With Your Family in Mind

Here in the Santa Clarita Valley we enjoy one of lowest crime rates in the country.
Still burglaries do occur here.  My advice is never think that it can’t happen to you.  Although no actions you take can definitely prevent your home from being burglarized, there are some simple proactive measures that work well as deterrents.  These include the following:

Many people believe that joint accounts are a good way to avoid probate and transfer money to loved ones, and such accounts are sometimes referred to as “the common person’s estate plan.”  While joint accounts can be useful in certain circumstances, they can have dire consequences if not used properly.

The City of Santa Clarita launched a new and updated online trail map, now available at the City’s Trails website at santa-clarita.com/trails . Residents can view the map, which allows users to zoom and scroll throughout the City’s extensive trail system and print desired views.

“I’m sure I have unfinished business in many of my relationships, but I would rather just let sleeping dogs lie.”  Many people feel this way when it comes to loss, trauma and unresolved grief events from the past.  The past is over and done with, move on, keep going, the brain says.

When an individual with debts can no longer afford to pay on their accounts, creditors have a variety of collection options.  Most creditors begin by sending past due notices or demands for the delinquent amount.  Some creditors will attempt to coerce payment through phone calls, often harassing the individual at inopportune times. 

No need to gaze into a crystal ball or consult a Ouija board.  It hardly requires any mystical talents to predict and avoid your next household mishaps.  Just plan and think ahead.

For example, that throw rug that warms and brightens your hallway, you know the one that slides a little when you walk across it?  A dab or two of double-sided tape and poof – it won’t even move.  While we’re talking about rugs, fraying edges and loose ends can trip you up, too.  So clip them, fasten down the edges or replace the rug.

In this financial climate why is it that one of the first things we cut out is self-care? Why do we cancel our therapy appointments, or doctor appointments or give up the gym?  For some reason people have come to believe that self-care is selfish.  It’s not! There is a great opportunity out there to help build you up and get you through the rough times.

Whether you would value your wealth at $10,000 or in the millions, it is important to take a look at your whole financial picture.  Financial issues are interrelated and, in fact, act like a balancing scale.  In essence if you adjust one area it can affect the other components.  During your lifetime you may be challenged by financial concerns, but how you face them can determine the quality of your life and the lives of your loved ones.

A reader of The Magazine of Santa Clarita wrote in last month with this question about breaking into voiceover and I promised to lay out over the next few months the skill sets that most people in each of these areas possess, and show how they do and don’t apply to voice acting.

As the beloved summer break begins to dwindle, children and parents alike seem to be caught in a limbo between summer activities and the start of school.  Boredom can set in, which is not a great alternative for either party. Crafts are a perfect way to hone in on a child’s creative potential, at the same time allowing parents and children to spend quality time together.

Lenders have no obligation to modify a loan.  However, they may do so if, under the circumstances, it is best for them.  Likewise, the borrower should determine if a loan modification is what is needed.  To determine that, borrowers should look at the following factors:

And why shouldn’t our feet hurt?  We cram them into ill-fitted shoes with inadequate support; we gain weight and expect them to carry it; and we run them into the ground.  Foot pain means something is wrong and feet are more complex than you may realize.  Did you know that 25 percent of the bones in the body are in our feet? 

The City of Santa Clarita is offering two fall child development classes designed to help prepare community kids for preschool and kindergarten. The classes, My Buddy and Me and Terrific Tots, begin the week of September 14 and last for 14 weeks.

In today’s world, it would seem that more and more people tend to put exercise on the backburner in favor of more fast paced results to our desires.  In recent years, there have been a significant number of diet pills claiming the “true” scientific way to lose weight and gain muscle definition.  Unfortunately, it would seem that this kind of mentality has been passed on to our kids, and that they are finding less motivation to exercise.  

Stork Vision is proud to be a member of The Santa Clarita Baby Network.  We have formed a unified group of businesses that provide expert service to new families in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Are you more careful, cautious, or suspicious than usual?  Slow to make commitments?  Preoccupied about what lies ahead?  On the other hand, are you throwing caution to the wind?  Making choices with no apparent concern about what tomorrow may bring?  Feeling increased levels of fear, anxiety, sadness, or depression?

In contemplating the highs and lows of your life, it is important to remember that nothing lasts forever. People will come and go. Money will come and go. Problems will come and go. Understand that every test and every trial is only temporary. Think about it. How many times have you been stressed out about something, only to get through it and over time forget that it was ever a stressful situation?

Healthy eating is an important issue throughout our lives, but good nutrition in our “golden years” is especially valuable.  Good nutrition can help lessen the effects of osteoporosis, high blood pressure, heart disease, gastrointestinal ailments and chronic malnutrition.  Studies have shown that healthy eating in later years helps in reducing the risk of these diseases as well as helping to manage the signs and symptoms.