Time Management

Here are 3 very helpful tips for time management

that can help you become more efficient.

1. One of the biggest causes of procrastination

is the feeling of being weighed down and overwhelmed by the need to finish a huge task.

The answer to this 'stealer of time'

is to break the large task into a sequence of smaller,

more manageable and attainable goals.

Thus, the task will be reduced to

smaller chores that can really be done with comfort.

Less worries, less pressure, more efficiency.

2. Another saboteur of effective time organization

is improper planning.

If you don't know what you need to do or

how to effectively finish some of the

smaller tasks, you will end up

all over the place...not sure what you

are doing..or why!

3. A huge robber of time management and organization is an absence of priorities.

When nothing's established as a priority, everything becomes a priority.

You then become susceptible to trying to accomplish smaller bit of this and that,

moving from one chore to another and finishing so few of each by the end of the day,

that it seems nothing has been accomplished.

Prioritize!

Decide which task is the most vital to the success of your goal

and do that initially.

Once that is accomplished you can advance

to the following item on your list.

Spring Cleaning Doesn't HAVE To Be A Chore!

I LOVE a clean house...but...I confess that I HATE to clean.

I totally skipped Spring Cleaning last year,

because I didn't want to tackle such a big job.

Now...this year...it shows!

And, if you're as busy as I am...

just trying to find that much time..

to devote to spring cleaning can be daunting, to say the least.

Well...here's how I am going

to tackle my Spring Cleaning...I think it's the only thing that is going to work..

with my schedule!

1. I'm going to start with an 'outline' of the rooms in my house.
2. Take it 'one room at a time'.
3. Break the 'chores' down...per room.
4. ONLY do one room each WEEK.
5. Break 'larger' or more 'cluttered' rooms into two halves, thirds or fourths.
6. Be 'brutal'. If it doesn't fit, if I haven't used it in months (or years),

if you 'still' haven't gotten around to using it....get RID of it!
7. Don't forget to clean the vents, ceiling fans, air conditioner/ furnace filters.
8. Don't forget storage areas and the garage.

They might need to be 'de-cluttered' as well.

I tend to 'put-off' huge chores, like spring cleaning,

when I'm under such a tight work schedule. I can't take

the huge block of time this cleaning is going to take..all at once.

But, I can manage it in hourly increments.

So...whether I've broken the rooms into segments or not,

as long as I have my 'Spring Cleaing Outline'

I can just mark off what I've accomplished and

come back to the next task when I have that next block of time.

My new 'mini website'

I have found a wonderful new free webhosting site and I've already built several "mini-websites"

Check out my new 'Small Space Garden' site.

Spring Is Here!!

I'm so excited...Spring Is Here! I'll soon be planting my small space container garden outdoors! I'm just waiting for all dangers of frost to pass.

I want to use a layered planter, similar to the one in this picture for my smaller herbs.

They have a great little planter, complete with a Culinary Herb Garden Kit, over at Amazon for an incredibly reasonable price.

Then, I want to plant two planters with my 'veggies' and one or two planters with flowers. I LOVE the look of this planter...and I think they'd look great on my outdoor patio.

Minutes to Clean.

You can clean quite a bit, in just a few minutes.

Only have 15 minutes to clean....

Sweep a floor.
Scrub the refrigerator door and handle(s).
Wipe down kitchen countertops.
Spray a disinfectant in the sink and leave for 15 minutes.

(To kill all the bacteria and viruses that are probably living there.)

With 30 minutes you can include....

Scrub a floor.
Wipe down cabinet doors.
Scrub the oven door and handle.

If you have an hour,

and you're done in the kitchen,

hop on into the bathroom and...

Clean the sink.
Disinfect the toilet.
Sweep and scrub the floor.
Spray the tub and/or shower with disinfectant

and leave 15-20 minutes.

Again, to kill the bacteria and viruses that live there.

Great home remedies!

These great home remedies are..

tried..

true..

and

doctor tested!

To get rid of that

'over-stuffed' feeling...eat a little bit

of fresh..or canned..pineapple.

Pineapple contains the enzyme,

bromelain, which helps you digest your food.

Tea bags are multi-purpose.

They can:

reduce puffiness around the eyes,

dry up cancer sores and cold sores,

and

reduce the inflammation caused by

sunburn.

Coffee helps asthmatics

breathe better.

According to Dr. Bruce Krieger at

Miami Mout Sinai Medical Center,

"coffee acts as a mild brochodilator..."

and

"coffee can also prevent a mild asthma attack from getting worse."

Studies showed that

asthmatics were able to breathe better

after drinking three cups of

caffeinated coffee.

(It doesn't work with de-caffeinated.)

Under eye reviver!

Do you 'suffer' from

puffy eyes?

Try this natural treatment.

1 small RAW potato

1/2 cup heavy cream

Cut the potato into 1/4 inch slices

and soak in heavy cream for 5 minutes or so.

Then, place potato slices under your eyes

and leave them for 15 minutes, while you

lay back back and relax in a refreshing bath.

Herbal Remedies and Medications

Herbal Remedies and Medications.
I am 'big' on natural remedies...and I usually, at least, try these first.
But..one thing you must consider, before jumping into herbal remedies, is whether or not you are currently taking any medications that could be directly affected by consuming herbal products.

Herbal products and supplements may not be safe if you have certain health problems or if you are elderly. So, it would be advisable to talk to your doctor before taking herbal products if you have any of the following health problems:

Blood clotting problems
Cancer
Diabetes
An enlarged prostate gland
Epilepsy
Glaucoma
Heart disease
High blood pressure
Immune system problems
Psychiatric problems
Parkinson’s disease
Liver problems
Stroke
Thyroid problems

Nature's Best Cleaning Product

Nature's Best Cleaning Product

Not sure what harmful chemicals might be lurking in the cleaning products you buy to make your home cleaner, brighter and fresher!
Try this natural cleaning product, if you are looking for safe and clean.

Mix one part vinegar to one part water and store in a spray bottle available at your local grocers. As well as being a great disinfectant and deodorizer, it is a solution that will clean most any area of your home.

-Bathroom: Use in the tub, toilet, sink and counter tops in the bathroom. The vinegar solution will dissolve the soap scum and hard water stains.

-Kitchen: Use on stovetop, appliances, countertops and your floor.

-Laundry: Vinegar is a great fabric softener. One half cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle helps remove excess laundry detergent in the clothes which is helpful for those with skin sensitivities.

(Do avoid using on tile grout or marble surfaces, there's too much acid in the vinegar to use safely on these surfaces.)

Spring Clean Your Body

Spring Clean Your Body

During the winter months,

especially with holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas

thrown in the mix,

our bodies tend to get burdened with toxins due to our

foods, being 'cooped up' all winter, lack of exercise and many other factors.

A few things we can do to 'spring clean the body' is:

1. Start your day with a drink of 12 ounces of fresh lemon squeezed

into room temperature purified water.

(It's always a good idea to 'detoxify' our drinking water

with a purification system like

Brita, Pur and the other affordable systems

available given the impurity of most tap water.)

This helps release toxins and cleanse the intestines.

2. Eat a whole grain cereal breakfast and

add beans, brown rice and vegetables

for lunch and dinner.

Eat smaller meals for easiest digestion.

3. Eat plenty of greens.

Green vegetables or green vegetable juice,

several servings daily, improves oxygenation,

circulation and helps in the detoxification process.

4. Green tea is a powerful antioxidant.

Drink, at least, one cup every day.

5. Fresh ginger root tea is a great kidney cleanser.

Drink a cup several times a week.

A little relief from colds and allergies

Colds and Allergies

Bronchitis: For mild bronchitis symptoms, use a vaporizer, take a steamy shower or turn the hot water on in the sink and cover your head and the sink with a towel (kind of a quick and easy sauna) to ease your discomfort and open up your chest.

Congestion: Red pepper, jalapenos and hot salsa will temporarily open up your nasal passages and break up congestion.

Echinacea: I drink echinacea tea at the very first sign of a cold. A favorite...Echinacea and Elderberry..mmmm!

Green tea: Green tea is a natural antihistamine, which helps both allergies and coldsSaline nose drops: Make your own nose drops by sprinking some salt in boiled water (about 1/4 cup) to break up congestion and help you breathe. (Or you can get it already bottled and ready to use at the local drug store.)

Salt water Gargle: To help a sore throat, gargle salt water several times daily.Thyme: Make a tea with thyme or add a little to your recipes when you cook to break up congestion and relieve stuffy noses.

Vicks Up: Rub a little Vick's Vapor Rub or another menthol salve on the upper chest, then rub what is left on your fingers under your nose, this can break up congestion and help you breathe more easily.

Vitamin C and Colds: Taking Vitamin C, even if you're already sick can shorten the average cycle of your cold.Vitamin C and Allergies: Taking Vitamin C also helps allergies, because of its ability to counteract the inflammation responses that are part of hay fever and asthma.