Friday, December 20, 2013

Happy New Year!

We hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year!


Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday!

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Spending the Holidays Away From Home

Are you staying in your apartment for the holiday break?  Take a look at these ten ways to have a great holiday even if you are away from home.  You can learn more at Yahoo.


Tip #1--Remember the real "spirit of Christmas" is one of giving and sharing.

Nothing gets you in the "Christmas spirit" more than being able to help someone else and make their day a little brighter. Just because you can't share Christmas Day with loved ones doesn't mean you can't send cards, letters and packages that let them know you care.

Tip #2--Call home.

Yes, it isn't the same as eating a piece of mom's Christmas pie, but calling and visiting over the phone, or on-line, is the next best thing to being there.

Tip #3-- Attend a Christmas church service.

If you are away from home at Christmas, you may enjoy attending a Christmas church service. Use the local phone directory to find churches in the area, or ask someone for recommendations.

Non-Catholics may even enjoy attending a traditional mid-night mass on Christmas Eve. Most Christian churches of all denominations have special services on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. It serves as a time to celebrate Christ's birth, the true purpose for the Christmas holiday.

Tip #4--Contact the United Way and volunteer for community service.

If you are in the United States, there are local United Way Agencies that can provide you with information on non-profit groups in your area needing Christmas volunteers. Many non-profit groups will gladly welcome you to help with various Christmas activities. They might even find a family to "adopt" you and invite you for a traditional Christmas dinner.

Tip #5--Visit a local nursing home or assisted living center.

Many elderly residents in these facilities are lonely and alone at Christmas time. It can be extremely hard for them to watch other residents being picked up and taken home by their families for the holiday, while they are left behind. From personal experience, I know many would love to have you visit and warmly welcome a little conversation and company.

Ask a nurse or the facility's activities director who could use a little one-on-one attention. If the facility is having a Christmas party, volunteer to help with the festivities. It will help you, and the residents, both feel less lonely making Christmas more joyous for all concerned. If you are going to be in the same area for awhile, you might even choose to "adopt" a foster grandparent to regularly visit during your stay.

Tip #6--Volunteer at a Homeless Shelter or Soup Kitchen

Many non-profit groups need extra help with serving Christmas dinner to the homeless. It would give you an opportunity to stay busy, spending the holiday with others doing a community service that is much appreciated. It also will make you a little more thankful for the blessings you do have.

Tip#7--Postpone traditional Christmas celebrations until you can return home.

This might be an option for those working away from home, but returning soon. Just because the calendar says December 25th doesn't mean you can't wait and practice your own family traditions and celebrations later.

We once postponed Christmas until my husband, who was working and going to an out of state training program could return home. I made a video tape Christmas morning of the boys opening presents in front of the tree and we each recorded a message for him. We sent him the tape to watch, but left the Christmas tree up for two more months until he returned home. Then we had a second celebration when he returned home.

Tip#8--Visit shut-ins.

One of my more memorable Christmas Days was spend four hour's drive from home. My sister-in-law belonged to a community service organization that cooked and delivered free Christmas dinners to the community's shut-ins. The "Meals-on-Wheels" Christmas made us feel better knowing we spent the holiday helping make others' Christmas just a little brighter.

Tip #9--Adopt a child or family for the holiday

If you can afford the added expensive, a wonderful Christmas gesture is to provide Christmas dinner fixings and gifts for a struggling family, especially a single parent with young children.

The Salvation Army and other community service organizations often provide this community service from their donations, but might still need help packaging and delivering these items and might welcome your assistance.

#10--This Christmas, reflect on your blessings

Rather than feel sorry for yourself because you are away from your home and family this holiday, stay busy and count your blessings. You'll feel less blue if you have something constructive to do.

It really doesn't matter where you are or how you choose to celebrate Christmas. It's really a celebration of love and sharing. Its personal significance depends a lot on the traditions you grew up with or practice in your home; they aren't set in stone. Build your own traditions and make Christmas a holiday of love celebrated in your heart no matter where you may be this Christmas Day.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

The Perfect Houseguest

The holidays are a time to spend with friends and family.  Make sure to look over these great tips on how to be a great houseguest for your friends and relatives.  We hope that everyone has safe travels this season!  You can learn more at the Metro.



Being a houseguest can involve more discomfort than than a fold-out couch and a lumpy pillow. Sharing space with friends and family is often a given during the holiday season, but it doesn’t have to be as awkward as a midnight trip to an unknown bathroom. As the CEO and founder of the design and lifestyle blog Apartment Therapy, Maxwell Ryan knows his way around a cramped apartment, which is why we asked him for his best advice on how to survive a stay at with in-laws.

A smooth arrival

The first step of any stay as a guest is the planes, trains and automobiles that get you there. Ryan says these transitional moments can be loaded with tension for hosts, and it’s on guests to be clear and consistent about their arrival times. “If you’re supposed to be arriving at 6 p.m. on a Friday and you don’t get there until 7 and there are multiple text messages about where you are and being on your way, it’s exhausting,” he says. “What’s really helpful to a host is if you arrive and depart on time” — meaning that guests should figure out how to get to where they’re going.
Arriving with a gift in hand is another thing Ryan recommends: “I think it’s better to show up with a gift than to leave a gift. A gift given at the beginning ‘covers’ your stay, if you will. There’s no reciprocity if you give first.” Sure, leaving a bottle of wine isn’t an insult, but arriving with a token of appreciation shows a host that you thought of them beforehand (though Ryan agrees with your mom — don’t skip the thank you note.)

During your stay

Routines and schedules can seem like no big deal until you’re hopping and dodging them like a game of double dutch. Ryan says the simplest way to ease scheduling mayhem as a houseguest is to respect and adapt to the routines of the hosts, which can mean asking for specifics and communicating clearly about schedules. “What’s interesting perhaps is that the point of it is to be a great guest, because you might not have a great host,” he says. “There are going to be some geat people out there in the world who are not the best hosts.”
Towels on the floor might work in your apartment, but they’ll render you persona non grata in another person’s home. Ryan’s advice is simple: “Leave the house cleaner than you found it. Put away all the dishes, wipe down the counters, clean the floors.” While you’re at it, get in on some sous chef duties — or whip up your own contribution to any shared meals. It doesn’t hurt, Ryan says, to offer to chip in for groceries or pick up a nice dessert or bottle of wine to go with a meal.

Go away

Giving your host some time off can be key to making a stay comfortable for all parties involved, Ryan says. “No matter what your situation is, plan to have some time away from your hosts, and let them know that they don’t have to take care of you the whole time,” he suggests. “Being independent is a really nice strong signal to send to your hosts.”

Quick tips to houseguest heaven

  • Be observant of how your host’s household runs. If you’re observant, you won’t have to ask too many questions.
  • Keep the bathroom clean and dry. “In our own homes we don’t mind if the water sputters so much, but when you’re a guest it means you probably are using the bathroom more than it would be used, so give everything a little wipe down when you’re done.”
  • Offer to chip in for groceries. “[The offer] doesn’t have to be accepted to be effective — some hosts like to do everything themselves and that’s OK, but at least you can say you offered.”
  • Always make a good effort to figure something out before asking your host — be a quick study.
- See more at: http://www.metro.us/newyork/lifestyle/home/2013/12/02/houseguest-101-apartment-therapys-tips-for-how-to-ace-a-visit/#sthash.oOYskD7E.dpuf
Being a houseguest can involve more discomfort than than a fold-out couch and  a lumpy pillow. Sharing space with friends and family is often a given during the holiday season, but it doesn’t have to be as awkward as a midnight trip to an unknown bathroom. As the CEO and founder of the design and lifestyle blog Apartment Therapy, Maxwell Ryan knows his way around a cramped apartment, which is why we asked him for his best advice on how to survive a stay at with in-laws.

A smooth arrival

The first step of any stay as a guest is the planes, trains and automobiles that get you there. Ryan says these transitional moments can be loaded with tension for hosts, and it’s on guests to be clear and consistent about their arrival times. “If you’re supposed to be arriving at 6 p.m. on a Friday and you don’t get there until 7 and there are multiple text messages about where you are and being on your way, it’s exhausting,” he says. “What’s really helpful to a host is if you arrive and depart on time” — meaning that guests should figure out how to get to where they’re going.

Arriving with a gift in hand is another thing Ryan recommends: “I think it’s better to show up with a gift than to leave a gift. A gift given at the beginning ‘covers’ your stay, if you will. There’s no reciprocity if you give first.” Sure, leaving a bottle of wine isn’t an insult, but arriving with a token of appreciation shows a host that you thought of them beforehand (though Ryan agrees with your mom — don’t skip the thank you note.)

During your stay

Routines and schedules can seem like no big deal until you’re hopping and dodging them like a game of double dutch. Ryan says the simplest way to ease scheduling mayhem as a houseguest is to respect and adapt to the routines of the hosts, which can mean asking for specifics and communicating clearly about schedules. “What’s interesting perhaps is that the point of it is to be a great guest, because you might not have a great host,” he says. “There are going to be some geat people out there in the world who are not the best hosts.”

Towels on the floor might work in your apartment, but they’ll render you persona non grata in another person’s home. Ryan’s advice is simple: “Leave the house cleaner than you found it. Put away all the dishes, wipe down the counters, clean the floors.” While you’re at it, get in on some sous chef duties — or whip up your own contribution to any shared meals. It doesn’t hurt, Ryan says, to offer to chip in for groceries or pick up a nice dessert or bottle of wine to go with a meal.

Go away

Giving your host some time off can be key to making a stay comfortable for all parties involved, Ryan says. “No matter what your situation is, plan to have some time away from your hosts, and let them know that they don’t have to take care of you the whole time,” he suggests. “Being independent is a really nice strong signal to send to your hosts.”

Quick tips to houseguest heaven

Be observant of how your host’s household runs. If you’re observant, you won’t have to ask too many questions.
 

Keep the bathroom clean and dry. “In our own homes we don’t mind if the water sputters so much, but when you’re a guest it means you probably are using the bathroom more than it would be used, so give everything a little wipe down when you’re done.”
 

Offer to chip in for groceries. “[The offer] doesn’t have to be accepted to be effective — some hosts like to do everything themselves and that’s OK, but at least you can say you offered.”
 

Always make a good effort to figure something out before asking your host — be a quick study.
Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More