Tips For a Safe Halloween
Halloween is one of the most fun holidays for kids, but it can also be a time of great stress for parents trying to get a handle on the night’s activities. Between buying or making the costumes, making sure you have candy to hand out if you’re staying in that night and still want to participate, and also ensuring you know where your kids are going and what they’ll be doing – it can be challenging to say the least.
Here are five tips to help make your Halloween as stress free as possible.
Look Up Local Trick or Treat Times
It’s important to know what time the fun begins in your city or neighborhood so you don’t wander around empty streets all night. Each city could have a different start time for when it’s considered safe for children to go out and have some fun. That time usually coincides with when it’s actually dark outside, but not always. Once you know what time everything begins, map out the route you want to take your kids on or provide a map to older kids who are going out on their own.
Bergey’s Breadbasket 7th Annual Corn Maze
In Chesapeake, Bergey’s Breadbasket has been serving the community freshly made cinnamon rolls, ice cream, danish, and other products made from scratch for years. Not only can you get a taste of homemade deliciousness, but you can visit annually for the corn maze.
Test Your Problem-Solving Skills in the Corn Maze
The corn maze at Bergey’s is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00am to 6:30pm. It is 5 acres in size so you’ll get a little exercise while you test the problem-solving skills of your whole family. Ages 4 and under are invited for free. In September, ages 5 and up get in for $8 admission and admission is $10 in October and November.
Apps to Prevent Distracted Driving
Statistics show using mobile devices while driving increases your risks for car accidents by as much as four times. Using phones and other devices while driving puts the driver at risk, as well as everyone on the road around them. Several companies are hoping to reduce the number of distracted driving accidents through the use of apps.
Drive First App by Sprint
Available for Android phones, Sprint created the Drive First app to disable some of the phone’s features when it detects it is in a moving vehicle. When people call you, the calls will automatically go to voice mail. Text message alerts will be silent, and the app will automatically respond to anyone who texts with a message that says you’re driving and unavailable.
DriveSafe.ly App
If you absolutely can’t miss a potential message, the DriveSafe.ly app will read text messages and email messages out loud in real time so you can listen while you’re driving. It is available for Blackberry, iPhone, Android, and Windows phones.
FleetSafer App
Designed for commercial fleets, the FleetSafer App is available for Windows, Blackberry, and Android. Phones with the software will automatically lock themselves while driving to prevent texts, emails, and phone calls. Auto-reply messages will be sent to any incoming texts and emails to let people know you are unavailable at the moment.
Don’t Drive Distracted
If you don’t want to go through the trouble of installing an app, you can always get into the habit of turning your phone on silent mode whenever you get behind the wheel.
Image via Pixabay
Go Golf in Chesapeake, VA
Virginia has many beautiful golf courses, and several are found right in the Chesapeake area. Golfers visit Chesapeake’s courses from all over the country. Two of the favorite courses of resident golfers include the Cahoon Plantation and the Chesapeake Golf Club.
Cahoon Plantation
The golf course at Cahoon Plantation is the only bent grass golf course from tee to fairway to green in the area. There is a practice facility on site, and a fully-stocked pro shop for all of your golfing needs. The shop offers equipment and apparel for purchase or rental. Before you play, the Cahoon Plantation staff will help you register, make start times, get club storage, and rent a golf cart. If you are new to golfing or want to improve your game, the Pro Shop also offers golf lessons.
How to Travel With Your Dog Safely
Some dogs like riding in the car so much that they know how to spell “ride”! Traveling with your dog safely requires a few precautions. Here’s how you can take Fido for an R-I-D-E while keeping both the passengers and the dog safe in the vehicle:
Don’t let the dog roam freely. Dogs who can roam around the car are a distraction to the driver. If you get into a car accident, have to slam on your brakes, or corner sharply, the dog can get thrown around and injured.
Put your dog in the backseat. Just like children, the backseat is the safest place for your dog because of the front airbags. Dogs are less distracting to the driver when they travel in the backseat, too.
Secure pets with a crate or safety latch. Use a crate to keep your dog securely in place, or purchase a pet safety latch designed to work like a seatbelt for dogs.
Don’t leave dogs in the car alone. When it’s warm outside, the inside of a car heats up quickly. Dogs quickly become overheated in a car even if the temperature feels comfortable outside.
Tips for Keeping Your Dog Comfortable on Road Trips
If you’re going for a lengthy ride, bring along a leash so you can stop frequently and take the dog for a walk. Even if your dog doesn’t normally need a leash, you will want to use one while traveling. Traffic and new sights or sounds can spook a dog and the last thing you want is for your dog to run away while you’re parked at a rest stop.
Image via Pixabay
How to Eliminate Smoke Odor from Your Vehicle
If you buy a used car that smells like smoke, or you let someone borrow your vehicle and they smoked in it – you may be wondering how to get the smoke odor out of your car. The most common method for trying to remove the smell of second-hand smoke involves air fresheners, but they usually only temporarily mask the odor and don’t eliminate it.
Here are some tips for eliminating the smell of smoke from a vehicle:
Vinegar and water – spray the fabric lightly with a mixture of vinegar and water. At first, you will smell the vinegar, but it will not last very long. Vinegar is known for neutralizing odors.
Baking soda – cover your seats and carpets with a thick coat of baking soda. If the vehicle has a trunk, cover that as well and let it sit on the fabric for at least 24 hours. Vacuum the vehicle the next day and most, if not all of the smoke odor will be eliminated.
Charcoal – use a hammer to create a powder from regular charcoal (not self-starting charcoal). Put it in a coffee filter, and put it on the floor of your vehicle for at least a week. It will absorb the smell of smoke, and then you can remove the coffee filter with the charcoal for a cleaner-smelling vehicle.
Air purifier – invest in an air purifier for cars. It will neutralize the smell while eliminating any other harmful bacteria found in the air.
Image via Pixabay
Prepare Your Car for Fall and Winter
As we put the dog days of summer behind us and head into the fall and winter seasons, it’s time to prepare your car for the colder months. Many car maintenance tasks you can do on your own, but feel free to call our service department and schedule an appointment if you would like us to help you prepare your vehicle.
Check Engine Fluids, Belts, and Hoses
If your vehicle is due for an oil change, make sure you take care of it. Check transmission fluid to see if you need to add more. Take a look at all of your belts and hoses and see if they are worn and in need of replacement. Check your antifreeze level to see if you need to replace it or add to it.
Check the Heater
Before it gets cold, make sure your vehicle’s heating system is working properly and that the defroster turns on. You don’t want to wait until it’s cold and you need heat before you learn it’s not working!
Fuel More Frequently
If you break down in the colder months, you want to have enough fuel to run your vehicle and turn on the heat as needed until help arrives. Don’t run your fuel right down to the fumes when it’s cold – keep it fueled up and ready to go, just in case.
Check Tire Pressure
Fluctuating temperatures causes the air in your tires to condense or expand. If your vehicle doesn’t give you a tire pressure reading in the dash, make sure you check the tire pressure regularly to see if you need to add air to any of your tires before you drive on them.
Image via Pixabay
Things You Should Keep in Your Glove Compartment
Your glove compartment is the ideal place to store things you may need while traveling. While tempting, you should not keep your vehicle’s title and registration in the glove compartment. If your car is stolen, the thief will have an easy time selling the vehicle for cash if he or she is in possession of the title.
It’s a law to have proof of insurance in almost every state. Put your insurance cards in the glove compartment in case you get pulled over and need to show the officer you have insurance.
It’s a good idea to keep your vehicle’s owner manual and maintenance schedule in your glove compartment, too, in case your dashboard starts displaying some interesting symbols and you need to look up what they mean.
Go Off-Road With The 2015 Toyota Tundra SR5
If you’re looking for a full-size pickup for work or pleasure, take a look at the 2015 Toyota Tundra. You can go off-roading in this truck, but it’s built 
for a comfortable commute.
Entertainment Features
The Toyota Tundra doesn’t disappoint when it comes to entertainment features to keep everyone occupied during long road trips or quick trips around town. There is an AM/FM radio, a CD player capable of reading Mp3 format, satellite radio, digital radio, and a color touchscreen to control it all. For safety and comfort, the audio controls are built into the steering wheel. There are six speakers to give you a high-quality sound for all of your favorite tunes.
The 2015 Toyota Highlander is the Perfect Family SUV
When you’re choosing an SUV for your family, two things must be considered: safety and space. You want your loved ones to be well protected in the event of an accident, and you need enough space inside to fit everyone and all the gear that goes with them. With the 2015 Toyota Highlander Limited Platinum, you get all of this, plus many added luxurious features. Why not treat your family to the best of the best?
Safety in the 2015 Highlander Limited Platinum
The 2015 Highlander earned five stars from the government for overall crash protection. IIHS gave it their top score after crash tests and tests of whiplash protection. Standard equipment for safety on every Highlander includes side airbags for the front seat, antilock disc brakes, driver knee airbag, traction control, side curtain full-length airbags, stability control, seat-cushion front passenger airbags and a rearview camera.
With the Limited Platinum, you get even more: blind-spot monitoring system with rear cross-traffic alerts, frontal collision mitigation and warning system, automatic braking, lane-departure warnings and Safety Connect telematics. This system consists of a stolen-vehicle locator, emergency assistance, and automatic collision notifications.
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