Three Gift Ideas for Summer Occasions

It’s summertime! Other than ice cream, barbecues, and fireworks, summer also means baby showers, bridal showers, weddings, birthday parties, etc. If your loved ones are anything like mine, people tend to celebrate these occasions more in the summertime when temperatures are more pleasant and time is more flexible with vacations and kids out of school.

This means summertime is busy. So when faced with a special occasion requiring a gift, what to give? Pressed for time, but tired of giving gift cards? Make your own gift basket! Gift baskets are a fun way to personalize gift-giving that you can make appropriate for any age. You can generally keep them to under $50, too. Purchase a basket and your desired products online or in your travels to save time, and fill it with the following things:

Waste basket at Home Depot

(1) Baby shower / baby welcome / gender reveal / first-year-old birthday gift basket.

Gift ideas: Pacifiers, bibs, diapers, onesies, oral care products, etc.

(2) Bridal shower / bachelorette party / self-care gift basket.

Gift ideas: Face mask, brush (everyone can replace theirs!), travel-size blow dryer or styling products, hair and skin care products, make up, etc.

(3) Summer-themed gift basket.

Gift ideas: A natural, organic suntan lotion, beach towel, fashionable sun hat, trendy sandals, koozie for an individual drink, etc.

Have fun mixing and matching products that you think your gift recipients would love!

© 2019 Melanie Glover. All rights reserved.

First image above:  Shutterstock.

Simple Hotel Room Workout: Legs Focus

The last year had me traveling for both work and personal commitments all over North America. Our personal and professional lives can really impede our workouts, which can make it difficult to stay active. And although some hotels boast elaborate gyms, we know that not all hotel gyms are created equal. To stay on top of your workouts, try this quick leg workout in a hotel room or small hotel gym space. Perform 50 repetitions of each exercise four times. End with a plank for added core work!

Hip/glute bridges

Body weight squats (add in pulses for a quicker burnout)

Single-leg lunges (complete 50 each leg)

Step-ups (complete 50 each leg using a sturdy piece of furniture)

Bonus exercise 1 (core): plank (one minute)

Bonus exercise 2 (legs): walk or run up and down the staircase at your hotel for some extra cardio.

Travel tip: Check out the gym at the Hilton Hotel in Prague, Czech Republic — you won’t be disappointed!

All opinions are my own, and I received no compensation for expressing them.

© 2019 Balanza and Beyond, LLC. All rights reserved.

First image above:  Shutterstock.

Top Four (Healthier) Summer Ice Cream Stops (Around the World)

Self care means indulging every once in awhile, and for me that means enjoying ice cream during the warmer summer months!

I LOVE ice cream. In the summertime, there’s nothing better than experimenting with fun flavors in a cup or a cone while watching the sunset over a lake, walking around a cute downtown area with a dear one, or hanging out with friends on a porch or deck. Here are a few of my favorite ice cream stops around the world so that you can enjoy ice cream (or gelato) wherever you are!

(1) Ice Cream Joy Cafe in Lakewood, OH: Ice Cream Joy Cafe is a cute ice cream shop near Cleveland, Ohio serving vegan ice cream with other natural ingredients. Oh, and they also serve coffee, teas, and espresso — bonus!

(2) Furniture Creamery in Grand Rapids, MI: Located between downtown and east Grand Rapids, Michigan, Furniture City Creamery offers its customers a wide variety of ever-changing flavors made with vegan and other natural ingredients; however, chocolate always seems to be at the top of the list! True to its name, the ice cream is always super creamy. Don’t miss the private patio at the back of this shop to enjoy your special treat. And, it’s pet friendly!

(3) Di Angelo Gelateria in Madrid, Spain: This is my favorite gelato stop in Spain. The gelato is thick and full of flavor, and the gelateria uses natural ingredients such as whole fruits in their batches. Ask for “energético,” which is a combination of citrus flavors plus carrot.

Gelato

(4) Tasty Treat in Lake City, MI: This place boasts “the largest cones in the North!” — and they’re not kidding! They offer such generous portions that even a “kid” size does not disappoint, and the variety of their sizes makes this place an easy one to visit while watching your portions. Their list of flavors is pretty extensive too; I love the variety of flurries they offer (plenty of fruit!).

So there you have it — my top four picks for ice cream stops around the world. Here’s to enjoying ice cream wherever you are this summer!

All opinions are my own, and I received no compensation for expressing them.

© 2019 Balanza and Beyond, LLC. All rights reserved.

First image above:  Shutterstock.

Restaurant Review: Vidrio in Raleigh, NC

“Wow,” was the first thought that came to mind as I walked into the loud, bustling restaurant named “Vidrio” in downtown Raleigh on a cool March evening in 2019. My cousin had asked me if I knew what “vidrio” meant and whether it was Spanish. I thought and responded quickly, “Yes, of course. ‘Vidrio’ means glass in Spanish.” But after responding to her, I could not picture what that meant in the context of this new modern restaurant; I was super curious.

Vidrio main dining room

Walking into Vidrio took my breath away. I was immediately distracted by the vibrant colors, unique glassware protruding from the main wall several feet high, and the rich ambiance reflecting foodies who enjoyed Mediterranean food just like me. I was so in awe that I admit I snapped a few photos before being seated.

Once we took our seats, I immediately asked our server for a brief tour of the restaurant after dinner. I had never seen any restaurant like this. It was then I would learn that Doug Frates (https://www.dougfratesglass.com/), the artist behind the glass masterpieces, had created the mural of “vibrant orbs, which are designed to inspire visions of Mediterranean sunrises or sunsets over crystal-blue waters” (source: www.vidrio.com). Covering one of the restaurant’s back walls, in fact, was a reel of projected photos that alternated images of various Mediterranean landscapes including countrysides, sunrises, and sunsets.

Vidrio main dining room ceiling decorations

I would like to say that the best part about this restaurant is its glassware, and it it probably is. But its food and drinks do not disappoint. After all, my cousin had brought me to this restaurant knowing I enjoy authentic food and unique dining experiences. We began our evening by ordering a variety of tapas. I expected the portions to be small as tapas tend to be in the U.S. However, Vidrio served such generous portions that we ended up ordering more than enough!

Serrano ham pizza

Patatas bravas (fingerling potatoes in a tomato-based sauce)

The food was tasty and generous in portion size, the ambiance was breathtaking, and the vibes were trendy. We had cocktails and wine, and all drinks impressed as well. Dress is trendy to casual; this would be a great date night spot or night out on the town with your favorite friends. The restaurant tends to be on the pricier side, but it is worth the cost to experience the environment and food.

Vidrio main dining room

Vidrio wine cellar

After dinner, we embarked on our tour and noticed a wine cellar and more than enough space to host a private party perfect for a wedding reception or networking event.

Vidrio private space

Last but not least, the service was impeccable. We were greeted; our server was attentive; and the manager gave us the personal tour of the space after our meal. This place is definitely worth a try if you’re looking for Mediterranean fare in an upscale, modern atmosphere.

All opinions are my own, and I received no compensation for expressing them.

© 2019 Melanie Glover. All rights reserved.

Self Advocacy as Self Care: Showing up and Speaking up in Your Own Life

During the winter of 2019, I took on a large home renovation project with a lot of hope and very little experience. Okay, I had no experience in home renovation. Basic terms like “pex” and “well pump” were foreign to me. But the dream of owning my own cottage near my favorite childhood vacation spot was enough to push me toward and complete the purchase.

As I write this, I am not yet finished with the project two months later. In fact, only the significant professional work has just begun. However, in two short months, I have learned many life lessons about people, places, and myself. I have learned enough to do it better next time, and I have learned enough to know I still know very little about home improvement.

My sister always told me I was “book smart” but not “street smart.” I think she meant that I was good in school and was able to achieve good grades, but she identified that my brain did not work mechanically, nor was I handy. This home renovation project nicely illustrated this important distinction. While analytical, I am not mechanical. In many ways, this distinction limited my ability to organize, request, and assess work that third-party professionals would complete on my cottage. In many ways, despite my legal background, I found myself unable to articulate basic mechanical expressions and descriptions because I had never seen them in action before. Thus, they were difficult to visualize.

On one occasion, one of those third-party professionals misunderstood my designs and calculations. His misunderstanding and our lack of communication (in writing and verbally) led to his redoing his work (and charging me for it). I did not understand this complication or redo anymore than I understand the original work I had hired him to complete to begin with. The nature of the work, I felt, disadvantaged me to a point where I felt incapable and unable to advocate for myself.

A loved one who noticed my struggling asked me, “Why don’t you treat him like one of your clients? Why don’t you stand up for yourself, and tell him you will pay him only once the job is done and done correctly?”

I considered the questions long and hard. My loved one was right. Why was I feeling doubtful of myself in this moment? I still had the same legal education and training in contracts and negotiation as I had had before the home renovation project. Why wasn’t I using it by clarifying exactly what I wanted done to the house? He reminded me that

“Self care is advocating for yourself just as you would for a loved one or client.”

I sat down and outlined all of the work I wanted done; I made a list of all tasks. I delivered it to the third-party professional. I informed him that I wanted to avoid any misunderstanding por completo (Spanish for “entirely” in this context). I explained the list to him, and I clarified my expectations. I hired an inspector to review the work. I researched, wrote, analyzed, and communicated just the way I would have had I been managing a case in the legal context.

Too often we forget that our professional skills transcend the professional or academic circles or contexts in which we have developed or honed these skills, and we turn to the conventional habits of the past – even when those habits no longer serve us (or we forget that they no longer serve us). That’s just what happened to me. I resorted to the mentality that I could manage a problem with time, money, and effort, but there was a better way: use my advocacy skills just as if I were representing a client or a loved one in a legal matter.

When we put to good use our professional skills not only for others but also for ourselves, we contribute to productivity. We reap the benefits of all of those hard and long years of school, internships, and work experience. We fight for ourselves just as we would fight for our family members, friend, colleagues, and clients. We remember our worth, and we demonstrate it.

I considered why advocating for myself would not come as naturally to me as advocating for others has. I considered that it might be my legal training – that advocacy for others is the cornerstone of law practice. But there is something internally rewarding about recognizing the value you provide others by providing it to yourself. This form of self-care is an important one not to forget because it helps remind us of our self-worth. A sense of self-worth, after all, is the best preparation you could have to advocate for someone else’s.

© 2019 Melanie Glover. All rights reserved.

First image above:  Shutterstock.