Have A Truly Relaxing Staycation

By Elizabeth Scott, M.S., About.com Guide

Here's How:

1. Turn Off The Phone.
   This sounds obvious, but the point of a staycation is to have a vacation, and the point of a vacation is to get away from the demands of your regular life. To truly do so, you need to stop being ‘on call,’ and set your phone to go straight to voicemail. You can check your messages each night if you want to, and decide who you want to call back, but it may be a good idea to tell everyone you won’t be around for a week, and just take a break. (While you’re at it, why not put your mail on hold and take other precautions you’d take when you go on a traditional vacation?)
2. And The Computer.
   While many, many people make the mistake of taking work with them when they go on vacation (a strategy that tends to sabotage the relaxing element of a trip), it’s even more important to avoid being available for work when you’re on a staycation. (It may be more tempting to ‘check in’ at work, and they may feel more entitled to request it of you, which is all the more reason for the computer to stay off.) Even if you’re not planning to work with your computer, do you really think a week of playing World of Warcraft or Weboggle would be as relaxing and memorable as other options you have?
3. Try Something New
   Staycations mean you can play ‘hometown tourist,’ and enjoy the fun things that your city (or surrounding areas) have to offer, which you normally might go out of your way to experience. An added benefit of going to the touristy places in your area, is that when you pass by these places after your staycation is over, your fond memories will be triggered and you can relive the fun. You may also be more inclined to do such fun things during the rest of the year when you’re not vacationing, which might provide a nice little escape that can help stave off burnout.
4. But Don’t Over-Book Yourself
   As you indulge in the fun that your town has to offer, remember to schedule in some ‘down time’ to read, relax, sleep in, lollygag, and do all the things people really like to do on traditional vacations. The idea of a staycation is to feel like you’ve gotten a break, so be sure you get one. Just balance it out with fun activities, too.
5. Don’t Be Afraid To Splurge
   Because you’re saving money by staying close to home, you can (and should) eat meals out and splurge in other areas, just like you would on a traditional vacation. If you want to go to brunch, get a massage, go shopping, or even hire a cleaning service to come if you don’t already have one (you’d get maid service in a hotel, right?), you should do so guiltlessly if you can afford to. It contributes to the carefree mindset you’re trying to capture with your staycation. It makes all the difference between a staycation and just a week hanging around the house.

I'm new at grilling and love a thick juicy filet mignon. What's the secret?

By Derrick Riches

Grilling: Here's what I recommend. Get your grill good and hot. The ideal temperature is one that will cook the steak to the desired doneness in the shortest amount of time without burning the surface. Place the room temperature steaks on the grill and close the lid. Watch closely to avoid flare-ups and turn when the sides start to turn gray and the bottom side has good grill marks on it. Flip and close the lid again. Continue to watch for flare-ups. When the sides are gray all the way through and the second side has good grill marks check for doneness.

Doneness: One of the biggest problems people have about steaks is how to know when it's done. Some people will cook up a small piece of meat with the steaks and use it for testing purposes. The only problem with this is that the smaller pieces will cook faster. I use what I call the stiffness test. Take the raw steak and place it on a plate. With your spatula or fork press down on the steak and move the spatula back and forth. Get a good feel for how the steak moves between the top and bottom. A completely cooked (well done) steak will have almost none of this motion. A medium rare steak will have a little motion but will feel stiffer. This is a skill that you have to practice with. Remember that you can always put a steak back on the grill if it's too rare but you can't uncook a well done steak. Err on the side of under cooked and throw it back on the grill if you need to. If you pay good attention to the way a steak cooks you'll get better at telling when it's just perfect.

Cuts: Another factor is of course the cut of meat and the quality of that cut. Finding the steak you like best, that fits your pocket book takes knowledge and experience. Read up on the subject, try different cuts, and of course, talk to you butcher. You'll have few better friends in this world than a smart and trustworthy butcher.

Resting: Now for the most important part, don't serve it right away. Let the steak "rest" for about 5 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness. This allows the juices to move back into the meat. Resting should be done in a place that is about room temperature and with only a loose covering over it. If you doubt me, try cutting a steak in half right off the grill. Let a second steak rest for five minutes, and then cut into it. See which one is juicier.

And of course the "real" most important rule is to practice. The more steaks you grill the better you will get. Be observant though. Every time you grill you should pay attention to the weather, the food, the grill. This is how you learn to be a great griller.

Can you feel it in the air? Summer is on its way. While that may mean toes in the sand and Kool Aid flowing, there are millions of moms scrambling to find something for kids to do all summer. Even though the mall, library and (dare I say it) video game tournaments may keep them occupied, kids these days seem to need a little more creativity to get them off the couch and into the swing of summer. And while the tips below are meant to help beat the heat and boredom, don’t forget to stop once in a while and enjoy those unstructured lazy summer days we all enjoyed as kids.

FREE…

Watered Down Day trips to the beach are always fun, but you don’t have to go far for no-cost entertainment. Tracy’s a mom and a firm believer that the “3 P’s” — park, pool, play dates — are the way to keep her kids busy. Mama Kim adds a fourth “P” for sanity… Prozac. (Just kidding, people.)

Catch a Movie Some local theaters offer FREE movies all summer long. Regal offers $1 showings on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings across the country.

Bowl ‘em Over! Bowling beats the heat, keeps them active and doesn’t break the bank. But you can even check out KidsBowlFree.com to find free games across the country!

Make a Difference Consider getting the kids active with volunteer work this summer. WaystoHelp.org gets kids to choose their own cause and make summer memories that will not only stick with them, but those they help, too.

Homeward Bound Summer for mom-of-three Renee can often be a downside of working from home. “My kids don’t seem to understand that just because they’re on a break doesn’t mean Mom is. It’s tough. My kids typically don’t want to do any camps — they’re so burnt from school they just wanna ‘veg’ for the first month.”

Need More Tips To Keep The Family Busy....CLICK HERE

WORDS TO LIVE BY...

"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish."

~John Quincy Adams~

"If you're going to be thinking, you may as well think big."

~Donald Trump~

"All our dreams can come true - if we have the courage to pursue them."

~Walt Disney~

"If not us, who? If not now, when?"

~Kennedy, John F.~

"Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

"That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well."

~Abraham Lincoln~

"He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else."

~Benjamin Franklin~

"Happiness is the only good. The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy is to make others so."

~Robert G. Ingersoll~

LET'S MAKE THIS THE BEST WEEK OF THE YEAR!!!

ENCOURAGEMENT CORNER...

What would you do, if you could do anything? How would this day be, if you could create it to be just the way you want?

What would occupy your thoughts, if you did not have to worry about anything? What actions would you take, if you were sure they would bring what you intended?

What would you say if you were not concerned about what anyone else might think? What would you dream of experiencing, if you were certain the dream would come true?

How would you live, if you allowed your most treasured inner values to be expressed in your outer world? How would you feel, if you could feel precisely the way you wanted to feel?

In fact, on this day and in this place, you can. You can do and say and feel and be precisely the way you would like to be.

Life is entirely what you allow it to be. Imagine, intend and allow your very best vision of life right now, and always.

- Ralph Marston

FTC Will Not Enforce Provisions of MARS Rule Against Real Estate Professionals Helping Consumers Obtain Short Sales

The Federal Trade Commission today issued a statement announcing that it will forbear from enforcing most provisions of its Mortgage Assistance Relief Services (MARS) Rule against real estate brokers and their agents who assist financially distressed consumers in obtaining short sales from their lenders or servicers.

As a result of the stay on enforcement, these real estate professionals will not have to make several disclosures required by the Rule that, in the context of assisting with short sales, could be misleading or confuse consumers. As more and more American homeowners seek short sales, it is especially important that the Rule not inadvertently discourage real estate professionals from helping consumers with these types of transactions.

The MARS Rule was issued pursuant to authority granted by Congress in 2009. The issuance of the Rule followed numerous FTC and state enforcement actions against companies that claimed to be able to obtain from consumers’ mortgage lenders or servicers a loan modification or other relief to avoid foreclosure. The Rule covers companies or individuals, among others, who assist consumers in obtaining approval of a short sale from their lender or servicer.

A short sale occurs when a home is sold for an amount less than the balance owed on the mortgage loan, and the lender or servicer agrees to accept the proceeds of the sale instead of pursuing foreclosure. Short sales can benefit consumers by allowing them to escape from a mortgage that they cannot afford, while avoiding foreclosure. Many real estate professionals assist distressed homeowners by providing both traditional services associated with selling their homes (e.g., listing the property) and working to seek lender or servicer approval of a short sale.
The MARS Rule requires companies offering mortgage assistance relief services to disclose certain information to consumers about the services they provide, bans collection of advance fees, and prohibits false or misleading claims. After the Rule went into effect, a number of real estate professionals who help consumers with short sales raised concerns about complying with the Rule. These professionals pointed out that some of the required disclosures could confuse consumers or could be inaccurate in this context.

At this time, the Commission has announced that it will not enforce most of the provisions of the MARS Rule against real estate professionals who are engaged in obtaining short sales for consumers. The stay applies only to real estate professionals who: 1) are licensed and in good standing under state licensing requirements; 2) comply with state laws governing the practices of real estate professionals; and 3) assist or attempt to assist consumers in obtaining short sales in the course of securing the sales of their homes. The stay exempts real estate professionals who meet these requirements from the obligation to make disclosures and from the ban on collecting advance fees. These professionals, however, remain subject to the Rule’s ban on misrepresentations.

The Commission stated that the stay does not apply to real estate professionals who provide other types of mortgage assistance relief, such as loan modifications. In addition, the FTC will continue to enforce the Rule and Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits unfair and deceptive practices, against all other providers of mortgage assistance relief services.

The Commission vote approving the MARS Rule enforcement policy was 5-0. It can be found on the FTC’s website and as a link to this press release. More information about the Rule can be found here, and information about consumers’ mortgage rights can be found here.

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. Like the FTC on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Mitchell J. Katz,
Office of Public Affairs
202-326-2161

STAFF CONTACT:

Evan Zullow or Leah Frazier,
Bureau of Consumer Protection
202-326-3224

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