Lifestyle
Throw a Party Like a Pro
Party Planning
(Family Features) Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or simply catching up with loved ones, playing host can be as demanding as it is enjoyable. Before gathering your crew for your next event, make a plan to ensure you get to enjoy the day as fully as your guests.
Keep the Menu Simple
An ornate spread may be impressive, but your guests are just as likely to appreciate a less demanding menu with a few standout dishes. Offer a single main dish, a couple of tried-and-true sides, some finger foods for snacking and a seasonal dessert. Beverage staples like tea, lemonade and water are all you really need, but if that feels too basic, you can offer a flavor station with fresh fruit like berries and lemon wedges, flavored syrups and other sweeteners. If you’ll be serving alcohol, don’t try to cater to everyone’s favorite. Select neutral white and red wines and one or two beer varieties. A signature cocktail you can premix and serve is another way to add a special touch.
Set a Thoughtful Theme
One area many hosts go overboard is theming their events. While setting a theme can be a fun idea, it doesn’t have to be fussy or complicated, and your decorations don’t have to be over the top. Subtle color, centerpieces and serving pieces are all places you can inject some thematic vibes without investing too much time or money. You can also let your theme influence any games or activities you plan, as well as other entertainment like background music.
Anticipate Guests’ Needs
Thinking ahead about your guests’ comfort can prevent scrambling once the party is underway. Consider needs like seating, where you’ll keep extra food for quick refills and essentials like more toilet paper in the guest bath. Also anticipate accidents like spills and have supplies ready to efficiently correct inevitable incidents. Remember to plan for extra trash bins and if guests will be congregating outdoors, provide extra sunscreen, bug spray and fans.
Organize Entertainment
Depending on the purpose of the party, your entertainment may be pretty clear, but if it’s a casual gathering, you’ll likely want to provide guests some ideas for passing the time. Board games and backyard games are almost always a hit. A playlist that fits your theme can add ambiance and provide background for conversation, but you can also inject some musical fun with karaoke. If you’ll have kids in attendance, provide age-appropriate options for shorter attention spans, too.
Make Cleanup Easy
After the last guest leaves, you may be ready to call it a night, but taking care of a few quick chores can make cleanup easier in the morning. Load the dishwasher and set it to run overnight, leaving any tough dishes to soak in hot, soapy water. Check for any spills or stains that need immediate attention and get a jump start on the floors. For a convenient hands-off experience, try the Eufy S1 Pro Robot Vacuum and Mop, which achieves a 99.99% sterilization rate when mopping and, using automated sensors, elevates the mophead and converts to powerful suction for carpeted areas. After cleaning, the robot docks to automatically empty its dustbin, dispose of wastewater and clean its mopping pads, drying them with hot air to inhibit bacterial growth and odors.
Explore more ideas to tackle entertaining (and its aftermath) with ease at eufy.com.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock (group of friends)
SOURCE:
Anker Innovations
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(Family Features) Taking good care of your skin all year long is essential, but even more so in the summer when the power of the sun is at its strongest. Healthy skin doesn’t require fancy moisturizers or expensive skin care products. You just need to adopt a few healthy habits.
For example, keeping your skin healthy and glowing starts from the inside out by eating and drinking healthy foods and beverages that nourish your body’s largest organ and promote healthy skin cells. Additionally, studies show certain foods, such as fresh, juicy grapes, may help protect healthy skin even when exposed to UV light, which is known to damage skin cells.
A study published in the journal “Antioxidants,” in which people consumed 2 1/4 cups of grapes every day for two weeks, showed increased resistance to sunburn and reduced markers of UV damage at the cellular level. This study reinforced previous and similar findings published in the “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.” Grapes are also a hydrating food with 82% water content; hydration is essential to healthy skin.
Along with snacking on fresh, delicious California grapes, consider these everyday ways you can keep your skin safe from the sun’s rays.
Seek Shade
Most experts recommend avoiding the sun at the height of the day, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when its rays are at full strength. That doesn’t mean you can’t be outside – just seek shade as often as possible while enjoying the warm summer air.
Prioritize Hydration
Drinking water and staying hydrated is important year-round, but especially when it’s hot and you’re more likely to lose water content through sweat. Keep your body full of moisture with simple and delicious Grape-Infused Waters. For a zesty kick, try Grape, Ginger and Lime that combines the sweetness of grapes with the zing of ginger and lime, or Grape, Lemon and Mint, offering a bright and invigorating blend of citrus and mint. Enter your Zen state with a mellow, spa-like sip from Grape, Cucumber and Mint.
For a cool, hydrating snack, try freezing grapes. Simply rinse, pat dry, remove from the stems and freeze for 2 hours in a single layer on a sheet pan. You can even enjoy them as flavorful ice cube replacements in these easy-to-prepare, flavorful beverages.
Layer Up
While you’re enjoying the sunshine, layer up with a generous application of 30 SPF or higher sunscreen every 1-2 hours. Wear lightweight, long-sleeve shirts; wide-brimmed hats; sunglasses; and other protective clothing to reduce sun exposure, which can lead to wrinkles, age spots and other health problems, including an increased risk of skin cancer.
Visit GrapesFromCalifornia.com for more delicious recipes and information on grapes and health.
A Trio of Grape-Infused Waters
Servings: 4 Grape, Ginger and Lime:- 1 heaping cup Grapes from California, muddled, plus additional for serving (optional)
- 5 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger, muddled
- 4 lime slices
- 4 cups water
- ice
- 1 heaping cup Grapes from California, muddled, plus additional for serving (optional)
- 3 lemon slices
- 3 large stems fresh mint
- 4 cups water
- ice
- 1 heaping cup Grapes from California, muddled (plus additional for serving (optional)
- 6-8 thin slices cucumber, halved
- 3 large stems fresh mint
- 4 cups water
- ice
- To make grape, ginger and lime water: In pitcher, place grapes, ginger and lime slices. Add water and stir well. Cover and chill overnight.
- Before serving, stir well and pour into ice-filled glasses, adding grapes to each glass, if desired.
- To make grape, lemon and mint water: In pitcher, place grapes, lemon slices and mint. Add water and stir well. Cover and chill overnight.
- Before serving, stir well and pour into ice-filled glasses, adding grapes to each glass, as desired.
- To make grape, cucumber and mint water: In pitcher, place grapes, cucumber and mint. Add water and stir well. Cover and chill overnight.
- Before serving, stir well and pour into ice-filled glasses, adding grapes to each glass, as desired.
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(Family Features) Pruning, or the practice of removing dead or diseased branches from flowering plants – including certain herbs, vegetables, shrubs, trees and flowers – allows them to focus their energy on new growth and blossoms, which can result in a more robust and abundant flowering season.
While the optimal time to prune is largely dependent on the type of plant and its blooming cycle, in general completing the chore shortly after first bloom can help shape plants, ensuring they grow in a desirable manner, and improve air circulation and light penetration, which help prevent fungal diseases.
Start by gathering the necessary tools, including sharp bypass pruners, loppers, a pruning saw and hedge shears, then consider these simple steps to begin pruning your plants:
- Inspect your plants and remove any dead, diseased or damaged branches.
- Find branches that cross or rub against each other and remove one of the crossing branches to allow the other to grow freely.
- Thin out the plant by removing any overcrowded branches.
- Shape the plant as desired, maintaining its natural form and structure.
Find more lawn and garden advice by visiting eLivingtoday.com.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
SOURCE:
eLivingtoday.com
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(Family Features) Senior year of high school is a time for big changes for most people, but for Emani McConnell-Brent, she did not expect it would include changes to her health. After being rushed to the emergency room with severe stomach pain, McConnell-Brent learned the problem was her kidneys and she was diagnosed with a kidney disease called focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).
After her diagnosis, McConnell-Brent struggled to get the right medicines to treat her disease. She was encouraged to undergo a genetic test and discovered her FSGS was the result of APOL1-mediated kidney disease (AMKD), a rapidly progressive genetic kidney disease that can cause kidney failure. The diagnosis brought McConnell-Brent some relief, both physically and emotionally.
“Knowing it’s genetic and knowing I’m taking care of myself makes a big difference in my mental state,” said McConnell-Brent, now 21 and an ambassador for the American Kidney Fund.
Everyone has two copies of the apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) gene – one from each parent – but Black Americans of West and Central African ancestry are more likely to have changes (variants or mutations) in their APOL1 gene that cause AMKD. This genetic form of kidney disease can develop even at a young age, in otherwise healthy people, and can advance faster than other kidney diseases.
An estimated 13% of Black Americans have the two APOL1 gene variants that are associated with AMKD. Those who have variants in both copies of the APOL1 gene have a 1 in 5 chance of developing kidney disease.
“A lot of people don’t even know about how prevalent the APOL1 gene is in the African American community,” McConnell-Brent said.
Early diagnosis of AMKD can keep your kidneys working longer, delaying the need for dialysis or a kidney transplant.
If you have kidney damage, symptoms may not occur until your kidneys are close to failing. As kidney damage worsens, one or more of these symptoms may occur:
- Protein in urine
- Swelling in legs or weight gain
- Feeling weak or tired
- High blood pressure
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