Sonia's Real Estate Blog

It has been an absolute pleasure to be involved in the Food 4 Food initiative, which is now in its second year in Sherwood Park. The campaign was started by councilour Dave Anderson and how it works is Sherwood Park residents drop into Save On Foods and make a donation to the Strathcona County Food Bank. In return, each donor gets a hot dog and a pop!

I’m very excited to be one of the corporate sponsors of this event. All of the donations are staying in the Strathcona County area, which is very important to me. With the economy the way it is in Alberta, the need is high and we all need to pitch in and help out when we can.

Last year Food 4 Food brought in more than 14,000 cans of food and $1,000 in cash. We’re waiting on the final tally, but we’re hoping we beat that this year. Thank you to everyone who has come out to Save On Foods to help our cause! We appreciate every donation!

Many thanks!
Sonia

Starting school is an important step in your child’s life—and yours. It’s a big change. It’s exciting. It’s even a little scary. Here are 10 tips that will help you get your child ready for that first day of school.

1. Get familiar with the school. Before the first day of school, visit the school with your child so that the route, the building, and school surroundings become familiar.
2. Start the routine early. About a week or so before the start of school, begin putting your child to bed at a normal time for a school night. For a week before school starts, be sure your child then gets up, dressed, and fed like a regular school morning.
3. Practise sharing. Give your child all kinds of opportunities to be with other kids, to learn to share, wait, and take turns. That’s what school is all about.
4. Children should dress themselves. You won’t be at school to help your child get ready for the outdoors. Encourage children to practise at home putting on and taking off their own jacket, snowpants, boots, etc.
5. Dress your child accordingly. Your child is going to be active at school. Choose clothes and shoes that are comfortable and durable. Give your child outdoor clothing for all types of weather.
6. Teach the importance of listening. School means being able to listen. Kids need to understand and practise listening, things like: look at who is talking, don’t interrupt, and think about what is being said.
7. Learn at home. Include learning in your child’s everyday life. For example, a child can practise by reading package labels or weighing produce while shopping. Read to your child. Play word or counting games.
8. Develop young muscles. Give your child every opportunity to exercise and develop larger muscles by running, climbing, playing with a ball, etc. Smaller hand muscles can be strengthened with Play-Dough®, pencils, and crayons.
9. Set “at home” ground rules. Figure out priorities for after-school activities, homework, chores, TV time, and video games before the first day of school. This will allow you to agree on a schedule and avoid confrontation later on.
10. Encourage questions. Give your child the confidence to ask questions in all situations. Let your child know that it’s OK to tell the teacher if something is hard to understand.

Let’s not forget the importance of getting enough sleep and eating a healthy breakfast! Should you be looking for a new home for your family, please feel free to contact me. I would love to hear from you!

Reference: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/abc123/eng/tips/ready.html

We all have our favourite charities and we all know how awesome it feels to give back to our community. My favourite charities are The Children’s Miracle Network and, in particular, one of their partner hospitals, The Stollery Children’s Hospital.

Last week I attended the RE/MAX Activate 14 conference in Vancouver, and I was honoured to receive recognition for my contributions to The Children’s Miracle Network. RE/MAX has been supporting this wonderful organization since 1992, and collectively RE/MAX agents have donated millions of dollars to help so many children. Just another reason why I’m proud to be part of the “RE/MAX Family”.

But for me, I have another, very personal reason for supporting The Stollery Children’s Hospital and The Children’s Miracle Network. In March of 2010, my son Lennox was 6 years old and caught what we thought was a common cold. No big deal, I thought, time to stock up on Kleenex and cough medicine. Then things started to get worse. And worse. What was diagnosed as the common cold quickly turned into a serious, life-threatening viral pneumonia. It’s a mother’s nightmare: one minute, your child has a cough, and the next he’s laying in a hospital bed.

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It’s no secret I love my animal print! It’s always been easy to “Spot Sonia” in a crowd: just look for the leopard or tiger pattern, and you’re sure to find me! However, it’s more than just my wardrobe that’s inspired by these magnificent big cats. In every business opportunity, in every real estate transaction, I remember the grace, power, and assertive nature of the tiger and do my best to put those qualities forward. When people say “with Sonia, you’ve got a tiger on your side” they mean every word of it.

I love all the big cats: leopards, cheetahs, panthers, lions, cougars, all of them. But my favourite has always been the tiger. They’re such an amazing blend of speed, strength, and agility. They’re beautiful and graceful, and yet demand instant respect: you wouldn’t want to mess with a tiger!

In addition to my involvement in the local Sherwood Park and Edmonton area organizations, I also keep an eye on tiger conservation news and am planning to make a donation this year. It breaks my heart to think of a world without these wonderful animals in it, but it seems every year there are fewer and fewer of them.

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Giving back to the Sherwood Park and Edmonton community is something I am extremely proud of doing. It is through the help of these Charitable Organizations that we can continue to be a strong and united community. These local groups make a tremendous impact in the lives of Canadian families, they stand like a lighthouse during a dark and foggy night, their work and contributions are the shining light to Canadian families in need. (more…)