Houseguest for the Holidays

Are you traveling for the holidays? If you are staying with a friend or family member, it is very important to be a respectful houseguest. Hosting guests is very stressful, but you can help make it easier for your loved one. Read over these tips, and you can comment below with some tips of your own. You can learn more at Apartment Therapy.



Keep your belongings, neatly, in your room.

As someone who aspires, at least, to keep her house in order, I really appreciate it when my guests do their best to keep their suitcases and extra belongings in their designated areas. Of course, items like coats and shoes (which we don't wear in the house), are left out, and I am happy when guests take it upon themselves to notice where they belong and put them there.


Take care of your own special needs.

If your hostess asks about things you can't (or prefer not to) eat, it's okay to be honest— to a point. But if you have specific dietary or health needs, it's nice to take care of them yourself rather than expecting your hostess to learn about and provide for your needs. For instance, before I was more familiar with gluten-free diets and before gluten-free alternatives were ubiquitous, a houseguest of mine brought her own gluten-free pasta. I appreciated her foresight and consideration — and that, for the sake of my preparations, she told me she would do this beforehand.


Fit in.

Try to notice the rhythms and rituals of your hosts. If their habit is to sit and eat around the table together, join them rather than grazing, even if that's what you're used to. If your hosts enjoy conversation once all the kids are down, spend some time with them even if all you want to do is go to bed yourself! On the other hand, if you know your hosts go to bed earlier than you do, assure them that you're fine up on your own or even retreat to your space so your hosts feel comfortable leaving the common area as well.


Strip the sheets.

This could depend on how well you know your hosts, but this act, to me, shows a thoughtfulness about the practical side of having houseguests and a willingness to help however possible — and this means a lot. If you're not on a do-my-laundry-in-your-washer level of familiarity, leave the bed linens and towels in a tidy pile. Otherwise, if you can swing it, do the sheets and put them back on the bed. My mother always does this, and recent houseguests did this for me and what a relief! How nice to leave your host's place even better than when you got there.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving with their loved ones!

Learn More About Veteran's Day

Make sure to thank a veteran today for their service to our country.  There are millions of veteran's in the United States.  We want to thank them for all of their sacrifices to serve our country.  You can learn more about Veteran's Day at CNN.


There are 19.6 million veterans in the United States.

There are 1.6 million female veterans.

There are 9.3 million U.S. veterans are over the age of 65.

There are 39,890 veterans of World War II, the Korean War and theVietnam War still living.

Timeline:
November 11, 1918 - The armistice ending World War I begins at 11 am.

1919 - President Woodrow Wilson proclaims November 11 as Armistice Day.

November 11, 1921 - The first Unknown Soldier is reburied atArlington National Cemetery. The tomb has the words inscribed, "Here rests in honored glory An American Soldier Known but to God."

May 13, 1938 - Armistice Day becomes a federal holiday.

June 1, 1954 - President Eisenhower signs a bill changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day in order to include all U.S. veterans.

May 30, 1958 - Unknown Soldiers from World War II and the Korean War are reburied next to the Unknown Soldier from World War I.

1968 - Congress changes the date of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October in order to give federal employees a three-day weekend. The change begins in 1971.

September 25, 1975 - President Gerald Ford changes the date of Veterans Day back to November 11. The change begins in 1978.

May 28, 1984 - An unknown soldier from the Vietnam War is reburied in Arlington National Cemetery. In 1998, he is identified through DNA tests as Michael Blassie, a 24-year-old pilot shot down in 1972 on the border of Cambodia.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Fun Facts: 

Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe who would celebrate the harvest around a bonfire, share ghost stories, sing, dance and tell fortunes. Learn more here.

Halloween Pie

Pie or Cake? Many people are very dedicated to which dessert is their favorite. However, there are many delicious recipes for both. Here is a great Halloween themed pie that everyone can get behind. You can learn more at Martha Stewart.

Closet Inventory

Have you ever tried to work on a closet inventory? It will only take a few hours, and it will help organize and clean out your clothes. Read over this blog to learn how to start a closet inventory. You only need a few supplies and help from a friend. You can learn more at Apartment Therapy.





Do you know what's in your closet? Like, way in there? Do you ever find two or three of the (nearly or exactly) same clothing items because you didn't realize you had already bought one? Do you not buy items you really like because you know you already have something — even though you don't really love it? A closet inventory is more than just a cleverly disguised way to declutter your closet (though it is that, too). It's a way to get a handle on your wardrobe so that future shopping and dressing is easier.

It's also the best thing to do each time the seasons switch and the temperature begins to change. Here's how to do one in an afternoon this weekend:


What you'll need:


A few hours


A full-length mirror, a friend or a camera


Two boxes: one labeled "maybe" and another labeled "donate"


A list of clothing basics that resonates with you. (Here's a good example).


A list of items you want to have in your closet (dream items or need items!)

Step 1: Take out everything in your closet and pile it on the bed. (Or, depending on closet size or volume, tackle this step in chunks.)

Step 2: Begin trying clothes on in front of a mirror, taking a picture of it to look at or showing outfit items to a trusted friend. You're going to want to rate everything on a scale of 1 - 10 in your mind.

Step 3. Items that rate an "8" or above — say those articles that are in good shape, fit you well and make you feel good, get to stay. 5 to 8 ratings go in the maybe box. Anything lower (damaged items, items you haven't worn in years or things that just don't make you feel confident), goes directly into the donate box. Consider putting high rating clothes back by the "hanger trick."

Step 4: While you're trying things on, consider making a quick tally list of types of clothing you have. That way at the end you'll have a good idea of whether or not you have 20 pants and 1 skirt or your tank top to long sleeve shirt ratio is way off. With cooler temperatures on the way, make sure you have what you consider to be enough warm weather clothing items.

Step 5: Along with tallying what you own, as you find items that are on the clothing basics or dream items list, check them off. When you're finished, you'll have two lists: One of the amounts of types of items you have, and a list of things you'd like in your closet but don't have. You'll have a good idea of what you're lacking in your closet and, combined with the informal tally you took while trying everything on earlier, what you've got way too much of.

Step 6: After you go through all your clothes, reevaluate your maybe box with the help of a friend or based off of your new knowledge with the tally list or basics list. Donate, sell or put aside to reuse the stuff from your donate box.

Step 7: Keep your lists close at hand so the next time you're shopping you know what to look out for and what to not splurge on because you've already got too much of!

Step 8: Repeat every few months as necessary so you don't waste money on unneeded items!

How to Thrive During The Semester!

We are almost half way though the semester.  This means that people are starting to feel exhausted and need a break.  However, the middle of the semester is important for finishing strong in your classes.  Here are five tips on how to thrive during the middle of the semester!  You can learn more here.




1. Reward yourself.

One of the defining characteristics of the mid-semester blues is feeling overworked, with seemingly no end in sight. In order to alleviate this listlessness, try and set up little rewards for every goal that you accomplish, proportionate to the importance of the task itself. Finish reading those two chapters in your Intro to Macroeconomics textbook? Get thee to a bakery and indulge in that scone you were eying this morning. Finally complete that twenty page term paper on 19th century Chinese politics and government? Buy that dress onModcloth that has been sitting in your cart for who knows how long.

Of course, I certainly don’t advocate doing this for everything or doing it all the time. Setting up a reward system can backfire pretty quickly when it comes to intrinsic motivation. (Plus, whose wallet can really afford it?) However, for those tasks that you need an extra push to accomplish, rewarding yourself with some shopping, or just the latest episode of Glee won’t hurt.


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2. Practice time management.

Another common affliction that students suffer during this time of year is feeling completely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work that needs to get done. You have an Orgo midterm next Tuesday, a ten page paper onThe Sound and the Fury due next Thursday, and a presentation on the Civil Rights movement for next Friday — and you haven’t started or began preparing for any of them. Faced with this conundrum, many people will often work themselves up and exacerbate their already heightened stress (really bad idea) or mentally check out and procrastinate (even worse idea).

Instead of taking the fight or flight route, consider a third option: figure out how you can reallocate your time. You’re right in thinking there’s not enough time to do everything that needs to get done, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t get the important things finished. Reorganize your schedule and cut out things that can wait the next day, or even next week. If this means skipping out on movie night with your friends this Saturday night or even skipping that Applied Statistics II lecture (shhh!), then by all means, do what needs to be done. Prioritize and do the most important things first. The rest will fall into place.
3. However, don’t sacrifice your health.

When reorganizing your schedule, don’t forget to keep yourself as a priority. Just because you’ve decided to skip that club meeting doesn’t mean you can do the same for your seven to eight hours of sleep. Mid-semester blues are only compounded with a lack of sleep, poor eating habits, and a “skip the gym today” workout routine. Sadly, one of the main reasons that most college students are able to juggle all their activities is because it’s at the expense of something that they shouldn’t be sacrificing: their health.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m also guilty of occasionally staying up until 3 am to finish the reading for a 9 am class. But then I wake up five hours later feeling completely drained, making the entire endeavor worthless. Next time you find yourself starting to pull a late-nighter for anything, honestly answer this question: is it really worth it?Ninety-five percent of the time, you’ll find yourself remembering that there are only a small handful of things more important than taking care of yourself.


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4. Take time to relax — and don’t feel guilty over it.

So right now, you’re overworked, overwhelmed, and practicing some not-so great health habits. You can’t slow down, there’s too much to do that’s due at the same exact time to let yourself watch some TV show, sleep, or even eat. Yet you’re still burnt out and unmotivated, even though you know there’s an increasing list of things to do.

This advice may sound weird, but if you’re really burnt out, don’t do those tasks right now. Take twenty minutes to go outside and catch some sunshine while it’s still out today. Go next door to catch up with a friend or phone a friend from home for an hour. Make your significant other give you a massage. Do whatever you need to do, just relax while doing so. Most importantly, don’t let your guilt get in the way of enjoying your break. Those twenty minutes will rejuvenate you – you’ll come back with renewed motivation, and will be more able to tackle your workload.
5. Take a step back and just breathe.

Personally, I think one of the reasons why college students get the mid-semester blues is due to a loss of perspective. It’s easy to get bogged down by juggling four different clubs, a part-time job, internships, a full course load, and trying to keep up a decent social life.

However, it’s important to take a moment to remember that while things are incredibly stressful and difficult right now, this too shall pass. We will not be college students forever, we’ll soon learn that there are no midterms in life (not multiple choice ones, at least), and soon, we’ll have bigger (and more important) things to worry about – and get excited over!