Colorado Springs Homes & Colorado Land Blog

By T. Stevens

In case you haven’t been to a children’s birthday party lately, you’d know that it, like many other things in American culture have become very big ordeals. A recent 2 year old birthday party was held at a pint-sized gym for 18, yes 18 children + 27 adults, for $500 for an hour and a half, in addition to the invitations, cake, balloons, hats, plates, forks, and cupcakes (because as I’ve learned there’s the cake for the adults and cupcakes for the kids, both were made specially for the party). In talking with the mom post-party about my daughter’s upcoming party, she gushed how affordable it was at $800 all said and done. Some of you out there might have just fallen out of your seats, and some of you are saying, “What a deal!”

I’m not exactly sure when 2 year old birthday parties became a status symbol because when I turned 2, I don’t remember the party, but according to the pictures we had cake, 4 friends and their parents, and a cook out. We played in the sand box until it was time to eat. In wondering how to have a nice balance of fun and intrigue for my daughter and her 3 pint-sized friends all age 2, I turned to parenting social networks online in hopes of finding a little perspective and hoping that I’m not just being a cheapskate.

It was in these online forums that I’ve learned I, like many other parents, don’t see the need to rent a petting zoo for the 2nd birthday, but maybe the 3rd. Where a specialty cake is nice, but if you have the craftiness you could still make your own. And while renting a place can be a headache saver post-party where you don’t have to clean up, it is expensive and what’a few extra dishes? I also learned about some great birthday games, and theme ideas which I’m going to share with you.

1. If your child has a favorite character whether it’s Disney Princesses, Sesame Street, Dora/Diego, etc. go with it. Party supply stores sell character based invitations, plates, cups, hats, and treat bags for a reasonable price. It will make for a nice keepsake later, and help build up excitement for your child if they start to see Thomas the Tank Engine stuff collecting.

2. Have one or two activities, and keep the time limit from party start to party finish to 2 hours max. For the activities, base it around the character or theme. For instance, if you choose a Dora the Explorer theme, create a map for the kids to follow to get to the party area in the backyard, or a treasure to find. Have a dress-up party for the princesses and practice sipping tea. You get the idea. Keep the party moving and after two hours 2 year olds start to hit a brick wall.

3. Discuss a budget and stick to it. It is easy to get swept up into making this party an amazing one as your kid will be more into it compared to the 1st birthday, but the liklihood of them remembering it down the road is slim. What’s more, now that you’ve gone big time, every year you will be trying to out do yourself and that’s how we end up with MTV’s Sweet Sixteen events costing $30,000 with musicians, several outfit changes, and a BMW or Land Rover at the end of the party. At 2 we need to remember to keep it simple.

4. Don’t try to compete against other parents. It’s really great we were invited to such a party, but have your own party the way you want it and don’t compete to out-do other parents.

Across the globe we are looking for ways to cut costs, become more efficient, and live a better lifestyle. In real estate, it isn’t uncommon for agents to work out of their home or vehicle, only stopping long enough in the office to meet clients or check in with the Broker. As we become more globalized and “connected”, the reasons for keeping office space is dwindling for many industries. There are reports of happier employees who can now juggle work and family easier, no longer having to worry about childcare or the company paying for childcare, time efficiency goes up with workers getting their work done and not wasting time on the internet, or using up sick days to care for family members. As this trend continues, it may be time to figure out a more appropriate home office solution than the standard here’s the desk and chair.

Step 1 is to dedicate a room with a door on it if you A) have pets who will distract you, B) have children who will distract you, C) have a spouse who will distract you. If A-C are non-issues, then a corner of a room may be a perfect solution.

Step 2 is to paint it an inspiring color. Here’s the cool thing about working from home, you get to make your work space truly yours without anyone else’s opinions. Go ahead, make it Pepto Pink if that’s your favorite color. I’d recommend sticking with a pale green, pale yellow or a light tan which you can add great artwork without drastic color clashes.

Step 3 will require you to sit down…on several chairs while you select a great desk and desk chair. If at all possible, try to buy each piece at the same time so you can guage if the chair will work with the desk, the desk will fit your space, and the chair is comfortable to sit at. We need to minimize all distractions, and comfort is one of those distractions. If it isn’t comfortable, fit with the desk just so, or  turns too much (not enough) then you will be inclined to move the computer out to the kitchen while making a snack and the work will never get done.

Step 4 is putting the office together with the desk, chair, bookshelves, filing system, and a few pictures that remind you why you are working in the first place. If you are lucky enough to have windows in the room, open them up for some fresh air. Another pleasurable moment for work-at-homes.

Step 5 wake up, make your coffee and start working. A shower can come later after you’ve finished the morning’s business. That’s the beauty of working from home, no one can see what you’re wearing. Assuming you’ve accomplished the day’s tasks and business, the rest of the day is yours. No more commute, no more hours spent getting ready in the morning, no more drive thru meals unless you want. It can be a great lifestyle change with reduced stress.

Step 6 make friends with other work from home folks. The one thing about working from home is no more water cooler talk and gossip (this can be good and bad). You need to find social and networking outlets to continue to develop professionally (and personally). Ask friends and neighbors if they work from home, what they do, clubs they’re involved with, or join a cause of your own. With your new-found time without commutes and wasted time, you can start to enjoy the perks of working from home!

Yes, it is the last full week of January, but for many gardeners it is seed catalog, seed ordering, and seed planiting time. Many plants like tomotatoes, peppers, and gourds need the head start to come to fruition in  the Colorado growing zone. The new seed catalogs are out and a good place to learn about what will grow in your area. You can order seeds direct, or head over to a nearby garden center where they can show you the seeds that will grow well, trays and dirt for starting the seeds and offer valuable information for this year’s growing season.

As foreclosures climb, retirement funds shrivel and the unknown of tomorrow loom, wouldn’t it feel wonderful to know that no matter what happens you will have permanent shelter? In camping and survival situations we know shelter is the number one thing to worry about. Most people will die of exposure before they die of dehydration or starvation. We are not in a camping or survival situation (although believe what you want about the apocalypse), but from a financial standpoint, owning your home outright is a great move.

As Richard Kiyosaki has taught us, houses are not assets. They are liabilities. However, houses are assets if it makes money. Why should we all strive to pay off our mortgages? Because the money we save in interest and the money we will no longer be paying each month in mortgages, we will be making. We can put the additional money away to maxing out 401k, college funds, retirement funds, home improvement funds, around the world trip funds, or other investment options allowing that money to continue to grow and work for us. What’s more, a bank cannot take your house from you if you own it.

No matter what the housing market is doing, paying off your house can mean less financial stress in your life. It’s also the responsibility of every one who takes out a mortgage in the first place. You ask for a loan with the intention of paying it back in full plus interest. You can save money on interest by paying off the loan sooner. All you need to do is pay a little more each month and when you make your payment, instruct the bank to apply the additional money directly to your principle. Each payment has a portion going to the principle (original loan amount) and the interest. If finances are feeling especially tight and you see an opportunity to pay off something else sooner like a large credit card, a car loan or another loan amount, do it, but take the amount you were paying to those other items and roll it over to paying off the next largest debt. This is a technique many financial advisors use to help people work their way out of debt.

Paying off your house will also leave you in a better position should you need to move. You own the house outright, so you could rent it out and all money you earn is yours and should you buy a new house wherever you move to, you can take the money you’re making from house 1 and apply it to house 2’s payments.

Are you one of many Americans who are questioning our food system, whether you’ve read a book, watched a documentary, or just walked through the aisles of your local grocery store only to wonder why we need such a large store, so many options, and why in the world are there so many “in the middle of the store” aisles, but a rather small whole foods department? If so, you like many others are trying to find ways to bring the healthiest foods home with you and are growing frustrated with the endless options, and added costs. Here are some ideas to ease the headaches, your wallet and your locavore conscience.

1. Join a CSA. Colorado Springs and surrounding area CSA listing CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) programs are a great way to obtain locally grown food, often quite conveniently. The site listed ranks each CSA by how many organically grown foods they offer. Many farms listed have websites for you to learn more about the site, the process, and the fees.

2. Start growing your own produce. Colorado is fairly mild year round, and with a little ingenuity, you could grown year round. Plastic hoops, green houses, and mulching practices can keep you in fresh food year round. Sure, you’ll have to learn to eat seasonally, and even locally (grapefruits sadly don’t grow in Colorado), but fresh greens do. Depending on where you live and HOAs, you may even be able to raise your own chickens as egg producers or meat producers.

3. Start the conversations with friends, family and neighbors. If you’re looking for fresh eggs from a reliable source, great grass-fed, no antibotic, humanely raised meat, or even fresh bread once a week, those in your life may already have the resources to help you or know someone who you can start to work with to get these things.  Another neat idea is to set up a trade agreement with your neighbors. If they have an abundance of carrots, swap them some fresh greens or a jar of homemade jam.

4. Begin to understand what real food costs. Just because you can buy a head of lettuce at 50 cents does not mean that’s how much it cost to grow it, pick it, wash it, load it, drive across the nation with, unload and store. Buying local helps everyone, including Mother Earth. Added nutritional value if you buy a packet of seeds for $1.49 and grow 50 heads yourself.

5. Shop the Farmer’s Markets. Here you will meet the farmers and many have useful recipes to share as well. What’s more, if you take the time to develop a relationship, they will also let you know that they have eggs, fresh cheese, flowers, or other items for sale coming up in a week or so.

6. Learn the art of canning. Once deemed necessary in Depression era, then reserved for “the poor”, canning has once again resurged as people want to know where their food is coming from and to have more control over the process, ingredients and preservatives. If you have an abundance of tomatoes, canning the tomatoes can be used in pasta sauces, cooked down into paste, used in chilis and salsas, or even made into ketchup. Many books will teach you the proper techniques in canning while providing useful recipes.

This is for all of the sellers soon-to-be-buyers, current buyers, and anyone ever wanting to become a buyer of real estate. The fact is you need good credit if you want to qualify for a loan. I’m not even talking about favorable rates, which the higher your scores, the better chance you have of getting a good rate and a loan, but to even qualify in this post-crisis financial time you must have good credit.

As an avid viewer of The Today Show on NBC, it is quite alarming how often I have to listen to people who are going back and forth between paying for something or paying of the debt they’ve racked up. Fellow Americans: it is time to pay the piper and to clear your debts. I never fully understood how over consumed we’d become until the last year when there was no talk of savings accounts, but rather how much one owed on credit cards from trying to live a lifestyle that was unsustainable.

The average lender is looking for a minimum of a 740 FICO score to qualify for a loan, the higher the number (up to 850) the more favorable terms you will receive. High credit scores aren’t the only thing lenders are looking at. They are looking at other loans, consumer debts, and amount of actual cash you have. If you’re looking to buy a car, new furniture or anything else in which you will take out an in-store credit card for, wait until you’ve closed on our house.

Here are some tips if you are looking to not only qualify for a loan but to also receive favorable rates:

• Check your credit scores with all of the bureaus. An average FICO score is 720 on a range of 300-850.
• Dispute any errors or accounts that appear on your credit report which are false or not yours.
• Clear up any reports which say you didn’t make a payment on time if you know (and have proof) that you did.
• To get good credit scores you need to use credit. While cash-only is great for your bank account, if you don’t use credit you can’t get a credit score. Paying off balanaces religiously every month helps build good credit, and one card from a major lender like MasterCard, Visa or Discover is recommended.
• Arrange automatic payments on accounts with balanaces.
• As you pay off store-based credit cards with very low credit limits, close the account and ask for a similar limit be added to your major card. For instance, if you have a Macy’s card with a balance of $500, you decide to pay it off and close the card, then go to MC, Visa or Discover and ask for a $500 credit limit raise. This way you are raising your credit limit on your big card, and getting rid of the clutter of a store card, which may require you to carry a balance or pay a fee if you aren’t carrying a balance.

Good credit scores aren’t only important for home loans, but they also affect insurance premium offers, landlords can look up your score and decide to rent to you or not, and employers are checking to quantify the liklihood of theft in new employees.

Your baby is growing up and to show you their new found independence they try to climb out of the crib. This is incredibly dangerous, so if you do see your toddler trying to make such manuevers grab them and start talking about moving into a toddler bed. Many cribs today have a feature where you can take the front panel off allowing you to continue using the crib and the mattress and the mattress is lowered to the lowest height possible. What this means for junior though is a newfound independence in their room and more safety procautions for the parents.

If you’re lucky enough to have a crib as described above, the transition may not be that bad. The child will still be used to the surroundings and the new change is the ability to get in and out of bed on their own. If you aren’t that lucky, or need the crib for another baby, let your toddler pick it out. Many parents and parenting articles on the topic suggest getting the toddler involved and invested in the change. If you make it fun for the both of you, the child will make the transition more smoothly.

Here’s some pointers picked up from parents currently transitioning their toddlers:

• Keep the same bedtime rituals, bath, book and bed. Stay with the child until the fall asleep the first few nights. It’s a big change, and sometimes scary.
• Pick out two or three options of toddler beds you like and from there let the toddler choose their favorite. Set the price limit in advance of shopping, and check out second-hand stores as toddler beds can be found at many (particularly race car and princess beds).
• Spring for a new set of sheets in character themes your child likes. This will also help as you start potty training by saying, “You don’t want to get Dora wet tonight, right?”
• The first night is going to be tough, but stick with it. The first nap time is going to be tough, stick with it. The second night will be better, but still a good chance of a midnight waking, stick with it. The second nap time will be better, especially if you follow the nighttime rituals of reading while the child lays down and stay by their side until the fall asleep. The third night will be better yet, and you will see great improvements each time they try to go to sleep.
• Let the child practice climbing in and out of the bed, playing on the bed, and sitting on the bed to look around.
• Understand that it is a big change for you too as you realize your baby is growing up.
• If you want to start decorating the room differently, again let your toddler help pick items out. It is their room and if you want them to stay there, they need to want to be there.

Many people set resolutions that include: calm the mind, get exercise, declutter, get organized, etc. Here is a great way to meet several of those needs. Imagine your self waking up one morning, brewing a cup of tea, putting on your favorite yoga pants and walking down the hall to a tranquil room set up in your home that’s only purpose is for your yoga practice. Sound too good to be true? It’s actually easier than you think.

Cultivating a home practice allows you to make space for your yoga whenever you have a little time or want to practice, regardless of if you have 15 minutes or 90 minutes or what class times are available at your local gym or studio. More importantly, it allows you to find your own rituals and connect with your own body to make a practice more personally relevant than any experience guided by someone else will be.

In yoga, Atman, which means “self” in Sanskrit, is considered the greatest teacher. To find enlightenment, one must acquire enough self knowledge to understand and realize the union of the true self with the transcendent self. In other words, you have everything you need inside of you to find happiness.

Our external spaces contribute to our experience in yoga – it’s hard to find your deepest self in a space that is cluttered, dark or just doesn’t feel like you. Here are some tips to make your yoga space your own. Whether you have a whole room to devote to yoga, or you carve out a space in the corner of a home office or living room, these tips will help you find a hOMe for your yoga.

1. Define your space and commit to holding it for this purpose. This is especially true of you are carving out space in a shared room, but also if you have a whole room. Let people who share your space know what you will be using it for and your boundaries around it. And then use it for that!

2. Make your space meaningful. Bring in pictures, religious items or mementos that are relevant or make you feel good. Play music you love or enjoy silence. Light candles or incense. Place a vase of fresh seasonal flowers in your space. Anything that inspires your creativity and nourishes your soul.

3. Practice at a time of day when the natural light filters into the room. If that isn’t possible, install a dimmer so you can control the lights, or use lamps, candles or window coverings to control the light level.

4. Program or adjust your thermostat. Use a small, quiet space heater, a fan or your choice of clothing if needed to control the temperature.

5. Consider color. Warm colors energize and lift, cool colors calm and restore. If you can’t paint your space, consider using fabric, scarves or other textiles to create the color and texture you want.

6. Organize or store the clutter. Allow your space to breathe so you can breathe. If there are items you don’t need, store them away. Organize what  you choose to keep displayed. Make sure there are no dangerous or sharp objects.

7. Try to eliminate or reduce distractions. Create a plan with your partner, kids or animals so you aren’t interrupted. Mute the home and cell phone, silence the alarm on the dryer, etc.

Now you’re ready! Sit down and take a few deep breaths to center yourself. Try some sun salutations to find your rhythm. Follow with a few standing poses. Add on a few restorative postures to finish out. Follow what your body needs and what you want to learn as you create your home practice. As you get comfortable, try more difficult sequences or scan websites, magazines and books for ideas of where to go next. If you get stuck, attend a class or invite a private instructor to join you in your space for a session or two.

Enjoy the space you’ve created. Know that you can change or adjust it as you and your practice evolve.

It’s that gross time of year when everything is brown and the weather can be nice one day to frigid the next. Valentine’s Day can be something to look forward to, but not for everyone pushing many even further into a winter funk. What to do? Let’s look at the hot color trends for 2012!

Girly pastels are leading the charge this year both in the fashion industry and the interior decorating industry. Look for Blush Pink, Mint Green, and Robin’s Egg Blue to be popping up on walls and dresses alike. If shopping for specific colors, look to the Benjamin Moore “Enlightenment” line of paints which extend upon the Pantone company that sets the new color trends each year.

In the Enlightment line, it suggests the egg is representative of rebirth, so orbital objects will be seen in decorating pieces. Futuristic designs, mirrored images, tones used to set the mood, light versus dark, etc. all play into the overall look of a room. If this sounds a little “out there” for your home, fear not as Benjamin Moore has three other “lines” that might aline closer to your actual lifestyle.