The holiday season is here so we thought we’d share a few little-known facts about reindeer.   Female Reindeer Have Antlers Reindeer are very unique herd animals.  The name reindeer originated from the Norse word Hreindyri which means “horned animal.”  Uniquely, reindeer are the only deer species in which both the male and females have antlers.  This allows a defense to the females over their calves from predators, as they are much smaller and often even from the males in the herd.  Antlers are the reindeers’ weapon against predators such as gray wolves, brown bears, a ..read more

If you have carpets, vacuuming is an important part of keeping your home dust-free.  Below is a history of how vacuum cleaners evolved into the sophisticated machines we use today. History of the Vacuum Cleaner Vacuum cleaners were invented in the early 1900s.  They evolved from non-electric bellows that could suck in air to a bag to a fully electric machine that could create suction with the intake of air and rotate brushes to sweep a carpet or floor. The vacuum cleaner’s  inventor, James Spangler, developed an electric sweeper machine that could clean (“vacuum”) carpets far be ..read more

Veterans Day aptly defines itself. It is a national holiday in the United States to honor and recognize our soldiers, our pilots, and sailors for their service defending the freedoms of our nation. It is a “thank you” to those who served and to heroes who lost their lives protecting our country and families. Historical Facts Veterans who fought in World War I are often referred to as the “Greatest Generation” because World War I was called “The Great War.”  World War I was called The Great War because it was the bloodiest, most destructive, and extensive war involving more countries than ..read more

Are you wanting to give your home a fresh look?  First look around you.  Do you like what you see?  What does your home say?  Are you trendy?  Nostalgic?  Eclectic?  Or are you “a hot mess”?  Acquiring a fresh look can be achieved by adding new decor, but it can also be achieved by getting rid of things.  The following list can help you achieve the fresh look you’re wanting.   1. De-Clutter If your home is cluttered, don’t be too hard on yourself.  You are not alone.  Clutter usually doesn’t happen in a day.  It happens gradually ..read more

Have you branded your home?  If not, maybe you should! Branding your home means making it yours to the uttermost.  Family and friends should be able to tell it’s yours right when they walk in. Your home is not just a place where you live. It is an extension –an expression– of you.   How To Brand Your Home   One corner provides a relaxing place. First, replace neutral decor with things that reflect your style.  The pictures on your walls are an easy place to start:  if they neither inspire nor assist you, they have no place in your home.  Take down pictures ..read more

This post is part one of Susan’s Clean Green Lifestyle Series, exploring ways to improve the quality of our lives. Of all the lifestyle changes that you can undertake, regular physical exercise is one of the best things you can do to lower your risk of getting dementia. Why?  Because aerobic exercise improves cognitive thinking and memory retention. A study published in the journal of the American Academy of Neurology showed that walking helps to prevent vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease.  The 13-year Italian study involved 479 men a ..read more

Today’s post on full-spectrum light is part two of Susan’s Clean Green Lifestyle Series.   Have you ever noticed how “blah” you feel after spending the entire day inside?  That feeling isn’t just psychological.  It has its roots in the physiology of the human body. Specifically, that sluggish feeling is caused by too much melatonin, a powerful hormone that is released at night to induce sleep and modify other hormone secretions.  Naturally, our bodies stop making melatonin when exposed to daylight so we don’t feel sleepy during the day.  But more often than not, instea ..read more

People use the words sanitizing and disinfecting interchangeably, but they are not the same.  Simply put, sanitizing reduces the number of germs on a surface to a safe, acceptable level using different cleaning methods that physically remove germs from surfaces.  Disinfecting takes it a step further by actively killing germs, not just removing them.  Disinfecting is achieved by using chemicals or treatments that are antagonistic to germs. Unlike sanitizing, disinfecting shouldn’t be done all the time.  Your home should be disinfected when dangerous bacteria is suspected to ..read more

Attachment Clutter and the Psychology of Space Clutter is clutter, right? Or are there hierarchies of clutter? The state of your home reveals something about your psyche, your emotions, and intellect.  What you keep tells much about you: how you keep order, how stuck you are in the past, and how you see the world. Why does it matter how you keep your home?  Ph.D. and Professor Samuel Gosling, author and psychotherapist Amy Morin, and executive therapeutic coach Lisa Pepper-Satkin all study the psychology of spaces, from the pictures on your walls to the magazines on your coffee table ..read more