While it’s absolutely splendid to have a home that is admired for it’s beauty, it so important to be sure that home is solid and safe from the ground up, from the inside out. Basic maintenance is often much more important than having a re-designed kitchen, for example. To be sure your home is in tip-top shape year round, here is a handy home maintenance checklist by Bob Vila, of television fame.

1. Roof: Check the roof and around vents, skylights, and chimneys for leaks. Repair as necessary.
2. Attic: If there is no ridge vent, keep gable vents open year-round to ensure proper ventilation.
3. Gutters: Clean the gutters and drain pipes so leaves won’t clog them and be sure they drain away from the house. (Fall: In cold-climate areas) Drain outside faucets.
4. Fireplace: Clean the fireplace of ashes. (Fall) Check the chimney for loose or missing mortar. Have the chimney professionally cleaned. Make sure the damper closes tightly. (Spring) Leave the damper open for improved ventilation if the home is not air-conditioned.
5. Filters: Remember to clean or replace filters once a month, or as needed. Check and clean the dryer vent, air conditioner, stove hood, and room fans. Keep heating and cooling vents clean and free from furniture and draperies.
6. Safety Equipment: Ensure that all smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and fire extinguishers are in good working order. Replace batteries in appropriate devices as needed, or at least twice each year.
7. Air Conditioner: (Fall: In cold-climate areas) Remove window air-conditioners, or put weatherproof covers on them.
8. Refrigerator: Make sure your refrigerator door seals are airtight. Test them by closing the door over a dollar bill. If you can pull the bill out easily, the latch may need to be adjusted or the seal may need to be replaced. In addition, if you have a coil-back refrigerator, vacuum the coils at least twice each year. Your refrigerator will run more efficiently with clean coils. Also, stock up! A full refrigerator uses less energy than an empty one.
9. Faucets: Check for leaky faucets in the kitchen and bathroom(s). Replace washers as necessary.
10. Windows and Doors: Seal drafty doors and windows. If you added up all of the small cracks where heating and cooling escapes from a home, it would be the same as having a window open. Replace seals as needed.
11. Storm Windows and Screens: (Fall) Take down screens (if removable type) and replace with storm windows. (Spring) Remove, clean, and store storm windows (if removable). Check and patch all door and window screens. Put screens up (if removable type).
12. Siding and Paint: Look for cracks and holes in house siding or paint. Replace caulk if necessary. A carpet knife can work well for cutting away old caulking from house siding. Slice down alongside it from both directions with the hook-like blade, then use the knife to lift out the old caulk bead intact.
13. Basement: Check the basement walls and floor for dampness. Be sure to clean the dehumidifier regularly, if you have one.
14. Heating System: (Fall) Have the heating system serviced. Change filters.
15. Hot Water Heater: (Fall) Drain the hot water heater. Remove sediment from the bottom of the tank.

By carefully reviewing each item on this home maintenance checklist, you’ll insure that your home will be the “safe haven” you expect all year round.

When you think of the word toxic, you usually think of big disasters involving harsh chemicals, don’t you?  In our homes, though, there are little tiny ways that bring toxicity into play, so here are some ways to help you detox your home, room-by-room and keep your home air quality healthy.

Kitchen

Don’t microwave food in plastic. There are lots of opinions out there about plastics being toxic, so use ceramic or glass, and use a paper towel to cover the food.

Filter your drinking water. Even the best water has some impure particulates in it.

Keep cleaners locked away from small kids . Be sure they’re tightly sealed.

Find organic dishwasher soaps. They can be just as effective as your current brand

Don’t use spray cans to kill bugs. Use boric-acid based bait stations. Of course, keep your house impeccably clean. This will ensure a healthy home air quality.

Bedroom

Check your pillows and mattresses for dust mites. Find covers tightly woven to keep them out.

Fight the moths with cedar instead of mothballs. And a great way to detox your home is to:

Vacuum frequently and dust. You can prevent all sorts of microbes from living in your room. Vacuum your furniture, too.

Bathroom

Use a deodorant that does not block your pores. Eliminate aluminum, paraben and phtlate based deodorants.

Find organic products to clean the toilet, tub, sink and floor in your bathroom. Baking soda will work, or try a bit of vinegar.

Ventilate your bathroom well. Open the windows when possible and use a fan. This will  reduce moisture and prevent molds and mildew.

Garage

Get rid of old paints and solvents or any product out there that is toxic.  Each community has a way to recycle them.  You might donate old paints to a good cause.  Don’t dump them down a drain. You may pollute your own drinking water!

Air out your new car. Fresh air can get rid of any pollutants that come with new fabrics, new dashboards, etc. in a new car.

By using some of these tips to detox your home, you’ll be enjoying a more healthful home air quality and a greater peace of mind.

Health is a condition the majority of us were born with and have enjoyed for many seasons – even the cold and flu season. If you knew that by thinking “I am perfect health” believed to the point of complete conviction you would never get sick, I’m sure you would think it.

Many of us, however, weren’t taught that by our predecessors, so we have experienced less than perfect health.  If you can begin to think it now, you will help yourself back toward your rightful inheritance, and these home-care treatments will also help you return to the perfect health you were born with:

• Keep yourself hydrated with soups, water, juices and teas.
• Over-the-shelf ibuprofen is great for aches and fevers.
• Salt water eases the pain of a sore throat.
• 2000 mg of vitamin C can be absorbed daily by the body and is thought to shorten the duration of a cold.
• Get a little more rest and do your work more slowly. Extra sleep helps the body recuperate. This is especially important during the cold and flu season.
• Keep the air moist with a cool mist humidifier.
• A hot shower will relieve nasal stuffiness as will using a Neti pot.
• Keep petroleum jelly handy for your sore nose and use tissues with lotion in them.
• Taking a nasal decongestant will relieve stuffiness, as will a mentholated steam treatment.
• An antihistamine will help alleviate allergy symptoms.
• Ginger tea helps with nausea.

Stay happy during the Christmas shopping season. If you are filled with the joy of the upcoming celebrations and preparing things for them, you won’t have time to get sick.  If you substituted every “I think I’m getting a cold” thought with “No!  Not this cold and flu season!  I’m too happy to get sick,” then you’ll have the same wonderful holiday I’m planning to enjoy.  Best wishes!

“An illness is like a journey into a far country; it sifts all one’s experience and removes it to a point so remote that it appears like a vision. ~ Sholem Asch

Because we are mainly mental beings whose mind creates one thing after another, we have a tendency to collect these things we’ve created.  We believe that our car tells the world around us who we are: whether we’re cool or not. We think that the labels in our clothing somehow indicate the quality of our being.  We believe that these and many other assorted and various material things make us feel secure, happy, “right or okay.”

I have learned as a Change Coach that “things” sometimes stand in the way of change. Because we think we have really good reasons for why we have these “things,” they may act as road blocks to our process.  Sometimes, we need a really hefty emptying out session:  in our homes, our cars, our work space, and in our minds. Oftentimes, it’s easier work to clean out our living spaces than it is to clean out our minds, but the work of rectifying what’s in our minds gives us the most mileage.

We all have the events of our childhood to deal with and clear out.  We sometimes get so busy with our careers and the acquisition of cars, homes, and hundreds of other “things,” we forget the more important work. St. Paul gave us a clue about this when he said “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.” I’d like to think he corrected the perceptions from his childhood days.

A child views material things with a mentality that is immature, and because of this, that child mind often comes to erroneous conclusions.  These conclusions turn into excess emotional baggage that has to be viewed from an adult point of view and let go of. If you are an adult who hurts over your childhood experiences, no amount of a collection of things will kiss that boo-boo away.  Ask any millionaire. That collection of material things does not satisfy your deepest longings.

Are you someone who feels fearful at the thought of getting rid of your collection of “things?”  Do you think that whoever gave you the thing might be offended if you get rid of it? Are you afraid in some way of having too many empty spaces around you?  These are all indicators that some ideas you’ve formed are not on track and need looking into and corrected.

Truly, dear readers, nature abhors a vacuum. If you create some emptiness in your mind, your home, etc., new things will always move into your experience to replace what you let go of.  I recommend you think of one thing that’s really in the way, you don’t want or like, but you have some “really good reason” for not getting rid of it.  Take the risk; get rid of it and see what happens. I hope you try this and I hope it’s the first step of many more like it. This is the way you clear the path for new things in your life, keep you away from staleness, and stop living in the past, particularly about childhood issues. Please consider crafting an emptying out process for yourself.

When you clean out the material things in your life leaving only those things you really like, always use, or really enjoy, you’ll discover you have much more energy, more clear thinking, even a better memory. More positive things will begin to happen to you, and you’ll relish the life of your choosing.

The sage does not hoard. Having bestowed all he has on others, he has yet more; having given all he has to others, he is richer still. ~ Lao Tzu

Do you ever find yourself staring at the ceiling at night, wondering why in the world you can’t fall asleep?  Feeling cursed by the Sleep Gods? It’s entirely possible that your intake of certain foods isn’t sitting too easily in your digestive track. This list of foods that help you sleep is part of our tips for better sleep.

You may love garlic, chilies, cayenne pepper and other intensely-flavored spices, but it might be too much for your system to process right before bedtime.

You may have eaten too much right before retiring.  Try making lunch your largest meal of the day so that you have plenty of time to digest it before you hit the sheets.

We all get told to “eat your vegetables” but the ones that have a bad reputation for causing a lot of gas – cauliflower, beans, Brussels sprouts and broccoli – should be eaten mid day with plenty of time to process.

Foods That Help You Sleep

Is the myth of a glass of warm milk before bed true? Yes, but mostly because of the routine of it. Psychological factors are also important.

A small, high-carbohydrate snack with a soothing drink (like warm milk) can help you get to sleep, and here are some suggestions:

• Air popped popcorn
• Warm tea with milk and honey
• Angel food cake with berries
• A bowl of cereal with milk
• A handful of pretzels
• A small baked potato with mild salsa
• A piece of fruit
• A few pieces of crystallized ginger

More Tips for Better Sleep

Are you a speed eater? If you relax and eat more slowly, you’ll swallow less air and avoid stomach distress.

Keep alcohol consumption within two hours of your bedtime, and keep the amount to 4 ounces. You’ll sleep like a baby.

Caffeine stays in our systems for a long time. Keep the amount you consume reasonable and not close to bedtime.

Resting well (I’m talking about six to eight hours of sleep every night) and keep you feeling healthy and energetic.  Breathing deeply, setting aside your worries of the day, saying a little prayer, thinking about your loved ones – all these tips for better sleep will also help to launch you into la-la land. Sweet dreams!

“My philosophy from day one is that I can sleep better at night if I can improve an individual’s knowledge about food and wine, and do it on a daily basis.” ~ Emeril Lagasse

It’s pretty obvious that winter is coming.  It usually happens after every Fall.  Many homes need to be prepared for winter and here are some home energy saving tips to help you get ready.

In most countries, winter means “cold.”  You’ll want to prepare several things in your home to keep the warm air from your heating system inside the home.

Fireplace: Clean the damper so that it’s free from soot.  When it closes, it needs to form a tight seal to keep the heat inside. Also, be sure the chimney is cleared from creosote to prevent fires inside the flue. Using the fireplace can reduce the cost of electrical heating.

Heating Ducts: Is there still insulation wrapping your heating ducts?  If yours is an older home, it may have fallen away.  R-6 or fiberglass insulation will keep the heat moving through the ducts inside and not escape. Use the proper sealing tapes to keep the insulation in place. This, too, can reduce heating costs.

Windows and Doors: Be sure the caulking around both the inside and the outside of the frames around your windows and doors has not cracked and fallen away.  Weather stripping or caulking will create a tight seal to keep the warmth inside.

Thermostat: How old is your thermostat?  If it’s very old, it is more than likely not programmable.  Programmable thermostats can be set for day and night temperatures, or for when you are not home at all.  Consider setting your thermostat just one degree cooler than you currently use it to realize a substantial savings in your heating costs this winter.

Water Heater: Check the temperature on your water heater.  If it’s set too high, you could be wasting the energy to unnecessarily heat the water.  A recommended range is 120 to 150° Fahrenheit.

Heating and Cooling System: Have your furnace maintenance done during the summer or fall.  Be sure there is a new filter in it for the winter.

These home energy saving tips will be a great savings for you.  You might also train your family members to turn off lights when they’re leaving a room.  Replace your standard light bulbs with the more energy-efficient fluorescent light bulbs.  Be sure to vacuum the coils on the back of your refrigerator to make it work more efficiently and use less energy.  Also vacuum out the vents and ducts in your home to be sure your furnace can work efficiently.

It would be interesting to create a family project out of these home energy saving tips and then trace how much the budget was spared because of your hard work this Fall.  Best of luck!

1. A great tailored jacket. You can wear it fitted to show off your curves and pair it with both skirts, slacks and jeans. Choose traditional fall fabrics like tweed, corduroy or denim or leather.

2. A lovely, classic white long-sleeved blouse or shirt is a great building block. They work in a variety of fabrics and fits and can be worn under that tailored jacket above.

3. A classic pantsuit is effective at work, but also works well when dressed up after hours by using a silk camisole and dressier high heels. Solid black will give you tons of wearing opportunities. Make sure the fabric is both soft and stretchy.

4. Turtleneck sweaters create a classic look under your jacket or pantsuit. A black one is most classical and can be dressed with a special necklace. Be sure the fabric is soft so your neck doesn’t get scratched.

5. Pumps. Make sure you have several colors as they serve well across many platforms of style: casual, corporate and fancy.

6. Denim pants and jackets can be interlaid with many different pieces of clothing to provide both comfort and style this fall. Nice soft denim will last forever.

There is a great reason to make sure your wardrobe has these classic fashion pieces – it’s because they have universal application and they have survived all the trends. And one more thing you might want to consider this fall is a classic light brown coat. It has endless possibilities and can be accessorized freshly each season.

“Fashion is about change and, for me, the philosophy is always the same … that the clothes have to be really modern and make women look really beautiful, But, it’s fun to keep changing and to change the silhouettes, to change the fabrics and to change the color. Color this fall is really going to change too, because there is color.” ~ Calvin Klein

I’ll give you an example: the role of an administrative assistants is to help her boss in getting organized and being more productive. She does this through the discipline of organization; the strict adherence to tools (such as reminders on a calendar) and the keeping of notes for substantiation and documentation.  With systems in place which she follows without exception, she can easily put her hands on what is required with very little effort and both she and her boss are successful because of this organization.

It would be embarrassing and uncalled for if she had to spend time hunting for missing files, searching for emails, scrambling through stacks of paper.  But many people try to function like this.  They struggle with disorganization.  They frequently say “I know I put if someplace important” and cannot for the life of them, remember where.  The time wasted in searching jut five minutes in one day multiplied by all 365 of them is crushing! This is a high price to pay.

Disorganization can keep you from keeping a job; from getting a promotion; from holding on to a spouse even! It will teach your children wrong ideas. It can work as a mental block – how can you possibly do x when it means sorting through piles of stuff before you can even begin.  Organization, on the other hand, allows things to function smoothly, smooth out the chaos, calm down the stress and enhance our productivity.  The more you like getting organized, the more productive you’ll be.

Here are some practical tips to help you on the path toward greater organization.

• Write things down with regularity.  Use one notebook (vs. lots of sticky notes) so you only have one place to go hunt for information.  You CAN put the sticky notes into the notebook. Jot down notes from phone conversations. It takes no mental energy to try to remember what’s written down. Date the pages.
• Sketch out your day during the first minutes working. Write down the things you hope to accomplish. Prioritize the list. Stick with the list unless it’s a really important excuse not to.
• Keep your desktop cleared.  Use an InBox for pending items.  When you’re finished, file everything away.  You do have organized files, right? Tidy up at the end of each day. Let one section of your desk hold those things requiring some action.
• Organize your supplies and tools on your desktop.  If you don’t use paperclips regularly, put them inside the desk drawers, for example.
• Use online tools.  My admin uses her Outlook calendar as a reminder and for scheduling tasks. She seldom forgets anything.  Calendars can be color coded. She also uses a spreadsheet to track Action Items.

If you can implement these five tips, you should be well on your way toward getting organized and being more productive.

“Plan your progress carefully; hour-by hour, day-by-day, month-by-month. Organized activity and maintained enthusiasm are the wellsprings of your power.” ~ Paul J. Meyer

Wouldn’t it be nice to let your home reflect what’s happening during this new season? You can refresh your house for spring decor with a few simple home décor ideas that will make your home shine and show off for a brand new season.

Fresh curtains

You may not want to use your budget to purchase new curtains, but a fresh laundering and ironing will say “It’s spring at my house.” And in conjunction with the next topic, you might want new curtains or you might just want to dye the ones you have!

Paint

An easy freshening in your home is paint. Whether painting a whole room or painting just woodwork, you can effect a brand new look. Or how about this idea: just paint a new color on an accent wall! You might stencil in a new border, but whatever you do, painting is a great, low-cost way to freshen up your home.

Rearrange furniture

I like to begin this task on paper. It’s easier on my back, costs nothing and is much more easily changed. I like to experiment with different positioning of my furniture, and I even switch pieces from different rooms. It makes for an easy way to change things around for a fresh look.

Slipcovers

Another way to provide a new, low-cost look for springtime is slipcovers. Use spring colors and your new arrangement. You can always go back to the way it is when it’s time to snuggle down again for winter. Do you have another set of pillows you could use for these lighter months? How about new end-table coverings?

Accessories

Fresh flowers in the room always bespeaks spring decor. They’re beautiful as well as fragrant. You might think of a spring cleaning for your houseplants too. Use a soft cloth and just a few drops of a mild detergent. They’ll love you. How about adding scented oils or new potpourri to the room? And there’s always a place for carpet deodorizers to make a room smell fresh and clean.

We hope this home décor ideas will spur on more spring décor projects – let spring blossom in your house!

Some of the more décor popular colors this spring time are in the reds, rusts, oranges, and yellows palette, and it seems that designs from warm, sunny Tuscany are in the limelight as well.

Refreshing Your Home With Color

Spring colors can create a mood in your home.  Think of a cheerful, yellow breakfast room or a child’s play area done in primary colors. Think about themes using pinks, turquoise, greens, or perhaps shades of orange. Think of the relaxation folks feel in a “green room” while waiting to appear on TV. If your home needs refreshing, think about the mood you want to create and ask the experts at your closest paint store to help you choose the right palette.

The Meanings of Colors

Perhaps you’d like to create a mood by leaning on the meaning of colors and this list will help you.

Black               Authority and power

White               Innocence and purity

Red                  Love and intensity

Blue                 Truth, calmness, loyalty

Green              Nature, freshness, relaxation

Yellow             Cheerful, optimism, concentration

Purple              Royalty, luxury, wealth

Brown              Earth, abundance, genuineness

Colors for You

It became popular in the 1980s to “have your colors done.”  Knowing which colors work best for you (based on your hair and skin tones) can save you tons of time when shopping for clothing. It can also save you money and closet space.  Knowing which colors work best for you helps you sort through clothing that does not work very quickly and wearing the right colors makes you feel better about yourself.  You can find a color analysis for your type online very easily.

Adding some colors of spring to your palette can not only brighten your mood but spring colors can also brighten your home.

“Red is the first color of spring. It’s the real color of rebirth. Of beginning.” ~ Ally Condie