FOOD
* Ice cube tea: make a pitcher of regular or herbal tea, add
sugar, put into ice cube trays and freeze. Two or three ice
cubes in a little bag or cup is a wonderful Shabbos treat for
the kids on a hot day! [Editor's Note: On Shabbos you have to
put in a drop or two of liquid before putting in the ice
cubes.] Economical, and lemon/orange juice makes it
healthful. For a really neat Shabbos treat, add a cherry,
grape, water/melon ball or strawberry into each ice cube
before freezing. Your kids will be thrilled.
* A Rosh Hashona tip: put some oil into your measuring cup
when using a recipe that calls for honey, then measure. This
insures that the honey won't cling to the cup and go to
waste.
* Try using a clothespin to hang up your recipe card at eye
level. Just screw in a hook or bang in a nail and it keeps
the card from getting wet or very chometzdik.
LAUNDRY
Tired of what the birds do to your clean laundry drying on
the lines? Try putting a disposable tablecloth, held in place
with clothes pins, over drying laundry. Good against rain,
bird droppings, drip- dry neighbors or floor washing
neighbors.
Teach your yeshiva-bochur-son how to IRON SHIRTS. I used worn
or torn shirts for practicing. Who cares if they get
scorched? Old sheets help him to get the feel of how to use
the iron well. By buttoning three alternate buttons down and
laying them on the ironing board, he can do the job in half
the time and fold them nicely right away.
What do you do if your daughter's new dress gets a STAIN,
usually right down the front, that just won't come out? Try
using FABRIC PAINT (called Tulip in Israel). You can make a
matching flower or some other design. It looks more like part
of the original dress if you do the design a few times.
Tulip paints are wonderful for DECORATING your own KIPOT. Buy
them plain and have boys make simple designs or write their
name. An excellent activity for a pre-haircut, pre-three-year-
old.
To get out ring-around-the-collar spots or other greasy
spots, use SHAMPOO before putting them in the machine.
Shampoo for greasy hair is best.
For bloody noses or other bloody scrapes, use a DARK
WASHCLOTH to clean up. The child won't see the blood and will
be less frightened. You, too.
(For bleeding cuts -- use plain SUGAR. Sprinkle over cut and
it will coagulate very quickly.
For burns -- I recently heard that ARAK or any other strong
alcoholic solution is excellent to cool off the area. Use
water treatment afterwards - submerge for hours.)
When rearranging your closets, hang clothing according to
length so that all the longer items are on one side, while
the shorter items are on the other side. Under the shorter
items, you can put a small shelf or box to put folded
clothing or anything else. It really helps save on space.
Putting a few shower curtain hooks on the very end of your
closet rod supplies you with an easy place to put your purse,
umbrellas and belts.
Before discarding old trousers, remove the belt loops. These
are excellent for sewing into coats, sweaters, jackets and
backpacks so they can hang neatly on hooks.
WORN SHEETS -- the first thing to do is to rip them down the
middle and then sew the ends together to form a new middle,
then seam down the sides. Or -- cut them up and make pillow
cases -- or -- sew them around stained pillows to give them a
fresh look.
What to do when your clothes are getting worn but you don't
have enough to buy a new outfit? NEW HEADSCARVES make all the
difference! This is a lot cheaper than a new outfit, and
framing the face draws attention to your smile! So -- smile!
KIDS
When you're desperate for an extra 10 or 15 minutes to finish
up dinner or just lie down for a quick nap, there are two
ways to keep your little ones happy and safe. Give them a
ROLL of CHEAP TOILET TISSUE and cheap scotch tape and the fun
begins. The cleanup takes less than five minutes with a broom
and there are no stains on skin or clothes. They can dress
each other up with it, play hospital or whatever. These two
"toys" can be real savers when you go to a hotel or are
traveling in a car.
Big colored paper clips are great for TRAVELING. Children can
make necklaces, clip magazine pictures together. They can be
dropped into empty plastic bottles (vanilla extract, small
soda bottles). This is excellent for hand-eye coordination,
just make sure they are too big to swallow. For more involved
home crafts, small strips of colored paper can be glued
around each one after they are joined as a necklace, then
shelacked.
ENTERTAINMENT for older kids, especially when driving or when
supervising kids in a bath or pool. Read aloud at random from
a dictionary. You broaden your own vocabulary and you'd be
surprised to see how your kids pick up large words and
understand them well. Variation: give them a choice of four
definitions and have them guess the right one. Repeat the new
words during the day.
BATHROOM TRAINING: Every time the trainee does what they are
supposed to do -- they get to give their SIBLINGS a candy. It
helps them feel big and important. It's amazing how quickly
the siblings encourage and help!
Fancy erasers are excellent small gifts for children/birthday
parties. Much better than crayons or markers!
FOR RINGS: keep a large safety pin pinned to the inside of
your pocket or the zipper of your purse for the perfect place
to put your ring when you wash for bread. It will never get
lost.
[Your editor would appreciate all those short cuts that
every housewife invents to make life easier. Share them with
us. Weinbach, Panim Meirot 1 or FAX 02-538-7998.]
