The custom of drinking alcohol on St. Patrick’s Day is based on the legend of the Pota Phadraig or Patrick’s Pot. According to the story, the saint went to a bar and ordered whiskey. The owner, being a greedy man, gave the saint less than a full serving. Patrick decided to teach him a lesson. He told the owner that a monster lives in his cellar, and gets its fill through the man’s greed. The man must have realized the error of his ways, because when Patrick came back a few days later, he found the bar owner filling patron’s glasses to the brim. The saint then declared the... (Read More ...)

Terri Krauss, a suburban mother of three, introduced a new laundry bag, called “sort-a-sack” earlier this year. Her mission is to make the chore of doing laundry easier and faster. Sort-a-sack, carried like a backpack, has separate compartments for sorting whites and colors, and even includes laundry instructions. It holds up to three loads of laundry. After spending 18 years in the executive search business, Krauss decided to take time off to spend with her husband and three children. “I quickly found out that my quality family time was being reduced by household chores, primarily... (Read More ...)

What if I told you that the position of your bed and where you sleep each night has a great effect on your life, your health and your disposition? Would you believe me? I didn’t believe it until I started this line of work and witnessed hundreds of cases of “proof” that there is something to it. Bed positioning is extremely important in feng shui. No matter what school of feng shui you follow, it’s a foundational aspect of the philosophy, as it has a relationship to how you position yourself in life, which in turn has an effect on how empowered you are and, to a degree,... (Read More ...)

Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us and with it comes the typical parties with candy and card exchanges. It all sort of reminds me of elementary school. I did some brainstorming and came up with a few classy, slightly more mature – but nothing explicit – ideas for fun Valentine’s Day parties. Single and Loving It If you’re flying solo this Valentine’s Day, not to worry. You can throw a singles party that will be as much or more fun than any of your paired-up friend’s shindigs.  Invite your single friends and tell them to invite theirs. Games and music will... (Read More ...)

For many Americans, overspending seems like a birthright. But, warns financial advisor and author Leslie Greenman, sooner or later, those bad spending habits will catch up with you. She explains why we feel compelled to overspend and provides advice for making 2012 the year you tighten your purse strings. Are you still wondering how you are going to pay off holiday bills? Studies show that many Americans will still be paying off their holiday debt months, and possibly years, after gifts have been exchanged. But let’s be honest. If overspending was a problem for us only once a year, most of... (Read More ...)