Best of Rexanne's Web Review 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

76) Gardening Tips

There are many gardening sites with tip pages. You'll be best served with a list of wonderful links in this section. Browse these sites for excellent advice and good ideas:

Garden Gate Magazine - Tips
Garden Gate Magazine's tips section is well categorized and extensive.

Diane's Garden Tip of the Week
Diane offers weekly tips and a 'Tip of the Week' newsletter with online archives to browse past issues.

Garden Guides - Tips
Various tips, from Christmas tree basics to garden decorating.

Organic Gardening Tips
You'll find some good advice and tips about organic gardening on this page. Organic is good. If you can keep those nasty pests away, your garden-grown veggies and herbs will have more flavor and be healthier for your family.

77) Birthday Party Tips, Tricks & Ideas
Yes, this is shameless self-promotion. I can't let this new page launch without letting you all in on it. This is a collection of my favorite party tips, culled from years of experience as a party-giving mom. Grab a cup of whatever you're drinking at the moment. You'll need it ... the page is a marathon. ;-)

78) Easy Eyeglass Protection

To prevent the screws in eyeglasses from loosening, apply a small drop of clear nail polish to the threads of the screws before tightening them.

Thank you Rina for sending this tip to share. :-)

79) Hot Flash Relief & How to Clean a BarBQ

Is anyone else suffering from hot flashes? Oh boy. I have newfound respect for those two little words that can wreak major havoc in the lives of so many women. Trying to function while that inner furnace is malfunctioning and running on overtime is nearly impossible. I did find something that helps! If you haven't already discovered the joys of a portable mini battery-operated fan, here is the miracle product you absolutely cannot live without and at a price everyone can afford: Portable Mini Fan

You will thank me! I thank the person (my ex-hubby - LOL!) who gave me one daily. ;-)

For preventative maintenance, here's a very good article on easing into the menopause years, how to avoid the discomforts associated with them and how to maintain a diet rich in foods that will ease you through this time. I am not endorsing the product on this site, just offering a look at the article that I found helpful: Hot Flash remedies

Here's a great thing to do for Dad this month: How to Clean a Barbecue

80) Magnetize Your Medicine Cabinet

Mount a long magnet along the back of your medicine cabinet to hold tweezers, clippers, little scissors and other small metal objects.

This and many other excellent tips & tricks can be found at: Get Organized Now
You Can Be Finally Organized, Finally Free
De-clutter your life, simplify and find more time for the things you enjoy. It's time to get organized! More than 1,300 simple organizing ideas plus fill-in-forms and checklists, to help you organize your home, your office and your life! This site is invaluable to help organize every little detail of your existence. Lots of perfect organization tips and tricks you will easily incorporate into your life and into the lives of your family members. Visit: Get Organized Now

81) Halloween Photo Tips

One of the rare times I remember the camera is on Halloween, when the kids are all dressed up in the costume of their choice and their eyes are sparkling in anticipation of the "hunt." Here are some super tips to make those pictures keepers:

1) It's usually better if you don't shoot from head to toe since shoes are often the weakest part of a costume.

2) Bend down low to kid's-eye level. Don't shoot from adult level down on these little ghouls - you'll trivialize them. Or if you're limber enough, bend down to below kid's-eye level or even lie down for the shot. Nothing makes a monster more imposing than looking up at the scary countenance.

3) If you're shooting two monsters, get them as close together as possible and, again, get close enough to fill the frame with the best parts of their costumes

4) And don't forget Fido or Cleo. Put a mask or silly hat on the family pet, and shoot - but fast. The suffering beast will probably be too embarrassed to suffer this indignity for more than a few seconds.

5) If you're taking a close-up of a face, here's what we suggest: Don't use your strobe. Rather, have the vampire hold a flashlight about six inches under his chin and point the light up onto his face. Then just bare a few fangs, and Eek!

6) If you are following your own kids with your camera on their trick-or-treat rounds, try to capture their expressions of glee when candy is poured into their outstretched hands. As always, get in close. And - very important - position yourself so that the door won't swing open and block your view.

These and more photo tips are from: Halloween Photo Tips

82) School Break Boredom

One way to break the "I'm bored!" habit when the kids are home from school for longer than a weekend is to have plenty of activities ready. This can be colored paper, pencils and stickers for the little ones to create their own holiday cards and gifts to helping the older kids get their rooms straightened up before all the new Christmas booty invades their space. My daughters and I spend hours in the beginning of December, cleaning out their closets and drawers, removing anything that is stained, ripped or no longer fits. Also, go through the toys and fill a bag with items to donate to the homeless or good will. This is also a sneaky way to get kids to clean their rooms. ;-) If need be, remind your little miser that more toys are on the way and there are other less fortunate children who would be thrilled to play with that Barbie doll who's life-expectancy has taken a drastic dive since being removed from the box. Make a trip to the good will donation center a family event, which will also help keep the kids from sitting in front of the TV for endless hours. :-) Make sure to ask for a receipt ... you will be able to deduct good will donations from this year's taxes.

Also, engage your kids in holiday decorating and food preparation. Have older children bake Christmas cookies and let the littler ones decorate them. Older children are super decoration helpers. Let them help get the boxes from the garage or attic and help decorate your home for the holidays.

83) Missing Socks

If your laundry fiasco is anything like mine, you end up with single socks at the end of the day with no match in sight. This drove me about as crazy as I can get until I figured out that the missing socks would magically resurface sometime during the next week's laundry escapade. My solution was to stash all socks without partners in a zippered gallon size plastic bag and store it in my sock drawer. When The sock pile for the next week's laundry is ready to be sorted, I dump the extra socks from the baggie in the pile and most weeks, the pairs even out. If there's still a spare sock or two, it goes back into the baggie
until I find it's mate.
Another good sock tip I read a while ago is to pin pairs together before tossing them into the washer. No chance of them going missing this way and it makes sorting clean socks a breeze. Teach your children to pin their dirty socks together before throwing them into the hamper.

84) How to Preserve Flowers

If you want to keep the romantic memories alive, learn how to preserve those gorgeous flowers.

85) How To Clean Your House Faster

Want some great tricks and ideas on getting that horrible chore of housecleaning done in half the time it usually takes? Of course you do. ;-) You'll love the advice and ideas on this page.

86) Keep Slugs off of Plants & Wasp Repellant

Thanks to Jennifer who sent this gardening tip:

"To prevent slugs getting to plants in containers, smear the outside of the container with petroleum jelly."

The following wasp repellant tip was found on Earthy Family:

"Besides the comforting, stimulating aspect of cinnamon oil, it’s also a great wasp repellent. Sprinkle a few drops on a pinecone and hang it where wasps tend to disturb your peace. They truly can’t stand this scent, and will clear out and stay out as long as you keep the scent alive, so be sure to refresh it as needed."

87) Clothes Storage Tips

Transitioning wardrobes from winter to summer can be daunting but has to be done right about now. This is a super tip from the Handy Hints newsletter I thought you would love:

"Mothball Substitute: Take your leftover soap slivers and put them in a vented plastic bag. You place the bag with seasonal clothes before packing them away. Not only will the scent prevent them from moth harm but also they'll smell great when you pull them out."

88) Squeeze Bottles

Another great tip I'll pass on is using squeeze bottles for messy foods. You can find squeeze bottles with spouts in most home furnishing stores. They're great for jelly, salad dressing, mayonnaise or any other gooey food product the kids use regularly. You can also recycle ketchup and mustard squeeze bottles. Just wash them well, label with the new food product and you're set. The kids can easily help themselves without too much mess.

89) Clothes Dryer Tip

Evidently, fabric softener sheets cause a film to develop on mesh dryer lint screens. Jill sent this useful tip:

"The best way to keep your dryer working well for a long time (and to lower your electric bill) is to remove the lint filter and wash it with hot soapy water & an old toothbrush (or other sturdy brush) at least every six months. Water will not run through the screen before you wash it but after you do, it will!"

Thank you, Jill!

90) More good uses for Bounce Dryer sheets

Marion sent these tips about Bounce dryer sheets. While I try not to suspect these tips were thought up by the manufacturers of Bounce dryer sheets (whoever they are ... ) some of these tips are too cool not to pass on. Consider that you could use ANY dryer sheet you normally use. Let us know if you find one of these tips works particularly well! I have been tossing Bounce sheets in my linen and shoe closets for years ... it works. :-) Read on:

- A sheet of Bounce in your pocket helps keep yellow jackets away. The yellow jackets just veer around you.

- It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them.

- It also repels mice. Spread them around foundation areas, or in trailers, cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering
your vehicle.

- It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.

- Repels mosquitoes. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season.

- Eliminates static electricity from your television (or computer) screen. Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling,
wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.

- Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.

- Freshen the air in your home. Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.

- Put a Bounce sheet in the vacuum cleaner.

- Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.

- Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.

- Freshen the air in your car. Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.

- Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The
antistatic agent apparently weakens the bond between the food.

- Eliminate odors in wastebaskets.. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.

- Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the loose hairs.

- Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.

- Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.

- Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.

- Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight.

- Golfers put a Bounce sheet in their back pocket to keep the bees away.

- Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. Keeps them smelling fresh.

91) Thanksgiving Dinner Hotlines

In case you get into trouble, you can call these numbers for specific holiday dinner issues:

Butterball Turkey Hotline - 1-800-323-4848

Reynolds Turkey Hotline - 1-800-745-4000

USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline - 1-800-535-4555

USDA Poultry Hot Line: 800-535-4555

Land O'Lakes Bake Line 1-800-782-9606

92) Get a Stuck Video From the VCR

Three cheers for Leader who defines this page as:
"When I found out just how easy it really is to get a jammed videotape back out of a VCR, I decided to write this page on how to get a stuck tape out of a VCR to blow holes in the curtain of nonsense that's out there on this particular subject."

Toddlers especially have a way of permanently lodging video tapes into VCRs and if this hasn't yet happened to you, you probably don't own a VCR. This page is one to book mark for future reference in case the need should arise.

93) What Not to Burn

Colored paper, such as the comic section of your newspaper, contains chemicals that should not be burned in your fireplace. These chemicals emit toxins into the air that are potentially harmful. Use only non-colored paper for kindling and
refrain from tossing any colored paper from newspapers, magazines or advertisements into the fireplace.

94) Making the Most of Soap Bits

A nifty way to stretch you bar soap dollars and exfoliate your skin at the same time:

I always save bits of bar soaps that are too small to use and when there are enough, I fill a piece of pretty lace with them and tie it off with a small, water resistant ribbon. Use this as a body scrubber for smoother, healthier skin. This also makes a super homemade gift, just use a full bar of unused and nicely scented soap. Lace or netting can be bought at any fabric store or salvage pieces from anywhere.

95) Easter Egg Fillers

The Easter egg hunt at our home is a lively tradition my girls love and one I enjoy putting together for them. I combine large and small plastic eggs and label them with names. I've compiled a list of little goodies to include in plastic eggs for Easter egg hunts:

* Stickers
* Temporary tattoos
* Shoe charms
* Button covers
* Lip gloss pots
* Money
* Hair clips
* mini wind up toys
* Shoe and backpack charms
* Decorative erasers
* Pins & fun buttons
* Key chains
* fun magnets
* Small wrapped candy
* Bite sized favorite chocolate bars
* Jelly beans
* rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, anklets for girls
*match box cars, army men, action figures for boys

96) Keep critters out of the trash cans

A good way to keep pesky critters from invading your trash cans and spreading gunk all over your property on trash day is to spray your trash cans with ammonia or bleach every time you put them out on garbage day. The smell will keep the critters away and you'll be disinfecting your trash cans at the same time.

97) Recycling baby dishes and utensils

This one may sound like a no-brainer but it's worth a mention. Baby spoons and forks that your children have outgrown make perfect utensils for scooping and serving pet food. Instead of using the precious few spoons in your "people" set, set aside all baby utensils for this purpose. This tip can be carried over to baby dishes ... use them for pet food when your child has outgrown them.

98) How to Fold a T-shirt

Oh boy - this one's gooooood! :-) watch various videos showing this trick to a perfectly folded T-shirt and be amazed. It's easy once you've figured it out and you'll wonder how you ever got through life without knowing this one.

99) Salt Kills Flames

This is a good one to remember ... Never use water to kill grease fires as it will splatter the hot grease. A good amount of regular table salt instantly smothers stove top or oven grease flames. I keep a container of salt by the stove for just such emergencies.

100) New Household Hints

Rexanna posted some really super household tips on our forum last week. Quite a few I hadn't ever heard and will certainly use: Household Hints

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