At Home With Valerie

Follow these tips to soak up the sun without letting the harsh UV radiation damage your skin: Avoid direct exposure to sunlight between 10 AM and 4 PM when UV rays are most hazardous. Stay indoors or remain shaded under a tree, umbrella or other shelter.   Apply sunscreen with a SPF of 15 or higher. Be sure the sunscreen is broad spectrum, providing protection against both UVA and UVB rays.   Reapply every two hours, especially after swimming or sweating.   When possible, wear clothing that covers your arms and legs, and a hat with a wide brim.   Don’t forget about your eyes – wear sunglasses, preferably the wraparound variety, to keep your eyes and the sensitive skin around them safe from UV rays. Check for labels that say the lenses meet ANSI UV requirements or provide UV absorption up to 400 nanometers.   Avoid tanning beds and sunlamps, which expose the skin to harsh UV rays and contribute to long-term skin damage.   Take steps to protect your skin from the su

Here are some ideas for keeping your kids happily occupied throughout the summer — giving you time to get things done.   Stock up on indoor activities. Keep board games, puzzles and a deck of playing cards on hand for when your kids need a break from the sun.   Go on backyard adventures. Plan a picnic or let your kids camp overnight in your own backyard.   Start a lemonade stand. Teach your kids a simple lemonade recipe and watch them become instant entrepreneurs. Bonus: They can practice their math skills counting change!   Invest in storytelling tech. Collect audiobooks your kids love and play them when you need some quiet time to yourself.   Create a chore chart. Make housekeeping a game! Assign simple chores to your kids and offer a small prize, like getting to choose what’s for dessert. Your kids will help you out and have fun in the process.   Decorate your sidewalks. Give your kids a bucket of sidewalk chalk and watch your yard transform i

Here are some ways to keep your home cool during summer without using expensive air conditioning: 1. Close and cover your windows. Use drapes, blinds or curtains to block sunlight. Keep your windows sealed during the day to keep in cool air. 2. Adjust fans to turn counter-clockwise. This movement sucks hot air up and cools your skin. Fans don’t create cool air, though, so turn them off when you leave the room. 3. Disconnect any idle technology. Appliances and electronics produce heat, even if you aren’t using them. Unplug them and turn them off. 4. Switch your lightbulbs to energy-efficient ones. Incandescent lightbulbs produce more heat than light. Switch to LED or CFL bulbs instead, and turn off lights when you aren’t in the room. 5. Start cooking outside. Much everyday heat comes from cooking. Avoid using your oven and stove by grilling outside. Eat more raw or cold dishes, like sushi or salad. 6. Prime your bed for cool evenings. Switch to 100% cotton

Would you like to buy a home for 50% off the listing price? Believe it or not, you might be eligible to do just that. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has a program called “Good Neighbor Next Door,” designed to help put hardworking people in homes for a significant discount. From the HUD website: “Law enforcement officers, pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade teachers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians can contribute to community revitalization while becoming homeowners through HUD's Good Neighbor Next Door Sales Program. HUD offers a substantial incentive in the form of a discount of 50% from the list price of the home. In return you must commit to live in the property for 36 months as your sole residence.” (Source: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/housing/sfh/reo/goodn ) The program requires you to buy an eligible single family home in designated revitalization areas, and you may search for listings online using the HUD