Okay, so I’m a guy, and us guys, we don’t get affected by all that mushy stuff, right? Well, that’s the stereotype any way. So why is it that there’s a couple of TV commercials that just make me feel all good and warm and happy and able to relate to them, and they are ads for a flippin’ bowl of Cheerios!?!

Here’s the first one – sorry, it seems to be sped up a bit:

BTW – here’s one person’s idea of the subliminal messages behind that commercial:

Here we have Steve and his unnamed wife having a conversation over breakfast. Should we go line by line? Sure. Let’s go for it.

“What are you eating?”
Simple morning conversation starter. Nice one Steve.

“Multi Grain Cheerios”
Simple answer. So far so good. Nice one, unnamed wife.

“So, Trying to watch your weight?”
This is where Steve’s morning takes a bad turn. He hears “multi grain” and thinks healthy. So Steve, in an effort to continue the early morning banter, asks what he thinks is an innocent question.

We find out soon that it’s not an innocent question, but a one way ticket into domestic hell.

“No, Why?”
BOOM. It’s all over for Steve. Weight is obviously a sensitive issue with this unnamed wife. She’s not slender but not fat. She probably wishes she was a bit skinnier and now she’s gonna take it out on her husband by taking a dump all over his morning.

“Nothing. It’s just the box. It says it’s low in fat.”
All this guy is trying to do is explain his logic. It’s a fact, the box says ‘low in fat’. He’s obviously not accustomed to seeing healthy, multi grain anything around the house. She MUST be watching her weight or else she’d be eating Lucky Charms or some crap like that, right?! But as we see in the next line…

“Do I look like I need to watch my weight?”
Man, shes not gonna let this go! Hey, listen unnamed wife, if you’re gonna start eating healthy all of a sudden expect to be asked some questions about it. You can’t just go changing cereals for no reason! Maybe she woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I dunno to be honest. There’s a lot of factors that could contribute to this untamed rage.

“Nuh, nuh, no. It just says it has 110 calories per serving.”
Steve pathetically stammers around trying to give another reason why he would ask such an “outlandish” question. He’s obviously stunned at this wild eyed hatred coming from his fat wife. It’s first thing in the damn morning and he has to put up with this crap?

“Yeah, but there are other reasons why I like it.”
Yeah right, fatty. You don’t name ONE of those reasons for the rest of the commercial. Just leave Steve alone and go back to your scrap booking and Mary Kay parties.

“I know, I know… it’s (nervous pause)… the box. It says it’s made with five whole grains. That’s good, isn’t it?”
Wow, Steve. Maybe you deserve the miserable position you’re in. Nervously coming up with another lame reason to explain your logic. You should have fled this marital crime scene long ago buddy. But, here you are, being as lame as possible. You’re probably gonna go jump into a carpool to go to work soon. The guys in the carpool make you sit in the middle of the back seat between two lesser co-workers. You do it because you’re weak. That was until the guys in the carpool got sick of you whining about your wife and kicked you out. Now you ride a razor scooter to work.

“(nodding) Mm hm. What else does the box say?”
She’s got you here Steve. You’re out of reasons to explain why you asked her if she’s watching her weight and she knows it. Most guys would have said: “The box says stop changing my cereals you trampy mess.” But we see that Steve says that unforgettable line…

“The box says, shut up Steve.”
This is when she gives that sh*t eating grin. What we don’t see is when he buries his head in the bowl, shovels in the rest of the cereal as fast as possible, puts on his Men’s Warehouse suit and rides his razor to work.

That’s my play by play for this commercial. Cheerio.

I think the above so perfectly describes things, that it is probably why I love it.

And the second one, I just can’t seem to find video of – it’s the one where he rolls a Cheerio across the table to her, they look all lovey-dovey, and then she discovers there’s no milk. LOVE IT!

Why?

What are your favourite commercials?

This outstanding 4-bedroom semi-detached home in North-West Mississauga is close to Derry Road & 9th Line, which provides easy fast access to both the 407, 401, and 403 Highways.

Okay, let’s cut to the chase – why should you make this your new family home?

Well, first of all, you won’t find a nicer 4-bedroom home in this price range. Check out all the ammenities this popular family neighbourhood has to offer, by clicking here

You’ll notice, as you drive up to this 9-year old home, the length of the driveway – it comfortably holds the mini-van PLUS a mid-size car, and then there’s still room for another vehicle in the garage.

As you enter, you’ll find the Living Room / Dining Room to your right, open to the big eat-in kitchen which is bathed in light from it’s big windows and sliding door access to the deck and backyard.

In summary, the main level offers plenty of room for big Holiday meals or comfie every-day family meal time, easy access from the garage, 2-pce bathroom, and walk-out to the great deck.

The lower-level is a great addition to the home, giving lots of room for family movie nights, or running your home-based business, or just keeping the kids toys out of the main living area. On this level there’s also a very large laundry room and another room that is currently used for storage.

Upstairs, on the bedroom level, is where this house really shines though, with 4 good-size bedrooms. Notice the ceiling height in the pictures of the girls’ bedroom above, as one feature.

Benefits, you wants benefits? Well, they say location, location, location is the #1 thing in real estate, and this Lisgar semi in mississauga certainly has that going for it!

The #2 thing in real estate? Price. Can’t beat this price of this home! The #3 thing in real estate? Kitchen & Bathrooms. This home has a fantastic eat-in kitchen with plenty of room for the family of 6 living here now to enjoy family meals together, and it’s got 2 bathrooms.

So, get our your wish-list, your want-list, and your must-have list, see how many of your boxes this home ticks, and then give me a call on my cell at 905-208-7002 to schedule your own private viewing.

If, however, for some reason I couldn’t possibly know, this home doesn’t tick enough of your boxes, take a look here and if you’re not already working with an agent, give me a call.

Courtesy of Daryl Colin, Mortgage Architects on Facebook

If you want to take advantage of the $1,350 home renovation tax credit, you’ll need to get that renovation done before February 1, 2010. So if it’s time for a new roof, new flooring, or a fresh new recreation room… this is the time to get it done.

Here’s the details. For renovations done between January 28, 2009 and February 1, 2010, you’re eligible to claim a 15% credit against your renovation expenses after the first $1,000.

The maximum tax credit is $1,350, which represents $9,000 worth of renovations, and comes directly off your taxes owing. A wide range of renovation expenses qualifies for the credit; go to the Canada Revenue Agency web site at http://www.cra.gc.ca where there is a list of eligible expenses.

If your renovation project includes some energy-saving home improvements, you may also be able to tap into grant money under the ecoENERGY retrofit and other government and local programs. You may therefore be able to benefit from both of these incentive programs for one renovation project.

But what about the upfront financing for larger projects? If you’ve built some equity in your home, you may be able to unlock the financing you need for those projects. Assuming your current mortgage is $150,000, here’s an example of how you can roll your renovation cost into your mortgage and have one, easy monthly payment. You can then use your prepayment privileges to pay your renovation project off faster.

Renovation Mortgage Monthly
Cost                Amount              Payment*
$20,000     $170,000            $894
$40,000    $190,000             $999
$60,000     $210,000            $1,105

*Assumes 4% 5-year rate, 25-year amortization. OAC

Want another reason to renovate now? It pays to renovate.

The right improvements will boost the value of your home. So you’re building on your biggest investment – while you enjoy your improvements every day. Before you choose a renovation project, then, it’s worthwhile to consider what the impact will be on the appraised value of your home – in case you ever want to sell.

The Appraisal Institute of Canada ( http://www.aicanada.ca ) has a good idea on which renovation projects can maximize the value of your home – and which ones just don’t pay, financially.

To check on the estimated payback, visit the RENOVA section of the Appraisal Institute’s website (click on Client Resources Centre), which has an interactive webbased guide to the value of home improvements. RENOVA is designed to give you a better idea of the return on investment you can expect for a variety of home improvements. You simply input the amount you plan to spend on one of the 25 listed renovation types,and you’ll receive an estimate of the effect this home improvement project may have on the value or resale of your home. Even if you are renovating for personal reasons only – to improve the livability of your home – it just makes good sense to understand how that investment might payback in the value of your home.

In today’s great interest rate environment, homeowners aren’t renovating just because they want to… but also because they can. Many are taking advantage of the Home Renovation Tax Credit and incredibly low mortgage rates to refinance their mortgages, potentially saving thousands of dollars, while extracting some of that equity for a renovation project or two.

Have you heard about the new proposed $10 per month tax that the large cable companies are asking the CRTC for approval? Do you feel it’s another unfair tax

? Well, here’s a website where you can send a message to the CRTC asking them not to approve this new fee. However, today is the last day where they will receive consumer comments so please take a moment to send this out. Sometimes, proposed tax increases are stopped or mitigated when conscientious citizens take effective action.

http://www.stopthetvtax.ca/