safe at home

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Tips for Gathering Safely This Holiday Season

by Bevony on 2 December 2020 Comments Off on Tips for Gathering Safely This Holiday Season

For many, this will be the first holiday in a long time that they will have no in person gathering or just a very small one.  This can be hard especially if you moved into your own home this year and were really looking forward to hosting. To limit your risk of infection and protect your family and friends you have put together this piece with some tips for gathering safely this holiday season. 

There are a number of steps you can take to protect yourself and your guests at an in person gathering this holiday. We’ll break them down for you. 

Pre-Celebratory Tips

Try to minimize the number of invitees as much as possible. For those that you do invite, you will need to provide them with some guidelines and restrict unwanted guests. So for example, if you are inviting your sister and she is having her in-laws over for the holidays you may want to respectfully decline having her in-laws over. Especially if they had to travel via public transportation (plane, train or bus) to get there. 

Provide your guests with a list of supplies that they should bring to the event to promote safety. You will also want to have some of these items on hand as well just in case anyone greets. Think items like: 

  • Disposable masks
  • Hand sanitizers
  • Sanitizing Wipes
  • Pouch for storing masks between use

During Your Celebration

You will want to ensure you and your guests are following safety guidelines for the COVID-19 virus as much as possible. Keep the following in mind: 

  • Safe Distancing – While it may be impossible to follow the 6 feet rule you can try to avoid, as best as possible, close contact with your guests and among guests. Have multiple options for seating arrangements so you don’t have to all be gathered around the table.  You can possibly rent tables and move some of your furniture to accommodate spacing around the tables. 

If there is not adequate space, encourage persons to not sing, or talk loudly. 

  • Clear the way to high traffic areas – you may want to move out any furniture that may be in the way enroute to the restroom so it is easy for persons to get around without bumping into each other. 
  • Encourage your guests to keep their masks on when they are not actively eating or drinking. 
  • Have hand sanitizer stations to encourage proper hygiene. Ensure you provide single use towels in your bathrooms and kitchen for the event. 
  • Limit persons in the area where the food is being prepared or served. If possible you can ask your guests to prepare and bring food for their group. This way you can greatly reduce the risk of contamination through food.

Try not to offer self serve options and instead have one person sharing each food item. Each server should of course be wearing a mask and food safe gloves. 

  • Opt for disposable plates, cups and utensils instead of reusable ones.
  • Disinfect commonly touched surfaces often and as much as possible between each use. Always wear disposable gloves and toss these after each use. 
  • Don’t allow your pet to interact with anyone outside of the household. 

Post Celebration Tips

AFter the event, take extra precautions for the first 14 days following the event date. If you can quarantine entirely for that time, do so. If not, stay home as much as possible for you and your family members. Get a COVID-19 test and stay home while you wait on the results of the test. 

If you develop COVID-19 symptoms or if you test positive for the virus you should immediately inform your guests, so they can get tested and isolated to reduce the spread of the virus. 

The 2020 holidays will be different from every year before it. If you feel you must have a gathering for your mental health, do it safely. Use the tips above to help minimize the risk of spreading the virus. Stay safe this holiday season, and well wishes from the SilverBeam Homes Family. 

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Tips on Keeping Your Sanity While at Home

by Bevony on 28 May 2020 Comments Off on Tips on Keeping Your Sanity While at Home

The past two months of 2020 has had the entire world settling into a new norm. We are all now mostly homebound and have accepted that staying in means staying alive. Some of us are all about ready to lose our minds from all this “staying in” and as such we here at Silverbeam Home just want to remind you it is crucial to find things around the house to do. 

So you have cleaned behind the stove, eaten all the food and watched all the Netflix, what do you do now? How about doing some redecorating? If you don’t have the means to actually do this in your home you can have some fun doing it virtually. As as we touch on virtually, think of all the virtual things you can get done – try traveling the globe, visiting art galleries and enjoying tours of a variety of places from the comfort of your living room. 

Paint Your Room Virtually

Check out a variety of color schemes and try them out in your home. You will find that many websites now allow you to upload a picture of your room that allows you to see what color would like on your wall. Check out the Benjamin Moore Color Portfolio in the AppStore to see how different color palettes will look. When you upload your picture, with just the spin of a wheel and you will see your room in the color of your choice. 

Take a Trip to the Most Celebrated Paris Gallery 

You can virtually explore the Louvre. Just visit www.louvre.fr where you can take a look at beautiful works of art. While you are there, check out the Egyptian wing and view the Galerie d’Apollon. You can also take a look at the “Mona Lisa” thanks to the Mona Lisa App. 

Get some Design Inspiration

If you go to www.virtualmuseum.ca to see the Partners in Design exhibit. You will find a number of objects that you can explore that connect with daily life from both the present as well as from the past. You will find all kinds of things from kettles, clocks, toaster sand Inuit paintings. It could really add up to be a fascinating day exploring from your bed. 

Visit an Aquarium 

You can take a virtual visit to the Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada and imagine swimming with the sharks. Explore the waters of the deep via their live “Shark Cam.” For an even life-like experience stream it to your TV screen and transform your entire living room into an undersea lair. 

Cook Up Some Fun

home sanity tips

Instead of eating the same things every week, why not try some new recipes. Follow the Instagram pages and youtube channels of celebrity chefs or other aspiring chefs receiving motivation from the lockdown. You are sure to find fun and quick recipes that utilize ingredients you already have in your kitchen. 

Become Your Home’s Personal Bartender

Check out again, Instagram pages, Pinterest, and more to find great mixes to get yourself a tasty cocktail. Try your hand at creating your own and share this with the world, why not become a trendsetter yourself after all? 

Travel and Immerse 

There are so many places you could travel to virtually, get comfortable with your favorite beverage, maybe one you made above and immerse yourself into the culture of another nation. Go see the Northern Lights, Glide through the waterways of Venice. Whatever you’ve been dreaming of doing, do it virtually. 

View Available Properties

Visit realtor.ca and view the “open house” tab. Here you will find a number of properties providing virtual tours and visits. They also have a “living room” blog where you can find out more. Even if you are not planning on buying or moving this can give you inspiration on things you can change in your own space. Best of all, there are no costs involved. 

Don’t let the lockdowns all over the glove have you feeling down. Yes, these are serious times, but if you are staying safe, we want to help you stay safe mentally and emotionally as well. Live your biggest dreams at home thanks to the many virtual options you have available at your fingertips. How have you kept your sanity while in lockdown? We’d love to hear it in the comments below. 

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