Over half of our monthly bills we are able to pay online. It makes is easy and fast. There are just a few bills we have to write a check. I wish those places had an electronic payment option or at least had accounts receivable conversion so that my check would clear the bank faster. It’s disheartening to pay a bill then two weeks later the check finally clears.

With paying online, the money is removed from my account much faster. I’m embarrassed to admit that I don’t balance my checkbook. I do sort of balance it online, though. I can check to see what has cleared and what is still outstanding. It is usually those checks that haven’t cleared and those electronic payments are already taken care of.

If we could pay all of our bills online that would be a dream come true. It’s amazing how hard it is to write a check and mail it. With the price of gas, it is cheaper to put a stamp on the bill instead of paying it in person. Hopefully soon all our bills can be paid electronically, and I can save that stamp.

Our cat Fade will sleep just about anywhere.

I have a steep pile of books that I want to read. It just seems impossible to find time to read anymore. When I try to read right before bed, I fall almost immediately asleep. Since I’m behind on Harry Potter and have a ton of other books to read, I’m trying to read a chapter a day. Well, that is lagging behind, too. So, this Tuesday I plan to read at least one chapter of a book. I’ve chosen 48 days to the work you love.

It’s a book we wanted for a longtime and then ran across at a bargain price. I’ve had it for at least a year now and never cracked open the cover. Hopefully I’ll get at least one chapter read.

I’m also moving furniture today as we are rearranging every room in our home. A huge tackle that right now is a disaster. Hopefully we are doing the right thing to gain more living space.

We are still battling a flea problem. While it is much better, we are still seeing a few around. We have tried bombing, carpet flea killer, baby powder, and vacuuming but still have some fleas.

My niece had heard that salt was good to get rid of fleas. Apparently it works like the carpet killer powder. The fleas eat the salt, which causes them to dry out and die. Now I have sprinkled salt all over our carpet. I’m going to give it a week, then vacuum it up.

It is probably just my imagination, but I think I can already tell a difference. It’s only been a day since I salted the carpet. It seems we will have two days of seemingly no fleas then have a few days where they are everywhere. My advice is if you have a flea problem, keep at whatever plan of action because it takes a while to get rid of the fleas.

My niece was telling me about a program she had seen recently that featured nursing home residents from Massachusetts singing songs from today’s hottest performers. This clip was taken from a documentary on the singing ensemble named Young@heart. Members range from age 71 to 93.

One of my husband’s biggest household challenges is to line the garbage can with a new garbage bag. He will usually take out the trash but is terrible about putting in a new bag. Usually he will say that he didn’t know where the bag was so that is why he didn’t put another one in it.

Here is an easy solution to our problem. I put a few extra garbage bags into the bottom of the garbage can. This way when the garbage is removed there is a new bag staring up at you ready to serve its purpose. I noticed that the housekeepers are a former workplace would do this, saving them time when emptying the trash. Since trash cans are located all over the house, putting a few extra in the bottom means not having to look up a new bag each and every time you take out the trash. It’s especially helpful for the baby’s waste basket since we use the bathroom garbage bags and keep them upstairs.

When I get down to the last bag, I usually go right then to grab more to stick in the bottom of the trash can.

A fun way to beat the heat is to take a break near a water fountain. Many towns now have water features like this that people cool off around. Splashing in the fountain is a lot of fun. Plus it’s free and is a great way to get a little relief from the heat.

My Tackle it Tuesday is all about my computer. I have a bad habit of downloading stuff and just sticking it “My Documents.” I also need to organize my digital photos. Once I have organized and deleted old files, I plan to defrag the computer. My computer has been a little sluggish lately which is usually a sign its time for a defrag.

So my tackle includes organizing “My Documents” folder in sub-folders, deleting old files, and defragging the computer. It’s something I’ve been putting off long enough. I’ll post a screen capture later of how (hopefully) neat it looks.

I recently saw a report on Fertell, which is an at home fertility test for couples. Included in the kit is a urine test for women that measures hormone levels and a sperm test. The test for the women is used on the third day of her period and measures her FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) level. FSH stimulates the growth of ovarian follicles that later release an egg. The male fertility test measures motile sperm, or sperm that are capable of making it to the egg.

A fertility work-up can be expensive and might not covered by insurance. Fertell is available in drug stores without a prescription. It retails for around $100.  These two basic tests are usually the first tests that are part of any fertility work-up. A sperm test can cost anywhere from $25-$100 alone. When we were trying to conceive, my fertility tests cost $750, which most was luckily covered under our insurance.

The Fertell at home fertility test is a good starting point for couples who are having trouble trying to conceive. If you wind up going to a specialist, then he probably will want to run his own tests and not take the results from the at-home test. Still, the at-home fertility test can give you peace of mind from the privacy of your own home.