Big Like #5: All These Uses For The Simple Binder Clip

More office supply love this week and a little secret we came up with that has saved us big money and some serious frustration. We buy Binder Clips in a office size box from the office supply store and use them not only in the office but on every item in the kitchen that we might use a Chip Clip on.
And guess what, they last forever unlike their cheap plastic kitchen cousins.

We keep a box of them in the kitchen next to the fridge where we can easily grab one to close up on bag of cereal, chips, chocolate chips, nuts, freezer waffles...you name it, if it could use a chip clip we are sticking a simple black binder clip on it. Then when we're done with them we just toss them back in that box in the kitchen drawer and they get used indefinitely.

For the cost and extended life we're saving a ton not buying plastic kitchen clips. You can find them in all sorts of fun colors and sizes tailored just to your needs and preferences and buy them in varying lot sizes so you get just what you need or a few years supply for not much more than that. I also use them sometimes to hold together small art projects I am working on. They work great as clamps while gluing things together or to hold things together while you make adjustments so that everything is evenly spaced. You can also loop one over a magnet hook to organize papers on a fridge or magnet board. You can even use them to clip and display art. They can be great for holding open coloring book pages that might frustrate children to keep flat. I've used one for a bookmark before too.

We keep a few in the car too and we seem to find uses for them all the time. You can use them to clip a blanket up over a window if the sun is blazing down on sleeping kiddos (keeping in mind driver visibility issues of course!) You could clip needed items to the visors or use them to clip a blanket around a kiddo to keep them covered and warm in the car. (Use your creativity here there are a few ways I can see this working.)

They would probably be a great addition to a 72-hour kit in a variety of sizes. You could use them to create a shelter if you had some rope and a tarp or to create a water catcher by clipping up the edges of a jacket or tarp or plastic bag. You could use them to create a temporary outdoor shower with some fabric or tarp. So along with the clips, you should definitely get a tarp it sounds like! Ha. You could also use them to construct a survival oven if you had some foil or something metal. You can also use them to hold a spoon on the side of a pot by clipping one to the edge and sliding the spoon handle through the clip prongs. They could also be useful in a myriad of ways in the garden.

So very versatile, so inexpensive and so great to have on hand when you need one. From the tiniest size to the largest size there is a good use for every one and having a pretty collection of them on hand can make life a little simpler and happier.

Big Like #5: File Rubber Bands

File size rubber bands are my Big Like for this week. So simple and yet they serve me in so many wonderful ways. You can buy them in a bag in the most lovely colors at an office supply store. I keep a jar of them in my office and use them weekly.

They are one of those little things you never knew how much you needed until you started using them. I like to keep one around my spiral bound journal which I often carry around with me. It helps keep the cover and pages in good shape even though I get a little rough and careless with the notebook sometimes. I also use them on my composition notebooks to hold all the things I tuck inside them together.

They are pretty great for holding together things like files, imagine that. For business travel they can be a big help to hold together brochures and other printed material you may pick up at a show or papers you need to safely transport to and from your place of business.

I also use them on food bags like nuts and chocolate chips. They help keep things fresh and keep the pantry from unnecessary messes and spills. And with the bright pretty colors they always look festive.

I love having a small stash on hand so I can easily grab one when needed. There is nothing worse than searching the house for a clip, rubber band, stapler, scissors -- all those little office supplies that come in so handy. Love some File Rubber Bands!

Update & Revisit: A Family Fun Bag Always In The Car

Since we're all hoping that summer is just around the corner here in the Northern Hemisphere, I thought it would be fun to revisit something we did a few years ago that had us ready for a little adventure and play time anytime we could stop at a park or the beach. Having a family sports bag in the car made outdoor activities simple and helped us easily make time for fun outside after dinner or while Daddy was working on weekends when Saturdays could get a little long.

 It's also great when you have a chance to meet up with friends or family for some outside time. There's something for everyone to do. Having it all in the car, neatly organized makes getting out and away more convenient too, no prep time. No hunting down balls, bats, kites, shovels. Just jump in the car and go!

Nowadays life is a little different because Kiddo is older and we spend a lot more time at home because we aren't living in a small apartment. With a big yard and lots of space, fresh air is just outside our doors instead of a walk or drive to a public green space.  Our kiddo isn't home much now that she's busier with school and extra-curricular activities so she doesn't need to get away from the house so much. She actually needs more time at the house. But boy was having a bag already packed in the car a few years ago a lifesaver!

I believe when you have kids who are home all day or a bunch of kiddos it's great to get them out of the house and to the park or beach often for a change of scenery and space to run like crazy and make a lot of noise. It's a great way to wear them out too.

Follow this link to see a great ideas for a family sports bag you can keep in the trunk of back of the car so you're ready for family fun any time. Click here.

Fill Your Hamburgers With Flavor

 I have been experimenting with making hamburgers a lot since we moved to New Mexico. With a very unique flavor palate all it's own, New Mexico is an inspiring place to really jump into trying new spices and punching up the flavor of your meals.

We've been eating a lot of homemade hamburgers lately and I find they are the perfect companion to a big plate of sliced fresh fruits and vegetables...and we often add some chips and salsa or good old Lay's Potato Chips along as well. With all the add ins, you might think my burgers are hot spicy but they aren't. They just taste like regular old juicy hamburger. But the added spices give is a richer, more delicious flavor. Here's a printable recipe version.

To make 4 big hamburgers I usually start with about two-and-a-half pounds of ground beef. I use 80/20 lean ground beef. Then I start adding things. Here's my list.

KK's Tasty Burgers

2.5 lbs ground beef
1/2 minced fresh medium size onion
1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic or 4 cloves minced
(I use the minced garlic I buy in a jar at the grocery store).
1 tsp. New Mexico green chile (roasted, from a jar)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Large pinch of red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
 Optional: A few shakes of Lowry's Seasoning Salt and/or garlic salt

I mix this all together, then form my patties and layer them between freezer paper or parchment paper until I am ready to serve them. I make them really big (6" diameter) and they tend to shrink down quite a bit and fit a bun perfectly by the time they are cooked. I fry them in a pan with the lid partially covered so they stay moist but get nicely browned at a higher heat.

To top them off once they are cooked, we toast the buns on a stovetop griddle quickly and then here's what we add:

1 slice Provolone cheese
1 slice Monterey Jack cheese or Cheddar
*add cheeses the last couple of minutes of cook time for a perfect melt
1 slice onion
Tomato slices
Crisped butter lettuce
Generously salt and pepper to taste (sometimes we use garlic salt which is delicious!)

For our fruit plate here's what I usually throw on the sweet little rectangle tray I regularly use:

Sliced Honeycrisp apple (get an apple slicer that does it for you. Makes my life so much easier!)
Sliced pears (usually Bosc and Barlett)
Red grapes
Sliced oranges
Sliced European cucumber (sometimes I put these on my burger like pickles)
Carrot sticks
Celery sticks

It makes for a nice mix of nutrients and colors, crisp and sweet to go along with the burgers. I find it's a good way to sneak in fresh foods along with the burgers. We are trying to eat the rainbow every day and I like to count and see how many fruits and vegetables I can get in their mouths each day without having to beg. Pairing them with burgers and hot sandwiches has been very successful!

So that's the scoop on our the big, tasty burgers we're enjoying at our house frequently.

image: kalanicut

What To Expect At A Same Day Surgery Center

Hi again. Wanted to continue with a follow up post after same day surgery last week. This post is all about what to expect going to a Same Day Surgery Center. As I mentioned earlier, in the past three-an-a-half years I've had three surgeries all at different surgical centers. So I thought it might be comforting to readers to share what that experience is like and help you know what to expect. This is a long post, but I tried to cover all aspects of surgery day, plus illustrate with my experiences. I hope it's helpful!

First, expect that every surgery center will be a little different. So far I've had three pretty different experiences. My first experience was in Santa Monica and I now realize the facility was one of those fancy SoCal surgery centers that are tucked away, where celebrities can sneak in and out for things like plastic surgery. Ha. I just went to where my doctor sent me, so I really didn't know what to expect or that this spot was a little unusual. It was very upscale and very small. I never saw another patient. As far as staff I think I only saw maybe 5 people total from front door to departure.

We walked into a very well-appointed, small, upper floor waiting room. One staffer met us there, processed paper work and took me to a small wood-paneled pre-op room. There I met the anesthesiologist who did all his necessary pre-op work and a nurse was in and out with me. After about an hour of pre-op they took me into the most gorgeous operating room with one wall entirely of glass, overlooking the city all the way to downtown Los Angeles. It looked a bit like a beautiful sci-fi movie set.  I saw my doctor briefly along with the small surgery team. I was conscious only for a moment or so, woke up in recovery and was on my way home a couple of hours later. Slept all afternoon and was feeling a lot better the next day. Everything was very simple and things went smoothly and easily.

Second surgery was at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center. You can imagine this was a vastly different experience based on the fact that this was a BIG hospital environment. There was one large waiting room, dozens of patients in surgery, whose families could track their progress by a number up on a big electronic board. The pre-op area was a large hospital ward, lots of patients and staff on the move all the time. The pre-op and post-op rooms were curtained areas. There was less staff around during my recovery time and I felt like I was alone much of the time. I think with this experience my recovery was many hours and looking back I probably should've stayed overnight in the hospital. I had the option and wanted to go home. Lessons learned.

My third experience last week was in a mid-size surgical center attached to a hospital. There were probably 10 other families in the waiting room and again each was assigned a number to track on the a much small electronic board. Again pre-op and post-op were curtained areas in a hospital ward. It was peaceful and quiet most of the time, except nurses talking in the halls. For the most part I was really impressed with the staff, energetic and very attentive. Appreciated that.

So beyond the differences in facilities, here are a few things to expect when you go to a surgical center.

1) FASTING: You'll have to fast from midnight until your surgery. For a variety of reasons they want your stomach empty. Plan on this. You may want to plan to have a meal at midnight if your surgery is later in the morning or afternoon. Since my surgery was at 11 am, I had a bowl of cereal and a big glass of water at midnight.

I was told I could drink until four hours before the surgery so I had a good drink four hours before. This conflicted with instructions from others along the way, but since I was told this by a pre-op RN who I had an appointment with, I felt okay going with it and didn't seem to have any problems.

2) LOOK SO YOU FEEL GOOD: I will tell you I got a mani-pedi the day before my surgery because I didn't feel like having crusty winter hands and feet that people might be looking at all day. I felt better when I looked better. Not a must, but wearing a gown isn't a pretty situation anyway, so anything you can do to feel a little better is a good move. You'll also want to shower, shave, buff, moisturize your skin all over or whatever else you need to do to feel clean and pretty when you get there. It's nice to take a little extra time.

3) NO JEWELRY: Don't wear any jewelry to the surgical center, just leave it all home. It becomes a security issue if you bring it with you and something that could get lost -- and they will ask you ten times if you have any jewelry you need to remove. Easier to not have to deal with it.

4) NO MAKEUP: Since I couldn't wear makeup but still wanted to look my best I washed my face well that morning and then heavily moisturized my skin a couple of times until it glowed. Then I curled my eyelashes so that my eyes would look bright and perky. I looked rosy, sunny and healthy which made me feel better about running around with no makeup on -- and I hoped it would give the medical staff confidence that I was happy and in good spirits.

5) SIMPLIFY BELONGINGS: This is a good time to go through your purse and clean out anything that isn't essential for you to have. Again this is a security issue and can cause delays later if you have a lot of belongings that have to be locked up once you get there or taken to your car where they are also at risk. I took the very least possible, just ID, wallet (take anything out you won't need and leave that home too!), my little toiletries bag that I carry in my purse and my cell phone.

6) PLAN FOR SCHEDULING CHANGES: Surgery schedules are VERY fluid, they change all the time. So keep your day very flexible when you or someone you love has a surgery scheduled. When The Man had a surgery scheduled a few years ago, it was pushed back several times in the day to the point.  They eventually ended up cancelling it and rescheduling it after multiple delays because it was getting too late and they didn't have enough staff who were fresh to start another surgery. Mind you he had been fasting since midnight the night before and things were delayed until early evening. Not fun.

For my surgery last week, the day before they moved it up by two hours. This messed us  up because The Man had a doctor's appoint two hours before my original check-in time. I was planning to go with him to that and then we were going to head to the surgical center. So instead he dropped me off an hour early so he could get to his appointment then came back when he was done. So I was at the hospital at 8:30 when our original plan was that I needed to be there at 11, then it had been bumped up to 9:30.

Once I got checked in they immediately started surgery prep and I ended up heading in to surgery early before The Man even got back to the surgical center.

7) BRING SOMETHING TO DO: If you do get delayed it's nice to have a magazine, book or something to do while you wait. It's good to have something to keep you pre-occupied and if you have to wait it's not so frustrating to feel your time is totally wasted. I took a small bag with my journal, a book and a couple of magazines. But I never had time to look at them.

8) PLAN FOR A VARIETY OF EMOTIONS: This past week I was super chill about going into surgery. Very relaxed and calm. I have had times where I got teary-eyed thinking, "what if I die and never see my family again?" I think I felt this even worse when The Man had surgery and I had those thoughts of what if something happened to him?!!  Going into surgery can be stressful. Be accepting of how you or your loved one is feeling and try to do what you can to calm the fears. Expect that you could have a variety of emotions hit you as they are wheeling you or a loved one out of Pre-op. Don't be surprised or too worried. If you are the one having surgery, in a few minutes you'll be totally unconscious and it will all be over before you know it.

9) PRE-OP IS A BUSY TIME: You will check in two hours or so early and you envision you'll be sitting around a lot. It's a pretty busy time with a lot going on. You'll check in at the front desk, then a nurse will come and get you and take you back to Pre-op. You'll change into a gown, pack up your clothing in a big plastic bag and hop on the gurney. At some point they'll bring you a nice warmed up blanket and you'll get your free prize, a pair of grippy socks to put on your feet that they always make sure you know "you can take home with you".

Because I checked in a full hour early last week I thought for sure I would have some wait time somewhere in the process. During the entire Pre-op process I probably was along maybe 10 minutes. You'll have lots of constant visitors from nurses, anesthesia team, your doctor, etc. You'll be changing, they'll be hooking you up to stuff and you'll get asked a lot of questions as they repeatedly review all the important forms, pre-op evaluations, etc. It goes by quite quickly, which is nice because at this point you just want to get things moving.

They will lock up valuables like your purse if you want them to or they give you a locker and key to do it yourself. Usually they will let your family come in once you are set up and comfortable for a few minutes before you head out for surgery.

10) IV HOOKUP: They'll hook you up with an IV pretty quickly. This week my IV insertion was really painful and it hurt and was uncomfortable most of the entire time. Looking at my hand, I did look quite dehydrated and it was in a sensitive spot. I talked to the nurses about it and we decided to just live with it that way for lack of better options. But I've never had it hurt as much going in or while it was in. They ran plain fluids for a while and then inserted the relaxation and further drugs later in the morning. I definitely started feeling the relaxation drugs around the time they wheeled me into the O.R.

11) MEDICAL TEAM VISITS: As I mentioned, you'll have different nurses and anesthesia team and your doctor will probably pop by for a pep-talk/quick review of what to expect during the Pre-op time. You'll sign paperwork and everyone who comes by will check to make sure you've signed in all the appropriate places. They will also ask you a pretty standard set of questions including:

• What are we doing with you today?
• Height? Weight?
• Are okay with getting a blood transfusion if needed?
• What is your religious affiliation?
• Who is here with you today?
• Do you have allergies?
• Have had any problems with anesthesia before like nausea, etc.?

It's great that they all come and introduce themselves and/or check in to see how you are doing. I never remember any of the team's names, but it's nice to meet them or see your doctor again one more time before you go to surgery.

12) WHEELED TO SURGERY: When it's time to take you to the O.R., a few people will roll you down the hall, through the doors and you'll be getting a little wazzy at this point because they've already giving you a hit of "relaxation". I only remember a few seconds of this phase every time and then I'm out. It's always a little fuzzy what I'm seeing and it feels like there are a lot of people buzzing around you for a few seconds getting you all set up once you enter the operating room and then your unconscious.

13) WAKE UP CALL/RECOVERY: At some point, you'll wake up in another place, Post-op/Recovery. It's a little weird to wake up in a different place than you went to sleep. You'll feel groggy or maybe a little worse and they'll keep a close eye on you during this time. You'll probably come in and out of consciousness for a while and you might have a nurse there with you monitoring your vitals and asking how you are doing. They may administer some drugs through your IV and they'll be watching your pulse, blood pressure, oxygen levels, etc. Your belongings (clothing, etc) will be there waiting for you and when it's a good time they'll let your family or accompanying caretaker come sit with you.

Depending on what you have had done and how you progress this may take anywhere from an hour to several hours. I've had both experiences. My first surgery I don't remember feeling too weird, I was up and out of the center pretty quickly. My second surgery was many hours and again I should've just agreed to stay in the hospital. This time I was really sick the first hour, started feeling significantly better 90 minutes afterwards and went home.

In my surgery last week, I would wake up and there was a big red digital clock right outside my room so I remember it was 12:08 when I first opened my eyes and then I thought I was out for a long time and it was like three minutes later. I've never had a clock nearby before so I was very aware of how I had no sense of time as I watched that clock and sometimes it seemed like I'd been asleep for a long time and it had only been a couple of minutes and other times it would be half an hour later. That was weird. But it was comforting that as time passed I began feeling less groggy and sick.

My curtain was all the way open and I seriously thought I was in a hallway all that time, but it was actually a corner room which lead straight out into a long hallway. (I didn't figure this out until I got up to get dressed.) I was fine with that, it was quiet and there weren't a lot of people around and frankly I didn't care. My first hour coming in and out I was really miserable. This varies a lot. I was never really nauseated with my other surgeries.  But this time I was. I felt like I was going to throw up at one point and urgently asked the nurses to get me a bedpan quickly. They hurried to grab one and hand it to me and before I could actually throw up I was passed out again. I thought that was really weird when I woke up again and realized I'd never quite gotten to throwing up. Weird stuff!

They gave me some medications for pain and I think for nausea too and they kept pushing me to breath deeper. Apparently I wasn't getting enough oxygen and I heard the nurse tell another nurse my pulse had dropped quite low at one point when they gave me some pain meds. They made me test my oxygen by breathing as hard as I could into a plastic handheld mouth device and while I thought I'd breathed very hard they both looked at me and one said, "You're going to have to do a lot better than that" in a nice way.

So I stayed there for a while longer. They were kind enough to go and get The Man and I was really ready to see him. I thought I would feel a little better when I saw him, comforted and not alone. So he came and sat with me for about 30 minutes or so until we could go home.

14) HEADING HOME: Once you are ready to go home, they'll get you up and if you need help, they will help you get dressed. The Man helped me unpack my bag and handed me clothes and I was able to do everything else myself. It felt good to get my clothes on, rather comforting somehow - like I was human again. Then I sat down in the wheelchair the nurses had brought. They sent The Man out to get the car and a few minutes later one of the nurses wheeled me out to the front entry way where The Man met us, got me in the car and we were on our way home.

Driving home was a little weird because I was still a little wazzy. Being in traffic felt fast and confusing. Thankfully I was just in the passenger seat. I was starting to get hungry so we planned to get me a milkshake. That sounded both delicious and easy to put down. By the time we got to ordering a milkshake I was so hungry I asked for a chicken sandwich too. I sipped on the milkshake on the way home and I was a happy camper. We were soon home and after I ate my sandwich I was in bed for the afternoon.

In the past I have gone straight to bed without eating anything and just focused on being dehydrated and needing to drink as much as possible. Drink, drink, drink. But this time I was hungry and not as sleepy. I ended up watching Netflix and dozing a bit on and off, but I didn't really ever sleep for more than a few minutes at a time. My mom, who is a nurse, recommended getting up and walking around every couple of hours to avoid bloodclots. Plus I think it's a good test to see how you are feeling.

One thing I noticed this time that hasn't happened before is that I had a headache all afternoon. I don't know if it was the anesthesia or dehydration but I think it was the dehydration. I tried to drink as much water as possible, but eventually supplemented that with some Vitamin Water XXX and lemonade. I think having options helped but it really wasn't until about 9 p.m. that the headache quieted down. By that time I'd had quit a lot of fluids and I've been trying to keep that going.

15) HAVE FOOD OPTIONS READY AT HOME: Last week I had no problems with eating afterwards. This varies so plan for all variables here as well. You may only want liquids, may want very bland foods like some soup or toast, or you may be dying for a steak or burger. Have some options at home.

16) FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS AND REST: You'll come home with a list of directions from your doctor, number one of which is rest. They are all important and it's good to review them when you get home because you won't really remember anything they told you at the surgery center in recovery. But most importantly, get your rest. I am so bad about this but I really try to rest as much as possible. I never do quite rest enough. Enough this past week, even thought I was trying to rest I still think I did more than I needed to. I have noticed that I am still feeling a little ragged and I think it's because I have not been sleeping really well since last week. Not sure why but I'm letting myself have a little more time to recover this time.

17) BE GENTLE WITH YOUR BODY: After you've had a breathing tube in your throat it may be sore for a few days. I have found it starts to bother me if I talk too much so I've been trying not to talk. I also noticed my ribs were sore the day afterwards and in a follow-up hone call, my doctor explained to me that I'd been coughing while under anesthesia. I also later found a bruise on one of my arms from an IV I didn't know I'd had. You'll notice little things as you recover. Be gentle with yourself and don't push it. Ask your doctor questions if you have them. If you notice anything that doesn't seem right, call and talk to your doctor to make sure you're on a good path to recovery and to quell any worries you may have.

So those are my thoughts on what to experience when you go to a Same Day Surgery Center. My experience has been different every time and I think that's the case, everyone will have a different experience every time. But I will say that every time the staff has been great and I have felt well taken care of. When you know a bit what to expect that takes some of the anxiety out of the experience and when you can plan in advance and for a variety of post-op needs it sure does help. If you are reading this because you are anticipating surgery I wish you the very best. I'm sending you best wishes for a very speedy recover. I hope too that these tips are helpful if you are the caregiver for someone going through surgery.

My Recipe & Tips For Killer Good Pancakes

We have become real connoisseurs of well-made pancakes at our house over the years. Sadly my husband hates going out to breakfast anymore because he only like the pancakes we have at our house, along with the real butter and maple syrup. Sadly you don't get real butter or syrup at a lot of places. Over the years I've learned some interesting things about making the best pancakes and I thought I would share them today.

When we lived in California we used to have friends over for pancakes frequently and it became our go-to meal for having friends over on weekends for dinner, brunch or breakfast. So I got a lot of practice making pancakes and we came up with some systems to make big batches with multiple griddles, etc.

Quick Tips

• I mix all my wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately first. Then I incorporate the dry ingredients into the eggs, milk and melted butter.

• Rather than use half a carton of milk making pancakes I add 1/2 c. water and decrease milk by half a cup. It saves a little and doesn't change the recipe at all.

• I use melted butter instead of oil.

• I let my griddle heat up on low for a few minutes before I start cooking. Then I turn it up slightly. But haven't a good hot griddle pan gives you good pancakes right from the start.

• Here's my biggest tip: Make your batter the night before. Most of us wake up Saturday or Sunday morning and whip up a batch of pancakes and then cook them up and devour them. Instead make your batter the night before and store it in an air tight container. I like to keep mine in mason jars. You might need two jars to store the amount this recipe makes.
• This gives all the ingredients a chance to blend together really well. Then you don't taste the baking powder as much and the pancakes come out so much prettier, are more tender and fluffy and the flavor is so much better.
• Making it ahead also saves you cooking time. When I'm making our usual, favorite breakfast it often includes breakfast potatoes, eggs, bacon and pancakes. So if the pancakes are ready to pour, I only have three things to take care of.

• Butter the pancakes while they cooking on the second side. The Man really likes this.

• Heat up the syrup for 20-30 seconds in the microwave. Cold syrup is tragic. We pour ours into a tiny glass pitcher then head it up about a 1/2-1 cup at a time depending on how much we need.

• Try a variety of topping options. Instead of maple syrup we're also big fans of slice strawberries and whipped cream. Another option is lemon juice and powdered sugar. Yummy. My dad always loves peanut butter and chocolate chips with syrup. Gross. To each his own!

I originally wrote this recipe down for The Man because he really wanted to recipe and wanted all the instructions - he says he's going to make these one day. So envision this recipe is written for him and then all the additional instructions will make a little more sense. I thought it would be fun to keep them in there because they help explain my mindset when creating the recipe and trying to explain why I do things the way that I do in the recipe. Here's my recipe and along with a PRINTABLE RECIPE version.

Kalani’s Pancake Recipe

Start with two mixing bowls. You will mix dry ingredients in one, wet ingredients in the other and then combine them in the wet ingredients bowl. So you may want to put the wet ingredients in a slightly larger bowl. This is a double batch recipe and makes about 16 pancakes.

Dry Ingredients 
2 cups flour
1 ¾ tablespoon baking powder (same as 5 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Sift or whisk together lightly

Wet Ingredients
2 eggs 
beat until fluffy first before adding remaining ingredients

4 tablespoons melted butter
I microwave at 30% capacity for 2 minutes to melt it and still keep it relatively cool so it doesn’t cook the eggs when mixed together

1 ½ cups milk + ½ cup water
I just add water in with the milk so that I don’t use so much milk. Works fine.

Mix the wet ingredients together until smooth and then with a large wire whisk, stir the wet ingredients while slowly adding in the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth. You may need to add more water if the batter is too thick to easily pour.

Cook pancakes on a hot griddle. I like to warm up the griddle for a few minutes at a low temperature then turn it up just a bit.

Put any leftover batter into the fridge in an airtight container. I like to use a 1-quart canning jar.

If you try this recipe I'd love to hear how it goes!

What Happens When Someone Steals Your Identity On Twitter

I thought I would share with you what has been happening since I found a copycat kalanicut account on Twitter. I happened to do a search for kalanicut from one of my other twitter accounts and two users came up. That was a surprise. Here's a look at my actual account on the left and the bogus account on the right.

I was pretty miffed to say the least, to find my headshot, business name, bio and blog address cloned onto this other account. In case this is already happening or might happen to you in the future I thought I'd share what has been going on since I first found out.

First I did a quick google search to find out the best way to handle complaints to Twitter. Then I followed the instructions to file a complaint with Twitter. They got back to me within 24 hours and while I was hoping they would just look at their records, see that I'd had my account since 2009 and push forward to shut down the other account, that isn't what happened.

As is so frequently the case now, proving who I am became an assignment and work I had to do. Doesn't it seem like it should be the other party who gets the questioning and has to go to work to defend themselves, rather than the victim?!

I will say, as if you can't tell, I was annoyed at first but once I got started it only took me about 30 minutes to write a statement, take photos and send copies of my photo ID and business card to Twitter. I included photos of both Twitter accounts, details on how long I'd belonged to Twitter, and a link to my website where they could find further proof of who I am and my brand, which I own the rights to.

It was pretty easy to upload these documents to Twitter's secure server, although it was a little annoying that you had to do them one at a time. That seems a little old-fashioned and slow in a world where we've been able to grab and upload multiple files for at least a couple of decades.

So now I'm waiting to hear back from Twitter on what will happen next. I'm really hoping this won't be a long drawn out process. I feel it should be fairly easy for them to prove who I am and prove that the other account is bogus. Fingers crossed.

*Update 1/19, 5:18 p.m. Well I just went to check my account since I received an email from Twitter that said the copycat account had been suspended. So I went to go into my account and it said it was suspended....and guess which account is still active? That's right! The copycat account. Two more emails to Twitter support...tick...tock..

*Update 1/22: It looks like things are finally straightened out and I have access to my Twitter account again. The annoying thing is now I am getting "thanks for following me" messages from every person I've followed that sends those out. So a ton of people think I've just followed them, when I've been following them for years. That will end at some point thank goodness. But I'm glad that (hopefully) things have evened out and are back as they should be.

Stay Healthy This Winter

As fall takes firm hold, I'm starting to see the "whole family is sick" posts on social media this week. These posts often come along with tales of being trapped indoors with children for an entire week, trying to cope with being sick while tending said children and other tales of woe. So I thought I'd share what has generally kept our family incredibly healthy the past few years. Here are a few posts that share our "secrets" if I dare call them that.

1. Use Saline Nasal Spray and Mouthwash Daily

2. Don't Over-sanitize Your Home

3. 10 Tips For Staying Healthy This Winter

4. Sleep With A Humidifier - one in every bedroom is good!

If you do get sick....

5. Relieve Your Symptoms With Reflexology (Quick note here, I perform reflexology almost daily on my husband now and it does wonders to relieve pain and other symptoms as well as relax the body and massage in general does such a great job increasing blood flow and reducing inflammation.)

6. Keep It Simple

We try to eat a very wide range of fruits and vegetables which I think is helping - we eat spinach salads almost daily - and I can't say enough about getting fresh air, ample exercise, downtime, enough sleep, drinking plenty of water and taking a few vitamins too. I think lots of hugs help too. More on that soon.

Sending you best wishes for staying healthy this fall and winter!

Heights House 10: Kitchen Cabinets - Removing Contact Paper

This is a quick tip really but it's taken me a while to share it about how to remove old contact paper from cupboard shelves. Our relationship with our new kitchen is definitely one of those love/hate relationships. We love the layout, love the size, love the numbers of cupboards and pantry space. We adore the view from three windows over the sink.

But we have never been fans of (and this is putting it mildly) of the 2x2 inch tile countertops, both the size and the color. The cupboards look like nice wood on the outside but one you open them you realize they are plywood and not long for this world. Also don't love the awful, poorly attached backsplash.

But barring a $30,000 total kitchen update, we are going to make it work. Ideally I'd like to replace the countertops at least but it doesn't make sense to do that if the cupboards underneath are going to die in the next couple of years.

Because we had so many boxes of kitchen items this was one of the first areas I was determined to get organized. It seemed like a good way to cut down the numbers of boxes we had stacked in the family room and garage. Plus it meant it would be easier for us to eat and have a more normal life as we were at the house working to get it ready to move in.

We had a cleaning service come in and give the house a thorough cleaning, which was a godsend. Then I jumped in on the kitchen cupboards. I spent evenings for a solid week trying to gently nudge 30-year-old contact paper off the drawer and cupboard bottoms. It was tedious and frustrating. I had read online that a blow-dryer would great speed up the project but we didn't have a blow dryer at the new house, at least that I could find yet. I kept forgetting every day to stop and pick up the blow dryer I was using at the townhouse.

The cracking contact paper would sometimes pull off in almost complete pieces and sometimes it just shattered in bits and required large amounts of patience to chisel away. Finally one night I remembered to have my husband grab the blowdryer from the townhouse on his way over. Hello, life changer.

Oh my goodness, how I wish I'd started with the blowdryer. It made quick and easy work of the rest of the kitchen and I blew through it in a fraction of the time. Use a blowdryer to heat up and easily remove old contact paper.

Heights House 2: Buy Used Tools And Borrow From Friends

We learned within a day or two of closing on our house that we would likely be stopping at Lowe's or Home Depot nearly daily or at least multiple times a week if we were going to quickly pull this house together. And boy howdy, those trips can get expensive when you start buying things like tools and ladders, painting and yard equipment.

So I decided to start watching Craigslist tools and free stuff sections for good quality used tools and equipment. It's amazing what you can find when you look around for it. Sometimes I would find truckloads or tool benches full of tools for sale. Other times old ladders and things. Here is a little list of great things I've seen available for sale in the tool section:

• Camping/Hauling Trailer with a dropdown tailgate & locking storage boxes -- just $400.
• Band and Circular Saws with Table
• Drill Sets
• Vices
• Rolling Tool Carts
• Generator
• Scaffolding & much more.

We also got smart that we have family and friends nearby who own ladders and other tools that they rarely use and are glad to let us borrow for a brief time. I am a real stickler on not putting people out and not being an irresponsible borrower. So I try to only borrow tools for a set time and try never to get lazy or forgetful about returning things as quickly as possible. Tools also get returned with a nice little thank you treat and card whenever possible.

There are a lot of expenses involved in fixing up a house and some tool and equipment purchases are necessary but if you can save money on your purchases or borrow the things you only need for a very short period of time, that savings can really stack up quickly.

Right now we'd much rather give that money to contractors we hire to do the few but major fixes we don't think are too smart to do or are too time consuming to do ourselves. First priority is getting the concrete and brick planter boxes out of the kitchen/dining room and filling in the space with matching brick flooring.

Thankfully we have found a way to solve the needed brick problem that I think is going to work out great. We're making final arrangements on that with the contractor and it looks like we can have the work done by the end of this week. That is some very exciting news and the number one major fix we want to make to the house right now. Can't wait to see it finished. More to come on the house fix ups and I have a post I need to write up about a great work/life/sanity balance lesson I have learned in recent weeks to give you a break from all the house talk.

Hope you are doing well. It's so lovely to hear from you on comments here, on Instagram and FB. It makes me feel not so far away from this world when I am at work for so many hours each week. I do love my job but I very much miss my daily interactions with blog friends and followers. Thanks for staying close. It helps me be brave to do the things I have to do and happy to feel connected to the things that make me very happy and feed my soul.

Get A Jumpstart On Fall Fashion Now

images via Boden

It's hot, it's the middle of summer. The last thing you want to be thinking about is sweaters, boots, wool pants and scarves. But it's the perfect time to wrap your head around what's going to be hot for the cool fall season. This is just a little reminder that summer clothing is on clearance and the fall deliveries are beginning to appear on store shelves around the country.

All the shops in the US are starting to roll our their new fall shipments and will continue to over the next few weeks. Best selections are available now so it's a good time to stock up on some distinctive favorites like a great coat or jacket. If you have an hard-to-find size this is an especially good time to go on the hunt for favorite fall wear like boots and blazers. Those sizes go fast! Hard to find sizes may be easier to find online and are so much easier to troll for from the comfort of your own couch, bed or desk.

Here are a few favorites from Boden's fall line for 2014. I always like checking out their distinctly British take on the four seasons best looks. Maybe you'll find some inspiration here too. I've seen some great blazers coming out for fall at different retail sites.

For those of us in warmer climates this is also a perfect time to take advantage of fantastic deals for clothes we can wear year-round. It's the ideal time to buy sandals and short sleeve shirts on clearance. If you have a family to dress it is also a great time to load up on family basics you can save for next summer like swimsuits, shorts and tees - as well as summer toys. Swimsuits can be crazy expensive at the beginning of the season but great deals are available as fall rolls in.

So get out there and shop, whether it's window shopping or spending a few well placed dollars. Having some inspiration for Fall 2014 fashions will perhaps make it a little easier to face those cooling temps when you are excited to start layering, pulling on a sweater or new boots. Happy shopping!

Tuesday Quick Tip: Removing All The Stains

image via NewCheapBuy.com

When my husband ran to the store the other day I blurted out, can you buy me some stain remover and I listed a specific brand that we usually use. He returned a few minutes later with Tide Boost, which wasn't the brand I requested. Apparently our usual brand was sold out.

I am so glad he did. I have felt a bit half-hearted about the stain remover I had been using for a while and didn't feel like it was doing all I wanted it to. I had a great shirt to test out Tide Boost on. A brand new white linen shirt with bicycle grease and tire marks across the front of it.

I sprayed it on a few minutes before I threw the shirt in the wash. I was impressed that almost immediately I could see the stain releasing from the fabric. The color and density of the stain began changing almost immediately. I was thilled to pull the shirt out of the washer a while later and see absolutely no sign of the stains. Hooray, shirt saved!

I also tried Tide Boost on one of The Bug's shirts. She had spilled orange ice cream treat all over the front of it. It has already been washed once and the stains were still completely visible. Once I covered the stains with Tide Boost I was thrilled to pull it out and see no visible stains at all.

So that's my Tuesday Quick Tip. If you have people who make stains, and who doesn't, you might want to try Tide Boost along with Tide detergents. Real Simple recommends it too. I am very pleased and impressed with results. I love doing laundry and taking care of my clothes so knowing I have a new weapon in my stain removal arsenal is pretty exciting.

Tuesday Quick Tip: Lash Lengthening Mascara

image via Maybelline

Thought I would pass on a little quick tip I got from a very young, sassy military girlfriend a couple of weeks ago, now that I have tried it. She was saying how people always ask her if she has false lashes because her lashes look so long. She said it's all thanks to Maybelline Falsies Volume Express Mascara.

Well, since both my sisters give me a bad time about having "short" lashes, merely because my lashes are not as long and lush as their's are. This has had me thinking about what I can do for my lashes for a while. So I was definitely interested in this tip from sassy military girlfriend.

I picked up a tube of Black/Brown at Target and tried to follow Sassy's instructions. She said she applies it to both the top side and under side of her top lashes. I have yet to master that tip. When I try to apply it to the top of my upper lashes it seems to just straighten every bit of curl I've just put into my lashes. Curling them after doesn't seem to work since it breaks down the lengthening fibers to crimp them in the curler. Will continue to experiment on that.

But so far I have really liked this mascara and it definitely makes my lashes look longer. I wish I could get it in a straight brown because I feel like even black/brown looks too heavy and dark on me sometimes. I definitely want to try it in the waterproof version because my eyes water a lot and I have just always done better with waterproof mascara. Of course taking it off can be very hard on the lashes. So there's a trade off there.

But if you're looking to add to the length of your lashes this is a nice way to do it for a great price. Prices vary by two or three dollars from different retailers. The lowest price I saw was at WalMart. So if you try it let me know what you think.

A Pin Test #7: Williams-Sonoma Store Scent

It's time for another A Pin Test post. Test #7, from this pin, is a do-it-yourself version of the scent you might find in the air when you wander a Williams-Sonoma store. I visit Williams-Sonoma often but off the top of my head I couldn't remember what the store smells like.

I am always happen to experiment with easy, home scents that you can quickly throw on your stove. Food smells are great while you're cooking but hours later, not so enjoyable. It's also great to have a quick solution when you get home from a trip and realize you forgot to take out the trash before you left. Pop it on the stove before guests come over and you are sure to welcome your guests to a pleasant home. Here is a family favorite of mine.

I always have lemons and vanilla on hand and I have a big rosemary plant thriving out in my balcony garden. So this is something I can easily pull together any time with no additional supplies needed. Here's the link to the original post. The author of One More Moore, Morgan Moore used to work at Williams-Sonoma so she's definitely in the know. Thanks for sharing this little behind the scenes tip Morgan.

Just washing the rosemary in the sink, rubbing the stalks together gave the kitchen the most amazing fresh scent. I cut up two small lemons and cut the rosemary stalks into smaller pieces that would fit and move easily around in my pot. Then I added the vanilla extract. I misread the recipe and added a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon but it wasn't overboard at all.

Already I knew this was going to be a successful Pin Test. The three ingredients combine to create something really delicious smelling. It's not too foody, too strong or too anything. It's a gentle, relaxing, earthy scent with just a touch of sweetness. I love that.

Before I wrap this up let me share one quick tip learned purely from previous bad experience. It's easy to put this on the stove and forget it - especially if your stove isn't in a high traffic area or your kitchen isn't a place you pass through often on your way out the door. It's really bad to leave the house with it still on. So I set a timer for about 30 minutes as a reminder to turn it off. It's a good amount of time to let the scent waft throughout your home and make sure you don't forget about it. Another option is to set a reminder on your phone for a few minutes before you know you'll be leaving the house.

I wish you could smell my home while I am writing this. I definitely give a big thumbs up to the Williams-Sonoma Scent pin. If you try it, let me know what you think.

Quick Closet Cleaning Tips

image via The Container Store

I had the great fortune to have a very effective closet cleaning earlier this week. Was it fun, no not necessarily. It was super hot that day. But the results were fantastic. So I thought I'd share a few things I did this time that made it quick and easy.

1. Start with the most disorganized area. For me it was the shelves. I pulled everything down and put it in several piles: workout wear, sleepwear, thrift store donation and garbage. The garbage pile was mostly ratty tee shirts & torn yoga pants that needed to go. Then I put these things aside.

2. Re-organized things that would go back inside. Closets get messiest when we don't put things back in their place or start adding more things into the closet. I combine three small boxes of toiletries and medicines into two by straightening them up and throwing out anything outdated.

In this part of the closet I also had stored lanterns, candle holders and things I have bought for the wedding. These things stored neatly in their own bags as they were purchased. I also found two surprises in there that I'll tell you about later. By reorganizing everything, I got back a lot of space and combine all the wedding things all down into one small shelf and three large bags. This made a huge difference!

3. Sort through all clothes and shoes. I pulled out everything that doesn't fit or that I haven't worn since the last time I cleaned out my closet. I made three piles here.

• Items that need repair or could be repurposed. This included a white shirt & jacket that could use a night soaking in OxyClean. I also have two jackets that are still in great condition but the color is damaged. I'm thinking about dying them a darker color. There is a pair of shoes that need repair, and a couple of other items that need a quick fix.

• Items that I would still love to wear after losing a few pounds. Do I really need to say anything more, no I don't think so. I'm not living in a fantasy land, I'm working on that now.

• Thrift store donations. Things that absolutely aren't me anymore, that haven't been worn for a year or more. They all went into a bag to deliver to the thrift store. One quick warning: if you clean your closet in the summer be careful not to give away things you'll actually want in winter. Consider the opposite in the winter. It's easy to give away things when they are out of season and seem impractical. Imagine yourself freezing or super hot and ask yourself again if you will want that item.

4. Put it all back in a hopefully updated and smarter way. I changed the way I put everything back and it all fits so much better. I found a way to fit small items into small nooks that are easily accessible and visible, maximizing even more space.

There is actually very little that I took out of the closet when it was all said and done - a couple of shopping bags of stuff. But rearranging and better organizing things created a whole new look and feel. With all the space saving I achieved, it's amazing that I now have about a quarter of my closet in open space. Love it!

Next I started to tackle the rest of my room: sorting, tossing and rearranging. I was on such a roll that it was really hard for me to stop. I'm excited to get my home back to the simple, calm place it was meant to be. Can't wait!

Tuesday Quick Tip - Avoid Illness With Nasal Spray & Mouthwash

image via

Last week while visiting our pediatrician we got into a conversation with her about staying healthy. She mentioned saline nasal spray and I said we were BIG fans of the stuff. I mentioned that I had not had many colds over the past couple of years since I started using saline nasal spray and a really strong mouthwash regularly.

Her face lit up and she said it makes perfect sense. We get sick when germs have a chance to get into our noses and mouths and sit there a while. So cleaning nose and mouth regularly are a great help to staying healthy.

I use several brands of saline nasal spray and don't have any I prefer over the other. The important thing with the sprays is most often the nozzle, does it spray well or not. Some I have found are not so great and end up getting messy and annoying. Saline nasal spray is very inexpensive, especially when you consider the cost of having a few colds a year: missed work, cough drops, syrups, fever reducers, etc. etc.

My favorite mouthwash is BreathRx. It is strong -- strong enough that it will clean your teeth about as good as a good tooth brushing will do. It costs a good bit more than many other brands, but a bottle lasts a long time. If you click on the link above you can get a $2 off coupon, so that helps. Plus if you factor in all the cold medicine you won't need by staying healthy, you are saving a ton.

So don't forget our friends saline nasal spray and mouthwash on a regular basis as part of you stay healthy plan. It's doctor approved.

Tuesday Quick Tip - Put A Spring In Your Step

image via

Everything about Spring represents youthfulness, energy and freshness. Those are all components that I would like to maintain in my life as much as possible. Here are five things I'm thinking about to help stay looking sassy and fresh going into summer.

1) Shiny, pretty lip gloss. There are lots out there. My favorite right now is Lancome Color Fever Gloss in Heatstroke, a glimmery pink. That name along says nothing but sassy and bright.

2) A fresh layered haircut that has movement. These are sassy and gorgeous.

3) Cute new jeans. 2012 trends here.

4) A great pair of summer sandals.Cute affordable. Complete shiny extravagance.

5) Drink lots of water, get enough sleep & exercise. Massively affects the appearance!

What are you doing to put a sassy, young spring in your step? I'm open to trying lots of ideas. I need lots of reminders to keep is fresh and stay young, young, young!

Quick Tip For Spring Travel To Southern California

It's Springtime in the northern hemisphere. Everyone in the "four season" states is dying to throw off those winter coats and get out of the house, get some sun and get warmed up. Southern California is warm all year round, so that would make it the perfect place to go with your swimsuit, a beach towel and some sunscreen for Spring Break, right?

Wrong. You may be surprised to learn that Spring in Southern California beach towns is actually our lamest season of the year. It's all due to this little local weather phenomenon called June Gloom.  During the June Gloom season it will likely be very sunny in the early morning and again just before sunset. But the rest of the day will be cold, gloomy, humid and overcast. This can go on for several days or even weeks at a time. It mainly affects April, May and June, but I have endured several years where June Gloom started as early as March or went right through to the end of July.

We spoiled SoCal folks consider anything below 60 degrees quite frigid and you will often find us in warm boots, sweaters, jackets and scarves on June Gloom days. When we see people nowhere near a beach, walking around town in tank tops and shorts during June Gloom season it's a pretty sure sign they are a tourist and they always look like they are freezing. I sadly imagine them with a suitcase full of skimpy beach clothes sitting in their hotel room, unwearable. In a dry climate, temperatures in the 50s and low 60s are quite lovely but those same temperatures can feel quite chilly in a humid climate near the ocean.

So, yes, come enjoy every minute of your Spring visit to Southern California. Even on a bad weather day, it's a lot better than many places. We will have a day or two of hot weather sprinkled in throughout the Winter and Spring. You just never know when. So if you come in the Spring, be a savvy traveler and come prepared for cool, humid temperatures. Bring a long pants, a scarf, sweaters and a good jacket. And here is a little secret from this barefoot island girl to you -- if you wear plenty of clothing to keep your body core warm you can usually still get away with wearing flip flops any time of year.

Tuesday Quick Tip - Frownies Facial Pads

image via Frownies

Thought it was about time for another Tuesday Quick Tip. I was organizing my bathroom last week and found two boxes of Frownies facial pads and thought it would be a great time to pull them out and start using them again.

Frownies are an old-school wrinkle treatment that apparently has been very popular in Hollywood and for others who are in the public limelight for decades. They have been around since 1889! The goal of Frownies is to smooth away wrinkles by forcing the muscles in a different direction.  Frownies look like brown craft paper with glue on the back side. You wet them down like you would a Biore Pore Strip and then adhere them to your forehead, around your eyes, or other spots.

These were recommended to me by a friend a few years ago and I felt really good about using them and doing what I can to keep my face looking as young as possible for as long as possible. I loved taking them off in the morning to see my skin smoother and wrinkles a little less visible. I haven't been as dedicated to using them as I should long term to see long term results. I am going to start using these again. I am interested to learn more about the Frownies skin care line. It looks like they have a wide range of interesting products that would be great to try.

Anyone else game to join me? Anyone else have experience using Frownies with success stories to share? You can find Frownies at their website and can follow them at Facebook and Twitter. The company is very active in social media so you can definitely find good deals, coupons, etc. You can also see what other bloggers are saying about Frownies here.

If you use them or decide to try them I'd definitely like to hear about your experience. In the meantime, I'll be working on smoothing my forehead and around my eyes. Have a great Tuesday!

10 Quick Tips To Stay Healthy This Winter

image via

I've already heard the little whispers of colds and flus this winter around the blogosphere. Because I was hospitalized with a potentially fatal infection last year that all started out as a nasty little flu bug, I'm doing all I can to stay as healthy as possible during this "giving season", the season of germ spreading.

The best offense to staying healthy is a good defense. Keep your immune system strong. I honestly don't need to tell you this, but you may have put things on the back burner while overly busy during the holidays, right? Remember how many people get sick during January. Do what you can to avoid being one of them! A little experimentation will help you find the things that work best for you. Here's a list of a few things I'm doing that you might try:

1) Get enough sleep. Make it a priority. All that stuff that keeps you busy & up at night generally isn't as important as you think it is. You'll be healthier and in a better mood.

2) Eat well. Make sure to keep up the healthy eating in the colder weather months. There are so many great leafy greens to enjoy at this time of year. It's hard to overdo it with the healthy vegetables, try!

3) Think about vitamins and minerals. One year I was very religious about making sure I took a small vitamin C supplement every day and I did not get any respiratory ailments that year. That has never happened before or since. You might try taking a daily multi-vitamin. I like to sprinkle some powdered Vitamin C in orange juice in the morning and stir well.

4) Spice things up. Eat lots of fresh garlic, cayenne pepper & ginger. They are considered super foods that heal the body. I like fresh grated ginger, a couple of shakes of cayenne pepper and a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice in a glass of lemonade for a healthy kick. I sneak garlic into everything I can.

5) Drink plenty, plenty, plenty of water. It hydrates the body, but also cleanses the body and removes toxins.

6) Exercise. Even if it's cold with proper attire you can enjoy the great outdoors. Exercise helps keep muscles and bones strong and works out your respiratory system to keep it strong too. I believe you can chase a lot of stuff out with some good sweat-producing exercise.

7) Make time to get some sunshine on your cheeks. This is for mental health purposes mainly, but it surely helps the spirits too. And we all know that mental health is a huge key to physical health. The body follows the mind's lead.

8) Keep a humidifier going in your house. Cool mist is great for the sinuses. If you do get sick a humidifier near the bed will help to breath more freely all night long. Humidifiers in winter are also fantastic for your skin.

9) Give your home a dose of eucalyptus. You can put branches in your shower or use a little eucalyptus oil in a diffuser. It will help you keep your sinuses clear and healthy. You know that smell in your chest rub goo? It's eucalyptus.

10) Use germ-killing mouthwash and saline nasal spray every day. Germs love your mouth, your throat and your nasal passages. Daily saline use will keep things from growing in your sinuses and a good strong mouthwash will kill lots of stuff that wants to multiply in your mouth. I swear by this plan as do friends of mine.

Hope you stay healthy and well this winter and all throughout the year. Take good care of yourself! And then even if you do get a little bug it won't be nearly as severe because you'll have a strong body fighting back. Stay strong, people!