Best Tips & Tricks - page 2 - Parenting and Family Tips & Tricks

In each issue of Rexanne's Web Review monthly newsletter, there is a "Tips & Tricks" section, with reader tips, tricks and some I've found that I hadn't already seen or received via email 1000 time already. ;-) This page was created to help you find your favorites without having to go through each archived newsletter version or, if you've just cruised in looking for some great family and parenting tips & tricks, enjoy the information!

Do you have a tip or trick you'd like to pass along? Please send it for possible publication in one of the next issues of Rexanne's Web Review and this page: Click here to submit your tips & tricks:TIPS

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup corn syrup
1-1/4 cup powdered sugar
1-1/4 cup powdered milk

"Mix ingredients to get a good consistency for modeling. Kids could create something and then eat it."

I think we've all tried a myriad of possibilities when it comes to organizing our children's toys, puzzles and games. This week's Tip or Trick will be an assortment of ideas for de-cluttering the kid's space.

Please send in your favorite tip or trick for keeping their toys and stuff organized for possible publication in next week's newsletter!

1) Cut the picture from a puzzle box. Place it and the puzzle pieces in a zipper baggie. Store all the puzzles together in a large Rubbermaid-type box.

2) When the boxes from board games become too ragged to be useful, place all small pieces in a zipper baggie. Tape this onto the game board along with any game instructions and contain it all in a large Rubbermaid-type storage box. You could get one or two huge storage boxes and keep all games together or store them individually.

3) Barbie madness? Oh ... I can relate! LOL! When your daughter gets a new Barbie, open the box carefully to keep it intact. When the kids are finished playing with it, have them put all the pieces, clothes and accessories back in the same box. (You can put all the small pieces in a zipper baggie). Stack the boxes along a wall or on a shelf for easy availability.

4) Baby wipe boxes work great for storing all those burger toys and small action figures.

5) Leftover Easter baskets make great and attractive catchall containers for kid's toys and treasures. Easy for the smaller ones to toss all their junk into an open, colorful basket, too. This also saves you the space it would take to store those virtually unreusable baskets.

6) Hang sports equipment from hooks on the wall in the kid's rooms. Looks great, the children will love the decor and it's easy to get them to put the stuff away after use.

This week, as promised, I am passing on a few tips and tricks for organizing kid's stuff from readers. Some great ones here! Thank you to all who submitted ideas and tips to share. Keep them coming! I'll post them as they arrive.

1.) "Peg boards! My dad thought I was crazy when I asked him to hang one for my children's rooms. Not only does it get the stuff with hooks off the floor, I added some shelves to hold their videos. I love the fact that it will always be useful - today toys, tomorrow who knows." (From Cathy)

2.) "Go through all your kid's toys once a year. Throw out everything broken and unusable. Everything the kids have outgrown, but can still be used, bag up and take to a shelter near you (some shelters will pick up the stuff at your house). You may even be able to take it off your taxes as charity. We also do this with outgrown clothes. It helps make room for the new toys they're sure to get at Christmas and birthdays. I know it isn't really a tip to store toys, but it helps keep the rooms cleaner! Another idea for all those stuffed animals and dolls is to put up a shelf all the way down one wall and put them all up there. Some of them can even be hung from hooks, if you use the wire shelves." (From Jeni)

3.) (From Tamara.) - "I hang all my daughter's hats and purses on the walls of her room for decorations and also to have a place to store them. They look really pretty. We also have a wire rack with little hooks on one wall for her necklaces and other jewelry she can hang. Works great!" (I hang my daughter's hats and purses on the walls, too Tamara! Especially here in earthquake country, I know nothing heavy will fall on them in the event of another big one!)

(I found this tip somewhere on the Internet. Wish I could remember where and give proper credit. If you recognize this as yours, give a shout.)

A freshly painted room is a wonderful sight but the odor of paint is, to most of us, yucky. Here's a solution ... Pour 1/2 cup of vanilla into a gallon of paint and stir to eliminate the odor. It will not affect the color of the paint.

Makes sense, huh? If anyone has tried this or tries it in the future, I'd love to know how it worked!

"Here is a tip I came across for a special snack for kids that is so cute! Give them some goldfish crackers, and pretzel sticks (these are the fishing rods). Then have them dip their rods in peanut butter (the bait) and 'go fishing.' They can eat the fishing rod and the fish they catch."

I love that one, Elaine! Thank you! I now have crunchy things littering the peanut butter but it's OK ... We'll make that jar the designated fishing pond. ;-)

Pulled this week's tips right from Prevention Magazine. These home remedies for hiccups are supposed to really work!

3.) Drink two ounces of red wine vinegar down in one gulp. (I wouldn't recommend this tip for children!)

4.) Plug both ears with your fingertips, then drink a full glass of water through a straw.

Pretty crazy-sounding tips, huh? Well, they're all new to me. You can bet when one of us gets the hiccups again, we'll be trying any and all of these. If you try one and it works, let us know!

You are the best group of subscribers on the planet! Thanks to everyone who sent in more hiccup cures after reading last week's Tips & Tricks section on the subject. Here they are:

Linda, Deneen, Sandy and Janice all swear by a teaspoon of sugar as the ultimate hiccup cure:

"When someone in our house gets the hiccups we give them a well-rounded teaspoonful of sugar. They must try to swallow it without letting it dissolve in their mouth. So far, it has worked every time." (Linda)

"Drink some carbonated beverage to get rid of them. This is an easy one for the kids."

"The best remedy I have found for hiccups is a spoonful of peanut butter. I have used it for my kids and it works every time." (Nancy)

We had the opportunity to try one of last week's tips in our house! My younger daughter got the hiccups and the first tip I remembered was the one about plugging the ears and drinking water through a straw. It worked! We giggled a lot but were amazed at how easy it was to stop those little spasms.

Seems like months ago I wrote about head lice when, in fact, it's only been three weeks! :-) Here are some reader's tips and tricks on battling head lice:

"One preventative method used over here is to put a dose of white vinegar in the last rinse when you shampoo your kid's hair. Take a bucket or pail and fill with warm water, add white vinegar, pour over the kid's hair, taking care not to get it in his or her eyes. When Camille was younger, we did it all year long while she was in school. Even if it doesn't work, it makes hair squeaky clean and shiny!

Lice generally come around at the beginning of the school year over here and there are preventative sprays that you can use as well that are not as harsh as the kill-'em shampoos. One fallacy is that lice love dirty hair: not true at all ... they really prefer clean locks to lay their eggs on.

One thing to remember: if one person in the house gets them, all members of the family have to go through the torture. Also, keep checking the kids' heads once school starts.

One point: the reason lice prefer clean hair is that it's easier for the glue they create to bond to a clean hair shaft. How pleasant ...

"I was mortified when my children came home with lice a couple of weeks ago. My children with lice ... never! Yup, it is upsetting and can be a pest, however, we got rid of ours really easily and have not had a reoccurrence! I don't know what shampoos you have over there for lice. I used one called Quellada and it really did the trick. The MOST important things to do are:

1. Follow the instructions of the various shampoos exactly! With Quellada you shampoo the hair two nights in a row and comb out all the nits (eggs). You MUST get a shampoo that kills the eggs - it is pointless getting a shampoo that only kills the lice!

2. Comb the hair rigorously with a very fine comb - disinfect the combs with the shampoo. I left mine to soak.

4. Hair lice can only survive in hair. They lay the eggs on the hair shaft. They cannot survive in bed linen because the lice need to suck blood (gross!) to survive. So I think boiling linen and getting rid of it is a bit extreme. Yes, change pillow slips every night until the little critters have gone.

5. With boys it is the answer to shave the hair. It gets rid of them at once! With my daughter's hair I cut it short and combed and combed. You will battle with long hair so why not cut it shoulder length at least. It will grow again and will save the reoccurrence and trauma of having lice.

6. Here in South Africa, our schools have lice checks every week or every second week. Children are NOT allowed at school until they have cleared their lice. It is just a vicious circle if some shampoo their hair and others don't.

7. Ten days after I got rid of the lice, I shampooed their hair again, just to make sure I did not have to live with these horrid things again!

8. Educate your children not to use anyone else's hair brush, towels, etc., especially little girls!

Once your children have had lice, your realize that it is a very common thing and nothing to be mortified about at all."

These are great tips, Mandy. Thank you so much for sharing them. A most important one is educating your kids not to share combs, hats, etc., with other kids. Good point!

Surviving the feast ... lots of great online tip pages for making your Thanksgiving celebration a smooth one.

1) Do not overcook that bird! Dry turkey is a drag. I always buy the turkeys with the pop up thingie. Works like a charm. Let them figure out the timing ... I'm way too preoccupied. Or use a meat thermometer. It'll tell you when.

2) Turkey Doneness Test: A turkey is done when the meat thermometer reaches 180 degrees F deep in the thigh. Also, juices should be clear, not pink when the thigh muscle is pierced deeply. A stuffed, 20 pound turkey takes about five hours to cook in a 325 degree oven.

3) Use a disposable roasting pan. For a few bucks, why torture yourself with cleaning that bad boy after the last guest has left? For larger birds, use two pans together to avoid the sag in the middle and a horrendous kitchen catastrophe.

4) The very best pumpkin pie is, in my experience, the recipe on the canned Libby's pumpkin. It's easy, safe and always gets raves. I've had some pretty awful pumpkin pie in my time. Don't understand, it's so simple.

"My 3 year old granddaughter has very curly hair and it is VERY LONG! A note was sent home a couple weeks ago warning that a child had been found with head lice. I was mortified! (I've been this route with my own children! ) Head lice love clean hair. They also love to cling to "warm heads" and longer hair (children have warmer heads than adults).

I found a trick that works great without having to deal with store bought chemicals (which can only be used once every 7 to 10 days, and could be harmful to them as well, especially at this age). It's mayonnaise. It really does work! I bought a few jars (big ones) then bought a metal nit comb. We plastered heads with the mayonnaise ... used about a half a jar on each head, really working it into the roots of the hair, then I wrapped heads with plastic wrap, leaving it wrapped for 2 1/2 hours, rinsing it out, combing it out with the nit comb, then shampooing. Of course you still have to sanitize the combs and brushes (or replace them), wash bedding and clothing in HOT water, and vacuum mattresses, carpets, and furniture. The little critters need air to breathe to stay alive ... if they're covered in mayonnaise (which is oil based) they can't breathe and die. I did this every day for a week on everyone's head, just to be on the safe side. I don't want to have to go through this again!

I hope this helps someone out there who has used the chemical type shampoos and are still finding the little buggers."

Elaine sent this link which also expounds on the virtues of mayonnaise as a lice fighter: Lice Treatment

Here are links to various wonderful sites that will help make your festivities more organized and less crazy:

Also found these super tips for creating holiday traditions from Khatt Kountry, a fun and informative family newsletter. A link to subscribe to Khatt Kountry is below the list of traditions.

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Christmas Traditions

Christmas traditions are important to children and the strength of the family. Long after the wrapping paper, toys and festivities are over, your family will remember the traditions you created and repeated every Christmas. Traditions need not be difficult or time consuming. If you care to start your own family tradition, check out these ideas.

*Attend Church on Christmas Eve together.

*Bake Christmas Cookies together, as a family, during the Holidays.

*Bake goodies for friends and neighbors and deliver them together.

*Go Christmas Caroling.

*Pop a large bowl of popcorn and drive around looking at Christmas
lights.

*Display Christmas photos from years past and keep them updated.

*Design a "Memory Book" for Christmas and each year document special
things that happened to your family during the Holidays.

*Pick out your family's Christmas Tree and decorate it together with
Christmas music playing and a cup of hot chocolate.

*Turn on "Alvin and the Chipmunks" Christmas album and dance around the
living room with your kids.

*Buy Santa hats for the family and wear them shopping.

*Make at least one Christmas craft every year with the kids.

*Put jingle bells on your shoe laces.

*Wear RED the entire month of December.

*Decorate your children's bedrooms with Christmas decorations.

*Visit someone who is housebound and bring them a home baked gift.

*Go ice skating together.

*Visit Santa and have a family portrait taken while the family is
sitting on his lap.

*Host a cookie/ornament swap party for your kids.

*Buy new Christmas PJ's every year and wear them on Christmas Eve.

*Build a cozy fire and relax as a family playing a board game.

*Remember the true meaning of Christmas ALL YEAR LONG.

Tips from Khatt Kountry newsletter. To subscribe, send an email with the word "subscribe" to: AllyKhatt@aol.com

"I have always hated the taste of the glue on stamps and envelopes. Now that there are self-stick postage stamps I use those. But the self-closing envelopes cost a lot more to buy. I tried a small dampened sponge to seal the envelopes, but it was hard to judge how wet the glue got. Sometimes it didn't stick very well.

Now I purchase a very inexpensive glue stick (usually 2 for $1.00), wipe it across the flap, and it's ready to go with no guesswork. This also eliminates paper cuts of the tongue."

"Pour salt on red wine stains on clothes then wash as usual. Should take it out completely."

"To remove a bandage from a child's skin, soak a cotton ball with baby or mineral oil and rub it gently over the outer edges of the bandage. The bandage will lift off easily without hurting."

"If your kids have left crayon marks on the table tops or walls, use a damp cloth dipped in dry baking soda to remove the stains. Works great!"

We had some great reader's tips come in these past two weeks, however, we'll save them for the next issue. In this issue, I wanted to bring you tips on keeping romance alive in your life. Romance isn't just for husband/wife or significant other. Romance can bring joy to your whole family and circle of friends. These are a few wonderful ideas on romance from TheRomantic.com:

1) Buy a favorite childhood game. Turn off the TV, play the game and relive happy, childhood memories.

3) Bring home a flowering orchid plant for your sweetheart. Some can bloom up to six months.

5) Place a little bit of money in your beloved's pocket (or kid's backpack!) with a note that says: have a treat on me.

6) Make a bowl of alphabet soup for your dearest, with a special phrase spelled out.

7) Remind your sweetheart to take their vitamins every day so you will have them around for a long, long time.

8) Have your darling's favorite music playing when they come home from work. Or school ... if you can stand it! ;-)

9) Turn off the alarm and wake your spouse (or child) with a back rub instead.

10) Get up a little early one winter morning to scrape your sweetheart's windshield. Leave a little frost or snow in the shape of a heart.

12) Send your sweetheart a Valentine when it's not February 14 to show that you don't need a holiday to be romantic.

40) Permanent Marker Removal, Keeping Table Bread Warm & Light Bulb Trick

"Before screwing in a new light bulb, apply a light coat of petroleum jelly to the grooves. Bulbs won't stick or break off when later removing them."

41) Sticker Removal, Candle Burning, Hand Washing, Tomato & Glue Stick Tricks

Charlene sent in a great one:

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"Ever wash and dry a piece of clothing with a sticker on it? To remove, place duct tape over the entire sticker, rub tape several times then pull tape off swiftly. Works every time!"

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Lorraine sent this good reminder:

"To make candles burn longer, put them in the refrigerator for a few hours before lighting."

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Martha sent in this goodie:

"If your child washes his/her hands for 2 seconds without soap and insists that they are clean, try this trick: sing the ABC song with him/her. It lasts about 25 seconds, which is plenty of time to remove dirt and bacteria from little hands."

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And Lynn sent in two excellent tips:

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"To bring out the flavor in tomatoes this time of year, salt them and let them sit awhile. You can also pepper them and it brings out so much more flavor."

"If you are always buying super glue and having it dry up before it is used up, just store it in the refrigerator and it will stay soft. Remember to store it where little hands can't get to it."

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These are terrific tips, ladies! Thank you for sharing!

42) Making Butter with Kids & Clean Potty Chair Tricks

Martha has a few great tips to share this week:

"On a day when the kids can't seem to find anything to do, have them make butter! Pour some whipping cream into a jar (with a lid) and let them shake away until the butter forms. Add salt to taste for salted butter."

"Wrap play dough and clays in aluminum foil to keep them moist for future uses."

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Sylvia sent in this awesome idea:

"Cover the bottom of the potty chair with coffee filters. When junior is finished using it, dump it all into the toilet and flush. Keeps the potty clean so you don't have to wash it out each time."

Wow ... sounds like a great idea, Sylvia. Thank you! Does anyone know if coffee filters are flushable? Might want to ask a plumber first.

43) Keeping Cut Flowers Fresh, Saving a Page from a Framed Site

Just in time for Mother's Day, Steven sent in these tips for keeping flowers fresh:

"Cut off all leaves below the water line. Submerged leaves will rot & block the flow of water up the stem & flowers will wilt faster.

Add a preserving solution to a vase of warm water made of one teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach before adding flowers."

Thank you, Steven! I'm betting you're in the business of flowers. :-)

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Deneen has this great tip on saving a page from a framed site:

"Right click on the page and hit OPEN FRAME IN NEW WINDOW. You can add it to Explorer's favorites or copy and paste the link from Explorer to the AOL browser then click on the heart (or use the NEW in favorites to add it). One way that this will not work is if someone has coded the "no right click" feature on a site."

Thank you, Deneen!

44) Lotsa Reader's Tips

Big thanks to Daysi who sent in this array of useful tips:

1. Flies or bees bothering you? Spray them with hairspray.

2. Sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed.

3. Use Empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords. It keeps them neat and you can write on the roll which appliance it belongs to.

4. Crayon marks on walls? A damp rag, dipped in baking soda removes them with little effort.

5. Remove permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt blue) - use rubbing alcohol on paper towel.

6. Cut SOS pads into halves. A box of SOS pads will last longer.

7. Blood stains on clothes? Pour a little peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood.

8. Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in any room to create a lovely scent when the light is turned on.

9. Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will smell freshly washed for weeks. Also works with towels and linen.

10. To clean artificial flowers, pour salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously. The salt will absorb the dust and dirt.

11. If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato. It will absorb the excess salt.

12. Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead.

45) Picture Hanging Tip & More Reader's Tips

Before hanging your favorite framed pictures on a wall, spread them out on a large table or on the floor. Then, arrange them the way you'd like them to appear on your wall. Carefully mark your wall with pencil dots, so they can be erased if there's an error, then hang your pictures.

Found this neat tip in a terrific newsletter, Ally's Alley. To subscribe, send a blank email to: Subscribe - Ally's Alley

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Thank you to Martha who sent in this page with a too-cute graduation cap craft for the little ones:
Graduation Cap

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And Mary sent this great tip:

"M30 hand cleaner gets out blood and ink. I use it for lots of things and it really works."

Good one, Mary, thank you!

46) Another Picture Hanging Tip

Martha sent in a super picture hanging tip in response to last issue's picture hanging tip. ;-)

"Have trouble hanging pictures or shelves with two nail holes in the back? Take a piece of masking tape and tape across the holes. Mark the nail holes with a pen; then peel the tape off and stick loosely to the wall. Line it up where you want it and pound the nails through the pen marks. Lines up perfectly every time! Remove the tape and hang your picture (or shelf). Sure beats trying to measure and align!"

Love that one, Martha. Thank you!

47) Color Coordinating Clothes

Hey, you guys are slacking ... no tips or tricks came in these past two weeks! ;-) No problem. I have a great one that helped me tremendously:

Arrange clothes in your (or your kid's) closets by type first. You know, skirts together, pants, shirts, dresses, etc. When you've got them where you want them, color coordinate them! I've always kept my types in order, however, since learning to keep them color coordinated as well, it makes deciding what to wear so much easier. There are just so many colors that go together which will send you to the appropriate area of your closet and save a lot of hassle on busy mornings. Teaching your kids to color coordinate their closets and drawers will make their lives easier, too.

48) Yeah! More Reader's Tips

I didn't mean to lay a guilt trip on you all in the last issue about no one sending in tips or tricks but it sure produced some perfectly wonderful ones for this issue! :-)

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Elaine had these GREAT tips to share:

"Cut a pool noodle in half for 2 instant soft 'swords' for sword fighting.

Write love notes on your baby's diapers for your spouse. (This is assuming you BOTH change diapers!)

When you have a toddler in the seat of a shopping cart, tie their shoelaces together so they can't squirm out of the seat and get hurt.

If you don't have a toddler, put your purse on the seat and buckle the seat belt strap through your purse strap. If anyone tries to grab it they will be stopped short!"

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And Mandy sent in these great tips in reference to last issue's tip on color coordinating closets:

"Color coding definitely works for our family. My kids have different color lunch boxes and the relevant color juice bottle to match (easy to know what lunches to pack for which child and also WHICH NOT to pack). This overflows into towels (wonderful because I KNOW which child hasn't hung their towel up after bathing)! Boys undies and socks get color coded. This helps them, especially if they share a cupboard with siblings."

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Thank you Elaine and Mandy!

49) Reader's Tips

Thanks to everyone who kept the tips and tricks coming these past six weeks. We have some dandies! :-)

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Claire sent this one:

"Put a plastic sandwich bag over your hand to grease pans and then just throw it away."

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Donna wrote:

"To avoid the soil run-off from potted plants, place a coffee filter in the bottom of the pot before planting. This will allow drainage and keep the potting soil in place."

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Sandy sent this good dessert decorating tip:

"A squeezable mustard bottle works very well for decorating cakes, cookies or any frosted dessert. Fill the clean bottle with the icing, replace the top and decorate."

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And Margie wrote:

"I use baby wipes to clean just about everything besides my 2 year-old son. I've been known to wipe stains off his changing table, then turn around with the same cloth and wipe the smear marks off his dresser. I also use them to wipe off his sneakers and better shoes, toys and a lot more. I keep some in the car for fast food messes and emergencies."

50) Camera Ready

Thanks to Deneen for sending this month's tip:

"It's a good idea to keep one of those one-time-use 35mm cameras in your car's glove box in case of an accident. That way you can show damage of your vehicle and the accident
scene if you have to go to court."

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