The Trickiest Holiday Party of the Season... the office party

The holidays are undoubtedly in full swing which means so are some of the seasons most awaited festive parties; the holiday office party (no matter how obligatory it may be) being among the many. This particular holiday celebration is somewhat of a time for employers to reward their team/staff members successes, and for collaboration between fellow colleagues while looking forward to the year to come... yet its somehow easily forgotten that this event is absolutely NOT the setting to be the life of the party! Over indulgence and undesirable behavior wont be forgotten once the party commences… The cardinal rule is to remember that no matter how festive the occasion, it's still about business.

So before you head out to mix and mingle  throwing caution to wind or ladies letting your hair down here a few words of wisdom to help you navigate the the potentially dangerous festive waters:

(source)

RSVP

Aways rsvp within in 3 days and if you suddenly find out you are unable to attend be sure to give ample notice.

(source)

Dress Code

Dress appropriately for the occasion- find out the dress code for the party and follow it and don’t forget… its business. My suggestion is keep your guard up when deciding on what to wear and stay away from anything that is too short, too tight, too revealing, too casual or that simply looks untidy.

Be on Tme

Never show up early and don’t waltz in 30 mins late. Andn’t be the last employee to leave.

Make Proper Intros

If you are bringing a date or spouse to the holiday party, be sure you are properly introducing him or her to your bosses and colleagues

Limit Your Liquor

Open bar should never be interpreted as an open invitation get to totally smashed… limit your liquor, especially if you’re known to not be the best at handling it… behavior included!

More so, don’t over consume…anything. Whether its food, alcohol or people, its important to enjoy all aspects of the party in moderation.

Dancing

Just because you can get-low does NOT mean you should… especially considering you’re on the office party dance floor, wouldn’t want that picture to fail the two fridge test now would you leading to potentially damaging cyber remorse…

Put Your Phone Away

In our always-on society being mindful of your smartphone use is crucial (practice smartphone etiquette) A holiday event filled with partygoers instagramming, tweeting and just plain virtually sharing just about everything, its plain rude! Memorialize it later or when you’re not in the company of those who deserve your attention far more than your followers and potential likers!

Don’t Talk Shop

Or gossip or talk politics- No matter who you’re talking to keep the conversation light, you and the people around you are there to enjoy themselves.

Know Who to Thank

The planner often times gets overlooked and a simple thank you showing your appreciation can go a long way.   

Moral of the story is, share the spirit sensibly. Follow the above suggestions to avoid falling off the fast track to success or risk damaging your professional reputation in this one night

of potential inadvertent blunders. And once again, remember the cardinal rule that no matter how festive the occasion, it's still about business.

Christmas Movie Classics: Updated

Only 12 days until Christmas which means you're cutting it close if you haven't finished your shopping, but plenty of time to still cozy up to some classic Christmas flicks!  ABC's 25 Days of Christmas is offering us its holiday best on the daily from now until Santa comes to town, so grab your cozy Christmas socks, champagne & candy canes and check  the usual Christmas movie classics (yes, Bad Santa and  Elf included) off your list! Some of my fondest holiday childhood memories were spent curled up watching Christmas tv programming; there is just something about these seasonal treasures that just warms my heart! Since there are too many to make a top 5 or even a top 10 list - I will just share a general list of my classic faves (recently updated). A fair forewarning though... my movie list includes films for the revelers and humbugs... Something for everyone this year! 

 Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer (1964)

Most Christmas specials are about caring and giving and reflecting on uplifting spirit... Bumbles the Abominable Snow Man and Rudolph's unsightly red nose in this 1964 classic do everything but... only somehow I just love it and am delighted to see it rerun year after year.  

 The Sound of Music

Admittedly, I'm not sure how this makes my xmas roundup, but I somehow never pass up the chance to indulge in 3 hours of Julie Andrew and dreamy Christopher Plummer.

 The Apartment

Not a classic Christmas movie you may say... think again! The rendezvous in Jack Lemmons apartment primarily take place between Christmas Eve to New Years Eve... don't believe me check it out for yourself... And almost an all time fave movie (period!)

 Gremlins

Is it weird that I always wanted my very own Mogwai? I mean as a kid of course... what better to teach a child responsibility than a pet right?! and to think I would have only need to follow 3 simple rules... wait what were they again... 

 Home Alone

Everything I need to know I learned from Home Alone, ha! An instant classic!

It's A Wonderful Life 

This is a new movie to my holiday watch list. A movie brought into my life by my husbands family. George Bailey and the town of Bedford Falls bring all the feels! 

Every time a bell rings an angels get its wings... 

 A Christmas Story

You'll shoot your eye out kid! Need I say more...

 Scrooged

While there are a ton of spin offs of from Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" none as brilliant and funny as Scrooged... I feel like this one is often forgotten, but I have to say its a holiday must!

 Elf

 The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear

 Christmas Vacation

Always guaranteed to make me almost spit out my eggnog

 Bad Santa

Guess what Kid, Santa doesn't care what you want for Christmas.

 How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Such a great spin on the Dr S timeless classic!

 The Nightmare Before Christmas

Jack "The Pumpkin King" Skellington creates the ultimate holiday mash-up by kidnapping santi-claaaws, from his coffin sled to terrifying toys the Nightmare Before Christmas has it all!

 Jack Frost

Try not to cry with this one...

5 Ways To Follow Through on Your Goals: June Goals

I was right! Meeting my May goals would be a challenge... I didn't do so hot and I will come out and say it! While my water intake increased significantly, my DC consumption was still a culprit... However I finished another book tried out 2 new recipes and am hydrating right, so some progress is progress right?! Tracking your goals monthly is a great way to set small (or large) attainable milestones and I believe it also keeps you conscious of your actions day in and day out. Some of the goals I have been setting for myself recently will ideally become habit/second nature in the near future, but until that becomes the case I know it is important for me to continue setting them. As Aristotle is quoted saying "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence therefore is not an act, but a habit." Its always important to forgive yourself if you fail, and while I don't want to attach the thought of failure to my May goals there is certainly room for improvement in June! This month I have taken on the 21 Day Challenge that will in success change my eating habits moving forward. I am excited about creating weekly action plans that combine both fitness and nutrition and even more excited to share results down the line. So for the month of June I am doing something different with my goals and here are 5 ways I plan help myself follow through with my goals.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

Divide your goals into a set of small achievable steps. Maybe this is weekly, maybe this is daily. Do what makes them digestible and what makes achieving them work for you! 

PUT  FEAR IN ITS PLACE

There will be scary moments when failure seems eminent and reaching your goals may seem impossible. In these cases Nike says Just Do It! So just do it anyway no matter how scary it may seem. 

EXPECT SETBACKS

Setback are a part of any process, but not the end of it. If you begin with the end in mind and know setbacks are inevitable you can plan to rededicate yourself to each goal after any setbacks that cross your path. 

LEARN Along the way... 

Do what works for you! If something isn't working try a new approach. Unexpected challenges are opportunities to learn new skills. 

SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS

With any goal accountability is key. Tell someone who matters to you, write about it, blog about it, tweet about it! Pledge to make your goals a reality!

Lost Your Waze? Blogger Reboot

This past weekend during a cross town trip headed back to the Westside, I enlisted the ever so trusted help of Waze to get us to where we needed to go when our in car guided assistant sounded off, “In 800 ft turn left on Fountain” Of all the shortcuts and all the redirect possibilities Waze could have offered, the irony of the guided navigation prompting me down Fountain to avoid Sunday drivers got me thinking… Thinking about something else in my life which could benefit from the Waze prompted trip down one of the most iconic short cuts of LA… if you guessed my blog, you are correct.

Usually people quit blogging on a site because they stop enjoying it or because they fall out of the habit… I am not sure which applies here because I don’t think I was really ever “in the habit” and there is no question as to whether or not I enjoy blogging.

I kept a journal most of my life and really I utilized a blog as the adult version of such. Whether its sharing my take on the latest jewelry trend, or musings from a recent outing with family or friends, I have always taken some small comfort in knowing that beyond the memories themselves my blog is where I can recount and share events (even if it just you reading them Mom).  A reboot of anything can seem difficult, daunting and at time even frustrating, but it’s important to remember that its almost always possible to restart, relaunch and refocus your efforts as time allows. And the excitement which follows is a rewarding feeling and who knew Waze would help me get there. This past Sunday, I took Sunset which led me Santa Monica (with a quick trip up La Brea) and I ending up Taking Fountain. 

Gym Locker Room: Social Contract

Its no surprise to me how packed the gym is this time of year. Today was my first day back in the New Year having to relocate my morning routine and vanity space to the gym locker room. This morning, the profuse amount of women muddling the locker room seem to have simply left their manners at home which got me thinking about locker room etiquette. The gym locker room is a busy space we are all forced to share in the morning  before each of us rush off to start our days and practicing courteous behavior while within the confines of these tight nit tiled walls is vital! Forgetting your manners at home is about as bad as forgetting your shower shoes! There is sort of an unspoken social contract that I believe each of us gym goers need to abide by and if you are unfamiliar with or maybe just unaware as to what this code entails, I highly suggest you read on. Keep in mind this “contract” is unspoken and you probably wont find my points listed below posted on any locker room wall (as my suggestions may border my pet peeves) Nonetheless, I stand by that these are imperative rules to follow:  And while the rampant chatter is inevitable  



Keep it Clean:

From a trail of wet foot prints through the locker room to hair you may have left in the sink… clean up after yourself! While the locker room may feel a bit like more of a communal public restroom with a few added amenities which has a specified clean up team, its important to do your part not create and leave more a mess than you found when you arrived. You don’t leave your hair in the shower and towels on the floor in you bathroom at home do you… Clean it up ladies!

Share the Space:

People have a tendency to be territorial in the locker room, but last time I checked there were not taking reservations for locker room bench space at the front desk. And about the bench... please don't sit there in your birthday suit, come on! So while your away taking your marathon shower, stow your belongings out of mine and everyone else’s way. thank you!

And about that Marathon shower…

 Get in and Get the Heck Out:

I get it, you’re sweaty and just worked your butt off, but the locker room showers are not a place to unwind and enjoy 20 mins of leisure. There is no reason I or anyone else for that matter should have to wait in line for 15 minutes for a shower at the gym, especially if there are 8 stalls!

 Shower Shoes:

Like I said ,forgetting your shower shoes is like forgetting you manners… maybe this is more of a pet peeve of mine as I know there are plenty of you who don’t wear them, but this is just more of a hygiene matter. But, ick factor aside, its just the polite thing to do, so please wear them. 

And speaking of hygiene…

 Use a Tissue:

There is no delicate way for me to put this… (brace yourself if you are easily disgusted) but shower curtain or no shower curtain I hear you in there and I’m pretty sure you heard me this morning tell you to get a darn tissue for goodness sake!  

Keep the Spray to a Minimum:
There’s nothing wrong with topping off your look with a sweet scent but in a place like a communal locker room, I beg to differ! There are people with allergies or may just plain dislike the stink you’re spraying.

I could honestly keep going but I will spare you for now- either way this enough for those of you who may have needed a locker room etiquette refresher to start with for the time being! Keep it clean and bring your manners!

Duped by Doping: Armstrong's "Confession" Session

Vindication... Frustration... Forgiveness... For months I have beenmesmerized by the unraveling details within the storyof seven-time Tour de France champion, Lance Armstrong and his use of performanceenhancing drugs. I am actually rather conflicted in regards to how I feel (or how Ishould feel) about Armstrong’s situation… (if you're not familiar with the story check it out here. Or even check out the 91 page affidavit here) Should I follow my internal empatheticinstincts and continue to feel sorry for him Or should I be cringing at the very thought that I ever donned aLIVESTRONG bracelet on wrist (and yes, I did ha!) As I said, I have been mesmerized by thecomplexity of this story and this Thursday, the recently taped 2 part interviewbetween none other than Oprah Winfrey and this transcendent sports figure isset to air on OWN. Its rumored that the disgraced cyclist will come cleanduring this interview, that he will finally admit to using performance enhancingdrugs and blood doping, but I cant help but be curious about his true motivations to sit down with the O… Itfeels a bit premature if you ask me… Could he be looking for sympathy? Are hishopes clinging to the possibility of being reinstated? Is he looking for a pathto return to competition? Whatever his reasons may be, the layers of this story leave me without any clear answers yet. I will undoubtedly be watching Thursdays interview.

Intent... Play for Keeps in 2013!

 Just 7 days into the New Year and Im sure a lot of you have your New Years Resolution/s on the mind… And with all of these resolutions and goals flying around me lately, I stand by the idea that we don’t need a special day whether it’s a Monday or a New Year to make changes in our lives… I'm sure change has been on your mind as much as mine over the past week and Im confident that 2013 is promising... bringing a brand new year and a clean slate. Good news is we can use the marker of the New Year to provide us with a measurable time frame for progress which can be very empowering. What we are able to effectively measure we can positively change! I want this New Year to be different from any other year and there isn’t a doubt in my mind that it will be!

How do I want to make this year different you may ask… Well, change is a tough thing, but a good thing nonetheless. In order for this year to be different than any before, SOMETHING(s) have to CHANGE, so without creating some list comprised of two scoops of obsessive and eager enthusiasm sprinkled with a bit of unrealistic expectations all with a cherry on top I will instead create one that is perfectly in line with ideals I feel I already adhere by… and then choose one little word to invite into my life which will remind me to play for keeps in 2013!

My word for 2013: Intent

Intent/ aim, meaning, determined, committed   

I will live with it. I will invite it into my life. I will let it speak to me. And I plan to follow where it leads me. The possibilities are endless.

Resolutions 2013: Intent
Be Strong: work out 3-5 mornings a week without question.
Be Healthy: become a connoisseur of quick and healthy meals. Remember to eat healthy snacks between meals. take a vitamin/s h2O
Be Smart: embrace new opportunities. They help you grow.
Be Happy: remember to be grateful, treasure the small things.

Be Wise: "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do."
Be Motivated: shower and get dressed, i know... sounds simple but stuff actually gets done when you do.
Be Organized: just do it 

12-12-12

Its 12-12-12! For some people its just another Wednesday in just another December in just another year... but today is the last of the great repeating dates we will see in our lifetime and our last chance to get excited about a date like this for many years to come. While many are commemorating about this magical date, I have put together a little list with the help of my good friend google of 12 notable 12's in our life's followed by a dozen things to be in the know about on 12-12-12... 

12 Notable 12's
12 Months in a year
12 Inches in a foot
12 Conference members in the Pac-12
12 Signs of the Zodiac
12 Dialing keys on a telephone (including * & #)
12 Golden yellow stars on the flag of Europe
12 Men have walked on the moon
12 apostles of Jesus
12 Makes a dozen
12 Face cards in a deck
12 Steps in Alcoholics Anonymous

12-12-12 In the Know

• Alabama teenager Kiam Moriya turns 12 at 12:12 on 12-12. — Emirates247.com

 

• Pope Benedict XVI has opened a personal Twitter account, and he is scheduled to answer a question about faith in his first tweet, scheduled for 12-12-12, according to Vatican officials. — CNN belief blog

• Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are set to open 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief at Madison Square Garden in New York. It is being billed as the largest event in music history.

• Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers wears No. 12. "So earlier this year the state Legislature designated the day [12-12-12] Aaron Rodgers Day in honor of the Super Bowl winner and last year’s MVP." — The Washington Post
• Such numerical happenings as 12-12-12 spook some people while enthralling others. Some see the tick, tick, ticking of the calendar as magical or especially lucky.

• Be in the twitter know re peeps 12-12-12 tweets

• Check out the NY Times content-free fluff piece which strives to assign some significant meaning to the arbitrary assembly of numbers. 

• If 12 is your lucky number, today is as good as it gets!

 

• Check one-two-one-two... Appropriately... today has been dubbed National Soundcheck Day

• The Ancient Mayan calendar speaks of 12-12-2012 as the end of times as we know it.
• After today, there won't be another triple date to match until Jan. 1, 2101. 

• I think its a nice tie-in for publishing my post on 12-12-12 at precisely 12.

 

Give Thanks... Its Good For You & Forgive

Thanksgiving... a time of the year which reminds some of us to be more aware of the things in our life which we are thankful for. While it may not be on daily basis, I count my blessings year round as I believe gratitude is a powerful emotion and being grateful just plain feels good to me. Growing up, my mom would come into my room each night to tuck me in to bed and we would say I simple prayer together:

 "Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the lord my soul to keep, if i should die before i wake i give the lord my sol to take..."

Once we finished the prayer I would then go through a list of people, in my head, family members, friends and sometimes even neighbors who let me play in their yard or my favorite teachers who always made class fun, my dog Heidi and even my hamster Jimmy {im sure you get the point} I would talk about all things that made me happy to have these people in my life and how thankful for them I was. Sometimes at night I still go through this childhood ritual as it feels to be an age old routine and I give thanks... Through the years I continually find more things to be thankful for and more ways to show appreciation for those things, tangible or not...

I recently read a quote which reminded me of quality I confidently possess, which I am most thankful for:
True forgiveness is not an action after the fact, it is an attitude with which you enter each moment...    -David Ridge
This quote brings to mind the cliche line that no one is perfect, and while I know this to be true it seems as though sometimes we continue to punish ourselves and others for the smallest deviation from this so called perfect path. Forgiving all deviations is not always a possibility, but why punish yourself and sustain the anger inside that a grudge beholds? I am thankful to not be one of those people {one that holds a grudge} but with that said, I am completely in tune with the truth that of all people, I myself, am nowhere near perfect. The opposite of taking things for granted is to be thankful for them... and when you are thankful for the good in your life, the good grows and we have more of it. Sadly, the opposite of this is also all too true... when you fail to appreciate the good, when you take the good things for granted, the good depreciates... As being thankful is good the soul, forgiving is good for the heart... and the body as well as the soul. When you appreciate the good, the good appreciates...  There's no playbook for forgiveness, no manual to getting past betrayals, disappointments or hurt, but more over it is a life skill most anyone can possess. Forgiving is good and I am thankful I posses this quality in life...

Messing About with Swinging on Swings...

As a kid I loved the swings. I can honestly still tell you the names of the park playgrounds which house(ed) my favorite swings to swing on... My dad even put one in our very own backyard which I quickly outgrew. There is just something about the heights that I reach while on a swing that make me feel as if there is a better world out there and the higher I swing, the closer I get and will eventually reach that place... You're never too old to swing on a swing! I would love to have my very own... Here are just a few I'm dreaming about:   

{everyone loves an indoor swing. and if you don't you should start!}

 {How ideal does this look...}

 {swing in my bedroom... yes please}

 {perfect}

{high ceilings and indoor swing... swoon}

{indoor swing for two, love it}

{ah-mazing}