It's That Time of Year

Hard to believe, but Thanksgiving is only 10 days away.  Then you will blink and it will be Christmas and then the New Year.  Before you know it we will be firmly into 2017.

Time flies by really fast these days and I am trying to slow down.  A LOT!

Part of slowing down is simplifying your life.  Unless you are going to quit your job, sell all your belongings and move to the middle of nowhere, this is really hard.  But slowly you can cut things out, get rid of things and try to focus on what is most important to you.

One of the easiest ways to simplify is to get rid of unnecessary things.  Think about how much time you spend each day putting things away.  I do it constantly.  If you didn't have so much stuff, you wouldn't need to pick up all the time.  Do you see where I am going with this?

The broken toys, the books you have read, the clothing that (honestly) is never going to fit again.  These are all items that can be donated to others.  It can be really hard to let things go, I understand that.  I just try to remember that there are people out there that can use these things and that helps me let go.

This is the best time of year for donations because as it gets colder, people in need, need so much more.  Take some time this week and look thru your closets.  Ask you children and friends to be part of this too.

Let's all work towards letting go of things that we don't need and giving them to people that can use them again.

Comment below on your favorite donation locations so we can all help out!

Labor Day

For many of us, Labor Day just means a nice three day weekend at the end of the Summer.  But do you know how Labor Day was started?  Well today is your lucky day, because I am going to tell you!

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From these, a movement developed to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and television.

The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.

Now, don't you feel smarter for taking in all of this information?  

Christmas Time is Here

Christmas is only a couple of days away!  Who is getting excited?

Giving Back

The holidays are a great time to give back.  Even better, it is a perfect opportunity to teach this lesson to your children.

The other day my son found some toys in my office.  Being three, he immediately tried to open them, assuming they were for him.  I tried to explain to him that these toys were for boys and girls who don't get presents.  He of course said, "I don't have any presents."

Ok, so he didn't get that lesson, but we will keep trying.

In honor of Max and his love of toys, here are some toy drives that you can contribute to:

• Toys for Tots
• Operation E.L.F. thu the Connecticut National Guard
• Coalition for the Homeless
• Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

These are just the tip of the iceberg.  The big name toy drives are really easy to find and they make donating so simple.  But I also really like the small toy drives right in your town.  

No child should go without and a small toy can make such a difference.  We hope you will join us in donating this holiday season!

The Season to Give Back

We are one week away from Thanksgiving and right behind Thanksgiving is Christmas.  I think we can all admit that this time of year is a time of excess.  We eat too much, we may drink too much and we definitely spend too much.

So with all of that, I think it is great to balance everything out with giving back.  And I don't mean just by giving money.

For me, these are some of my favorite ways to give back during the holidays:

• Coat Drives- I don't know about you but I have way more coats than I can ever wear.  Plus my son grows out of his weekly (I kid you not).  I like to find local coat drives and donate our old coats.  I can't think of anything worse than having your child be without a warm coat in the winter.
• Food Drives- Hunger is something I have never experienced because I am lucky enough to be able to be food whenever I want it.  But for a lot of Americans, that is not the reality.  Take come time and clean out your pantry.  Donate that extra food.  Next time you go to the grocery store, buy some extra pasta, canned foods or crackers.  Donate that food.  No one should go hungry.
• Toy Drives- The Toys for Tots drive is the most popular but there are hundreds of these drives across the country.  I really like this one because I take my son to the store and I let him pick out the toy.  I want him to understand how important it is to give back and this is a great way to do it.
• Money- If you have extra and you can spare it, the monetary donations are always appreciated. For most shelters and charitable organizations, this monetary gift allows them to stay up and running.

These are just a couple of examples.  Remember that giving back is always a good idea and instilling that belief in our children is really important, especially at this time of year.

How do you give back?

Bright Nights

 

 

Not sure what to do this holiday season? Sick of the holiday gift shopping and need a little break? If you answered yes to the second question, we found the perfect place for you. Bright Nights is a Christmas lighting display spectacular. Located in Forest Park of Springfield, MA, the annual event brings holiday cheer to all. With various sponsors and an array of themes, the drive through Forest Park can make any night a fun family night. The themes include:

  

the Winter Garden,

 

Seuss land,

 

the Victorian village,

 

Never, Never Land

 

and much more.

Can’t make it to see the light this year? No worries! The website has a virtual tour of the lights that even including the moving displays. Just be sure to play cheerful music in the background because if you were there in person, loud and cheerful music would be coming from your car’s speakers!

Time to Give Back

It is the season of giving! We thought it would be nice if we gave all of our amazing readers a few ideas of how to give back.  After all Christmas is not all about the gifts, at least that is what the Grinch tells us!

The first thing way to give back is to volunteer.  Giving back doesn’t have to mean money. Volunteering at a soup kitchen or shelter can be just as rewarding as donating gifts or clothes, possibly even more.  This is a great website that lists 25 ways you can donate your time.  

Probably the most popular holiday donation is toys!  Nothing makes you feel better than knowing you are helping a child.  There are a couple of ways to do this.  

• You can go to a local school and donate toys
• Visit Toys ‘R’ Us website here and chose from a huge donation list
• Drop off toys at any Toys for Tots location.  The huge list of locations is here.

Another great donation is clothing, especially coats, gloves, scarves, and hats.  Many communities and stores offer coat drives at this time of the year.  Burlington Coat Factory has a huge coat drive right now and you can find a local donation spot here. 

Hopefully this blog was helpful in providing you all with basic information about giving back during the Christmas season. Feel free to let us know how your donating activity went.

Happy Thanksgiving

Have a great Thanksgiving!!

Turkey, Turkey, Turkey!!!!

Thanksgiving is a week away! Bring on the food coma!

My question is, do you know how you’re cooking the turkey this year? If you don’t, no worries! Simply take a look at this AMAZING recipe by Alton Brown from the Food Network.

Ingredients
1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil

Directions
2 to 3 days before roasting:

Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:

Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

Now, all you have to do is prepare the recipe and save me a piece of delicious turkey. 

Let us know how it goes!

History of Halloween

Let’s talk Halloween, since it is right around the corner!!!!

We celebrate it with such enthusiasm every year. Whether it is the thrill of being someone else for a few hours or the AMAZING candy, everyone has a reason why they love Halloween. But do you know how the holiday originated?

It turns out that Halloween’s origins dates back to the Celtic festival of Samhain. To the Celts, this was their celebration of the New Year. They believed that on the day before the New Year, the boundary between the living and the dead was blurred (spooky!). On October 31, the Celts celebrated Samhain for two main reasons; (1) to prevent the ‘ghosts of the dead’ from damaging their crops and (2) to make it easier for Druid, the Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. On Samhain, the Druids would build huge sacred bonfires where people would burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the deities. During their celebration, the Celts would wear costumes.

Around 43 A.D., the Roman Empire had conquered to majority of the Celtic territory. Of course, when the Roman Empire conquered an area, they took the best of the conquered culture and mixed it with their own. The Romans had a celebration in late October called Feralia to commemorate the passing of the dead. The Romans also dedicated a day in October to the Roman goddess of fruit and trees called Pomona. Pomona’s symbol is the apple. Can anyone guess how that is reflected in our Halloween celebration today? Think of a huge bucket, filled with water and topped off with a few apples.

Then, around 1000 A.D., the Catholic Church made November 2 All Souls’ Day. The Catholic Church wanted to get rid of Samhain by providing another holiday that would celebrate a similar cause and be sanctioned by the church. The All Souls’ Day soon became the All Saint’s Day which was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas. They got these names from the Middle English translation of All Saints’ Day, Alholowmesse. The night before the celebration eventually became all-hallows eve and then Halloween.

So there you have it! Halloween History in less than a page. If you would like to read more into the history of Halloween, checkout the History Channel's website.

Happy Easter

Happy Passover

From everyone at A Royal Flush!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Get Ready

Get ready to spring forward on Sunday...

Don't forget to set you clocks on Saturday night!!

President's Day

Happy President's Day

Valentine's Day Recipes

Here are some great recipes to share with your Sweetheart:

• The Pioneer Women's Chocolate Sheet Cake
• The Neely's Molten Lava Cake
• Nigella's Chocolate Cheesecake
• Sandra Lee's Chocolate Caramel-Corn Candy Cubes

Which recipe sounds best to you?

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which celebrates the birthday of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.  He would have been 84 years old this year.

Enjoy this day off, in his honor!

Officially 2013!

I can't believe this is the start of another year.  They just seem to fly by so fast.  Phew!

With the New Year comes resolutions.  I thought I would share this article.  Here is five easy tips (from a Psychologist) on how to keep your New Years Resolutions.

1. Pick Realistic Goals
One of the biggest problems in keeping a resolution is that we simply aim too high. Resolving to look more like Cindy Crawford is an unrealistic resolution for anyone. Resolving to lose a few pounds or cut back on sweets are more realistic goals. Setting a goal of completely changing your life, your career, your family relations, etc. is too broad. Keep the goals small and simple. You'll find this tip alone will help you attain your goals.Educate yourself about realistic goals, too. There are dozens of reliable and informative online sources to help you learn how to reduce your financial debt, lose weight, quit smoking, and improve your relationships, among many other things. If you need more information, now is the time to read-up on the things of interest to you to help you keep your resolution.

2. Define Those Goals
Saying you'll lose weight, change your job, or go back to school isn't good enough. You need to write down how specifically you are going to move toward those goals.
Want to lose a few pounds? Develop a weight loss plan which includes sensible eating with aregular exercise plan. Don't rely on magical solutions or weight loss pills to keep the weight off long-term.
Develop specific, concrete ways to reach your goal, but keep each step along the way small. Deciding to quit your job tomorrow without having even begun a new job search is not realistic. Instead, find one or two job possibilities online, or in your local newspaper's classified ads section. Tailor your resume for each job possibility, and send one or two out. Keep the quantities small and easily manageable.
Improving your relationship with your family or significant other is a good goal, but you need to figure out how exactly you will do that. Is it by talking more often to them and opening up with what's going on in your life? Or is it by doing more things with them? You decide, then set up small but specific tasks to accomplish which you believe will help the relationship (such as calling them on the telephone more often, or setting aside more time each week to just talk to them).

3. Set a Schedule
No goal is attainable without deciding when you're going to make the small changes needed to reach that goal. If you set no schedule for yourself, or -- as most people do -- set an unrealistic schedule, you are setting yourself up to fail. The schedule should be written down, just like your goal and the steps you will take to reach each goal. Losing a few pounds over a few months is realistic; losing a few pounds in a few days is not. Finding a new job within six months is realistic; finding one by the end of January is not. Improving your relationship with your significant other over the entire year is realistic; trying to do so overnight is impossible.
If your schedule involves things which need to be done daily or weekly, set specific times of the day or specific days of the week which you will use to work on it. Then do it, and keep written track of your keeping to that schedule. If you find a part of your schedule isn't working, don't be afraid to change it. The key is to stay flexible and adopt to changes needed to be successful in your goals.

4. Don't Be Upset by Setbacks
The old adage in therapy is two steps forward, one step back. The same could be said for New Year's Resolutions, which can often be the most difficult to keep. It may help, though, to remember that we're all human, we all make mistakes. It does no good to get depressed or disillusioned by setbacks in trying to reach your goals. In fact, if you know ahead of time that there are going to be times in which your resolve weakens or you don't live up to a certain step or schedule you've set, it can help when it does happen. It's a part of the processand means nothing more than a temporary setback. Putting such temporary setbacks into their proper perspective can help you move beyond them and put them behind you.

5. Enlist Additional Help or Support
Some people will find they just can't quit smoking on their own, or reduce their financial debt without additional help and support. Whether it's in the form of a professional, a family member, a friend, or some type of formal support group, consider enlisting someone's help. This shows that you are not only serious about keeping the resolution, but that you realize your own strengths and limitations.
For instance, a friend can help you practice communication skills, such as those you'd like to improve with your family or significant other. A financial manager can help you develop a realistic plan to get out of debt. A weight loss program or nutritionist can help a person lose weight and lead a more healthy lifestyle. Family members, friends, or even a professional can help you plan a career change, or a school advisor can help you decide whether to go back to school or not. Getting additional help or support in this manner is sensible way to help increase your success in maintaining your New Year's resolutions.

Good luck! 

Happy New Years

Everyone at A Royal Flush wishes you a safe and happy New Years!