TOOTHBRUSH STORAGE

That’s right, toothbrushes.  My aunt recently asked for advice on this and, I have to say, I was stumped.  She’s very much into aesthetics (totally where I get it from) and wanted them out of sight but didn’t quite have anything in mind and hadn’t come across anything she liked. I leave my toothbrushes in the holder above the sink, no questions asked.  And, while I don’t love looking at them, they’re kind of a fact of life that everyone deals with so I never really thought about other ways of storing them.  Though, there was a short period where I kept them in the medicine cabinet because I heard that germs fly when you flush the toilet (called the “aerosol effect”…gross) so better safe than sorry, right?  As I mentioned, that only lasted a while because I felt like the cabinet was too dark and stuffy for wet toothbrushes.  Now I always make sure to close the lid before I flush…TMI?

So, I’ve done a little research on the ADA’s website and this is what I have for you.  Toothbrushes should be stored upright, in the open, and not touching other toothbrushes.  Air-drying is the best way to prevent the harboring of bacteria.  Rinse them well with water before putting them away to rid them of toothpaste and saliva that may be left over.  Sanitizers, which I thought could be cool since I’m becoming more and more obsessed with my teeth the older I get, aren’t proven to do a whole heck of a lot for oral care…you can pass there.  Also, keep toothbrushes far enough away from hand washing area.  It’s not good to splash them with sudsy soap from your dirty hands.

If you're like my aunt (and a little like me) you should pass on the interior storage of the brushes.  Sorry, it just doesn't sound healthy according to the above.  Unless you want to get something to hide the brushes away for when you have guests - and you're sure your brushes are dry.  Maybe a cup of sorts will do.  For the day to day, there are plenty of cool and fun ways to store toothbrushes out in the open. Check out the ones I found on nerdapproved.com and countryliving.com, respectively (I couldn't trace the actual sources).

CHANGE IT UP

Last week at work we moved floors from our sweet office high in the sky that overlooks Central Park to our 1980’s throw back that looks into…well, other office buildings.  Packing was a challenge (considering I’ve only been there 3 months – do I really need to keep this, this, can someone please tell me what this is?), and I’ve found that plenty of grown men and women do NOT like change.  Teams are all mixed up, the kitchen is small, where’s the water??, why is the bathroom so far?, oh and the place is like a maze.  I’m not even kidding, I laugh at myself a good 5 times a day because I’m still getting lost.  Though, I have to say, the actual move went fairly seamlessly.  My company works with a great moving crew who worked through the nights to set each and every office up exactly as it was left upstairs.  Tech and Facilities were onhand to help with the smallest of tasks to make sure everyone was comfortable.  But still… 

You need to stay positive.  Here’s how I see it.  Embracing change can be tough.  When I was a kid I hated change, but now I consider it a way to learn and try new things.  We’re generally scared of the unexpected but we have to embrace it as an adventure, especially if we don’t have a say in the matter, otherwise we’re miserable until the “adventure” is over.

The packing was a challenge.  No one likes to pack or clean out old cabinets, closets, etc.  Think of your house.  But sometimes it has to get done.  We had years of history in our file cabinets.  And you know everyone has their own way of doing things.  I don’t know the person who was there before me, but some of that stuff did NOT need to be there.  I mean, there was just nonsense in those drawers!  It was a good excuse to purge because on a normal day I’m too busy to “clean the file cabinets”…seriously?  Legal gave us guidelines to follow and I went from there, it was just a matter of starting.  I kept what I needed, archived the old stuff, and got rid of what I didn’t.  Because we have less space in our new offices, we needed to clean out the old stuff anyway.

In this adventure of a move, my team is mixed in with teams from another floor.  It’s cool because, while we “know” these guys, we’ve never interacted with them daily – so now we have new friends.  Some people are squished into offices of 3 and 4.  OK, kind of crappy but I heard one guy say, “our office is kind of like a dorm room!” which is a little cool if you think about it.  Of course they’ll get their work done, but maybe they’ll have a little more fun for these few months.  What’s so bad about that?  The floor is a total maze; every corner looks like the next and some halls lead to dead ends.  I went looking for someone Friday, got totally lost, but ended up first finding 3 bowls of candy (score!), then finding a group of friends that I hadn’t seen on the floor yet (even better).  So each turn is an adventure.  There’s a certain buzz about the floor that I didn’t feel upstairs; everyone’s secretly giddy with this new adventure.  So while some will continue to complain, I’m sure, I think most are happy for a little shake up.  And my “elevator incident” as I’m calling it? - I got locked in the freight elevator hallway the other morning (the doors weren’t locked the first half of the week!) – is a funny story that I’m proud to tell everyone.  Whatevs.

In situations of change you need to think big picture and all this silly interim stuff will be well worth it.  In my case, my coworkers have to remember that in 6-9 months we'll be back where we belong, but it will be better than ever; clean and fresh, sparkly and new.  With comfy chairs, let's not forget the comfy chairs.  So while it's easy to get sucked in to the little details of life and crave your creature comforts, sometimes it's more fun to let go a little and enjoy the ride.  You never know what will happen when you do.

MHM! #obsession

The cold weather outside and the dry heat inside only means one thing for my son...eczema ("Eczema? Gross!") $1 for anyone who knows that movie.  The poor kid gets spots all over his legs, back, and arms each winter.  It wasn't until last winter that we finally found something that works for him...today's MHM!

Neosporin Eczema Essentials.  It's a lotion formulated with colloidal oatmeal to treat the rash.  For anyone with eczema you know what I mean.  You literally see a difference with this stuff in a day, it's that good.  You can get it for about $10-$13 depending on where you buy.  They also make a body wash that I'm totally going to pick up now that my son is almost 3 and "asserting his independence" at every turn - which includes wiping the lotion off after I put it on.