HELPFUL HINTS
DEAR READERS: Today’s Sound On concerns firefighters.
DEAR HELOISE: We recently had a fire in our kitchen that spread to the dining room. We called the fire department, and the team was there in only a matter of minutes. They put out the blaze and checked to make certain everyone was accounted for and unharmed. That included our pets.
I can’t say enough to thank the firefighters for their rapid response. They probably saved my husband’s life because he was asleep upstairs when the fire broke out. To firefighters everywhere, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
— Linda in Ohio
DEAR HELOISE: Mornings around my house are so hectic! Half the time my children leave the house but forget something they need. With a new school year about to start, how do I remedy this situation?
— Pat S., Albion, N.Y. DEAR READER: Give each child a box to put things inside. Every evening before bed, have them place everything they’ll need for school in that box. Next morning, it’s simple to grab what they need before they go to school.
DEAR HELOISE: I love to play board games with my children, but the boards get so frayed! What can I do?
— Sophie M., Iona, Fla. DEAR READER: Try shellacking those game boards before you give them to your children. One or two coats will help keep the boards smoother longer.
DEAR HELOISE: My daughter has lace-trimmed socks that go with certain outfits. Sometimes I have a difficult time matching up the socks after they’re washed. Help!
— Laura K., Boone, Iowa DEAR READER: Use a large safety pin to pin the matching socks together before you wash and dry them.
DEAR HELOISE: Ever use a “dream board”? I know it sounds like a lot of nonsense, but creating a visual board with pictures and affirmations of what you want in life works. I focus on three ideas at a time. Example: I’ll post a picture of a place I want to visit next year, plus two other things I want to accomplish, and by putting it where I can see it every day and meditating on it, most often I manage to make it happen. It’s a way to make dreams become a reality.
— Bailey T., California
Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email