Ear's to Ya

Remember when I told you to save the glass dropper out of empty bottles of stevia? Here's why.

If you ever have water stuck in your ear after a swim, bath, or shower, use it to put a few drops of rubbing alcohol in your ear. Drain it out on a tissue after a few seconds, and it will dry out the inside of your ear. This prevents "swimmer's ear". But mostly it just drives me crazy to hear sloshing every time I move my head.

I keep an extra one packed in my travel bag, along with a small bottle of rubbing alcohol, properly labeled.

More Nail News

I told you in an earlier post about brushing vitamin E oil on your toenails to make them shiny but also nurture them. I just found something I bought at the end of last sandal season and forgot about! It's Jason brand Nail Saver with Tea Tree Oil. It looks like a bottle of clear nail polish, but is actually a blend of healthy oils, including Vitamin E. And the brush is already in it. The instructions say to massage it in, but I just brush it on and go. Great product -- available at health food stores.

Another great tip: If you use nail polish remover, you will love this. Cut up the legs of an old pair of panty hose into approximately 2" pieces. You'll get about 18 pieces from a pair of panty hose. Each time you remove your nail polish, dampen one of these pieces with the remover and use it for all your nails. It kind of has a scrubbing action that works SO much better than cotton balls or cotton pads. Then toss it and use another one next time.

Pack Your Own Dressing

Unless you're new here, you already know how weird I am. But this ought to cinch it.

Restaurants have some fabulous salads these days, but it's hard to know what's in the dressing -- unhealthy ingredients? Bazillions of calories? So I've started carrying my own salad dressing, actually olive oil and balsamic vinegar, in a small leak-proof bottle. These bottles are available at Container Store. Even though it's leak-proof, I put it in a zippered plastic bag. It doesn't have to be refrigerated and keeps for a good long while. This little bottle will take care of 2 salads for me. Shake it up before pouring.

Another problem solved....a delicious, healthy dressing for a great lunch or dinner out. Come on...be weird!

Kick It Up a Notch

Today I share with you my favorite exercise DVD -- 10 Minute Solution Kickbox Bootcamp. 10 Minute Solution is a series of exercise DVDs, but in my opinion, this Kickbox Bootcamp is the best.

The DVD has five 10-minute workouts you can mix and match as you please. I guarantee that in 30 minutes you will get a great workout. Kickboxing works your lower body, upper body, core, improves your balance and gives you a great aerobic workout at the same time. Each 10-minute session takes you through a short warm-up and cool-down, so you could do them separately throughout the day if you wanted. The sessions are as follows:

• Basic Training
• Ultimate Buns & Thighs
• Arm & Shoulder Sculptor
• Washboard Abs
• Fat Burning Blast (this session only for the VERY fit - not me)
  

You can find it online, or in retail stores that carry exercise videos. I have really enjoyed this. If you're up for a new challenge, give it a try.

Stir the PB

Surely you know that natural peanut butter is better for you than the regular kind that has hydrogenated fat and sugar! But natural PB does separate and can be a pain to stir up. Here are a few suggestions:

www.lehmans.com sells this nifty little lid they call a Natural Peanut Butter Mixer for $8.95 plus S & H.

A cheaper alternative: When you first open the jar, use a wooden chopstick to stir in the oil, then keep it in the fridge so it doesn't separate again.

If you don't want to refrigerate it, store the jar upside down so the oil migrates to the bottom of the jar instead of the top.

One last suggestion: Smart Balance Omega Natural Peanut Butter -- I especially like the chunky kind. Ingredients: Peanuts, natural oil blend (flaxseed and palm fruit oils), salt, molasses. It does not separate and can be kept at room temperature.

Once you get accustomed to the real peanut flavor of natural PB, you won't want to go back to the fake stuff.

Bonus tip: One of my favorite snacks is apple slices dipped in natural PB or almond butter. YUM!

Bumped!

Have you ever tried to deliberately get bumped from your airline flight? Well, I have. I heard about this practice several years ago, and put it to good use. It's not as easy as it used to be, but let me tell you about it.

Airlines deliberately oversell the seats to compensate for people who don't show up, and sometimes end up with more passengers than seats. You can take advantage if this happens in your situation, to earn free travel vouchers, and possibly a hotel room and food vouchers.

The best way to set yourself up for the possibility of getting bumped (and rewarded) is to buy your tickets for a busy time. It's good to make sure there are later flights available that day, unless it's not a problem for you to stay overnight. Then, arrive early at your gate. As soon as they open the gate, approach the desk and tell them that you volunteer to be bumped if needed. If they think that's a possibility, they'll put your name on a list, and call you to the desk before they make a public announcement. The reward is different for each airlines, and it also depends on the value of the flight you are booked on. The best scenario is that they give you a travel voucher for a free flight later, plus confirm you have a seat on a later flight. Sometimes there is negotiation room to get a first class upgrade on the later flight. Always be polite.

I suggest that if you're going to try this, put everything you might need for an overnight stay in your carry-on luggage. There are no guarantees that it will work for you, but if it does, it's really a sweet deal.

When I first heard about this, my husband and I and our two youngest sons were on our way to Disney World. We got bumped and arrived only a couple of hours later than planned, with 4 free round-trip tickets to anywhere in the US, Canada, or Caribbean. Plus they gave us a food voucher to feed the whole family at TGIFridays in the airport. We took those free tickets and got bumped again, to the point that we flew for 2 years on free tickets. Once my son and I got bumped twice on a trip to San Diego, for 4 free tickets. We still got there the same day.

I wish I could get on a roll like that again! It's not worked for me for quite a while, but then I'm not traveling by air as often as I used to. Remember that the airlines will not do this for flights that have been delayed because of weather problems (and sometimes they call it weather problems when it's really not). Also, free tickets don't earn airline points. At any rate, it's worth a try, so come prepared, and roll the dice!

Then and Now -- Kim and Debi

This first picture is another one of my favorites -- sister Kim and I are only 15 months apart, and we were treated almost like twins as we were growing up. The second one we took just outside the movie theater this week. As little girls, we didn't always get along with each other, but since we've been adults, I don't remember having a cross word between us. She's not only a great sister, but one of my closest friends. I am truly blessed.

Shampowder

Today's tip is from my friend Katy. As you can see in the picture (with her husband Allen), Katy has beautiful long blond hair. She recommends a product called Shampowder, made by Buttercream Cosmetics. It keeps your hair fresh between shampoos. Here is how it is described on the product's website:

Get a fresh-from the shower look in seconds with Shampowder Hair Powder!

You're always on the go and always want to look your best. Just a sprinkle is all it takes to add life and lift to hair. Mineral pigments in the most natural tones blend seamlessly in with your own hair color. In seconds, you look like you just stepped out of the salon!

I haven't tried it myself because, with my short hair, I wake up looking like a cavewoman in the morning and need a real shampoo. But Katy says it's great, and she should know. It comes in two colors -- one for light hair, and the other for dark hair and red hair. The website to order from is www.buttercreamcosmetics.com.

Katy and Allen have 3 beautiful blond daughters, 2 of which are twins. I always tell Allen, "Get the shotgun ready for when these girls become teenagers." Katy bar the door. :)

Great Movie

My sister Kim and I had re-admit tickets to the Movie Tavern because the last movie we went to see there malfunctioned. So this week we made a date to see The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. I want to highly recommend it. What a beautiful movie. If at all possible, it would be good to watch the first Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe before you go to see this second edition.

It is beautifully filmed, beautifully acted, and a beautiful story that has some deep messages. The youngest girl (on the left) really captures my heart. And Kim says we'll be seeing more of the actor who plays Prince Caspian (center). It might be too scary for very little ones, but I think anyone in elementary school or older will be fine.

As much as I like watching movies at home, this is one that should be seen on the big screen if at all possible. I'd like to see it again to study the Biblical parallels. Whether or not you are a Christian believer, you will love this movie.

By the way, I've decided I'm not a big fan of the Movie Tavern concept. I didn't like splitting my attention between the movie and the full meal set before me. You can eat a snack mindlessly, but a chicken salad bowl takes a little more concentration.

Travel Tip

I found a cool thing at CVS Pharmacy this week -- it's a plastic travel carrier for those cotton cosmetic pads a lot of us use. I use one each morning and night for my skin toner. This will remind me to take them with me when I travel. They come in round or square, depending on which kind of cotton pads you use, and each one holds 10. They are 99 cents and come filled with the cotton pads.

More Updates

Remember the Ladder Ball game I recommended? I found it at Wal-mart this week for only $19. Here's the deal: it's in the sporting goods section, not the toy section where I was looking. This is a really fun game that all ages can enjoy. Also a great gift idea.


SCAM ALERT: I got a really official looking e-mail today that claimed to be from the Internal Revenue Service. It used the official IRS logo and said I had a refund coming if I would just fill out the attached form and e-mail it back. Don't fall for this! The IRS will not contact you that way. I'm afraid a lot of people will fall for this one.

A Word of Wisdom

Today's recommendation is sweet and simple. My life motto came from a pastor friend -- Pastor Burton. He always says, "Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape." Boy, do I need to remember that every day. No matter what life throws at you today, you can handle it with dignity and grace. Things rarely go the way we plan, but with God's grace, we can get through anything.

By the way, Happy Anniversary, Barrett and Beccy!

Forever the Sickest Kids

You may be quite surprised by my recommendation today -- an alternative rock band called Forever the Sickest Kids. However, some of my readers are young, and the rest of you have kids and grandkids.

The only reason I know about them is because the lead singer's parents are our friends. These guys posted a song on the internet less than 2 years ago and the song went "viral" (spread everywhere). In no time, they were being courted by 7 major recording companies, and signed with Universal Records. They are expected to be the "next big thing" in alternative music. The great thing is, all the lyrics are clean, and they pray onstage before they start performing, though they are not doing Christian music. The lead singer, Jonathan, desires to be a light in the secular music world.

Their new album, available at Best Buy and some Walmarts, is called "Underdog Alma Mater" and you can listen to some of the songs at their official website -- www.foreverthesickestkids.com. I bought it to support them, thinking I would give it to one of our sons after I listened to it. But I liked it so much, I'm keeping it.

As an update for those of you who are thinking "why are they sick?", in today's lingo, sick means "cool" or "awesome". So there you go.

Think about this as a gift for anyone between the ages of 12 and 30. You'll be the coolest granny or grampa on the block.

Then & Now - Cletha Mae

Today I bring you my mother-in-law, Cletha, then and now. She's an amazing, strong woman, who at 85 still wants to party down. She loves being with people.







With great-granddaughters Montana and Sara-Beth.

Print Your Screen

I promised earlier this week to tell you how I put pictures of my computer screen on my blog. It's something my son Austin taught me, and it has really come in handy. First of all, make sure that what you want to "take a picture of" is displayed on the screen. Then hit the "Alt" key and the "PrtScn" key at the same time. Your Print Screen key might say something a little different from mine, but it is usually somewhere in the upper right portion of your keyboard. This takes a picture of your screen and holds it in the clipboard. Then, open up a program, like a word processing program or your Paint program, and within that, right-click and choose "Paste". Your picture will be pasted into the program you've chosen, and you can save it and use it for whatever you want. I like to paste it into the Paint program(click Start, then Accessories, then Paint), and save it as a .jpg file because I can then edit it in my photo program.

Experiment a little with "taking pictures" of your screen! You little hacker, you.

He Thinks He Can Make You Thin

I watched a series on The Learning Channel called "I Can Make You Thin". I don't agree with every single thing this guy said, but he had some interesting points. His main concept was to change the way you think, which I can wholeheartedly go along with. His name is Paul McKenna. Apparently he's a famous English hypnotist, which I do not endorse in any way, but also some kind of expert in how the mind works, and is teaching people how to change their habit patterns.

One concept of his that I keep remembering is "what gets measured, gets done". So I've put my pedometer back on, and was troubled to find that on days when I mostly worked at my desk, I only took around 3 to 4 thousand steps a day. That's below the national average, which is not good to start with. Now I'm trying to remember to put it on each day, and record my number of steps each day on the bathroom calendar. Today, I can happily say that I had over 10,000 steps by 9:15 a.m. It helped that I got up at 5 a.m. and buzzed around the house doing chores before I took an hour-long walk. As soon as I started on the desk work, though, it slowed way down! No worries, as long as I at least reach that 10,000 mark each day, I should be burning off some of that winter fat.

But maybe you can't go for an hour walk. That's alright, just move. It can be broken up in bits during the day. He said the difference between a slim person and an overweight person is usually about 4000 steps a day. That sounds like a lot, but not really.

Paul McKenna has 4 GOLDEN RULES:
1) When you are hungry, eat.
2) Eat what you want, not what you think you should eat.
3) Eat consciously and enjoy every mouthful, without distractions. (This is the hardest one for me, as I'm usually bolting down food standing up and in a hurry, thinking about other things. I'm determined to work on it.)
4) When you think you are full, stop eating.

Just following these 4 rules is making a lot of difference for a lot of people.

He also has some training that involves associating good feelings with good habits (exercise, healthy eating) and bad feelings with bad habits (food cravings, lack of exercise, smoking) so that you can change. What I've realized is that I don't have any major cravings that I need to get over, I just fail to plan. I get busy and then realize I'm hungry, and then grab whatever is the most expedient. When I plan, I make myself good, healthy meals and I'm more satisfied. NOTE TO SELF: MUST DO MORE PLANNING!

Scrolling, Scrolling, Scrolling

I've just discovered another computer trick you're really going to like. For this one I would like to thank Mr. Modem! (See www.MrModem.com)

That scroll bar on the right side of your screen is usually skinny and you have to be rather precise to point your cursor at it and scroll down or up. But -- surprisingly to me -- there is a way to make it fatter and easier to grab with your mouse.

Here are the easy instructions from Mr. Modem:

1. Right click on a blank area of your Windows desktop
2. Click Properties
3. Click the Appearance tab
4. Click the Advanced button
5. In the Advanced Appearance window, display the drop-down list under "Item" and select "Scrollbar" as the item you want to change.
6. Increase the "Size" number to increase the width of the scroll bars. Your changes will be reflected in the little preview area at the top of the window.
   
7. When you have sufficiently plumped up your scroll bars, click OK twice and your changes will take effect.
   

I REALLY like this, hope you will too!

Want to know how I take a picture of my screen like that? Tune in later this week!

Snack Bars

Never leave home without it - a snack, that is. I always have an emergency snack in my purse, and this keeps me out of fast food joints. Here are my favorites. Keep in mind that mine have to be wheat-free.

The Boomi Bar comes in different flavors, but the best, in my opinion is Almond Protein Plus. It is very pure, made of only Almonds, Honey, and Whey Protein Isolate, in that order.

The Lara Bar is made up of only fruits and nuts. Different flavors, all delicious, but not much protein. These are the best for strict vegetarians.

The Karma Bar is my guilty pleasure. It also comes in several flavors, but to me the Double Chocolate flavor (with chocolate chips) is almost like having a candy bar. It's not as pure and healthy as the others, but not too bad for you either. Eat this one over a plate or napkin, because the chocolate chips fall off -- and you don't want to lose even one!

Warning: Taste is in the mouth of the beholder. The ones I love, Dear Hubby hates, and vice versa. So just buy one at a time until you've taste tested.

I stock up on these as they go on sale. You can find them at grocery stores and/or health food stores. I hope you'll find at least one that you love.

It Never Hurts to Ask

I recently needed to buy a new printer. Mine was gasping and choking after serving me well for several years. I carefully shopped for an all-in-one printer/scanner/copier/fax that would also save me money on ink. I found the one I wanted at Staples and was able to trade in my old one for a $50 credit. I brought it home, set it up, loved it! I'm amazed at how much faster it prints than my old one. I was able to clear all the other equipment off my desk.

Then, 10 days later, I opened the Staples circular to find that my printer was on sale $100 cheaper than what I had paid, and still had the $50 trade-in offer! What did I do? I took my receipt to the store and politely explained the situation and asked what they could do. I walked out with $100 cash (because I had paid cash). Let me tell you, that cemented my relationship with Staples as my office supply store. The moral of the story is, it never hurts to ask, politely. I hope this helps you somewhere along the way.

Monday Update

Today, some updates on prior posts:

Back on February 21 I recommended the Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil. In case you want to try it, or have tried it and like it, they're on sale this week at Walgreens. They're Buy One - Get One at 50% Off. Plus, there's a coupon for $1.00 off of one in this week's Red Plum coupon book (from the newspaper). If you still have the coupons from April 20, there's another one in there. In that case, they would only be $1.25 each (normally 2.99 each).

For more color selection on these pencils, go to Ulta and use one of their coupons. But be sure it says "Soft Kohl Kajal" or you're not getting the right one.

On January 31, I recommended the natural plant-based sweetener, Stevia. Look for it in individual packets also, easier to carry with you. It doesn't mix as easily as the liquid, but it's much easier to carry with you.

My Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie (January 9) has now evolved into just a Chocolate Smoothie: Rice Milk, Stevia, Chocolate Protein Powder, vitamin powder, cold banana, Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa, crushed ice. Yum.

When putting your I.C.E. number in your cell phone (In Case of Emergency - March 6), you can put more than one. Just put ICE - Mom, or ICE - Jenny, etc., in case your first choice can't be reached.

I'm still amazed by the Banana Trick I told you about on February 12. To ripen your bananas more quickly, leave them attached to each other. To slow down the ripening process and make them keep longer, take the bananas apart. It really works!

That's all for today, folks!

Then and Now - Mozelle and Tinkle

Today I'm featuring two of my favorite people in the whole world -- my mother Mozelle and one of her sisters, my Aunt Tinkle. Her real name is Neomia, but somewhere along the line she became Tinkle and that's how we've always known her. My mom (the one without the glasses) is the youngest of 14 children, and they lost 2 sisters and a dear brother-in-law in the last 2 months. Tough duty! There are only 5 of the original kids left, but we've been blessed by longevity in this family. And as a bonus, I have a bajillion cousins!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Cliphanger Update

Remember my post on the Cliphanger -- a device you attach to your cellphone so that you can clip it to your belt, purse, etc? Since I wrote that, I changed phones, to an iPhone, and I had to have another Cliphanger. I'm hooked, literally. They make different ones for different kinds of phones, and I love mine.

If you're interested, and move quickly, you can get a 25% discount by ordering online through May 12. Go to www.cliphanger.com, and put in the promotion code "mother" during the checkout process.

I get no benefit from recommending this to you -- I just like to share the good stuff. Enjoy!

Place Bag

Recently when I visited friends Bob and Margaret, they had this neat bag in the car. It was made by a friend of theirs, believe it or not, out of a placemat folded in half. The ends are already finished, so you just sew up the sides and add ribbon for handles. In this case, she also added trim around the top, but some placemats are already decorated on the ends. I can't wait to look for some cute placemats on sale (of course) and make some of these. You can use them for keeping your coupons in the car, hang on the back door for things you're taking with you, or whatever else you can think of. It would make a cute reuseable gift bag, too.

You Go Google!

Here's a neat trick anyone can do with any cell phone. I read this in a newspaper article written by someone at the Chicago Tribune, and it seemed too good to be true.

To get the phone number and address of a restaurant, simply text the name of the restaurant, along with the city and state, to 466-453 (which spells GOOGLE). Within one minute, Google will text you back with the address and phone number of any restaurant by that name in the area.

To put it to a real test, I tried it with the name of a local, non-chain restaurant. Immediately, I got back the accurate info on that restaurant, plus the info for an auto shop with a similar name. I thought, hmmm.....maybe it works for more than restaurants. I sent a text for the Home Depot in my town....voila....the correct info came right back. It works for regular businesses, not just restaurants.

Intrigued, I typed in my husband's name and city and state. It sent me back only similar business names, so apparently it doesn't work for home listings. Oh, well.

Keep in mind that normal text messaging rates apply, usually 10 cents per text unless you have a package that includes texting. But well worth it when you are out and want to make a reservation or call in an order or find out how long the wait is.

Anyway I look at it, this just blows my mind. I'm a techno-junkie....but I still can't believe what is available to us right now...and what will be available to us in the future.

P.S. I bought a wireless keyboard yesterday for a great price, got it all set up, love it, and then found out it doesn't fit in the keyboard tray on my desk. It's really cool, and I'm going to keep it, but if you go shopping for one, measure your keyboard tray before you go and take the measuring tape with you, because they don't always put the dimensions on the box. I'm typing from my lap right now, which is pretty comfy!

Noteworthy

Hey, here's an idea that will work if you have pantry doors that open out like mine. We found some self-stick cork squares and put them on the inside of both doors. Now there's a place to hang often-used recipes, some of my "formulas" (I need to share my muffin formula sometime), recycling instructions, etc.

The self-stick on the squares we bought didn't stick all that well, so we had to get some stronger tape. But I'm very happy with the results. You might want to hang them 2 deep (one on top of the other) so that you have plenty of room to stick the pins in without getting into the wood.

Security Tip

If you're like me, you have lots of those store reward cards that are supposed to attach to your keychain. The problem is, if you lose your keys, it's possible that someone could use those to track down your address and then use your keys. SO, keep a separate key ring with your reward cards on it, not attached to your actual keys.

Make your safety a priority!

Quick File Access

Here's a quick computer tip you might not have thought of. I have tons of documents saved on my computer, and they are separated into a bunch of file folders. There are some of those files that I access on a regular basis. In those cases, I add a character to the front of the name so that it will be first on the file list. For example, under My Documents, I could have a file named:

@Family Business

Or, under My Pictures, I have a file named:

+Debs Favorite Things

It's really nice to be able to quickly access a much used folder without scrolling through all the folders, because it's at the top of the list.

Another idea that's especially good for your picture folders:
Name each folder by the year and month -- for example photos from May 2008 would be in a file named

2008-05

Then your picture folders will be lined up in date order.


Little things that might make your daily life a little bit easier....

Then and Now - Gene & Brenda

Today I bring you my wonderful dad and stepmom. No one had a clue what adventurers and world travelers they would someday become (and still are).














(Hot air balloon ride)

Go Ahead, Lose Your Marbles

Do you or your children have a special event coming up? Here's a way to visualize it for them. Take two clear containers, and fill one with enough marbles to count off the days, weeks, or months to your blessed event (baby coming, vacation, summer). Then each day (or week or month depending on what you're doing), drop a marble in the other container. It's kind of like an advent calendar, and really makes you aware of the time ticking past.

For instance, at the beginning of summer, count out a marble for each day until school starts again, and put it in the first container. Each day, drop a marble into the second container. This will really help to remind you to make the most of your time, and help little ones visualize time.

Peeper

This is another quilting tip, but also useful for other things -- like entertaining a 5-year-old. You can buy a door peeper from any home improvement store. When you look through it the right way, it makes things look very far away. What is that good for? I thought you'd never ask.

When you're putting a quilt together, you need to look at it from a distance to see if the blocks and colors are all balanced. It's hard to get far enough away from it to see the "big picture". You can look at it through a door peeper and get a completely different perspective. I imagine this would also be good for decorating a room -- looking at it from a distance. But hand it to any young child, and they'll have a blast for several hours checking out everything in sight. It would be a cheap, fun gift, or something good to keep in your purse for emergency kiddie entertainment.

Let the Sun Shine In

These days we're told to stay completely out of the sun, but some sun exposure is actually good for you. It helps your body produce Vitamin D, which is essential for your health. No, you don't want to get sunburned, but a few minutes a day of sunshine on your skin is a very good thing. Read what Dr. Joseph McWherter has to say in his book, Avoiding Breast Cancer (which also deals with general health):

Vitamin D is of particular importance in maintaining breast health, promoting bone integrity, and balancing the immune system. Sunlight activates a special type of cholesterol molecule located in the skin to form vitamin D, which acts more like a hormone than a vitamin. I recommend not only daily vitamin D supplementation, but also exposure to midday sunlight for five to ten minutes, three times weekly. The vitamin D that is ingested or created by your body is then transformed into the biologically active form in the liver and kidneys. Activated vitamin D works at the DNA level of the breast cell to initiate programmed cell death, thus preventing uncontrolled cell division (cancer).

In his wonderful book, Dr. McWherter recommends 800 to 1,000 IU daily of vitamin D3, but says the blood levels need to be checked on a regular basis to be sure that you're getting enough.

Sunshine will also be beneficial to your mood and your sleep. So, let the sun shine in...for a little while.