In the Dailies

Don’t you love tips? Works For Me Wednesday (hosted by Rocks in my Dryer) is a weekly carnival devoted to the fun little tricks and tips that make life easier, more organized or simply more fun. I seldom participate, but I love reading through all the entries. This week I actually have two tips to offer!

Stuck Votives: I adore candles. I use them all the time, almost on a daily basis. What do you do after you’ve burned through a votive? You’re stuck with the little, round metal wick stand and residual wax around the base of your holder. How do you get it out?

Stick in the freezer. After an hour or so, take them out and turn them upside down. The leftover candle will pop right out. I’m sure there’s some scientific explanation of how temperature causes molecules to condense or something like that. All I know is it works.

Too Much Salt: I learned this from a friend last week (who happened to be quoting Martha Stewart). If you add too much salt to a recipe, you can fix the problem by dropping in a piece of potato. The potato will absorb the excess salt. Problem solved! Once your recipe is back to a preferred taste, remove the salt-sponge potato and discard.

Now I want to hear from you. Anyone got tips on making kids move faster? We have not been on time to school since snow descended on our state. I’ve tried waking up earlier, bribery, coersion, faster breakfasts, packing bags the night before … you name it! None of it works for me. This morning I even tried (idle) threats of “If you don’t hurry, you’ll have to go to school with no socks and shoes!” That didn’t faze them either. I cannot get my children to move quickly in the mornings and I would LOVE to know what tips y’all have for me.