Tuesday, October 20, 2020

#LifeHacks: How to Celebrate Halloween this Year

What an unpredictable year this has been! With the concerns of the current pandemic the world is in, it is important to stay extra careful during the upcoming Holidays. Montgomery County officials are offering advice on how to minimize risks as Halloween approaches. We have gathered a list of ways to navigate during this fun filled holiday!

Here are some fun ideas for a day and night full of celebration:

Online parties/contests- Host a virtual costume contest or a pumpkin carving session. Invite all your friends and family to make this more enjoyable!
Decorating homes, yards and neighborhoods with Halloween-themed decorations- Get your creativity going with this one! Hang up spooky decorations and lights for the entire neighborhood to see.
Car parades such as:
- Drive-by events or contests where individuals dress up or decorate their vehicles and drive by “judges”.
- Drive-in or drive-through events where individuals remain in their vehicles and drive through an area with Halloween displays. Participants can receive a treat bag (limited to commercially packaged nonperishable treats).
Halloween movie nights- On Halloween night turn on your favorite spooky movie with the family. Make sure to pop some popcorn!

Regardless of how you choose to celebrate Halloween, it is important to:

Correctly wear a cloth face covering to prevent disease spread when outside your home and around others that are not part of your household;
Avoid confined spaces. Actively stay away from indoor spaces that do not allow for easy distancing of at least six feet between you and others.
Avoid close contact. Stay at least six feet away from all other people who are not part of your own household, especially while talking, eating, drinking.

Wash or sanitize your hands often.

Clean frequently touched items regularly.

Please remember to always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds and practice social distancing.

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.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

#LifeHacks: Keeping Your Kids Busy at Home!

With the concern of the spread of COVID-19, many children of all ages have to stay at home due to schools and universities being cancelled. In order to keep your kids on a schedule and maintain their daily activeness and education, here are some tips on how to keep them busy at home:

8:00am-9:00am - Wake up and eat breakfast. Have your children help with making a healthy and nutritious meal that will help them start their day.

9:00am-11:00am - School work. Create school activities that involve subjects your kids are currently in at school doing. Print out handout sheets, lesson plans and activities that will help them complete their work. Need help finding school work? Log on to your children's school website.

11:00am-12:00pm - Exercise! No gym? No problem. Have your children stat inside or go outside and do some workout activities. Get their bodies and energy going and make sure you bring water!

12:00pm-12:30pm - Lunch! Create some crafty meals for lunch that your kids can help make. Make sure to implement a fruit and a vegetable so they can get their daily nutrients in.

12:30pm-1:30pm - Have your kids complete some daily household chores. Have them pick a room to complete- their room, bathroom or kitchen.

1:30pm-3:00pm - This is a great time for your kids to either take a nap or have some down time by themselves. Another great way to practice self care is to allow them to do something that makes them feel relaxed.

3:00pm-5:00pm- Finish some more activities that promote educational growth. This can also include allowing them to use electronics or to watch a show/online webinar that can teach them a new skill!

With social distancing being a concern please make sure you are staying away from groups larger than 10 people. Always sanitize and disinfect the areas and surfaces you are using. Make this time fun for your kids! Being at home can be a challenge but making each day interesting can help the days go by faster (and more fun!)

Please remember to always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds and practice social distancing.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

#LifeHacks: Celebrating International Women's Day

About International Women's Day:

International Women's Day is celebrated annually on March 8th. During the month of March we also recognized Women's History Month.

International Women's Day is all about unity, celebration, reflection, advocacy and action- whatever that looks like globally at a local level.But one thing for sure, International Women's Day has been occurring for well over a century and continue's to grow strength.

Internationally, purple is the color for symbolizing women. Historically, the combination of purple, green and white to symbolize women's equality originated from the Women's Social and Political Union in the UK in 1908. Purple signifies justice and dignity. Green symbolizes hope.

A well known journalist explained "The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights."

Decide what you can do! What activity will you undertake? You can run and event, launch a project or initiative, deliver female-focused activity, activate a marketing campaign, develop resources, conduct research, make a video, run social media posts etc.

How will you celebrate International Women's Day and Women's History Month?! Let us know in the comments below.

Thursday, January 30, 2020

#LifeHacks: At-Home Wellness Remedies

At-Home Wellness Remedies

Stuck at home and feeling under the weather? Need something to help you pick you up?Well here are some natural home remedies that can make you feel better in no time!

Salt Water

Experiencing a tickle in your throat can get annoying. To reduce this gargle with a half teaspoon of salt dissolved in warm water four times daily.

Warm Drinks

Hot drinks can relieve your nasal congestion and even prevent possible dehydration. Try a hot tea with honey and lemon to soothe these areas that may feel inflamed. Herbal tea can help when you're trying to sleep as well.

Hot Showers

Hot and steamy showers will allow your nasal passages to be massaged by the heat. This also can help with relaxing. Even by running a hot shower and sitting by the tub you can experience the hot shower benefits!

Washing Your Hands

This may seem like an easy thing to do- since you already do it! But washing your hands regularly helps prevent spreading any germs to any surface or yourself! While you're on the go bring antibacterial hand sanitizer with you if there is no sink near you.

Get Rest

The last thing you need to do is to get plenty of rest. The body works so much harder when it is well rested. Take time out to spend the day at home in bed where it is nice and warm. You can also get some much needed alone time as well!

Always remember to consult with a professional for the best results possible and keep in mind to remain warm and hydrated this winter!

Friday, January 10, 2020

#ApartmentHacks: 6 Kitchen Appliances for Apartments with Multiple Functions

Kitchen Appliances

Kitchen appliances are the key to making a kitchen function like a well-oiled machine! Small kitchen cooking appliances that come with multiple functions are the perfect cooking tools to use. This appliance will be able to replace a few cooking devices you have plus it saves your storage space.
These six multi functional kitchen appliances offer versatility and modern convenience for hassle-free home cooked meals.

Hot Air Fryer

The air fryer is similar to a mini oven. It has a removable cooking basket which is dishwasher safer. Numerous brands have create their own versions of the air fryer, some coming with accessories such as the the baking tray, variety basket, grill pan etc. These accessories greatly expand the cooking capabilities of the frying cooker. Some air fryers come with rotisserie feature which will allow you to roast a whole chicken! The air fryer has become a huge trend of 2019 allowing consumers to grill, bake, fry or roast. But the greatest advantage of the air fryer cooker is its oil less feature. You'll still get the same effect of a juicy chicken or crispy fry just with no oil!
Pro tip: It's also great for reheating leftover food.

Electric Rice Cooker

The versatile rice cooker comes with so many functions other than making rice. The modern computer-controlled rice cooker has a fuzzy logic feature that will adjust the cooking mode to to type of rice used. You can cook porridge, boil soup, stew, steam and even make cakes and break. It is very easy to operate with its one push operation.

Electric Toaster Oven

The modern electric toaster oven does more than toasting bread. You can use it to roast,toast and broil. Modern toasters come with digital controls and hourly controls. You can cook bagels, pizza, bread, chicken, frozen snacks etc. You can also fit a whole 12" pizza. The toaster convection oven is truly convenient and versatile.

Multi Functional Grill/Panini Press

This machine cooks your breakfast, lunch and dinner in the most fuss-free way. It has a smooth flat surface that is great for making eggs or bacon and even sausages and pancakes for breakfast. The raised ridges of the surface of the grill is great for grilling your steaks and chops for lunch or dinner. It also comes with an adjustable temperature control. Imagine grilling some burgers on this year round!

Slow Cooker

The set-and-forget slow cookers are extremely easy to use. Out in the food ingredients, press a button or turn a knob and the food will cook slowly inside the cooker. You can also use this to make desserts such as bread pudding. Once the food is cooked, it will set to keep warm function. This is easy automatic cooking at its finest! Go got the 6qt capacity slow cooking if you're cooking for more than 5 people.
Pro tip: If you want to use this, start cooking a few hours ahead of time!

Instant Pot

The instant pot is a programmable pressure cooker. You use 70% less energy and yet cook 2-6 times faster compared to using the traditional pots and pans. It is truly versatile. It can replace your pressure cooker, slow cooker, skillet, pan, etc! That's over 6 appliances. Just think of the space saved. Being fully sealed under pressure, there is no smell or oil vapor escaping from the pot. Your kitchen will become cleaner compared to using the traditional pot. You can cook rice in it, saute your meat, stir fry your vegetables, steam your baby corns, slow cook your stew etc. This is very handy appliance that will take care of breakfast, lunch and dinner! It is very fast, efficient and energy saving.

Apartment Resident #LifeHacks