All Posts in "Lifestyles"

Ease into the hectic holiday season with the help of aromatherapy. The fragrances of plant-derived essential oils have long been used to improve the health of our mind, body and spirit.

Boost your energy and increase your focus as you work to balance work, family and holiday fun. Peppermint has long been prized for this and so much more. You’ll find it also helps relieve headaches and indigestion.

Freshen your home with the scent of grapefruit. It’s the perfect solution when unexpected guests drop by for a visit. You may also find the grapefruit aroma, along with your company, help to lighten your mood.

Use eucalyptus essential oil in the fight against colds and flu this winter. Just place a few drops into a diffuser on your desk at work, in your bedroom or family room. The diffusers come in a wide array of shapes and sizes. Some use heat, ultrasonic vibrations, fans or wood wicks to disperse the fragrance throughout the room. Others, like the Eden Aroma Diffuser, allow the fragrance to seep through the porous portion of the diffuser pot and into the room.

Or use a eucalyptus eye mask to help relieve sinus pressure and sooth tired eyes. Just gently heat or cool the mask, cover your eyes, and relax into a bit of relief.

End your day with relaxing lavender. It helps reduce anxiety, relieves headaches and improves sleep. For instance, turn up the heat and fragrance with the Ultimate Lavender Wrap (gardeners.com). Simply pop the flax, rice and lavender infused insert into the microwave.  Place it back into the cloth cover and drape it over your neck and shoulders. This can provide relief for those suffering from tense or aching muscles and winter chills.

Encourage a good night’s sleep by tucking a lavender-filled sachet under your pillow. Or set a bundle of dried lavender stems in the bathroom, bedroom or anywhere you want to enjoy the fragrance of a summer garden and a bit of relaxation.

When you incorporate some aromatherapy into your routine, you’ll find yourself smiling and more relaxed. The boost in energy and reduced stress will help you navigate the gatherings and rich food ahead. And consider giving the gift of aromatherapy to someone you love, so they, too, can enjoy improved harmony and health into the new year.

 

Gardening expert Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books and appeared on radio and television. Her web site is www.melindamyers.com.

Warming wraps infused with essential oils can provide relief to those suffering from sore shoulder and neck muscles. (Gardener’s Supply Co./courtesy photo)
Contributing Author by — November 28, 2017 in Lifestyles

Sorting through years of accumulated clothes, tools and kitchenware can be draining. And then there are the boxes of photos and mementos from children’s school days. Suddenly, it all becomes real – and overwhelming. How do you decide what to keep and what to toss?

According to the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals, Americans don’t use 80 percent of the things they keep.

Here are some tips — compiled by ForRent, an online finder and advisor for rental housing – on downsizing to a smaller home:

  • Don’t do It alone. Get the kids involved. After all, half the junk is probably theirs. Downsizing is an emotional task, anyway, so why not have some fun? Share some memories and laughs. Keep a few things and then let (or make) them take the rest home.
  • Give stuff away. Not everything, but things you don’t use that might be meaningful, valuable or useful for someone else. Anything from the lawnmower to your mother’s diamond ring. Why wait when you could see someone using and enjoying it while you’re still here?
  • Tackle one space at a time. It’s easy to become distracted when sorting and tossing. However, staying in one room, one area, or even one closet or drawer will help you focus – and give you immense and immediate satisfaction when that task is done
  • Do some of) It Yourself
  • Set a timer. Whether it’s real or imaginary, a timer will get you going and give you a time to stop. Then you can choose to continue, take a short break, or quit for the day. Start with two-hour blocks of time.
  • Make three piles. Toss. Keep. Maybe. But beware if the “maybe” pile starts growing the fastest, as it often does. If that happens, it’s time to go cold-turkey and eliminate the maybe pile. Otherwise, you’re just delaying the inevitable.
  • Ask yourself how often you use this. And once a year doesn’t count unless it’s a family heirloom or part of a holiday tradition. Think about what items you would actually pay to replace if they were lost or destroyed.
  • Disperse and dispose. There’s a lot of satisfaction in donating. And you may be surprised at the money you can make selling your castoffs at a garage sale, consignment shop, or on eBay.
  • Throw a packing party. Once it’s all sorted, it’s time to take your friends up on their offers to help. Be sure to label the top of the boxes clearly so movers know where to put them in your new place.
  • Downsizing is a chore, but when the hard work is done, you have way fewer items and boxes to deal with. That leaves less to move, less time and money to spend, and fewer things to unpack.
srmedia by — November 7, 2017 in Lifestyles

Help your houseplants make a smooth transition from their outdoor summer home back inside for winter. The lower light and humidity indoors along with any insects that hitched a ride indoors make it difficult to keep these plants looking their best.

Give them a shower before they move indoors.  A gentle blast of water washes dust and dirt off the leaves and dislodges aphids and mites that might be feeding on the plants.                                  

Gradually prepare the plants for the lower light conditions indoor.  Start by placing plants in the sunniest south- or west-facing window available or grow them under artificial lights. Leave them here for several weeks if the final destination receives less light.

Next move them to an east-facing or well-lit north facing window. Again, leave them here for several weeks. Gradually decrease the amount of light the plants receive until they reach their final location. This gradual acclimation helps the plants develop more shade tolerant leaves. Foregoing this process results in yellow leaves and massive leaf drop. This is stressful on the plant and its caretaker.

Skip this step, reduce the stress on your plants and keep them looking their best throughout the winter by growing them under artificial lights. Using a combination of natural and artificial light helps plants better tolerate the less-than-ideal indoor growing environment.

Isolate these plants from your indoor houseplant collection until you are sure no insects tagged along.  Check under the leaves and along the stems for aphids, mites, scale and white flies. Use an eco-friendly product like Summit Year-Round Spray Oil (SummitResponsibleSolutions.com) to prevent these pests from moving onto the rest of your indoor garden. This highly refined mineral oil suffocates the insects, doesn’t poison them, and is approved for organic gardening.

Continue monitoring for pests over the next few weeks. Reapply the organic insecticide every two weeks as needed. Always read and follow label directions when using any organic, natural or synthetic chemical.

Increase the humidity by grouping plants together. As one plant loses moisture from its leaves, or transpires, it increases the humidity around its neighboring plants.

Further increase the humidity and decrease your workload by placing the plants on a gravel tray. Place pebbles in the bottom of the saucer or other shallow container. Set the pot on top of the pebbles. Allow excess water to collect in the pebbles below the pot. As this water evaporates, it increases the humidity around the plants.

You’ll also eliminate the amount of time spent and mess made when pouring off the excess water that collects in the saucer.  Plus, you’ll avoid root rot and other diseases caused by plants sitting in a water-filled saucer.

Give your plants a bit of TLC as you tuck them into their winter lodgings. Your efforts will be rewarded with healthier, pest-free and better-looking plants to enjoy all winter long.

Gardening expert Melinda Myers, who wrote this article, is the author of 20 gardening books and has appeared on television and radio. Her website is www.melindamyers.com.

Contributing Author by — October 10, 2017 in Lifestyles

Just as September heralds the start of the new school year, the latest Memory Cafe in Pierce County will open this month.

HomeWell Senior Care, in partnership with Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCSNW), is launching the first Memory Cafe to Puyallup. It will be held at Mrs. Turner’s Restaurant at 701 E. Main St. on Sept. 20 from 2:30 to 4 p.m., and then meet monthly on the third Wednesday of each month.

Folks with memory loss at any stage, along with their care partners, friends and family, can attend for conversation, entertainment and a light meal with others in the same situation.

Memory Cafes provide those with dementia and their care partners a safe and supportive environment in which to socialize “without feeling the stigma that our society often assigns to this devastating disease,” said Linda McCone, who helps coordinate the activities for LCSNW’s Caregiver Services program.

The cafes, sometimes called Alzheimer’s cafes, began in Europe 20 years ago and have become an integral part of dementia-friendly communities, providing understanding for those with cognitive decline, along with support for care partners, McCone said. She noted cafes in Tacoma and Gig Harbor and throughout King County have helped families feel normal by sharing meals, experiences, jokes and songs.

HomeWell Senior Care of South King County is an in-home care provider that assists seniors in maintaining their quality of life and living within their own homes.

LCSNW is a social services agency partnering with individuals, families and communities. Programs at its South Puget Sound office in Tacoma that are specifically for caregivers and those with memory loss include Home Care respite services, Support U: Fostering Caregiver Wellness (classes on caregiving), the Early Stage Memory Loss Zoo Walk (in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association), Senior Friends and Senior Companions.

Additional information is available from McCone at 253-722-5681 and lmccone@lcsnw.org, and from Deb Dennison of HomeWell Senior Care at 253-333-1906 and ddennison@homewellseniorcare.com.

srmedia by — September 12, 2017 in Lifestyles