A Pregnant Pause

Dear Home Ec 101, I just found out that I am pregnant (starting my 6th week) and have been unable to eat most everything.  Luckily my cravings have been running mostly to fruit and chicken, but it is difficult to know what I will or won’t be able to eat on a given day.  And …

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Getting Started On Your Messy House

Ivy says: Dangit all, have a few days of confusion, sickness, meetings, and general disarray, and you wake up to what I woke up to this morning: a house that would undoubtedly earn the Home Ec 101 Seal Of Disapproval. Yes, my darling Home Eccers, while I do generally keep my home in some semblance …

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Now’s The Time To Wash Your Windows

Ivy says: My mom always said there’s something very spiritual about washing your windows. Her theory on this is that the windows are the eyes of your home and by washing the windows, you’re opening up those eyes to let the sun shine in. It’s a newish year, and if you’re an American, we have …

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Ask The Audience: Advise The Newlyweds

Ivy says: Our fabulous commenter Laura wanted to know: What is C.O.R.N? I’m new to the website and have seen this a couple of times. Just wondering. I’m also a newly wed so if anyone has so tips I’d appreciate them! Thanks!!! Well, Laura, I can easily answer the first part of the question, but …

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Quick Tip: Using Up Dribs And Drabs

Ivy says: Everyone in my family- myself included- has a bad habit of leaving a bottle of body wash, shampoo, conditioner, etc, etc, etc. about a quarter full and moving on to the next bottle. This is entirely my fault because I constantly buy that stuff when I see it on sale, so we constantly …

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Ask The Audience: Household Chores You Hate

Ivy says: Yesterday, between blowing my nose 83,000 times and walking around like a zombie because of the Sudafed and Benadryl combo that works for my comfort, but not for my nerves, I also cleaned up 50 piles of dog poo. Okay, perhaps not 50. More like 5. Still, that’s too much dog poo to …

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Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Creamy chicken and wild rice soup

Heather says: This creamy soup is quite rich, perfect for a chilly evening spent calling Midwestern family and asking, “Hey, how’s the weather up there?” (It was -2F yesterday, sorry about that)   Yields: approximately 8 cups of soup Ingredients: 5 cups chicken broth 1 cup wild rice (If you aren’t a huge fan of …

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Pulled Pork

Heather says: From time to time I get emails asking about different cuts of meat: what are they, where do they come from, and how on earth should I cook it? Since we don’t exactly have a huge production budget (it’s my weekly grocery budget after all), these questions are often deferred until the cut …

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The importance of scheduling

Ivy says: It’s interesting how many people I know that had problems with their house getting piley over the holidays and now they’re scrambling to catch up on their household chores and routines. I’m included in that group- I’ve been doing a ton of laundry since this weekend and I still have laundry to do. …

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