Home, Moving with Children

Useful Tips for Raising a Child in California

Useful Tips for Raising a Child in California
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When you want to live in a coastal state, you may want to consider the benefits of living, working, and growing up in California. The state is fairly large, so you could opt to live right on the coast, or further inland, depending on your budget and working needs. It can also be a good idea to think about your children, either those you already have, or if you plan to become parents fairly soon, and how their lives could be benefitted from some adjustments you may want to make.

While there may be a number of public transport options available to you, you could still want the freedom of your own personal vehicle. This can make traveling a lot easier, especially if you need to attend medical appointments, get to and from work, and even do the school run. When you have moved to a new state, it can be daunting to get out on the road. You may want to think about the ways that you can protect yourself and your finances from issues. 

One such way can be through making sure that your car is insured. Taking out comprehensive car insurance in California doesn’t need to be overly expensive, especially if you consider smarter ways to reduce your premium. Opting for pay-per-mile, rather than estimations, could really help to bring those figures right down, freeing up your finances for other uses.

If money is one of your concerns about moving to California, and attempting to raise a family there, you might also want to consider how to cut costs without denying your child a fun and educational upbringing. Some outings may be fairly expensive; however, California also boasts a number of free activities that your whole family could enjoy partaking in together. You could also opt to venture out of your city to see what is available to you in other areas of the state. Even a free day down at the beach could help you all to create wonderful memories together.

Depending on the area of the state that you choose to move to, you may also want to consider the weather and temperature, to keep your child safe. While California can have some cooler temperatures, you may want to watch out for those hot summer months, as this is when the ultraviolet index ratingcan exceed the threshold for unprotected sun exposure. 

Making sensible choices, such as ensuring that your child has protective sunscreen on, wears a hat, and remains hydrated, could help to prevent sunburn or heat exhaustion from occurring. Staying out of direct sunlight during the hottest parts of the day can also be a good idea. This way, you could still enjoy the warmer weather, but significantly reduce the likelihood of negative consequences for yourself or your children.

Moving to California could help your family to have a fresh start. By considering the different smart choices you might be able to make, you could potentially save money and give your child a wonderful upbringing.

Home, Life, Moving with Children

Living in Bellevue, Washington | Finding a Place to Live

Consider Living in Bellevue, Washington
Photo by Zac Gudakov on Unsplash

In March we celebrate my birthday and my favorite dinner spot is halfway between my home and my sister’s home. It is the 520 Bar & Grill in Bellevue, Washington. It is in downtown Bellevue near a few other great restaurants and just blocks from the shores of Lake Washington and Bellevue Downtown Park.

If you live near Seattle, Washington chances are you have driven into or through Bellevue. It is known for gorgeous homes on the lake, the Snowflake Lane parade at Christmas time, some of the best restaurants just outside of Seattle and soon to be a new home for Amazon. Amazon is just one of the well known companies that call Bellevue home. Other companies include Offer Up, Expedia, Coinstar, T-Mobile and more.

Snowflake Lane
Snowflake Lane Parade – Bellevue, Wa

Besides good food and great job opportunities Bellevue,Washington is very close to Seattle and right off several major highways so you have several ways of traveling in and out of the city. Spend a day shopping and eating near Bellevue Square Mall (make sure you visit the huge Amazon Bookstore there) or take a boat onto the lake. Lake Washington runs along Bellevue and is the largest lake in King County and the second largest natural lake in the state of Washington. Living in Bellevue is for the hard worker who loves adventure on their days off because the trails and waterways around here are gorgeous any time of the year.

Finding a Place to Live in Bellevue, Washington

If you are intrigued with Bellevue, Washington by now you are probably wondering the best resources to finding apartments to rent. There is so much beauty and many great neighborhoods so it is not uncommon for new residents to rent a year or so because it gives them a chance to get to know the area, school district lines so they can find that perfect neighborhood for a permanent home. I would start with a website called Zumper.

Bellevue, Wa water
Photo by Zac Gudakov on Unsplash

I recommend Zumper because not only is it real-time listings but I see that you can do the application process including background check from their platform. This means you stay on one site to apply for your place. Zumper is available for Bellevue, Washington rentals.

When searching for apartments to rent on Zumper you can sort by any of your immediate needs such as pets allowed, number of bedrooms, area close to your work, etc. The Pacific NW is unique because you can find a home surrounded by wildlife and heading into the mountains and just across town you can be a part of city life. Being able to get to know your town before committing to buying a home or knowing what area of a city will be best for your family will guarantee you live near the surroundings that are quiet or busy according to your preference. Zumper will help make sure you get into the part of town you desire.

Bellevue, Washington has about 150,000 residents. You can easily live in Bellevue and work in Seattle. As I mentioned you are near all major highways and public transportation is easily available throughout town. To rent in Bellevue, Wa the average monthly is about $2,340. If you are looking to relocate to or move within Bellevue, Wa make sure to browse Zumper to see what is available right now. Check back often as they update with real time availability!

Back to School 2017, Gift Guides, Home, Kids, Moving with Children

Children’s Crazy Carpet Circle Seats – Review

Thank you to Koeckritz for product sent for feature. Opinions and story is my own

Children's Crazy Carpet Circle Seats - Review

This has been such a hectic moving week. The movers came Wednesday for our items and they will be stored in a vault until our home build is complete late July. We are in a hotel until then near our new town. If you have recently moved you know about boxes, planning and the cleaning. We were renting where we lived so we really had to deep clean as we left. One of my last tasks was shampooing carpets. I did some shampoo where I could so that after the movers came I would just have the few spots under big furniture on the last day. That was a huge time saver.

We had a huge yard sale weeks ago and sold a lot of our older furniture including the dining table. Then I went to shampoo the carpets where our son has to sit and eat. That was pretty nerve wrecking. I am handing him cereal and soups over a nice clean carpet with stern instructions on being careful. Then my carpet circles arrived!

Koeckritz has brilliantly turned the soft cut pile – Polyester Filament Fiber into seats and in my case, floor savers! Initially I thought about my Mom’s classroom when I knew they were coming. But, when I was standing on clean carpets with lunch warming up and the doorbell rings to some boxes. The carpet circles I opened up turned on a light bulb, “Wait! Anthony, I have something to put under that chicken bowl!”

There is no way liquid would meet my fresh carpet even with a spill over this rug circle. These do make great sitting circles for classrooms, daycares and even churches, but are also great at home. As a 2nd grade teacher my Mom says, “these would be great to keep the kids more still… to give them special floor spots that are much more comfortable than the floor we use at reading and activity time”. As a Mom I thought, “how great for sleep overs when a movie is on. The kids can sit on these instead of the hard floor or can use them like placemats to save my carpets”.

No matter how you see a use for these they are built to last. They are made in the USA and the edges are sewn with fabric tape so they should not fray. There are a few sizes and colors to choose from and you can buy 1 or a set of 6 that saves you if you buy the bulk.

You can find the Children’s Crazy Carpet Circle Seats online. Want to save? You can use the code: blog17 to save 15% on your entire order (excluding clearance).

How would you use your carpet circles?