Project You Magazine, 2011 Holidaze Issue, Resolution Section by Project You Magazine

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resolutions 42 Things to Do When You’re 42

In my ongoing quest to do what I love despite work, family commitments and not enough hours in the day, I’ve decided to come up with 42 things I’d like to accomplish over the next year. By Beth Feldman ❑T ake my mom to Spain for an unforgettable birthday celebration....Check! (You can find our adventure on page 21). ❑L ose 15 pounds - no this time, I really mean it. ❑G et back to singing more than just once a year. ❑P lay tennis with my husband on a regular basis. ❑T ake my son away on a special trip. ❑P lan my daughter’s Bat Mitzvah and not get stressed out along the way. ❑ Girlfriend retreat with my closest friends. ❑ Get published in one women’s magazine. ❑ Put the gadgetry away when I come home from work. ❑ Tell my husband and kids that I love them very much even though they sometimes drive me nuts. ❑ Read at least 10 great books. ❑ Go to at least 5 movies by myself. ❑ Take my husband to see the Book of Mormon ❑ Plan to return to Jake’s

Resort in Treasure Beach, Jamaica ❑ Plan a mediterranean cruise for my entire family to take place in the next two years. ❑ Re-connect with old friends. ❑ Call my old friends more often. ❑ Don’t let work stress get to me. ❑ Learn yoga and clear my head for once. ❑ No more Diet Soda! ❑ No more splenda! ❑ Enjoy drinking water ❑ Attempt to jog 1 mile on a treadmill ❑ Attempt to jog 1 mile on a road ❑ Take dancing lessons with my husband. ❑ Get back into fitness classes at my gym ❑ Throw one dinner party where I actually cook and don’t cater in. ❑ Be comfortable wearing a bathing suit this year. ❑ Bat Mitzvah Botox...or Knee Fat Lipo - that is the question? ❑ Finally learn how to ski.

❑ Travel more with my family - travel less without my family. ❑ Surround myself with positive people and purge the pessimists once and for all! ❑ Be candid with people who truly piss you off. ❑ Pay it forward to givers. ❑ Stay away from takers. ❑ Volunteer my time to causes I feel truly passionate about. ❑ Encourage my kids to give back to the community. ❑ Smile more, stress less. ❑ Do what I love, love what I do.

❑ Convince loved ones in my life to take a leap of faith and do what they love too. ❑ Be a cheerleader for those individuals who are truly making a difference in the world. ❑ Write about what I love.

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project you E By Eric Ruhalter

Eric Ruhalter studied economics at Dickinson College, in Carlisle PA, where he learned, first and foremost, that he’s not the least bit interested in the theories and principles of economics. So rather than study, he began spending most of his time writing. Don’t tell his father. He works in television in New York City, and resides in New Jersey with his wife, Kara, three children, and their two cats who will not stay off the dining room table no matter what Eric says or does to them. (Eric often speaks in the third person with hopes that it will make him seem more important.) 16

Holi-Dog Days

very single year, pretty much since she could talk, my daughter has asked for a puppy for Christmas. Do you know what I do NOT want? A puppy. Do you know what I’m picking up on Saturday morning? A puppy. That’s going to be Maya’s present this year. I know she’ll live up to her commitment to take care of it. And I know that this will be a lucky dog that will be very very loved. Just not by me so much. I do “love” dogs. However, I don’t want to live with one. It will bring chaos to an already chaotic place. In the spirit of the holidays, however, and to reward my daughter for being so wonderful day in and day out, as well as to help her develop her sense of responsibility, she’s getting her “treat.” She deserves this dog, so while I’m not willing to embrace this idea, I’m willing to tolerate it. (Read: Won’t be first to clean up his excrement.) And feeling the way I do it’s easy for me to question the merit of this Puppy as a “Present” As, is it really? A “present?” It’s a “responsibility.” And a “chore.” And it’s “like having a baby who makes you go outside in the freezing rain to wait for them to go pee.” But a “present?” I don’t know. I guess that’s not my problem. But I hope it makes for the Merriest Christmas ever for my little girl. And that this dog knows better than to chew any of my stuff. ■

KidDictionary Word:

SHIRTURBED

(sher-TERBD) adj.: The annoyed state of a child who just received an article of clothing as a present.

Eric Ruhalter

TheKid Dictionary.com

The (d.a.) D-LIST of

Less Cheery Christmas Carols ● The 12 Days of Cleaning Up After Christmas ● Chest Hairs Roasting on an Open Fire ● Splinter Wonderland ● Frosty the Death Row Man

A Role Mommy Magazine l Holiday 2011

● Sleigh Brake Failure

Extradited to Town

● Hark! The Herald Angels Escaped the Asylum

● Check the Halls (For Signs of Lice)

● I had a Little Dreidel, Till it was Confiscated by a TSA Agent at the Airport

● Rudolph the Reindeer Assassin

● Santa Claus is Being

●H ave Yourself Arrhythmia

What To Do With Holiday Leftovers

resolutions

Yes, Virginia, there is new life for all that ham … By Alma Schneider

he holidays abound with leftovers, which mean it’s pretty easy to get sick of ham and mashed potatoes – again and again. Here, some easy ideas for how to transform what’s old into what’s new – giving you time to relax and stay out of the kitchen.

Latkes:

Leftover latkes are the perfect accompaniment the next day as hash browns with your eggs. You can also throw them into omelets.

Crackers:

How many crackers do you end up tossing in the trash from various dip and cheese platters? Think outside the cracker box …..those tasty morsels can be ground up in a food processor to bread chicken tenders, make a crunchy topping for mac n’ cheese, or used as a thickener in certain sauces. You can even mix them into pasta dishes for extra flavor.

Cheeses:

for quiches, omelets, quesadillas, and sandwiches. Don’t forget to save the hock for pea soup.

How many times do you spend a small fortune on gourmet cheeses only to have either partially Turkey: eaten rectangles or tons of different varieties at We all know about leftover turkey for sandthe end of the night? If they have rinds, freeze wiches but how about turkey salad mixed and save them for flavoring soups or riwith mayo, instead of chicken? Or Asian sotto. Take the cheese that you have turkey stir fry with vegetables, turkey salvaged, grate them or melt them potpies or even turkey inside of a suall down and put them in lasagnas, shi roll? Save the carcass, throw in pasta dishes, grilled cheese sanda pot with water and make a stock. TakeBackThe Kitchen.com wiches, quiches or anything else Take as much turkey as you can from that calls for extra cheese. the bone, chop it up and freeze it in a ziploc freezer bag, making sure to reHam: duce the chance of freezer burn. Double Slice off unused ham, chop it up and freeze it in bag it just in case and you can pull out the defreezer ziploc bags. You can always use it later licious turkey months later. ■

Alma Schneider

Alma Schneider is a Licensed Clinical Social worker, food writer and chef . She is the founder of TakeBacktheKitchen.com, a blog and consulting business helping people overcome their practical and psychological obstacles to cooking. She lives in Montclair , NJ with her husband and four children projectyou

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Brunching Your Way into the New Year By Elizabeth Mascali & Dawn Sandomeno

New Year’s brunch is the perfect solution for those whose intention was to entertain during the holiday season but just couldn’t get to it. It’s also a smart choice as it allows your guests a little extra time to sleep in before coming to your place for a few hours of eating, toasting and ringing in the New Year. Plus, with brunch served buffet style, guests can eat at their leisure from breakfast through lunch. Here, five tips for a memorable New Year’s day.

A Role Mommy Magazine l Holiday 2011

Basic Brunch Tips (excerpted from Plan to Party):

selections. Keep it simple! Identify which serving dishes and utensils you’ll need for each menu item and arrange Set dishes, napkins, and flatware near your them on the buffet surface. This can be a time buffet. If you have enough room to seat all sucker if left until the day of the brunch. Use your guests, preset your table with place cards extra place cards to identify each dish. If space and allow each guest to find their spot, fill their allows, place an eye catching floral arrangement glass and then take their plate to the buffet. in the center of your buffet. If don’t the space, This prevents a balancing act with create small satellite arrangements, beverage and utensils. If you don’t and place them throughout the area have enough space, make sure where your guests will be dining you bring in extra seating and and mingling. Resist the temptaoffer flat surfaces for drinks tion to add sparkle to your buffet nearby. with candlesticks – they’re never PartyBluPrintsBlog.com Depending upon the number a good idea when guests are of guests, collect a variety of reaching and may be distracted by chit-chat in the buffet line. dinner dishes from your kitchen Set up a separate dessert buffet and borrow the rest. Do the same with luscious and decadent desserts. for flatware. Having a variety is very vintage. This saves you money on paper Everyone will remember this! Include cofproducts and generates less waste. fee, tea, cream, sugar, spoons, dessert plates, Set up a “help yourself” beverage station with and napkins. For more tips on planning your Brunch a signature cocktail (our favorites: French 75, sparkling wine, Prosecco, Champagne), pitch- Menu, visit the PartyBluPrints website. ers/carafes of fruit-infused water, sparkling waFor more ideas and inspirations for hosting ter, and iced tea. You may choose to offer wine a brunch, visit www.partybluprintsblog.com and beer, but don’t get into offering too many and type in “Brunch” in the search field. ■

resolutions

Yummy desserts will leave your guests happy.

Elizabeth Mascali and Dawn Sandomeno are party and lifestyle authors, bloggers, and social media hostesses. Their first book, PLAN TO PARTY, (Yorkshire Publishing) offers ideas from their blog andis a go-to resource for home entertaining. projectyou

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Revamp your Retirement Savings You want to quit working eventually, right? Here, answers to jumpstart your new year. By Erin Botsford

Learn more about retirement from this book, available at Amazon.com.

A Role Mommy Magazine l Holiday 2011

The steps:

● Reignite Your Dreams – Honestly assess where you are in your life and where you would like to be. Write down your ideal place to live, what you want to be doing, and who you want to be with. ● Quantify – Determine your expenses based on the following: needs, wants, likes, and wishes/desires. Everyone defines these factors differently so outlining them will clearly show you your lifestyle, investment risk tolerance, and what you consider a priority in your life ● Define your expected sources of income – Figure out how you will pay for everything. Will you receive income from a pension, social security, and/or other dependable income sources, such as rent, royalties, or payments from a settlement? ● Calculate Your Existing Financial Resources – Determine the liquid assets that you could turn into investments to provide income to support your lifestyle. Examples include cash savings, stocks, bonds, and retirement accounts ● Find the Gaps – Calculate whether you have enough money to live your desired lifestyle. Subtract the total amount needed from you anticipated income to determine if you have a shortfall or surplus. ■

Courtesy of erin botsford

on’t we all wish we had a Financial Fairy Godmother that could guide us towards the right money path? Especially this time of year when it seems like money is going out the door faster than it is coming in? Which is why we turned to Erin Botsford’s new book, The Big Retirement Risk, to help you get you where you want to go – in other words define your Preferred Future based on creating a Lifestyle Driven Investing plan.