Are you planning to host overnight guests at your home this holiday weekend? Opening up your home to guests can be nerve-wracking, and you might feel pressure to make sure they feel at home and have a good time. Don't worry though, below are three simple tips to provide a warm and welcome environment for your holiday guests that will help them have the best holiday stay.
Provide Basic Necessities Have you ever gone on a trip and realized you forgot your toothbrush or other essentials? It is common to forget and lose items during travel. Keep your home stocked with basic necessities that your guests might need during their stay.
Stock the shower with shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Stock the bathroom with hand soap, unused toothbrushes, and toothpaste. Have a few extra phone chargers available for them to use. Provide your guests with earplugs and eye masks in case they are light sleepers. Keep snacks and drinks in the kitchen to assure they never go hungry or thirsty. Do these things to satisfy your guest's basic needs. It is the simplest way to assure they feel right at home this holiday season.
Keep Things Fresh and Clean Have you ever arrived at a hotel that has dirty sheets, musky air, and questionable stains in the bathroom? You probably did not enjoy your stay and quickly gave them a one-star review. Give your guests a five-star stay by keeping things in your home fresh and clean. Ways you can keep things fresh and clean at your home:
Use bedding that is comfortable and free of stains, and make sure to have plenty of blankets.
Purchase air fresheners or candles for the room and bathroom they will be using.
Thoroughly disinfect the bathroom your guests will use.
Maintain your HVAC system, and replace air filters to freshen up your home and eliminate household smells.
Keep common areas such as the living room and kitchen tidy.
Entertain Them Have you ever been stuck inside your home during a snowstorm with nothing to do? You were probably bored, wishing you were anywhere else. Your guests are on vacation, so make sure they are properly entertained and have a great time while they are staying with you.
You can do this by having a TV available for your guests that has access to online streaming platforms or a DVD player with a selection of good movies. Keep your guest's children entertained with the latest video games, toys, and a safe area for them to play. To entertain the entire family, you can purchase family-friendly board games for a fun evening inside the house.
Making your holiday guests feel at home does not have to be a difficult or stressful task. Follow these simple tips and your guests will be grateful that you opened your home and provided them with comfort and entertainment. If you had a Yelp page they would be sure to leave you a great review!
This morning, I have a contemporary romance boxed set in our book spotlight! Check out the Love Song Standards series, learn about the author & enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway.
Love
Song Standards Series
Boxed
Set Books 1-3
by
Cynthia Roberts
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
If
you love Contemporary Romances with relatable, flawed characters who
are sometimes wounded or broken and eventually find that kind of love
we all dream of, you'll love this series titled after some of the
greatest love songs of all times.
Unchained
Melody ~ Pamela Landers had it all, a senior
partnership with a top law firm, expensive car, and a luxurious
condo. What she desired most was a loving husband, children and a
life filled with precious memories that would comfort her through her
golden years. Funny how fate has a way of steering you down that path
where dreams really can come true. When Pamela encounters Gavin
Templeton along her journey, she has some life-altering decisions to
make that eventually lead her to happily ever after.
Strangers
In The Night ~ What happens when two strangers meet
in a crowded bar on a Caribbean vacation and one is disinterested,
while the other is totally intrigued? Fate happens. Only one role
will play out in the end. It will lead to either a happy ending, or
simply a chance meeting tucked away in a memory book. John Rinaldi,
doesn't want to be just a memory. He's determined to win the heart of
the beautiful and elusive, Samantha Michaels. She not only captured
his interest, but she proves a woman he's determined to have in his
life forever. She just doesn't know it yet.
For
Once In My Life ~ Christina Morandt spent most of her
young adult life perfecting her talent and then performing worldwide
as the prima ballerina for the Savannah Ballet Theatre. When she
decides to retire at the peak of her career, she returns to Savannah
to open her own dance studio and settle into a life of comfort and
solitude.
Captain
Garret Rickford is a seasoned Apache helicopter pilot for the U.S.
Army, who is awarded a head instructor position at the Hunter Army
Airfield in Savannah, Georgia after serving four tours carrying out
assault and rescue missions over Iraq and Afghanistan. He returns
home, while secretly battling the haunting traumas of war and the
death of his dearest friend and fellow comrade. She was raised on a
horse ranch in Wyoming. He was raised in the Highlands of Scotland.
They were opposites in so many ways, each never expecting to cross
paths with the other. But, they did, and when the spark of attraction
ignited, there was no extinguishing the passion once it began to
flame out of control.
My
love of reading romance fiction goes back to those early years when I
was raising a young family. It wasn't until much later in life, that
I actually took up the pen to write and my first historical romance,
Wind Warrior was born. I don't fit into one specific genre. When the
ideas start to flow, lord only knows what category they'll fit into
**wink wink **
I
wish I could have gotten to this point in my career much sooner
rather than later, but life simply got in the way far too many times.
Because of those multiple detours, however, I have become a more
passionate and expressive writer and can draw upon those painful
moments in my past, when I need to create the kind of raw human
emotion I want my readership to feel.
It
is my hope you walk away with not just an entertaining read, but the
importance in knowing, "Without imagination & dreams, we
lose the excitement of wonderful possibilities."
Stop
by and visit my Facebook Page at
https://www.facebook.com/Cynthia.Roberts.Author/, where you'll enjoy
some really cute and entertaining posts on love, romance, and
relationships, can subscribe to my mailing list, and be kept abreast
of contests, giveaways, special promotions and new releases. Until
then, bye for now.
When you're expecting, you have much to organize and prepare for your little one's arrival. From arranging the nursery to gathering all the clothes, diapers, and products a newborn needs, you can easily overlook what needs to be done for your car. We've listed five of the most important areas to consider when preparing your vehicle to travel with a newborn.
Buy a Quality Car Seat Your baby needs to be safe and secure when traveling in the car. Having a high-quality child safety seat that is the right fit for your car and your child is the first step to ensuring your newborn has a hazard-free ride. Find and compare car seats based on their safety ratings and discover the best seats suitable for newborns. Once you've found the right one for your child, have it fitted by a professional so that you can have peace of mind that your newborn is secure.
Renew Your Roadside Assistance Membership You want to make sure your roadside assistance membership hasn't lapsed, as you never know what may happen. If you're faced with a dead battery on your way home with your newborn in the car, you don't want to be stuck on the side of the road indefinitely. You child may be in need of a diaper change, feeding, or a comfortable and safe place to nap. Ensuring you are covered and have help on the way when it's needed means you can always get your little one home in a timely manner.
Schedule a Vehicle Inspection Even if your vehicle is not due for an inspection, it's a good idea to have your vehicle checked for any potential hazardous problems that you may not be aware of. Now that you will have a little one with you, you want to make sure your vehicle's brakes, suspension, seat belts, windows, and windshield are all in top condition.
Protect Your Newborn From the Sun Glare from the sun easily comes through a car's windows and can go directly into your newborn's eyes. To protect your child from the uncomfortable and damaging effects of glare while in the car, consider your sun protection options. Tinting the back windows is an effective method, but if you're looking for something temporary, you can choose from a variety of window shades to fit your car's rear and side windows.
Fix Dangerous Cracks in the Windshield The importance of replacing a cracked windshield is often overlooked or not understood. A small chip in the glass could turn into a crack when your car goes over a bump. A crack is a disaster waiting to happen, and a small jolt in the road or a piece of loose gravel hitting the windshield could cause the crack to widen and the glass to shatter. Have your windshield checked and replaced if a professional determines that replacement is necessary.
Following the tips above will help you and your newborn get on the road easily and safely. Happy driving.
Today, I have a new release from the Her Best Friend's Father series! Check out contemporary romance novel Defend Me by Ayden K. Morgen, learn about the author and enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post!
Defend
Me
Her
Best Friend's Father #3
by
Ayden K. Morgen
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
Forget
the rules.
Forget
right or wrong.
Forget
letting go.
When
Roman Gregory's daughter caught him and Mila Lawson together in Santa
Cruz, he swore he would face whatever he had to face to keep Mila by
his side and win back his daughter. But now Talia isn't speaking to
either of them, and their relationship has gotten a whole lot more
complicated thanks to the violent gang gunning for the ATF agent.
Mila
knows nothing good comes easy, but she never imagined being the
reason Talia stopped speaking to her father. All Mila wants to do is
fix what she broke before the man she loves loses his daughter for
good…even if that means she has to break her own heart to do it.
For
Roman, bringing Mila to Los Angeles with a gang war looming on the
horizon is the most terrifying thing he's ever done. But now that
he's fallen in love with the gorgeous blonde, he can't let her go. He
will do whatever it takes to keep her safe and regain his daughter's
trust…even if he has to walk away from his career to do it.
But
neither Roman nor Mila could have foreseen the news that will change
their lives forever.
When
his worst fear becomes a reality and Mila is targeted, more than just
their hearts are on the line. To save Mila's life and guarantee a
future with her, Roman will do more than break the rules. He'll
rewrite the rule book entirely.
Nothing
will stand in his way. Not even the law itself.
Defend
Me is the third part of Mila and Roman's steamy story.
Those
were the terms Mila Lawson offered Roman Gregory when they found
themselves living together in Santa Cruz. Now that the ATF agent has
his daughter's twenty-two year old best friend in his bed every
night, he's finding it more and more difficult to deny what he's felt
for her since the day they met.
With
a drug cartel threatening to go to war and his daughter becoming
increasingly suspicious, the last thing Roman should be thinking
about is keeping Mila by his side. He's never wanted much, but he
wants her…and he's willing to break more than a few of his own
rules to convince the feisty little blonde to put her heart in his
hands.
For
Mila, falling for Roman might just be the most terrifying thing she's
ever done. Trusting him with her body is one thing, but with her past
still hanging over her, she knows all too well that the scary-hot man
who drives her wild has the power to destroy her.
As
their time in Santa Cruz draws to a close and the world beyond their
little stretch of beach closes in on them, Roman and Mila will be
forced to confront the truth about their relationship and make
decisions neither could have imagined.
But
who ever said falling in love would be easy?
Destroy
Me is the second of three
steamy
novellas featuring Mila and Roman.
The
rules were easy enough for Roman Gregory...until Mila Lawson set
out to break every single one of them.
When the twenty-two
year old lands on the ATF agent's doorstep after a nasty breakup, he
knows all too well that she's off-limits. At thirty-eight,
he's almost twice her age, she's hurting, and the blonde
bombshell is his daughter's best friend.
Mila knows all
about wanting what she can't have. For four years, she's lusted
after Talia McPherson's scary hot, terminally single father from
afar. After walking away from her cheating ex and what she thought
was her happily-ever-after, the last thing on her mind is
jumping into a new relationship.
Until
she find herself living with Roman in Santa Cruz...
Now
all she can think about is making all those dirty fantasies come to
life. With nothing left to lose, she makes him an offer he
can't refuse: Two weeks of no-holds-barred sex. No strings. No
commitments. No messy emotions.
Roman has no business agreeing
to her insane proposition. He can't have her. He shouldn't even want
her. But he's going to take her anyway… and he has no intentions of
stopping until she's his completely.
If
there's one thing Roman knows for a fact, it's that he doesn't lose.
Ever.
Devour
Me is the first of three steamy
novellas featuring Mila and Roman.
Ayden
is the Amazon Bestselling author of the Ragnarök Prophesies series.
She lives in the heart of Arkansas with her childhood
sweetheart/husband of fourteen years, and their furry minions. When
not writing, she spends her time hiking, reading, volunteering,
causing mischief, and building a Spork army.
Ayden
graduated summa cum laude with her Bachelor of Science degree
in Criminal Justice and Forensic Psychology in 2009 before going on
to complete her graduate degree in CJ and Law. She currently puts her
education to use in the CJ and Social Services field.
Being a parent is the best and more
rewarding job in the world, but sometimes life can take an unexpected turn and
make the relationship you have with your child difficult. One such thing that
can do this is an addiction because it can happen to anyone and comes with a
destructive force to families. However, this challenge can be overcome if you
are prepared to put in the extra work and help your child get out of this
situation in a safe positive way.
Approaching this new chapter can seem
overwhelming; therefore, this guide has put together some information which may
prove useful to you as you battle the addiction problem within your family. The
more information you can get about addiction and treatment, both from your own
research and from asking questions of medical professionals, the better able
you will be to be a good parent and help your child move forward with his or
her life.
Help them
help themselves
The first and perhaps hardest thing that
you need to realize as a parent is that you can’t do all the hard work for your
child when it comes to getting through addiction and into recovery.
Address that there is a problem
The begin with, you need to have a
conversation with your child about what is happening. A good way to help them
to admit they have some kind of problem is to look through the symptoms of addiction and get them to recognize that they are exhibiting them.
Always have this conversation in a place your child is going to feel safe and
not bombarded.
Get them the proper treatment from professionals
As much as you can be there for your child
as they start to sober up, they will need the assistance and expertise of
medical professionals to ensure that they are safe and getting the help they
need when they need it.
A good place to start is looking on the Forwardrecovery.com
website. Forward Recovery offer residential drug treatment programs that give
bespoke support to both the person suffering from addiction and their families.
Don’t talk
down to them
You need to learn how to avoid being patronizing when you are helping your child through
this. There is nothing that is going to alienate them more than being talked
down to or being made to feel small. Always be honest with them and let them
know that they can be honest about their feelings and fears with you as well
and that they won’t be judged.
Take care
of yourself too
If you know the benefits of seeing a therapist, then you will already have some idea
of why taking care of yourself also means taking care of the person you love.
If you are not able to be strong, then how
can you expect yourself to be there for your child? You also need a place to
vent your feelings and process the situation in a healthy way, and therapy is
the best way of doing this.
This morning, I have a contemporary, women's fiction series in our book spotlight. Check out the books of the A Life Singular series, learn about the author & enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.
In
essence a love story, "A Life Singular" is a seven-part
contemporary fiction serial.
The
books' themes are triumph over mental illness, the choices we make
between right and wrong, and how one affects the other over the
relentless passage of time. Sales proceeds go to two Australian
non-profit organisations assisting young people with their education:
EdConnect Australia and The Smith Family.
Dealing
with some of the more complex social justice issues of our age, the
universal theme of love and our fascination for celebrity spirit the
reader behind the scenes of a superstar family who are plunged into
grief, proving that there are always many sides to a story we see in
the media. The important events in our public lives are always
overshadowed by the backstory's real truth.
A
Life Singular
A
Life Singular Series Book 1
by
Lorraine Pestell
Genre:
Contemporary Women's Fiction
First
in Epic 7-part Serial: Love and Loss, Celebrity and Secrets
The
Endless Pursuit of Love and Wisdom
What
do you do when you lose the one who gave your life meaning? You write
about it. You tell the world how amazing it is to love and be loved
by someone so special, what love helps you achieve and how it makes
you stronger.
Jeff
Diamond had built a life of influence, adulation and wealth by making
the right choices for the right reasons. He lived by the law of
reciprocity, a lesson learned on the streets as a teenager with
nothing but an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Plagued by the
scars of a violent childhood, he created his vision and fought for
it. And once he no longer needed to fight for himself, he fought for
others.
Yet
when Jeff’s dream girl was taken from him and their children by the
ignorant act of a jealous misfit from his own home town, the
millionnaire realised just how far he had come. Why had he succeeded
when so many like him fail? It wasn’t complicated. The secret lay
in the endless pursuit of love and wisdom; life’s two magic
ingredients. Now Lynn was gone, he resolved to use his remaining days
to account for their life in a way that would inspire young people to
make his type of choice rather than García’s.
Then
after their story was written, he would be free to go after her, to
begin the whole incredible journey over again. Everyone has a life
singular: one; unique; extraordinary.
Writing
an autobiography on behalf of someone else presented Jeff with an
interesting dilemma. Did he make assumptions about what Lynn would
have included, or should he restrict her contribution to direct
quotes from her letters and diaries? He had their kids to protect,
and her parents…
As
he worked through the huge amount of material available in the press
about their life as it had taken shape, interlacing it with highly
personal stories, the widower crafted chapter after chapter of
memories, both happy and heartbreaking. If this was to be a true
account of their partnership, he owed it to the memory of his
beautiful best friend to cover so much more than what was already on
public record.
When
it came to adding his own reminiscences of those early months, about
meeting someone he already knew intimately, Jeff had no difficulty in
recalling every single, vivid moment. Entire conversations came back
to him, sometimes word for word, rushing through his fingers and into
the computer.
Photographs
prompted him too, as did the treasured possessions that surrounded
him, like the old leather jacket he had received on his twentieth
birthday. Lynn had left him shortly after that, just like she had
left him now. The pull of being together again was unrelenting, but
Jeff hung on to the dream that their life singular would one day
resume. Once their story had been told.
Writing
an autobiography on behalf of someone else presented Jeff with an
interesting dilemma. Did he make assumptions about what Lynn would
have included, or should he restrict her contribution to direct
quotes from her letters and diaries? He had their kids to protect,
and her parents.
Fame
and fortune beckoned. Jeff Diamond was a success, whatever that
meant. Fans followed him everywhere, reporters and photographers hid
around every corner and journalists recorded his many indiscretions.
A whole different world to the downtrodden streets of Sydney’s
south-west, where vices were satisfied by using people to one’s
best advantage.
The
star had more money than he could spend, his opinion suddenly
counted, and the opportunities to feed his ever-hungry mind were
plentiful. Yet the demons continued to torment him, no longer
protected by the guardian angel who had been spirited away as soon as
her family found out who Jeff Diamond was and where he had come from.
Suddenly
the ambitious businessman and philanthropist found himself in the
fight of his life. He would win Lynn’s heart by showing her father
he was worthy, and by convincing his dream girl that they had
something worth fighting for. Would she risk throwing her privileged
lifestyle away for a man whose public persona depended on alcohol,
drugs and a string of pretty girls?
Jeff
had nothing to lose. The trappings of his new life held little
significance until the soul-mates were reunited. This was where their
life singular really began. Up until this point, there had only been
playtime. Now they must step up and take responsibility. It was up to
them.
So
this was it! Lynn and Jeff, two celebrities driven to change the
world together, had grasped their life singular with both hands and
were not about to let go. They had the Midas touch, gifted through
the virtues of reciprocity and a deepening understanding of right
versus wrong.
The
prospect of turning two into four, mirroring the black jetstone ring
that lived on the handsome man’s right hand, filled the couple with
excitement. Never in his wildest dreams had the no-good street kid
imagined himself as a father. His own had given him nothing. So much
less than nothing, in fact.
Should
Jeff settle that score? Was it worth disturbing the paradise they had
planned, where their well-established careers showed no sign of
slowing down and their hard work yielded so much for so many?
Surfacing past wrongs and holding people to account for setting them
right were part and parcel of letting go, his dream girl had
insisted. And who was he to argue? She had been right all along.
As
the book’s extraordinary chapters continued to document the
achievements of their life singular, the solitary author cried and
smiled in equal measure through the arrival of a small boy with
blond, curly hair and the sultry gipsy girl who could see inside his
soul from the moment she was born. Lynn had given him two new friends
who must now be steered through their young lives, learning their own
lessons about the endless pursuit of love and wisdom.
The
world was an enormous place; full of good and evil, beauty and
ugliness, wonder and despair. Sometimes all seemed lost, returning
from the latest round of negotiations and attempting to balance the
surreal career of a chart-topping musician with the demands of an
advocate for those discarded by mainstream society. With every
problem the Diamonds worked to solve, a new one would be right around
the corner.
All was not lost, however. Unity and liberty, the
twin spirits living in two perfect beings waiting for him at home,
were all Jeff needed to spur him on. They would one day inherit the
world which he and his beautiful best friend were intent on changing
for the better, along with the millions of others who wrote to the
couple every day, seeking ever more of their energy, time and
money.
The tired author kept reverting to the theme of
reciprocity. We should never take more than we give. If only they
could convince enough people of their byword… It was right that the
struggle should never end. What would he do if it did? There was no
room for self-satisfied fat cats in their life singular. What sort of
example might that set for those who must follow?
Lynn had
departed, the children were growing stronger now, and the widower
heard the clock ticking night after night after night. Still with so
many amazing experiences to recount, the lost boy knew his dream girl
couldn’t wait forever. He was grateful for this opportunity to set
the record straight, but gratitude could only take him so far.
Lynn
Dyson and Jeff Diamond had become the celebrity couple with the Midas
touch. With their son showing every sign of fulfilling his sporting
destiny and a teenaged daughter who was already driven to right the
world’s wrongs, they were showered with accolades and adoration
from every corner of the globe.
How had this nobody from the
wrong side of the tracks got so lucky? With his dream girl by his
side every step of the way, the superstar’s multi-faceted career
knew no bounds. Politicians clamoured for photo-opportunities, the
press hung on his every word and the success of their business empire
funnelled millions of dollars into worthy causes.
No wonder
they had been an assassination target! Jeff’s autobiography
foretold this omen with twenty-twenty hindsight, his open wounds
smarting with each obvious opulent and outspoken occasion. “The
higher you climb, the harder you fall.” This tedious cliché rang
true for the father as he captured his teenagers’ many exploits for
posterity. He and Lynn had dared to scale enormous heights, paying
the ultimate price far too soon.
Had it all been worth it? The
book held these secrets, painstakingly transcribed by a man who
couldn’t wait to find out what was to come. Whether taken from his
lover’s journals, the children’s memories or the cataclysm of
poetry pouring from his lonely heart, the months leading up to his
next challenge had legitimised every decision the forever couple had
ever made.
He only hoped the same good fortune would hold true
in the next lifetime.
"Their
Handbook For Life Was Complete. Not A Cast-Iron Guarantee, But
A Good Start For Anyone Looking For Answers. The Rest Was Up To
Its Readers To Make Their Own Life Singular. Jeff Diamond
Sealed The Envelope On His Manuscript, Content That He Had Fully
Accounted For The Life That Had Brought Him To Where He Was Today.
Alone.
Lynn
Would Be Pleased With The Way Their Autobiography Had Turned Out,
Complete With A Carefully Selected Set Of Photographs And Proof-Read
From Cover To Cover By Their Gorgeous Daughter.
It
was now time to finish things off properly, and that began by
acknowledging the mate who had stood by Jeff for almost thirty
years. Gerry Blake had been his squash partner, his manager,
his drinking buddy and his best man through the whole incredible
journey, in so many ways his alter-ego. He was now getting
married for the first time at forty-seven years old, no doubt spooked
by what had happened to his old friend.
The
thankful billionnaire and the ghost living inside his heart were
determined to give Gerry and his new wife the very best send-off,
before continuing on their own quest for reunion. Would they
find a way to be together again? And how would the kids know to
keep telling their singular story?
Book
7 in the series is twinned with “Le Roi se meurt (The
King is Dead)” by Eugène Ionesco.
Lorraine
Pestell was born in London and has had a successful IT career in the
UK, US, Europe, Singapore, and more recently Australia. Lorraine is a
life-long sufferer of Clinical Depression and Post-traumatic Stress
Disorder. She began using writing as therapy, attempting to find her
place in the world. "A Life Singular" soon developed into
an epic family saga, with the first book published in 2013. She
currently resides in Central Victoria with her rescued Belgian
Shepherd, Nikki.
