At Home With The Maids- October Newsletter

Clever Ideas Worth Knowing

Did You Know...

1.) If you take your bananas apart when you get home, they will not ripen as fast as if you left them attached to the stem?

2.) If you add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef, it will pull the grease away from the meat?

3.) If you add garlic immediately to a recipe you will get a light taste of garlic, and if you add it at the end the taste will be stronger?

4.) Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating, and peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking?

5.) If you use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip you can easily pick up small shards of glass?

6.) If you put a dryer sheet in your pocket you will ward off mosquitoes?

7.) If you sprinkle cayenne pepper on your plants you will keep squirrels away?

8.) If you pin a small safety pin on your slip or pants you will reduce static cling?

9.) If you fill your measuring cup with hot water, dump the water, that any sticky ingredient- such as peanut butter- will easily come right out?

And.................

10.) If you have a foggy windshield, using an eraser will work better to clean than a cloth?

Back to School- Reducing Sick Days For Your Child

Back to school and back to germs! How does a parent help reduce the risk of their child picking up every illness that goes through a classroom? Children are going to get sick but you can reduce the amount of illnesses that they get by following some tips for keeping your child healthy...

> Diet: Feed your child a healthy diet in order to keep their immune system as strong as possible. Breakfast is key. Make sure they eat something in the morning. A whole grain bagel with peanut butter or even a smoothie made with yogurt and fruit will help keep them fueled until lunch time.

> Hygiene: Teaching your child to wash their hands properly and wash often can help to reduce germs. Using a hand sanitizer can help but overuse can be bad. There are now hand sanitizers that are alcohol free which are less drying. Properly using tissues when sneezing and avoiding touching their eyes or nose can help reduce picking up germs.

> Sharing: Teach your child not to share drinks with other children. This may seem obvious to adults but children do not think this way.

> Rest: Make sure that your child gets plenty of rest in order to keep them strong and be less of a risk to pick up every illness around. Rest is as important as diet in keeping your child healthy.

In Rememberance

~*~Today, September 11, 2011, marks the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks. People all across the United States and the world are reflecting and remembering the lives of those who were lost.

~*~ Today, New York City is opening the National 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero. This memorial consists of a street-level plaza that has been described as one of the most eco-friendly plazas ever constructed. The plaza has irrigation, stormwater and pest management systems that conserve energy and water. Swamp white trees were also planted all around the plaza. To support the trees, a suspended paving system was used that sits on top of troughs filled with nutrient-rich soil for the tree's roots. Collected rainwater will be used to water the trees.

~*~ Today, on the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2011, The Maids remembers those who lost their lives,

... Those who lost loved ones, family and friends

... Those heroes who gave their lives and those that helped

... And our heroes who continue to defend our freedoms.

Helpful Green Tips For Your Labor Day Party

The long Labor Day weekend is coming and many families will be celebrating the approaching end of summer and back to school season with a cook out. Here are some tips and ideas for keeping your Labor Day party and weekend eco-friendly:

a.) Eco-friendly drinks:Reduce the wastefullness of plastic water bottles and aluminum cans by serving a pitcher of lemonade, iced tea, juice or ice water. Pot out permanant markers for people to write their names on their cups to eliminate waste. If you do use bottles or cans, be sure to put out clearly marked recycling bins.

b.) Green Paper Products: It is not always possible to avoid paper products, especially during a party, but today there are more eco-friendly paper products available. When you need to use disposable dishes, look for products that are recycled,biodegradable, or made from unbleached paper products.

c.) Grill Green: Hot dogs, hamburgers, shrimp, steaks,or corn on the cob on the grill create a smoken' Labor Day menu, but did you know that your choice of charcoal matters? Choosing eco-friendly Forest Stewardship Council certified charcoal ensures that no trees from endangered woodlands were cut to produce the charcoal for your Labor Day barbeque. Forest Stewardship Coumcil charcoals reduces greenhouse gases that are emitted when your charcoal burns. No unhealthy additives are released into the air or onto your food.

Ways To Make Going Back To School Easy

Saying good-bye to lazy summer days an hello to structured school days can be hard to do. Here are a few ways of making going back to school easier for you and your children:

~*~ Set Realistic Goals With Your Children: This is a perfect time to involve your children in thinking about goals and objectives for the upcoming year. What worked well for them last year and which routines were helpful? What do they want to accomplish this year? How about being more efficient with homework by taking an half an hour television or Internet surfing break after finishing two hours of their assignments?

~*~ Organize School And Activity Schedules: Back to school planning allows you to get back into a routine. Buy a calender or make one with your kids. Write in all the activities that your children are involved in. This will help you to figure out how to organize each school day and weekend activities.

~*~ Transition Back To Healthier Eating and Sleeping Habits: With summer barbeques and late night trips to the ice cream shops, summer eating schedules usually vary from the school year. Now is a good time to get back on track with healthy choices for school lunches and snacks. Don't forget to explore tha many optiions for breakfast. Take at least a week to slowly shift your children's sleep schedule back to meet their needs.

A Quick and Easy Way To Remove Mold

Baking Soda is well known as a natural and safe household cleaner. Baking soda can also be used to kill mold in your home. Unlike other mold killers which contain harsh chemicals, baking soda is mild and harmless to your family and pets.

Besides killing mold, baking soda also deodorizes, so it can get rid of the smell mold leaves in your home. Baking soda also absorbs moisture to keep mold away. Vinegar is sometimes used along with baking soda when cleaning up a mold problem since vinegar kills different species of mold than baking soda.

*To kill mold, add 1/4 tablespoonof baking soda to a spray bottle containing water.

*Shake the bottle to dissolve the baking soda into the water.

*Spray the moldy area with the baking soda and water solution.

*Use a sponge or scrubbing brush and scrub the mold.

*Rinse the surface with water to remove any residual mold.

*Spray the area again and let the surface dry. This will kill any left over mold and prevent mold from returning.

You can also use a cloth instead of a spray bottle. Just soak the cloth in water, add 1/4 tablespoon baking soda to it, and scrub the moldy area. Rinse and repeat if necessary.