Archive for the ‘House and Home’ Category
Kitchen Cleanup: Sponge or Paper Towels?
Old Habits Die Hard
One of the things that screws us up in life is the fact that we often end up doing something the way we’ve always done it, without stopping to think about about whether or not it’s really the best way. In my case, it’s an ongoing insistence that the proper method for cleaning your kitchen countertops is with a sponge.
Case In Point
I know where my dedication to the sponge comes from. My mother used to wipe everything with the kitchen sponge, including our faces. Unfortunately, it has recently been pointed out that kitchen sponges provide a rich breeding ground for stuff like bacteria, which would explain why I still remember exactly how that sponge smelled back in the days of black and white television and rotary phones.
The Conversation
My wife insists on using paper towels and/or those pop up wipes, but this ends up feeling wasteful and just, well, wrong. Thoughts?
The Podcast…
Podcast: Download
What Does A “Newbie” Vegetable Gardener Need To Know?
Free Salad!
I planted my first vegetable garden this year. I didn’t over think it: I just hit the seed kiosk at Lowes. A couple ‘a months later, free salad.
The Inherited Garden
I have the garden because the guy who lived here before me was an avid gardener. Now that I’m in residence, the care and feeding is charged to yours truly. Unfortunately, the terms “avid” and “gardener” do not belong in any sentence containing my name.
The Conversation…
What are the first things a neophyte gardener should know? (Scarecrow building?) Please share your thoughts in the comments section…
The Podcast…
Podcast: Download
What’s The Best Way To Get Fast Home Internet?
Family Network
An Internet connection is the life’s blood of any modern home. You should see my kids freak out when there’s an interruption to our Internet service – you’d literally think the oxygen supply had been cut off. (When the Internet goes off in our house, I see kids I didn’t even know I had.
The New Kid
There always seems to be a new service in the (pardon the pun) pipeline. In our case, it’s AT & T’s U-verse, which should be available in our neighborhood soon, although they’ve been saying that for a while now.
The Conversation…
In your experience, which service provides the fastest and most reliable Internet experience? I invite you to join the conversation in the comments...
The Podcast…
Podcast: Download
Which DIY Home Improvement Projects Make The Biggest Difference?
I like things that look nice. I also spend a lot of time at home, so I devote a lot of psychic energy trying to figure out how to make my surroundings look nicer. As as result, I’m a bit of a home improvement junkie.
Limited Funds
Home improvements are like potato chips; there’s no stopping at one. The limiting factors end up being time and money, and we don’t have much of either these days.
Too Many Choices
“Do It Yourself” projects end up being the best option, but it’s easy to get into a “where do I start” mindset.
The Conversation…
It seems to make sense that painting and lighting would be good places to start – and that painting would be less dangerous – but I’m trying to figure out which exact projects make the biggest difference. You can help me out with this by clicking here.
How Do You Keep Your Family Organized?
Life has gotten absolutely crazy. Kids have school. Parents (hopefully) have jobs. Kids have activities. Parents have social commitments. Kids have doctor’s appointments. Parents have doctors appointments… to deal with all the stress of trying to keep this stuff straight.
Choose Your Weapon
There are a variety of organizational tools available to the American family these days; everything from online calendars and smartphones to filing cabinets and bulletin boards. The problem is finding the tool that works for everyone, which is about as easy as finding a meal the the whole family can agree upon.
Low Tech Solutions
In a world of expanding digital options, the supreme irony, at least in our house, is that the organizational tool of choice is the venerable Post-it note. This system, while elegant in it’s simplicity, often results in chaos.
A Failure To Communicate
I guess none of this would be necessary if we were all better at communicating (which is a great place to start), but I still have the feeling that a mutually agreed upon system is a necessary part of the equation.
The Conversation…
So, once you’ve got the family talking – laying the Post-it’s on the table if you will – is there an organizational system that works well for your family? Please share your much needed advice by clicking here.
The Neighbors’ Grass is Alway Greener
I have no idea where this comes from, but it seems to me that the second that one buys a house, one develops an unnatural obsession with the appearance of the lawn. (This obsession has also been known to open up a competitive streak involving neighboring properties that’s reminiscent of the Hatfields and the McCoys.)
Inheritance
The starting point for this epic battle, of course, is the lawn you inherited from the previous owner. If the guy (and I say guy because women are rarely the culprits in these pissing contests) diligently mowed, edged, and patronized the local Tru Green franchisee, you’re probably in good shape.
A Legacy of Shoddiness
If, on the other hand, the guy had “given up” (as men often do – think dude wearing dark socks with sandals), you’re in trouble. The easy fix is to get out the check book, but it’s my experience that once you’ve purchased that new home, the check book needs a rest.
The Conversation…
What you’re left with is the “do it yourself” option. This has its advantages, as it gets you out of the house. The problem is that done wrong, you’re going to end up with a lawn that’s about as attractive as that dude with the dark socks. So what is the right way to handle this project? Click here if you have any thoughts…
Do You Really Need To Use a “Rinse Agent”?
Our dishwasher died last week, and by the weekend, my wife and I found ourselves at the business end of an appliance transaction. Because we live in America, land of instant gratification, said diswasher was delivered and installed yesterday morning.
The Dreaded “One Pager”
Wishing to avoid a headache, I decided to skip the instruction manual and proceed directly to the single page that also came with the dishwasher titled “GETTING STARTED WITH YOUR NEW DISHWASHER”.
This sheet is enclosed for the sake of simplicity, but “STEP 1″ presented me with another one of those minor conundrums that this site was created to address. You see, Step 1 calls for adding rinse agent. In fact, “Step 1″ specifically states that “FOR PROPER DRYING ALWAYS USE RINSE AGENT even if your detergent already contains it”.
The Rinse Agent Police
“Step 1″ was worded in such a way that I’m led me to believe that if I do not follow these instructions to the letter, I can expect the Rinse Agent Police to break down the kitchen door and haul me off for questioning.
The Quandary
So here’s what I want to know: do you really need to use a rinse agent? If you can help me out with this, please add your comments. If not, that’s okay – but if I go missing, I think you’ll know where to look.
What The @#$%&! Is For Dinner?
This is one of ”life’s little problems”, which is what this site is all about.
The Bane of my McExistence
“The dinner question” has been the bane of my existence for as long as I can remember. The problem is often solved by a trip to “the golden arches”, but we all know that families should not live by fast food alone.
The Conversation
So, what do you do about the @#$%&! dinner problem? You can share your solutions by clicking here.
