ArchivesMarch, 2010

I live on a residential street in a quiet neighborhood.  But you'd never know that at 7:45 each morning, where a traffic jam piles up right in front of my house. My older son complains about it every day, since that's the time he's getting into the car to drive himself to school. So why Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins Retailers can expect the rebound in retail sales that began in late 2009 to continue this Easter as consumers spend more on food and other Easter-related products. The National Retail Federation (NRF) estimates consumers, on average, will spend $118.60 on Easter products this year, up slightly from $116.59 spent last year. Though Continue Reading

Back when the Internet Explorer browser's most famous features was its Swiss-cheese security, my husband urged me to switch to the Mozilla Firefox browser. There was no turning back.  I'm hooked by its easy-to-use tab system and vast selection of apps.  Whether you call them apps, add-ons, or extensions, the result is the same:  a Continue Reading

I love to read.  I'd be happy to sit and read all day, in fact.  So I was pretty happy to discover that a website I frequently visit has been offering novels--one chapter at a time. Slowly, I am getting used to the whole idea of reading books in electronic format.  It's one I've resisted Continue Reading

It's dark in my laundry room.  That's what happens when your laundry room is in the basement, I guess. But it was fine in there as long as the overhead light worked. Yes, I said was.  The light in there was one of those pull-chain deals that you find in the closets of older homes.  Continue Reading

March 31 is Bunsen Burner Day! Otherwise known as "Don't Blow Up the Chem Lab Day!" $5 off online orders over $25 or $10 off orders over $50 at ThinkGeek.com Use promotion code 9HBB. Valid through: April 3, 2010 11:59pm ET Cannot be combined with any other offer. Excludes shipping and sales tax. See other Continue Reading

One recent Monday, my husband left the Wall Street Journal with me instead of taking it to work as he usually does. He thought I'd be interested in a front-page article about "extreme couponers." For the record, I don't fit into that category. How do you know you're an extreme couponer?  I'll use some examples Continue Reading

You could hardly call my home organized--the other people who live in this house are always conspiring against my efforts to keep it that way.  But it is a goal of mine to have a tidy, organized home. Whenever I read books or articles about home organization, one common piece of advice always pops up:  Continue Reading

Recently we had some wild weather here in the northeast.  A storm brought 60-mile-per-hour winds and heavy rain to my area, and I was unlucky enough to be out driving in it. I am not exaggerating when I say it was a terrifying experience.  It didn't help that I was driving my husband's small car, Continue Reading

Baseball season is about to begin.  That means moms everywhere are going to be living a laundry nightmare. I just don't get the point of dressing little-leaguers in white baseball pants.  Even the pros can't stay clean, but I'm sure they've got their own professional laundry people to deal with that problem--or they get a Continue Reading