How to host a great dinner party in seven easy steps

Copyright 2006 Cole's Poetic License Remember that message about oxygen masks on airplanes? You must attach your mask first before helping anyone else. The same goes for giving a great dinner party. Give to yourself first. The rest comes easy. Here are seven essential steps: 1. Recall some of the parties you loved, whether or not you or your family hosted them. Think back as far as you can remember. Social affairs operate on a subconscious level predominantly. When you accept that fact and look at your own subconscious feelings, you can plan your own social pleasures. And, you can better understand your friends and family. Our social memories are stored in our subconscious minds. That is why this step is so important. (Once I had so many guests for Thanksgiving I had to cook two turkeys and set up long tables in the living room. I carried in one turkey and set it on the end nearest the kitchen. My daughter carried the other to the end table near the fireplace. As she leaned forward to set it on the table, the turkey slid off the platter onto the table. A male guest uncrossed his arm in that umpire gesture and hissed, "Safe!" The rest of the day was sheer fun.) 2. Spend ten minutes writing about one dinner party you particularly enjoyed. Be specific. This step helps you plan. (I remember a dinner for eight where everyone listened to the one speaking and everyone took turns. Without competition for attention, relaxed witticism and laughter prevailed.) 3. Recall dinner parties you loathed as far back as you can. 4. Spend ten minutes describing one. This step helps you know what to avoid. (Tension at the table. My sister-in-law barks at my brother because he forgot to hold her chair for her when she sat. My other brother makes fun of that idea. His wife kicks him under the table, audibly. I laugh and my mother cries.) 5. Make a list of what is most important to you when you host a dinner party. Is it the food? Wine? Serving dishes? Choice of guests? Conversation? Music? Prioritize the list. (I start with the food that I like best and include choices for finicky guests) 6. List a few situations or conditions that may embarrass you during your party and deal with each beforehand. For example, if one of your friends gets drunk, if your sister talks too much and bores the other guests, if conversations splinter in loud groups of two, if your main dish burns, etc. Plan your party. Become a movie director building the "right" scene. Have a dinner bell handy to capture attention when necessary. 7. Social anxiety prevents pleasure. Here are some suggestions to counteract potential problems: A. Demand that guests arrive by a specific time. B. Invite people you enjoy. Don't invite anyone else. C. Give to those most anxious some pre-planned serving tasks. D. Try this or similar exercise: Even if the guests know each other well, ask each one to tell the rest three "facts" about himself. Two will be true, the third a lie. Guests will then guess which is the lie. Given them three minutes to plan. You direct. Remember, this is your movie. E. All courses should be prepared in advance. You can have a lot of fun at your own dinner party if you consider yourself first. When you give to yourself first, you become wonderfully generous. And don't forget to breathe. Cheers, Evy

Mother s advice for optimal memory

Remember when you were still young and mother would tell you to eat your vegetables, go to bed early, and do all those sort of stuffs which you dislike? It turns out that your mom (although she might be unaware of it) is giving you some ideal advice for a sharper memory. Let us recall some of them. Mother used to say fruits and vegetables are good for you. Undeniably, they are. Studies reveal that blueberries in particular, aid to improve memory aside from giving health benefits to the body. Another berry, which is strawberry, is also good in memory retention. On the vegetable side, spinach and broccoli are foods for the brain. These fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants that protect the body and brain against stress. I bet you’ve heard of the same old “early to bed, early to rise makes a person happy, healthy, and wise.” What mom used to impress on you is indeed a good advice, particularly the portion about “wise.” When you’re asleep, the brain sorts information obtained during the day so that this information is stored for future use. Quit smoking and cut down on caffeine. Researchers found that consuming a pack or more cigarettes a day can result to impaired visual and verbal memory, and this will further result to the brain’s poor ability to process information. As for caffeine (coffee and colas), it will make you feel agitated and irritated. This is contrary to a brain that performs at its best when relaxed. Fish is food for the brain. Fish contains the polyunsaturated fatty acid DHA, which is the main contributor to efficient development of the nervous system and the brain. That is why some milk products for young children are supplemented with DHA. One of the best sources of DHA is cod liver oil. Oh, how you hated it when you were still kids, but actually it’s good for you. Aside from fish, other products that are memory enhancers due to the presence of choline are soybeans, eggs, and liver. Still another substance that is present in fish like salmon, herring, mackerel, and sardines is the amazing omega-3 fatty acid. It promotes good mood, aside from being a good memory developer. It also increases the learning capability because it enhances the capacity, speed, and efficiency of the brain. Researchers are still checking the benefits that omega-3 can give to patients with alzheimer’s disease and stress related disorders. If you can’t get enough of these fish products, taking supplements (about 600 mg) will suffice. “Did you take your vitamins?” mom used to tell you this every morning. That’s because they are good for you, especially vitamins C, B12, and beta-carotene. Not only are they good antioxidants, they are good memory enhancers as well. Get off that sofa. Get out and get some exercise. Seems like a complete drag but exercise, like it or not, is good in sharpening memory. It’s like jogging your mind to wake it up. Studies reveal that strenuous physical exercise gets the brain cells up and running, thus improving memory and creativity. Just half an hour of jogging can deliver astounding results to your body and mind. Remember that you’re always better off with a sharp memory.

Even addictive games promote family values

There's been much debate about the effect that video games and online games have in the development of our children and even in the socialization of adults. Reams have been written about the ways in which video games isolate youngsters and encourage a sedentary lifestyle. Some argue that, when adults play video games and online games to the exclusion of other activities, they effectively distance themselves from others and put up emotional barriers. While moderation and self-control may be important considerations when playing video games and online games, I believe a case can be made that some addictive games promote family values. Some people grow up in "game" families, and others do not. I'm from a family of avid gamers - and this was long before the advent of video games and online games. Some of my first memories are of going with my parents to their friends' houses and sitting quietly while they played bridge all evening. My father worked in construction, and so was out of work during the winter. I fondly recall coming home from school and finding my mother, father, and my father's best friend sitting around the table playing cutthroat pinochle. As I grew older, I spent many weekends up at a mountain cabin, playing hearts with eight or ten other people until the wee hours of the morning. In our family, we didn't only play card games. We played every kind of game imaginable - board games, travel games, Mah Jong, outdoor games - you name it. I was the reigning backgammon champion in my college dorm. We also were voracious puzzle solvers. I preferred cryptograms and anacrostics, while my grandmother solved crossword puzzles in pen until she was 94 years old. And, yes, when the first Ataris came out, my mother bought one and we spent countless hours playing Pong and Donkey Kong. There's no question in my mind that the addictive games we played united our family and taught us important life lessons. The first lesson, of course, was don't cheat - and never play with cheaters. That has served me well in business. The second lesson was good sportsmanship: always play to win, but be gracious when you lose. That, too, has been an important life lesson. Even though I try my best, sometimes I don't come out on top. The third lesson was about the importance of thinking ahead and strategizing to reach your goals. The fourth lesson was about partnerships and teamwork. I had to learn to be a team player, and sometimes a former adversary would become an ally at a moment's notice. Most of all, though, our family's addictive game playing gave us an opportunity to be together, to have fun, and to laugh. We're all highly competitive, but at the end of the day, we're all friends. My son has inherited my love of games and puzzles. To be honest, I couldn't wait until he got old enough to start playing kid's games. Like many parents, I played Chutes and Ladders until my eyes crossed! He plays his video games - but we play a lot of them together. We also do jigsaw puzzles together and enjoy working in puzzle books and magazines. He even creates puzzle books for his classmates using the class' spelling words. So, while people turn up their noses at addictive games, I say that they can teach important life lessons and instill great family values. Play on!

Party time choosing party invitations

Parties are thrown all the time. They are a great excuse to get together with friends and have a good time. There are also a great way to show admiration and respect for great people and their accomplishments. No matter what the occasion, a beautiful party invitation is the perfect way to set of any event with style. There are so many different types of parties. The types of party invitations that are ordered depend on the type of party being held. There are many wonderful party invitations for birthday, graduation, business gatherings, holiday parties, and any other type of party. Choosing the right type of party invitation is the first step in ordering the right invitation. Any type of party can have any number of themes. If it is a birthday party, how old is the guest of honor? Is it a milestone birthday? Whether it’s over the hill, or sweet sixteen, choose the right theme in the party invitation to create a unique feeling for the party. Choosing how many invitations to order is an important decision. Invitation companies typically require a minimum order of about 50. If there are less than 50 invitees having extra invitations will come in handy for last minute invites or for mistakes. If there are more guests than the minimum order number of invitations, it is a good idea to order extras for anything that might occur. Party favors are a great idea and can be incorporated right into the invitations. Choose from napkins, matchbooks, or scratch pads with the name of the guest of honor and the date printed right on them. Collectible glasses with commemorative phrases are also a great favor idea. Whether it’s a grand milestone birthday or a simple holiday gathering, start the party off right with great party invitations and tie it all together with personalized party favors that guests can cherish and use to remember the event for a lifetime.

Interior design made easy

When you are designing you house you need to take into account many factors. A great looking house needs to have many aspects covered. Everyone wants to have a great looking home, but not all of us know what actually works, read on to discover what important principles you need to take into account when you are designing your house. Balance is very important when designing the inside of your house. A lack of balance can show excitement and spontaneity in a room, you need to take into account colour, texture, layout, patterns and many more aspects. Formal balance creastes a mirror image effect and it is also called symmetrical balance. Informal balance uses different objects to create equilibrium in a room. This is much more subtle yet spontaneous and gives a much more casual feeling to the room. The focus of the room is another important aspect to consider. It is the focal point of the room. Whatever should be the feature of the room needs to have enough emphasis on it so that is does become the focal point of the room. As you walk into the room what you initially take in is the focus. People's eyes shift to the focus immediately and it is the first thing they take in. The focus is generally affected by proximity, colour and the layout of the area. Subtlety must also be taken into account, how restrained you are has a large effect on the design. Rhythm is another principle that is often looked over, the continuity of the design affects the rhythm. It controls how the eye will move over a room. Repetition is governed by line, colour, texture or form. Progressive rhythm is when the elements gradually increase or decrease in size. Proportion is another important principle. This includes size, weight and colour. This has a direct affect on the balance of the design as well. Similarly scale is very important. You must effectively measure dimensions of the room and the pieces. The size relationships in a room are defined by these two principles. You need to consider the harmony of the room. Though closely related to balance harmony is also important. It is essentially how each element of the room works together to be pleasing visually. Harmony encompasses all the other principles and is essentially created or destroyed by successfully juggling all the other elements and getting the right mix. So if you are looking to design you own house, you must be careful to consider all these principles of interior design. If you are not confident you can always hire an interior designer to help you out, you know you will get professional quality then! However, this can get expensive, and if you want to tackle it yourself, then you now have the right tools! Good luck!