Blog Posts

Three Ways to Take a Break

Today the Cavalier Court Blog is excited to share three great ways to take a break. Whether you live in Fairfax, VA or somewhere far away, we hope you make relaxation a priority before the month is over. Cook something. Sometimes it just takes a warm meal to make you feel happy. In addition to the many recipes that we’ve shared on our blog, Bustle has a great list of 16 healthy recipes we encourage you to make in the near future. Enjoy dishes like Creamy Butternut Squash Linguine, Beef Bourguignon, and Twice-Baked Potatoes! Hide your phone. Or just tuck it away somewhere out of sight! A simple way to instantly make a room more relaxing is by removing electronics . Every day our bodies are stimulated by screens, so it’s probably a good idea to take some time away from them. Spend quality time reading a book, taking a nap, or even relaxing in a bath of hot water. That extra 15, 30, or even 60 minutes without a screen distraction might be worth more to you than you expect. Buy a plant. Add a touch of nature in your apartment. According to SheKnows , plants are “a good way to induce relaxations. Despite size, their presence in a room is invigorating. Every room should have something earth-themed to merge nature with the indoors.” We like the sound of that! We hope you make time to relax this week. Take a break from electronics, cook something new, or buy a plant and add it into your living room as a way to induce relaxation. Whatever you decide to do, remember that this is time specifically for you and nothing else. Don’t worry about your bills or daily stressors. Instead, give your body the much-needed attention that it deserves. Thanks for reading!

Our Favorite Bubble Bath Recipes

In today’s post, we’re excited to focus on a relaxing topic: bubble baths! When was the last time you slipped into a bath filled with hundreds of tiny bubbles? Today we’ll be sharing two of our favorite bubble bath recipes for you to enjoy in your Fairfax, VA apartment. Lavender Bubble Bath In order to make this recipe, you’ll need one cup of castile soap, one-quarter cup of vegetable glycerin, and 20 to 30 drops of the essential oil of your choice (the recipe uses lavender as an example). Simply combine all ingredients and mix. Then carefully pour the bubble bath mixture into a glass bottle for storage. Use about one-quarter cup for each bath. Chocolate Bubble Bath This recipe is made by using dried milk powder and unsweetened chocolate. The key to getting this bubble bath just right is the amount of chocolate. While the recipe calls for a specific amount in the ingredients list, we’ve found that you can add a little more to make things extra nice. This recipe comes from Jamie Geller, who shared all the ingredients that you’ll need, including the following: one cup of unscented bubble bath, one-half cup of dried milk powder, and three ounces of powdered unsweetened chocolate. Prepare yourself for a bubble bath that smells great and is simple to make. This is also a great place to begin if it’s your first time making a bubble bath. Mix the powdered milk and chocolate well, until blended. Stir this into the unscented bubble bath. Then add the mixture to your bath (the amount is up to you). Thanks for reading! Share your own recipes for a soothing bubble bath with the rest of the Cavalier Court community by leaving a comment below. Have any other ideas for relaxation? We’d love to hear about them. We hope you have a great month!

Board Game Recommendations for a Night to Remember

Welcome back to the Cavalier Court Blog. Today, we’re excited to share a few exciting board games that will change things up for your next game night. Invite your friends over for a night of fun on your Fairfax, VA apartment with games about trains, birds, and high society. The following titles and descriptions can be found by visiting BoardGameGeek.com : Railroad Ink “In the multiplayer puzzle game Railroad Ink, your goal is to connect as many exits on your board as possible. Each round, a set of dice are rolled in the middle of the table, determining which kind of road and railway routes are available to all players. You have to draw these routes on your erasable boards to create transport lines and connect your exits, trying to optimize the available symbols better than your opponents...” Wingspan “Wingspan is a competitive, medium-weight, card-driven, engine-building board game from Stonemaier Games. You are bird enthusiasts—researchers, bird watchers, ornithologists, and collectors—seeking to discover and attract the best birds to your network of wildlife preserves. Each bird extends a chain of powerful combinations in one of your habitats (actions). These habitats focus on several key aspects of growth…” The Prodigals Club “Welcome to The Prodigals Club! You and your fellows are proper Victorian gentlemen who have realized that the lower classes have more fun. Now you are in a friendly competition to see which of you can destroy his own social standing most thoroughly. In The Prodigals Club, you compete in three separate competitions: trying to lose an election, trying to get rid of all your possessions, or trying to offend the most influential people in high society. You can play any two competitions in combination or play all three simultaneously. Each competition interacts with the other two. To win, you need to balance your strategy and play all the competitions well.”

Words of Wisdom from Mister Fred Rogers

At Cavalier Court, our beautiful apartments in Fairfax, VA, we think it’s time to shed a little light and lift a few smiles. What better way to do this than by quoting Mister Rogers? Fred Rogers, a musician, puppeteer, writer, and minister touched the lives of countless individuals all over the world. His life truly left a positive impression on many people. Here are a few of our favorite quotes from this incredible individual. We hope they inspire you just as much, or even more, as they inspired us. Favorite Quotes from Fred Rogers: “The thing I remember best about successful people I've met all through the years is their obvious delight in what they're doing and it seems to have very little to do with worldly success. They just love what they're doing, and they love it in front of others.” “In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.” “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” “Love isn't a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.” “When I say it's you I like, I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.” “Mutual caring relationships require kindness and patience, tolerance, optimism, joy in the other's achievements, confidence in oneself, and the ability to give without undue thought of gain.”

Simple Ways to Practice Self Care

Earlier this month on Cavalier Court Blog, we shared with you a few of the reasons why it’s so vital to practice self-care on a regular basis. As promised, we’re here this week with some simple things you can do to start cultivating a lifestyle full of intentional self-care! Whether you’re a master at taking time to relax or you have a long-standing habit of writing in a journal to process your feelings, there is always something new to discover when it comes to learning how to love yourself. Try one of our low-effort ideas today! Get Offline for an Hour In a world where we are so dependent on our electronic devices, it can be really overwhelming to be connected to a constant stream of news, messages, TV shows, and other forms of media. While you obviously aren’t online 24/7, making a mindful decision to unplug for an hour can be a great way to practice self-care. This may seem hard at first, but as you practice it, you might find yourself craving some intentional time away from technology. Go For a Walk When was the last time you went on a walk just because? With our busy lives, it’s easy to constantly be thinking about the next destination we need to get to or the next stop we need to make, and sometimes we forget how relaxing it is to take a relaxed and leisurely stroll to the end of the street and back. Not only is it good for your physical body to get moving, but it’s a great way to help the mind and soul unwind, as well. Enjoy a Favorite Meal Sometimes when you feel like you need to pay a little bit extra attention to yourself, it can be a great opportunity to enjoy one of your favorites. Go out to one of your favorite restaurants that serve this dish or cook it at home. Whichever way you choose to enjoy it, take some time to remember why you love it and to send yourself little reminders that it’s a good thing to treat yourself every once in a while. Do a Ten-Minute Cleanup If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, a simple ten-minute cleanup will surely help you to feel a little bit better. It’s easier to feel serene and clear-headed in a space that is free of clutter and chaos, so a quick yet intentional effort to make your apartment more orderly is a great way to remind yourself that you value clarity and peace of mind. What’s something simple you do here in Fairfax, VA to practice self-care? Share below in the comments!

Self Care is a Valentine's Gift to Yourself

This week, Cavalier Court Blog wants to help you feel welcome in the month of February. Since Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, it’s easy to get wrapped up in getting the perfect card and gift for your significant other or for the rest of your loved ones. This month, we encourage you to think about self-care as a Valentine’s gift to yourself! Keep reading to understand a little bit better about why self-care if the best thing you could do for your well-being this month. Burnout Prevention One of the least enjoyable feelings is reaching the point where something you’re doing is stretching you so thin that you are convinced the only way out is to give up. Spending time taking care of yourself and your personal needs throughout stress-inducing projects can help you steer clear of this unenjoyable phenomenon entirely. Burning out doesn’t help anyone, so the next time you feel the need to overwork yourself to meet a deadline, take a second thought. Stress Reduction In healthy doses, stress is vital for progress and growth. However, there comes a point when too much stress is bound to deteriorate you. By becoming aware of your personal needs and attending to them, you can reduce unnecessary stress in your life and foster a better environment for happiness and improvement. Focus A hefty dose of concentration and focus can only go so far before it runs out; at a certain point, it’s time to take a break. Plus, spending break time doing something you enjoy is a form of self-care! Relaxing and thinking good thoughts about yourself won’t just feel good during your brief recess, but it will also help you to recharge your batteries and focus more intently afterward. Thanks for reading our post today. Tune in later this month for a few simple ways you can practice self-care right here in your Fairfax, VA apartment.