October 2014 - Mancuso Nowak

Is Your Car Battery Ready For The Winter?

Even though it is still fairly nice weather, the cold winter months are right around the corner. Now is the best time to prepare your car for the brutal weather of the winter. AAA of Southern New England stated that the #1 reason for car breakdowns during the winter is a dead or weak battery. How do you prevent this from being you this winter?

Car batteries usually have a life of 4 years. If your car battery is near the 2 year mark, start looking for signs of weakness. If you don’t remember when you last replaced the battery look at the letters and numbers on the battery. For example, Interstate Batteries have a code on the cover of the battery. The first letter stands for the month it was manufactured, A = January, B = February, etc. Then the following number indicates the year, 1 = 2011, 2 = 2012, etc.

Signs of battery weakness:

Your car is slow to start or it hesitates a little.
Your check engine light comes on.
Your fluids keep running low.
The battery case looks inflated. Swelling can be caused by excessive heat of the summer and cause it not to last long.
If your battery smells like rotten eggs…replace it!
With any of the above symptoms of possible battery weakness, you can have your car checked out by a mechanic. It is a good idea to have your car thoroughly inspected before the winter. If the battery is over 2 yrs old and you are questioning it going into the cold winter months, it might be a good idea just to replace it. Better safe than sorry!

Why We Wear PINK!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is a special time of year to honor and remember those effected by this disease. And most importantly, remember early detection helps save lives! Find a health care facility that helps with early detection and make your appointment now. When breast cancer is detected early the 5 year survival rate is 98%. We have living proof at Mancuso-Nowak that early detection is what leads to beating breast cancer. Kelley Tyan, Tony’s wife, was diagnosed in 2008 and is now cancer free!

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer found in women and 1 in 8 will get it during their lifetime. Here are the factors that increase your chance of getting breast cancer:

Age – Over 50 is the highest risk group
Personal History – If you have had breast cancer in one breast, it is a higher chance you could get it in the other
Race – Caucasian women are more likely to get breast cancer than other races
Family History – If a direct relative – mother, sister, father or child – has had breast cancer you are at increased risk and if the person was under 50 yrs old your chances increase more
Dense Breast Tissue – as found on a mammogram, can increase your chance of breast cancer
Harmful Gene Mutation – Namely in the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. If you have family history of breast cancer get tested for this gene mutation.
Menstrual and Reproductive History – Early menstruation and late menopause increase your chances. Also having children later in life or never having children can also increase chances of breast cancer.

This is why it is time to find a cure! Kelley and Tony Tyan are part of the PINK Revolution, join us and support a local breast cancer organization:

Not So Spooky Books For The Littlest Goblins

October is the beginning of the holiday season and the holidays start off in a spooky way. To get the little ones ready for the big day read lots of fun, not too spooky books. These are some of our favorite Halloween books for the kids:

Spooky Wheels on the Bus by J. Elizabeth Mills – A fun holiday twist on the orginal Wheels on the Bus book. The bus fills up quickly with ghosts and gobblins. See which monster your little monster likes best.

A Very Witchy Spelling Bee by George Shannon – Cordelia loves to spell….in more than one way. She likes to spell words and likes to cast spells. See if this little witch can out spell the reigning champion of the Witches’ Double Spelling Bee.

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson – The Witch runs into a problem when she loses her hat, bow and wand while flying on her broom. Thankfully 3 animals find the missing belongings and only want a ride on the broomstick as payment for returning the witch’s items. Is there enough room on the broom?

Halloween Night by Marjorie Dennis Murray – The Halloween version of The Night Before Christmas. Read about the witches, mummies and bats throughout the house.

*** The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano – Poor Spookley is shaped all wrong. He is square, not round like his friends. No one likes to be different, but this book shows how being different is sometimes better. Don’t judge a book or a pumpkin by its cover, it’s what is on the inside that really counts.

Enjoy the Halloween season with the kids and read lots of fun books!

*** Our Favorite Halloween Book!