Single moms or military wives can have a tough time dealing with everything that has to be done. Winterizing is important enough that you might need a little help to remember to squeeze it in, so here is some info for moms who might be a little overwhelmed as winter approaches! There are only ten simple things to do, really, to prepare your house for winter.

1.    Clean out the gutters. Take the time to either hire someone to clean out your gutters and downspouts, or get up on a ladder and do it yourself. You’ll save yourself a lot of damage if ice pulls them down, and they are overburdened with leaves and other junk.
2.    Check the roof. Hire someone, or if you feel qualified enough to do it, go up and verify that there aren’t any loose shingles, replacing those that need it. See that the flashing is lying flat and if extra insulation is needed, put it in.
3.    Get the fireplace checked. Hire a professional for this one. It’s worth the money. You really don’t need excess creosote to catch on fire, or a plugged vent to send smoke back into your house!
4.    Inspect the HVAC unit. Have the furnace professionally checked, too, while you’re at it. Spend the money to have it cleaned out, and seriously consider converting over to a programmable thermostat, if you haven’t already.
5.    Check seals on doors, windows and weather-stripping. Simply walk around to every door and window on the outside of your house, and look carefully at each of them. Do they need to be re-caulked? Is the weather-stripping cracked? If so, replace it. If any windows are cracked, replace them as well; this will cut way down on your energy bill!
6.    Thwart plumbing problems ahead of time. Drain all of your outdoor hoses, and run a small stream of water in one of your sinks with the doors below it open when the temperature drops below freezing. Insulate exposed plumbing pipes outside as well.
7.    Change batteries in detectors—smoke and carbon monoxide. Buy some batteries, and switch them out, plain and simple. Remember, 90% of carbon monoxide false alarms are because the monitor is placed to close to an attached garage, and picks up a trace of exhaust!
8.    Check your foundation. Walk around the whole of your house, and look to see if there are any areas that have cracked or split. Seal any that you find to prevent critters and moisture from getting in.
9.    Prepare driveways, sidewalks and landscaping. Take the time to seal driveways, sidewalks and decks as well. Prune trees and bushes back. Move potted plants inside.
10.    Emergency kit preparedness. This is a year-round thing. Make sure that you have extra battery back-up (for computers), candles and lighters to start with. Bottled water, non-perishable food—don’t forget the pets!—first aid kit, and blankets are also at the top of the list. Know your important phone numbers, have a cell phone, and plan an escape route.

If you are strapped for cash, check with your local mom support group. Maybe there are a few handy hubbies with skills that can help out with some of the techie stuff, and you can trade off babysitting so they can take their wives to dinner!

I cannot believe that it is only five days to Halloween! My oldest daughter loved Halloween so much. She demanded a big performance every year, so we always did Trick-and-Treat in the special neighborhood.

In our city we have a certain street with big houses, which are all well known for the Halloween celebration. The residences decorate all houses for this holiday and block the street for the safety of the children. When I say decorate, I MEAN DECORATE all the houses because each house looks like a Haunted House from the Disneyland park! I bet they have spent a fortune on it. But it is worth it. It is so creative, beautiful and scary on the same time. The children love it!

After seven years of the same old, same old I got so bored and exhausted. Three hours of candy marathon on a cold evening every Halloween. No, not anymore! God bless, my oldest daughter is seventeen now and doesn’t need it. My youngest one is much more low maintenance. So this year I decided that we will play it low key. We will go to the local neighborhood with couple of Kristina’s friends and have pizza for children and wine for adults (we have to have a reward too)! after that. I shared my plan with the rest of the family and was surprise that everybody liked it! What a relief - no marathon for me this year.