Cold Weather Crackdown

Cold-weather Crackdown

While slow to arrive, Winter has made its presence felt the past few days with daily school closings and Facebook memes indicating that “Michigan is closed until further notice.”  With the onset of  bone-chilling cold, we thought we might take this month’s newsletter to suggest some ways to combat “Old Man Winter.”

Home  There are a few areas of your home (beyond the usually suggested topics of heat tape, gutters, and furnace filters) that you may have overlooked when prepping for the “deep freeze” brought on by the change in seasons:

• Ceiling fans: if you reverse the rotation of your ceiling fans to flow in a clockwise direction and leave them to run on low through the winter months, you promote air circulation and temperature efficiency.
• Close up the curtains: keeping your shades and drapes drawn on colder days will limit the effect of drafty air intruding into your cozy spaces.
• CO₂ detectors: your home’s heat source likely gives off carbon dioxide as part of the process of warming your home, which is why it’s vitally important that your provide proper ventilation for the escape of this harmful gas.  To ensure further safety measures are taken, you may wish to install detectors that will sound (similar to a smoke alarm) if the level of carbon dioxide reaches an unsafe level.  They can be purchased at most big-box stores and home improvement centers, are affordable and easy-to-install.

Health  There’s usually always an uptick in the cases of cold and flu when the weather turns colder, but there are a few other self-care steps to take to help stay physically on the up-and-up even as the thermometer trends downward:

• Sunshine: shortened days in winter also mean that vitamin D in your body might be in limited supply, as well, and leave you more vulnerable to illness and fatigue. Taking midday walks or even investing in a special light that mimics the benefits of the sun’s rays, can help prevent season-induced infections.
• Shut-eye: since the sun sets earlier, you should use that as the ideal reason to sleep more! If you aren't getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep a night, you may be leaving yourself vulnerable to catching a nasty bug this winter!

• Skin: While you might already be doing what you can to combat cold weather-induced dry skin, don’t neglect protecting your skin from harmful UV rays still present during winter months. Make sure whatever moisturizer you're using has an SPF of 15 or higher.

Horseless Carriage  Ok, so we’re being a little tongue-in-cheek in an effort to keep everything alliterated, but go with us on this one.  Ensuring your car is safe and dependable should definitely be a priority when you set out to navigate this winter wonderland we call home:

• Fluids: for your next oil change, make sure that you top off your antifreeze, fill your washer fluid with the type that can handle colder temps, and consider swapping out your actual oil with a thinner, “winter-grade” variety.
• Flashlight, food, flares, and first-aid: stock your trunk with basic supplies that can keep you safe in the event of a roadside winter breakdown or emergency. In addition to the previously listed items, some others include a small shovel, extra batteries, and a couple sandbags.
• Function: some areas to which you might want to pay special attention when the weather turns colder are your car’s tire tread depth and inflation, wiper blade condition, and battery life. Each of these relate to your car’s basic everyday functions, but we often don’t consider their longevity until it’s too late and we’re stranded with a car that won’t start or unable to see in a blizzard because of old wipers.  Just because these items have long lifespan, doesn’t mean we should overlook them when it counts.

We’ve spent the last few moments talking about combating common cold weather problems, and now we’d like to remind you of an organization that is interested in cracking down, too, only their interest is in bringing the rate of child abuse in our region to zero:

 We are on a mission this year to raise funds for the

TRAVERSE BAY CHILDREN’S ADVOCACY CENTER

The Traverse Bay Children’s Advocacy Center does wonderful work helping children and families who are living through the tragedy of abuse. That is why we decided  to donate a portion of our income from selling homes to support their mission of helping the children in our region

And this is where YOU come in:

YOUR REFERRALS HELP THE KIDS…