When grating cheese, spray your grater with non-stick cooking spray before using to make clean up easier. Also, to keep cheese from clumping when grating, microwave for 5-7 seconds to bring the natural oils to the outside of the cheese allowing the cheese to lubricate the grater.

Weather lousy outside? No time to bike during daylight hours? Your excuses for not riding get limited with the CycleOps Fluid². Bike trainers have come a long way and now offer smooth, quiet ways to train at home. The Fluid² uses a technology that adjusts resistance based on your cadence, so you can increase or decrease you workout effort by changing gears. Several other models are available from CycleOps as well. You can find CycleOps trainers at your local REI and most local bike and triathlon stores. For a retailer near you, check out their website cycle-ops.com.

As the father of five children, David McCurrach had a problem most parents know all to well: how to teach his kids about money. Parents understandably want to provide for their children, but no one wants to bankrupt themselves in the process or produce spoiled kids. Faced with this problem, McCurrach, a financial executive, delved into the field of children’s financial education, reading books and interviewing experts then applying his findings on his own children. Read the rest »

What to keep in your file drawer and for how longLast week I gave you a shopping list of items to pick up (if you did not already own them) of a filing drawer, a small folio, a basket/bin that can fit bills, and a paper shredder. In addition, I challenged you to do a quick toss of paper clutter that you absolutely knew you did not need to keep. Finally, I asked you to collect your unpaid bills, open and toss out the envelope and filler. Read the rest »

‘When are you due? Have you picked out a name? Is it a boy or a girl?’ And the even more daring… ‘Was this an accident?’ and ‘How much weight have you gained?’If you’ve ever been pregnant, you’ve no doubt been at times accosted by well meaning, but - well - not so polite questions by colleagues, friends, family and pure strangers. Read the rest »

Your Clutter Busting challenge for the first week of February is: Toss out, clear out, and organize that paper clutter!!

There are a few aspects of de-cluttering your home that can seem quite daunting. My guess is paper clutter tops most everyone’s list. As it is nearing tax time, perhaps this problem is becoming more evident. Like everything else, you need to come up with a system. You need to toss immediately what you don’t need, and sort and file the important papers. Don’t allow the clutter to build up. Read the rest »

You are healthy, fit and happy. Your cholesterol is low and your blood pressure is also. Of all the things that you need to worry about now a living will isn’t one of them. Wrong. Incapacitating injuries from a car accident to a stroke caused by unfortunate genetics can hit anyone. And the choices forced upon those who care for you are emotionally and financially huge. A will for when you pass on is needed no doubt, but there are laws that govern inheritance in lieu of a will and while they may not be what you want, they are pretty cut and dry. Not so, if you are incapacitated. Read the rest »