SHOES OFF, PLEASE

Taking off your shoes when you enter your home has got to be the simplest thing you can do to live a healthier life. Not to mention that doesn’t cost you money or time. The Japanese were the first to introduce the “shoes off” policy and also happen to have the longest life expectancy. Coincidence? I think not.

Most people are concerned about toxins in their food, air or workplace, but don’t think twice about the ones they are carrying into their home. Parents want to take their children to safe playgrounds and yet have toxic playgrounds in their own home when they don’t take their shoes off. It’s the little ones who truly pay the price since they spend the majority of their time playing on the floor.

Shoes track in pesticides, fertilizers, lead and excrement. Yes, you read that correctly, excrement! We track in animal excrement which includes humans. Think of the last time you visited a public restroom and what you may have stepped in. Now think of bringing that into your home, having it turn into dust particles, and then inhaling it. The pesticides and fertilizers I mentioned earlier work the same way. They get trapped in your carpet and don’t break down as fast as they do outside in the sun. This leaves you with toxic dust particles that you inhale. In addition to taking your shoes off, it’s important to vacuum and wash your floors on a regular basis as well dust and clean those windows. These things aren’t about looking like you have a clean house, but about your own personal health.

Begin by making a commitment to yourself to take those shoes off. Some say that this can also be a good thing for your mental health. It’s a way to “take off” the outside and relax in your home. It can also be better for your back in the long run. Once you make it a habit, ask that your guests also take off their shoes. You can place a sign in your doorway simply stating, “Please take your shoes off.” If you’d like to be cheekier you could say, “You have two choices at my door. Take off your shoes or scrub the floors” or “Your soul is welcomed. Your shoes are not.” Do not, I repeat, DO NOT feel bad about asking people to take their shoes off. Your guests wouldn’t put their shoes on your kitchen table would they? If you have small children, that’s exactly what it would be like. My 1 ½ year old son will take his food, throw it on the floor, and then climb down and eat it. Doesn’t bother this germaphobe much since I know my floors are clean. Frankly, if that’s the only way he’ll eat his fruits and vegetables I might get rid of the kitchen table all together.

For those guests who do not feel comfortable taking their shoes off, you can offer them an alternative. Place shoe covers in a small basket and leave them by the door. This way your guests can choose whether to take their shoes off or use a slip cover. These covers are usually sold in the painting supply section of large stores. For guests that may be staying longer, you could purchase different sized slippers at a discount store.

Not to get all infomercial on you or anything, but one of my favorite household items is my carpet cleaner. It’s easy to use, cleans your carpet quickly, and pays for itself in one use. Not to mention it also prolongs the life of your carpet. I bought mine for under $200. You can use it once a year on the entire house and periodically for heavy traffic areas. No need to move all that furniture around when you can simply go over the areas that get the most traffic. We’ve also had disgusting accidents by dogs and kids where I was extremely thankful I had my carpet cleaner handy. Having a clean carpet will also make people less hesitant to take their shoes off. Who want to take their shoes off when the floor is dirty?

Now that you are in the know….begin your healthy lifestyle by kicking off those shoes. Before you know it, you’ll be doing yoga in your front room and drinking Kombucha. Hmmn… those are also Asian traditions.

HOW TO LOOK LIKE A DOMESTIC GODDESS WITHOUT WORKING LIKE ONE

On occasion, my friends have referred to me as a domestic goddess. Although I am always flattered by these comments, I feel a little bit dishonest. My dear friends, it is time that I finally came clean. Domestic goddess I am not. Overwhelmed wife, mother, and homemaker who finds the shortest cuts possible is more like it. These “short cuts,” are simple things that I have adopted over the years. I’d like to share a few of these with you so you too can appear to be a domestic goddess.


Cookies Anyone?
Nothing says homemaker better than a warm batch of cookies fresh from the oven. Who has time to put together the dough and watch over the oven after a long day of work? Work being a job that pays you, and/or the task of keeping your children from killing each other. (Not mine of course, they’re little angels) Solution…whenever you find yourself in the mood, make a large batch of cookie dough and roll them into small little balls. Spread them out on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer until they are no longer sticky. Then throw them into a large ziplock bag or glass container and put back in the freezer. When you have unexpected visitors, or are just in the mood yourself, take a few out and bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes or so. Sure I just spent an entire paragraph telling you about cookies, but you’ll love how this simple thing can make you look great.

Crockpot Paradox
When my husband and I first got married, we had the pleasure of using a scan gun to zap away at our department store wish list. As I approached the two gallon crock pot, gun ready to fire, my husband seemed to think we didn’t need such a large one. I explained that we could throw large parties or bathe our future children in it. Should have guessed then that marrying a 6’7 man would not provide me children that would fit. From this large crockpot a paradox occurs. It’s an appliance that allows you to throw food into it and then push a button that spends all day cooking for you. Brilliant! Yet with very little work, spouses and guests seem to be impressed by whatever comes out of the magic box. It’s a win-win really. So please, dust off that old crockpot and let it make you look like you’ve been slaving away over dinner all day.

Thank you. No, thank you!
I’d have to say that 90 % of my mail is recycled without ever being read. The other 10% are bills that are still sent to me via snail mail. However, every once in a while a bright star will appear. It doesn’t look like a bill, it has handwriting on it, and I sit with giddy anticipation on what it could be. Feverishly, I open the letter to find a sweet thank you card from a friend for something very small I did for her. None-the-less, this made me feel loved and admiration for someone who took the time out of their busy life to purchase a card, hand write me a note, rummage around for a stamp, and then manage to mail the darn thing. The phrase, “It’s the thought that counts” doesn’t apply when you just think about sending a card to someone. So here’s a simple way to get it done. Purchase numerous thank-you cards at one time. You can collect them when they are on sale or just pick up a pack of ten. Then write your return address on them, put on a stamp, and store them in your kitchen junk drawer. If one were to have such a thing. You are now three-fourths of the way there when wanting to thank someone for their kindness. It shows people love and makes you look like you really have your act together.

Just the way my mom’s mom made it.
Most of us did not grow up in a home where fresh baked bread was the norm. However, with modern technology we can bring this tradition back. I can’t begin to tell you how many compliments I have gotten over my homemade bread. The oohs and aahs are something I absolutely love to hear... especially since I’m not the best cook. I won’t go into great detail on my bread making journey since you can read all about it in a previous article entitled, Not By Bread Alone…Need Bread Maker. The point I want to share is that it’s not me people should be praising, but my bread maker. I simply throw a few ingredients in it and push a button, yet I am the one who gets to look like Martha Stewart. I’m seriously considering hiding my bread maker. I don’t want people to see the little woman standing behind a curtain pushing a button, but rather the Great Wizard of Bread.

Fake it.
The shortest cut of all…fake it. Some domestic goddesses seem to always have their stuff together. They appear to have everything under control. This is probably where the lawyer in me comes out. If you look confident and say things with confidence, people will have confidence in you. Whether any of that is true or not, is a different story. If you act like you have things together, people will believe it. Now I don’t mean having your hair and make-up done. For those of you who see my smiling face, you will surely not see make-up on it. In fact, you don’t want to see me with make-up on. If I’m wearing my war paint, it probably means I’m in court representing you on a criminal matter. Looking like you have things together really just means taking everything in stride. Your muffins got burnt on the bottom? Serve muffin tops! Your child throws a fit in the store? Simply speak softly and carry them out like they were just an item on your list. The longer you fake taking things in stride, the more likely you are actually to do it. Before you know it, you look like you have everything under control because you do! Being in control doesn’t mean planning everything that happens in your life, it means having a plan for how you’ll react to things that happen in your life.

WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD? To bring me tasty eggs of course

When I first told my husband I wanted a chicken coop in our backyard, he laughed and said, “Oh, I would love to see you take a chicken, cut off its head, and pluck its feathers.” I found this amusing since I don’t even like to prepare chicken for dinner. After explaining it wasn’t for the meat but rather the eggs, his eyebrows were still raised pretty high. Since my husband and I are both lawyers, I knew ahead of time I was going to have to present my case to “the court” and expect cross examination. Please let the record reflect, defense council is entering three exhibits.


EXHIBIT ONE: Better Tasting and Healthier Eggs

The chickens that reside in your backyard are organic, hormone free, and are not given food with antibiotics or animal by-products. They will have a diet of grain that contains flax seed and grass from your backyard. This combination gives you better tasting eggs that are healthier for you.

“You are what you eat eats too.” So says Michael Pollan in his book, In Defense of Food. He explains that these types of eggs contain higher levels of vitamins, antioxidants, and has more omega-3 and conjugated lineoleic acid than those you typically see in the grocery store. Studies have also shown that those who have an ample amount of omega-3 in their diet are less likely to have high blood pressure and may reduce their risk of cancer. (1) In his book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Pollan states that you can actually see a vibrant orange color of the yolk when the chicken was given a diet that had grass in it. Apparently this color indicates a high level of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene, also known as vitamin A, promotes a healthy immune system and as well as healthy skin. (2) These factors make a healthy egg, but are more importantly known to taste better.

EXHIBIT TWO: Happier Chickens

I am sure that most of you have been on a freeway and seen a large semi-truck barreling down the road with thousands of chickens crammed in wire cages that are so small they can’t even stand up. It saddens me to say that their normal living conditions are not much different. I do not want to go into detail about the practices that large egg manufacturing companies subscribe to, but I will say it is very disturbing. For more information on this subject, I recommend reading the Michael Pollan books that I referred to above. When you have chickens in your backyard, living quietly I might add, you know that they are happy and healthy. Happy chickens make healthy eggs.

EXHIBIT THREE: It’s Easier Then Owning a Dog

I was recently asked where I find the time to research and write this blog while keeping house and raising small children. My first response was that I’m not sure where I find the time to pee…but I do. That being said, becoming a farmer is not something I plan to add to my responsibilities. This is the great thing about urban chicken farming, it’s easier than caring for a dog or cat, except the chickens actually work for you. You feed them once a day, get rid of their pellet like poop every two weeks, and they make it so you don’t have to mow your grass as often. The dog I own right now takes up so much of my time that I have begged my husband to give her back to the breeder. (Oh, and I’m a dog lover). He says it provides home security. I say let’s spring for an alarm system and obtain more firearms. I’ve been overruled on that argument for a while now, but I digress. My point is, these chickens provide you a service, are low maintenance, and make great pets for kids. Pets that don’t need to be walked around the block in the pouring rain to do their business.


Although the judge hasn’t made his ruling in this house, if owning a small chicken coop is something you are interested in, it’s really easy to get started. Purchase a chicken coop, or build one yourself, and get some chickens. Personally, I wouldn’t want to spend the time researching the blueprints and painstakingly building it. EZCOOPS actually does all this for you at a really reasonable price. Their coop can be assembled with no tools and done under two minutes. I highly recommend watching their promo video at http://ezcoops.com. Mention this blog article and they will give you four free chickens. It’s important to have 3-4 chickens because they are a social bunch and would get lonely otherwise. After you’ve got your coop and chickens, sit back and collect your eggs. On average, chickens lay one egg a day. Times that by four chickens and you’ll have 28 eggs a week. That’s over two dozen eggs a week! You could sell those eggs to your neighbors and make a little extra cash. Cash I would use to pay for my coffee addiction. Ooooh, another argument I should present to the judge.

Whether or not you decide to get your own chickens, I hope you’ve learned a little more about them other than how they taste. Until I get a ruling on this from the husband, I will continue to buy my eggs from Organic Valley. Their chickens meet the criteria set forth above but are certainly not as cost effective has having your own coop. This young hen is “For the Birds” and hopes you are too, but in a good way.

(1) http://www.eatwild.com/healthbenefits.htm
(2) http://www.thedietchannel.com/beta-carotenes-your-health