Taking a Tech Break During the Holidays

In the week before New Year's, be sure to enjoy some time away from your screens

I will not be going cold turkey. Technology is a part of my daily routines and during holiday times it is a treat to see updates from friends and family that I am unable to see in person. But I will be making an effort to step away from the tech that just passes time. Some of us either are, or know someone who is, a bit compulsive about 'checking in.' It becomes a part of our busy lives, engaging or entertaining us in the midst of work emails and projects. A distraction from our pressing responsibilities is welcomed during the rush but when work pressures ease and emails are answered with out-of-office notices, it might help to step away from the keyboards to truly enjoy our time off. Time flies when you click links and flip virtual pages…

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Tackling Technology

Games Online and Off

When friends and families gather, take online games into the real world for fun for all ages.

As we look forward to end-of-the-year gatherings, it is sometimes hard to think of ways to involve the whole gang in fun and memory-making. Adults and kids alike can retreat to their respective technologies, whether smartphones or gaming devices. Why not take the rules, strategies and skills used in online games to have some "offline" fun? The most popular online games are often just reworkings or outright replicas of the games that have been played for generations. The top 10 games at the Apple app store or in the video game sections are often reworks of card games, puzzles, board games or group games like tag or cops and robbers. Get everyone in the game by trying to take the game from the small screens of their digital devices  to the …

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Mutts Matter Rescue

Make A Difference This Holiday Season: Help A Pup In Need

Do you love dogs and want to make a difference? Consider becoming a foster family for a rescue dog during the holidays.

I’ve written a few articles over the past two years about fostering dogs, and multiple readers from the Patch community have stepped up to become foster families. It’s great to see more and more people becoming aware of dog rescue, getting involved, and understanding the importance and vital need of fostering. Fostering is the backbone of rescue, and we can only save as many dogs as we have foster families available to welcome them into their homes. It was only a few years ago that I learned about fostering and how it works. Fostering involves opening your heart and home to a pup in need, giving them a safe place to land and some TLC until they’ve found their new home. Some foster pups are easier than others, but all bring great joy and …

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