MOVING LINKS 4 YOU

It’s summer! Ants are moving in!

Ants appeared this week on my kitchen counter. In fact, I found a few in the pantry, too. ACK! Simultaenously, I found a homemade recipe to rid my house of ants. I was skeptical about it working but wanted to give it a try.

I made the recipe-to-rid-my-house-of-ants yesterday. (scroll past the picture to get the recipe) Guess what! Today I found a lot of dead ants in the solution. (Note: Don’t kill the ants as that just sends out the message to the colony to bring more in. There could be a trillion more that fall in behind! Mother Nature has a way. The idea is to let a few ants make their way back to the colony carrying this solution and it’ll suggest to the remaining ants that this is not-an-ant-friendly-place!)

Killer Ant Solution 

Ingredients: Borax, sugar, and warm water.  The proportions are 3 Tbsp Borax, 1/2 cup sugar, and enough warm water to keep the mixture somewhat lumpy.

Mix the Borax and sugar and pour the warm water in slowly mixing it with a spoon. Play with the proportions to see what works.

Pour the solution into bottle caps from water or soda bottles and place in key spots. Save what you don’t use in a covered Tupperware container for use later.

Let me know if this worked for you! Or perhaps you’ve got other solutions to an ant-invasion. Please share, if you do!

Raising children is a big job. The tips, whether raising children now or thinking back to when yours were young, are stellar and point out how crucial a bit of common sense and humor are to save your sanity!  Come to think of it, it helps in most aspects of life! I ran across these “20 things”  today and thought they’d be good to pass along to you and I hope you’ll pass them along, too, to anyone who might appreciate knowing they aren’t alone. You just MIGHT make someone’s day!  The photo of the two young gals was taken at a river in Fairbanks, AK. No doubt their parents needed humor when they returned home from oozing in the mud.    Oh, which “thing”  is your favorite?  ~Mary Lascelles

20 THINGS EVERY PARENT SHOULD HEAR - by Beth Woolsey

(full credit / link given below)  

1. You are a hero for your kids. You are. You’re a go-the-distance, fight-the-dragon, face-the-challenges hero for your kids. Taking a beating makes that more true. Not less.

2. We all struggle. Every parent. Everywhere. We all second-guess ourselves. And we all want to quit sometimes. Hold the good times close, and when things are tough, remember, “this, too, shall pass.”

3. Finding the funny may not save your soul, but it will save your sanity. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Either way, look for the humor and embrace the crazy. Laughter is a lifeline.

4. Every day, you will feel like you have mishandled something. Like you’ve been impatient. Like you’ve misjudged. Like you’ve been too harsh. Like you’ve been too lenient. You may be right. Apologize if you need to and then, whatever. Seriously. Just whatever. Let it go.

5. The crazy, the crying, the cuddles. The screaming, the sacred, the scared. The minutes, the magic, the mess. It’s all part of it. And it’s all worth it.

6. Family is the best. Even when it’s not perfect. And it’s never perfect. Ever.

7. At the end of organization, at the end of patience, at the end of perfection, we die to ourselves. And then love rises from the ashes. It sucks. And then it gets better. And then it sucks again. Still, love rises.

8. You will never regret parenting. Except for the teeny, tiny tons of times when you secretly wonder if you maybe regret it just a little. But, overall, never. And overall is what counts in the end.

9. Parenting is like climbing the big mountain. Look for the base camp. That’s where you rest, meet other climbers, take in oxygen and acclimatize. Base camp is what makes summiting possible.

10. You are not alone in this strange, vast, parenting ocean. Even in the dark of night. You are not alone. You’re not.

11. Kids know the way to magical and they’ll give you a free pass to come along. Breathe in the magic as long as you can, because that same kid is going to poop his pants in just a minute.

12. There’s a very fine line between enjoying the chaos and barely surviving. Actually, there’s no line at all. It’s all mixed up together. That “fine line” thing is a lie.

13. If you pay attention, kids will teach you how to laugh loudly, how to love deeply and how to live fully. They will also ruin all your stuff.

14. Any number of kids is a lot of kids.

15. Look for joy. You’ll find it in the middle of the busy. Or under the ridiculous. Or hanging from the overwhelmed in its underpants. Joy’s like that. It’s in the middle of everything. It’s completely unpredictable. And it will surprise you when you’re not expecting it. Like vomit and diarrhea, except good.

16. You will fall apart and do it all wrong. Forgive yourself. Ask your kids to forgive you. Set an example of resilient fallibility. Set an example of practicing the art of love — both loving yourself and loving others. No one does this parenting gig right the first time. Or the last time. Or the times in between. Showing your kids how to keep going after getting it wrong is a wonderful gift to give them.

17. Kids are difficult, gross, confusing and awesome. So are you.

18. Parenting will bring you face-to-face with yourself. It may be terrifying. It may break you. But it will also rebuild you, and you will be stronger than you ever thought possible.

19. Balance is a myth. Parenting isn’t a tight-rope walk; it’s a dance. Strive for rhythm instead of balance, and trust yourself to move to the ever-changing beat.

20. Yes, you will have days where you wonder where the hell the capable and organized you went. Yes, you will sit on the floor of the main aisle at Target by the check-out area with a child who is thrashing, screaming and calling you names. Yes, you will have to tell your child that the dog is not a napkin and to put down the urinal cake. If you do not do all those things literally, then you will do them figuratively. And yes, you will also hold that child and rock back and forth and tell him you love him and tell him he’s safe and tell him you’re not leaving even though he will someday leave you. This is parenting. It is tragic and triumphant. Messy and magical. Sacred and spectacular. And it is, always, fiercely worthwhile.

These are Beth Woolsey’s parenting tips – found in the Huffington Post.  What parent doesn’t need a little levity in their lives and to know that others know exactly what they’re going through. Isn’t family life the best?

Keep track of your expenses when relocating for a job. Be sure to check with your CPA to determine what is tax deductible. 

1. Automobile-related expenses: Gas and tolls, plus $0.10/mile driven or the total cost of shipping

2. Lodging paid for in relation to the move

3. Costs of any other forms of personal transportation used (air fare, train fare, etc)

4. Other transportation costs such as moving vans or pull-behinds

5. Disconnecting and reconnecting utilities (deposits, fees, etc)

6. Disassembly & reassembly costs for certain items (such as outdoor pools, etc)

7. Storage fees

8. Packing & unpacking fees including boxes and paid moving assistance 

More… (from CAP Relo)

Moving Links 4 You (ReloMary) assists those not working with a corporate relocation company in the selection of Realtor, Household Mover, and Auto Transporter. It is key to work with trusted professionals which helps everything fall into place so much more easily. Unless you are one who likes to DIY, this service is meant to save you time and stress without adding cost.   Contact Mary Lascelles. Are we connected on LinkedIn? Also: Testimonials for ReloMary

What does it cost to live where you’ve been offered a job? You’ve been offered a job and the salary is a lot more than what you’re now making. It SOUNDS a lot but how will it really pencil out?

Educate Yourself about Cost of Living: By educating yourself about another area’s “cost of living”, it will help you negotiate your salary with your employer. While the amount offered may SOUND good, it’s important to compare apples to apples. If homes cost 25% more where you are thinking about accepting a job, does your salary reflect that? Alternatively, if homes cost less where you are moving, your salary may reflect that and sounds like a worry. But is it? Your concern is lifestyle, isn’t it? This Cost of Living Calculator from CNN Money gives some idea about cost of living comparisons to help you determine if you can maintain or improve upon the lifestyle you now have.

Comparing Home Values: You may be moving to a different city or different state. How do the two areas compare for a similar home and neighborhood? Wouldn’t it be best to know what you can buy for how much before you make the decision to sign on the dotted line?

Maintaining Lifestyle: People move for a multitude of reasons. Some of the basic necessities in our lives vary quite a bit (regarding cost) from one location to another. We get inquiries about what it would cost to live elsewhere. This calculator is not the end-all but will give you some idea of how, let’s say, San Francisco’s cost of living compares to the cost of living in Minneapolis.

Get introduced! Sometimes the online world gets old, yes? Therefore, you are invited to contact Mary Lascelles at Moving Links 4 You. Mary can help you by introducing you to a competent Realtor, selected specifically for you when and where needed, anywhere in the United States. Realtors know their specific areas and the neighborhoods within. Many will agree that NO ONLINE SITE CAN COMPETE WITH the valuable assistance a COMPETENT REALTOR OFFERS in helping you learn CURRENT MARKET VALUES.

Compare costs of living & make your move smart.

Moving Links 4 You (ReloMary) will assist you in the selection of Realtor, Household Mover, and Auto Transporter. When you get these professionals in place, so much else falls into line. Unless you are one who likes to DIY, this service is meant to save you time and stress without adding cost.  Contact Mary Lascelles. Are we connected on LinkedIn? Also: Testimonials for ReloMary

Moving Links 4 You is raising money for the Shasta Women’s Refuge & Shasta Family Justice Center in Redding, CA. Here’s how?

Simply LIKE the Moving Links 4 You FACEBOOK page! For each new Page Like, $1.00 will be donated to the  through noon PDT on the 31st of May, 2013. The money is being added to monies raised by many entities for their event, Dancing with the Stars.   

Here’s more about the #DWTS event in Shasta County. Participants range in age from under 20 to 81. It’s a great event with people having fun while helping a great cause.

Note: People across the entire United States are encouraged to LIKE the Moving Links 4 You FB page. Reason? ML4You assists people across the USA when relocating. While you will be helping a cause THIS time located in Northern California, there will be other causes in other places around the country ML4You can sponsor in the future.

Moving Links 4 You (ReloMary) will assist you in the selection of Realtor, Household Mover, and Auto Transporter. When you get these professionals in place, so much else falls into line. Unless you are one who likes to DIY, this service is meant to save you time and stress without adding cost.  Contact Mary Lascelles. Are we connected on LinkedIn? Also: Testimonials for ReloMary