Our Favorite New Way to Make Phone Calls Easier

fonolo

One of the drawbacks of trying to make phone calls to a company such as your health insurance company, is having to sit through all of the voice mail instructions that say "Press one for English" or "Press two if this is about your bill," etc. Now you can easily bypass these, & still get to the department that you wish to reach. Some companies or websites provide information on how to bypass voice mail altogether & simply get a human being. While this can be helpful, it also can take just as much time to actually get to the right human being in the right department. Fonolo is an actual web service that allows you to go through the different extensions of the place you are calling online & instead of having to listen to all of the … [Read more...]

Share Your Used Christian Books!

books-used

Love Packages collects them & sends them to English-speaking countries in Europe, Africa & Asia. They received nearly 8 tons of items last year that were used to change lives! Books can be sent to Butler, Illinois, or call the ministry to see if a truck is in your area. They send them all over the country. … [Read more...]

Mail a REAL Letter Using Free Web Service

mailbo

If you did not get those Christmas letters out, or were unable to drive to the post office in December because of crazy weather, here is an easy way to mail a real letter -- paper, not e-mail! Go to TheMailMonster.com & type your letter. It will be printed out & actually mailed to the address you submit first-class, all within 24 hours for free. How is it free? Local advertisers may include an ad, & then they pick up the cost. But if getting to the post office can be difficult for you this is a great way to send a personal note without any expense or need for transportation. And all our Aussie friends will be glad to know it’s free in not just the United States but Australia too. … [Read more...]

How Being “Tolerant” Can Ruin Your Health

Start Your New Year Right by Eliminating These Common Energy-Drainers by Mary Yerkes My desk is messy. My clothes don’t fit. The dog needs grooming. Life coaches agree that people zap their energy & increase their stress by putting up with a multitude of things that bug them, what life coaches call “tolerations.” And for the chronically ill, lingering stress can translate into increased pain. So, why not start your New Year right by identifying—& then eliminating—those things that deplete your energy & dampen your spirit. Here are four common tolerations, along with practical suggestions for addressing them or eliminating them from your life: Health Tolerations If you live with chronic illness, you probably realize … [Read more...]

What Pill is That?

pills

You may have a drug cupboard, a drug basket, or a drug bag. At my house it's a kitchen drawer with a "baby" lock on it. There are always a few little pills that make their way to the bottom of the drawer that I am not sure of what they are. Now there is an easy way to find out. You never know if it may be JUST the medicine you need in the middle of the night one night. Not sure what those pills are that you've found in the bottom of your junk drawer? Worried about what you just found in your teen's room? Log on to the web for the Pill Identification Wizard & then choose "Pill Identifier." Simply enter the drug form (for example, capsule), then the shape & the text found on the pill, & it provides you with the information for free. … [Read more...]

Tools for Caregivers or Families to Share the Caregiving

family

Asking for help is so hard! But if you live with a chronic illness there will come a time when you or you & your family needs to ask for help from others. When you or a loved one becomes ill, it impacts the entire family... but it can also feel like it "takes a village." These are some of the resources we have found. Some are to help caregivers organize care for an ill person (such as getting the neighborhood together on who is bringing meals what day). Others are to help a person who is ill communicate with others, such as posting your hospital visiting hours, updates on your condition, or simply sharing. Here are some suggestions on ways to organize the help. Assist Guide Information Services Care Groups Organize help to provide … [Read more...]

What’s in Your Purse?

in-your-purse

What is in your purse? When we asked you to share what you carry around with you each day we heard everything from 3 bottles of water to a razor to trim stray whiskers. Yes, chronic illness requires a lot of maintenance, but overloading your purse can also cause you to lean sideways, causing shoulder, neck, & back pain. Physical therapists recommend that you carry no more than 10% of your body weight in a backpack, & even less in a purse, since it’s less balanced. Do you have any favorite organizing tips? Our founder Lisa has succumbed to the (maybe tacky?) but convenient method of using clear "ziplock" bags. One for h& sanitizer, lip stick, tissues, pills, etc. One for sticky notes, pens, highlighters, one for snacks, etc. Do you … [Read more...]

Create Your Own White Noise to Sleep (for free)

oceanwave

Trouble sleeping? For many of us a bit of white noise may help, but who wants to go buy one more gadget or expensive machine? SoundSleeping is a website with a web player that plays relaxing music or the nature sounds which typically aid sleep & even reduce stress. One cool feature is that you can customize it so you can mix in whatever sounds personally bring you relaxation! Does a bonfire bring back happy memories? Is it 80 degrees outside & the sound of rain would help you hit the hay with a bit of ease? How about some drums or a flute (to each their own, if drums help you go to sleep, go for it!) You are able to adjust the volume & pan each sound the way you like, so have some fun just mixing your own tracks. I had fun messing … [Read more...]

Lost Your Users Manuals?

folders

You know how we open up our new appliances or other goodies, glance at the users manual & put it aside. How often are you able to locate it when you need it? Or maybe you put them in a folder (I admit it, I actually do this!) but soon that box is taking up too much room! Here is a web site 2 Instructions that boasts, that they are "the largest internet database of manuals & user's guides." They have 1,250,478 documents available for immediate download - 15,105 br&s. So this is a web site to bookmark & the next time your blender starts having a mind of its own, you will be able to find out who to call or what to do in just minutes! -ljc … [Read more...]

Forms to Print to Keep your Medications Organized

medicine

How many times have you gone to see a new specialist & the nurse asks, “Are you taking any medications?” If you’re organized you pull out your latest photocopied list. If you’re like many of us, you say, “Well, yes, let’s see…” & start naming off everything you can remember. But soon you can’t remember the generic names versus the br& names, the milligrams, & exactly which doctor even prescribed it. Here is a h&y tool:  SafeMedication.com offers a pdf called “My Medicine List” that you can fill out online & then just print, or you can print as many copes as you want & then fill them out as needed. It also breaks it down to what you are taking in the mornings, afternoons, & evenings. This just happens to be an … [Read more...]

Is Your Cell Phone Somewhere in the House?

child-phone

We've all misplaced things: keys, medicine, phones, cell phones. Have you had a gr&child for a visit lately & that was the last time you saw your phone? For those of us with with both a l& line & a cell phone, if we lose one we can always call with the other phone to listen & try to hear where it is ringing from. But if you just have one phone, then how long do you search before going to the neighbor's house & asking her to call you? Now you can just go to WhereIsMyCellPhone.com & type in your number & it rings. I just tried it with my l& line. Works like a charm. So no more embarassing admissions to your neighbor that it was in the freezer. Now it's just between you & your computer.  This is a web site to write down on your … [Read more...]

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