Tip of the Day # 169: Benefits of Banana Peels

Use a banana skin to dust plants - the dust clings to the skin and the juice nourishes the leaves.
Banana peels are also excellent for polishing shoes!

Tip of the Day # 168: Cleaning Vases

Clean the inside of a dirty vase or narrow object by filling it with vinegar and a handful of dry rice. Give it a good swirl around then rinse.

Tip of the Day # 167: Reminder Tips for Cleaning

When cleaning, start with jobs that need 'dry' cleaning, such as dusting and sweeping. Then move on to 'wet' cleaning such as using glass cleaner and polish. This ensures that less dirt will float around in the air and then cling to the wet surfaces.
Also, cleaning from the top to the bottom can be a great timesaver because if you’re cleaning a ceiling fan or cobwebs up in the corner, you won’t have to worry about knocking dust onto a freshly dusted table or vacuumed carpet.

Tip of the Day # 166: Shiny Sinks

Supplies

Vinegar in spray bottle
Baking Soda
Boiling Water
Olive Oil
Sponge
Paper Towels

Directions

1. Spray entire sink down with vinegar.
2. Sprinkle baking soda over entire surface
3. Let sit for 10-15 mins
4. Boil hot water while letting vinegar/baking soda sit. 
5. Rinse sink with boiling water.
6. Repeat spraying vinegar over sink and scrub.
7. Wipe sink down with paper towel.
8. Pour olive oil onto a paper towel and "buff" your sink--this is what gives it that ultimate SHINE!

Kid Snack Ideas

Here are a few quick snack recipes that your kids are sure to love!

1. Rice Krispie Sushi--spread a banana with peanut butter, slice into bite size pieces, roll in rice krispie cereal

2. Banana Popsicles--cut bananas in half, stick popsicle stick in one end, roll in greek yogurt then crushed almonds & cinnamon. Freeze then serve.

Tip of the Day # 165: Preserve Fresh Herbs

Have a few fresh herbs sitting around that you won't get to using before they turn? Sure, you canfreeze them in water or dry them out, but if you know you'll use them relatively quickly, you can add a few weeks to their life without damaging their potency by freezing them in oil instead.
Drop your herbs in an ice cube tray, filling up the cubes with olive oil (or any other oil of your choice, as long as it freezes nicely), and popping them in the freezer. When you're ready to fry some potatoes, for example, pop out a couple of rosemary oil cubes—you'll need the oil for the pan anyway, and the rosemary will be right at home. Need some oil in a baking dish or crock pot for a few chicken breasts? Grab a frozen sage oil cube. The sky's the limit!

Tip of the Day # 164: Independence for Childrem

Aid in teaching your children independence at a young age! A great idea is to invest in a hanging clothes organizer for your child's room---then label each pocket with the days of the week (this can be done with construction paper or sticky labels for example).Help your child pick an outfit for each day. When morning arrives, they are able to dress themselves by going to the day of the week!