“Relative Discomfort” by Jeremy Greenberg (Andrews McMeel, $15), a new book out this month, is a family survival guide of sorts for gatherings like weddings and holidays. Greenberg, who is a comic in addition to being a writer, obviously intended for the read to give you a good laugh, too.
Consider a couple of the tips:
- From chapter 6, “Arrival Strategies”: “Arrive early, so everyone who shows up after you feels like an outsider.”
- From chapter 26, “Camping with Dummies”: “Play lots of fun games, like Which In-Law Is the Most Allergic to Poison Oak? It will provide a rich, bonding experience that won’t go away for three to four weeks.”
We’ll randomly award our copy of the book to a reader who posts an answer to this question: What’s your No. 1 tip for coping with annoying relatives?
Work can be such a tempting place to break all of your fitness and weight-loss goals. A rich meal during a lunch meeting. Cake to celebrate co-workers’ birthdays. The vending machine.
I limit myself to one soda during the day and drink water for the remainder of the afternoon, try to take the steps instead of the elevator and occasionally spend my lunch walking at a nearby park.
Do you drink water throughout your workday, keep an appealing bowl of fruit on your desk or always take the stairs at work? Tell us about how keep your fitness and health goals in check at the office.
This week in WichiTalk, we told the story of two local sisters, Connie Dirks (on the left in the photo) and Linda Grafton, who together have pursued an interesting new business venture that combines their individual passions: art and food.
Connie owns Fine Arts Photography, which specializes in artistic portraiture, weddings and more. And, also at 535 W. Douglas in Delano, Linda owns The Palette, a cozy cafe and bakery featuring breakfast and lunch dishes with a gourmet touch.
WichiTalk has two $5 gift certificates to The Palette to give away. In honor of the sisters who were best friends as kids and now work together, we’ll randomly select winners from among people who answer this question:
With which of your relatives do you make the best team? Is it your mother? Husband? Daughter? What is it that you do great together? How do you bring out the best in each other?
If you love working the puzzles you find every day in WichiTalk, we’ve got a treat for you with today’s section: The WichiTalk cover illustration is a working puzzle.
Coryanne Graham, WichiTalk’s visual editor, came up with the clever concept. So see if you can find your way from the headline to the illustration of the doctor. Then read our cover story about how to find the best health care.
Do you have an album, artist or workout playlist that gets your heart pumping when your feet are dragging and you still have another mile left of your workout?
When selecting motivating music, ask yourself this: If you were dog-tired at a wedding reception, what one song would convince you to pull yourself up and make one last appearance on the dance floor? That’s the kind of song that also will inspire you to burn 100 more calories even though you’re ready to quit for the day.
A few suggestions to get you thinking:
- “I’m a Believer,” Smash Mouth
- “Baby Got Back,” Sir Mix-a-Lot
- “Cupid Shuffle,” Cupid
- “You Shook Me All Night Long,” AC/DC
- “Love Shack,” B-52’s
- “Dancing Queen,” Abba
- “Brick House,” Commodores
- “My Girl,” Temptations
- “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” Cyndi Lauper
- “What I Like About You,” Romantics
What’s your favorite exercise music?
Table Topics, a line of conversation-starter cards, has released several new editions.
The “Family Gathering” set, great for reunions or holidays, includes questions aimed at connecting generations: What’s your greatest strength as a family? What family object do you most treasure?
“Right or Wrong” includes questions that can spark debate: If a friend asked you to lie on a job recommendation, would you do it? When is it right to place your needs above others’?
Other editions include “Book Club,” “Couples” and “Girls Night Out.” The sets, packaged in handy cubes, are $25 at some gift stores and at www.tabletopics.com.
For a chance to win the “Family Gathering” or the “Right or Wrong” set, post your answer to this question:
When do you start planning for the holidays? Do you already know when your family will get together and what you’ll do? When do you start shopping for gifts?
If we randomly select your name, you’ll have a new game to play when the gang’s all together.
Whether you have children or just yourself to contend with, how do you get yourself and your household in order and begin your day on time?
My husband and I split morning chores. The last one up (usually me) makes the bed. He feeds the pets and makes coffee, I get a load of laundry started. It gets us up and moving and propels our day forward. I also try to beat him to the computer so I can check my favorite Web sites, my e-mail and blogs before he logs on.
Do you have a technique, checklist or routine that’s proven to work for you? Do you keep things simple (buy food for portable breakfasts, etc.)?
Marriage and family therapist Jeff Herring points out that a traditional dinner and a movie date can cost more than $100 once you pay for the dinner and movie tickets and snacks.
He suggests instead a “bookstore and coffee” date at a location that has a cafe in the bookstore. There, a book, magazine, two coffees and a piece of cake can set you back less than $30.
A couple other ideas that I’ve enjoyed:
Do you have other ideas for creative, inexpensive dates, whether it be with someone you’re just getting to know or your spouse of 10 years?
Are you ringing in your 30th, 40th or 50th year in style?
Before you make a wish and blow out the candles, tell us about how you’re celebrating your special day — or how you’ve already done so. Did you invite your 30 closest friends on a cruise? Spend 40 hours of vacation volunteering in the Wichita area?
WichiTalk is looking for the most creative ways local women have embraced their “big-0” b-days.
Tell us about it by clicking on “comments,” and we may contact you for a future WichiTalk story.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the single-child family is the fastest-growing type of U.S. family.
What are the highs and lows of being an only child, whether you experienced them yourself or see them now as a parent of an only child?
“Relative Discomfort” by Jeremy Greenberg (Andrews McMeel, $15), a new book out this month, is a family survival guide of sorts for gatherings like weddings and holidays. Greenberg, who is a comic in addition to being a writer, obviously intended for the read to give you a good laugh, too.
