Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Thanksgiving


Thanksgiving happens to be my favorite holiday. One, it's all about the food and two it's all about giving thanks and spending time with family and friends. I love to cook and usually spend the two days leading up to Thanksgiving doing just that - all from scratch. This year I'm having 11 people over for dinner 8 adults and 3 children who happen to all be my godchildren. Lucky me!


I know having to cook for 11 people would be stressful to most people but I love it. It's about planning ahead and making sure you have and stick to a timeline. Here are some tips and resources that can help.


Not sure how long you should cook your turkey? Call these hotlines or visit the websites for recipes, cooking guides, FAQs and more! Butterball Turkey Talk-Line: 800-Butterball or visit http://www.butterball.com/. US Department of Agriculture: 888-674-6854, http://www.fsis.usda.gov/.


Are you dreading the Thanksgiving rush at the grocery store? Shop early, don't wait until the last minute. Try to visit the store first thing in the morning right when it opens. You'll be sure to breeze through your list. Most grocery stores open by 7:00 AM so may be able to fit it in before you go to work. Why not outsource the shopping completely. Ideal Lifestyle Concierge can shop your list, deliver it to your home and even put the groceries away all while you are at work.


Did you know that you can buy a fresh turkey instead of a frozen one? This year save yourself the task of having to defrost a turkey. Groceries, gourmet shops, specialty stores and even online shops have fresh turkeys available as well as kosher and organic options. Most grocery stores require you to pre-order your fresh turkey ahead of time. So make sure to phone your favorite establishment. If you want to save yourself a trip, here are some websites that sell and deliver fresh turkeys -
Williams and Sonoma: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/fd231/?cm_src=hero
Igourmet.com: http://www.igourmet.com/turkey.asp


One of the hardest parts of putting together the holiday spread is coordinating the timing of your dinner. What should you cook ahead, when do you put your turkey in the oven, what should you cook next? Real Simple magazine provides an easy to follow plan ahead schedule - http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/how-to-get-all-done-a-thanksgiving-timeline-10000001550129/index.html


Are you in a giving mood? Why not purchase an extra turkey to donate to a church or shelter?Having guests over for dinner? Stock up on disposable containers to send home with guests for the perfect "doggie bag".


Ideal Lifestyle Concierge can provide assistance to get you through Thanksgiving and the holidays in general. No task is too small or project too complicated. Our on demand personal assistant services can give you the time to relax and enjoy what's really important - Truly enjoying your Thanksgiving Day!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Driving Fans to Your Facebook Page




What is the purpose of having a Facebook fan page is you don't have any fans? Here are some suggestions to increase your fan base on Facebook:

  • Add a "Find us on Facebook" link to your email signature
  • Ask your Facebook friends to become fans of your business page
  • Send an email to your database of clients and ask them to become fans (Constant Contact is great for this)
  • Offer special savings/deals to your Facebook fans
  • Ask colleagues to recommend your Facebook fan page to their friends and fans

A great new gadget to add fans is a feature offered by Facebook for your website or blog (I've added it to my blog above). It provides a glimpse to your Facebook page and allows people to become fans directly from your website. Facebook provides a few lines of code that can be added to your website by your Web Master.

Here is an example of Coca-Cola's website using this feature: http://www.coca-cola.com/index.jsp

Here is Herbal Essensces website: http://www.herbalessences.com/us/default.jsp

Is your head spinning? It can be overwhelming but don't think you have to do everything at once. Maybe try one of my suggestions a week and see how it goes for you.


Don't have time for Facebook? Ideal Lifestyle Concierge can set up, manage and update your Facebook page for you. We have a new social marketing package to get you connected online. For more information contact us at customerservice@ideallifestyleconcierge.com or call (305) 371-0077.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Text or Email?

Everybody’s texting these days, me too. Texting has quickly become a way of life. Even my hairdresser now texts me to confirm my appointment rather than calling me and all I have to do is text back “YES”. I love it!

Texting is convenient, quick and forces you to get the point across in as few words as possible. However, I’m a much faster “typer” than I am a “texter”; so when I came upon some information in Real Simple Magazine a few months ago I was thrilled. Did you know that you can text messages from your email? First, you have to know the carrier of the person you want to text. Next when you create the email, in the address line type the cell phone number before the address for the carrier, (for example: 1234567@txt.att.net). It's as simple as that.

Here are the addresses for the top carriers:
AT&T: @txt.att.net
Sprint: @messaging.sprintpcs.com
T-Mobile: @tmomail.net
Verizon Wireless: @vtext.com

Now all you have to do ask your clients or friends for their phone carrier and save it as a secondary email address in your contacts. I tested it and indeed it works. So you decide - text, email or both. You now have options.

If your business needs assistance with phone calls or confirming appointments Ideal Lifestyle Concierge can help. Our on demand personal assistant services can free up your time and help you concentrate on growing your business. For more information or a free consultation, please contact us at (305) 371-0077 or customerservice@IdealLifestyleConcierge.com.


Sunday, June 14, 2009

Decoding Fruit Labels

The other day I was in the kitchen and listening to the TV in the background when I heard something about fruit labels. The only thing that I knew about fruit labels was that they were annoying. Being a bit obsessive compulsive, I find myself peeling the labels of each piece of fruit/vegetable that comes into my home before I put it away. I digress, what I heard on the TV was that each fruit label tells you about the item you have purchased and are planning to eat. Here is how it works; the first number on the label tells you how the fruit has been grown. Fruits are divided into three classes, conventionally grown, genetically engineered and organically grown.

  • 4 as the first number on the fruit label means the fruit has been conventionally grown (using chemicals and pesticides)
  • 8 as the first number on the fruit label means the fruit was genetically engineered
  • 9 as the first number on the fruit label means the fruit is organically grown (grown to the standards defined by the National Organic Standards Board

I decided to dig a little deeper. Did you know that 7 out of every 10 items in the grocery store contain ingredients that have been genetically modified? What this means is that scientists are using technology to transfer genes of one species to another. Mutation breeding using chemicals or radiation agents to mutate fruit DNA has been used since the late 1920’s and genetically modified fruits have been bred, produced and consumed for more than 10 years.

Now I am no expert, but I am concerned about the types of foods that I consume so I have made the choice to buy organic whenever possible. Do your own digging and let me know what you find.

Here are some websites/articles you might find interesting:
The International Federation for Produce Standards:

http://plucodes.com/default.aspx

Top Five Ways to Avoid GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) in Your Food:
http://www.naturalnews.com/024865_GMO_GMOs_food.html


Ideal Lifestyle Concierge offers on demand personal assistant services to individuals and businesses. Personal Assistants aren’t just for the rich and famous. Ideal Lifestyle Concierge allows you to have a personal assistant on demand, and it’s affordable too! Hand us over your “To Do” list and consider it done! Need help with your groceries? We can purchase, deliver and even put them away for you. Call 305.371.0077, email customerservice@ideallifestyleconcierge.com or visit www.ideallifestyleconcierge.com for more information.


Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Winter Miami Spice



One of my favorite outings is going to a restaurant and enjoying a nice meal with my husband and friends. I love to check out new restaurants and it seems that there is always one popping up. If you are like me, you are in luck. Winter Miami Spice is running from January 12 through February 12, 2009.


If you are not familiar with Miami Spice it usually happens during the summer months of August and September. Participating local restaurants offer a preset 3-course meal for lunch, dinner or both at a very reasonable price. For the first time this year they are offering a Winter Miami Spice with a lunch price of $23 and dinner of $36. Here is a link to the website which lists all of the participating restaurants, http://www.ilovemiamispice.com/.

Here are a few of my personal favorites:
South Beach: Blue Door at the Delano, Emeril's at the Loews, Kobe Club, Tuscan Steak
Design District: Fratelli Lyon, Pacific Time, Soyka, Grass Restaurant & Lounge
Brickell/Downtown: Capital Grille, Oceanaire Seafood Room
Coral Gables: Por Fin, Ortanique on the Mile

So go out and savor Miami's Fine Cuisine!