As I’m sure many of you readers can relate, I have relatives who smoke who I wish would quit. Some have tried and even had stopped smoking for years only to pick up the habit again. They smoke to relieve stress, boredom, anxiety, etc. It is a coping mechanism. I have mine, so I can completely understand why they smoke and why it is so hard to kick a bad habit.

I have thought about buying nicotine gum as gifts for my family members that are smokers. I definitely would like to give them a tool that would help them quit. Lately I’ve been hearing more about electronic cigarettes. I may have to do some cigarette comparisons to learn more about them. This does sound like a pretty interesting way to quit smoking. The smoker still has their ‘cigarette’ but without the deadly side effects of a real one. There are many options to e-cigarettes, so a smoker who is used to a certain type like menthol can have an electronic equivalent.

The parts of an electronic cigarette include an atomizer and a cartridge. The atomizer is the heating element of an electronic cigarette. The cartridge is the mouthpiece that holds propylene glycol, flavoring additives, and optional nicotine. You buy cartridges as needed. E-cigarettes have a rechargeable battery. You can even buy a car charger for it.

There is a lot to consider when buying an electronic cigarette. The first step is to find out if my relatives would actually use a product like this. I know they want to quit, so here’s hoping they are willing to try this method.

Yesterday as I hurried through Wal-Mart to pick up a few household supplies, I noticed that Gain now has a dish washing liquid soap.

Of course, I had to buy it. Dish washing soap was on my list and I love to try new products. I also mix up my dish washing liquid.

Once I put the Gain dish washing soap is my basket, one shopper did a double take. Yes, that is Gain dish washing soap. We are huge fans of Gain laundry detergent. It smells so good. The dish washing soap seems to work well and smells great. I’m glad I went with the big bottle, since I will be enjoying Gain for a while until I rotate to another brand.

There are many advantages to living close to your parents. One disadvantage is little to no barriers. My Dad will pick up our mail on occasion. He has mostly stopped because my Mom told him to, but yesterday he picked it up since it rained. Rain and our mailbox do not make for a dry combination.

As I’m leaving from picking up my daughter, my Dad tells me that my mail is on the counter. I had glanced at it and noticed it was all junk mail. My Mom then offered to file it – aka throw it away. That is mostly what we have in our mailbox everyday and is the main reason why I don’t mind if my Dad picks up our mail. I should implement a rule that if you take the mail out, then you have to take care of it. Maybe I could con him into paying a few bills since he did remove them from the mailbox. My favorite junk mail is the cable offer from the company that doesn’t provide service at my house. There’s marketing research at its finest.

I would really like to stop junk mail completely. Companies are wasting their time and money sending me unsolicited mail. I’m not reading it nor will I even open it. Getting off of their mailing list is the best way to stop junk mail. Catalog Choice offers a free service that helps you get off those mailing lists.

If I had less junk mail, then I would have less clutter. There is more than one reason to opt-out. I love the idea of anything that simplifies my housework.

This summer we got a swimming pool. It is a good size for Rae but for use it is just a spot to get good and wet. The pool is about 12 feet wide – so what we have learned is there is a lot of pool maintenance for a pool that we never totally realized.

I should have paid more attention in chemistry class. You have to check the pH balance, chlorine level, bromine levels and more. You need to add chlorine and then if you add too much you need to bring the level back down.

Besides the chemistry, there is the cleaning. I have learned to recover the skimmer since the dog has eaten it. I’m sure she will eat it again. Thank goodness we have some window screen left from a home improvement project.

So far this summer, we have spent more time cleaning than swimming. Since I’ve been working during the day and between other activities, we haven’t been swimming that much but try to keep the pool clean during the week.

I wouldn’t say that buying the swimming pool was a bad idea, but it is becoming more maintenance than we had anticipated. Still we are enjoying it and I get a refresher course in chemistry.

Since I haven’t made an ‘official’ announcement, here it goes – I have returned to the workforce. I am no longer just a housewife. I will always proudly carry the title of housewife even though I have a full-time job outside of the home.

I have been working for three weeks – three glorious weeks where they pay me to sit in a cubicle and work. No distractions. No getting juice for someone and then five minutes later fixing them something to eat. It is like and 8-hour vacation five days a week. There are some drawbacks – I work in a cubicle – a boring, gray cubicle. I hope to give it some pizzazz – as my daughter would say – with a few plants and personal touches from home. It is nice to have a clean slate, though. Our home is such a wreck that it is a treat to go somewhere with order and structure. Ah, maybe one day my home will once again be a peaceful place.

When I worked before, I had an office. I was excited to see that I would have a cubicle. I enjoyed having an office but there were drawbacks. It was lonely. A cubicle just seems more social. However, it is less private. Also decorating is challenging since my items won’t be as secure and everything is more noticeable. It’s a challenge that’s for sure. However, I am partial to keep it as plain as possible. It’s like a clean slate – very relaxing. I seem to get a lot done without so clutter. I should make my home desk more like my work desk. So maybe less really is more when it comes to an office cubicle.

Thanks to Jonathon Woods

I’m usually out and about, running errands and generally just being all over town, but last month I was in a car accident and broke my leg. I know I told you guys already, but the surgery left me pretty immobile, so I’ve been spending a lot of time at home. I was getting totally bored and restless always watching TV and movies, so my husband went to http://www.WirelessInternet.net and sign us up for home Internet so I could do whatever I wanted online. I actually started a small home business selling things on eBay, and it’s really turning out to be pretty lucrative for us! Totally justifies the cost of having Internet at home! I’ve been doing a little bit of online shopping as well, and I even figured out how to order my groceries online so that they’re delivered right to my door. What kind of miracle is that? My husband likes that I’m able to be at home more and not work like so much, and I just hope that I heal soon!

Today while using a public bathroom in a health care facility, I glanced over the instructions for washing your hands. To get the job done right, washing your hands isn’t just tossing soap on your hands and then quickly rinsing it off. It takes time and diligent scrubbing to get the job done.

First use warm water. Then lather up with soap. Wash with soap for at least 20 seconds and clean up to the wrists. Make sure to clean between your fingers. Then rinse off the soap and dry your hands. Now that you have clean hands, how do you get past the germ-ridden closed door? You can’t assume that everyone before you followed these detailed hand-washing instructions. Some people may cover their hand with their shirt to open the door while others may open the door with an extra towel.

Properly washing your hands is an important thing to do especially in a work environment.