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Scents, Your Holiday Sensibilities and Bob EvansNovember 16

Have you ever noticed how some scents bring back memories of a certain place or time? There’s a reason for that and it’s to do with  something called “olfaction” (our sense of smell).  That ability to sense things through smell is a natural function connected to the part of the brain that triggers emotional memory.

“Before you even have a chance to figure out what the smell is, you have an immediate emotional response,” explains Rachel Herz, a cognitive neuroscientist at Brown University Medical School.

According to Herz, research has shown that the way we respond to smells is actually something that is learned.   How we first experience a smell somewhat dictates how we’ll learn to respond to it in the future.

For instance, think about an early childhood memory and what scents can trigger that memory. The Holiday season is one that is laden with all sorts of wonderful scents that have positive associations for many of us.  Often times Holiday scents remind us of our childhood as the Holiday season has always seemed to revolve around creating a sense of joy and excitement for children.

The

Am I Ready?November 11

The following is a guest post by Kelly McCausey.

To be painfully honest, I used to worry about these days I now live in.  My son is eighteen and he is on his way to leading his own life.  He has his own agenda and doesn’t have to ask me permission for much of anything.  Yes, he still lives at home and is dependent on me for his living - but I don’t hold that over his head.

I looked ahead to this season in life when Sean was about thirteen and I felt a lot of dread.  What would I do when he was in charge of himself?  When he didn’t have to ask me whether he could do something or go somewhere?  How would I learn to let go?  A good friend with older children smiled at my concern and assured me that I’d be ready when ready was needed.

She was right of course.  I’ve transitioned smoothly into this new role.  If I worried that he would go wild in adulthood I shouldn’t have.  He’s the same great young man I’ve been raising all his life.  If anything, he’s more respectful and more responsible than ever before.

We sat down on the couch th

Travel and Leisure’s Choice for Caribbean HeavenNovember 7

Well I had planned to talk this week about reasons why you should try Christmas in the Caribbean this year …but then I came across a property I had visited but never stayed at and now this is on my list of places to go.

Jamaica Inn…it’s a private, family owned property located in beautiful Ocho Rios.

Last January, Travel and Leisure Magazine named Jamaica Inn #1 in Jamaica and #3 in the Caribbean.

Since 1950, Jamaica Inn has consistently been ranked as one of the top resort hotels and vacation destinations in the Caribbean.

Jamaica Inn is a small “elegantly timeless resort situated on what many consider to be the premier private beach in Jamaica.”

Here’s what they say on their website:

Jamaica Inn’s crowning glory are its accommodations — spacious, impe

Keep the Holiday Joy, Lose the StressNovember 7

You know the holidays are truly here when the “beat the holiday stress” headlines start appearing. (At least this post has a slightly different headline!)

The reality is the season of joy becomes overshadowed by feelings of stress.  The negative aspects of stress truly take away what is one of the most memorable and joyful times of the year for many people.

So why is it so stressful? Apparently it’s all our own doing.

Here’s what Forbes magazine has to say on the topic:

From long lines to even longer lists, there are numerous opportunities to become mired in holiday strain, but experts say it can be overcome by tailoring festivities to your liking, as opposed to mimicking the grandiose displays reflected in commercials or movies. (Rebecca Ruiz, November 4, 2008)

Those “grandiose displays” of the the perfect Holiday family, couple, girlfriend trio, etc. can really make some of us feel like there will never be enough hours in the day to turn what we have into what we see at the stores and in the media.

It’s this sense of having to keep up that creates the stress.  Dr. Beverly Thorn, a profess

The Family That Eats TogetherNovember 7

Now that our eldest is off to college it’s been sort of quiet at the house with the just the three of us there.  Without “big sister” there for William to annoy the playful (and not so playful) yelling - “Get of my room”, etc. - has ceased.

I’m alright with that, it’s natural, kids grow up.  But what I’m not so happy about is the way I’ve become lax at dinner time.  Between evening swimming, sports, driving lessons, after school classes for my son and work projects and errands that my husband and I tend to, we’ve been missing the family dinner hour more often than not.

You see, we live near my parents, so my son pops by their place every day after school or other activities, chats, does homework and eats dinner with them.  He does this as much for them as for himself (my mother cooks really well).

Because I’m often away and my husband works late, we get together as a family to eat only about 3 times a week. The thing is when we do sit down to eat together, that’s when we have some of the best conversations.

In fact, I think that is one the things we like best about our family road trips…we’re sitting do