Create an Evacuation Plan for Your Pets

An evacuation plan is a necessity for every home, especially if you live in an area where fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, flooding, and other disasters are a possibility. Many homeowners create evacuation plans for their homes and practice them with their kids, but far fewer have considered one for their pets. Take these steps to add your pets to your evacuation plan.

Assign pet evacuation to an adult. Everyone should know how to act during an evacuation, and that includes assigning one parent or adult to the pets. This allows the other parent and the children to focus on their part of the evacuation plan, so there’s no confusion during a high-stress moment when time is of the essence.

Keep evacuation maps and pet carriers readily accessible. If you need to evacuate, you should know exactly where every important item is. If you pets require carriers, keep them in a place that you can access easily.

Practice your plan. Include your pets in your home evacuation drills. It’ll help you see how they will respond and make changes to your plan if necessary. Getting your dog out of a window may not be as simple as you think!

Be prepared in case you get separated from your pets. No matter how much you drill your evacuation plan, it’s possible that a dog or cat will run off while you’re focusing on keeping your family safe. A microchip or a GPS-compatible tag can help you find your pets once it’s safe to return to the area.

Happy Motivation Monday! 10 Quotes to Start Your Week

It's Monday... Time to MOTIVATE and make DREAMS and GOALS happen! Let's GO!

 

When you can't control what's happening, challenge yourself to control the way you respond to what's happening. That's where your power is.

You can never cross the ocean unless you have courage to lose sight of the shore.

You're not meant to do what is easy. You're meant to challenge yourself. ~ Justin Timberlake

Challenges are what make life interesting. Overcoming them is what makes them meaningful.

If you can dream it, you can do it. ~ Walt Disney

Stop letting people who do so little for you control so much of your mind, feelings and emotions. ~ Will Smith

It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart. ~ Mockingjay

Breathe in. Breathe out. Move on. ~ Jimmy Buffett

If you want to feel rich, just count all the gifts you have that money can't buy.

Five Tips for Reducing Clutter

It doesn’t take much time to go from a perfectly organized room to a cluttered, chaotic mess. Papers pile up on surfaces, coats and bags end up on furniture, shoe boxes and shopping bags get stuffed in the first place you can find. But if you’re proactive, you can avoid the common clutter traps. Here are five ideas for reducing clutter:

 1. Have a place for the things you bring into the house each day: Do what you can do create an easy place to put your outerwear, mail, keys, phone, and the other things you bring home each day. Coat racks, mail holders, and a catch-all basket give you an easy, consistent place to put your everyday items.

 2. Get a basket for once-worn clothes: There are some clothing items that may not need to be washed or put away immediately after one use, like sweaters or denim. These items often end up on the bedroom floor. Instead, put them in a specific basket for items that aren’t yet ready for the laundry room.

 3. Keep kitchen tools off the counter: It’s really easy to let items pile up on the kitchen counters, and all that clutter can be frustrating when it’s time to make a meal. To reduce clutter, use wall racks to keep cooking utensils off the counter.

 4. Designate a no-clutter zone: This one’s simple. Simply choose an important surface or space (like a coffee table), clear it of clutter, and focus on keeping that one area totally organized.

 5. Keep the dining room table set: Not only is a set table pleasant to the eye, but it also makes it nearly impossible for the table to gather clutter. Thanks to the plates and silverware, there’s no room for your junk mail.

Dunedin's Best of 2020

Dunedin, Florida is located on the Florida's Gulf Coast. It is home to stunning sandy beaches, the Dunedin Blue Jays, spring training for the Toronto Blue Jays, and numerous outstanding restaurants, shops, and locations. 

In the May/June 2020 issue of Tampa Bay Magazine, readers voted for their "best of" favorites. Over 25 businesses, restaurants, and locations throughout Dunedin appeared in this year's list providing additional reasons why if you haven't yet, a visit to Dunedin must be on your to do list, and with all that it has to offer, if you are considering a Florida move, Dunedin should definitely be on your list of possible home shopping locations. 

Best Art Center Dining - Palm Café, 1143 Michigan Blvd, Dunedin

Best Art Classes - Dunedin Fine Art Center, 1143 Michigan Blvd, Dunedin

Best Bagels - Dunedin Bagels and Deli, 716 Main St, Dunedin

Best Bakery - The Scone Age Bakery and Cafe, 332 Skinner Blvd, Dunedin

Best Boat Ride - Caladesi Island Ferry, leaves from the west end of Dunedin Causeway

Best Bookstore - Back in the Day Books, 355 Main St, Dunedin

Best Breakfast - Our Place, 1617 Main St, Dunedin

Best Cajun Food - Happy's Bayou Bites, 431 Skinner Blvd, Dunedin

Best Casual Seafood - Old Bay Cafe & Dunedin Fish Market, 51 Main St, Dunedin

Best Chinese Cuisine - Ha Long Bay, 2192 Main St, Dunedin

Best Cookies - Kookie Krums, 513 Main St, Dunedin

Best Dry Cleaners - Dunedin's Dry Cleaners, 304 Monroe St, Dunedin

Best Florida-Style Cuisine - Hog Island Fish Camp, 900 Broadway, Dunedin

Best Gastro Pub - Clear Sky Draught Haus, 680 Main St, Dunedin

Best Gourmet Pizza - Pan y Vino Brick Oven Pizza & Wine Bar, 369 Main St, Dunedin

Best Grouper Sandwich - Frenchy's Outpost Bar & Grill, 466 Causeway Blvd, Dunedin

Best History Museum - Dunedin History Museum, 349 Main St, Dunedin

Best Homestyle Italian Dining - Julian's Little Italy, 916-A Patricia Ave, Dunedin

Best Ice Cream - Strachan's Homemade Ice Cream, 310 Main St, Dunedin

Best Leather Repair - J&M Shoe Repair, 1107 Main St, Dunedin

Best Mexican Restaurant - Casa Tina, 365 Main St, Dunedin

Best Outdoor Dining - The Terrace Café at Bon Appétit, 148 Marina Plaza, Dunedin

Best Restaurant on the Pinellas Trail - Cafe Alfresco, 344 Main St, Dunedin

Best Sandwiches - Marguerite's Cafe and Catering, 405 Plaza Dr, Dunedin

Best Waterfront Restaurant - Bon Appétit Restaurant, 148 Marina Plaza, Dunedin

Best Wedding Venue - Historic Andrews Memorial Chapel, 1899 San Mateo Drive, Dunedin

Best Wieners - Hot Dogs on Main, 505 Main St, Dunedin

As Tampa Bay Magazine's Best of 2020 shows, Dunedin offers a wide variety of locations that are loved by many throughout Tampa Bay. Come to Dunedin, fall in love! 

Make sure to pick up the May/June 2020 Issue of Tampa Bay Magazine to learn more about all the winners in Dunedin and see the complete list with all of the fabulous winners throughout the Tampa Bay area. 

Stay Motivated! It's a New Month, New Week, New Day

Happy June! As we stride into a new month, one thing that probably rings true for all of us is that 2020 has not been an easy year. The last couple months have been bumpy to say the least. There have been a lot of ups and downs, laughter and tears, persevering and thoughts of quitting. Each and every day whether I hit a breaking point or not, I strive to be grateful again and again for the big and the small. 

As I have said before, when I am feeling down and hopeless, I reach for one of my many books of quotes. Within a few simple sentences, I know I will find the motivation to pick myself back up and keep going. Things are tough right now, but don't stop being grateful, holding onto the things that motivate you to put one foot in front of the other, and never forget no matter how bad it seems there is always some good in the world worth fighting for. 

All you have to do is be yourself and live the story that no one else can live -- the story of your own unique life. Be proud. Be confident. And, most of all, be happy.

To learn, you have to listen. To improve, you have to try. - Thomas Jefferson

Don't think too much. You'll create a problem that wasn't even there in the first place.

The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all. - Disney's Mulan

Here's the secret, kids. None of us can vow to be perfect. In the end, all we can do is promise to love each other with everything we got. - How I Met Your Mother

A good life is when you smile often, dream big, laugh a lot, and realize how blessed you are for what you have.

Take a chance. You never know what might happen.

Living with a broken heart is hard, but it can never doom you to be a broken person.

We must all make the choice between what is right and what is easy. - Albus Dumbledore

You haven't lost your ability to do good things with life, even if it never loses its ability to do bad things to you.