Tuesday, November 20, 2018

How To Prepare and Serve a Holiday Meal in an Apartment

Three Simple Steps to Cooking and Serving a Delicious Holiday Meal in an Apartment Community
























With Thanksgiving only two days away, the 2018 holiday season will soon begin! 

Many apartment residents may be getting ready to host friends and family members for Thanksgiving or other, upcoming, holiday festivities.  For some residents, this may be the first time they are hosting guests at their apartment communities.  There are some simple ways to ensure your holiday festivities are enjoyable to both attend and host:

1) Preparing the meal: The first step in preparing a holiday meal is to ensure that the kitchen appliances are in working order.  Test the oven, stove, and microwave now, at least 48 hours before holidays, to make sure the appliances work before the morning of the holiday.  If anything needs to be adjusted, submit a service request as soon as possible so the community maintenance team can ensure everything is working for meal preparation. 

2) Organizing the apartment: Once the kitchen is set up for the holiday meal, it is time to prepare the rest of the apartment.  Begin cleaning and organizing at least 24 hours in advance of when guests will arrive.  Run the dishwasher and take out the trash and recycling.  Set out extra soap and toilet paper in the bathroom so guests do not have to hunt for those items the day they arrive.  Since apartments tend to be smaller than single family home and/ or townhouses, it is necessary to ensure everything is put away in designated places to provide for ample seating areas.  Hang jackets and fold and store blankets in closets to ensure there is enough room for guests.

3) Entertaining the guests: Once family and friends arrive to the holiday celebration, things will become a lot more fun but also a lot more hectic.  Offer to take coats, scarves, an outwear and put in the bedroom or linen closet to remove excess clutter.  Before the main meal, scatter plates of appetizers like cheese and crackers and fruit throughout the apartment so people all do not gather in one central place.   Make sure to set out place settings with names so everyone knows where to sit and can easily identify their place when the time comes to begin the meal.

The Grady Management team wishes you a happy and healthy holiday season!

Apartment Resident #LifeHacks was created in 2018 by Grady Management, Inc.  Grady Management was founded in 1965 and continues to provide a full service residential, commercial, and consulting real estate firm in the greater Washington and Baltimore metropolitan area.  Learn more from our website or Facebook page.

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Five Healthy Habits People Live By

Simple Health Tips To Remember


Looking for some health advice since winter is quickly approaching?  These five tips are simple ways to live a little healthier every day...

1. Keep Moving

Go on a hike, walk with friends, take a belly dancing or karate class, or whatever you enjoy. Make it fun. Work activity into your day. Take a 10-minute walk before lunch or walking up and down the stairs if feeling drained and tired.

2. Drink Lots of Water

Drink water to help maintain the balance of body fluids and help control calories. Drinking water also energizes muscles and keeps skin looking great, a perfect tip during the winter when the air is dry and frigid.

3. Express Gratitude

Expressing gratitude can be a stress buster as well as an immune booster as grateful people tend to be more opportunistic.  Grateful people take better care of themselves and engage in more protective health behaviors like regular exercise, a healthy diet, and regular physical examinations.  And, remember, health does not just pertain to physical health, but emotional well-being as well.