Monthly Archives: September 2020

Paper View

Everybody wants to make snow angels but not everybody lives where there’s snow. Even if you have access to snow it may only be at a certain time of year or you may not want your kids to get Frozen and possibly sick.

Shredded paper can make a great substitute for snow and with all the work that folks are doing at home these days you probably have an abundance of papers that need shredding. Catalogs newspapers and junk mail are all good candidates for shredding as well.

A few do’s and don’ts about making shredded paper angels:

Don’t do it on shag carpet

Do turn off the ceiling fan

Do keep your pets in a different room.

Do take lots of pictures and videos.

Do sweep the paper into a bag and absolutely recycle it.

Gift Rapping

Singing Christmas Carols is a tradition that many families enjoy and even though going door-to-door or gathering together may not be possible this year, one of things we can thank COVID-19 for is the mass adoption of online gatherings! Because of the internet and apps like Zoom, you can have a fun evening of singing Christmas Carols as often as you like! 

You only need 3 things to host a Virtual Christmas Carol party: 

  1. Zoom (or any virtual meeting/party app)
  2. Watch2Gether: create a party room for your guests and as they join, you’ll all see the same screen
  3. A list of friends and family

Set up your party via Zoom and Watch2Gether and send invites to your friends and family.

Best Practices:

  • Have each person submit their songs beforehand and find the karaoke version of the song on YouTube or Vimeo. We have yet to think of a song that doesn’t have a Karaoke track with on-screen lyrics on one of those two platforms
  • After receiving everyone’s songs, create a setlist that keeps the momentum strong. One slow song to every 2 fast-paced songs. Too many slow songs in a row can slow things down too much!
  • To keep everyone engaged, don’t let them know the setlist ahead of time. If you know that you’re performing 4th in line, you may tune out until song #3. But if you don’t’ know when your name may be called, you’ll be engaged and paying attention.
  • Keep it positive! Anyone who has the nerve to sing in front of their friends and family deserves a round of applause!
Shop Christmas

Mr & Mrs Claws

Let’s up our gift giving game for our loyal pets this year. Lately our dogs and cats have been really putting in the hours. They’ve always been our friends but now they’ve become a therapists, dance partners and exercise gurus as well. While dogs love the idea of their humans being home all the time your cat is probably climbing the walls, literally. The truth is that our cats were barely putting up with us when we were only home 8 hours a day. This Christmas they should be rewarded for the extra time they’ve been putting in.

Our kids have also been focusing in more on their pets so it would only be natural to have them think of some special way that they want to reward there furry friends for the holidays. Your pets are, after all, an important part of your family so focusing some extra attention on the pets can be a great distraction at times when family members may not be able to come visit for the holidays. Beds, treats and toys are always a welcome gift and can be purchased or turned into fun handmade projects.

Traditionally holidays are a great time for families to welcome new pets into their home as surprise gifts. There are many beautiful cats and dogs wishing for homes and waiting to be adopted. Cats and dogs can take up a significant amount of your personal time and energy so if your family is not looking for that kind of commitment there are many other low maintenance pets to be considered as holiday gifts. Just a warning though, even our Gecko demands that I go twice a week to get him fresh crickets. I have no one to blame but myself however. If I had been listening more carefully I would have realized I wasn’t just agreeing to getting cheaper car insurance.

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