By Scott Butler: LAH Real Estate

The Cold Weather is here and when the temps go down, those heating bills go up. Here are some ways to help cut costs during the winter months.

Let the Sunshine In: Open curtains during the day and let the sunlight heat your home. Then, close them at night to reduce the incoming cold from any drafty windows.

Find and Seal Leaks: Seal up any areas where air is coming in. Usually these leaky areas can be found around pipes that connect to the outside, chimneys, recessed lights in insulated ceilings and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets. Also try using caulk or weather stripping to seal air leaks around leaky doors and windows.

Keep the Cold Air Out and the Warm Air In: Place a fabric seal at the bottom of doorways and windows, you can also roll up a beach towel and place under your doorway.

Don’t Block Air Flow: Always keep clutter and furniture away from registers, heaters and radiators.

Maintain Heating System: Have your furnace serviced once a year to help keep your system operating efficiently and don’t forget to replace your furnace filter once a month or as needed.

Scott Butler is a Birmingham Realtor fueled by great coffee and a passion for photography. He specializes in over the Mountain Home Sales with a high number of listings and past sells in the Homewood area. He has a great love for our community and volunteers his time and talents as a Photographer to the Homewood Athletic teams, Homewood Schools, and many other local Organizations and Charities.

Celeberate National Hug Day with a beary special offer and your local Build A Bear Workshop!

You can make select furry friends for just $5.50 each with a special in-store National Hug Day offer on Sunday, January 20 and Monday, January 21, 2019! Feel firsthand how bear hugs come in all shapes and sizes by bringing your own furry friend to life for a BEARY special price.

You’ll even be able to wish your furry friend to life on our limited-edition National Hug Day heart, available in stores for a limited time only!

Share Hugs with These Adorable Furry Friends for Just $5.50 Each!

Lil’ Cub Pudding is ready to play! With soft cream-colored fur and brown paw pads, this sweet lil’ cub makes a PAWfect friend for anyone.

Give big bear hugs with Lil’ Cub Walnut! This adorable teddy has super soft brown fur and a warm smile. Dress this cuddly furry friend in your favorite outfits and accessories!

Lil’ Cub Brownie gives the sweetest hugs! This cute lil’ cub has soft brown fur and a smile that brightens the room. Plus, you can personalize Lil’ Cub Brownie with outfits, sounds and accessories!

To participate in the promotion, you must be a Build-A-Bear Bonus Club member. The retailer said it is free to join.

More info: http://bit.ly/2QMXI5G

If you think carpet cleaning is best saved for your spring cleaning ritual, you might want to reconsider.  Seemingly minor spots and stains from holiday entertaining and kids being home for their extended break, can become permanent without proper cleaning and the fibers of your quality carpets and rugs can begin to break down and suffer damage. The longer this goes, the worse it can be. Some other things to consider when getting a jump on your spring cleaning:

Wipe Out Allergens:

While your carpets may not accumulate as many allergens during the winter months, if you missed your fall cleaning, keeping everything sealed up for the winter and keeping doors and windows closed, means everything that settled during the warmer months stays trapped inside, your carpet holds it all adding to the polluted air. A professional cleaning reduces and eliminates those spring and summer pollutants giving you a breath of fresh(er) air.

Beat the Rush:

Since most people wait until spring to have their carpets cleaned, getting an appointment now might be easier than waiting until the spring rush. Better accommodating your busy schedule.

Faster Drying Time:

The heat in your home, and the dry air, makes the winter a perfect time to clean your carpet. Quick drying will minimize the inconvenience of the service call and lead to much better results.

Once you have your clean carpets, make sure to minimize tracking in all the winter muck by taking shoes off at the door, wiping those pet paws and investing in some good door mats.

Ready to book your winter cleaning? Use Code “Mom30” for $30 off any service. Min charges apply.

Stanley Steemer removes an average of 94% of common household allergens like pet dander from carpet, upholstery, tile and hardwood floors. They’re also certified “asthma and allergy friendly” by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

Stanley Steemer provides professional deep cleaning services including carpet, tile & grout, upholstery, hardwood and air ducts. We also provide water restoration services.

Stanley Steemer of North Central Alabama services the greater Birmingham Metro Area and surrounding counties, spanning from Cullman to Clanton and from the Mississippi state line to the Georgia state line.

Stanley Steemer is the first carpet cleaning service certified asthma & allergy friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, removing an average of 94% of common household allergens from carpet. 24/7 scheduling available!

Use Code: Mom30 for $30 off any service. (Minimum charges apply)

Texting, sharing photos and instant messaging is how kids socialize today. But many of them use these tools to threaten, gang up on and cyberbully other kids.

According to new survey findings from the University of Phoenix:

Three in four US adults (76%) are concerned for the online safety of children under the age of 18.
Among parents, mothers are more likely than fathers to be concerned (82% vs.71%).

Specifically, large majorities of US adults are concerned with several factors of online safety, including strangers/predators talking to them (83%) and sharing sensitive material (80%).

Non parents are more likely than parents to be worried about a child being tricked into spending money (74% vs. 60%) and cyberbullying (77% vs. 71).

Social media (e.g., Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram) is the platform type that causes the most concern in 2 in 3 (67%) US adults.

Roughly 6 in 10 parents of children under 18 say educating their children about online safety (60%) and/or monitoring their activities online (56%) would be steps they could take to protect their children.

So, what can we do?  Below are a few tips from Dr. Pam Roggeman, University of Phoenix College of Education Dean, on how to get involved with children’s online profiles and ways for parents to discuss with their children how to better prevent bullying through security measures.

Be empathetic to their situation. Children are often afraid or embarrassed to talk about bullying with their parents. Connect with them by telling them of your own similar situations and offer to listen to their issues. Don’t approach them right away with solutions, as this may make them hesitant to share their struggles with you in the future.

Teach them how to react. Many children may not know how to respond to a bully. Tell them to save evidence and reach out for help. Retaliating or responding could cause a bigger issue. If they feel in danger, they need to know who and when to call for help. They should also speak out if someone they know is a victim of cyberbullying.

Protect their accounts. Many social media sites allow users to block or report people. This is not being a coward and can help stop future attacks. Make sure your children have strong passwords and don’t share them and close and lock devices and accounts when not in use, as this can lead to other forms of bullying like identity theft.

Perform a friends list audit. Sit down with your children to do an audit of their friends lists on social media. If a peer is engaging in bullying, encourage them to remove him/her. Ask them to keep their friends lists to people they truly know and talk to. Children may feel obligated to add everyone they know to their social sites, but this could cause bullying and security issues.

Serve as an example. Refrain from posting negative comments on your social channels and limit your connections to only people you know. Your children are more likely to make a change if you lead as an example.

Dr. Roggeman says that even by following these tips, a vigilant eye is necessary when it comes to monitoring the online activity of any child. She says, “be sure to ask questions and keep up on current trends as well as popular platforms and how children are using them. Keep an open dialogue with your child and let them know they can come to you if they sense a problem or unusual online activity.”