Back to school time is always a huge transition, not only for children but for parents as well.

While children are filled with enthusiasm and first-day anxiety parents are worried about preparation for their kids. To help alleviate those fears, and to help your child prepare for the upcoming school year, all you need is some organization and forethought. Here are 10 back to school tips to kick-start the new year and get you ready for a new beginning.

1. Get back into your sleep routine. To help eradicate those stressful school mornings, set up a regular bedtime and morning time routine to help plan your child for school. Begin your usual school sleep routine about a week or so before school starts.
2. Shop for school supplies together. To get your child thrilled about starting a new grade, shop for some supplies together. Allow them to pick their own backpack, lunchbox, etc. This is a great way to give them a little bit of responsibility too.
3. Re-establish school routines. Have your child get into the rhythm of their daily school routine. You can do this by having them wake up at the same time every day, and eat around the same time they would at school. About a week or so before school starts, plan some outside activities where your child will have to leave and come home around the same time they would if they were at school. This will help them be rested and ready for the big day.
4. Set up a homework station. Sit down with your child and/or children and designate a time and place where they can do their homework each day. This can be somewhere quiet like in the den, or even in the kitchen while you are making dinner. Make sure to choose a time where you are available in case they need help with their homework.
5. Prepare for the unexpected. Working parents know how hard it is to find a sitter when their child gets sick. Before school starts, it’s a good idea to have a sitter already lined up in case you get a phone call home from the nurse saying your child is ill.
6. Make an after-school game plan. Make a plan for where your child would want to go for when school is done for the day. Depending on the age of your child, figure out if they will go to a neighbor’s house, an afterschool program, or be allowed to stay home by themselves. This will help eliminate any confusion during the first few weeks.
7. Turn off the TV and video games. For a lot of children, summertime is filled with endless video games and television programs. Children are usually in shock when they begin school and realize that six hours of their day is going to be spent on learning and not playing games and watching TV. Ease your child into the learning process by turning off the electronics and encouraging them to read or play quietly.
8. Review school material and information. For most parents, schools would send home a packet with loads of information regarding their child’s new teacher, important dates to remember during the school year, emergency forms, and transportation routines. Make sure that you read this information carefully, mark down any and all important dates on your calendar.
9. Get organized. The best way to prepare for back to school time is to be organized. With school comes a massive amount of paperwork that can consume your household. Designate a spot in your house for homework, permission slips, and any other school related papers. This can help eradicate all of that paper clutter and make your life less stressful.
10. Get your child’s yearly checkup. School and germs go hand in hand, so it’s best to get your child’s yearly checkup before school starts. Get any required vaccinations and ask your pediatrician the best ways your child can stay healthy throughout the school year.

Through preparation and organization, you can ensure yourself that your child will have a smooth transition to the start of the new school year. By doing so, you and your child can enjoy the rest of summer break. Tips were from teachhub.com.

• Pets need regular activity and if a dog becomes your pet of choice, you’ll also be signing up for brisk daily walks to help your furry friend stay in shape. According to a recent survey, 36 percent of pet owners said that having a pet has helped them lose weight.
• Having a pet can have an impact on your social life in a good way. Walking the dog around the park or taking it to dog training are just two settings where you can meet new faces and interact with people you might not otherwise have come into contact with.
• Having a pet in your home is a great way for children to learn valuable life lessons. From feeding, exercising, and caring for the animal to understanding more about illness and loss, it can equip your children with the emotions to cope better with important life events as they grow up.
• The presence of a pet in the home can help boast your mood, especially after a hectic day at work or even following a difficult conversation.
• Not only do pets provide companionship and help improve your physical health, they also provide therapeutic and emotional benefits.
• Tips from telegraph.co.uk

When the weather outside starts to feel dreary or gloomy, you can still check out some of the amenities that we offer in the clubhouse here at Foxfire. You can use the pool table to compete with your friends and family. There are puzzle sets that you can solve to take your mind off a stressful day at work. Read some books when you want to relax. When you walk into the arts and crafts room in the clubhouse, there are some games that you can play. Like shuffleboard that you can test your skills at or play some ping pong with paddles already available on the table. There are so many amenities here in the Foxfire clubhouse that will keep you busy whenever you want.

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When you first move in to your new apartment, you might be wondering how you can decorate it, especially with the walls. Having a plain wall just makes your apartment look lifeless and mundane. Well, here are some tips courtesy of ForRent.com that give you some ideas on how you can dress up your walls.

Try a Ladder/Easel

• You can prop up a ladder and use it as a storage space for all sorts of things and a easel can show off large pieces as an addition to your décor solution

Invest in Modern Furniture

• Modern geometric furniture is specifically used to hang up artwork, but it can also lend its weight to the overall look of your apartment. Prop it against a wall and hang multiple pieces across the surface for a quick and easy accent wall.

Use Decorative Tape

• If your artwork consists of photos or paper prints, simply handing the pieces with tape can be an easy and effective way to make them stand out.

Stick It with Velcro

• If you get a Velcro strip, you can tape one side to the wall and the other side to your artwork, then stick them together to let them hang without any fuss. You can even use this to switch up the design around your home every so often.

Use Picture-Hanging Strips

• Picture-hanging strips are specifically made for things like this and are helpful if you have a particular large or heavy piece of artwork that you want to show off. They just stick to the wall and are easy to peel off once you’ve decided it’s time to pack up and go.

Paint an Accent Wall

• Adding a pop of color on a bedroom or living room wall can add a lot of design to the space. This will take a boring room and make it more appealing to the eye.

Summer is starting to commence as our community pool is now open after some upgrades were completed. Enjoy a nice casual walk around the pond where our fountain is located where you can appreciate the tranquil beauty of the sunset or get your exercise walking the path. Our playground has now been refilled with new mulch and a new sturdy wood foundation to keep water out. Our unique amenity not found at other apartments available to residents is our gardens where you can plant vegetables and herbs. The main entrance leading into the leasing office is covered with beautiful flowers that will brighten up your day. Stay tuned for future updates on our blog where we will have new tips and cover events like our driver-thru breakfast and cookout among many others.

We enjoy treating our residents and showing how much we appreciate them.  We love hosting a number of different events each moth for our residents. July ended with popsicles and ice cream and August started with a Luau for our residents.  The Luau was held out by our pool with leis, lots of good food, games and fun in the pool.  We offered pulled pork barbecue, potato and pasta salads, cup cakes, cookies, lemonade and ice tea.   Some of the games included yard zee, ladder ball, corn hole and Washoe.  It was a hot, sunny day with a beautiful breeze.  Lots of residents and their families and friends joined in on the fun.  A good time was had by all!

On August 16^th, at our monthly drive through dinner, our residents enjoyed grilled chicken breasts with baked beans, corn on the cob and fruit.  At our monthly drive through dinner, our residents are welcome to pull up to the front door, and we will come out and take their order and fix their dinner to go so that they can go home after a long day and relax.  We have many residents that will come in the Club Room and Arts Room and eat their dinners and visit. This is a nice way for new residents to get acquainted and join our large family!  We have many regular participates that enjoy this home cooked meal.  Come in September 15^th for our Potato Bar.  Enjoy a warm potato and go crazy adding toppings!  These events have given us an opportunity to see what great chefs we have as a part of our staff. 

Drive through breakfast, once a month, is another big hit!  Whether it be sausage, egg and cheese burritos, muffins or bagels, it’s a great way to start your day.  Just drive up under the portico and we will get your order filled and have you on your way.   If you have the time stop in for a cup of coffee to go along with your breakfast. This is a great way to start your day and for us to say thanks for being a part of our Foxfire family!

We always have freshly made popcorn in the lobby and usually fresh baked cookies in the Club Room.  You will generally find cold lemonade and ice tea as well as coffee at the coffee bar.  Come on in and see us; we will treat you like family!

It has been amazing to see all of the development around our property since we have been in the neighborhood.  When we first built Foxfire there wasn’t much around us at the time, but we knew that would soon change.  Every year we have welcomed more and more neighboring businesses.  We are located on the south side of Lafayette, close to shopping, restaurants and just about any kind of business that you could need.  

Within a 1 mile radius you will find just about anything you need from shopping, eating, car washing, coffee shop, car dealer, churches, banks, eye doctors and dentists.  Walmart, at the next stop light down from us, is open 24 hours a day and provides about anything you might need from food to clothing to health and beauty to new tires for your car.  Wings Etc. offers, well, wings!  They also have an expansive menu that offers other good food.  Wendy’s, Burger King, McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken are also close by as well as The Igloo.  Arby’s has just opened a new store just down the street and Subway is close as well.  The Legacy Pub and Taco Express Mexican Grill are just down the street and we have the famous End Zone Sports Bar and Grill and Starbucks are just across the street!  Let’s not forget La Fiesta Burrito, Senor Tacos, AJ’s Burgers, Pizza King, Arni’s and The Southside Diner.  Many of these places are within walking distance, so you will be able to walk off some of those calories on your way back home to Foxfire. 

Do you need to do banking?  Here are a few banks that are close by:  Lafayette Bank & Trust; Purdue Federal Credit Union; Regions Bank; Centier Bank and First Merchants bank.  They are all within a mile of Foxfire at Valley Lakes Apartments, talk about convenience! 

Auto Express is a car dealership that just keeps expanding.  There is also a Quick Lube car wash just across the street.  Raisor Motor Mart will be opening soon, Lehnen’s Furniture store is close by as well as Brad’s Motor Market Place, Dr. Kochert’s Pain and Health office, ATI Physical Therapy, Sims & Lohman Fine Kitchens and granite showroom, and Auto Zone.  Just about any kind of business that you could need is close by. It amazes me, all that is so close yet we are nestled down in the little valley.