Have you made your New Year's resolutions yet?

It’s getting to be that time of year again: The holidays are over, the calendar is preparing to roll over to a brand new year and everyone is looking for a fresh start. Even if 2012 was a great year, there is always room for improvement and the New Year, though really just another date, is the perfect day to start a change!

So, whether you’re looking to get more in shape, save money, eat healthy or start a new hobby with the New Year, you can never go wrong setting a resolution. Best of all, you can make your resolutions simple and easy to keep, meaning that they may stick around long after you’ve abandoned some of you other well-intended changes.

We all have our New Year’s Resolution every year. What's your number one resolution for 2013? Did your New Year resolutions make the top ten list from 2012?

*According to Squidoo.com “The Ten Top New Year’s Resolutions for 2012”

1.) Stop Smoking
2.) Get into a Habit of being Fit
3.) Lose Weight-Battle of the Bulge
4.) Enjoy Life More
5.) Quit Drinking
6.) Get Organized
7.) Learn Something New
8.) Get out of Debt
9.) Spend More Time With Family
10.) Volunteer and Help People

Make those Resolutions stick! Make this the year for success.
· No matter what you haven’t achieved in the past, that was then and this is now!
· Start by thinking about the future and then reflect back. Think about the end of 2013 and ask yourself, "If everything happens perfectly, what will it look like?" Nothing is perfect but even a small change for the better is always better than nothing.
· Write down your goal.
· Write down a list of all the little steps you have to take to reach your goal.
· Prioritize those steps.
· Do something every day to take yourself along the steps towards your goal.

Recycling At Eagle Ridge

Every year Americans throw away 2.7 million tons of aluminum waste, 13.2 million tons of glass waste, 16 million tons of plastic, 10 million tons of yard waste, 73.3 million tons of paper and paper board, 900 million tires and 3 million cars. Most of what we throw away is paper—580 pounds per person every year—more than any other country in the world. It takes three to six trees, each weighing close to 500 pounds, to make that much paper. 1 ton would fill up a living room from floor to ceiling.

Eagle Ridge Apartments recycles approximately 98,800 gallons of trash per year. That is 563.16 cu yards, and on average - depending on actual materials recycled - 20.23 tons of recycling waste. That is more than all the living rooms on your floor of the building. Way to go Eagle Ridge for making a difference!

Terry from our 9700 Building was inquiring about recycling efforts at Eagle Ridge, which got us digging for some numbers. Thanks for asking, Terry!

Fight Cabin Fever By Playing With Water

Water can be so much fun to play with, whether it's liquid or frozen! Here's two ideas for having fun during the winter. Have fun on frozen ice at the Ice Arena at the Maple Grove Community Center, or dive in the pool at the Grove Cove Aquatic Center. We've posted some information about both facilities below, and you can find the same information on the city website.

Ice Arena

Dead Ice
Dead ice is a block of time not reserved by anyone. Skaters may use the ice until the next reserved hour. Admission: $6.00. Dead ice is not available on weekends. For more information, call 763-494-5951.

Ice Rental Rates
Pick up an hour of ice time to skate with friends, family or coworkers by going to www.rinkfinder.com - email the operations supervisor or call 763-494-6465.

Prime Time Ice
Monday - Friday
2:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Saturday - Sunday
6:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Non Prime Time Ice
Monday - Friday
11:01 p.m. - 1:59 p.m.
Saturday - Sunday
11:01 p.m. - 5:59 a.m.

Skate Rentals $2.00/pair
Sizes youth 8 to adult 12
Skate Sharpening $3.00/pair

How do I get there?
Directions to the Maple Grove Community Center.

Grove Cove Aquatic Center

Missing Our Outdoor Heated Pool? Here is a fall/winter option for those of you who can’t wait til Spring!

Admission Resident; Non-Resident
Youth*, Adult, Senior $5.50; $6.50
Family $20.00; $23.00
10 Coupons/book $50.00; $50.00
*under one is free

Pool Schedule (.PDF)
Pool Rules (.PDF)

Pool Specials
Friday Family Fundays!
Every Friday from now - December 21, 2012 will be a Friday Family Funday! Admission is $4.50 per person or $17.00 per family. Family includes two adults and your children ages 17 and under. There may be drawings or give-aways for pool patrons throughout the day.

Float Times
During designated times, the lap pool will have fun flotation items available for you to play with! All persons using the lap pool during this time must be capable of swimming in deep water unassisted and may be tested by a lifeguard. Please DO NOT bring your own flotation! We will provide everything you need for a fabulous float time! The rope swing, aqua climb and volleyball net will not be available during float times.

Making Your Apartment More Heat Efficient

It’s that time of year again when the weather turns frigid. To ensure you stay warm this winter, we've created some helpful tips for you to follow!

1. Make sure you switch your lever on your heat control to on.

2. Make sure you open your heat vents.

3. Don’t forget to put your AC covers up.

4. Have both of your sliding doors closed.

5. Make sure to leave the patio screen door in the open position

If you still are having heating issues after taking these steps, call the office today and we’ll send in Gary or Bob to help you!

Introducing Our Crime Prevention Officer Liaison From The MGPD

Today we'd like to highlight Todd, our Maple Grove Crime Prevention Officer - he started working for the Maple Grove Police Department in 2007 as a Community Service Officer. In 2009 he was reassigned to Investigations and worked as an investigative aid for a little over a year and a half.

In late 2010 he was selected to become the new Crime Prevention Officer by our former Chief of Police. Ever since then he has been working on many community education and outreach programs such as neighborhood watch, Operation ID, National Night Out, car seat safety, child safety, burglary prevention, along with working with property managers and overseeing rental properties in the city. Todd is very instrumental in helping us react as quickly as possible should an issue arise. 

Todd and his wife, Danielle, recently welcomed their 1st baby, Kaylee Marie.

Crock Pot Hot Chocolate - Keeping Warm & Toasty & Tasty

Oh my, look at what happened over the weekend. We went from fall-like weather to full-on winter wonderland! It may be cold and wet, but it sure is pretty. Now we just need some hot chocolate, a cozy blanket and a good movie! Did you know that you can make hot chocolate in a crock-pot and keep it nice and warm all day? You can! Check out this recipe.

Crock-Pot Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:
2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1 (14 oz.) Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 Cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
6 Cups Milk (use whole milk for extra thick hot chocolate)
2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

Instructions:
1. In a large Crock-Pot combine all ingredients and stir.
2. Cover with lid and cook on low for 2 hours, whisking every now and then to combine the melted chocolate chips with the milk.
3. Ladle into mugs and serve with marshmallows or whipped cream or turn Crock-Pot to warm and stir every so often until you are ready to serve.

Early Bird Winner Announced

Congratulations to Heather and Laura, they won the Early Bird Drawing this for December! We do this drawing every month and you have a chance to be the winner if you pay your rent on or before the 1st of the month. Everyone who pays their rent on or before the 1st of the month gets their name put into the Early Bird Drawing. Out of that pool of entrants a random name is selected and the lucky winner gets $50 off of rent for the following month.

So when January’s rent comes around don't forget the Early Bird Drawing and get your rent payment in early. We all know what the Early Bird gets... that's right, a chance to get $50 off of rent the next month!