The Misery Bus gets more gas during the holidays.

So why does misery breed company? I am not sure I want to be dragged down that path with the downtrodden, misguided and generally unhappy people of the world. I am not even sure I would know how to drag someone intentionally down with me. But is sure seems to be prevalent anymore. I refuse to be a victim to these people. I suggest surrounding yourself with the happy people and staying far away from those who are driving the bus of doom and deliberately trying to run people down with it.  Is is a sad state of affairs when people find running over others a sense of joy and accomplishment. To those driving the bus - no thanks! I'll walk.

How do we get our focus back?

How do we get our focus back? Did we know it was even lost? I remember back in college trying to get through my art class. It was a long class about 6 hours. Why so long? Because it would take some time to get over to the “right side of the brain”. The creative side. We would do exercises for the first hour all focused on waking up the creative side of the brain and then have the rest of the class to delve into whatever project we were working on. Those days are long over. I am not sure I even have time to consider what part of my brain I am using for any given project. This blog for instance. Right brain because it is creative writing? Are analytical people left brained? Is there even such a thing? Does it even matter if we are doing five things at once?

So what happens to your brain when you are multi-tasking; Writing an email, working on a budget and memorizing your speech for the meeting next week? Not much. Your brain really can only do one thing at a time. No matter how hard you try. Have you even been running around the house trying to get chores done and feel like you are getting nowhere because you leave a room to do one thing and start doing something else? Completely forgetting that you went to get the mop out of the closet to mop the floor and are now sweeping the hall because the broom was right next to the mop. Permanent brain damage? Maybe.

Our society has become so focused on multitasking that is could be causing permanent memory loss. Stress, even minor stress, can cause a series of reactions that can be harmful to our health.  Stress causes the body to produce adrenaline to help give us energy. This increased energy may help the brain work faster but certainly not on more than one task. So if we are multitasking, adrenaline will not help the brain do two things at once. Just one faster. Neither task will be completed to the best of your ability if at all.

So how do we get our focus back?

Stop!

Stop multitasking. 

Stop trying to read and write at the same time. Demand focus. Shut off the phone if you are doing something that doesn’t warrant interruptions.

Don’t watch TV with your iPad in your lap. Plan what you are doing and stick to the plan. Work on memory recall by playing small memory games

Seek out quiet time, meditate, exercise, eat healthy and try not to do them all at the same time. Please.

Holiday Prep and Cleaning Tips

Time for Holiday Preparation!
It is time for holiday preparation, cleaning and de-cluttering! With the holiday season quickly approaching it’s time to start to organize, clean and declutter so you can be a part of your own holiday entertaining not the maid or the chef. Start now while you are prepping the house for winter by taking the time to declutter rooms, scrub them from top to bottom and plan for holiday guests.

Let’s start with the front entryway. Winter is tough enough with boots, hats, gloves, coats, and all that goes with the weather that is coming. Make sure to get this all together now and in easy accessible totes for each family member. That way when they get home they pop their winter gear into their totes. Add a heavy duty door mat both inside and out and maybe a boot tray for those wet muddy boots. For guests reluctant to take off their shoes, plan on having some inexpensive footsies on hand to keep their tootsies warm while visiting.  Make sure to have extra hangers in the coat closet as well.

Spring cleaning is great when winter is over. But before we are locked up for months inside let’s begin with a clean house as well! This way the holidays can be enjoyed with just a quick spruce up here and there.

Start with the most used rooms like the kitchen and bathrooms. Deep clean the kitchen, polish silverware and serving dishes with hot water and vinegar, clean the oven and stove. One tip for burner grates is to soak them overnight in a closed container in a small amount of ammonia and the grease and grime will wipe right off. Stock up bathrooms with paper supplies and keep a roll of paper towels and spray cleaner in each bathroom for a quick spruce up. Make sure toilet brush, plunger and trash can are handy and it wouldn’t hurt to add a diffuser or scented oils for a fresh smell.

Bedrooms should dusted, vacuumed and clean sheets and blankets ready for overnight guests. Bath towels and washcloths for guests readily available. Hit the trial and travel section at Marc’s and pick up small bottles of shampoo, soaps and toothpaste to have on hand or in a basket for guests.

There are also great baskets, bins, tubs and totes that can be used to de-clutter. Does the bathroom look like a beauty supply store? Put all the beauty aids in a cute tote and tuck under sink before guests arrive.

Some preparation and planning now can mean a much more relaxed and stress free holiday season for the host/hostess and guests. And we haven’t even begun to talk about food preparation. Let’s get started now and we will have a lot more time to enjoy family and friends!

Food Waste: Something your mother probably didn’t teach you?

The average American household of four is throwing away $120 each month in the form of uneaten food. Fortunately, there is a fix to the problem—and can improve your experience with food in the process. Wasting less food is about keeping ingredients fresh, being creative with what you have, and getting to know your food, especially how it ages and how it is best stored.

Let’s take the refrigerator first off. Do you know the warmest part of your fridge? The coldest? What does that humidity setting on the drawer mean and which drawer should I use for what. Let’s break this down a bit. Even putting items in the right place in the refrigerator can add days to the life of some items.

Shut the door!
To keep this simple let’s look at what happens to the food in the box. The door is opened and in rushes warm air. The items in the door and at the top shelf of the fridge are subjected to this every time. So items in the door and top shelfs of the refrigerator should be less perishable. Put your mustard, jelly, and condiments in the door – Not the milk! Top shelf is for already cooked foods like left overs and longer shelf life items like cheese and pickles.

Middle shelf is home to your diary items like milk, sour cream and eggs. Make sure to always push your items to the back of the fridge as well. This can also add days to their lives.

Your bottom is cool-est!
The bottom shelf is for any item you do not want to drip or cross contamination of other food items. So this is where you put your meats, fish, and chicken, this is also the coldest shelf in the fridge so put your high risk, high perishable foods here.

What is a humidity drawer?
Let’s talk about those silly controls on the drawers as well. Humidity can be a friend or a foe to foods. High humidity will keep your leafy greens, spinach, carrots and broccoli very happy however putting food prone to rotting in here can mean disaster. Keep your fruits and veggies that break down and rot quickly in the low humidity drawer. And the low humidity drawer will stay just a bit cooler too!

Don’t be afraid of the freezer.
And don’t forget your freezer. It is meant to keep food longer and you can freeze just about anything. So despite its bad rap, frozen food—and freezing food—is one of the keys to turning around food-waste and help you save on your weekly groceries.