Posts filed under 'Lifestyle Info'
Many of today’s wedding showers are themed, and can be anything from a recipe shower to a camping shower in which the gifts would include things the couple could use on their camping adventures
Wedding showers are great social events designed to give the soon-to-be couple the things they’ll need when they move into their new home together. It’s also a way to add to a bride’s trousseau.
Wedding showers should be held a few weeks before the wedding date and only those guests who have been invited to the wedding should be invited to the shower. Some women are lucky and end up having more than one wedding shower.
January 20th, 2008
You don’t have to live near stunning natural scenery in order to have a good time –
Private balconies can do the trick in urban locations. On rainy days, lay out a picnic blanket on the floor in your living room or on a covered porch and arrange plants and candles so you have that ‘outdoor’ feel
A good picnic would not be complete without a picnic basket, and to impress your date, quality is key. A wine and cheese basket is the perfect solution for picnic dates – they usually come complete with wine glasses, cutting boards, cheese knives, insulated wine compartments and details such as corkscrews and cloth napkins
January 18th, 2008
In many cases, it may seem like a bride cares more about the details of her wedding than the wedding itself, but that does not mean that you do not have to be involved in the wedding planning process. There is a happy medium between zero participation and making it seem like you are the one planning the wedding. Planning a wedding can be difficult and stressful, but with any luck, you can negotiate this time period without too much conflict. There are a few things you may try to keep the peace during this time period.
First off, you need to find out what you are up against and what may come up during the wedding planning process. If you know what arrangements and details will have to be dealt with, you can at least minimize the number of surprises. It would be wise to call a wedding planner and layout your situation so that you can get a professional’s opinion of the ceremony and ideas of how you can make things easier on yourself. You should also have some conversations with married people to get some opinions of things they like and don’t like, especially people who are close to you and your bride. Top on the list of married people to speak with are your parents and her parents. They will be able to give you some pointers to help make the process easier.
January 15th, 2008
Having to be able to bring home entertainment may be a luxury. This is because only very few households can afford home theater audio systems. Of late, only the rich and the famous can afford such luxury. This notion is now a thing of the past. Home theater systems may now be available to greater number of households because of the knowledge of basic home theater design. The basic home theater design may only require three basic components and these three components may already be affordable for the working class.
However, before you may need to think of the basic home theater design for your home theater system, you may need to know the size of the room for the home theater set up. The size of the room to where the home theater will be set up will depend on how basic the home theater design needs to be.
Home theater experts recommends that if the room is quite small, all you need for your home theater design is a television set, three speakers and a DVD player. The home theater design may be dependent of the shapee of the room; however, the position of the speakers remains to be the left, the right and the center of the room.
Basic home theater design may require a television set bigger than 27 inches. Too small screen for your home theater design may not be sufficient for a movie theater-like experience. This is because even for the home theater design, you may need to consider the sight and sound of a movie theater. It is the main consideration why people go to a movie theater, the big screen and the surround sound. With respect to the surround sound of a movie theater, the basic three speakers is only applicable for smaller rooms, if the room is bigger, the home theater design needs to be more than three, you may go up to six speakers and a complimenting subwoofer may be necessary for the surround effect. Going back to a small room, if you will only put three speakers, you may want to consider buying a high quality brand speaker; this will give you enough surround sound for a smaller room.
If you have a small budget, ensure that the store where you will buy your home theater speakers will allow you to test the product in your room and if it will not give you a good surround sound, they should allow you to return or replace the unit. This is because some speakers sound good in the store but when you finally set them up in a small room, the effect is not very good. Find a neat deal where they can allow you to return or replace the speakers. However, if your budget is sufficient, you may consider hiring the services of a home theater designer. Your home theater designer will be able to design the home theater better and with complete accessories. He may require checking the power rating, and the need for amplifiers. He may also recommend using home theater projectors and he may recommend how the speakers need to be. You will get a good home theater design if you will be able to hire home theater designers. The need for home theater seating and television cabinet may also be necessary for the complete package of your home theater.
You may enjoy the entertainment without having to tide traffic jam and enjoy in your own home theater system.
January 15th, 2008
The purpose of these wedding gifts is to show your appreciation, not break your wedding budget. A gift that has been specially picked out shows you put thought and consideration into the gift. Including a personalized note with the gift thanks the person for whatever role he or she played and it is certainly a nice touch when having the gift engraved with the wedding date and couple’s names or initials.
Make sure you have the gifts purchased about 4 weeks prior to the wedding date. That gives you enough time to have them engraved and to create your personalized messages. To help the gifts make an even greater impression on the recipient, take special care in wrapping them. Use fancy wrapping paper and elaborate bows using colors that complement the wedding colors. The best time to give your gifts is during the rehearsal dinner, as it’s intimate, and the people to whom you’re giving the gifts should all be present.
January 14th, 2008
Wedding costs can rapidly escalate out of control which is why it’s so important to begin the planning by devising a realistic budget. And once you’ve got the numbers crunched, it’s equally important that you both stick to the budget.
Money is the number one thing that married couples fight about. But do you realize that the tension surrounding money begins long before the happy couple say ‘I do?’
Once the excitement of the engagement wears off, go somewhere quiet and talk about what’s important to each of you in regards to your wedding day. Listening to your partner’s opinion is as important as talking so be sure to do both. Then, make a list of what you both want (to arrive in a horse-drawn carriage, lobster, renaissance theme, color scheme, etc.) and what are absolute necessities (for example a photographer, caterer, rings, etc.). You’re going to use this information when it’s time to allocate your budget
January 14th, 2008
I always knew my Oriental wife was Jewish; after all,
she grew up eating Chinese food!
I grew up in a Jewish neighbourhood of Montreal. My mother is
Sephardic Italian and my father is a Holocaust survivor from
Poland. I speak Italian with my mother and Yiddish with my
father and siblings. My wife, Belinda Cheung, was born and
raised in Hong Kong and came to Canada when she was 17.
I married Belinda in 1999. Our marriage has been working
wonderfully well. Despite our cultural differences, our
worldviews and approaches to life are remarkably identical. We
are busy raising our two young children, and our lives are
meaningful and fulfilling.
Picture frames reflecting both Chinese and Jewish influences
adorn our home. We are keen on learning about each other’s
culture. We make a point to learn each other’s languages through
tapes and books. Although we are both fully fluent in English,
my wife chooses to speak Cantonese to our children, and I speak
Yiddish. Between us, we converse in English. Our children
identify with their Yiddish and Chinese names, in addition to
their English names. Our elder son, Asher (age 3), seems to
handle the different languages well. We make an effort to be
consistent in our use of languages with our children. We expose
them to both Chinese and Jewish games, as well as Chinese,
Yiddish, Hebrew and English books, songs and videos.
With an Italian mother and a Chinese wife, I am likely
one of the most well-fed guys on earth! On Sabbath, my wife
often makes “Chinese cholent,” which I thoroughly enjoy. She
shops for Chinese mushrooms, lotus seeds, ginseng and various
kinds of Chinese fruits and vegetables in Chinatown. I take
pleasure in preparing Italian dishes, and we both like Ashkenazi
Jewish cuisine. One time, my mother-in-law assisted with
cooking, and we all had an authentic Chinese meal on Friday
night. It was a delightful evening and a pleasant cultural shock
to my parents. Using chopsticks is still a challenge for me, but
it only makes life more interesting!
I am fascinated with Chinese history, language and culture.
Belinda’s roots are almost as important to me as my own. I am
constantly looking for ways to infuse more Chinese culture into
our lives. Even my favourite ties display ancient Chinese
scripts and I often wear them on Sabbath. The Chinese and the
Jews have a lot in common in their ethical teachings.
We keep a kosher diet and celebrate all Jewish holidays,
including the holy Sabbath. We are grateful that my parents, my
Chinese in-laws, as well as our secular relatives and friends,
are respectful of our Jewish observances. My brother-in-law, who
is Protestant, had joined us on several occasions and
experienced Sabbath and Sukkot (Festival of Booths), and even
had a taste of matzah on Passover. We give lai-si (red packets
containing money, decorated with characters and drawings
symbolizing luck and wealth) to our children on Chinese New
Year.We may catch a dragon boat race during the Dragon Boat
Festival, or play with Chinese lanterns around the August Moon
Festival. When we are sick, we seek medical treatment and advice
from both Chinese and Western doctors. Last year I had the
opportunity to meet many of my wife’s relatives and childhood
friends in Hong Kong, as well as to visit her schools and
converse with her former teachers. Belinda also enjoyed meeting
my aunts and cousins in Rome. These experiences are very special
and memorable to us.
While we cherish both backgrounds, when we have to choose
between them Jewish holidays and observances take precedence
over Chinese holidays and customs. Belinda finds Judaism
meaningful and she has learned to love it more than Chinese
traditions. Judaism is central to us, and it helps imbue our
lives with meaning and direction..
How did we get to this arrangement? From the moment we
began dating, we enthusiastically explored each other’s cultures
through visiting many ethnic establishments and participating in
various cultural activities. Our goal was to broaden our
horizons and to take the best of both worlds. However, as my
parents were vehemently opposed to my dating Belinda because my
religion prohibits intermarriage, we delved deeper into Judaism
while also examining other religions. We read voraciously on
different spiritualities. We attended Chinese churches, Buddhist
and Taoist temples; took part in Jews for Jesus, Reform,
Conservative and Orthodox Jewish synagogues and events; visited
a Sikh Gurdwara, a Muslim mosque; and toured Israel for a month.
It was a long but worthwhile journey. Through it all, we
inspired each other in our spiritual growth, and helped shape
each other’s outlook on life. Belinda eventually converted to
Judaism after more than four years of exploring and learning.
She genuinely loves Judaism. An important reason that my wife
and I have adjusted to each other so well is that we had
developed a common vision for ourselves before we got
married.
We are now connected to a Torah-observant community where people
are accepting of us and our Asian-looking Jewish children. We
were forewarned by the rabbinical court which presided over my
wife’s conversion that there would always be some Jews who, out
of ignorance of Judaism, look down at converts and their
children as being “not really” Jewish. Thank God, we have not
experienced this kind of debasement.
We hope that as our children grow up, they will question,
investigate and renew their commitment to our Jewish heritage,
and also respect and honor their Chinese roots. That they will
carry their Jewishness into their own relationships and raise
their children with healthy and life-affirming values and
practices.
This article originally appeared on www.InterfaithFamily.com, a
member of the Jewz.com Media Network.
December 20th, 2007
If your like me and live within ceredigion and drive a car you are likely to have had to deal with some winter motoring ice, covering your car, hiding on the roads as black ice - its a treacherous job driving. But theres a few used cars ceredigion tricks that will help you with motoring in ceredigion in the winter. 1. Wrap up warm - knowone likes being cold while driving - if your car takes a while to warm up then you should wear your coat or 2. warm your car up 10 minutes before you need to start driving. In ceredigion its a good idea to let your car run for a bit to warm up before taking on the icy west wales roads.
December 13th, 2007
Still struggling to find the perfect Christmas gift?
Confused by the retailers?
Ever considered wholesalers?
Whatever product or gift item you are looking for, your first question should be “Can I get it wholesale?”
Why pay retail prices for your expensive electronic gadgets, digital cameras, iPods, Brand name products, fashion items, jewellry etc., when you could save hundreds and even thousands of dollars by dealing directly with the wholesaler or distributor?
You could also save yourself some embarrassment.
According to a recent article in an Australian newspaper,sex toys are top of the list as the ultimate red-face Christmas gift, followed by diet pills, self-help books and personal hygiene items like sanitary items.
Sales of Adult products do increase over Christmas as couples buy sex toys and adult products for each other.
In another survey,receiving a stripper on Christmas Day comes in at number five of the top 10 most inappropriate gifts, followed by men’s clothing given to a woman, and an unwanted pet.
A large number of people support the art of re-gifting, and more than half admitted to giving a gift to someone they had already received from another.
My advice is to compile a list of gifts you want to purchase, and then find a reliable online wholesaler, who will enable you to source your gifts at wholesale prices, adding to your festive joy.
December 7th, 2007
I have a friend, a mother of two.
She lives in the city, but is facing relocating to a relative backwater, all for the sake of her husband’s job.
Her children,both in their early teens, won’t be happy to move again - they still complain about the last move 3 years ago, and they are far more into their friends than last time, so she is keeping the relocation secret until the very last minute.
She’s not being selfish or devious - she just can’t bear the thought of putting them through another major relocation - so soon after the last one.
Plus she has her own career, which she loves, and is heartbroken about leaving her job.
Do you think my friend is alone in this relocation scenario.
Unfortunately, too many couples forced to relocate experience similar reactions - the children resent the move, the spouse might not find suitable work, That the relocation costs are much higher than they’ve budgeted for, that they don’t like or don’t fit into the new community, or even that the cost of living is so much higher in their new situation.
In this situation, all you can do is do as much research as possible into the full implications for everyone in the family before commiting to the relocation.
December 7th, 2007
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