Earth Day takes place on 22nd April! This year the theme is Our Power, Our Planet which encourages people from around the globe to get behind renewable energy and triple the global generation of clean electricity by 2030. There are a number of great activities and events taking place in Wisconsin, so this month we wanted to share a few options with you. 

Yahara Lakes – The Clean Water Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the improvement and protection of the lakes, streams, and wetlands in the Yahara River Watershed. Through community support, advocacy, and education, they work to restore and protect our lakes. Ahead of Earth Day, the alliance is holding a talk on the Economic Impact of the Yahara Lakes as part of their Clean Lakes 101 series, on 15th April at 4pm. To find out more or register for the event, visit their website here. 

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is also hosting a number of events for Earth Day. The DNR works with other organizations and individuals to manage the resources of fish, wildlife, forests, parks, air and water throughout Wisconsin. The department is hosting a number of Work Play Earth Day events throughout the parks, in preparation for the busy season ahead. For more information on these events visit their events page here. In addition to these events, DNR is also hosting an Earth Day Park Clean up, on the 19th April from 9am to 12pm. This will take place at New Glarus Woods State Park, and more information on this event can be found here! 

Meanwhile, in North Wisconsin, Crossroads at Big Creek, based in Sturgeon Bay, WI, is hosting an Earth Day Special. Crossroads is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire environmental stewardship in learners of all ages and from all backgrounds through education, research, restoration, and outdoor experiences. Hosted at the Collins Learning Center on April 22nd from 3:30pm – 4:30 pm, the Environmental Exploration: Earth Day Special is an after-school programme for all ages to learn about how they can become an environmental steward! To learn more about the event, check out more details here. 

Over in Milwaukee, the annual Rock the Greens 14th Annual Earth Day Celebration returns! This is a free, family-friendly event with zero waste initiatives, promoting sustainability through community and education. The non-profit event returns this year on Saturday, 26th April, at the Harley-Davidson Museum from 12 pm to 3 pm! For more information visit the Rock the Green website here. 

We hope this inspires you to get involved with Earth Day this year, with an event close to you. If you do, share more about your experience in the comments below! Happy Earth Day to you all.

The post Earth Day: Wisconsin Activities To Get Involved In appeared first on Wisconsin Management Company, Inc. Blog.

Making your own brewed beverages at home has taken over our social feeds and saved our wallets at the same time. But how can you set up your apartment home to achieve the same drink you get from your favorite café? Today’s blog is for you!

First things first… Knowing where you’re going to put your barista bar. For some apartment homes, there’s an obvious place – perhaps an unused nook or a corner counter. For others, you may need to get a little bit more creative. A barista bar is great use for vertical space, blank walls, or that bar cart on wheels you haven’t found use for. Just make sure it’s located near an outlet!

To have a functional barista bar, you need some machinery to help make your beverages. Depending on your preferences and what you or your guests like to drink, it may make sense to cater your barista bar towards coffee, tea, or both. Having an electric kettle and some sort of coffee/espresso machine will cover all of your bases and allow you to whip up any type of drink at your convenience.

Every barista bar needs storage. If your barista bar lives in an area of your apartment home without built-in storage, make your own! Whether that means hanging mugs from the wall, incorporating a console table or a hutch into the foundation of your barista bar, or using decorative storage options like bins or shelving to keep ingredients or other appliances.

To make your barista bar stand out from the rest, you have to incorporate special extras! Adding different types of syrups, art, and seasonal decor can give your barista bar its own personality and help it blend nicely with the rest of your apartment home. You’ll want to create your own personal flair when making café beverages for your friends and family!

With these tips, you’ll be making yourself and your loved ones their favorite café drinks in no time. We’d love to see your set-up and your creations! Make sure you post and tag us on socials.

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Super Bowl Sunday is undoubtedly the biggest day of the year for football. Whether you’re there for the game, the snacks, or the halftime show, use this checklist to throw a “winning” Super Bowl party.
 

Think Ahead: Make A Game Glan

Any good football team needs a game plan in order to succeed. Super Bowl party planning begins a while before the big game. First, think of who you’d like to invite. When creating the guest list, keep in mind their team loyalties. It’s going to be important to create an environment where everybody can have fun, regardless of team affiliation. It’s also important to be clear about your boundaries when it comes to the pandemic. Do you want people to be vaccinated? Will you have a sanitizing station? What are the state mandates? When sending out the invite, make sure it’s clear to everyone that you know what to expect ahead of time to avoid any unnecessary tension.

Nourishment: Fuel Your Guests

Another essential part of your game plan is nourishment. Plan a menu that suits all of your guests’ food preferences, and create a grocery list of all the food and variety of drinks you need. Decide whether you’d like it to be a BYOB set-up or if you’re happy to provide it and make sure to tell your guests. Appetizers and snacks are essential for your party menu. Warm up some easy crowd-pleasers, such as wings, chicken tenders, or pigs in a blanket. If you plan on making entrees, try slow cooker recipes like pulled pork or macaroni and cheese that can stay warm for longer periods of time. Whatever you choose, make sure to plan ahead.

The Space: Lay Out The Playing Field

During the game, you and your guests need space to express your excitement without bumping into each other. Rearrange your furniture to make space and remove anything fragile to avoid any accidents. Make sure that your guests have enough seating space by adding pillows, folding chairs, or stools and plan to have a few well-placed trash cans nearby for your guests to discard their trash easily. If you have outdoor space, you could designate that area as a game-free zone where guests can gather to talk about something other than the game. The most important guest in your Super Bowl party is your TV, so make sure it's easy to see and a central part of the space.

The Vibe: Add Festive Decorations To Your Space

When it comes to decorating for a Super Bowl party, there are many options. You can use one team’s colors or incorporate both. You can put up more general football-themed decorations, like banners or a tablecloth that resembles a football field. You don’t have to go all out. There are plenty of inexpensive decorations available, including balloons, streamers, or tassel garlands.

Enjoy!

As a host, being prepared is the secret to enjoying the big game yourself. Following these guidelines will allow you to sit back, relax and ensure your guests feel right at home. What would you add to the mix?

The post What To Prepare For Your Game Day Party appeared first on Wisconsin Management Company, Inc. Blog.

So, you’re getting ready to move. There’s so much to consider, including timelines, logistics, cost and packing, so it’s easy to get caught up in the chaos and make a mistake that could lead to unnecessary stress. Here are our top moving mistakes to avoid as you prepare to make the transition.

Leaving too little time to pack

There’s nothing worse than leaving too little time to pack. Maybe you aren’t able to take time off work, or you are just really busy and don’t have a ton of space in your calendar. Whatever it is, leaving all your packing to the last minute can be really stressful, cause you to stay up late to get it done and lead to a lack of sleep. All of those things can drastically affect your stress levels. So make sure to plan ahead and prep with ample time before the big day. As a guide, Moving.com suggests that “a studio or one-bedroom apartment will take about two days, a two-bedroom home about three days, and a three-bedroom home about five days.” Use this as your baseline and schedule your packing time accordingly.

Not labeling your boxes correctly

When you’re packing, you might be so focused on getting it done that you forget exactly what you put where. This can be stressful when you get to your new home and are looking for a specific item. Make sure to label everything properly, including the destination, items included and if there’s anything fragile inside.

Not having enough padding

Another mistake you can make when moving is not to pack/pad your items properly. While a box may look like it’s safely packed, too often household items get broken as they transition from one location to another. Make sure to use sufficient padding, especially on those breakable or more delicate items. You don’t even have to use bubble wrap. If you want to be more environmentally and economically conscious, you can use household items such as towels and clothes as extra padding to ensure your items are protected properly.

Forgetting to change your address

Subscriptions, business information, banking information, credit cards… Officially changing your address with the post office and forwarding your mail can save you a ton of stress by ensuring that you don’t miss anything important in those first couple weeks.

Forgetting to pack a moving essentials bag

Don’t forget to pack the important moving essentials bag we outlined in last week’s blog! This is a bag that you would keep separate from the rest of your items and is designed to reduce the amount of stress you experience by keeping important items safe and easy to access during the chaos of your move. Check out what we would recommend packing here [LINK TO PREVIOUS BLOG].

Moving doesn’t have to be overly stressful. The trick is to plan ahead, take the time you need to avoid mistakes and set yourself up for success. If you avoid these 5 things, you’ll be well on your way.

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We were so excited to be featured on Talk Wisconsin with Jessa Jeremiah earlier this year! Did you know that you can watch the full interview with President and CEO, Russ Endres and Director of Property Management, Alicia Reed, as they talk all things Wisconsin Management?

In it you will learn…

• Why we love the property industry so much.
• The types of properties we manage.
• What we consider to be our greatest accomplishments in our 40 years of business.
• What’s in the future for the company.

Check it out here: http://bit.ly/WMCTALKWI
 

– The WMC Team
 

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