Make it a habit for everyone in your household to remove their shoes before they step inside and walk on the carpet. If you have guests over, ask them to please remove their shoes before walking onto the carpet. This will reduce the amount of dirt and debris on the carpet. You may set up a shoe rack by the front and back doors to make it easier for people to remove their shoes. To protect your carpet and keep it clean, place mats and rugs down in high traffic areas. Have a welcome mat by the door and put rugs in the living room or bedroom. This way, you can clean the mats and rugs by running them through the washer or by vacuuming them. This will save you from having to do major cleans on your carpet. To really keep your carpet fresh, nothing beats a deep clean. Try to do this at least once a year. Do the deep clean yourself or hire a professional carpet cleaner to come in and do this for you. To do a deep clean of the carpet yourself, you may want to invest in a steam cleaner. If you use a steam cleaner on your carpets, you can use a vinegar and water solution to clean the carpets. As the carpet dries, the vinegar smell will fade, leaving you with clean, fresh carpet.
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One-sentence summary -- Have people take off their shoes inside. Put down mats or rugs. Do a deep clean of the carpet once a year.


If the pain from a pinched nerve is severe, your doctor may recommend that you take painkillers. You may be advised to take over-the-counter painkillers, or you may be prescribed stronger prescription painkillers.  Painkillers work by blocking and interfering with the pain signals going through the brain. If the pain signal does not reach the brain, then pain cannot be interpreted and felt. Examples of OTC painkillers include paracetamol and acetaminophen Examples of prescription painkillers include codeine and tramadol. NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications) work by blocking specific body chemicals that cause an injured area to become inflamed. Examples of NSAIDs are Ibuprofen, Naproxen and Aspirin.  However, NSAIDs should not be taken in the first 48 hours of injury as they can delay healing. In the first 48 hours, inflammation is one of the body's compensatory mechanisms to the injury. NSAIDs can irritate the stomach, so they should always be taken with meals. Steroid injections can help to reduce inflammation and swelling, thereby allowing compressed nerves caused by inflammation to heal and recover. Steroid injections must be prescribed and administered by a doctor. The steroids will either be injected or administered through an IV. In some instances, you doctor will recommend that you wear a brace or splint on the affected hip. A brace or splint limits motion and allows the muscles to rest, relieving the pinched nerve and promoting healing. If all prior treatment measures fail, surgical intervention may be necessary to alleviate the pressure and compression of the nerves.
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One-sentence summary -- Take painkillers to relieve pain. Use NSAIDs to reduce inflammation. Receive steroid injections. Allow your doctor to place a brace or splint on your hip. Consider the possibility of surgery.


Staying at home with your child can be very hard. Studies show that stay-at-home-moms may experience more depression, worry, sadness, and anger than working moms. This is partly due to isolation, under-appreciation and little contact with adults during the day. The schedule for a stay-at-home mom is intense as well, with no time off, no sick leave, and no vacation time. Know that these feelings are common. If you're feeling this way, you're not the only one. You should be honest with yourself so that you are making the healthiest choice for yourself and your family. Just because you are the stay-at-home parent, this doesn't mean that you should have to do all the household chores. Work with the other parent to assign tasks fairly. For example, your partner can make dinner some nights, or do the dishes, or put in a load of laundry. It can be common to think that you haven't done any “work” just because you've been at home all day. Remember, taking care of children and the home is very hard work. Plus, you get no breaks and very little time for yourself. Make sure you aren't carrying all the weight at home. Treat yourself to a movie, schedule time for a massage, and meet up with a friend for coffee. Don't feel guilty about nurturing yourself. You will be a better parent and person when you take care of yourself too. While you intend to save money on childcare by not working, this doesn't mean that you have to be at home with the kids 100% of the time. You and your partner still need time together without the kids. Make time every few weeks to have a date. Schedule regular times after your partner comes home from work when you can go out by yourself. You might use this time to run errands without kids, see a movie, or visit a friend. Exercise can help relieve stress and tension that may build up when you spend your days with children. You may need to schedule exercise time when your partner is home with the kids, or when your kids are at school. You can also schedule time when your kids need to be quiet so that you can do a yoga video in your living room. Whatever you choose, make it a priority for yourself.  Take the kids for a bike ride, or buy a jogging stroller so you can go for a run with the baby. Some communities have mommy exercise classes, such as Baby Boot Camp or Fit4Mom. In these classes, you exercise with other parents while your child sits in a jogging stroller. Just because you're at home with your children doesn't mean that everything you do must be child-focused. Find some hobbies that you can do while your children play.  You might take up gardening, sewing, playing a musical instrument, building something, painting, photography, and so on. Spend some time reading. Taking quiet time for yourself may encourage your kids to spend the time reading as well.
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One-sentence summary -- Be honest with yourself. Split chores fairly. Be good to yourself. Get a babysitter. Go out in the evening. Get exercise. Have hobbies that you can do at home.


Eat the berries that are super ripe since they won’t last in the refrigerator. Throw away or compost the ones that have mold spots or are bruised. Don’t wash the berries until you’re ready to eat them. Otherwise the moisture from rinsing will cause them to rot. Choose a container that’s big enough that all of the berries can fit without being smashed. Use as many paper towels as necessary to cover the entire inside of the container. Then carefully pour the berries on top of the paper towel lining.  The paper towels will soak up any extra moisture that’s lingering on the berries so they don’t mold. Use the original container if you want. Rinse it out and line it with paper towels before dumping the berries back into it. Do not seal the container completely. Leave the lid open enough so that any remaining moisture or condensation can evaporate instead of rotting the berries. If the berries came in a clamshell container with holes for ventilation, leave the holes at the top of the container unblocked so air can pass through. The optimal refrigerator temperature for berries is between 36 and 40 °F (2 and 4 °C). If you don’t eat them within 5 days or if you notice mold, throw them away.  Don’t keep the berries in the crisper drawer. The humidity is too high and the air doesn’t circulate as well. Put them on a shelf instead.  When you’re ready to eat the berries, rinse them with cool water first  to remove bacteria and dirt.
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One-sentence summary --
Sort through the berries and pull out any that are moldy or overripe. Put the berries in a plastic container lined with paper towels. Lay the lid on top of the container so that it's slightly ajar. Keep the berries in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.