Dear Reena: My boyfriend has the world's worst manners. He uses the wrong fork when he eats, he leaves his napkin on the table when he goes to the bathroom and he cuts up all of his food before he starts eating. I am embarrassed to go to restaurants with him. Is there some manner school that I can send him to?
Meghan
Dear Meghan: With all due respect and based on what you have said, the problem is not him. Yes, there are manner schools available, but it does not sound as though he is a candidate for emergency admission. Sometimes we need to get over ourselves and accept people the way they are, remembering that we were all raised with a variety of circumstances and rules. If you are terribly bothered by his manners, you may want to discuss the issue with him directly instead of enrolling him in etiquette school.
After all, he is a grown man, right?
Dear Reena: I have purchased your three books and I love them. I have been making my own cleaning solutions since purchasing your books this year.
I have a question about one of your non-toxic window cleaner recipes taken from the book Household Solutions 3. The only two ingredients are half a teaspoon of Castile Soap and three tablespoons of white vinegar. I have mixed these two ingredients and the Castile Soap reacted like melted lard placed in water. It hardened and did not mix with the vinegar.
So, I heated it up in the microwave and stirred it until it blended. It didn't make sense to just use it like that on a cloth for the windows. I thought: What the heck, I'll try it. But it left the glass streaky.
I had already prepared another of your window cleaner recipes from Household Solutions 2 and that took care of the streaks. Is there a mistake in the recipe for the nontoxic window cleaner?
Mae
Dear Mae: Yes, there is a mistake in this recipe.
Since Castile Soap is a base and vinegar an acid, the two don't mix. If you begin by cleaning the windows with Castile Soap alone, you will notice a haze on the windows. Next, polish with a soft microfibre cloth and vinegar. Your windows will end up with a wonderful shine.
Dear Reena: I have been researching how to use coupons to cut grocery spending, but all my sources seem to be U.S. based. Do we have the same coupon culture up here?
Any information you can give on Canadian coupon savings with respect to groceries will be greatly appreciated.
Michelle
Dear Michelle: I am a big fan of using coupons wherever possible; saving all those cents makes a lot of sense. I am assuming that you are referring to using coupons from websites and not from flyers. It is important to locate Canadian coupon affiliates on the Internet. I love grocery coupons so much that I have added a bunch to my own website, reena.ca.
If you choose Canadian coupon programs, then your coupons should work at any Canadian retail outlet unless there is something wrong with the site. A Canadian coupon program often has a Maple Leaf beside the coupon or somewhere on the website.
Nuts about Coconuts
? To garnish a cake with shredded coconut, place a small plastic bag over your hand. Hold the coconut and press it onto the sides of the iced cake. Your hand stays clean.
? Remove grease marks by blotting the area with a few drops of coconut or banana oil, rinse with water.
? Since pure coconut oil contains anti-fungal properties, use it on your scalp to reduce dandruff. The amount you need is the size of a pea. Put it on your head and leave overnight. In the morning, wash your hair as usual.
? Pure coconut oil smoothed onto hair ends will give hair a beautiful natural shine.
? Use pure coconut oil as your daily hand moisturizer. Feels and smells great.
