Enjoying the Holiday Season

Hi All,

So I wanted to write a blog entry about the holidays but I didn't want to write about how to shop on Amazon or how to get the best deals at WalMart or how to get the most for your money at the end of the holiday shopping season...no.  I wanted something a bit different than the same old, same old holiday post.

So, without further ado...how to enjoy the holiday season and not stress over presents, parties, feeling that you left somebody out on your list or any of the myriad of other ways people are stressed during the holiday season.

 Urbanest - How to Relax at Christmas and Start the New Year with Energy

WikiHow - How to Cop with Post Holiday Syndrome 

WikiHow - How to Relax During the Holidays 

Inc. - 10 Unique Ways to Relax and Recharge During the Holidays 

Health.com - 25 Ways to  Fight Holiday Stress

Simple Family Finance - 14 Ways to Simplify Christmas and Enjoy the Holidays 

NukNuuk - 5 Ways To Relax and Enjoy the Holiday Season 

Eventbrite - Beating the Holiday Blues, How to Relax and Enjoy the Holidays 

So there you have it - 8 sites that will help you relax and not stress over the nearly here holiday season!   Enjoy the links and hopefully you won't stress over the holidays!

Regards,
Stu

Avoiding Holiday Shopping Scams and Fraud

Hi All,

Its that time of year for holiday shopping.  As of the day of this writing Christmas is 12 days away and Hanukah is....tonight.  Start the wrapping and the getting the gift bags out!!!

But with the holiday season comes fraud and scams and other holiday shopping problems.  How to avoid these unfortunate events you ask?  Read on.   We'll have a baker's dozen plus one links to help you navigate through the holiday season with no problems - hopefully at least!

How to Avoid Holiday Shopping Scams and Fraud - AARP

Online Holiday Shopping Scams to Watch Out For - CNNTech

6 Holiday Shopping Scams and How to Avoid them - NBC 

Fake Amazon Gift Cards...and other Cyber Scams Tempt Holiday Shoppers - Detroit Free Press

Holiday Shopping Scams to Avoid - Experian  

14 Dangerous Holiday Shopping Scams - Inc. 

4 Scams To Avoid While You Do Your Holiday Shopping - Motley Fool

How to Spot Fake Fingerlings and Other Holiday Shopping Scams - Forbes 

Don't Fall For These Holiday Shopping Scams - Lifehacker 

Holiday Shopping Scams: How to Identify Fake Sites - WFLA.com 

Holiday Shopping Scams - Tis the Season For Data Protection - TrendMicro

6 Tips For Avoiding Phishing, Malware...and Hacks While Holiday Shopping Online - TechRepublic 

How to Avoid Online Holiday Shopping Scams - Consumer Reports 

Hope the links won't be needed - but if they are you can at least be a little prepared.

Happy holidays!
Regards,
Stu

Hi All,

It is December 22nd!  And that means you have just about 48 hours before Christmas Eve becomes Christmas Day.  And if you still have people to buy gifts for...well it means you need to get a move on and start shopping, shopping, shopping!

Forthwith, some websites that will help you generate some ideas for those folks who are on your shopping list and who are hard to buy presents for...

Two things though: drive safely and remember...there are always gift cards to buy (they make great gifts as well!) (Here are a few gift card links: GiftCards.com, GiftCardMall.com, GiftCards.com, GiftCardGranny.com)

Last Minute Gift Ideas 
Free Shipping Day
My Fox LA - Last Minute Holiday Shopping: Deals & Extended Hours For Procrastinators
Christmas Gift Ideas For Those Who Are Hard to Shop For
Christmas Gifts
Holiday Shopping Ideas - The Big Picture


Enjoy the links and hope you find the perfect gift for folks on your list who are hard to find gifts for!

Regards,
Stu

Hi All,

The library is hosting a program on Monday, December 15th from 7pm-8pm on 'Healthy Holiday Eating'.  The formal blurb from the newsletter is "Join Ashley Olivieri, Nutrition Coordinator at Syosset Hospital, Registered Dietitian, and Certified Diabetes Educator for his lecture about transforming favorite holiday recipes into healthier ones by using some simple tips. A food demonstration will be done to show how easy it is to make healthy, tasty holiday treats. Preference given to UFSD #22 residents."

And that is all very, very well and good...but here are a few online resources to help you eat better and healthier during this upcoming holiday season. 

From the American Heart Association comes this entry called 'Holiday Health Eating Guide'.  Note that this is a pdf document from Adobe Acrobat and opens automatically.   And from Real Simple (Life Made Simple) comes this article titled '9 Healthy Holiday Eating Strategies'.  From a site called Sutter Health comes this article called 'Tips For Healthy Holiday Eating'.

Finally, for those of you who like to go to holiday parties, you might want to visit Eatright.org's website.  They have an article called 'Helpful Tips For Healthy Holiday Parties'.

Happy holidays and happy eating...and here's to eating healthy!

Regards,
Stu

Save Your Sanity During the Holidays

Hi All,

The last minute rush is getting here. Get ready, get set...go.  There is officially less than a week to go before Christmas Day 2013.  And it is probably getting a bit hectic in your life right about now.

So this is the perfect time to offer up a quick and easy blog entry about 'Saving Your Sanity During the Holidays'. As a matter of fact, that is the title of the first link I'm going to share with you this morning.  Click on this link to connect to the article. Note that the article comes from the Farmingdale Patch - a local, Farmingdale based, newspaper.

This next link comes from a law firm - no, I am not advertising for the firm. I'm just connecting to an article from Panish, Shea & Boyle, entitled 'Exercise Patience and Common Sense During Holiday Shopping'. The article talks about shopping mall safety, credit card safety and long check out lines.

The holiday season brings with it its own set of stresses and strains. Families get together and there is a limited amount of time to get a lot accomplished (shopping, wrapping presents, buying presents, cleaning the house, coordinating plans with family members, possible flights in airplanes and possible pickups at airports...and more.)

Hence the appropriate topic of this last article - which comes from the Mayo Clinic website.  Entitled, 'Stress, Depression and the Holidays: Tips For Coping', the article is timely, well-written, and unbiased.  It also gives a lot of information to the reader on how to de-stress from the holidays.

Here's to a stress-free, entertaining, pleasant holiday season.  Enjoy the sites.

Regards,
Stu

Getting Ready For the Holidays

Hi All,

It is that time of year again...we are between Thanksgiving and the Christmas/New Year's Holidays - and that means parties, holiday gift giving, shopping, invitations to mail out, wrapping, cards to send and much, much more...

How is a person supposed to make head or tail from all the anxiety that this season begets?  Easy, click on the following links and you'll be well on your way to holiday season bliss.

Click on this link that will relieve you of the stress any time you have guests coming over during the holiday season.    For another perspective on simplifying the holidays, you can click on this link so that you can be organized this holiday season - and celebrate the season to boot!

From Styleathome.com comes this article entitled, '99 Ways To Get Ready For the Holidays'.  Yes, this is a long article, and yes it is an actual list - from 1-99 - on how to prepare for the holidays.  Cool stuff!  Especially number 12, 46 (who would have thought!) and 85.

Well, if you are having guests over, you will probably have to vacuum, or at least get rid of some of the clutter.  Click here to learn just how to do that....one room at at time.

Finally, click on this link - from MyWell-Being.com - which will, like the other links above, help you get ready for the holidays. 

Enjoy the holidays - hopefully they'll be stress-free, relaxing and filled with classic family get-togethers.

Regards,
Stu

What to Look For When Joining a Gym...

Hi All,


So the holidays are here and the parties are around the corner. First the holiday party for work, the festivities and Grandma's. Don't forget the New Years' Eve party, your significant other's work party and the Christmas Day feast....is it just me or are my pants starting to feel a bit snug?


Yes folks, we have all just entered the holiday zone. The place where belts are suddenly tight, trousers don't fit and well, generally your once comfortable daily clothing is not so comfortable anymore...what can be done to combat these events?


Well, welcome to the blog entry where we can help you find a good gym to join so you can feel better about yourself while at the same time you can lose some of the weight you (me, we, all of us, etc) put on during this festive holiday season.


So you want (or need to join a gym)? Click here to find out which few key questions to ask before actually signing on the dotted line and dropping a few hundred dollars. The link is from an old standby - About.com and is titled, 'Gym Joining a Gym - What You Need to Know Before Joining a Gym'. You can also click here to see an article from Wikihow on whether or not you should join a gym - and what you should think about before actually joining the gym.


Click here for a link from Buzzle entitled 'To Join or Not to Join: Are Gym Memberships Really Worth It'? Why is this interesting? Because if all you need to do is break a bit of a sweat and do some walking, then quite possibly a gym membership is not for you...besides, you might be able to buy weights and conduct your workout from home. Just a thought. But here is a link to a set of weights that can be purchased for your home use.


This link is from Wal-Mart. Please note that I am not giving Wal-Mart the 'Farmingdale Public Library' seal of approval. I just used the link to indicate that weights are available to consumers. Note that you can probably buy weight sets at Target, K-Mart, Dick's Sporting Goods or other stores.


Don't forget to use Froogle.com to see which site has the lowest price on the weight set that you are interested in...



Finally, you can click on this entry from Ezine Articles entitled, '10 Reasons To Join a Gym'.


So, now that you have all these resources...get to work and decide whether or not a gym is right for you.


FYI, I might do a follow up entry to this blog entry; the subject of which would be how to get the most from your gym workouts and whether or not a Personal Trainer is right for you.


Good luck exercising and finding the right gym!


Stu



Follow the library on Twitter and friend us on Facebook - why not? Its free, entertaining, and you might possibly get some good advice or ideas!!!