Tips for Pampering Your Administrative Assistant

WNCN Today 04.08.14

Administrative Assistant’s Day is April 23^rd and anyone who has an assistant or receptionist knows how well deserved that day is!  Since you can’t very well ask for your Assistant’s help, I shared some of my favorite gift ideas with Page Crawford on WNCN Today:

·      A Day of Pampering

o   The Umstead Spa.  Thank your assistant for all of her hard work throughout the year with a gift certificate to The Umstead Spa!  Nothing says ‘thank you’ like this little slice of heaven where she can get a massage, pedicure, or even have a fabulous dinner out or afternoon tea.  The beauty of a gift certificate to TheUmstead Spa is that is can be used anywhere on their property and no matter how she chooses to use it she will feel like a Queen.

·      A Beautiful Evening Off

o   Dinner and Flowers. Give your assistant the evening off by picking up a pre-made dinner and brighten her day with a beautiful bouquet from Whole Foods Cary.  That’s right, one trip to Whole Foods is all you’ll need.  You can even call ahead have a custom bouquet and dinner ready for you to pick up on the way to the office.  For those of us who may not remember to plan ahead, they open at 7:30am so you can stop by on the way to work, they always have numerous meals to choose from including a ½ Rotisserie Chicken on a bed of Veggies for just $6.99. TIP: This beautiful custom bouquet from Whole Foods Cary is $75 and is perfect for a BIG thank you from your whole team.  You can also pick up a super cute mason jar bouquet for just $14.99.  Your meal options are nearly endless from wonderful meatless meals to a beautiful Pork Loin Dinner with rice, beans, grilled veggies and a salad for $16.99.

·      The Perfect Cup of Tea

o   Tin RoofTeas.  If your assistant loves tea, stop by Tin Roof Teas in Cameron Village for the perfect gift basket.  With over 250 loose leaf teas to choose from, you may get lost in the amazing aromas.  They have every hot and cold tea accessory you can think of including local honey and tea infused chocolates!  A Leaf Glass Tea Mug with Loose Tea Infuser and Lid along with a few delicious varieties of loose leaf teas is a fabulous way to thank any tea lover.  TIP:  Don’t forget to pick up a little tea for yourself, my favorite is Persephone’s Temptation, a fruity green tea.

No matter how you decide to thank your Assistant, with an overflowing gift basket or a sweet card, don’t forget to say thank you on April 23^rd!

For all of Jennifer’s tips pick up your own copy of her Tips for the Clueless Chick books and following the Clueless Chick on Facebook and Twitter.  

Tune in next week for ideas for fun and easy Easter crafts.

Until next time,
Jennifer
aka Chick #1

Tips for Pulling off the Perfect April Fools’ Day

WNCN Today 04.01.14

Well, today is April Fools’ Day.  Are you looking for a fun way to fake someone out?  Today I shared some of my favorite and harmless April Fools' Day pranks with Page Crawford on WNCN Today.  Some of these tips are even easy enough to pull off at the office today!

·      Fool Their Taste Buds

o   ‘Chocolate Chip’ Cookies.  Have a little fun with your family or co-workers this April Fools’ Day by making some April Fools’ Day ‘Chocolate Chip’ Cookies.  These yummy little bites may look just like Chocolate Chip Cookies but they are really Mashed Potatoes & Black Beans!

April Fools’ Day Chocolate Chip Cookies

§  Make your favorite mashed potatoes (leave out any colored spices such as pepper)

§  Rinse and dry a can of black beans

§  Gently mix black beans into your mashed potatoes and drop onto a cookie sheet, flatten slightly

§  Bake 'cookies' at 350F for 10-15 min or until firm

Serve the cookies to your favorite cookie lover and enjoy their reaction but watch out for any retaliation :-)

·      Fun at the Office

o   Mirror out of Order. When you get to the office this morning print a sign that says:

Mirror out of Order. 

 Please do not use!

      Thank you,

  The Management

Tape the sign to the bathroom mirror and enjoy the hilarity that ensues.

Tip: Tape a “Please Use Other Door” sign to the only door into the break room.

o   Broken Mouse. Tape a piece of paper that says Ha Ha! to the bottom of your co-workers’ computer mouse to prevent it from working.  They will spend a minute shaking the mouse around the mouse pad before turning it over to find your note.

o   Ruined Laptop.  Fool your co-workers into thinking something has spilled on their keyboard.  All you need is a piece of tinfoil and Elmer’s glue.  Place the tin foil on a flat surface and draw a small spill with your glue.  Allow the glue spill to dry for a few hours and you have perfect fake spill to place on your officemate’s laptop keyboard after lunch.

Regardless of how you decide to celebrate April Fools’ Day, just watch your back… ;-)

For all of my tips pick up your own copy of my Tips for the Clueless Chick books and following the Clueless Chick on Facebook and Twitter.

Tune in next week for help prepping for Administrative Assistant’s Day!

Until next time,
Jennifer
aka Chick #1

Spring Cleaning for Baby

WNCN Today 03.25.14

Now that we’ve had a taste of Spring weather we know that spring cleaning season is right around the corner.  We can all use a few good tips for tacking our spring cleaning, but those of us with little ones at home could use a lot of good tips!  Today I shared some of my favorite spring cleaning tips for parents of little one with Page Crawford on WNCN Today:

·      Cute Cleaning

o   Boon Patch.  Make your cleaning a lot easier and a whole lot more stylish with the new compact Boon Patch.  These bottle drying patches are a must have for anyone who isn’t crazy about having their kitchen counter cluttered with bottles and sippy cups.  The best part is that they don’t scram ‘bottle drying rack’, in fact they are quite cute and perfect for drying most of your dishes so you’ll be using it long after baby has outgrown sippy cups.

·      Repurpose the Unused

o   Tiered Serving Platter. Is there anything more fun than finding a new use for something that has been sitting in a closet for the past year?  Think outside of the box when it’s time to reorganize the nursery.  You can easily turn a cute tiered serving platter into a stylish new changing table organizer.  You will not only add a little style to the nursery and organize your must haves in the process, you will also put an otherwise unused serving piece to good use!  Tip: pick study but light weight organizers that will stay put but are not so heavy that they would hurt baby if they fell.  (Yes, that is my buddy GW from GooseWaddle that you see!)

·      Tackle the Diaper Bag

o   Diaper Bag Organization Made Easy.  Anyone with a diaper bag knows how quickly they become a mess of a dumping ground.  One of the coolest new baby organizers on the market is the QueenBee Bag by HoneyBee Child.  This versatile little bag will let you turn any bag into a diaper bag and let you swap out external bags with ease.  With all of the pockets and pouches you could ask for, the QueenBee Bag is everything you need to KEEP your diaper bag organized.  Did you know one of the co-founders of HoneyBee Baby lives right here in the triangle?  Hi Katie!

Regardless of how much cleaning and organizing you need to do, if you break it up into smaller projects it seems a lot less overwhelming.  Tackle your spring cleaning one nap at a time.

For all of my tips pick up your own copy of my Tips for the Clueless Chick books and follow Clueless Chick on Facebook and Twitter.

Tune in next week for fun April Fool’s Day ideas!

Until next time,

Jennifer

aka Chick #1

p.s. A BIG thank you to Boon, HoneyBee Child and GooseWaddle for today's on air props!

March Madness Parties: tips before tipoff

WNCN Today 03.18.14

This week marks the beginning of the NCAA Basketball tournament, which means you are busy making your final bracket picks and planning your schedule around games times.  And we know there is no one who loves March Madness more than this Chick!  I shared some of my favorite March Madness Party tips with Page Crawford on WNCN Today:

·      MarchMadness

o   Basketball Sliders.  Turn a plain ‘ol slider into a basketball slider by painting on a simple basketball design.  All you need are your favorite slider fixins, potatoes buns, black cake gel or nutella and a toothpick.  Before you make your sliders, use your cake gel or nutella to paint a basketball on the top of each bun.  Simply draw a line down and across the center of your bun, then a curved line at the top and another at the bottom to create a perfect little basketball.

Basketball Sliders

o   Cheese and Crackers. Making festive cheese and crackers for your basketball viewing party couldn’t be easier.  Simply grab your favorite round cracker, cut your cheese slices with a small circle cookie cutter, add salami and you have a simply themed basketball snack tray.

o   Simple Decorations.  What is more fun than some basketball decorations to make your March Madness party feel official?  One of the easiest ways to save money on decorations is to work in a few well-placed themed decorations with all of your favorite serving pieces.  Your guests will love simple touches like a basketball court tablecloth and basketball plates from our friends at CelebrateExpress.com.

Don’t forget your bracket!  You simply can’t have a MarchMadness party without a little Bracketology.

For all of my DIY party planning tips pick up a copy of Party Planning Tips for the Clueless Chick and following the Clueless Chick on Facebook and Twitter.

Tune in next week for Baby Spring Cleaning tips!

Until next time,

Jennifer

aka Chick #1