Topic: Household-chores

Maid for Mental Health: My Cleaning Lady Is Better Than a Therapist

As you well know, despite what the weather’s currently doing where you live, it’s spring in North America. So how much spring cleaning have you been busying yourself with lately? Frankly, I haven’t been doing much at all myself, thanks to a divine person I like to call my cleaning lady. (I’m not crazy about the term “cleaning lady,” but I think “maid” is worse.) Before you write me off as an elitist snob, you should know that I actually like to clean house. Some experts claim that it can be emotionally therapeutic, and I definitely believe that’s the case for me. (Plus, nobody, no matter how expert, really cleans your own house the way you do.) But people work, are busy, and have other commitments, so sometimes hiring a cleaning lady (or gentleman?) is simply a logistical and budgetary choice people make in the hopes of saving a little time and simplifying their lives. Which is exactly why I love my cleaning lady. In fact, she’s better than therapy. More »

There will be no stink bug epidemic. And before you guys even try to compete with the likes of us, you really need a serious media makeover. Starting with a name change. Stink bug? You emit an unpleasant stench when you’re about to be squashed? That’s pretty pathetic. We bite humans. We give them rashes. We make them burn their belongings. We freak their shit out. What do you do, exactly? You hang around on lampshades and baseboards. Newsworthy? Not so much. Plus, that B.O.? Not attractive.

– Irate bedbugs confronting their flying nemeses, the stink bugs, from their post An Open Letter to Stink Bugs From Bedbugs

Our 5 Favorite Photos From “S#*! My Kids Ruined”

We’d like to thank our friends at Lemondrop for turning us on to the completely addictive and often hilarious Tumblr “Shit My Kids Ruined” (one of TIME‘s best blogs of 2010; a book is in the works). This is a genius blog where people submit photos of – well – all kinds of shit their kids have ruined, and here are five of our absolute favorite photo posts: More »

Typically Typecast as a Type-A Type? Then check out these 6 organizational obsessions (both high- and low-tech) – or at least put them on your to-do list. (via The Frisky)

Save Big Bucks – but only if you complete these 7 home improvement repairs by the end of 2010. (via The Daily Green)

Exercise Makes Laundry Even Less Fun (But More Eco-Friendly)

Would you ride an exercise bike to power your washing machine? Electronics company Haier has developed a prototype of a bike that can wash a full load of laundry (with cold water, which is more energy-efficient) using energy generated by 20 minutes of you on a stationary bike. More »

How Clean Is Your Kitchen? Daily Health Quiz

Today’s Question: Food safety is something we think about when we’re out at a restaurant, but we tend to let it slide when we’re preparing food at home. What should you make sure to do before cooking: Place raw meat in the freezer to kill germs, remove your rings and bracelets, or wash countertops? Choose all that apply. More »

Help! We Lose Things. A Lot.

Contrary to what you might think, we’re not perfect here at Blisstree. We lose things. Well, really just one thing — the bathroom key. (Not to get graphic, but our loo is down the hall and we share it with … More »

How to Let Your To-Do List Slide, Gracefully

Most of us know how to make a to-do list, and chances are you’ve got five different places you can do it: Your phone, your computer, a notebook, your daily planner, and the back of a receipt in your wallet … More »

What We're Reading:

Just Browsing: A Skeptic’s Self-Help Book Review of “The Nine Rooms of Happiness”

Just Browsing: A Skepticâ��s Self-Help Book Review of "The Nine Rooms of Happiness"

The Nine Rooms of Happiness: Loving Yourself, Finding Your Purpose, and Getting Over Life’s Little Imperfections by Lucy Danziger and Catherine Birndorf, M.D. (Voice/Hyperion) When I was child, my mother kept fish sticks in our linen closet. I can assure … More »

3 Ways to Maximize Your Leisure Time

We know. It feels weird to unplug and just think about nothing for a few minutes, let alone an hour. But leisure time really is important for our mental and physical health. Women get about a half-hour less of daily … More »

Rats! Eco-Friendly Pest Control

We love talking about natural ways to do household chores, because this means our home is one less place where we need to use toxic chemicals. (It does not mean we like to do household chores, however.) And if we … More »

Home Rules: Choose Your Chores Wisely

We all dreaded doing chores growing up. But chores are an integral part of teaching children about the value of work and the importance of responsibilities. Your kids will also build confidence and independence, because they feel like a valuable … More »