February 24, 2026
Headlines

2020

How To Make Family Gatherings More Fun

Lucille Wood02 mins

Whether your extended family meets several times a year or only once every decade or so, family reunions can be stressful. The key to any large gathering is good planning. If it’s your turn to host this year’s event, follow these tips for a relatively easy gathering.

Select Some Activities

With any large group of people, things are bound to get out of control if there isn’t any guidance for activities. If you know kids will be present, try planning a few kid-friendly activities like a scavenger hunt or ball game so the young ones don’t get bored. Plan some less-energetic activities that are easy for older members to participate in too, such as board games or creating a family album.

Arrange For Food

Some families like to have a potluck, while others simply order a bunch of takeout. No matter what you’re eating, make sure there’s a plan that includes where the food will be set up, how people will be served and how cleanup will be handled. If you decide on a buffet, renting items like salad or soup bar equipment can make the plate-filling process easier and more accessible for everyone.

Prepare for the End

Once the games have been played, the conversations chatted up and the food eaten, the time will inevitably come for everyone to go home. If you’re in charge of cleanup, this can leave you with a lot of work before you can relax in peace. Make things easier on yourself by instructing guests on where to put garbage, how to leave the furniture and where to find their coats.

Family gatherings always have their good points. Don’t let your latest family reunion leave you dreading all the work that comes from poor planning when instead you could be relaxing and enjoying some good company.…

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How To Work From Home For the First Time

Lucille Wood02 mins

While the concept of telework, or working from home, is not new, it has been increasingly widespread due to the coronavirus requiring people to enact social distancing. You may be one of those workers transitioning to this new status quo who has no experience with telework. The following advice can help you apply your work routines to your home setting successfully.

Create a Separate Workplace

Maintaining a barrier between work and regular life is crucial. When both bleed into each other it creates problems with productivity. Establish this difference by keeping a workspace separate from home. You do not have to build a home office to do this. Find an area with natural lighting and space where you do not spend much downtime, like a living room or the kitchen. Once you do, integrate furniture and other supplies.

Establish a Solid Schedule

Time management is a major challenge when teleworking, especially if you live with other people. The best way to overcome this obstacle is by establishing a strict schedule, just like any other job. Give yourself a time where you can work and a time where you can rest. This will help you accomplish goals while also finding a time to stop. Do not forget to schedule times for taking breaks and ordering carryout lunch.

Maintain Healthy Habits

While your home environment may have major differences from your regular office, you will still need to practice the healthy habits you had there. Take your necessary breaks and meals, but also ensure you avoid excessive caffeine and sugar and follow a balanced diet. Keep a straight back, relaxed shoulders and feet straight to the ground when working to avoid physical harm and encourage comfort.

Working from home may sound easy, but it has its fair share of challenges. Adapt your routines and environment to this new setting to maintain or improve your work quality and encourage a job/downtime balance.…

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