Flu season is descending upon us! Flu symptoms include a fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Below are a handful of tips from Blue Cross Blue Shield to beat the flu, or help stop its spreading.

Wash hands frequently with soap and warm water. This seems obvious, but many folks don't wash their hands enough. Take a few breaks to suds up, not just after the bathroom or before you eat.

Use antiseptic hand gels that contain alcohol when soap and water are not available. Keep these in your car or bag for easy access and give yourself a squirt after spending time in high-traffic areas, like stores, gyms, restaurants or public transportation.

Cover coughs and sneezes with the inside of the elbow or a tissue, not your hand. This trick, often taught to children, is great to revisit if not already a habit.

Wipe down toys and shared surfaces like doorknobs frequently. Do this at home and in the office to keep bugs at bay.

Stay home if you're sick. Not only will this help you heal faster, but it will break the cycle of passing the flu along.

Source: Blue Cross Blue Shield
 

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Whether it's cleaning out the basement or redesigning your website, nearly all of us have something lingering on our to-do list that we just keep pushing off. Below are a handful of ways to stop procrastinating and improve your overall productivity.

Do it first. If you're dreading it, do it first. There's nothing worse than a lingering aura of dread over a task, so by tackling it head on, you eliminate both the project, and the anxiety around it.

Set small daily goals. If it's a larger task (like that big basement clean-out), set small daily goals to keep you on track.For instance, choose one small corner to clean every evening, working in fifteen minute increments. After two weeks, the project will be off your shoulders and it will have felt like a smaller deal.

Ask for accountability. An accountability partner is one of the best ways to slash procrastination, but choose carefully - you need to find someone not afraid to dole out a little tough love.

Remove temptation. Do you know that social media or Netflix feeds your procrastination demon? Cut those things off completely until you can get your to-do done.

Reward yourself. Kids and dogs aren't the only ones who love a treat for a trick! Choose an affordable, healthy reward, like a massage or a tickets to a play, to help keep you motivated to bump that item off your list. Or, if you've removed a few beloved temptations, simply adding them back in may do the trick!

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Love her or hate her, you can’t deny the household magic of Martha Stewart. Before you get sucked into spending your hard-earned disposable dollars on some alluring kitchen gadget, check out Martha’s creative uses for the utensils you already have in your drawers. Life changing!

A slotted spoon to separate eggs. Tired of eggshells in your cake batter? If your egg-separating skills are less than stellar, try balancing a slotted spoon over a bowl, crack the egg into the spoon and the egg white will simply collect in the bowl below!

A rolling pin to crush stuff. Use it to quickly pulverize nuts, candy, ice and any other hard substance that needs to be miniaturized fast!

A box grater for soap. You know those tiny bits of soap that make a mess in your shower when the bar gets too small? Use a cheese grater to make them into a fine powder that can then be formed into a new ball of soap.

Sieve as splatter guard. Hate how grease splatters everywhere when you’re frying something? Place a sieve over the frying pan and voila - no more mess.

Tongs as juicer. Want to get more juice out of your lemons and limes? Cut one in half then place it between the arms of a pair of tongs. Press down firmly on the clamps of the tongs and watch the juice flow.

Cookie cutters as napkin rings. Those cute cookie cutters that only make an appearance once or twice a year can now get some time center stage as napkin rings. Stars, pumpkins, hearts and a variety of other shapes will work well in many dinner settings.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Many of us have old bottles and boxes that hang around in our medicine cabinet for years. However, keeping on top of the products in your medicine cabinet can make or break an oncoming bout of flu or fever. Below are a handful of tips from MultiVu for stocking and maintaining your arsenal.

When in doubt, throw it out. Once you've opened a medication the clock starts ticking on its shelf life. Items like that are usually good for about a year from when they're opened. Regularly check the expiration date on your product.

Everyday basics. A variety of illnesses are common during the winter months. Basics include good oral hygiene and it's very important and it starts with clean teeth.   

Must-haves for flu season. No one wants a cold to persist, so don't let it slow you down. Medical studies have shown that zinc gluconate, which is found in lozenges such as Cold-EEZE, shortens the duration of a cold so you can feel better faster.

Other essentials. While antibiotics are often used to treat cold and flu, they can disrupt your balance of friendly and unfriendly bacteria, creating digestive discomfort. Probiotics are a great medicine cabinet staple because they help balance healthy bacteria levels in your gut and, since 70 percent of your immune system lives in your digestive tract, they support a healthy immune system as well. When choosing a probiotic, look for the dosing information, otherwise known as the CFU count. CFUs refer to the number of good bacteria in the supplement. For example, on the lower end, probiotics with 2 billion CFU can help support everyday digestive health, while additional CFUs on the higher end can help bolster immune support.

Storing and discarding. Rethink where you keep your medicines. Humidity from steamy showers can expedite the expiry of medication. It's best to keep them in a child-safe, dry, and cool place. And landfill sites and water supplies have become contaminated with discarded medicines. Participating in a community drug take back program or a trip to the pharmacy are the best ways to discard old or unneeded medications.

Source: MultiVu

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Armies of Moms have puzzled over the years about non-candy Halloween giveaways that will bring a smile to the most discerning little ghosts and goblins.

The fact is, for most young children, the fun of trick-or-treating door-to-door in costume is more exciting than the treats they happen to collect – and many parents confiscate most of the sweet stuff anyway once it reaches home.  

A panel of parents brainstorming at a PTA meeting in California came up with a formidable list of stuff that makes a great alternative to candy treats.

More good ideas can likely be found at your nearby dollar store.

Food treats:

Juice boxes – Little trick or treaters can work up a thirst. Be sure to choose no-sugar added juices.

Fruit cups – Tie a black or orange ribbon around individual cups of applesauce or other cut-up fruit.  

Granola bars – Kids never get tired of these chewy little treats. Seasonal pumpkin-flavored varieties are available.

Raisins – Those tiny little boxes of raisins seem to appeal to kids of all ages.

Baked chips – They may be fairly empty calories, but they‘re a sugarless, kid-friendly treat.

Non-food treats:

Slime – little plastic containers of slime are a natural pick for the icky Halloween season.

Plastic body parts – Little kids are sure to get a kick out of plastic lips, noses, or fingernails.

Action figures – These or other small toys, such as Hot Wheels cars, are favored by  kids and great for trading.

Instant tattoos – Wash-off Halloween tattoos are widely available at this time of the year.

Play-doh – Individual containers of colorful Play-doh are a hit no matter the time of year.

Bubbles – Another perennial favorite, plastic bottles of magic bubbles are  a treat for most younger kids.

Stickers – You’ll find vast arrays of popular Halloween-themed stickers at almost any toy, drug or big-box store.

Published with permission from RISMedia.