Apartments are Good for Your Health
October 14, 2007
Work-rate, health and even personal relationships may be affected if you stay in hotel accommodation for longer than 4 nights on business. Natalie Wakefield of The Apartment Service states her case.
Business Travellers will spend significantly more to secure a seat in the First Class cabin of an aircraft and the reasons are beyond question: they can catch up on work or stretch out and relax - and besides, haven’t you heard of Economy Class Syndrome? Yet when they arrive at their destination, they will often stay for several nights, weeks or even months confined within the same four walls. “Let’s call it Hotel Accommodation Syndrome.”
When work takes you away from home for even longer periods - training courses, temporary or perhaps permanent relocation - the situation becomes almost grave. Individuals need a lot more than simply a pillow on which to lay their tired heads, although every little helps. They need to spread out, relax, just like in the aircraft. And with the restaurant and Room Service menus exhausted, they pine for the taste of home. Arguably worse still, work begins to suffer. More time and effort is spent escaping from the hotel room than on work, which has become disjointed and disorganised. Irritability sets in and relationships at work and at home both suffer.
New Ways to Use Old Christmas Cards
October 13, 2007
Forty years ago when I was growing up on our dairy farm in Wisconsin, my mother always saved the Christmas cards she had received in the mail. In those days, people sent many more Christmas cards than they do now.
Today, I still find myself saving the cards that I get each Christmas. When the holiday season is over, I take them down off the dining-room side of our kitchen cabinets. I look at each one and think about the person who sent it. Then I tuck the cards into Christmas canisters and store them with my Christmas decorations. The next year when I take the decorations out, I discover the cards and then I look through them again. They are still much too pretty to throw away, but unfortunately, I only have so much space available for keeping cards!
If you save your old Christmas cards, too, but don’t know what to do with them, here are three ways that you can put them to good use:
? Make ornaments.
? Make gift tags.
Home For The Holidays: Heirloom Stories Are A Perfect Gift
October 12, 2007
Selecting the right gift for a special someone is sometimes joyous, sometimes a chore. Give a gift that’s free. A gift that no one else could give. A gift of your legacy!
Consider giving to or requesting a very personal, one-of-a-kind gift this year: heirloom stories. A perfect gift for an adult child who has everything. A perfect gift to request from aging parents who don’t know what to give.
A daughter knew that the quilt protected in her mother’s cedar chest was her great grandmother’s. But until her mother recorded the story of the quilt she did not know how dear it really was. The quilt was a wedding present received the day before her newly married great grandparents climbed onto a covered wagon in Pennsylvania to begin their journey westward to Colorado and a new life. Protected and hand carried across the U.S. the quilt bumped for a thousand miles along the Santa Fe Trail with a wagon train. That quilt is now much more cherished.
You Only Have One Life, Let Your Caribbean Dream Come True
October 12, 2007
Turning your dream to Reality?Buying in the Caribbean
Buying a home in the Caribbean is something many people only dream of. A little determination and, some financial resources can easily make this dream become a reality. Those who buy real estate in the Caribbean do so for many reasons these include:
? A place to spend your retirement
? A purchase for investment purposes
? A second home as an ideal getaway
? To escape the rat race for a slower warmer pace of life
? To Return back home
Before you take that big step here are a few tips to keep your dream a reality, Generally your purchase will fall into the following categories
A home in a developer’s planned “community.”
A villa or other single-family home.
A time-share or condominium in a share format.
Here are a few more tips:
? Don’t rush.
? Get familiar with the island and the type of properties you’re considering.
? Research the residency rules for non nationals
? Know the people and the lifestyle.
? Get advice from a reliable source
Home For The Holidays: Happy Times, Right
October 11, 2007
This time of the year is supposed to be happy. A time when family is warm and welcoming. A time for loving and feeling loved.
We watch the annual TV specials which emotionally choke us up. We watch those traditional, mushy movies like Miracle on 34th Street and It’s a Wonderful Life which bring sentimental tears to our eyes. We watch those heartwrenching Hallmark commercials which make us sob dramatically. All of these portray the ideal and they always end happily.
But real life isn’t like that.
Watching and listening to all the hype and sweetness reminds many of us of our losses. We think of the things we won’t have this year, or any year ever again. The holiday season is actually the season of much depression and sadness. Just imagine for a moment how many losses a person of 70, 80 or 90 may have endured.
To help us understand those losses, here is a partial list.
- Hair
- Energy
- Parents
- Taut skin
- Hearing
- Stamina
- Career
- Muscle
- Eyesight
- Mobility
- Attendance at house of worship
- Hobbies
- Figure
- Friends
- Car
- Siblings
- Independence
- Spouse
- Finances
- Choice
- Lifelong collections
- Personal belongings
- Purpose
- Home
If the depression persists into the new year, get help from a mental health clinic. To voice the losses and the feelings can sometimes release them. Spend some time with elders this season and listen to their stories.
Simplify the Season
October 10, 2007
Let’s take a look at a typical Christmas To-Do list: bake cookies, buy and make gifts, attend office party, church commitments, address and mail cards, clean the house for guests, decorate…it goes on and on….
The holidays are meant to be a time of joy and family celebration. But all the running around we do can zap the fun. Here are some ideas to simplify the season.
Gift Giving:
- Purchase a family gift rather than gifts for individuals.
- For extended families, draw a member’s name out of a hat and give only one gift. Limit the present amount.
- Make soup, beverage or cookie mixes. Package in a pretty jar or container with instructions attached.
- Have family members create a wishlist on amazon.com so there’s no guessing what they want, purchasing is easy, and there are no trips to the crowded mall.
- Start a collection. For example, a few years ago I began purchasing nativity set figurines for my mother. Each year she gets a new item to add to her collection. Again, no guessing - I always know what to buy for her.
In the Kitchen:
Customized Services is What makes a Vacation Rental the Best
October 9, 2007
The home away from home but a little bit more better is what the vacation rentals should be. They should be a lot functional and provide you with a lot of facilities and amenities that you would find in your home and a little bit more. This article looks at what makes these chalets or condos the luxurious properties which the clients crave to rent each time. Luxury could mean very different based on the locality the property is in. If you are in a Ski resort you would want the hot tubs and the cozy fireplaces to make the stay a wonderful experience. If you are in one of the exotic places deep in the jungle where Mosquitoes and insects have the best of the place; then luxury means a simple Mosquito net and a small spray to get these pesky creatures out. In this article let’s see what it means to spend time in luxury in the beautiful ski resort area of Whistler.
Where Have All The Wise Men Gone? Jesus Is Not Acceptable For Christmas!
October 8, 2007
It’s CHRISTmas!
Where are the wise men?
WOW - The wise men are MISSING! What kind of Christmas is this anyway?
Are you caught up in the “season” with this Christmas thing? Do YOU know where the wise men are?
For over 200 years we have celebrated Christmas and all of the joys and festivities that go with the “holidays” in this great country of ours. Christmas was declared a federal holiday in 1870 by President Ulysses S. Grant for the purpose of celebrating the “philosophy of good will toward men.” What’s changed?
And, where are those wise men?
The Associated Press reported last Christmas that in New Jersey the sixth-grade class of the South Orange Middle School planned a field trip to see the play, “A Christmas Carol.” However, due to pressure from some of the parents the field trip was “re-routed” to a show, “The Great Railroad Race”!
Why? Because of the concerns from parents that the play, “A Christmas Carol” might have something to do with CHRISTMAS! The school principal told the AP, “There is a great sensitivity to putting students in awkward situations.”
Jesus is just not acceptable! Nice…
The Christmas Dress
October 7, 2007
From the time I was a very little girl, I had always loved to watch my big sister, Loretta, when she was sewing. So, one Sunday afternoon while she worked on the red velveteen jumper that was going to be my Christmas outfit, I didn’t want to miss a single thing.
Because it was Sunday and Loretta did not have to go to work at the electric company, she was dressed casually in a white sweater and a pair of periwinkle blue slacks that matched her eyes. Loretta was an assistant bookkeeper at the electric cooperative that supplied electricity to our farm and to many of the rural areas in our county. I could still smell the perfume that she had worn when we went to church that morning. The bottle said it was called Lily of the Valley.
As Loretta spread the fabric on the kitchen table, I stood as close to her as possible, practically breathing down her neck.
When you live on a farm and the next-door neighbors are elderly and no other neighbors live on your mile-long stretch of road with children for you play with, and in fact, no other children live within several miles, what else is there to do on a Sunday afternoon in December except pester your big sister?
Is A Disneyland Vacation Right For You?
October 7, 2007
Disneyland became the very definition of a theme park and family vacation when it opened in California in July, 1955.
For decades, it has amazed kids and parents alike, with its enchanting atmosphere, great attractions and shows. It soon became a popular vacation spot for families, allowing the parent to enjoy a soothing vacation at the nearby resort, but still allowing the kids to have a blast at the park.
First-time visitors will be able to take in the Disneyland Resort with a three- or four-day visit, as opposed to the full week or more that a first-timer would need to see Disney World. That leaves a visitor with a few extra days to visit some of Southern California’s other attractions, including Knott’s Berry Farm, Universal Studios, and the beaches.
When going to Disneyland, think about the hotel you will stay at. It is best to stay at a hotel inside Disneyland, or in some of the Harbor Blvd hotels, which are not far from the front entrances of the park, rather than in an on- property hotel.
