighbors on one side and while I speak with my neighbors on the other side, they don’t have our phone number. This realization didn’t hit me until we were already gone. Make sure someone in close proximity to your house has your phone number to reach in you in the event of an emergency.

I was provided compensation by NuBryte Home Management System to facilitate this post. Their home management system offers many security and smart home options in one device. All opinions in this post are mine.

One of the highlights of the Spring season in Atlanta is the Dogwood Festival held at Piedmont Park. This tradition brings together local artisans, brands and great food for a weekend of family fun.

Owners.com will be hosting an interactive “Open House” experience at the Dogwood Festival to educate Atlanta buyers and sellers on how to manage the process efficiently and successfully maximize their savings along the way.

When you are in the market to buy or sell a home being knowledgeable is imperative. At 1pm, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm on Saturday April 9 Income Property’s Scott McGillivray will be hosting educational sessions and Q and A’s, open to the public.     Scott McGillivray and Owners.com have teamed up to spread the word about the newly launched Owners.com real estate buying and selling services that provides a great solution for today’s self-reliant consumers.

With Spring being a great time to place your home on the market, Owners.com has a model that is great for homeowners looking to sell while keeping their selling costs low. If you are in the market to sell or know someone who is be sure to visit the Owners.com sell page for more information.

If you are in the Atlanta area and have plans to attend the festival this weekend be sure to stop by the Owners.com booth! Be sure to follow on the hashtag #OwnersOpenHouse.

This post has been sponsored by Owners.com. All opinions are mine.

I’ve been sick. These three words might give you a clue that I am currently in a state of frenzy trying to catch up on everything to include my house, business and kids.

Women have a super power of being able to juggle a million things at once. My husband did the best he could to work and keep up with things while I was sick  but with a bathroom renovation in progress,  no closet and clothes stuffed in boxes during a season change, two trips in the span of one week coming up,  children needing new clothes, 5 invoices pending, executive board duties for my sorority,  and the simple task of getting back on track with cleaning and laundry  I am feeling a bit overwhelmed at where to start when it comes to getting my house, business and children back on schedule.

Today I sat down and worked through my obligations and emails to start the process and thought I would share how I calm my crazy when life gets hectic.

Breathe

Yes, it can all become too much making it hard to focus on a starting point, but breathe. No matter how hard you try to keep things in order, due to circumstances seen and unforeseen life will spiral out of control at a moments notice. Gather yourself and get a clear head before tackling the steps needed to regain control.

Create a Master List

Write it all down from the simplest of tasks to the most difficult.  Get everything out of your head and onto paper. Grocery shopping, inputting information into a spreadsheet, to cleaning the bathroom, if you need to get it done, get it down on paper. This takes the pressure off of you to remember everything. Something about seeing everything on paper doesn’t make the tasks seem so daunting. I promise.

Prioritize

Looking at that master list, it’s time to prioritize. That may mean breaking larger tasks into smaller pieces to get done over a few days instead of just one. Really take account of what can wait, and place items that will restore visual order higher on the list if possible. Less clutter in my visual calms me down tremendously, that means folding clothes and getting the house clean makes me more productive in attacking other areas that need attention.

Delegate

Type A? This might be hard for you but the quicker you restore order, the quicker you can effectively control everything again. For instance, when I get overwhelmed my communication with my husband breaks down. Before I get calm enough to know I need a process to regain order everything is scribble scrabble in my head.  I literally give him the business in bits and incoherent pieces because I haven’t taken the time to decipher what I need and my communication becomes ineffective. I recently called in our counselor to help, I needed that ant hill to stay small and insignificant. With her help we were able to effectively communicate what we needed from each other. Whatever someone else can help you with, let them until you are back on top.

Stick to the Plan

Once you have the plan and have delegated tasks, STICK. TO. THE. SCRIPT. If you’ve involved other people you need to be mindful of their time and unless a change is absolutely needed, work the plan. Scratch off your accomplishments as you go and make adjustments as needed. Before you know it things will be back in order and your sanity restored.

For the first time in days I feel ready to get back in the game. How do you regroup when your life decides to get off track?