Holiday Lights

      Despite the calendar saying we have a few more days until it's actually winter, we have already had the first falling of miserable frozen rain, I am going to go ahead and say HAPPY WINTER! It's also December, so, in my book it is time to embrace winter and the holiday season upon us. Did you notice I said nothing about snow? That's because I hate snow and any temperature below 60 degrees, I just don't function properly. Winter is the worst season but the beauty of it makes my heart giddy and that is enough for me. I will gladly sit with a blanket next to the fireplace and watch the snow cover the earth, but as for outside play I'll send my husband and son out to make snow balls.
      I don't like playing in the snow but my favorite thing to do is driving by houses and neighborhoods that have wrapped each tree with lights and decorated their lawns with animations, blow ups and ornaments. My family loves to take these drives, especially our 2 ½ year old whose face lights up as bright as the lights do! I have been on the hunt recently to find the best places to see lights in the area and I have come up with a few different links to share with all of you. I hope everyone gets the chance to visit at least one of these top rated places. When driving down the road admiring all the lights and feeling the cheer, remember this post and share with your friends!!!

• Rumor has it that the best displays are right here in Massachusetts so this LINK has the top 13 places right here in the Bay State.

• I work at Fafard Real Estate and we build homes in the Metro-west area so if you are one of our past, present or current customers, check out this LINK for a map of the best lights in this area.

• For all my other readers outside of those areas this LINK is for the top places in the United States to check out lights and decorations.

      Lastly, my personal recommendation is Regal Street in Holliston, MA. I have gone down the road every year since I was about five. They have house after house with lights and cut outs, but what makes them most unique is they have big boxes that have characters and little scenes inside. It really is amazing and such a classic!
      I hope that wherever you're reading from, one of these links helps in deciding where to go in the upcoming weeks and if there are any worth adding or that I missed, please let me know!

Getting funky with our company's advertising!

It's the time in real estate that things are begining to slow down as we head in to winter. Now that the season is falling we have taken to our marketing team. We are relying on them to get creative with not only our advertising but also the way its going through the grapevine and reaching our customers. One of the newest additions to our advertisements are these two game boards with all of our residential and commercial properties.
Check them out and if you're looking for a new home or commercial land,
Contact us at (508) 881-6662 or go to our website !

​

We have something for everyone!

Shopping Center Space

Office Space

Light Manufacturing Space

Helicopter Landing Sites In The Suburbs

Hotel Sites On Route 495

Apartment, Multi-Family, and Single-Family Land

Much More!

Residential Offerings! 

Our line of unique new construction boutique style estates, single-family homes and townhouses in the Boston MetroWest and Central Massachusetts area

Halloween DIY

     Ever since I was a kid, I made my Halloween costume with my parents and they never failed to come out wonderfully. It was my favorite part of Halloween and because of it I have grown to strongly dislike store bought costumes due to the lack of effort being put into the holiday. Of course there are times when one needs to just run to the store and buy a costume but if you have the time, energy and craftiness then I recommend making costumes by hand- its become a tradition in my family and it is so much fun!
     This year, my son is two and half so he's the perfect age to know what he wants to dress up as and is old enough to understand the concept of going door to door saying trick or treat! So this year Colin decided he wanted to be a bulldozer and I thought "hmm, this one might be tough" but after some google, Pinterest and craft store shopping we created the perfect costume for our little guy!
     So let's get to my first DIY post!


SUPPLIES

• Box large enough to fit over your child but not so big that their walking is interrupted
• Box cutter
• Scissors
• Hot glue with extra glue sticks
• Yellow spray paint
• Primer
• Gray paint
• Construction paper- Black
• 4 round wooden plaques (size depends on box size)
• Long rectangular Styrofoam
• Tape
• 10 orange glow sticks
• 1 toilet paper roll
• Tinfoil
• Black ribbon
• Black sharpie
• 3 CAT construction printouts
• Construction hat (optional)

STEP 1:

Cut the bottom off the box. Next cut the top to make a place for your child and include 2 places on each side to connect the ribbon. Tape up the box; all open sides and edges for support and to round out rough edges.

STEP 2: 

With the flaps you cut off the bottom, cut small squares in bottom of one long one. Use primer on all, let dry then spray paint yellow. Cut toilet paper role in half and spray paint as well.

 STEP 3: 

Use primer on box, let dry and spray with yellow spray paint. This was my favorite part, there's something so satisfying about spraying color from a can and changing the whole appearance!

STEP 4:

Paint four round plaques gray and let dry. I recommend two coats, but don't worry about the edges or back.

STEP 5:

Cut four rectangular pieces out of the Styrofoam blocks. Once the gray paint is dry flip the plaques over and glue Styrofoam to the backs of them.

STEP 6: 

Glue four painted slabs on the front to make the bucket part. Use lots of glue to make sure it is stable and will not break if bumped. Also, glue two round plaques on each side to be the "wheels".  I did one higher than the other to make it seem more realistic. 

STEP 7:

Cut Black Construction paper into strips wide enough to touch the box and stick out a little over the gray "wheels". Fold them accordion style and glue along edges of wheels and on the part attached to the box. Make sure to use plenty of glue because this will be the first part to fall apart it is gets hit or crushed at all.

STEP 8:

Accordion fold a half sheet of construction paper and glue above the bucket. Take a another sheet and glue into the inside of the bucket so it is curved. Tie ribbons for shoulder straps, make sure they are adjusted size wise to fit your child.

STEP 9:

Use a sharpie to draw the CAT symbol on the back

STEP 10:

Final touches. Cut circles out of tinfoil and glue them to wooden plaques. Glue CAT cutouts onto each side and on the inside of the bucket. Glue toilet paper half roles to the front as headlights. Glue glow sticks inside and cover with saran wrap as lit headlights.

FINAL PRODUCT!!!

     Overall it was a huge success! Colin would say "truck or treat" at every door and he would leave the house while making beeping truck noises! His costume held together wonderfully, the only trouble we had was the construction paper tracks fell off at one point but tape was our friend that night.

     Hope you can use this to get creative next Halloween, GOOD LUCK!

The Pootastrophy of 2016

   Potty training is the part of parenting where we really find our zen and tolerance for sh*t. Literally. It is days of accidents, nakedness, pee covered floors and poop smears replacing household decorations. I have a boy so I don't know much of what it's like for you mothers with dainty young ladies so let me tell you about my experience with the mess of a boy that I call my own. It took a solid four days to officially say he was trained but boy those were a long four days!
   After watching our son casually stick  his hand in his diaper, pee on it and then start giggling we decided to give potty training a shot. We took his diaper off, explained to him the deal and brought him to go potty. Miraculously he went two times in a row and was so proud of himself that he couldn't contain his little bladder and peed all over the floor. That was the first of many accidents. He went the rest of the day without having an accident and it was great. My husband and I thought wow this is great, so easy- our kid rocks. HAH boy did we jinx ourselves! So the first day was fabulous, granted we started around 3 pm, but the day was done and it was time for bed. We had Colin go potty then put him in a diaper for the night and woke up in the morning. As soon as we were all awake, we took the diaper off and went potty. He made it until about 10 am before having to go and even though we asked and went to the bathroom he wouldn't actually use it. So 10 o'clock rolls around and I hear "Muummmmaaaa" and I walk in to Colin playing in a puddle of pee on the coffee table! The little pee monster not only sat and watched himself have an accident, he also decided to do it while sitting on my coffee table! This is where I give my husband total responsibility of the child and take no claims over him! So we rushed to the potty to make sure he was all done and then I had him help me clean up the mess. After that was said and done we decided to eat lunch and take a bath which he did great and even used the potty! When bath was done we put him in a diaper for nap time because we knew he still wasn't ready to sleep without one. We read a book, we snuggled and I walked out. That's when things took a turn for the worst....
   I went in after about TEN minutes to check on him, make sure he was asleep and as I neared his room the smell of parental frustrations hit me in the face with vengeance. I knew before even getting to the door that he had a poop waiting for me but I never expected what I saw when I opened his bedroom door. COVERED. Absolutely covered in poop from his ears to his toes. His belly had so much poop on him that it was clear he was finger painting with it. The walls had smears and the carpet had two brown hand prints where Colin attempted to get it off his hand. He had totally covered his legs, his sheets and his treasured stuffed animal. He was so proud to show me and all I could do was yell for my husband and laugh/cry about what an amazing artist my kid is..........
   My husband who is the sweetest man with the WEAKEST stomach comes running and instantly starts gagging, which just makes us both start laughing even more and Colin is just sitting there smiling and confused at the huge commotion. Kenny starts the shower while I undress Colin, we rushed to the tub and Kenny heads back to change the sheets and clean the room. He does this while holding his breathing and running out of the room every few seconds for air. I'm mid scrubbing poop out from under Colin's nails and all I can hear is gagging and coughing from the other room. It was then that I wondered who the softy is in my marriage. Once we are all done and cleaned up we let him sleep in our bed since his room stinks of poop and cleaning supplies. He lays down and passes out instantly, apparently his artistry pooped him out.. see what I did there?
   So all that happened on Saturday and it was officially dubbed as "The Pootastrophy of 2016" but we were pros by Sunday and we were ready to take on anything that came out of Colin. Except nothing happened and he just magically started using the potty to pee and poop and didn't have an accident again for days. It took a little longer to sleep without a diaper on and even though he sometimes wets the bed, he has been doing great! I guess it only took being covered in a stinky mess for him to want to use the potty!
   Needless to say, when the child is ready, they will use the potty, but may the force be with you when you are going through all that comes with Potty Training.

Two years

    Two years. Two years I spent at home with my son, living, learning and teaching right beside him as he did the same. Two years I spent day after day with this wonderful little boy discovering patience and gratitude for the little things in life. Two years I spent most of my time with my little sidekick looking forward to my husband coming home from work to join our fun. Two years I spent loving my time at home while also fighting loneliness. Finally to say, I spent two years as a stay at home mother and while I would never trade that time for anything in the world, it feels damn good to be back working and being outside of the house around other adults.

    Now, don't get me wrong, I miss being home with my munchkin and having all the fun that we did, but that is not to say that I am ready to go back to living that way. My husband and I decided that we would rather have me stay home and teach our child instead of spending all the money I would make if I went back to work on daycare. So my husband, the great man that he is, worked his ass off to make ends meet and make sure we had more than enough to be healthy and happy. Meanwhile I stayed home and did everything in my power to make sure Colin was healthy and happy and our home was taken care of. It wasn't always a clean house and the laundry wasn't always folded but every day Kenny came home from work we all had smiles on our faces and to me that is more important than a clean dish or a folded pair of pants. Colin blossomed in the time we spent together and as parents we couldn't be any more proud, he was just so happy, smart and fun and still is!

    Then the day came where I looked at my husband and told him I didn't know what/how else to teach Colin and that he was lacking a certain interaction with other children despite going to toddler gyms and playgrounds. We began looking into options but I am a tad neurotic and have a huge fear of sending my child off to daycare because there are just so many stories of crazy people. I couldn't seem to find a local daycare that had enough good reviews to knock my anxiety out of the way. So we made a major decision to send Colin to a Montessori school. Honestly it was the absolute best option for our child and our family and I am beyond happy that we did. We put him in for a full school day because their scheduled day fit into the same schedule that we already had in place for him at home. So Mr. Big Boy headed off for his first day of school and Mummy headed off for her first day of work.

    I went back to work in Sales and Marketing at a Real Estate company, I love it, I love the people and I enjoy learning more about the job everyday but it has been a huge transition. My routine has totally changed, I can no longer stay in sweatpants all day and I have to actually interact with adults again and while it has taken time to get used to, I'm actually pretty good with human connection! Being back to work has changed not only my energy and personality but also my parenting.

    For the first time since Colin was born, I have the opportunity to miss him and anticipate seeing him at the end of our days. I get to experience the excitement he has to see me when I pick him up from school and listen to him tell me all about his day. I no longer spend my day with him so I now look forward to going home and being crazy and goofy with him. I don't get as frustrated any more and while he taught me patience before, it seems that I have even more now. I don't get to see his little face as often so now when I am with him it is even more valuable and important than it was before. It's little things you don't notice until you break from your normal routine and begin a new one.

    Even as a wife, work has helped me calm down. I am not always the best at verbalizing my feelings and sometimes I have a short temper but since being at work I seem to not be as irritable. I was never angry or bitter with Kenny, Colin or my home- it was more the frustration of irrational loneliness that I wasn't able to convey to my loved ones. I felt like I wasn't doing all things that I needed to and I felt that I needed to readjust my focus but I didn't know how or where. I almost felt as if I was stuck. That feeling didn't start until I knew that I was running out of ideas to fill my days with Colin and I don't think I realized that I knew things needed to change. Well things did change and starting a new chapter has helped remove those feelings of frustration and have taken away the struggles I had before.

    I feel better now. I know that the two years I spent being home with my baby helped both him and I grow in many different ways but I am so happy that we decided to alter our life because there reaches a point where moving forward doesn't work unless you actually take a step to do so. Sometimes it takes huge changes to be fully content while appreciating all that was, is and will be.

Fall fun on a budget

Family time is my favorite no matter what. Whether we are cuddled up on

the couch watching movies, playing cars in the living room or running 

around outside we always have the best time when we are all together. 

There are also days that everything seems boring or too expensive so we 

have to get creative sometimes. If you are looking for things to do this fall, 

Take a look at this list of ideas I have compiled and I hope you can utilize 

them the way my family has!

• Treasure Hunt- Print out a map of a local park, make it look old and worn and mark it with a red "X". Go to that park, dig a little hole and put a small treasure in it. Bring your kids to the park and help them find the treasure. **Don't forget to bring the shovel!  A nice twist on this one is looking for specific things in nature like frogs, tadpoles, worms, plants.
• Orchards- Apple picking, pumpkin picking, hayrides, and cider donuts all fall into the one visit at an orchard. Generally you can get in to the orchards for an all inclusive price so it cuts the cost almost in half!
• Pumpkin carving and apple pies- These are always the best activities to do after visiting the orchard
• Backyard camp outs- A fire, blankets, s'mores and ghost stories... What more could you ask for!?
• Fall Festivals- Many towns have a fair or something closely related on the town green. Generally there are vendors for crafts, food, live music and much more. Check one out because even if you don't buy anything, who doesn't enjoy dancing around to great music with great vibes around you.
• Garden- Get your bulbs planted to watch them bloom in the spring and make sure you get all your vegetables in before it gets too cold!
• Yard work- Rake the whole yard with the kids help and then JUMP IN THE LEAVES!!
• Halloween- Decorate the house for the spooky holiday. Make your children's costumes yourself instead of spending a bunch of money and if you want to get totally creative, make your costume too!
• Crafts- Collect pine cones, leaves, acorns and any other part of nature and craft them into decorations and goodies for around the house!

Make sure to take advantage of the cool crisp air because before you know it, winter will be here and you'll be missing these fall days!

Are you looking to move?

Time for this working mama to shamelessly plug her wonderful place of employment!!!

     At Fafard Real Estate, we have a great selection of houses, town-homes and condos so we can assist you in choosing your perfect fit. 

    Are you looking for a new place to call home? This beauty is on the market starting at $569,990 and if you call now you can get in before the holidays! 

    This isn't the only available option either! Check us out at www.fafardrealestate.com or come to our Ashland, MA (102 Chestnut St) sales office to find out any information we have available!

Parental segregation at school functions

    Being a parent of a child in school means that whether you like it or not you have functions and events to attend at school. Saturday was one of those days and we had a Fall Picnic to attend at Colin's school. The events are great, you know if you enjoy being forced to socialize with other parents while your shirt is covered in glue and some type of brown stuff that you are afraid to smell. At these events you find all different parents that seem to fall into the stereotypical categories, the list is as follows...

1. The Misfits:  The parents with purple hair and partially shaved heads and a nose ring (that's me!) Typically you can find more than one but never more than 4 in the same area. We like to go down the slide with our kids and share laughs with our significant other while shoving our face with the food we didn't have to bring. We did volunteer at a table though so we have it semi- together. These types of parents are generally the ones at risk for the most scrutiny and apparently the hardest to approach. **Side note- bringing your parents to your own child's school function will definitely acquire more staring!
2. The Leaders:  These are the mothers who are running the event. These women are really nice, typically. They are the ones who have everything together and even though they have a very packed schedule they always seem able to find time to help even more than they already do. You can generally find their kids helping along side them or having a tantrum that they have to help.
3. The Single Dads: He is definitely one of the coolest. He always seems to be just the slightest bit frazzled, especially if he has more than one child. Yet his kids are usually helping other kids do their crafts or climbing all over him. He keeps his cool and keeps up with all the other parents while doing the job of two by himself. The single dad is a good one to sit and chat with and his kids are good matches for a play date.
4. The Real Housewives: The mother who went above and beyond to make sure her name appeared the most on the sign up sheet. They like to be the center of everything but it's okay because their style is always on point and they usually drive awesome cars. Her kids can normally be found eating all the sugar they can because for once mom is too busy chatting to take it away.
5.  The Helicopter Parents:  They can be found with their hands in everything, mostly they are doing their child's craft project making sure that there isn't a single spec of glitter out of place. When the craft is done they are following their kid around either in fear of them getting hurt or really just trying to avoid interaction with other adults- We don't actually know which is true
6. The Average Joe's: Everyone else that doesn't fall into one of these categories, they are a bit average with their own sparkle- they're cool and their kids are too- schedule a play date with them!
7. The Vegan: Their vegan. Their kids are too and they want to tell you ALL about it.

 
   Generally when you walk into these things you know where your place is and you head straight there to avoid all the Others. As you walk across the playground you get caught by your sons teacher and as awesome as they are, you weren't prepared to converse just yet. Although, they do help break you in and prepare you for the mindless small talk that will commence in the next two hours.
    Alas, I really secretly LOVE these things even all the different types of parents that come with them. The atmosphere is flowing with a strong sense of community, love and shared experiences which make you feel so good inside, especially after a long week of work. Functions like this are great; the crafts are adorable- just think mini pumpkins covered in glitter and googly eyes. Then there's the homemade food! Oh the food is delicious, my husband LOVED the potato curry pastries that one family brought. Our son enjoys all the children and playing at school while not actually having a typical school day. Despite all the differences among parents, everything truly comes together at these events and your filled with such a satisfaction and parental pride. Pair this feeling with the smile on my sons face and I was in pure mummy bliss!
 
    Welcome Fall!

    Welcome to my Blog!! Sit back with that cup of coffee or tea and let me share a little insight to me. I like long walks on the beach.... Just Kidding! I love being a wife and mother more than anything and I have been lucky enough to spend the last two years as a stay at home mum. I have been able to see our son blossom into his personality while spending mornings learning and afternoons in the sun and catching frogs. It has really taught me patience and gratitude even on the days I was going bonkers. Being a stay at home mother is great but boy is it hard for many reasons, the hardest part is the lack of adult communication. Luckily I have a husband that gets home from work and lets me babble away without getting annoyed- usually because he's ignoring half of what I am saying anyway. But hey, I'll take it!

    Well the time came about a week ago to get out of my sweatpants and stained t-shirt and put my big girl clothes on to make my way back to work. Our son is now at school and I am back to sitting at a desk, answering phones and typing on the computer. The next chapter has begun and even though I am blogging at work right now, its great to be at this point. I am excited to see how the next few months go as I become a working mom, the toddler becomes a school boy and my husband continues making us smile. I look forward to seeing this blog shine with a bit of Katelyn!

    

    Come back soon to see whats new!

         Katelyn