Guest Post by Jen Malik

It’s easy getting into the routine of staying up later, getting up later, eating (a lot of) yummy food and hanging out with family and friends, isn’t it? But sooner than we’d hope, the reality hits. The holiday is just about over and as it stands now, there are just a couple of days before we’re back to the usual grind. Sigh.

The kids go back to school, Dad goes back to work and I’ve got to get into my usual routine. Problem is, none of us really want to.
But alas, we don’t have much say in the matter.
If you’re in a similar boat, take heart…you aren’t alone. And maybe some of these tips will help.

Going Back to Work:

Take it easy in the next couple of days. If you’ve been going non-stop with visits with family and other obligations, clear your calendar now. It’s time to get some relax time in now before heading back to the ol’ grind.

Get the house back in order. Okay, this is contradictory to taking it easy, but if you’ve got a clean house, laundry done, decorations put away, you won’t be worrying about those things when you get back to work. If you’re really ambitious, make preparations for your meals over the next few days.

The night before, get your clothes, lunch, purse and keys ready. That way, when you’re a zombie in the morning, you know you’ve got all these little details taken care of. It can make a world of difference to your morning routine.

On your first day, don’t expect too much of yourself. If you’ve been away and others have been in the office, take the time to go through your email, see what happened and put together an action plan. Don’t wear yourself out by staying too late. You can get back to it tomorrow.

Going Back to School:

A few days before returning to school, get the kids back into their usual night time and morning routines. Bed times should return back to normal (probably for you too – start setting your alarm again).
Talk to the kids about school. Get them excited about seeing their friends again, taking their favorite classes and other things they like about school.

On the first day back, give yourself a little extra time and avoid the snooze button. Snoozing will just make you sleepier and everyone will be rushed and stressed. That’s no way to end the holiday.

With all that in mind, I’m off to finish all those loads of laundry that have been piling up. Now that it’s 2010, I’m hoping someone will invent “self-washing, drying, folding and putting away” clothes. Seems like a good idea to me. Anyone?

Guest Post by Jen Malik

Man, if I had a dime for every resolution I made throughout the years. Or if I lost a pound for every resolution I’d ever made. Hehehe. Seriously, as I get older, choosing the right resolution and sticking with it, starts to get a bit easier. I’m never going to be a size 0 again and my chance at being a billionaire is likely over, so why not simply work toward a realistic happier, healthier life, right? That’s exactly what I plan to do for 2010.

If you’re making a resolution for the New Year, here are 10 tips for keeping it:
- Find a support system. This is crucial to any type of change in your life. Having someone who will keep you accountable and encourage you when you miss the mark is one way to stop you from quitting altogether. Rely on family, friends and coworkers to give you that swift kick when you need it.
- Use online tools. These are popping up everywhere, especially for weight loss resolutions. Many of the online tools are free to use. Sites like SparkPeople offer informative articles, message boards, meal planners, video resources and online food diaries to keep you going from day one.
- Write it down. Some people only verbalize their resolutions. The problem with that is you can forget what you said after the first week. It is scary but putting your resolutions on paper makes them real to you. It is a commitment that is needed if you want to succeed.
- Be specific. Writing down phrases like “Become more assertive” can mean anything. Where do you want to be more assertive and with whom? Instead, record something like “Go to my boss and ask for a raise this year.”
- Start with small steps. No one gets from A to Z in one step. Those who try are often disappointed. If this is a weight loss goal, begin with starting an exercise program. If you haven’t worked out in a while, this single piece of a larger goal will take some time to establish. Goals that involve cleaning up your entire home can begin with one room and then move onto to the others. Tackling a smaller step successfully fuels your drive to continue.
- See the big picture. This approach helps when you are feeling discouraged by disappointment. Don’t lose sight of your ultimate goal or resolution. It is still attainable even with a few setbacks. You’ll have more to rejoice about later.
- Visualize. See yourself completing your goal. In fact, see yourself completing each step of the journey. Thinking about skipping your workout session today? Visualize yourself in the class and, though tired, you make it through to the end with energy. The mind is a powerful tool that can help or hinder you. And hey, if you’re mind isn’t powerful enough, post pics of what you’d like right on your refrigerator. A trip to Hawaii? A slimmer you? Put it up and see it every day.
- Set a deadline. Open ended resolutions can go on forever. Give yourself a concrete time frame to keep from floundering in your goal.
- Resist comparing yourself with others. Someone else may have the same resolution. They also may seem to be getting farther in their goals than you. Resist the urge to compare yourself and end up discouraged. Each person is different and you don’t know what support system or other goal achieving tools they are using. Be happy for them and even ask how they are doing it so well.
- Abandon bad resolutions. There comes a time when some of your resolutions may have to meet the trash heap. It could have been a faulty resolution that wasn’t thought out well in the first place. It doesn’t mean failure. On the contrary, it could be just what you need to help you accomplish the ones that are manageable.
Overall, don’t beat yourself up. We all falter here and there. The important thing is to get back on track. So spill it…what’s your New Years Resolution?

Guest Post by Jen Malik

Can you believe it’s almost here…the last celebration of the year? Coming up the milestone year of 2010 that used to just to be something we heard about in science fiction novels and movies.
We’re planning a fun evening in this evening (fondue…as usual!) – forget the crowds, over-priced events. If you’re doing the same, here are some ideas for you.

For the Whole Family-
Slumber party.
You don’t have to invite people over to sleep in the living room in your PJs. Have a family slumber party. Clear space in your biggest room. Everyone can bring their sleeping bag and pillow to spend an evening in the living room. Make snacks, watch your favorite movies and watch the ball drop, somewhere, together!

- Game night.
Bring out your board games, electronic games and party games for a rip roaring good time until everyone falls asleep. If you have a karaoke machine, play some musical games while you laugh at each others musical talent (or the lack thereof). Or if your family has moved into the 21st century, RockBand will do the trick.

- Light up the sky.
Shoot off a few fireworks to celebrate the New Year. Of course…be safe and obey all your local laws.

- Make some crafts.
It will be a night of celebration, so you can take the day to make some crafts to use later on that evening. Create noise makers. You can use plastic eggs and rice or beans. Fill the eggs and then seal them with glue. Once it dries, paint the outside with festive colors. Another idea is party hats. It’s never a party without hats. Use construction paper, streamers, markers and glue to fashion a special hat to ring in the New Year.

- Prepare a special meal.
Since the family is altogether, make dinner together. Each person can contribute their favorite dish to the meal. We love fondue at our house…it’s an all night feast.

Other Ideas
- Host a theme party.
Invite guests to your home for New Year’s Eve but ask them to dress the part. How about a favorite movie character theme? What’s your favorite decade? What about sports?

- Teen New Year’s Eve party.
If you are not in the mood to throw a party, your teenager might be. Instead of waiting up for them to come home, host the party in your home. Brainstorm with your child as to what the menu will be and how to decorate. They can give you some pointers there. If the parents want to stay, create a room with food and games for you guys.

- Movie night.
This is a great idea for a group of friends or dating couples. Each person can bring a movie that they want to see. It can be of any genre or you can request holiday movies. Each person can also bring a snack for the evening. Just remember to turn to the ball dropping at midnight.

Whatever you do…have fun. You don’t need to buy a fancy dress, spend a ton on tickets and a cab ride home. Stay home, stay warm and have a ball.

Guest Post by Jen Malik

It never fails. Aunt Rita always buys you that horrendous Christmas sweater that you’re just never going to wear. Of course, if you’re ultra-polite, you may make an obligatory appearance in the sweater just once. But goodness knows, you don’t want that sweater.
So what do you do?

Ask Aunt Rita if she has the receipt, so you can exchange it?
Probably not, because Grandma Johnston would be miffed and Aunt Rita might get embarrassed. Or would they?

Taking the lead from my mother, I prefer to take a pro-active stance when it comes to returning unwanted gifts. Personally, I find the thought of giving someone a total useless gift completely against the spirit of gift giving. Ego has no place in gift-giving…I give gifts because I want to show people I care and that I care enough to get them what they want. And even though I may try to buy the perfect gift, I most certainly goof up now and then.

So instead of creating any awkwardness, I enclose a gift receipt with each gift. That way, the recipient can exchange or return the gift. Heck, if they’d prefer to take the cold hard cash, so be it. It’s what’s useful to them at that moment. Many large stores offer gift receipts that list the items without their price, but if they decide to purchase they will get a credit or refund of the original purchase price. If the store I’m buying at doesn’t offer a gift receipt, I might include the receipt or at the very least, tell the recipient that if it’s not quite the right thing, they can exchange it.

I find that when you’re open like this, other people are open too. I don’t think it’s ungrateful (although some old school gift-givers may not agree, so use your judgment)…it’s a matter of being practical. And seriously, it does nobody any good when things pile up in your closet, never to be used. Of course, you might make donations out of some of the gifts or get resourceful and sell them on eBay, but certainly, many unwanted gifts end up in landfills. That’s not right either.

So let’s say we be practical this year? Let people get the gifts they want…and let there be no hard feelings. Sound good?

And seriously, if you keep pretending you like those horrid Christmas sweaters, you’re gonna keep getting more Christmas sweaters. Stop the vicious cycle now.

Guest Post by Jen Malik

It’s fun (well, for most of us…I think!) to have the entire family together for a Christmas dinner. You share good food and good times on that special day of the year. But, what happens to the food once the meal is over? Well, I’ve got 8 ideas for you and hope they’ll come in handy.

- Make soup. Soup is a very comforting and warming dish when the temperature begins to dip. Using chicken or beef broth, you can use your leftovers to make some chicken noodle soup, turkey noodle soup or even beef stew.

- Freeze them. Freezing means that you can enjoy your Christmas fare at anytime. If you use plastic storage bags, make sure that they are freezer bags and write the date of freezing on the outside. When you divide food into portion sizes then you can thaw out only what you need and not the entire lot.

- Send guests home with food. Why keep all the bounty to yourself? Load up on reusable food containers (in festive colors) so that each guest can take home some food for later.

- Make a salad. Green salads can be so boring sometimes. Add a slice or two of turkey, beef, chicken or ham to spice it up. Leftover meats make great salad toppers.

- Breakfast additions. Omelets are fun to make. Even more fun than making them is adding different items to them to see what kind of combinations you can come up with. Use leftover Christmas dinner fare to decorate your omelet. Ham can be diced to use as an omelet add-in. Leftover vegetables can also be cut up to sprinkle inside an omelet.

- Go eastern. Did you have steak for Christmas dinner? Cut the leftovers into thin strips. With a few stir-fry vegetables you have created a new dinner meal. If stir fry is not your cup of tea, you can make lo mien, fried rice and other Asian dishes that include steak. Or if you had the traditional turkey, go wild with turkey chow mein.

- Casseroles are always a hit. Who doesn’t love a good casserole? With Christmas dinner leftovers, you can whip up a casserole for any meal. With breakfast, combine ham, veggies and shredded cheese with egg for an after Christmas treat. For lunch, use some turkey, rice, cream soup and vegetables for a midday meal. For dinner, try chicken, vegetables, noodles and cream of chicken soup for an easy all-in-one meal that takes less than an hour to cook.

- Create a pie. This is not the sweet treat but a dinner pie. Turkey or chicken and even beef can be placed inside a crust with tons of delicious veggies to make a pot pie your family will love.

I know it can be overwhelming when faced with all that leftover food, but hopefully these ideas can make sure nothing goes to waste.

Guest Post by Jen Malik

I love Christmas Eve. It’s a relaxing night (well, compared to the chaos of tomorrow morning) and offers a little time to reflect while the wee ones sleep. They’ll be jumping on my bed at the crack of dawn (or earlier), so now’s my time.

We usually have a simple dinner in the evening. It’s often our family tradition of fish. On more elaborate evenings, that might mean breaded and fried sole with homemade tartar sauce. On more tired ones, it’s Highliner fish sticks and chips for the crowd. Interestingly enough, both are met with equalled enthusiasm.

After dinner, we get the cookies and milk ready for Santa. And of course, carrot sticks for the reindeer. I never get tired of seeing the look of satisfaction on the kids’ faces when they see they gobbled up their snacks. Funny thing is, they often check the treat dishes before they even look at the presents.

Then the kids are off to bed, but of course, there are a few starts and stops along the way.

“Mommy, I can’t sleep.”
“I’m hungry.”
“When will it be morning.”
“I’m thirsty.”

You know the drill, but eventually, they drift off to sleep and it’s quiet once again. With a glass or red wine, I settle down to last minute wrapping and getting presents under the tree. And of course, the stockings need stuffing too.

I often look through the old photo albums…you know, prior to the digital age…and see how everyone has grown and changed. I think about Granny, who isn’t with us any longer and a few friends that have been lost along the way, but overall, it’s positive thoughts and remembering the good times we had.

Cap it off with a Christmas movie favorite and the night is golden. I can’t let a year go by without watching A Christmas Carol. My favourite is still the 1951 version with Alistair Sim (although I am considerably younger!). I’ll save the hilarious A Christmas Story (remember, Peter Billingsley) for a fun night with the kids and remind them, “You’ll shoot your eye out!” over and over again. They love this, or so I convince myself.

That’s pretty much for me. How does your Christmas Eve go?

Guest Post by Jen Malik

I’ve never been one to get my Christmas shopping done ahead of time. It just doesn’t feel like Christmas until it’s really time. I got a good chuckle when I was in a grocery line earlier this month and the cashier told me (it was DECEMBER 4!!!),

“I’m going to finish my last-minute Christmas shopping tomorrow.”

What? Last minute? Well, I guess because in the commercial world Christmas starts well before November even starts, December 4 can seem like last minute. Of course, if you wait until the TRUE last minute and hit the shopping mall, you’re probably headed for some aggravation and disappointment.

However, if you use some of my tips below, last-minute shopping can be much more pleasurable and the recipients of your gifts will probably pretty happy too.

- Food clubs. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. Many of us think of the fruit-of-the-month club or something like that but this kind of thing has caught on. You can find just about any kind of monthly club that your recipient is interested in: salsa, jellies, desserts, wines, beer and even barbeque sauce.

- Gift cards. It seems like such a small presentation, but it is quite a popular gift. Do you know how many people pack the stores the day after Christmas just to return gifted items? A gift card avoids all of that. Have the kids put together some festive wrapping or decorate and envelope for a personal touch.

- Charitable gifts. These gifts put others first and help great causes at the same time. Perfect for the person who ALREADY has everything, you can make a donation to various international charities (wildlife foundations, disaster relief, medical missions, peace keeping efforts and more) in the name of your gift recipient. They will receive a letter thanking them for their donation.

- Food gifts. Before toys and technology, people gave what they had and that was usually some sort of food item. Sweet breads in decorative loaf pans, cakes, cookies and cupcakes still make great gifts for teachers, grandparents, neighbors and friends. Give the delectable offerings time to cool sufficiently before wrapping them.

- Memberships/Subscriptions. Has one of the people on your list been meaning to join a gym? You can gift them a membership for Christmas. When money gets tight, memberships and subscriptions are usually the first to go. Renew a subscription to their favorite magazine or a service like AAA Motor Club.

- Gift baskets. Most stores have them on display at Christmas time. You can purchase one that is already made if you see one that fits your recipient’s tastes. For teachers and coworkers, baskets with mugs and coffee or hot chocolate are a safe bet. Or better yet, create your own with a basket and small items that reflect the recipient. Overall…have fun. Dress your packages up, make your own cards. The personal touch will always go a long way.

Guest Post by Jen Malik

I’m looking forward to coming around with a few thoughts over the Christmas holiday while our resident blogger, Annette, takes a well-deserved break. I welcome your comments and ideas. I love this time of year and hearing about other people’s ideas and traditions.

So let’s get to the heart of the matter here. Christmas is in 2 days (one if you celebrate on Christmas Eve!), so dinner’s gotta get get done. Everyone thinks of the traditional ham or turkey with all the trimmings as the must-have meal, but it’s a lot of work.

You can still have a delicious meal without slaving away all day.  Really!

Ideas:

* Don’t have a lot of guests? Try oven-roasting a whole chicken or even chicken pieces.
* Take a walk on the wild side with a crockpot recipe the family loves. Even a pot roast can be cooked with a Christmas flair by topping the roast with cranberry sauce. Yes, cook the roast with the cranberry sauce on top and sprinkle a little onion soup mix for extra flavor.
* What about a Christmas pizza? A simple idea that can get the family involved. Choose a Christmas-themed pan shape (Christmas tree, bell, etc.) and go for it.
If You’re Still Making The Big Turkey or Even a Ham:

* Choose ready-made stuffing.
* Packaged turkey gravy can help in a time crunch. Just replace some of the water with pan drippings and YUM!
* Packaged mashed potatoes have come a long way. If you haven’t tried them in a while, do a test in your kitchen. You might be surprised.

Of course, if you aren’t into processed foods, things may not be so simple. You’ve just got to get creative with the time you spend in the kitchen:

* Appetizers can be simple. A veggie or meat plate. You can even purchase these fresh items, pre-cut and arranged.
* Don’t go overboard with side dishes. If you’re making them yourself, you don’t have to have EVERYTHING. Just make bigger batches of a few vegetables and other items. They WILL satisfy a hungry crowd.
* But better than making less is getting OTHER people to make it. Enlist all your guest to bring a side dish. Unless they have a specific dish they really want to make, be bold and tell them what to bring. It’s easier for everyone involved.
* Chop vegetables, get the bird ready and do other kitchen prep the night before. Enlist the help of family members and enjoy a glass of wine or a hot buttered rum…or two.
* Don’t be shy about asking for help on the big day. Your guests are perfectly capable of basting, slicing, setting and more.

The important thing is to enjoy the day. Entertaining can be fun, but if you’re running around the kitchen all day, sweating up a storm…it can lose a bit of its lustre.