A Simple way to avoid SIDS

I've never been asked to face the challenge of losing a child.  Miscarriage, yes.  Death of one of my children, no. My heart goes out to those who have lost a tiny, precious member of their family to SIDS.  And that's why I'm posting this short article.

Please read it.  I'll wait right here.

Wrapping a baby's mattress is such a simple thing to do.  Whether or not you've lost a baby to SIDS, you have nothing to lose.  The materials are inexpensive for DIY'ers, and it's dead-simple to do.  If you don't have a tiny baby, please post this on your blog so more parents can know that they have a simple way to protect their babies from the dangerous gases that cause SIDS.

Lemme Hear Whoop! Whoop!

Google has delivered.

Chrome Beta for Mac is live.

All y'all Mac users out there, go and try it out. Clean, light, and darn fast. And Google's home page logo today is a kick, to boot.

Have a great week!

Tuesday Tips: Mad Skillet Skillz

I don't know how many of you use stainless steel cookware, but I do. You just can't get the same crisp finish on various things in nonstick cookware. And steel doesn't offgas. ;o)

So, when I'm done warming tortillas, or frying the occasional batch of turkey sausages, sometimes the pan cools before I can get to it. The best way to clean a steel pan is when it's still hot--the food comes straight off with a light scrubbing if you get it soapy when it's still nearly too hot to touch. (Be sure you only use a nylon or steel scrubber with a little Bon Ami, as plastic brushes or scrubbies will melt!)

So, take your skillet, complete with burned or crusty remnants. Fill about 1/3 to 1/2 with clean water, and put it back on the stove. Turn it on to a decent medium-high heat, cover, and set a timer for about 10 minutes. (Don't do like I have, and forget the timer. Bad news.) The goal is to simmer the water for about ten minutes. It softens the rock-hard food, easing the bond between food and metal. For especially grouchy grime, add a little baking soda to the water. Plain water has always worked fine for me, though.

When your timer goes off, and you believe the water has done it's magic, scrape with a metal spatula and then scour as usual.

Voila!* You have a shiny, clean pan, with very little elbow grease. :o)

Drum Roll, Please

I'm definitely late to the party.   

I'm sharing anyway.  

I just realized I could schedule housework.  Ahead of time.  On. My. Calendar.  Woah. 

Let's role play, to illustrate the point:

Good Friend Calls: Hi, Annalea!  Hey, I want to get together and take our kids to PlayLand some morning.  When's good for you?

Me: Hmmmm . . . lemme see.  (I look at my calendar for the next week, and see that I've got Monday down for laundry and an activity at home with the kids, playgroup the next morning, Wednesday morning for sorting and purging old kids' clothes, Thursday for family pictures, Friday morning is the children's museum, and the entire Saturday devoted to hacking away at the garage so I can manage to park the van in there before the next rainy season starts.)  "How about a week from Tuesday?" I respond.

Good Friend: Sounds great!  Ten o' clock good for you?

Me:  Yep.  See you then!

Totally obvious.  But oh, so useful!  I think I can see great things happening around here . . . 

Introducing "Tuesday Tips!" at the Passionate Mind.

As if I already didn't have enough to do, I thought I'd come up with yet another day-related theme for the blog.

Tuesday Tips!

Each Tuesday, I'll regale you with a "how-I-do-things" kind of tip, and I'd love it if you'd leave one of yours in the comments.  Sort of like a modern "Hints from Heloise".

And so, without further ado, I give you this week's installment of . . . 

Tuesday Tips!

In my house, we use good ol' fashioned, handmade, bar soap for hands.

Have you ever seen a soap dish after even one small child has used the bar soap in it?

Exactly.

So, at my house, we have a protocol for bar soap usage.  While it may seem a little extreme, if you've ever had to be the one responsible for cleaning the bathroom, you'll understand completely.

How to Wash One's Hands Without Making a Mess

(This is the version I use when I help 3yo Lil'MissL wash her hands.)

1. Turn on the water.
   
2. Wet one hand.
   
3. Pick up the soap with your other, still dry, hand.
   
4. Rub some soap off onto the wet hand.
   
5. Put the soap back in its place, damp side up.
   
6. Wet your dry hand.
   
7. Make bubbles.
   
8. Scrub.
9. Rinse
10. Dry
    

--Humbly subimtted in the hope that someone, some day, will no longer be enslaved to the rigorous toil of de-sliming a soap dish. ;o)