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Thursday, July 27, 2017

How a Steel Home Can Be a Great Choice For Your Family

If you have a family then you’ll want to make sure that they’re raised in the right environment. You’ll need to know that they’re happy, healthy and insulated from the dangers of the outside world. If you’re in the fortunate position of building your own home then you have complete control over your ability to do this right down to the materials you build with. You can build a perfect home that’s specifically matched to the needs of your family.

While self building is often considered the preserve of the very wealthy, you might be pleasantly surprised to learn that a huge amount of ordinary Americans self build. If the idea of building a home that’s just for your family then you may be interested to know the numerous safety, environmental, ethical, and (of course) financial benefits of building with steel.

Steel is great for keeping your family safe

Ever wonder why Superman is referred to as the Man of Steel? Steel is extremely resilient and can handle extremes of heat, cold, and weather conditions. It’s durability means that it is designed to survive for decades without maintenance unlike wood, stone or brick. The high grade steel that is used in construction is proven to have these qualities that will keep your family safe and secure:

  • Steel buildings can easily withstand winds of up to 150 miles per hour, making it perfect defense from storms, gales and tornadoes.
  • Steel cannot be inhabited by pests such as termites, rats or squirrels.
  • Steel is water resistant so it cannot be compromised by damage from rain, floods, mildew and mold.
  • Steel buildings can remain standing through earthquakes.
  • Steel shells and cladding are naturally flame retardant.

Steel is cost effective

Because steel homes are quick and easy to build, this saves on expensive labor costs. Steel building projects can be erected by low-skilled laborers in a fraction of the time it takes to build a home from wood or brick. Steel frame building costs per square foot can vary depending on fluctuations in steel prices, but on average a steel home costs around $50-$65 per square foot. around 30% cheaper than homes made with most other materials.

  • Steel construction products are treated extremely durable paints and coatings with a service life of decades (in most cases at least 40 years).
  • Steel requires no ongoing maintenance costs.
  • Steel buildings naturally conduct heat so will save on your heating and cooling costs.
  • Steel buildings may be subject to tax benefits.
  • As steel buildings are immune to many extreme weather effects they tend to be cheaper to insure.


Steel is environmentally friendly

Steel can be multicycled. This means that it can be melted down and reused over and over again without any detrimental effect whatsoever on its strength or durability. When steel made buildings are demolished, their components can be reused or melted down to create brand new components. In fact, 50% of new steel production all over the world is made from recycled steel. This makes for enormous savings on environmentally harmful mining. Building a steel home is a wonderful way to save money while doing your bit to make sure that your children grow up in a healthier planet.





Retirement Car

Sponsored post.

It's been seven years since my husband  have retired from the military.  He misses it once in a while especially the traveling that comes with it.  It's funny  because during his last couple of  years that he was in, he couldn't wait to get out.  For me, I am glad that he is out because it is hard moving  from place to another especially with small children.  Luckily, he got out  at a perfect timing when our kids  had to start  school.  He spent 20 years of his life in the Navy and  all of his tours were overseas that's why he misses  the travels.  One of his  retirement wishes was to have a sports car.  His dream did not happen right away until this year.  He finally got the car that he wanted, we bought a Saturn Sky convertible car.

Finding the car  is not easy, he did a lot of searching and browsing online. One of the many websites that helped him find   his dream car is  https://www.cars.com/.  Finding it online is a lot easier than physically  seeing  the car.  We had to go to two opposite direction  to  get it.  First, we drove 50 miles to Ohio to see the first one but before we even reaches the place, the salesman called  us and said that  the car got sold.  My husband was disappointed and I was upset because we  drove there for almost an hour and to be told it was gone just ten minutes before we get there was kind of shady.  They should have advised us before we even left our place.  But you live and learned.  It wasn't a good business  deal on their part but I told my husband that  things happen for a reason and that maybe it wasn't meant to be and it wasn't because we found a better deal somewhere else.

The second place that we went to was a sure hit but before we went there, my husband told the salesman what happened to us previously so he hold the  car for us.  He did not allow anyone to look at it till we get there.  It took us  over two hours to drive  102 miles but it was worth the drive since  it was exactly the car that hubby and I  both like, color price, and their customer service was great.  We should have read the reviews from Cars.com  before going to the first place we went to but we learned our lesson so we applied what we learned on our  second trip.

Both hubby and  our son loves car, they can talk about car all day long.  Sometimes my daughter and I get tired of hearing them talk  about the same subject over and over again lol.  They  both love  riding in it.  I am glad that my husband finally  got his retirement car, he definitely deserve it.

Monday, July 24, 2017

How To Keep Kids Entertained During The Summer Holidays

It's begun, school's out for summer the children are no longer in their school routine and free to be entertained. That's just it what do you with children for six whole weeks, not to mention the costs it can be to do day trips or even holidays.

Start by being realistic, not every day is going to be full of action packed adventure. But just because you and the children will be at home for some days, doesn't mean anyone has to be bored.  There are lots of ways to get creative in and around the house. On rainy days arrange a movie day, get a bunch of family favourites films. Grab some microwavable popcorn and set the sofas up with cushions and blankets for your own home cinema.




Having so much time off school, try and get the children into learning a new skill. Teaching them how to cook is great for the future and fun to learn together. Depending on the age of the children it can start so simple with little cupcakes all the way to the main meal. Go online and find some easy to make recipes that both of you want to make. Once decided to go to the supermarket and pick up ingredients, a fun experience that can be replicated throughout the holidays.
If you feel a family holiday is essential but don't have the complete set of funds. If you only need a small amount to get the dream started to compare personal loans.You don't need to break the bank but this great site allows you to take out the smallest cash sums without resulting in any crisis’s.


Big day out attractions are always popular, however, have you looked into local attractions? There are so many areas in your town/city or in surrounding areas. Some have no or low-cost attractions such as museums or parks. As its summer a lot will have seasonal events on also. Check your local tourist sites to see what's on that you can attend.


Financial hindsight is great not just for summer but upcoming holidays such as Halloween or Christmas to stop you from getting caught out.


It's important to keep children active throughout the holidays, swimming is a great activity. Children love swimming it's fun and gets them out the house. Its an activity that is also cheap, local swimming pools also offer classes. If your child can't swim or isn't water confident, now is a great time to take advantage whilst they have the time free.


The summer holidays are a fantastic time to bond as a family and with your children. Creating new memories for them to cherish and reflect on by doing unique and creative activities. remember they won't remember the expensive treats, but simple things like baking cakes and beach trips. Whilst the children may act up, its best to prepare and be a little more planning forward to prevent boredom.

Monday, July 10, 2017

#SaturnSky .. Crossed out from His Bucket List

Some of  the many things my husband wants to do before he finally retire from work includes visiting Europe.  He wants to visit the grave of one of his Uncle who was killed during the D-Day in Normandy, France.  He was buried  in Normandy American Cemetery and his family never got to see him again after he departed  to serve the military.  So my husband wants to do that in behalf of his family.  I can't imagine  what his parents must have felt when they  informed them that their son got killed and  that they will never see him again.  

The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in France is located in Colleville-sur-Mer, on the site of the temporary American St. Laurent Cemetery, established by the U.S. First Army on June 8, 1944 as the first American cemetery on European soil in World War II. The cemetery site, at the north end of its half mile access road, covers 172.5 acres and contains the graves of 9,387 of our military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations. On the Walls of the Missing, in a semicircular garden on the east side of the memorial, are inscribed 1,557 names. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified.

The memorial consists of a semicircular colonnade with a loggia at each end containing large maps and narratives of the military operations; at the center is the bronze statue, “Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves.” An orientation table overlooking the beach depicts the landings in Normandy. Facing west at the memorial, one sees in the foreground the reflecting pool; beyond is the burial area with a circular chapel and, at the far end, granite statues representing the United States and France. - source
Technically, my husband  have been retired  from his 20 years of service in  the navy but since we started  our family late, he has to  work again after his military retirement as his retirement alone won't suffice for  a family of four especially that we send our children to  private school and I am a stay-at-home-mom.  I work part time online which isn't practical if we want a sustainable living but we decided that I would stay  home with the kids   instead of  hiring someone to take care of them.  It is good for the kids growth and development.  But anyway, another thing on his bucket list is  owning a sports car.  His  desire  was awaken by our son's love for cars.  He has been looking through  cars online and he has been showing his Dad all the available options out there.  
 He finally found one  down in Ohio and we drove  down there last Friday but then the salesman called him  when we were about a mile to their garage that the car has been sold.  It was not meant to be  so we shrugged it off.  He found another one one up in Pennsylvania so we drove out there last Saturday.  I like the color of this one  and it is priced  lower than the one in Ohio.
I might not be able to fully  understand the fascination of men  for cars but I take it the same as women when we go shopping for clothes and stuff.   My husband doesn't have any vice but travel, food and well, cars so I  agreed for him to buy this Saturn Sky. That way he will be able to  ride in style when he fully retires in few more years.  His goal is to retire at the age of 60 so that would be in 12 years.
According to Wikipedia, The Saturn Sky is a roadster that was produced by Saturn, and was initially released in the first quarter of 2006 as a 2007 model. It uses the Kappa automobile platform shared with the Pontiac Solstice and Opel GT. The Sky concept was shown at the 2005 North American International Auto Show, with the production version following at the 2006 show. It was built at GM's Wilmington, Delaware plant, alongside the Solstice and the Opel GT. The Sky featured 18-inch (457 mm) wheels and a 2.4 L Ecotec LE5 straight-4 engine that produced 177 hp (132 kW), a new straight-4 2.0 L turbocharged direct injected engine that made 260 hp (194 kW) as well as an optional dealer-installed turbo upgrade kit that made 290 hp (216 kW). Both five-speed manual and automatic transmissions were available.

The styling for the Sky, penned by Franz von Holzhausen, was based on the Vauxhall VX Lightning Concept's design. It was available in some European markets as the Opel GT. A rebadged version named the Daewoo G2X was unveiled as a concept vehicle for the South Korean market in 2006. The production version was released in September 2007.[1] The Sky, Solstice, GT, and G2X were built in Wilmington, Delaware. The aggressive styling garnered praise as a welcome departure from traditional Saturn design. The Wilmington Assembly plant closed in July 2009, ending production as both the Pontiac and Saturn nameplates were retired 
They call this car their  Sexy Baby, my daughter and I just  looked at each other and giggled lol.

Thanks to the friendly people in Colonial Toyota in Indian, PA. Thank you also to my husband's friend Ralph, for driving  him to Indiana last Sunday to pick up the car. 
 It is now sitting in our garage and my husband took each of us for a spin around Weirton when he arrived yesterday.  We also drove to the cemetery and paid respect to my in-laws.  My FIL  also loved sports car so he would have loved to see his son drive one.  
He refer this car as his #MidLifeCrisis car lol.  So there you you go Hon, one more thing crossed out your list.  Now, it's time to save  for your Europe dream  travel.  It might take  10-15 years before we  realized that dream but it is possible.