Tuesday Tips #6 - Save Your Back!

I just finished ordering something from Amazon and I'm very excited about it! I have been struggling with my vacuum cleaner for a while now, because lugging it around has not been good for my back, shoulders, and various other areas of my anatomy. Lately, getting up dog hair has been a never ending chore around here, at least until I can get my doggy to the groomer. Well, Bev told me about this neat little vc she just got and she's really loving it. She made a post about it yesterday at our business blog. I really encourage you to go read what she has to say. You may end up getting one too. You'll love the price ($20.00) and it qualifies for free shipping at Amazon! I just added one of those neat little devotional books by Elizabeth George ($7.99) and it took me over the $25 for free shipping. Go check it out at The SG Notebook. You also might want to leave a comment about any neat gadgets you have around your house.

Tuesday Tips #5 - Walking

Well, we just talked about the benefits of drinking water, which we all know about. I've been doing much better this week, and hope I can keep it up and not fall off like I did before.

Today I want to talk about another very helpful way to reduce many health risks as well as to manage stress and release tension - walking. Even if you, like me, have little time to go to the gym or participate in an exercise program, we can at least walk more. Now that the weather is better, I hope to get back to walking around the neighborhood and getting in that mile plus a day, but some days we are so busy with life that we may have some trouble fitting in the time. We shouldn't, but sometimes we just don't get to it.

So how are you doing with physical activity in your home? Do you walk around your house briskly or are you sluggish about it? It makes a difference, you know. Some of you may remember a post I made some time ago about not sitting too much. I still remember that one and try to get up and down from the chair and move around every chance I get. It's not only about losing weight (which I need to do) but about helping our bodies and minds to function better.

I wanted to pass along these tips I just received from the American Heart Association. As they said, it's convenient, comfortable and safe to work out at home. So here are some things to think about:

• Do housework yourself instead of hiring someone else to do it. [They had to tell me that?]
• Work in the garden or mow the grass. Using a riding mower doesn't count!
• Rake leaves, prune, dig and pick up trash.
• Go out for a short walk before breakfast, after dinner, or both! Start with 5-10 minutes and work up to 30 minutes. [This is an excellent idea, but difficult for moms with small children at home.]
• Walk or bike to the corner store instead of driving. [Do people still have corner stores?]
• When walking, pick up the pace from leisurely to brisk. [Take a brisk spin around the mall once, then do the leisurely shopping thing.]
• Stand up while talking on the telephone. [Uh-oh.]
• Walk the dog. [Our Fro would sure appreciate this one.]
• Park farther away at the mall [or any store] and walk the extra distance. Wear your walking shoes and sneak in an extra lap or two around the mall. [Oops. I just said that.]
• Keep exercise equipment repaired and use it! [For those of you fortunate enough to have it.]

The brochure from the Heart Association has nice photos of families out walking together. Of all the activities we can do as a family, this is one of the best. Let's all strive to do this more!

Tuesday Tips #4 - Coffee Filters

Hi everybody! Doing okay here--how about you? Hope I can get by to see some of my friends when I get through my home school and housework duties of the day. It's snowy here where I live. What's your weather today? Here it's a great day for a cup of soup or a cup of COFFEE. Almost every household has coffee around; even if you don't drink it yourself, it certainly is hospitable to offer it to your guests, so I'm assuming that most households have coffee filters somewhere. So here's some info from an email I received just a couple of days ago.

I haven't tried any of these suggestions yet; it never occurred to me that this little item could be used for anything but coffee. Have any of you tried any of these and if so, which ones? If not, which do you think you'd like to try?


COFFEE FILTERS

Coffee filters ..who knew! And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Tree for almost nothing.

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave.
Coffee filters make excellent covers.


2. Clean windows and mirrors. Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.


3. Protect China. Separate your good dishes by putting a coffee filter between each dish.


4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.


5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.


6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.


7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.


8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.


9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.


10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.


11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.


12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters.


13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. Soaks out all the grease.


14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."

OH YEAH THEY ARE GREAT TO USE IN YOUR COFFEE MAKERS

Tuesday Tips #3

I only have a moment, but couldn't resist this. For those of you who are tempted to go out and get a star named for someone you love, maybe you better think again. It's been my understanding that all the stars already have names. Besides, perhaps you can save the money for something else.

A couple of verses from this morning's devotions:

Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. Isaiah 40:26

He [the Lord] telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Psalm 147:4

Hope to get by to visit some of you later today!

Tuesday Tips #2

I got this one (forward) today and it reminded me that I hadn't posted in a week and that it's Tuesday and I could use it as a Tuesday Tips post. (See last post if you're confused.) I had the urge to post pictures of my kids and grandkids anyway, so this email fit perfectly, except for the riddle thing at the end that totally confused me so I'm leaving that off.

Well, I must say that I agreed with much that was said in this forwarded email, originating with Paul Harvey [this is questionable-could be someone else.] He talks about the fact that people can try so hard to make things better for their kids that it makes them worse. Then he talks about some hopes and desires he has for his grandchildren. I sure do have many of the same desires and hopes for mine. Here are some excerpts for you to ponder and hopefully take to heart.

I would love it if they never had to had a hard day in their life or that they would never need to shed a tear or that everyone would always love them and treat them like gold, but you know, what kind of person would that cause them to be? Above all else, I hope they'll know Jesus and have Him to help them through whatever life may bring. I love them so much and part of me wishes all their hurts could be taken away, but mostly I hope, as expressed here, that all of the hurts that are sure to come will be refinements:

Selena with her mommy

Shana with her Auntie Nee

Perhaps some day there will be more of you, but for now, this is for Lena and Shae-Shae:

I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated. I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.

And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.

It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep. [As both your mommy and Auntie Nee have the latter.]

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in. [Well, I don't know about the back eye part, but maybe some bruised feelings.]

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room,but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom .

I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it.. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.

May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.

I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.

Written with a pen. Sealed with a kiss. I'm here for you. And if I die before you do, I'll go to heaven and wait for you.


Just copying these here brought some tears. Perhaps the same will happen to you as you think about your children/grandchildren.

Tuesday Tips

I don't know why I'm having so much trouble of late getting to making blog posts. There seems to be one "pressing need" after another that needs my attention. For instance, the gift I ordered for my granddaughter coming in with half of it missing, whereupon when I call the vendor I find out that they don't automatically send in the missing part but you have to return the whole thing, wait for them to issue the return slip, or whatever it is, before you send it back for credit, etc.etc. After bragging about how I do most of my shopping online, this doesn't say too much for me as to how well I checked out the return policy at this place. So now I've been online trying to find it somewhere else because I'm afraid to order from this place again. Whew!

Next, I've had a health insurance situation needing attention, and you know how it is to get on the phone with automated systems and the like, and that took forever.

Now, I've somehow (only me) lost the map activity book and key which was supposedly included in our curriculum materials which came in July, but I can't for the life of me remember where I put it. So Neesie's been assigned map activities by the video teacher, but this scatterbrained home teacher can't find the materials she needs!

I wanted to make this post this morning, but every time I want to make a post, these are the type of things that happen. These mixed in, of course, with the normal duties. Then, I have to confess that lately I've gotten distracted with some things that perhaps I shouldn't let take up my time, but being one of those curious types, I've been keeping up with certain happenings which I really have found intriguing, and that too has kept me from blogging as much.

I got this bright idea. I thought about passing on some of the helpful info I get from some friends who send me forwards, many containing humorous tidbits or helpful hints. So that's what this post is really all about. I'm starting a new category and calling it "Tuesday Tips" ( I don't know if anyone else is doing anything like this, but if so, please forgive me as I'm not being a copycat on purpose). Not always, but on some Tuesdays I'll pass along some of the information or even lighthearted nuggets I get from my friends. I'm thinking most of it will be helpful to folks who come here, even if just to give them a chuckle in their day. So here's the first one. It's a note that may be copied by all of my pet owning blog friends.

To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door - pet nose height:


Dear Dogs and Cats:

The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food.
The other dishes are mine and contain my food.
Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.
The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack.
Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.
I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort.
Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep.
It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible.
I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.
For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom.
If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, and try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open.
I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -- canine or feline attendance is not required.
The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's back parts. I cannot stress this enough!