It’s Those Fun Little Traditions That Really Count!

by Dana Hilmer of "Lifestyle Mom"

Every family has their traditions and it’s those little rituals that create a lifetime worth of inside jokes and ultimately become the thread that binds the family together. It is the way you “do” what you do that becomes your family tradition. It doesn’t matter if your family likes to play scrabble, go hiking, eat cookies before dinner or sing out loud. What matters is that your family establishes a regular time to have fun, enjoy one another’s company and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Around our house, a game of UNO has become our post-dinner time favorite and Friday night isn’t complete without Star Wars The Clone Wars and a pack of Oreo Cookies. The two are so intertwined that I have, on more than one occasion, hopped out on Friday evening to make a special Oreo run. It’s a silly little tradition but Friday night has become a special time because of it.

It’s the daily stuff we do, the small rituals that may not seem like much, that create the biggest bond. In fact there are some very interesting facts when it comes to the family dinner. And note, these stats have nothing to do with elaborate cooking and fine dining, it is just the simple act of sitting down on a regular basis to share a meal together. According to a study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University:

•Children who have frequent family dinners (defined as 5 or more times a week) are less likely to use marijuana, tobacco and drink alcohol
•Girls who have five or more meals a week with their families are less likely to develop unhealthy eating habits
•By eating with your family it is more likely that meals will be healthier and well-balanced

For some families dinner time may be a challenge with schedules flying in every direction. That is indeed true for us during soccer season. Fortunately, it doesn’t always have to be dinner. It just needs to be a little slice of time that you carve out on a very regular basis to spend time together and really listen to your kids.

Moms and families today are busy and stressed. In fact there are a number of recent books populating bookshelves that reject the concept of an “ideal mother” and the “slow parenting” movement has become a new backlash to all the craziness. Its premise is simple: slow down, unload the calendar, have more time to hang out together and live more in the moment. Now doesn’t that sound like a good recipe for life? I recently read a little fact you too may find surprising… Apparently Americans have quite a bit more leisure time than we did 40 years ago. In fact, about 45 minutes a day of extra leisure time. As Po Bronson said in the Time article How We Spend Our Leisure Time, “Then why does it feel like we have so much less? It might be because we waste half of all our leisure time watching television. The average American adult devotes 2.5 hours a day to this hobby. And for every additional hour we get free, another 30 minutes goes into that boob tube.” That is sad, pathetically sad, but I’ll save that rant for another day.

So if you want more memorable family time, create fun little daily and weekly traditions and (with the exception of Star Wars the Clone Wars) turn off the TV. You’ll enjoy the moment more and thank yourself in years to come.

Dana Hilmer is the founder of LifestyleMom, the host of the upcoming internet radio show The LifestyleMom Radio Café (premiering Jan. 10, 2010 on LA Talk Radio) and the author of Blindsided by a Diaper: Over 30 Parents Reveal How Parenthood Changes a Relationship.

How to Get Through the Night by Being a Good Tipper

Ok, so recently I was in Las Vegas visiting my daughter...she happens to be a concierge at Paris. She works her tail off for her clients finding anything they need and want with a happy face and an incredible attitude. I understand this is her JOB and she loves it, but anyone in the Las Vegas Service industry will tell you that throwing a little extra cash around for their help can go a long way in the end.

So use this 'Las Vegas' Tipping Guide put together by one 'Jack Colton' to learn how to get extra perks...and avoid looking like a "cheap bastard"!

Your Skydive Instructor.
If you have the chance to make it out to Boulder City, and aren’t afraid of potential death, you should definitely pay the $160 dollars for the thrill of a lifetime. If you are skydiving for the first time, you will more than likely be going “tandem” (attached to your instructor). It is customary to tip your Sky Dive instructor about 20% of your total body weight since they actually have to work harder the heavier you are.

Your Maid.
Most people forget to tip the cleaning lady. After all...you never actually see her right? If you are feeling generous, leave your maid some cash on the dresser when you are ready to checkout. Usually $5 per night that you had the room is fair. If you partied like a rockstar, threw chairs, left used condoms in the bed, and puked all of the room; you might go ahead and be "just a bit" more generous.


Your Masseuse/Hair Stylist.
We have a lot of pampering available in Las Vegas, and you would be a FOOL not to take advantage of some of the most relaxing services in the world while you are on vacation. Regardless of whether you are getting a massage, a pedicure, your make up done, or your hair styled; throw your caretaker a solid 20% when they are finished making you feel like $1,000,000.

All this help for you stemmed from my daughter working and living in the service industry. I hope this helps you and if you have any questions on tipping your service providers in the wedding or event industry, please ask, I would love to blog about that as well...Hmmmm, perhaps my next round!

Happy tipping.

Applauze Eventz & Partiez
&
Premier Designs Jewlery
COLLIDE

to bring
YOU
A Holiday Party Extravaganza

Saturday
November 7, 2009

5:00-7:00
Premier Designs Jewelry
Shop for the holidays, birthdays, anniversaries
or shop for YOU.


7:30-9:00
Pol-Lattiez
The hot new body makeover system
that takes the worlds fabulous dance moves from
music videos, clubs, even exotic dancing
and turns them into
fast, fun, fat-burning routines that everyone can enjoy.

This is a NO charge event and we hope that you all can be there for some fun!

Ask Applauze Eventz Divas

PARTY IDEAS

As any parent knows, parties are more than just fun and games. They are one of a child's first introductions to social situations and, as such, raise delicate etiquette issues for kids and parents alike. Here, we've gathered some of parents' most vexing party questions, and asked Applauze Events & Partiez Divaz the world-famous party-thrower and arbiter of all things mannerly, to share their battle-tested wisdom. As you'll see, Applauze offers answers that are humorous, opinionated (even sometimes controversial) and always rivetingly honest. We may not agree with them on every last point, but then they assure us we'll come around eventually.

Should I expect parents to just drop off their child at my five-year-old's party? If they stay, must I feed them?

You will need to be flexible in throwing parties for kids this age; many of them automatically bring a date, namely, their moms. Here's what to do. Call your two best friends and ask them to stay, for you'll need them, or call Applauze Eventz & Partiez to throw the party for you. They will make coffee and talk to parents who come uninvited. When adults do stay, take it as a sign of goodwill toward your child. Give them jobs and offer to feed them whatever the guests are having. The most polite adults will decline food if it's scarce but will accept cake, sing loudly and help clean up.

Should a child's birthday party be a total surprise?


A child should only be given a surprise party when she really isn't expecting anything for her birthday--which is never. A child who is anticipating at least small gifts or good wishes from her friends at school will have an awful day until the moment the door is thrown open for her surprise. People will be whispering behind her back all day long. They will revel in this ruse, while she slowly withers. Surprise parties really are much better suited to anyone who truly doesn't expect much to be made of the occasion.

Should I invite the entire class to my 11-year-old daughters party?

I can't think of a whole-class party that did not feel like a three-ring circus. Birthday parties that include 20 guests somehow seem to require high-wire performances, live rock bands, and wild animals leaping out of a cake. While the novelty would be fascinating (we might try it someday), most guests will not even remember why they are there. If you must, one all-class extravaganza in a lifetime would be more than enough. The rest of the time, a small party of five to 12 kids is the perfect way to say "We love you, dear."

What about competitive games at parties? Some kids get so upset when they lose.


Competitive games are enjoyable only for the people who win. If your child really wants to play them, though, try to orchestrate it so that every child wins convincingly at least once. Better yet, plan a few cooperative games, in which the whole gang faces a challenge, such as following a treasure map, then splits the loot evenly.

Should I serve a meal at my 12-year-old daughter Martha's party? If so, what can I feed her friends that's semi-nutritious and will please a crowd?
Older kids actually do eat food, so go ahead. This is a great chance--in fact, possibly your last for years as she enters adolescence. A successful rule in feeding children of any age is to make everything into crudités, finger sandwiches and other miniature versions of the actual size. Hors d'oeuvre is a French word that means "way more likely to get eaten than a ham-and-bean casserole."

Gina's friends' parents have been calling to ask what she wants for her birthday. I don't want to suggest something that's too big for their budget. What should I say?
This is one of the many times to be glad that Gina's is a bug collector--or whatever her hobby really is. Name the supplies for which Gina is hoping. If bug supplies come in units of $3 each, perfect. Then the giver can buy multiples up to her total dollar figure. Be sure to say how long Gina's been at her hobby. You don't want anyone buying a 10x magnifying glass for a certified entomologist.


My boys, Billy, seven, and Dwayne, eight, are invited to the same party. Should they each bring a gift?


Does my child, Mary, have to write thank-you notes? She thanked everybody while they were at the party.

I have two reactions to this question. The first is that only a piece of cheese would fail to write a thank-you note for a gift. The second is that it is true that thank-you notes have fallen by the wayside in some social circles and now just make everyone feel uncomfortable. For example, your friends don't usually send them out, and now that you have, they feel they must. With a full social calendar, big parties and more than one child, one could be writing thank-you notes half the year. Here is where good judgment comes in: Do what will make the giver feel best while also training Mary that thank-you notes are the rule.

Should I have extra little gifts for the child who ends up in tears?

Do you mean the birthday child? If so, yes. Let him fall into your arms after dinner and tell you all he had hoped would happen but didn't, and then produce a small jar of bubble bath or a delicious new book for bedtime.

If you mean for the guests, then no. Other than party favors, guests must be cheered simply by a hug and kind words from the mother of the birthday child. For a gift in private to a guest falls under the category of bribe, and you will soon be required to bribe everyone to be good.

Happy Partying

Calling All Ladiez

Attend our next Ladiez Only Pol-Lattiez Party/Class

September 25, 2009

6:30-8:00

2004 10th Street

Los Osos

441-8807 or 431-0905

Hostess Incentive

Host a Pol-Lattiez Party during the month of September
and the hostess is free.
Also, receive a special hostess gift as our appreciation.
We look forward to seeing you soon!

Five Tips for Dressing Like a Jet-Setter on a Showstring Budget

By Ava Pierce, Guest Blogger

I saw a quote once that fit my life perfectly. It read: “I’m a rich woman trapped in a working woman’s body.” If you’re like me and you have five-star dreams on a three-star budget, here are five tips that can help you dress like an international jet-setter without breaking the bank:

Luxury brand outlet stores are great sources for finding expensive clothing and accessories at discounted prices (sometimes up to 75% off). To find outlets in your area, go to Outlet LocatorOutlet Bound. You can also search the websites of your favorite designer brands – Gucci, Prada, Tory Burch, D&G, etc. – as well as up-and-coming local designers to find their outlet locations.

Mix and match. Fast-fashion coupled with some lux items can create a really nice look. No one will ever know that you’re wearing H&M, Celine, Zara and Giuseppe Zanotti in the same outfit unless you tell them.

Accessory rental. There are quite a few websites and stores where you can rent designer handbags, sunglasses, jewelry and watches. Here are a few resources to get you started: Bag, Borrow or Steal; From Bags to Riches; Kiss My Bag; and Rent Me A Handbag.

One of my favorite ways to find designer fashions at affordable prices is sample sales. These events, held in stores and showrooms, offer clothing, accessories and housewares at 50% to 75% below retail prices. Some sample sales are held regularly; others are held only a few times each year. Not all stores and showrooms are open to the public every day so you should call ahead. Websites like Shop It To Me, as well as members-only shopping communities such as Ideeli, TheTopSecret, Beyond the Rack and Gilt Groupe, offer sale announcements as well as links to online sample sales. (If you’re not yet a member, add your name to their waiting list for an invitation.)

Trade designer clothes and accessories with friends. Make it festive by having a monthly “exchange party” with some of your close friends. Naturally, you will all agree to take good care of each other’s belongings. What’s most important is to remember that being a jet-setter is not just about wearing designer clothing and accessories. Your style should be coupled with confidence and civility. In other words, always be fabulous, inside and out!Ava Pierce is a 30-something jet-setter-in-training who shares her shopping, traveling and socializing resources at Ava Pierce: The Blog. Whether you’re a jet-setting dreamer or an experienced globetrotter, you can enjoy her Jet Set Tips of the Day as well as her rants and raves about everything from traveling around the globe to learning how to sashay in her stilettos without breaking an ankle.

Pol-Lattiez Party/Class

Yes, you all asked for it we're back another month...

Staurday
July 11, 2009
6:30-8:00pm

Central Coast Dance Studio
2004 10th Street
Los Osos

Wear comfortable clothes,
get ready for a great workout
& a pole lot of fun!