Workaday Superstar

WORKADAY TIP #149: Baby Crib Trick

One of my good friends Carrie is due with her first baby in less than two weeks.  I was visiting her in Minnesota last week when she told me about a fabulous tip she had gotten from one of her mommy friends.

Layer a mattress pad and sheet on top of another mattress pad and sheet in your baby's  crib.  This way, when your baby has "blow out" (her description not mine!) in the middle of the night you can just remove the top sheet and mattress pad and the second sheet and mattress pad will already be on the bed! 

For tired moms, this seems like a great trick!  You won't need to worry about making a bed in the middle of the night and you can worry about washing the other set in the morning. 

WORKADAY TIP: #141: Healthy Plants

So last week I remembered hearing that having spider plants is "good for you" but I couldn't recall why.  So I started searching the web to find good answer but quickly gave up as all of the resources seemed questionable and not super clear. 

And then my weekly Real Age tip popped into my email box and there is was.  An article about plants that clean up indoor air.  Pretty crazy, right? 

So I have confirmed that spider plants are in fact "good for you".  They get rid of harmfull compounds in household air.  I also discovered that philodendrons and ivy do the same thing.  While I have no idea what a philodendron is, I am sure going to get some for my place. 

The next challenge will be keeping them alive, anyone have a tip for how to keep plants alive w/o having to actually take care of them?  :)

WORKADAY TIP #134: A Butter Substitute

I learned this great tip from my mom and sister this week. 

When making a grilled cheese sandwich, rather than putting butter on bread, use mustard.  Yes, that's right - MUSTARD.

If you "butter" your bread with mustard instead of butter, you'll not only eliminate calories but you will also add a little more flavor to a generally basic and bland grilled cheese sandwich.  If you will want to add some real interest, try using a spicy or dijon mustard.

I made myself a grilled cheese today on rye with dijon mustard instead of butter and I have to say, it might be the best grilled cheese I've ever had!

WORKADAY TIP #133: Trick For Keeping Mosquitos Away

So I am visiting family in Minnesota this week and while Minnesota summers are beautiful, one of the biggest issues is mosquitos.  If you live anywhere that is warm and humid, you can empathize with how annoying mosquitos can be. 

So while I was sitting outside at a friend's house the other night, I learned this cool trick for how to keep them away.  You take an oscillating fan and plug it where you are sitting outside.  I know, it sounds strangem but wind keeps mosquitos away.  So if you can re-create wind with a fan, you'll keep those pesky buggers flying the other direction.

My friend swears it works and if I still lived here, I'd give almost anything a try!

WORKADAY TIP #127: The "Burrito" Roll

Matt taught me this little trick and I gotta say, it's really slick.

The Burrito Roll is a really efficient and effective way to pack raincoats and outdoor shells.  When you've got limited space, the burrito roll is a great way to save some space! 

You can see a great video of how to do the "burrito roll" at Sierra Journal