HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR READERS: Today’s Sound Off is about children’s toys left in the street.

DEAR HELOISE: The street I live on has young families with very young children. Every day, they leave their tricycles, bikes and toys in the street. I’m worried that one day, one of the children will run out into the road to retrieve a toy and will get hit by a car. It’s nearly happened a couple of times. Why don’t parents teach their children to pick up their toys and keep them out of the road?

— Diana J., via email

DEAR READERS: Here are some things to take when visiting a patient in the hospital:

Magazines and books on subjects he or she enjoys. Body lotion/hand cream/ lip balm.

Notecards with stamps. Slippers or thick socks. Yourself — spend some time with the person to keep loneliness away.

DEAR HELOISE: As an avid reader and bird lover, please tell your readers not to throw away eggshells. Toss them in the yard for the birds. Crows and robins and many other birds pick them up to eat. The calcium in the shells makes their eggshells stronger.

— Bootsie D., Texas

DEAR HELOISE: I did it again: I ran out of diapers. I think nearly every parent has, at one point or another. I started storing diapers and wipes in the glove compartment, to be used only in an emergency. It has been a lifesaver.

— Pam L., Beaverton, Ore.

DEAR HELOISE: I tried a sugar-and-olive-oil scrub for my face, and it’s wonderful! My skin is smoother and brighter-looking. One tablespoon of sugar and 2 tablespoons of olive oil — that’s all it took!

— Jane, Dorset, England

DEAR HELOISE: As a makeup artist, I see many women on the street who do not blend their makeup properly. Don’t just apply blush; get a clean, soft brush and blend it out toward the hairline. If you’ve applied too much blush, lightly powder over it with your face powder.

— Joanna N., California

DEAR HELOISE: I found that if you spray an eyebrow brush with hair spray, then brush your brows upward while the brush is still wet with hair spray, your brows will look good all day long.

— Cindy T., Erie, Pa.