Hints From Heloise

Dear Heloise: Ever since my children have been old enough to hold a thermometer in their mouths, I have used a three-minute egg timer (the kind with sand inside) to determine when it is time to check their temperature. I place the timer where they can watch it and for the next few minutes they stay preoccupied with watching the sand run down. This way, I have survived the temperature-taking ordeal without a fuss. When not in use, the timer sits in my medicine chest right next to the thermometer. - K. Joyce McDonald, San Antonio, Texas

Dear Heloise: Somewhere I picked up a closet rod made like a spring-tension curtain rod and put it in a doorway to serve as an ironing valet. Since the rod is inconspicuous when not in use, I could leave it in the doorway and not be bothered to set up the valet every time I pressed a few things. - A Reader

Dear Heloise: I remove the extra mini blinds that gather at the bottom of the window and use them as garden and flower markers. They work great! - Kim Dolniak, Crown Point, Ind.