A New Tradition

Problem:  You've lost that Christmas feelin'

Solution:  Neighbor Boy Christmas Trees in Apex


I haven't had a real Christmas tree in over 20 years.  I'd totally lost that Christmas feelin'.  Each year I'd throw up my fake tree and decorate in a hurry just to get 'er done.  

BUT…this year is different.  This year, with a little encouragement (read: harassment) from friends, I decided to dive back into the real tree world.  I was hesitant at first…ya know, having to water and clean up fallen pine needles and the sticky sap…yuck!  

Then my kids got into the idea and you know how that goes...can't disappoint the kids at Christmas!  So I decided to go for it.  And if I was going for it I was going to go big...the full experience...not just the parking lot at Home Depot.  

I decided to hit up Neighbor Boy Christmas Trees in Apex.  I'd driven by so many times and the place looked festive so I figured I'd give it a shot…not to mention it was small business Saturday so hey, I was doing something good too…bonus!

We walked in and immediately were greeted by one of the owners, Val Creager.  She and her husband Dave have been in business for 14 years and what they are selling is not just trees, it's the Christmas spirit.  It's the real deal, folks.

Val offered us hot chocolate and told us to go look around while she whipped some up.  Before long we were sipping delicious hot chocolate and had our tree picked out.  

I thought - ok, that was pretty cool.  But then Dave stepped up and really got the kids involved.  First he cut off a piece of the tree trunk and gave it to my daughter.  It smelled soooo good and she immediately made plans to create something crafty with it.

Little pieces of tree trunk

Next Dave took a picture of all of us around our new tree. Making memories...cool.  Then, he put the tree on a shaker...it looks like this:

Tree shakedown

And he told the kids to hold on to the tree...and the thing shook like crazy and they laughed hysterically. Finally it was time to bag the tree....once again Dave got the girls involved and they pulled the tree through the netting machine thingy which looks like this:

Carley and Liv bagging the tree

Carley and Liv bagging the tree

....and they just thought that was the coolest thing ever.  We hung around and chatted with Dave for a little while and it was obvious that this is not just some job he does, it's a passion.  So I asked him a little about why they do this and he said his mission is to make people feel the Christmas spirit....to slow down and soak it in...to enjoy the experience rather than drive up, dump a tree in the car and take off.

Now THAT is cool!  In a time when we are rushing around multitasking and spending more time texting than talking, it was nice to slow down....to enjoy the moment...to feel like Dave and Val cared about us and our tree and about Christmas.  It was a small town thing like you'd see in an old movie.  

Dave, Val and the kids at the Christmas tree lot

I have found my new Christmas tradition...my kids' tradition...my Christmas tree lot.... the one my kids will remember when they are grown up.  For my family, it's Neighbor Boy Christmas Trees all the way!  

Oh, and if you want to save a little money this year on a tree, check out their Facebook page for a $5 off coupon www.Facebook.com/Neighbor.Boy.Tree.Lot (see the 11/27 post on their page)

If you want to save more money next year, pre-order your tree and get a big discount!  Ask about that when you're there.  

Neighbor Boy Christmas Tree Lot

1008 Davis Drive

Apex, NC 27523

919-422-0216

www.NeighborBoyInc.com

And remember, if you are buying or selling a home, contact me!  Heather Petrovich, “Raleigh RealtyMom”

THE Realtor for Parents

1903 High House Road

Cary, NC 27519

Phone: (919) 274-2499

Email: hpetrovich@fmrealty.com

The Genius of Blogging

PROBLEM: 
You need an accountant 

SOLUTION: 
Becca’s Blog 
(huh?…no, for real…read on)

Maybe you've gotten to the point where doing your own taxes is just too darn complicated and you need to find an accountant.  Or, perhaps you own a small business and you need to find an accountant.  Whatever the case, you need an accountant…but…how do you find the right firm?  And what in the world does Becca’s Blog have to do with any of this?? 

Let me explain.  Becca is the marketing genius at Smith & Smith, CPA, a family owned and operated firm in Cary, NC.  And Becca knows that we all want to work with people we know, love and trust.  

Enter Becca’s Blog.  Becca’s blog is an awesome way for you to get to know, love and trust the folks at Smith & Smith.  Becca goes everywhere…and she blogs about it.  She does charity work, she attends local networking events, she is the president of her Rotary club and she is a mom and wife.

Becca Fundaising

And *bonus*…not only does she blog about events, she’ll blog about YOU. If you’re a small business using Smith &Smith as your accountant, she will blog about your company….it’s free marketing from your accounting firm!  Pretty cool, right?  

RRM on Becca's Blog

Becca is the “Where’s Waldo” of grown ups…if you go to a local event it’s not whether you’ll see her, it’s when you’ll see her.  And to see and meet her is to love and trust her because her warm personality makes you feel like an instant friend….and THAT is what makes me want to do business with Smith & Smith, CPA and THAT is genius. 

If you need an accountant, I highly recommend checking out Becca’s Blog.  Get to know, love and trust Becca and I’m convinced you’ll become a client of her family’s firm in no time!

For more information, check out www.BeccasBlog.com

And remember, if you are buying or selling a home, contact me!  Heather Petrovich, “Raleigh RealtyMom”

THE Realtor for Parents.

1903 High House Road

Cary, NC 27519

Phone: (919) 274-2499

Email: hpetrovich@fmrealty.com

Buying Time

PROBLEM:  Managing childcare is frustrating and time consuming

SOLUTION:  College Nannies and Tutors – Providing Role Models from Cradle to College

Have you ever wished you could buy more time?  Yeah, me too.  When it comes to childcare, a lot of your time can be wasted managing the process.   You have to find good references from friends and family, create a list of potential candidates, interview your candidates, check references, Google/Facebook stalk them (we all do it) and finally choose and employ one. 

Then, next thing you know, something changes.  Your situation.  Their situation.  Somebody gets sick.  Somebody moves. You name it, changes happen every day and starting back at the beginning is frustrating and so time consuming.

Enter College Nannies and Tutors.  Who?  Yeah, I thought that too until I met Greg and Linda, the owners of our local franchise in Cary, NC.  Greg and Linda explained to me how their services ease the stress of finding and maintaining quality childcare.   

What does that mean?  That means Greg and Linda are there with you through the entire process and they take care of all the things you’d rather not in order to ensure your childcare needs are met WHEN you need them and HOW you need them.

How do they do that?  Well, I’m glad you asked. They begin by meeting with you at your house to determine your specific childcare needs.  Next, they either use one of the professionals they already have on staff to meet your needs, or they seek out and hire someone who does.  Yes, THEY HIRE the person. 

What is the advantage to you?  Well, once you’ve established a trusting relationship with Greg and Linda, you can feel confident they are providing you with quality care for your child.  They do personal interviews and background checks on each of their candidates.  So, when something changes for you, you make just ONE phone call to Greg and Linda and THEY will fix your problem so you can go about your day.

For example, maybe your child is sick.  If you’ve hired your own nanny, they may not want to expose themselves to the illness.  However, if you are using College Nannies and Tutors it’s no problem…they will find you a nanny who is not afraid to work with sick children.  That means you don’t miss a day of work because your child is sick. 

What if your nanny gets sick?  No problem, College Nannies and Tutors will have another nanny to you that day.  So rather than scrambling to find someone you can trust, you just put your trust in Greg and Linda and let them do the rest.

Maybe you’re taking a new job or your children are entering a new school and your schedule is changing.  Just let Greg and Linda know what’s going on and they work behind the scenes to cover your childcare needs.

And that is just SOME of what they do.  They also offer back up childcare solutions that your employer may even pay for and tutoring services for specific subjects or test prep. 

These two care about you and your family and they want to ensure you get the care your children need and the peace of mind you deserve.

Buy yourself some time…contact Greg and Linda at College Nannies and Tutors and hire a role model today.

2054 Kildaire Farm Rd. #186

Cary, NC 27518

Phone: (919) 896-7227

Email: carync@collegenannies.com

And remember, if you are buying or selling a home, contact me!  Heather Petrovich, “Raleigh RealtyMom”

THE Realtor for Parents.

1903 High House Road

Cary, NC 27519

Phone: (919) 274-2499

Email: hpetrovich@fmrealty.com

What IS That??

Remember the first time you got into someone's minivan?  I don't mean the VERY first time when you were little.  I mean when you were old enough to judge its cleanliness and be grossed out by the lack thereof.  

I mean BEFORE you had kids...remember?  When you were all judge-y and proud and convinced that you had a way of parenting that was going to produce wonderful children that all the other minivan owners obviously didn't have a clue about.  

Ya know, back when you stepped into that minivan and thought, holy cow...I will NEVER let my SUV (because you probably still thought you'd never own a van) get THIS dirty.  

Or maybe you thought, I won't EVER allow my kids to eat in the car (you were so cute...I thought that too...I was cute too).  

Well, those days are over and you either own a minivan, wish you owned a minivan or secretly have minivan envy because you realize how much easier they are to manage with children but are still holding out and trying to be cool.  Whatever the case...if you have kids...you can relate to this:

What the heck is THAT?  You don't know?  Darn.  I was counting on you because I have no idea.  Based on it's location (the back of the second row headrest) and the fact that I gave it the sniff test and it's not poop (because that's what parents naturally do when they see something brown and out of place), I'm guessing it is likely the result of one of my little six year olds having chocolate mixed with maybe ice cream or a donut and snot (because there is always snot or boogers involved) on their sweaty little hand and then stretching that hand back and over the headrest and just wiping whatever was on the hand right there.  Because why not?  It's not their van.  No one will see it there, right?  

I mean we also have this:

But that is a no brainer...it's clearly a chocolate chip granola bar that someone got tired of eating and shoved under the booster seat.  OF COURSE...duh...isn't that where you'd put it?  A little melting chocolate right where your butt goes?  What could possibly go wrong?

Anyone who is still managing car seats and booster seats knows that what lies beneath them is unknown and disgusting.  That's why we so rarely check...denial is best.  But in this case they left it sticking out so I've got to clean it which means I'll have to move the booster and reveal the other nastiness that lurks beneath....can't wait!!!

You might be wondering, what does this post have to do with real estate or Raleigh?  Well I live in Raleigh (actually Apex, but go with me) and I sell real estate and other than that the answer is - nothing.  I needed a first blog post to test this blog out and I started venting about the van and this is what you got....which I suppose is better than a blog post that just says "test".  Right?

So, what's on your van (or not van) seats?  Got a pic to share?  Great...share it below if you can.  I won't know if you actually can until I post this first test blog - but if you can when the time comes, do it!