Sharing is Caring, Especially When It Comes to Cleaning

How to Make a Cleaning Schedule

February 8 by

Sometimes it feels like it’s impossible to keep up with the house cleaning. The minute you finish the laundry the hamper is full again. You swear you just washed the floors yesterday but they are a mess again, and dirty dishes fill the sink faster than you can wash them.

If you want to reduce the over all stress of keeping a clean house, making a cleaning schedule is the way to go. By dividing up chores by times of the day, and days of the week (and if you’re lucky, by members of the family) you will never again be overwhelmed by the sight of a laundry pile or dusty shelf.

Start by dividing tasks into once a week tasks such as dusting and floor cleaning, biweekly chores such as laundry, and chores that need to be done multiple times a day like dish washing. This way when you notice that the laundry hamper is getting full, you can feel calm knowing that you’ll take care of it on Monday, Wednesday or Friday. Doing dishes three times a day, after meal times, means that you won’t feel like you’re do nothing but dishes all day long!

Keeping a house clean can sometimes feel like a never ending battle, but a cleaning schedule will make even the messiest house manageable.

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Super Bowl Salsa

February 2 by

This super yummy Super Bowl salsa takes a little extra time to make than your ordinary avocado salsa, but it’s well worth the extra effort.

Ingredients:

16 ounce package of frozen corn, thawed (kernels)

2 cans of sliced olives (2.25 ounce cans, drained)

1 small onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 bell pepper, red, chopped

4 avocados, peeled and diced (set the pits aside for later)

¼ cup lemon juice

1/3 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Mix corn, olives, red pepper and onion in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Pour the ingredients from the smaller bowl into the larger bowl and mix well. Cover the mixture and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.

To keep the avocado’s fresh it’s best to cut them, and mix them into the salsa right before service. Although with so much to do on a Super Bowl Sunday that’s pretty hard to do. You can cut up the avocado’s in the morning, and leave them in a bowl. By placing the pits on the bowl with the cut up avocados, they will stay green for longer instead of turning brown, also a splash of lemon juice will help them stay fresh.

Serve this super salsa with tortilla chips, and watch it disappear!

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Water as a Health Food?

January 30 by

We hear it all the time, drink 8 glasses of water a day. But who has time for water when there’s an endless supply of juices, infusions and bottled drinks that at least have some flavor to them? When I was browsing the website of the World’s Healthiest Foods, I was shocked to find water listed alongside green tea and Tamari soy sauce.

The Worlds Healthiest Foods were compiled based on (among other things) the ratio of nutrients to calories, and since water from natural sources has a significant number of minerals with zero calories, that certainly puts it on the list.

Not only are our bodies at least 60% water, but water is also used to move nutrients around the body and remove toxins from the body. Drinking water leads to better heart health, proper blood pressure, improved mental performance, increased athletic performance, clearer skin and better digestion.

We all have the temptation to add flavor to our water to make it more exciting. But a lot can be said for getting used to the refreshing feeling of plain water.

If you are trying to cut out juices and sodas, but are having a hard time with water, try adding a lemon slice to the glass. For something a little more adventurous cut a small, peeled cucumber into half, and add into a water jug and refrigerate. Leave the cucumber floating in the water for a few hours and soon you’ll have your own refreshing cucumber water.

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Beat the Winter Blues

January 26 by

It’s that time of year again when it’s too cold, too dark and it feels like Spring is still just out of reach. A few small tips will help you perk up your emotional well being, and help keep you smiling till Spring.

Start off by staying well rested. It’s hard to be bright and cheery when all you want to do it crawl back into bed. By making sure that you get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night, you can ward off feeling sluggish all day long.

Eating right isn’t just about staying thin, a healthy diet is a natural mood booster as well. Exercise is also an important element in staying cheerful. Exercise increases natural occurring mood boosting hormones, as well as relieves stress and tension. Getting at least 30 minutes of mild to moderate  exercise a few time a week will help you look better, feel better and even sleep better!

Plants aren’t the only things that need sunlight to live, humans need natural sun light too. By getting as little as 15 minutes of sun light each day, you’ll get a big boost of happiness.

And remember, Spring is just around the corner!

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How Anything Can Wreck Your Body

January 23 by

A recent NY Times article has all of New York buzzing about the new found dangers of yoga. As a long time yoga practitioner, all I can say to this article is, “Duh.” Running can wreck your body if you don’t stretch right, cycling destroys your hamstrings and aerobics classes leave my knees aching for days.

The fact is that any physically challenging sport carries with it the risk of injury, and that is no surprise. Yoga gained it’s safe and easy reputation years ago, before it entered into the mainstream. It’s true that yoga has a gentle side, but even the most relaxing yoga classes carry with it the risk of injury. When you add in a type A personality trying to fit in a workout during lunch, you are asking for it.

The most important thing to remember when practicing any activity, is to listen to your own body. Yoga philosophy stresses the importance of working within your own limits, and embracing your body’s abilities. Whether you are practicing yoga, basketball or long distance running, the only way to avoid injury is to be aware of the line between pushing yourself in a healthy way, and pushing yourself over the edge.

Namaste.

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