It is the perfect day for an “extra” hour of sleep, since our Baltimore Ravens take on the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night in PA. This way hopefully our team will be rested, as will we so we can stay up to watch & cheer them on!

A good idea every time you change your clocks forward or back, is to change the batteries in your smoke detectors. Though many newer homes are hardwired, and do not require the batteries to operate, older Towson homes are not, and need to be adjusted. Don’t wait until your smoke detectors start chirping — keep your family safe & change the batteries now! (Usually they take 9V batteries, which can be bought most anywhere!)

So I hope you are able to enjoy your extra hour of sleep. Of course, with a five year old, we probably won’t actually get an extra hour, we’ll just be up at 6 instead of 7…

Whenever we have a time change, It is also a good idea to change the batteries in your smoke detectors to ensure they are working correctly in case of emergency. Firefighters recommend changing your batteries twice a year, and the time change is a good reminder!

Daylight Saving Time (known to many of us as Daylight Savings Time, though the “s” is not technically correct) used to begin in April and end the last Sunday in October, but was extended by about a month in 2007 to try to conserve energy, with the theory that the longer sunlight hours in the evening, the less energy consumers will use.

I am looking forward to the additional hour of daylight in the evening. Happy Almost-Spring! Only a week to go!

This Sunday is also a Baltimore Ravens home game against the Miami Dolphins, so hopefully the extra hour of sleep will help our team be well rested and play their best at gametime!

It also lets people either begin tailgating an hour earlier (though the lots still won’t open until 8 am), or take that extra time to get those last minute pre-game supplies.

Changing your clocks is also a good time to change the batteries in your smoke detectors. Though many newer homes are hardwired, older Towson homes are not, and need to be adjusted. Don’t wait until they start chirping — keep your family safe & change the batteries now!

Enjoy your extra hour on Sunday morning, November 7, 2010.

I plan to sleep a little extra so I can be ready to cheer on the Ravens!

It is also a good idea to change the batteries in your smoke detectors to ensure they are working correctly in case of emergency.

We are supposed to get a lot of rain this weekend, so hopefully once it ends we will see some flowers blooming and grass growing, and some of those large snow mounds melting!

I, for one, am grateful for the rain rather than snow!

Daylight Savings Time used to begin in April and end the last Sunday in October, but was extended by about a month in 2007 to try to conserve energy, with the theory that the longer sunlight hours in the evening, the less energy consumers will use.

So be prepared to “lose an hour of sleep” Sunday, but have a longer period of daylight each day! Happy *Almost* Spring!

What it also should remind you to do is change the batteries in your smoke detectors.

Many newer homes are hard-wired, meaning their smoke detectors are connected to the electrical system, and sometimes even to sprinklers. But much of Towson real estate is made up of older homes, most of which are not wired this way, which is why whenever we change the clocks, it is of utmost importance to change the batteries in the detectors.

It takes a few minutes and a few dollars, but could save a loved one’s life, or your home, in case of a fire.

So Happy Halloween, Happy Fall, and Happy Safety!