Not only is May Sustainability Month, it is also Bike Safety Month! Follow BAL-4 & B-T as they learn about reusable bike tires.
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Great Styling Tools For Your Hair
May 10, 2012 By
If you're looking for ways to revamp your hair style, these beauty tools are a must-have. Check out our list, and see what new items you might want to have at home at Fairchild Family Housing to include in your beauty routine.
Elastic Helpers
Nobody wants to have a bad hair day, but they inevitably come around for everyone. When they do, be prepared with some nice elastics that won't damage your hair as you're getting it out of the way.
The Shower Cap
Shower caps are one of the most under-rated "tools" out there. For those days when you aren't shampooing, the shower cap is invaluable to protect your hair. By finding a cap with a good fit, you'll be protecting yourself from the shower's humidity and doing a lot to maintain your hair's health.
A Good Brush
Since you probably use a brush or comb almost every day, you should be sure to get a good one. A high quality brush can go a long way in maintaining your hair health. By investing in a better one, you'll be doing a lot to prevent hair breakage and hair loss.
Flat Iron
Increasingly popular in the past few years, flat irons are great for women sick of muscling their way to straight hair with a brush and a dryer. Straighten your hair with less effort by picking up a flat iron, and make your hair and arm muscles both a little happier.
Ceramic Heating
Whether you're using a curling wand or rollers, ceramic heating works great while minimizing the abuse that your hair undergoes. Your hair will dry quickly, and you'll be helping to fight frizz and heat damage at the same time.
Incorporate these tools into your routine, and you're locks will look fabulous in no-time-flat!
BAL-4 & B-T Learn to Pack a Waste-Free Lunch
May 7, 2012 By
Tips To De-Clutter Your Home
May 3, 2012 By
If your clutter, which used to seem manageable, now seems to be running the roost, it may be time to rethink things. Follow these simple steps to create a more organized space, and regain control of your home's interior.
Purge!
Every weekend, pick a room, go through everything in it, and separate items into what you want to keep, store, donate, or throw away. Be brutally honest, and ask yourself if you’ll really use what you have. (If you haven't used it in the last 6 months, you probably don't need it!) Then follow through! This is a good chance to clean under all that stuff as well.
Provide yourself with storage space
Look at what you have left and decide where it should go. Sometimes it helps to invest in some sturdy boxes or storage bins. But, if you really don’t have a place to put it, maybe you don’t need it in the first place!
Use multifunctional furniture
Make sure everything has a dual purpose and allows for extra storage if you find clutter to be an issue. Look for beds with drawers underneath them, coffee and end tables with shelves, or ottomans with storage inside. All these pieces help to fit storage into limited space.
Keep it up
When you are done using something, put it back in its proper spot. Survey your space every day to make sure things aren’t getting out of control, and when considering new purchases, ask yourself where they will go in your space, whether you really need them, and whether something else has to go to make room.
Spread the word
You’ll never stay on top of your place if you’re always picking up after your family. Give everyone their own organizational tools, and encourage them to put things away and pick up after themselves.
May is Sustainability Month: Follow BAL-4 & B-T as They Learn to Make a Difference
May 1, 2012 By
Balfour Beatty has declared May as Sustainability Month. Throughout the month, employees across all our offices will be learning about ways they can implement sustainable behaviors and practices in the office, at home and throughout the greater community. Sustainability is a collective responsibility. We encourage you to follow BAL-4 and B-T each month to learn about ways you too can make a difference.
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Bird Watching Tips For Nature Lovers
April 26, 2012 By
As winter transitions to spring, the warm weather brings with it a wonderful chance to watch the season’s birds in action. Whether you’re a diehard birdwatcher or just someone with a curiosity about avian life, here are tips to help you get the most of out of your bird watching adventure:
Pick up a Field Guide
Sure, you can just grab a pair of binoculars and head outside, but a some preparation beforehand can add immensely to the experience. The best way to know what you’re looking for is to spend some time with a field guide, which is a book with pictures of birds and tips for identifying them. National Geographic and Peterson make excellent field guides with region-specific information that will help you get to know the birds in your particular area.
Learn Where To Look
Don’t just take your binoculars and glance randomly around. If you really want to catch some exciting bird action, familiarize yourself with the habitats of the different birds you’re hoping to spot. When you’re hoping to see a certain kind of bird, make sure you know where to look – is it a species that likes to spend time in treetops, or on lake surfaces, or on the ground? A little pre-binocular reading can go a long way.
Recognize the Sounds
Your bird watching experience can benefit immensely if you gain a solid knowledge of the songs of different birds in your region. That way, you can recognize when you hear the sound of a particular bird and then you can figure out from there where to point your binoculars. There are many resources in libraries, bookstores, and online to help acquaint you with the sounds of birds in your region.
Write It All Down
To make your bird watching experience particularly engaging and memorable, consider keeping a diary of the outing. Record the birds you’ve spotted and the observations you’ve made about them in terms of their location, appearance, sound, and behavior. This will also prove helpful to you the next time you go bird watching because it can act as a guide to what you can expect to observe in a variety of bird species.
Try a Birding Trip
This is an especially great option for beginners. Many local nature preserves, parks, and Audubon chapters offer guided birding trips. Experienced bird watchers will lead you through prime birding areas in your region and acquaint you with the best methods of catching the birds in action. Taking a birding trip is also a great way to make friends with the same interest.
What Your Favorite Flowers Symbolize
April 12, 2012 By
We can all agree that flowers are beautiful, smell nice, and make people smile, but did you know that flowers are also full of classical symbolism? Simply stated, over time different flowers have come to mean different things. Below is a short guide to some of the basics.
The rose is most often linked with romance, but different colors of this flower have different meanings. Traditional red roses stand for passion and ardor, whereas yellow blooms have come to mean happiness and friendship, and white roses are symbolic of innocence and youth.
Gerber daisies, a popular spring time blossom, symbolize youth and purity, and are often selected for bouquets for a younger woman.
Stately Orchids symbolize both elegance and sophistication. These refined flowers have another meaning in Asian cultures where they are linked to fertility and multiple children.
Peonies are often a popular choice for weddings, as they have come to stand for togetherness and a happy life. Some believe that their fragrance actually acts as an aphrodisiac.
Did you know that some flowers have negative connotations? Although marigolds are beautiful, they also carry symbolic connotations of grief and jealousy. Why? Nobody really knows for sure, but it's something to keep in mind before you give a friend a potted marigold.
Gardenias are a beautiful blossom to send to somebody you have a secret affinity for — they symbolize a hidden love as well as physical attraction.
Not Alone Program for Military Families Affected by War
April 9, 2012 By
We would like to take the time to familiarize our residents with a helpful program that supports military families whose lives are affected by war. Not Alone, a non-profit organization, aims to “empower warriors and their families in their life after war.”
Not Alone provides many different avenues for receiving anonymous and confidential support at no cost, including:
- eGroups
- Training
- Workshops
- Personal Clinical Care for anything including post-traumatic stress disorder, clinical depression, and medical management
- Forums/Discussion Boards
- Social Networks
- Retreats for warriors and for spouses
- eClinic
Not Alone hosts weekly online groups for spouses on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Caregiver/Spouse Support Groups are held on Wednesday nights. The first Wednesday of every month is an open topic, with the rest of the Wednesdays dedicated to our series, 7 Lives of Military wives. Thursdays are Trench Talk, an open forum discussion revolving around deployment cycle issues.
To enter the group, go to http://notalone.webex.com
Under the "Today" tab, join the session up to 30 minutes before start time.
Wednesday password: "spouses"
Thursday password: "trenchtalk"
Are you unsure whether or not you should seek support? To determine your stress and anxiety levels, take Not Alone’s free Stress Assessment Test.
If you’re looking for immediate assistance, please contact the Not Alone eClinic, a 24/7 hotline at 1-866-781-8010.
For further information about Not Alone, visit their website at: http://notalone.com. You can also follow Not Alone on Facebook and Twitter.
Enjoy These Seasonal Fruits And Veggies!
April 5, 2012 By
As spring arrives, gardens are alive with new shoots, and, believe it or not, it's never too early to begin the harvest. The spring fruit and vegetable season adds tons of exciting new options to your cooking. Below are some of the best fresh fruits and vegetables to consider cooking with this season .
Asparagus is one of the most eagerly anticipated new crops every spring. When picked fresh, it’s fragrant and extremely delicious, and cooking it is incredibly simple. You can steam it, roast it, saute it, or even grill it. All it needs is a little salt, pepper and olive oil for its natural flavor to truly shine.
Garlic shoots are an unusual but remarkable spring harvest. Before the white garlic bulb that you are familiar with develops, the plant grows a large, green shoot, also called a “scape.” This has a flavor similar to the bulb but much milder, and it’s great for spring soups.
Spring is also the best time to harvest new potatoes. Although potatoes can stay in the ground through the summer and well into the late fall, harvesting them early keeps the skin from thickening, making for sweet, tender spuds that cook quickly and burst with fresh flavor.
In terms of fruit, one of the best bounties every spring is the cherry harvest. Cherries start growing in the middle of the season, and are best if eaten quickly after harvesting for the optimal flavor.
