Blog Posts

Spring Cleaning Week 1: Decluttering

Welcome back to the Liv Avenida Blog! Last month on the blog, we featured different ways to celebrate and get inspired by women and Women’s History Month. We want to continue with a month of themed posts, so this month we are turning to spring cleaning! Spring definitely isn’t the only time you can clean or deep clean your apartment, but if you want to give yourself a fresh start for the new season, make now the time you choose to bring extra sparkle and shine to your apartment here in Chandler, AZ. Follow our tips each week (starting with decluttering today!) for a low-stress month of cleaning. First, take a walk through your apartment. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and like you have to put away everything all at once in every room as you’re striving to declutter, but you can actually do this seamlessly if you keep yourself focused. So grab a large basket or bin (like an empty laundry basket) and go through each room with the mindset of just removing what doesn’t belong. Don’t let yourself get distracted by cleaning or putting things away just yet. Just remove things. Keep a trash bag with you, as well, either hanging on an edge of the basket or elsewhere, so you can throw away trash as you go. Once you’ve gone through each room and you can’t see any more papers, trinkets, or other items cluttering up the counters and floors, you can then focus on organizing. Organize. You’ve probably already heard of this mantra, but every item in your apartment should have a home if you want to stay organized and eliminate potential future clutter buildup. Decide which items (cooking supplies, for example) should be tucked away out of sight or which ones might be fine resting on the counter. Create a system for organizing important documents and put them in files or folders out of sight. Use labels if you need help keeping track! Decorate. Sometimes the things that are making your home feel cluttered are things you’re meaning to decorate with but that you never get around to doing. Once you’re finished putting things away, focus on what you can do with other items that deserve to be displayed. Hang frames, decorate your shelves, or finish up a craft project to make your home look extra beautiful and put-together. What are your best tips for clearing the clutter or going through the documents in your apartment to help you focus on cleaning other things? Share your tips with us in the comments! We hope these ideas help. Thanks for reading! Good luck!

Documentaries to Watch for Women's History Month

As we finish up our blog posts about Women’s History Month, we hope you’ve been enlightened with reading about how you can take the spirit of the month-long celebration to heart. Keep that going by watching a documentary about women and some of the issues many face. Watch in your Liv Avenida apartment here in Chandler, AZ. Jackie: A Tale of Two Sisters “Jackie Kennedy Onassis remains to this day iconic, a figure of high fashion and tragedy. Her sister Lee however is less well-known. Yet it is impossible to understand one without the other, their lives were intertwined - through rivalry and resentment, love and loss.” Diana: In Her Own Words “This documentary uses the recordings Princess Diana made for the book that was written by Andrew Morton. In this documentary Diana narrates her life and the events that surrounded her.” Iris “A documentary about fashion icon Iris Apfel from legendary documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles.” Audrie & Daisy “A sobering documentary showing teenage girls in the U.S. being victims of sexual assault by their male classmates/friends. It also covers the unfortunate trend that the system tends to minimize or even dismiss these cases, resulting in the victimized girls not receiving justice. To make matters worse, these girls often ended up getting bullied (both in school as well as online) for being rape victims.” She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry “A documentary that resurrects the buried history of the outrageous, often brilliant women who founded the modern women's movement from 1966 to 1971.” What other titles would you add to our list? Let us know by leaving a comment below so we can check them out. Thanks for reading. We hope you enjoy watching these documentaries and appreciating some notable women, on or off the big screen, this month and always.

How to Give Meaningful Compliments

Speaking kind words does a lot to help us notice the good in others and can drastically change someone else’s day for the better. As our Liv Avenida Blog focuses on supporting women and all people this Women’s History Month, we turn our focus to being good to others by giving compliments. They’re fun to offer and can mean a lot to people, whether words of affirmation is their love language or not. Try these tips for how you can give a meaningful compliment this month. Have the right perspective. As you embark on your journey of complimenting others more, make sure your approach comes with the right motivations and is genuine to you. As we mentioned above, compliments help you feel good, but they’re also for others. Give without expecting something in return. Having a compliment reciprocated is always a nice perk, but it shouldn’t be a prerequisite for giving one. Notice the good in others and embrace those kind thoughts by expressing them. Be brave. The vulnerability of giving, possibly without receiving acknowledgment or appreciation, can feel awkward and scary. But it will do you and the other person good. If you focus too much on the fear, you might not even give the other person a chance to know what you’re thinking. So be proud of your perspective and speak up! Compliment actions, rather than just looks. Sometimes people really want their good hair day, new shoes, or great selfie to be noticed. But for many, being complimented solely on these things can get old, or it simply can feel like their contributions to the world aren’t noticed. So take a second look and find things to appreciate that are related to people’s actions and behaviors. What people do is more of a reflection on someone rather than how they look. Be specific. General compliments are nice, but specific ones leave an impact and inspire people. For example, statements expressing gratitude for someone going the extra mile on a work assignment, especially if you detail specific work that you appreciated, can help boost a person’s confidence. Point out specific actions people do that mean something to you and the compliment will be well-received. What other suggestions do you have for giving a meaningful compliment? Fill us in by leaving a comment. Thanks for reading. We hope you have a good time giving compliments this month.

Ways to Support Women

We hope you’ve been having a great start to March so far. Last week, we highlighted a few inspiring quotes by notable women in history. This week, we have ideas for how you can support women — whether they’re your friends, neighbors, family members, or strangers — to enact positive change, in or out of your Liv Avenida apartment in Chandler, AZ. Support women in local government. People of all opinions and backgrounds are trying to be part of societal and political change. Take some interest in what current and potential future local leaders are doing by reading newsletters, news articles, and campaign information about people running. You don’t have to change your opinion on anything to support women, but you can look for, support, and find ways to understand and learn from women in local government. Listen. Women have a voice, but they’re not always heard or taken seriously, either in general society or by the people they know and love. If someone is speaking up about their experiences, listen without getting defensive or offended. Look for ways to improve your outlook so that you can live in a way that encourages and empowers people around you. You may not think you make a difference, but you do, and listening can be a powerful way to ensure your influence is a good and inclusive one. Speak up. Of course, there are times when people need an ally. Maybe someone is being bullied, online or in person. Maybe someone is trying to use their voice but they aren’t being heard. Voicing your support is a good way to show that you care. Showing empathy helps people feel appreciated and noticed, and it can help you band together to accomplish more than you may have thought possible. There is strength in numbers, and your voice can help amplify someone else’s. What other ideas would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments so we can all benefit. Thanks for reading. We hope these ideas add fulfillment and positivity to your life and the lives of others this month and the rest of the year.

Quotes by Inspiring Women in History to Live By

Welcome to March at Liv Avenida! Did you know that it’s Women’s History Month? Look for ways to actively support women this month and always, in or out of your apartment in Chandler, AZ. This month’s blogs are focused on how you can do this. Start by getting inspired by some of the most influential women in history. We have a few quotes everyone should live by. “There is no royal flower-strewn path to success. And if there is, I have not found it, for if I have accomplished anything in life it is because I have been willing to work hard.” — Madam C.J. Walker “If society will not admit of woman’s free development, then society must be remodeled.” — Elizabeth Blackwell “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” — Coco Chanel “A strong woman understands that the gifts such as logic, decisiveness, and strength are just as feminine as intuition and emotional connection. She values and uses all of her gifts.” — Nancy Rathburn “Be bold. If you're going to make an error, make a doozy, and don't be afraid to hit the ball.” — Billie Jean King “I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free... so other people would be also free.” — Rosa Parks “My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg “Don't let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It's your place in the world; it's your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.” — Mae C. Jemison What other quotes would you add to our list? Share them with the rest of us by leaving a comment. We look forward to sharing more posts about Women’s History Month in the upcoming weeks. Check back for more!

Service Ideas to Try

Finish up the month of February doing something good for the people you come across here in Chandler, AZ. Today the Liv Avenida Blog has a few suggestions for ways you can serve in or out of the apartment community to help you get in the habit of spreading goodness all year long. Donate. “Donating” can mean anything, and we love that freedom! It gives you the room to be creative and do something meaningful to you and appropriate for your time, resources, desires, and skills. Remember that your efforts don’t have to be part of an official movement or campaign to affect lives. Whether you donate your time to visit a friend or neighbor, donate your skills to teach a friend something, donate your money to a worthy cause, or donate your blood at a local blood drive, you can make a difference. Pick up litter and garbage. A simple way to beautify our community is to clean up trash in the streets or at a local park. It can make a big difference and take a short amount of time. If you’re worried about germs, keep some disposable gloves and hand sanitizer or cleansing wipes on you so you can do your part without stress. Make food for a friend or neighbor. Do you know anyone who may need a lift in their spirits? Make them a sweet treat, or even cook them dinner. This can especially be important and meaningful for people who are going through a hard time, physically or emotionally, or who simply may not be able to do a ton of cooking themselves. Talk with people you know in the community to find out who might need help! If the person needs help that may last a bit of time like a couple of weeks, recruit friends and sort out a schedule of you each making a meal for certain days. What are your favorite ways to serve? How do you manage to fit it into your busy schedule? Share your thoughts and ideas with us in the comments. Good luck! We hope you have fun and find fulfillment serving.