Have you thought about hosting an exchange student in your home? Have you thought about sending your child to another country as an exchange student?

Did you know that youth exchange programs are one of the most successful educational experiments of the last seventy years. Since the end of the Second World War, these programs have enabled thousands of young people from around the world along with their U.S. host families to share their customs, traditions, and language, fostering appreciation and understanding of one another’s culture and values.Founded in 1990, PAX is a not-for-profit organization committed to facilitating cross-cultural learning and thereby expanding international understanding.

 

PAX School Year USA enables teenagers from Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa to live with volunteer American host families for a semester or school year while attending the local high school. PAX Abroad offers American students the opportunity to live and study in Brazil, China, Ecuador, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, and Spain.

 

To learn more visit PAX.org.

 

 

 

1. Launch your Pandora Radio and select the ‘Christmas’ station. Christmas music is soothing and very spirited.
2. Hand make Christmas cards for your friends and family from the materials you have around your home.
3. Go caroling around your neighborhood with a group of talented (or not so talented) friends.
4. Dust off your old Christmas movies and pop one in your DVD player. If you don’t have a DVD player, watch a Christmas movie on Netflix.
5. Volunteer at a local charity or visit a nursing home to talk with residents.
6. Take on the challenge of making your own Christmas tree ornaments with unique and unexpected items around your house.
7. Elf another person's home by leaving treats or small gifts. This is especially nice if the person is older and alone.
8. Cruise your neighborhood or a well-known neighborhood to check out the Christmas lights

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is in full force. Colorful lights and Christmas trees greet you everywhere as you try to find the perfect gift for your loved ones. Speaking of searching… you also might want to know what’s going in your neck of the woods when it comes to your home. Have no fear, my friends – click here for this month’s update on what’s happening in the real estate market in Katy, Texas. 

 

Houston’s fabled heat has left, so it’s the perfect time of the year to enjoy outdoor activities with your family – without worrying about sweating through your clothes! Now that the holidays are in full swing and the kids are at home, you and your family can enjoy a full slate of fun activities in Katy. 

Click here to read about some of them: 

There is always a limited selection of color in home decor, depending upon what is trending and what store buyers believe will sell in any particular season. While paint chips or other color palettes provide inspiration, so does finding an interesting piece of art or an area rug. It is fine to start the whole process with a decor piece in mind, as opposed to using paint swatches or Pinterest.

 

 

To learn more about how Lauren finds inspiration click here for her blog and video from Great Day Houston. Bonus there is a special coupon for Cinco Ranch residents on her blog!

 

 

This is a blog writing curtsey of Lauren Battistini. Disclaimer: The businesses and vendors listed above are in no way affiliated, authorized, or endorsed by, CRRA2, CRSWCC, or any of their affiliates.

What happens when your child, despite knowing the dangers of handling guns, decides to pick one up and injures themselves with it?

Gun injuries are the second leading cause of death in children ages 1-17 in the United States. Many of which come from accidental gun injuries. Even more disturbing is when these injuries occur outside the home in another person's home. 

Recently, a three-year-old boy, from Katy, died after accidentally shooting himself with a gun from his parent's chest drawer. As a mother of four, I believe even one tragic gun death is one too many.

No family should experience the sadness, worry, and guilt associated with an emergency room visit due to a gunshot wound. 

Continue this blog writing here.

 

 

This is a blog writing curtsey of Onyi Silmon. Disclaimer: The businesses and vendors listed above are in no way affiliated, authorized, or endorsed by, CRRA2, CRSWCC, or any of their affiliates.

With fall approaching in our great city and the cooler weather beginning to peek its way back into your life. This gives you some much-needed relief from the heat that has been the Modus Operandi here in Houston. It seems as the weather changes so does the housing market in Katy, TX this month! Click here to learn more.

 

 

 

 

This is a blog writing curtsey of Onyi Silmon. Disclaimer: The businesses and vendors listed above are in no way affiliated, authorized, or endorsed by, CRRA2, CRSWCC, or any of their affiliates.

As October ends and November starts let us take this moment to address a topic that is in the news and something all of us should be taking to heart - bullying and how to end it.

 

 

Bullying the word no parent wants to hear when it comes to their children. Unfortunately, with the widespread use of social media, it has become even more prevalent. 

In the past, bullying ended after you left the school grounds. However, students in this present age are faced with it on and off-campus, sometimes relentlessly.  You have heard cases involving children going to drastic and even fatal measures to escape their tormentors. 

 

To find out more click here

 

This is a blog writing curtsey of Onyi Silmon. Disclaimer: The businesses and vendors listed above are in no way affiliated, authorized, or endorsed by, CRRA2, CRSWCC, or any of their affiliates.