Organizational planners available for download
If you’re still looking for New Year’s resolution inspiration, try these free printable organizational planners available to download.
Here are some options (primarily focusing on home management):
• Menu planners from money savingmom.com.
• Family planner from the Harmonized House Project (http://bit.ly/RA9o9w). This is one of my favorites, because it is customizable and you have the option of printing each page separately (rather than one large file), which allows you to format your planner to meet your needs.
• TheWorking Mom’s Daily Do’s (http://bit.ly/VFKxEt) for 2013. This planner speaks to me, in particular. And although it is not customizable, the setup is logical.
• Dayviewer (http://www.day viewer.com/) offers a free planning system for online users.
• Organized Home (http://organizedhome.com/household-notebook/printable-pages) offers a “Forms Library” with all of the printables you will need to make your own planner or home management binder.
— Nicole Paitsel
Newport News Daily Press (Va.)
Hints from Heloise:
How to check car lights
when you’re by yourself
Dear Readers: A letter from a reader about the importance of checking vehicle lights by yourself brought some follow-up comments:
• John in Atlanta says: “If you do not have a second person to inspect the lights, do what I do: Wait until dusk and pull into the parking lot of a glass building (e.g., office building, shopping center, etc.). Use the windows as a mirror to check your lights, turn signals, reverse lights and license-plate lights. Just be careful to keep an eye out for traffic or pedestrians in the parking lot, and be aware of your surroundings.”
• Frances in Arkansas says: “To test your car lights in 10 seconds, get in your car in the closed garage. Turn the ignition switch to the ‘on’ position, but DON’T start the motor. Test the lights to see if the reflection is correct. The taillights will show up on the garage door when you step on the brakes. You do not even need to get out of the car.”
• C.M. in South Carolina says: “If you choose to pay for full service when gassing up your car, don’t be afraid to ask the service attendant to check the lights along with your oil while filling up. If you’re paying extra for the gas, you might as well get the ‘full’ out of the service.”
— King Features Syndicate
Common cold can impair
motorists, study finds
A study released last year suggests that drivers should worry about driving under the influence — of a cold. The study from a British car insurance company and a university in Wales found that operating a car with a cold is the equivalent to driving after consuming four double whiskies. A cold can impair concentration levels, alertness and reaction times, just as alcohol does, according to the study.
But the similarity to driving drunk isn’t due just to cold symptoms, said Dr. Greg Weisshaar, an urgent care physician in St. Louis Park, Minn. More likely it’s from sleep deprivation caused by nighttime coughing, sniffling and aching, he said. Attempts to self-medicate can make the problem even worse. Some cold remedies contain 27 percent alcohol and many antihistamines cause drowsiness.
— John Ewoldt
Minneapolis Star Tribune