Blog Posts

Unleash Creativity through Poetry

When the day-to-day starts to get old, take some time out to refresh your creativity. An excellent way to do it is to write some poems. Now before you click out of the link because you think you can’t write a poem, wait! Anyone can write a poem, and we’ve got direction in today’s Windsong Place Apartments Blog to help you do just that. We’ll give you step-by-step directions to create several different types of poems. Have a great time being creative this month! Write a Haiku Celebrate National Poetry Month by writing your own haikus. A haiku is a traditional Japanese poem. Haikus are typically three lines. The first line is five syllables, the second is seven, and the last is five syllables. Haikus don’t have to rhyme. Make your haiku as clever or as simple as you would like. You can find more information on writing a haiku at Creative Writing Now. Write a Limerick A limerick is a humorous poem that’s quick and easy to write. It’s a traditional Irish poem that’s supposed to make you laugh! It’s five lines long, and it’s supposed to rhyme. You can find more information on writing your own limerick (and a couple of examples of a limerick) at Power Poetry. Write a Bio Poem This one is pretty simple. Just fill in the blanks, be as silly or profound as you like. It’s all about you, after all. Line 1: Your first name _________________________________________ Line 2: Three words that describe you ____________________________ Line 3: Who enjoys ______________________________________________ Line 4: Who is able to ____________________________________________ Line 5: Who feels _______________________________________________ Line 6: Who wonders ____________________________________________ Line 7: Who fears _______________________________________________ Line 8: Who cares about __________________________________________ Line 9: Who dreams of ___________________________________________ So an example poem; if my name were John John Intelligent, hard-working, handsome Who enjoys a good meal with a beautiful woman. Who is able to restore an old motorcycle. Who feels a deep love for nature. Who wonders what the future will hold. Who fears not being understood. Who cares about the well being of others. Who dreams of being a stand-up comedian. Draw on your personal experience, your surroundings here in Williamsville or WNY to create one or more poems. Feel free to share with our apartment community in the comments.

Summer at Windsong Place Apartments

Here at Windsong Place Apartments, we love providing community amenities for our residents! With summer in full swing, we wanted to highlight what we have available to help you make the most of the summer season here in Williamsville, NY. Basketball Court Whether you just want to shoot a few hoops with friends, play a friendly game of H.O.R.S.E., or get together a group for a full-on basketball game, our basketball court is ready and waiting. Get out and enjoy it soon. Salt Water Swimming Pool Summertime means pool time, and our saltwater swimming pool sees plenty of use over the course of the summer months. Please be considerate of fellow swimmers and follow common sense guidelines when using the pool. There’s nothing quite like a relaxing swim on a hot summer day for cooling off. Picnic Area with Charcoal Grills Gear up for the weekend by planning to eat outdoors. Take advantage of our on-site picnic area and charcoal grills and plan a barbeque this summer (or simply take your fast-food outside) for a change of pace. Kids Activity Zone Playground Get out with the kids and enjoy some time at the playground. Review this recent blog post and brush up on playground etiquette . Enjoy the sunshine, but remember the sunscreen! Weight Room with Bluetooth Speaker We hope your fitness routine is going well this summer. Have you had a chance to use our new Pelton bike? If you missed our post about this exciting new addition to our fitness center, you can read all about our Peloton Bike right here . We sure hope so! Dog Park Convenient and close to home — those are the hallmarks of our dog park. We appreciate the care you take to clean up after your pets. It takes a community to create an awesome space for everyone. In addition to our on-site dog park, where do you like to take your dog walking? (Let us know in the comments.) Club House Last, but certainly not least, we are happy to provide a clubhouse for your entertaining needs. Stop by soon to enjoy the ambiance or reserve it for your next gathering. We hope everyone is having an awesome summer here in WNY! Thanks for taking the time to read our post.

Plan a Themed Picnic in May

Picnics are as much a part of summer as ball games, swimming pools, and summer camp. Today we are sharing some geographic-themed picnic ideas for members of our apartment community. Picnics can be very simple, or they can feature multiple courses. The main thing about having a picnic is to experience dining al fresco. Take advantage of our picnic area at Windsong Place Apartments complete with charcoal grills. Happy picnic planning! Southwest Twist Spicy with a variety of textures, southwestern fare makes for a great picnic, too. Pull together tortilla chips (pack them in a rigid container), salsa, and this fresh summer salad featuring tomato, avocado, and cucumber for a refreshing outdoor meal. Austen Inspired Go all out and indulge in a Jane Austen-inspired picnic, complete with a tablecloth and tea service. If the idea intrigues you, you’re not alone. Read how Anika Mehta pulled it off: How to Have a Regency Tea Party Picnic , in her blog, Hello Giggles. Bite from the Past is the perfect place to find suitable picnic food for your outing. German Goodness Potato salad definitely has German roots, and it’s perfect to bring along for a picnic. Add bratwurst, some veggies, and dessert, and you’ve got a meal. Some other foods with a German flair to consider are spätzle (a cross between noodles and dumplings), pretzels (classic Bavarian), or chilled sausages paired with a side of sauerkraut. Don’t forget the dessert springerles — a classic German cookie flavored with anise — strudel, or a nice plum torte are all excellent options. Don’t forget the wine; check out these Wines of Germany . Ole! Hello Mexican Picnic Food Though not common, chili makes excellent Mexican picnic fare. Plan ahead to keep it hot, using a thermos, until you’re ready to eat. Another idea is to take along a portable picnic stove and warm up tamales or taquitos, which are easy to eat with your hands. Elote (corn on the cob grilled or boiled in the husk) is delicious with added condiments such as salt, chili powder, butter, or lime juice. Adding a salad featuring lettuce, beans, and of course, cilantro and avocado are a nice way to round out your meal. Where is your favorite place to picnic in the Williamsville, NY area? Let us know in the comments so we can check it out too.

Mother's Day Ideas from Outside the Gift Box

Mother’s Day is coming up soon, and we know you don’t want to honor your mother (or other important mother figures) in your life with a lame offering — like another “World’s Greatest Mom” mug, cheesy costume jewelry, or an appliance (unless she has specifically asked for one). So, today, the Windsong Place Apartments Blog is bringing you a list of outside-the-gift-box ideas to spark your imagination for things she would love to receive. A Handwritten Letter It may not seem like much, but a handwritten letter to your mother can be the gift that goes a long way. Gratitude and acknowledgment are two good themes to write about, and your mother is sure to be touched in the best of ways. There is no wrong way to write a heartfelt Mother’s Day letter, so long as you highlight the positives of Mommy Dearest. If serious and sappy aren’t your thing, you can opt to take a lighthearted or a funny approach. A Visit What better gift to your mother than a visit from their child? Schedules permitting, a visit to your mother would be a nice surprise. Make sure the time spent on your visit belongs to your mother, be sure to not schedule any meetings or gatherings with friends, and don’t spend half the time on your phone. Take her out to a nice meal or treat her to a manicure/pedicure. In any case, your mother will be appreciative of the time she got to spend with you. What does she like? First, take a few minutes to think about the things your mother likes. What is her love language ? If you don’t know, this could be a great opportunity to remedy that gap in your knowledge. Does she collect certain things? An addition to her collection would be a lovely gift choice. Does she enjoy the theater, ballet, opera? Tickets to an upcoming production for the two of you for a night out in the Williamsville, NY area is another option. What are you getting for your mom this Mother’s Day? Share your ideas with us in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!

Cycle Your Way to Health at Windsong Place Apartments

When was the last time you visited our fitness center here at Windsong Place Apartments? If it’s been awhile, you may have missed out on the newest addition to our array of fitness equipment. We are now featuring a Peloton Bike! That’s right, Peloton Bikes have found a home right here at Windsong Place Apartments in Williamsville, NY. We are excited to introduce these remarkable high-tech studio cycles at the fitness center. The Peloton Bike comes equipped with a 22” HD touchscreen which allows you to immerse yourself into the cycling experience, all on a schedule that works for you. Choose from 14 daily live classes select one of the 8,000+ on-demand classes for your workout that you can do anytime. Class times range from 5 to 120 minutes. One of the features about the Peloton Bike that we know you’ll love includes tracking your progress — which provides detailed performance metrics to help you stay on track with your fitness program. Not only that, finding your favorite music genre, class type, and a NYC instructor is accomplished with a tap of the screen, so adjust all of them depending on what you’re in the mood for as you cycle. We are excited for our residents to try out our Peloton Bike. How do you plan on incorporating cycling into your fitness routine? Here are four pointers to help you get started from Muscle & Fitness . Foot position: If your bike has toe cages and straps, make sure the ball of your foot is aligned over the center of the pedal. This is the firmest, widest part of your foot and the most efficient and comfortable position. If you’re clipping in with bike shoes, make sure that the cleats are positioned so the ball of your foot is on the center of the pedal. Saddle height: You can eyeball the saddle so it comes to about hip height, but a better way to tell if you’re at the right position is to get on the bike and rotate the pedals until one leg reaches the bottom of the pedal stroke. That leg should have about a 25- to 35-degree bend at the knee. Saddle fore /Aft position: Sitting on the saddle, place your hands on the front handlebars; keep the pedals level. Look down: Your kneecap should be directly above the center of the pedal; adjust saddle accordingly to get there. Handlebar height: Align handlebars close to seat height to limit the strain on your neck and back. Of course, if the bike is being used when you arrive, our fitness center has plenty of other options to use too! We hope you have the opportunity to get in and workout this month. Thanks for taking time to read our post. Update: May 7, 2019: Peloton rolled out some awesome new features inspired by you! Check them out here

Windsong Place Garners Top Award Three Years Running

For the third year in a row, Windsong Place Apartments has been recognized for being a Top Rated community by ApartmentRatings.com. Criteria for receiving the a 2018 Top Rated Award Winner include the following items: 10+ total reviews 5+ reviews in 2018 70% or greater overall recommended score Visit Apartment Ratings to see how Windsong stacks up with a detailed look at ratings for noise, safety, grounds, maintenance, neighborhood, and office staff. As of this writing, 80%* of reviewers recommend Windsong Place Apartments as an excellent place to live. Reviews are the key indicator for receiving this prestigious award, and we want to share a few of the things members of our community have included in their reviews. One recent reviewer notes that the apartment community is an “amazing and beautiful place. . . . Maintenance requests were resolved very promptly.” Another reviewer was appreciative of the wide variety of community amenities provided by the Windsong Place, “I really love all the extras here at Windsong - the pool, sport court, dog park, dvd library, resident computer center - and it's so close to my school. Helpful office staff and friendly maintenance, too!” If you haven’t yet, we invite you to take a few minutes and write a review . Why is writing a review important? Think of reviews as doing a public service. When you share a review you are helping others make an educated decision about a product, service, or experience. Reviews are also a factor in creating change and making improvements because they bring issues to light — sometimes creating awareness where there was none. Only about 5% of the properties listed on ApartmentRatings.com even qualify for this award and being included in that number is certainly an indication of how our residents view our apartment community. Working together we can continue to make Windsong Place an amazing place to live. Thank you for being awesome neighbors to one another and helping to create a vibrant, lovely community here in Williamsville, NY. *At the time of the award calculations