Category Archives: Lifestyle

Life, Lifestyle

A Formal Event Needs A Formal Look – Your Formal Checklist

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Being invited to a formal event either excites people or terrifies them. Some men like the glitz, glamour, and general ambiance of such an event, while some men simply prefer not to attend such events. However, there will always be times when you are compelled to attend. Dressing and acting accordingly are the two crucial elements when attending any formal event and in this article, we’ll try to cover the most important aspects.

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The first issue most people have when being invited to a formal event is getting the right clothes together. Few people own a tuxedo, dress shoes, leather suspenders or any other item of suitable attire for such an occasion, so there will be a need to either buy new accessories and clothes or to settle on renting. There are also the acceptable behaviours befitting a formal event and if you are nervous, it is quite acceptable to have a stiff drink before you leave the house; just make sure not to have too many. You may be expected to speak to people and network with others whom you barely know, first impressions do count and being visibly under the influence is certainly not a good look! If you can bear the following tips in mind, you should have a reasonable time.

Getting It Right For A Formal Event

As previously mentioned, if you don’t have the right attire for a formal event you will need to buy it or hire it. The clothes you wear largely depend on the type of event or occasion you are invited to and can be any of the following:

  • White Tie – Also known as ‘full dress,’ this is the most formal event of them all and is held very rarely. The dress consists of a white waistcoat worn over a white full-dress stiff bosom shirt with a white pique wing collar and finished with a white bow tie. Black pleated trousers with a black satin strip (known as a tuxedo stripe) held up by quality white suspenders such as vintage men’s suspenders complete the outfit. It should be noted that if you are invited to a White Tie event, you should do your very best to attend, as an invite is considered an honor and such event is usually held in auspicious venues such as royal palaces and the White House.
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  • Black Tie – Black Tie is the term used for most other well-heeled events and although miles removed from a White Tie event, you still need to pay attention to the dress code which includes a classic black tuxedo, black bow tie, black patent leather oxfords, and a simple pocket square. These occasions, although formal, tend to get more relaxed as the evening wears on and the drinks start flowing.
  • Lounge – This type event, although formal, allows attendees to inject a bit more personality into their choice of clothes. A dark suit with brown or black shoes usually fits the bill for a lounge event, you can also add some funky suspenders or hat if you like! These events can be held in the day or the evening and are generally relaxed affairs.

There are many more formal events with differing dress codes. If in doubt, approach your menswear specialist for advice.

Life, Lifestyle, Parenting

The Life Lessons That Are Worth Passing Down To Your Kids

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We all go through life with a different experience on how you navigate it. And when you have children, you only want the very best for them. So with that in mind, you may have a few life lessons that you want to pass down. Here are some life lessons that are worth passing down to your kids.

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Always Respect Others

Respect for others is an essential life lesson that not every parent is giving their child to learn as they’re growing up. That can seriously affect their attitude and viewpoint to other members of society that are in certain positions or maybe a minority in comparison to your child. Having love and respect for everyone is important because otherwise, it allows hate to boil over, and that’s never going to end well for anyone. So try to teach your children about respect and having respect for everyone that they interact with right now and moving forward.

Think About Moderation

Moderation is very important because, without it, it’s unhealthy. Moderation when it comes to alcohol is important to avoid having to attend a teen alcohol rehab center. There’s moderation in what you eat and what you do in life that might have an overall effect on your health. A good moderation in life is good to know about, and this is something that you can teach your children to have more control over. Anything that’s going to harm their health is not something you want to be actively promoting when you’re in that role model position. Setting a good example to them is very beneficial, and so they’ll understand and learn this quicker.

Speak Up When You’re Feeling Sad

Mental health is one thing in life that has become a topic that’s talked about more than usual nowadays. And that’s very important because your mental well-being can really affect how you live your life, not to mention it actually being harmful to your physical health too. Speaking up about how you’re feeling isn’t always communicated from parents when children are growing up, so they are often afraid to do so. Make sure you communicate this to them and that talking about your feelings is a good thing, not a bad one that should be shamed.

Learn The Value Of Money

The value of money is one thing all children could do with knowing, and it’s not always done within the school system. Being able to know where it comes from, how it’s earned and to appreciate it, is essential. Helping those with less of it is also important to do, even if they don’t know these individuals personally. Being able to respect and learn about the value of money will make them less spoiled and more appreciative of having wealth.

The life lessons we give to our children to have more of an impact than you’ll know. Make sure you’ve thought about what you want your children to know as they grow and become a model member of society that you’re proud of.

Food, Going Healthy, Health, Lifestyle, Parenting

Three Ways To Win The Healthy Eating Battle With Kids

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When it comes to nutrition, most of us are pretty good on the basics by now. Eating a rainbow of seasonal fruits and vegetables, adding probiotic foods and supplements to our diets, finding healthy recipes that we can batch cook and prepare in advance and staying hydrated are top of a lot of people’s must-do lists. When it comes to kids, however, sometimes healthy eating isn’t so straightforward. A lot of conscientious parents with junk food loving kids or little fussy eaters in the family are in despair trying to enforce the rules – no dessert on a weeknight, eat all your vegetables –  and it can result in a lot of stress. As parents, it’s important that we approach food holistically with our children. Eating isn’t just about nutrition –  food is also there for fun, for comfort, for celebration and so much more. Valuing healthy food and teaching your children how to eat well shouldn’t be a daily battle.

Take A Step Back

If you’ve been caught up for a while in disagreements with your children about what they eat – perhaps you’re parenting a fussy toddler who will only eat plain pasta and freaks out at the sight of anything green hitting their plate, or a picky teen who is becoming body conscious – it’s hard to always do the right thing. We get so caught up and focused on a single issue, such as them finishing what is on their plate, or eating a certain amount of carrots before being allowed to leave the table. Take a step back for a moment. It’s perfectly normal for kids appetites to fluctuate with mood, growth stage and level of activity. If there are a few unbalanced days, try not to worry too much. Trying to control the amount your child eats is often a losing battle, and although it can be frustrating, try to focus more on doing the job of providing healthy meals, while your kid follows their own signals on how much they want to eat. Unless there is a medical issue, it’s far better to allow children to regulate the amount they eat and learn to listen to satiety signals in their body.

Involve Them In Cooking

Kids are generally far more interested in what’s on their plate if you can involve them in how it got there. Simple ideas, such as starting a vegetable garden and growing thing together, letting them help to make a simple and fun dish like zucchini bolognese, or finding healthier cook-at-home versions of favorite treats, like the low carb cookies recipe here can make them keener to eat the right things. Another big hit is usually ‘build your own’ meals like pizzas, salad bars or fajitas – just set up a station of healthy ingredients and let your kids do the rest.

Don’t Forbid Treats

Generally banning or otherwise overly demonizing any food is not a good idea, as it quite frequently leads to eating issues later in life. Work on introducing more healthy options that your child enjoys instead. Not keen on broccoli? Don’t push on that – but offer alternatives like sugar snap peas or mashed sweet potato that may go down better. And remember to allow the odd cookie or bag of chips – it’s okay every once in a while.