Thank you First Alert for sponsoring this post. Don’t let the beep steal your sleep.
It’s hard to believe that we’re into August already. I know so many states are still enjoying summer vacation but here in Georgia most kids have already made their way back to school or start soon. Charlie starts school tomorrow morning. This mama heart can hardly believe he’s starting kindergarten already. He’s attending Georgia’s cyber academy so I guess I can’t be too sad, considering he’ll be doing school from his desk in my office. I still ask myself How did we get here? I’m sure all the parents out there knows exactly how I feel. Time is so fleeting! This is the time of year that I really start thinking about projects that I want to achieve in our home before the rush of the holidays set in. I thought I’d share a few things that are on our project list this fall as well as to talk a little about a way we’re keeping our home safe with First Alert.
As many of your know, we purchased our home a couple years ago and the state of the house was unlivable. We spent a couple months renovating before we moved in to only continue the renovation process. Two very important things that our home was missing was smoke detectors and Carbon Monoxide detectors. Just like our home, the heating and air units, appliances, etc. were older as well. We knew how important it was to make sure that if there was any CO present we wanted to know right away!
What is Carbon Monoxide? Carbon Monoxide is an invisible, odorless and deadly gas that can be produced by any fuel-burning device. Due to the fact that it is odorless installing CO alarms is so important. CO alarms detect this poisonous gas and provide early warning. Here’s a few sources of Carbon Monoxide – CO can be produced by any fuel-burning device, such as a furnace, boiler, stove, or cars.
We chose First Alert for a number of reasons. One reason being that installing their detectors was beyond easy! They have alarms that are as easy as placing it on a table top, like the one pictured above. If you choose to install on a wall it comes with two anchors to do so. It’s that simple!
Josh and Charlie recently went around the house to check our alarms and make sure they’re in working order. It’s so important to do a yearly check to make sure that they’re in working order. This is something we do about this time every year. With kids heading back to school and us moms and dads getting back into that routine it’s the perfect time to get the house in order and check those detectors. After installing our alarms we learned that one beep every minute means the batteries are low, 4 beeps and a pause and then another 4 beeps and a pause means that there has been CO detected and you should head outside for fresh air immediately. Five beeps every minute means the detector is nearing its end of life. Most detectors only have a life span of 7-10 years so keep that in mind if you’ve had your’s for a while.
One of my favorite alarms that First Alert offers is the plug-in detector. You don’t have the worries to installing anything to the wall or ceiling. This is a perfect opinion for renters. We chose the plug-in option for Charlie’s room as well as the spare bedrooms in our home. They also make a talking alarm smoke and CO that we’ve used in our upstairs hallway. This is handy if you have children. The alarm doesn’t just beep but actually voices why it’s going off.
Let’s talk fall projects! There’s a lot I want to do and part of my is feeling that I’m being a little too ambitious, but the dreamer in me can’t help it. Here’s a list I’ve compiled over the last few months.
- Plank the ceilings in the foyer & repaint the foyer walls.
- Create a gallery wall of family photos on the staircase in the foyer.
- Warm up the family room by painting the trim & possibly the fireplace mantle a warm creamy beige.
- Install natural shades in the family room.
- Revisit the dining room. I know I just repainted it last year but I’ve haven’t been feeling the space lately. I’ve been feeling as thought the space is somewhat cold and very sharp if that makes sense. I hope to share a game plan soon.
- Declutter & organize the kitchen drawers and cabinets. I plan to take eon this project a little each week.
- The biggest project I would be over the moon to complete is painting the exterior of our home. Our home is four sided brick so it would just be the trim and shutters. We’ve had a few quotes and were shocked at the cost considering the very little that needs to be painted. We think the high quotes are from the fact that it’s three stories in some places. I’ll keep ya posted on that front. Fall is such a wonderful time to be outside that if we were to tackle painting it ourselves it would be a great time to do it! We’ve already painted the fence in the back, the garage doors and doors. We’re fortunate enough to have a paint sprayer which makes for an easy process.
What plans do you have this fall? Are you going to be busy with projects or are you taking it easy and enjoying the season? I hope to do a little of both. I hope you all have a great start to the school year and a lovely fall!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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