The Day with no Heat

It has been really cold everywhere in the US. It’s even cold in Florida. Of course it’s not actually cold but when you are used to the warm weather, your skin thins out. Schools all over the United States are either canceling or delaying school due to the freezing weather and really low wind chills. It’s really important to have a warm place to take refuge from the cold. It’s also important to keep your heat working by doing maintenance on your unit. You can call Halo Heating and Cooling.  My heat had been pretty temperamental lately. I thought that it was just because it was so cold outside. It would get down to about 65 degrees and then kick on. It was trying to light but it wasn’t catching all the time. It would eventually start working so I was trying to hold off on getting it checked. It was a big mistake. I wasn’t really sure if there was really anything wrong honestly. One day this past week it wasn’t turning on no matter how much I tried, whatever tricks and prayers were just not doing the trick. It was so cold that I had no choice to call a heat repair man. It wasn’t safe for us when it was 52 degrees in my home. We spent time cuddling under multiple blankets until the repair tech came. Noah was never really too cold. He’s a little heat box. He sleeps with a fan on regardless of the temperature. He was helping me stay warm. Thankfully it wasn’t too long before they could come out and check it out. I was really nervous because I didn’t know what was wrong with it.

Everything was working but the lighting process. I knew I wasn’t going to need a new one, but after the refrigerator fiasco, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I didn’t even know an estimate of how much the repair would have cost before I agreed. My hands were tied though so I had to get it done. I was in contact with my aunt and uncle because I don’t know about heating. I am so glad that I asked him to light my fireplace when they were here. It did help some. Noah was at school so, I was glad that they didn’t cancel school that day. It was a really easy fix, the sensor was dirty, and so he just wiped it a few times. I am so happy it was just a dirty sensor and nothing else was wrong. Listen to me when I say furnace maintenance is really important. Get it checked. I know it’s a pain to wait for someone to come check your furnace and it costs money but if I would have gotten it checked I wouldn’t have had the problem I did. Don’t wait until something goes wrong because it could be a total pain for you. It’s dire for your family’s safety to be warm in the winter. I was honestly scared that we would freeze. The temperature was going down slowly but if I wouldn’t have gotten it fixed, it would have been bad. It’s better to be safe than sorry. You should also always change your filters every three months. They are cheap and easy to install as long as you know which way the air flow is. There may be an arrow on the unit you match up with the filter. With changing your filter every three months and getting your unit tuned up can save you from a very cold day indoors and the cost of repair, plus labor and parts.

Getting Your Car Ready for Winter

Growing up in the Midwest, I know how important it is to get your car winter ready. While the snow is fun to play in and build a snowman with your kids, you still have to drive in it. We can't hibernate like bears all winter. We also tend to travel during the holiday season. Even a short trip to Grandma's house can be hard if your car isn't prepared. There are some easy steps to take to make sure you are ready for the unpredictable Midwest weather. You may face snow, ice, sleet and freezing rain. Don't forget extremely cold temperatures. You don't want to end up like I did, and have your car break down on the side of a busy highway on Christmas Day one year. That was not fun. Thankfully, it wasn't too terribly cold and it wasn't snowing. It ended better than it could have but it still was a major pain to deal with on a holiday were nothing was open and my cell phone was dead. We had to find a pay phone and call someone to come. We had to rely on family to take us to all the places we needed to go. It was when I was married, so thankfully we were able to without really inconvenience anyone too much.  I was able to enjoy Christmas still thankfully. Don't take the risk and get your car ready for winter, I wish I would have.


 Read this post to learn more about getting your car ready for Winter

The Importance of Car Winter Safety Kits

Sometimes your car has trouble, maybe it's your car malfunctioning and maybe it's the weather, and maybe it's an accident. You could get a flat tire or run out of gas. You need to prepare for these situations. I remember times my cousin and I would run out of gas in her car. I am pretty sure her gas gauge had problems. We were lucky enough where it would happen close to a gas station or as we were pulling in to it. There has been other times where the car has died or we were stuck in the snow. The Midwest is great for snow. It always makes me laugh when southern states get an inch of snow and everyone freaks out. I understand they aren't used to it but I still makes me chuckle a little. There are certain things you can keep in your car in case of an emergency. Regardless where you live I recommend car safety kits for all drivers. The weather can be unpredictable. It could be 54 degrees one day and then the next day have four inches of snow fall in one afternoon. You don't want to be stuck without supplies or food in subzero temps. Having a well put together winter safety kit could help save your life or help someone who you see stranded.

Here's how to make a Winter safety kit  for all drivers

The Day the Fridge Died

One of my most memorable Christmases was the year that our refrigerator broke on Christmas Day. Thankfully we were living in Indiana and it had been very cold that day so we were able to keep everything outside on our screened in porch. My mom and sister were going out of town to Chicago the next day so I was left without a refrigerator for a few days. Normally on Christmas Eve we always have a bunch of appetizers means there's always yummy leftovers. In case you were wondering they did not go to waste.Then my family had the task of picking out a new refrigerator. We wanted to make sure that we purchased one with the specific features. The first important feature was that it had two doors because I really like to stock up on frozen food. We have grown accustomed to having a water and ice dispenser so of course that was a key feature for us to have. After we decided which features we wanted we also had to decide what the refrigerator would look like because it has to match the kitchen. Finally we had to think about costs with it being just after Christmas and the fact that I received a new computer that year and we were not expecting our fridge to die on Christmas Day we wanted to make sure it was something that was in our budget. Don't worry we were able to find one. I no longer had to be like Abraham Lincoln and go out in the snow to find something to eat. I guess it could've been worse the heat could have been broken and when my mom and sister came home they would have found an ice lolly named Sheila.