CLEAN DOG TEETH

Real Simple: Solutions: Tricks, Wisdom, and Easy Ideas to Simplify Every Day

Looking for a new way to set a table? Need to remove an ink stain? Fresh out of toothpaste? From imaginative ideas to innovative tricks to in-a-pinch fixes, Real Simple Solutions is packed with hundreds of easy and inspired ways to help you live better. Following the success of The Organized Home, their top-to-bottom guide to streamlining your surroundings, the editors of Real Simple have compiled hundreds of creative and practical everyday solutions for every part of your life-encompassing cooking, cleaning, decorating, entertaining, dressing, grooming, working, and more. With no-nonsense content and large, lush photos, this stunning hardcover book does double duty as an indispensable household resource and stylish addition to the coffee table. Real Simple Solutions resolves life+s little complexities-and allays the stress that accompanies them. The book is chockablock with ideas that are smart, surprising and easy to do, and perhaps best of all, cost little or no money. Whether they+re step-by-step directions for hand-washing delicates, a soup-to-nuts list of pantry essentials, or new uses for newspaper, readers are guaranteed rock-solid, timeless information and advice.

Earth Hour 2010 has passed by–has its message passed us by too? In this post, I express my personal experience of seeking to find the meaningfulness behind celebrating an occasion that I believe matters.

In the days following Earth Hour, news stories jostled between it having been the best Earth Hour yet, to claims of less lights off than previous Earth Hours (see, for example, Fewer lights off for Earth Hour). I saw a number of online discussions suggesting that people “waste their time” observing this occasion, and I was blown away when I learned that some people intended to turn on all of their lights to celebrate Edison Hour, thereby thumbing their nose at any initiative trying to raise awareness of our real and present energy and climate challenges! My disappointment deepened when I visited a regular forum, only to read uncivil language shouting at the “preachy people” to go and turn off their computer forever and to stop “sitting in the dark” when more practical things could be done.

It is a truism to say that the environment would benefit more from doing something practical like planting trees in the local reserve instead of turning off our lights for an hour. But that killjoy attitude totally misses the point of what this occasion represents: Earth Hour is an opportunity to learn from a purposeful interruption to our “energy-on-tap” lives. And ironically, did those wanting to celebrate an "Edison Hour" realize that Edison once said: "I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run our before we tackle that." Indeed, their very "rebelliousness" of switching on all the lights acknowledged that energy is something we all have a choice about, either to switch on, or to switch off. I do hope those who vetoed Earth Hour in favor of "practical things" are actually out there planting the trees, untying plastic bottle rings from birds’ necks and participating in community restoration projects...

The Three Gifts of Earth Hour

Although saddened at seeing this symbolic event maligned and resented, it hasn't swayed my conviction in its importance. I’d like to share with you my own experience of Earth Hour 2010, spent with a bright young person born this millennium. A much anticipated occasion in our household, we reminded one another in the lead-up to Earth Hour to set aside Saturday night’s hour: no TV, no radio, no computer, no lights! Things were busy as usual and as the hour approached, we hadn’t managed to “plan” anything specific, although there were plenty of suggestions. Dinner over, with 10 minutes left, I realized we didn't have any candle holders, so we had to fish make-do's out of the recycling bin. Two nice clean jars and a saucer later, we placed our candles on the table, lit them in readiness, took the phone off the hook, shut down computers, and checked that all the lights were off. My son advised that we were not allowed to use “anything that is powered smartly”.

At 8:30pm, we switched off the last light and excitedly rushed to the window to see if others were doing the same across our lovely hillside view. At first it seemed that other houses weren’t participating; a house across the way had its large TV images flickering constantly, another house had many lights on, and the hillside seemed its usual brightness. My son quickly nicknamed the lit-up houses “the Wild West” because, he told me, “they face West and aren’t turning off their lights!”. Then, as we waited patiently, we started to see lights turning off. Bit by bit, there was a distinctive change and my son became more excited as he saw people taking part. All of a sudden he cried: “Look! The lights are out in that house and they’ve turned off their big TV! They’re doing Earth Hour too!” Eager to see that others were also participating in Earth Hour, the anticipation of waiting while it took up to five minutes past the starting time paid off–many others were participating too! My son’s excitement was infectious, and I realized then that the sense of “solidarity” with my many neighbors sharing and acknowledging the point of the event was the first gift of participating in Earth Hour.

We sat at the table in front of the glowing candles. At this point, I realized that there was a full hour ahead of sitting there and wondered if this was going to work. Would he get bored with "just talk"? Would we feel tempted to go and do something with a light on? Should we go for a walk like we did for last Earth Hour? I decided to ask him what he wanted to do. He laughed and said we could do shadow tricks on the wall with the flashlight, adding that “This feels just like when we go camping, only at home! I love this!” Suddenly he proclaimed: “I want to read!” He took his flashlight and went and found his current favorite library book, The Comic Strip History of the World. When it was my turn, my flashlight alighted on the di

The skeleton is to do with the big Day of the Dead festivals on November 2nd.

Day of the Dead (Spanish: Dia de los Muertos) is a holiday celebrated by many in Mexico and by some Mexican Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 2 in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. The Day of the Dead is a time of celebration when eating and partying are common. Due to occurring shortly after Halloween, the Day of the Dead is sometimes thought to be a similar holiday, although the two are celebrated differently.

Scholars trace the origins of the modern holiday to indigenous observances dating back thousands of years and to an Aztec festival dedicated to a goddess called Mictecacihuatl. In Brazil, Dia de Finados is a public holiday that many Brazilians celebrate by visiting cemeteries and churches. In Spain, there are festivals and parades, and, at the end of the day, people gather at cemeteries and pray for their dead loved ones. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe, and similarly themed celebrations appear in many Asian and African cultures.

The Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico can be traced back to the indigenous cultures. Rituals celebrating the deaths of ancestors have been observed by these civilizations perhaps for as long as 2,500–3,000 years. In the pre-Hispanic era, it was common to keep skulls as trophies and display them during the rituals to symbolize death and rebirth.

The festival that became the modern Day of the Dead fell in the ninth month of the Aztec calendar, about the beginning of August, and was celebrated for an entire month. The festivities were dedicated to the god known as the "Lady of the Dead", corresponding to the modern Catrina.
In most regions of Mexico, November 1 honors children and infants, whereas deceased adults are honored on November 2. This is indicated by generally referring to November 1 mainly as Dia de los Inocentes ("Day of the Innocents") but also as Dia de los Angelitos ("Day of the Little Angels") and November 2 as Dia de los Muertos or Dia de los Difuntos ("Day of the Dead").

People go to cemeteries to be with the souls of the departed and build private altars containing the favorite foods and beverages as well as photos and memorabilia of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so that the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. Celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.

Plans for the day are made throughout the year, including gathering the goods to be offered to the dead. During the three-day period, families usually clean and decorate graves; most visit the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried and decorate their graves with ofrendas ("offerings"), which often include orange mexican marigolds (Tagetes erecta) called cempasuchitl (originally named cempoalxochitl, Nahuatl for "twenty flowers").

In modern Mexico, this name is sometimes replaced with the term Flor de Muerto ("Flower of the Dead"). These flowers are thought to attract souls of the dead to the offerings.

Toys are brought for dead children (los angelitos, or "the little angels"), and bottles of tequila, mezcal or pulque or jars of atole for adults. Families will also offer trinkets or the deceased's favorite candies on the grave. Ofrendas are also put in homes, usually with foods such as candied pumpkin, pan de muerto ("bread of the dead"), and sugar skulls and beverages such as atole. The ofrendas are left out in the homes as a welcoming gesture for the deceased. Some people believe the spirits of the dead eat the "spiritual essence" of the ofrendas food, so even though the celebrators eat the food after the festivities, they believe it lacks nutritional value. Pillows and blankets are left out so that the deceased can rest after their long journey. In some parts of Mexico, such as the towns of Mixquic, Patzcuaro and Janitzio, people spend all night beside the graves of their relatives. In many places, people have picnics at the grave site as well.
Some families build altars or small shrines in their homes; these usually have the Christian cross, statues or pictures of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pictures of deceased relatives and other persons, scores of candles and an ofrenda. Traditionally, families spend some time around the altar, praying and telling anecdotes about the deceased. In some locations, celebrants wear s

These compact magnetic books deliver concise information in a handy, portable package no larger than a credit card. The innovative design allows the book to fold out to provide 26 pages of useful facts, figures, trivia, and other essential information. The colorful pages are waterproof, tear-proof, and deliver a treasure trove of advice and tips in a guide that slips easily into a pocket, briefcase, or purse. These practical companions also feature a convenient magnetic backing that guarantees to keep them right where they are needed, be it on a refrigerator or file cabinet for easy access.

Filled with amazing techniques for tasks around the home, this guide covers everyday chores such as cleaning toilets, unclogging drains, and stopping ants. More difficult jobs are also included, such as removing blood stains and curing headaches.