Apartment Blog

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Potlucks have been around forever, but they are still an effective way to feed a large number of people on a budget.  You can be the host and offer your house as the gathering place, but ultimately you want to delegate responsibilities to the attendees.  The potluck theme can extend beyond food, if you plan on entertaining people in different ways.  You can have each guest bring their favorite CD or movie along with an assigned dish.  The CD or movie can pertain to a broader theme for the party.  You can make the gathering fun by creating an entertainment theme around the most relevant time period to the prospective guests. For example:  ”Thankful for the 80’s”  can be a theme that allows guest to reminisce on those times and think about how they got from that time period to today.

The idea behind the potluck is to allow all attendees to participate in making the event a success.  If everyone contributes, they will feel like it is their party and won’t feel guilty for not helping in some way, shape, or form.  This is an ideal situation, especially during a holiday where the focus is being thankful for what you have and not focusing on what you don’t have. The potluck puts everyone on the same level for that evening, even if some guests are otherwise struggling financially.  It is important, especially with the recession still in place, to work together and build each other up.  Who knows, your gathering could be just what someone needs and propel them into 2010 with a new attitude about life!

You know that iconic phrase “Houston, we have a problem” from the Apollo 13 movie? Here at For Rent Media Solutions, we prefer to think we have the solutions. We have the resources and the answers to your apartment searching needs.  Not only do we provide you with a moving center and a getting settled center on our Relocation Page, we also provide you with decorating and entertaining tips and apartment living ideas on our Apartment Blog.

So if you’re looking for apartments in and around the Houston area, we are your one stop shop! Check out our newest apartment community videos for Houston apartments:

Hartford Park Apartments

Canfield Lakes Apartments

Briar Park Apartments

Lantern Village Apartments

Steepleway Downs Apartments

Huntington at Stonefield Apartments

The Steeples Apartments

Meadow Ridge Apartments

and Bristol Apartments

Isn’t Halloween for the kids?  Adults may never want to grow out of the Halloween costume phase; but, this holiday SCREAMS kids. Here are two main activities they can get involved in on Halloween night:

• 1. Trick or Treating- Kids love candy and their supply of candy will be increased exponentially on Halloween night. Trick or treating allows kids to dress up and walk around the neighborhood to collect candy. Once they bring it home, do your best to inspect the candy. If you’re have kids are participating this year, make sure you are with them at all times during this activity. There are too many things that can happen to just let your kids roam around, even if they are borderline teenagers. You don’t necessarily need to hover at every door, but make sure you can see them as they walk around. This activity is also a good way to meet neighbors and have your kids meet the neighbor’s kids.
• 2. Harvest Carnivals- Not everyone celebrates Halloween, but they don’t want their kids to be left out of the fun either. Organizations will hold Harvest Carnivals on Halloween night to celebrate Harvest instead of Halloween. Harvest carnivals usually have lots of candy and games for kids to enjoy. Even if the kids do a little trick or treating first, they may want to end the night at a harvest carnival where they can meet and have fun with other kids in the community in safe environments.

Make it very clear to the kids what your intentions are before they get excited to do one or the other.  Their friends will surely start making plans early, and you don’t want to thwart their fun altogether.  Let them know what the rules are now.  Have any other ideas of activities for kids?

If you plan on throwing or attending a Halloween party, don’t you want to be the center of all the festivities?  Don’t let anyone outdo you this year.  When wearing a costume you get to become someone else for one night.  Why not make it memorable for you and all attendees.    We’ve posted a blog about Halloween Couple Costume Ideas, but here are some hot costumes for Guys and Gals:

Guys

• 1. Geico Caveman- Team up with a buddy or two and purchase caveman masks. You can wear the laidback button up shirts seen in the commercials or even go with the biker outfits. This will surely garner a lot of laughs when you arrive and will make it easier to talk to the women at the party. Who can resist a rugged and famous Caveman?
• 2. Iron Man- If rugged and hairy is not for you, maybe you want to show off the iron you have been pumping. Even if you haven’t been pumping iron, I am sure that the Iron Man costume comes with pre-pumped muscles for you to show off. If ladies love the man of steel..wouldn’t they love the man of….Iron?
• 3. Michael Jackson- This year we tragically lost the King of Pop. Many people will probably wear a Michael Jackson costume in commemoration of him, but make sure that you go all out. You must have the infamous white glove and you might want to learn a few moves before showing up so that you can battle against all of the other Michael Jackson wannabes!

Gals

• 1. Pirate of the Caribbean(Elizabeth) - Argghh..Nothing cooler than a female pirate. With the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise, pirate clothing is still in. Make sure to bring your sword with you because you may have to show Iron Man and the Caveman who is boss!
• 2. Race Car Driver- Danica Patrick is kicking butt in the racing world and you can remind all of the men at the party with your race car driver costume. Make the super heroes look outdated and the athletes look lost.
• 3. Betty Boop- If you get sea-sick or car sick, the Pirate and Race Car driver costumes may not be for you. They won’t be believable. But, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind showing up as a starlet. Let it be your night and come to the party knowing that all the attention will be on you. Maybe you can even bring your own fans and lights. Why not?

This can be your year to win the “Best Costume” prize.  Don’t let the opportunity pass you by!

For some people Halloween means as much to them as Christmas would to another person. As such, this occasion would be deemed gift giving. I have actually received a card and flowers from a friend on Halloween because it is her favorite holiday. Regardless if you are the gift giver or receiver, here are some great Halloween gift ideas.

Get Creative! Potion labels are a cool way to personalize a bottle of your friend’s favorite drink or bottle of wine. Just add a themed label appropriate for Halloween and you’re set!  Or creating a collage scrapbook already decorated, just waiting for the photos of this year’s party to frame or bind.

Homemade goods are a unique way to show your friends, or guests at a party, that you appreciate them. Everyone loves a good homemade treat. For this holiday, why not do a candied apple or pumpkin spice bread or ghost shaped cookies. 

Tickets to a fun Halloween themed event. There are bound to be places in your city that will celebrate this spooky holiday. Why not help the Halloween enthusiast in your life celebrate by buying them a ticket. It could be a hayride, haunted house, roller coaster theme park or maybe even a special movie premier.

Provide some type of entertainment by purchasing a Halloween book or movie. If your friend is into the whole scary experience, there are plenty of Halloween movies guaranteed to spoke him or her. Check out our list of 10 Awesome Halloween Movies.

If there are other Halloween gifts you have given or received, let us know! It would be nice to see all the imaginative ideas for this holiday.

The Economy is still struggling to gain momentum. Cable news reminds you that we are still in a recession. Friends, Family, and Co-Workers add to the water cooler talk, which can really get you down if you listen long enough.  How do you escape from all the negativity??? One way is to organize and arrange your apartment bedroom into your personal sanctuary of positivity and motivation.  There are many ways to do that, but here are few ideas to get you started:

1. Pictures/Portraits

- What is the first thing you see when you wake up? A white ceiling? The ugly alarm clock? The bathroom? Instead of waking up to bland surroundings, spruce up your apartment bedroom with pictures/paintings/portraits that motivate you. It could be a picture of your grandparents or parents who went through so much just to afford you the opportunities you have. You can also have pictures of your dream car, island, or vacation to make sure that you wake up every day with the goal of moving one step forward towards those dreams. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. So wake up every morning to a thousand words and let the pictures encourage you to take on the day with zest and zeal.

2. Quotes

- Quotes can be just as inspiring as paintings or pictures. A combination of both is probably best. Find a quote that really resonates with you and look at it every morning before going to work. This quote should help you stay focused and remind you of whom you are. The quote should be posted somewhere in plain sight for you to see every morning, either in the bedroom or on taped to the bathroom mirror.

3. CD/Alarm Clock

- What do you wake up to every morning? Chickens? Traffic noises? The dreaded default alarm setting??? Why not get an aesthetically pleasing CD/Alarm player. This way you can wake up to your favorite song or motivational speaker. The negative energy associated with the default setting is sure to induce another 5 minutes of sleep, but your favorite song or speaker will get you excited about the challenges ahead.