What You Don’t Know About The Indy 500…

The month of May is upon us. Race fans across the country gear up for the Indianapolis 500. With that comes all the fun and excitement that the month of May brings the town of Speedway, Indiana. There is history rich in tradition in this little town and little known facts about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Here are some fun facts about the Indianapolis 500 as reported by Wikipedia.com and Indy500.com.

• Indy cars accelerate from 0 mph to 100 mph in 4 seconds.
• The first race was on May 30, 1911 and was won by Ray Harroun.
• Its is considered bad luck to enter and exit from the same side of the car.
• Fewest cars to finish the Indy 500 was 7 in 1966
• Green cars are also considered bad luck at the Indianapolis 500.
• In spring of 1909 the speedway was constructed of 328 acres of land 5 miles northwest of Indianapolis, Indiana.
• Ray Harroun race winnings were $14,250. Last years winner, Scott Dixon, took home $1.76 million.
• The Indy 500 seats more than 250,000 people, giving it the title of the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing".
• The track was once paved with 3.2 million bricks giving it the name the "Brickyard".
• The fastest official lap turned at the speedway was 237.498 mph by Arie Luyendyk qualifying May 12, 1996.
• Troy Ruttman was 22 years old when he won the 36th Indianapolis 500 on May 30, 1952, making him the youngest winner.
• Al Unser was 47 years, 360 days old when he won the 71st Indianapolis 500 on May 24, 1987, making him the oldest winner.
• When peanut shells were found in the seat of a crashed car in 1940's, they became known as bad luck.
• Indy car drivers experience up to 4 times their body weight in turns at the Indianapolis motor speedway.
• Louis Meyer was the first driver to drink milk after winning the Indianapolis 500 in 1936.
• When the track was built, the race was promoted as the "International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race" from 1911-1916.Adopted from www.associatedcontent.com

Preparing Kids To Move

Moving can be tough on kids; it's quite normal for children to feel like they don't have any control and that they were never part of this big decision. So to ensure your kids feel like they're involved and part of this big life-changing event, try the following tips and tricks.

Preparing to Move:

1. First, make sure your children know that they can ask you any question and you'll give them an honest answer. Most kids want to know about their new school, neighborhood, sport teams and city.
But they may also have questions you hadn't thought of, such as, "how hard is it to make friends?"; "Are we taking our dog?"; "Why are we moving?".
Answer every question your child has with as many details as you can provide. Being honest and open will help your child feel confident in this decision to move. You may want to ask your child to write down their questions as they think of them, then call a family meeting to discuss each person's questions.

2. Give your child a plan for their room. Providing your child with as much information as you can about the new house will help them make some decisions before hand, such as where to place furniture and what color to paint their walls. Encourage them to make cut-outs of everything in their room so they can rearrange things before move day.

3. Encourage your child to create an address book where addresses of friends, teachers, coaches, etc... can be kept. Encourage your child to stay in touch, and assure them that their friends are just a mouse-click or postage stamp away.

4. Help your child plan their goodbyes. Some may want a party while others prefer having a few close friends over for a final slumber party. Your child may want a few separate events, for example, one for school friends, one for neighbors and another for the baseball team.

5. Ask them to sort out their things. Give each child a list of tasks to do, including sorting out their room. Ask them to donate or add to the garage sale items any unused toys or toys they no longer play with, along with clothing they've out-grown.

6. Tell your children to make a special box just for moving day essentials. You can call it "Moving Survival Kit". It should include those essentials your child will need during the move. Encourage them to decorate the box to make it their own. The kit should include games and books to keep them busy on the road.

7. Make time for saying goodbye to favorite haunts. Is there a special ice-cream shop your child liked to visit? What about a museum, or park, or swimming pool? Ask your child to make a list, or make a list with the entire family, then set aside time each week to do at least one favorite thing. Adopted from moving.about.com

Recipe Of The Month - Dreamin’ Of Summer Salad

So many salads, so little time to enjoy them all during the summer months which just seem to fly by! So, we thought we would get a jump start on the mounds of crisp greenery coming our way and share this deliciously dreamy recipe with you!

Ingredients:

1 qt. strawberries, sliced
1 can mandarin oranges (drained)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup Craisins or dried cranberries
3/4 cup bleu cheese crumbles
3/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
2 pkgs. Romaine lettuce (about 6 cups)

Dressing:

1 T. Accent
1 T. lemon juice
1 Tarragon vinegar
1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
Little garlic to taste
4-5 T. Wesson Oil

Directions:
Place Romaine in bowl.
Gradually add ingredients, saving mandarin oranges until just before serving.
Dressing:
Whisk ingredients together. Add to salad. Toss.
Serves 6.
Recipe Note: Excellent anytime of the year!

Five Essential Strategies For Mother’s Self-Care.

The happiest mothers are those who learn how to articulate their needs clearly, get help when needed & set realistic boundaries of what they can & can not do. As a “coached mom”, the “Mother” has a deep understanding of the five essential strategies for personal self-care. They are:

• Finding Time-Creating a personal schedule that honors the mother’s values, allowing the mother to set realistic boundaries and allow her to fully enjoy what she commits too.
• Finding Meaning-In order for a mother to truly help someone else she must begin by helping herself. In order to truly be a wonderful contributor, you must help yourself first. Mothers who commit to a reduced life load find that they get more enjoyment out of life.
• Finding Connection-Motherhood does not completely define us but enhances what already is. This involves understanding that while mothers create the lives of our children they must remember that it is their life too. When mothers establish viable supportive networks to assist them they recognize that they become stronger at parenting.
• Finding Solutions-Anytime a mother wants to make a change in your life she must begin by raising her standards. She has to decide that she wants more out of her life. Next, a mother must understand she must change what she believes is possible and be willing to try new strategies. She must be open to learning from non-judgmental sources like “mom-coaches” about techniques, solutions and real strategies on creating ways to incorporate what she wants into her life.
• Personal Growth -This strategy is aimed at helping mothers make shifts in their lives that leave them changed for the better. Personal growth is recognizing that mothers have the capacity to be more of who they are. Adopted from www.amomslove.com

How To Prevent Your Child From Being Bitten By A Dog

Every year, 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs. Among children, the incidence of dog-bite injuries is the highest for those between the ages of 5 to 9 years of age. With these
statistics in mind, it’s important for adults to have a basic understanding of what preventative measures they can take to keep their children from being bitten.

If you’re planning on adopting a dog from a shelter, make sure to inquire about the dog’s temperament according to the staff and volunteers at the facility. Dogs with a history of aggression are not suitable for homes with young children.

Before bringing a new dog into your home, make sure you assess your child’s level of comfort around dogs. If your child exhibits any fear or apprehension around dogs, they could actually trigger a dog’s aggression. It’s far better to hold off on adopting a dog for a while than to risk your child’s safety. Work on addressing your child’s fear issues around dogs before considering bringing a dog into your household.

Advise your child not to be the first to approach an unknown dog. Allow a new dog to practice the ritual of smelling your child first before interacting with him. Teach your children that dogs don’t like to be hugged around the neck or kissed. Children are often bitten in the face or neck as a result of this practice.

Teach your children how to read a dog’s body language. Remember that dogs can’t converse with your child the way humans converse with each other. Often they exhibit certain kinds of body language to “warn” people that they are not comfortable with the human’s approach or energy. If the child doesn’t seem to “get it,” a dog may feel his only recourse is to bite.

Common examples of body language that indicate a dog does not want to interact with a child might include stiff or very still posturing, lip smacking, growling or raising their tail as the child approaches. Tell your child to avoid giving direct eye contact to a dog showing these signs and slowly back away from the dog. Counsel your child to never scream or run away from a dog that shows these signs as this may trigger his prey instinct to go after the child.

Never allow your child to tease or taunt a dog, especially if he is eating or protecting a high value item such as his food bowl, a bone, or a toy. Never assume that your dog is foolproof around your child. Ultimately, your responsibility is to supervise your child when he or she is interacting with your dog.

And last but not least, always spay and neuter your pet. Altered dogs are far less likely to bite than unaltered dogs. Adopted from www.cesarsway.com/tips/

Two Key Questions for Maximum Effectiveness

There are two questions that you can ask on a regular basis to keep yourself focused on getting your most important tasks completed on schedule. The first question is "What are my highest value activities?" Put another way, what are the most important tasks you have to complete to make the greatest contribution to your organization? To your family? To your life in general?

Think it Through Carefully

This is one of the most important questions you can ask and answer. What are your highest value activities? First, think this through for yourself. Then, ask your boss. Ask your coworkers and subordinates. Ask your friends and family. Like focusing the lens of a camera, you must be crystal clear about your highest value activities before you begin work.

Keep Yourself Focused

The second question you can ask continually is, "What can I and only I do, that if done well, will make a real difference?" This question comes from Peter Drucker, the management guru. It is one of the best of all questions for achieving personal effectiveness. What can you, and only you do, that if done well, can make a real difference? This is something that only you can do. If you don't do it, it won't be done by someone else. But if you do it, and you do it well, it can really make a difference to your life and your career. What is your answer to this question? Every hour of every day, you can ask yourself this question and there will be a specific answer. Your job is to be clear about the answer and then to start and work on this task before anything else.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action. First, make a list of everything you do at work and then select your most valuable tasks from that list. Second, resolve to start in on your highest value task and stay at it until it is 100% complete. Adopted from www.briantracy.com/

Quick Money Saving Tips

• Buy expensive items like cars, caravans, tools etc. in March when large companies are at the end of their tax year. If approached at the right time they will be willing to do you fantastic deals just for a quick sale, especially with end-of-line products.

• Consider coach travelling instead of trains or driving. It doesn’t take significantly longer.In addition to saving money, you get to enjoy the scenic sites and spend time with your family instead of driving.

• Share a pet with your siblings and their families. Take turns in having and looking after the animal. Share all vet bills. Read more: http://gomestic.com/personal-finance/20-quick-money-saving-tips

Monthly Stress Reducer - Why Rednecks Make Good Soldiers

Dear Ma & Pa,
Am well. Hope you are. Tell brother Walt & brother Elmer the Marine Corps beats working for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before maybe all of the places are filled.

I was restless at first because you got to stay in bed till nearly 6 a.m., but am getting so I like to sleep late. Tell Walt & Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your cot and shine some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split, fire to lay. Practically nothing. Men got to shave but it is not so bad, they git warm water.

Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc..., but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie, and other regular food. But tell Walt & Elmer you can always sit between two city boys that live on coffee. Their food plus yours holds you till noon, when you get fed again. It's no wonder these city boys can't walk much.

We go on "route" marches, which the Platoon Sergeant says are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it is not my place to tell him different. A "route march" is about as far as to our mailbox at home. Then the city guys gets sore feet and we all ride back in trucks. The country is nice, but awful flat.

The Sergeant is like a schoolteacher. He nags some. The Capt. is like the school board. Majors & Colonels just ride around & frown. They don't bother you none.

This next will kill Walt & Elmer with laughing. I keep getting medals for shooting. I don't know why. The bulls-eye is near as big as a chipmunk and don't move. And it ain't shooting at you, like the Higgett boys at home. All you got to do is lie there all comfortable and hit it. You don't even load your own cartridges. They come in boxes.

Be sure to tell Walt & Elmer to hurry & join before other fellers get into this setup & come stampeding in.
Your loving daughter, Gail

P.S. Speaking of shooting, enclosed is $200 towards a new barn roof & ma's teeth. The city boys shoot craps, but not very good. http://www.swapmeetdave.com/Humor/MilJoke.htm

Bicycle Safety Tips

Avoid common bicyclist errors and common motorist errors committed around bicyclists. Here are some safety tips for biking:

• Never ride against traffic - Motorists aren't looking for bicyclists riding on the wrong side of the road. State law and common sense require that bicyclists drive like other vehicles.


• Follow lane markings - Don't turn left from the right lane. Don't go straight in a lane marked “right-turn only.”


• Don’t pass on the right - Motorists may not look for or see a bicycle passing on the right.


• Scan the road behind you - Learn to look back over your shoulder without losing your balance or swerving. Some riders use rear-view mirrors.


• Keep both hands ready to brake - You may not stop in time if you brake one-handed.


• Wear a helmet and never ride with headphones - Always wear a helmet. Never wear a headphone while riding a bike.


• Choose the best way to turn left – There are two choices: (1) Like an auto: signal to move into the left turn lane and then turn left. (2) Like a pedestrian: ride straight to the far side crosswalk. Walk your bike across.


• Make eye contact with drivers - Assume that other drivers don't see you until you are sure that they do. Eye contact is important with any driver which might pose a threat to your safety. Adopted From http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/bike/safety.htm

Reel Partner Of The Month! - Wenclewicz Insurance

We shop 7 companies to make sure you are getting the best value for your insurance dollar now and in the future.We provide our clients the best value by:

• Developing a trusting relationship

• Explaining coverage options


• Prompt service


• Competitive pricing from 7 companies See us first for: Auto – Home – Business – Life – Wedding Insurance

What our clients have to say...

“You’ve provided a great service. I appreciate your good customer service and news updates. This is the first time I’ve ever heard from my agent after they take out the policy.” Muriel W. 57 Indianapolis

“They are the definition of professionalism. My experience working with them has instilled in me only the highest level of satisfaction and confidence in their work.” Ken G. 26 Noblesville

“You’ve provided a great service. I appreciate your good customer service and news updates. This is the first time I’ve ever heard from my agent after they take out the policy.” Muriel W. 57 Indianapolis

“They are the definition of professionalism. My experience working with them has instilled in me only the highest level of satisfaction and confidence in their work.” Ken G. 26 Noblesville Mark Wenclewicz-Owner/Agent Office:(317) 405-8005/www.wenc-insurance.com

Ask The Reel Team About Real Estate

Someone told me that in President Obama’s HealthCare bill there is a new real estate tax that will be coming into effect. Could this be true? Yes!

If you are surprised by this inclusion in the HC bill, you are not alone. Most people are not aware that this new tax is apart of this bill, which is over 2,000 pages in length! It was written by the Apollo Alliance, which also wrote the Stimulus Bill.

It is a sales tax that will be coming into effect in 2013. So, many people were so surprised that his health care bill could have such a tax in it that the National Association of Realtors has produced a Question and Answer publication on this topic.

There is not enough space in our newsletter to go into detail here. Please go to our website at www.reelestate.com for the link to NAR’s publication for further information. Check out: http://speakingofrealestate.blogs.realtor.org/2010/11/24/the-3-8-tax-is-not-a-real-estate-transfer-tax/

Reel Free Classifieds

$60 Pets 317-327-1397 They have over 100 pet option. Some highlights:

• Buddy (Jack Russell Mix) is a sweet, shy little puppy who seeks kind people for comfort and protection. ID:A163443


• Kate (Calico/Long hair Mix) She is a pretty, petite kitty who lost her home. ID164571


• Hakeem (Shepherd Mix) is a sweet, gentle boy who likes to be loved and cuddled. ID:A162162


• Lion (Domestic Medium Hair-Black) This shiny, gentle, sweet boy deserves a happy home ID:A161013


• Antonio (Rat Terrie) This 4yr old boy is a silly, spunky bundle of energy! ID:A163582


• Chico (Pug/Shepherd Mix) is a handsome, happy, medium-sized young adult who is sure to bring a smile to your face. ID:A16190
  

Reel Deals

• DRYER Electric, white, large capacity, late model, can deliver. $99.99 (317) 842-4177


• COUNTERTOP with sink. Beige mica / stainless steel. $75. (317)446-5574


• DINETTE SET 5 piece, good condition. $60.00. (317) 791-7101


• CABINET For bathroom white with sink and faucet, 19 x 25. Excellent condition. $55.00. 317-638-4143


• ANTIQUE Children’s school desk. $20. Call for info: (317)893-4060


• ANTIQUE DRESSER Oak 3-drawer dresser, good cond. $50.00. (317)263-1487

Charity Events

• Sat, June 4, 2011 Indianapolis Promise Walk for Preeclampsia at Ft. Harrison State Park.Proceeds benefit the Preeclampsia Foundation, a non-profit established to reduce maternal and infant death. $20 ($10 under age 13). 8 AM to 12 PM. http://www.promisewalk.org/


• Sun, June 5, 2011, 18th Annual Miracle Ride at Allison Transmission. Motorcycle Rally: Take a lap at the Motor Speedway, then past the kids and families at Riley Children's Hospital (proceeds benefit hospital)$50. 812-988-2116www.miracleride.net


• June 10, 2011, Zoobilation at the Indianapolis Zoo. The zoo's largest fundraising event of the year, a black-tie affair with live music, entertainment, and more. Ages 21+ only. Call 317-630-2001.


• Sat, June 11, 2011Tour de Cure Fundraising Event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Bike routes include 50K and 75K road rides, a 100-mile track challenge, and recreational track rides. All donations raised by participants will benefit the American Diabetes Association. Info: Call 317-352-9226. www.diabetes.org/indytour


• Sat, July 16, 2011, Inaugural 'Ride Your Can Off' Fundraiser at Harley-Davidson of Indianapolis. A fundraising event to benefit Gleaners Food Bank. Escorted ride through Marion County, a lap around IMS, T-shirts, lunch, entertainment. $25 advance ($10 passenger), $30 day of event. Call 317-925-0191. www.gleaners.org