Rain, Rain Go Away...

Sure April showers bring May flowers but that doesn’t mean that you need to be outside in that cold spring rain without ample protection from the nasty spring weather. Pull out an umbrella and step out onto the sidewalk. Don’t stay indoors – especially if a warm rain is falling. Enjoy a long walk while you take in the newly blooming tulips and watch robins build their nests. Not to worry, you have your trendy telescopic folding umbrella keeping your head dry while the vinyl rain poncho covers your clothes. Become five years old again and jump in pavement puddles for fun! Here’s a tip to ensure that you are always prepared for the worst weather. Keep an umbrella near your front door in a handy location – hidden at the top of a coat closet or hanging on a hook inside. Stash another one in either your glove compartment or the middle console of your car. Rain ponchos can easily be tucked away under your seat. That way, even when you are on the move, if the skies darken, you’ve got cover.

Play Ball!

The winds of change are blowing in – thankfully – and the weather is finally turning warm. Aside from the daffodils and tulips blooming, how do you know it’s truly spring? Drive by any local field in your town and you’ll spot a first sign of the season with kids grabbing their gloves and heading out to field some ground balls. Others are warming up, ready to take their turns with the bat at home plate. There’s no better way to savor the beautiful rebirth of the trees and flowers than taking in a baseball game. Whether you are at the major league ballpark cheering on your favorite team or simply sitting on the steel bleachers at the local field rooting for the seven-year-olds who are up at bat, show your fan appreciation with your #1 foam hand and a glow in the dark megaphone. And remember, even if you are only hanging with a bunch of pint-sized players as they try to hit that ball off the tee, you could be watching history in the making. Today’s littlest ball players might someday be playing in the majors, so offer up your cheers loudly.

I'll Take a Side of E.coli with that Roast

If you’ve ever been to the grocery store to pick up a few staples like milk, bread, and eggs, you probably haven’t thought twice about reaching for the closest shopping cart to toss your items in. Grocery carts are notoriously filthy even though you can’t see any of the germs that have latched onto the handle and every other square inch of that hunk of a metal cage. Think about it – not only are you touching the handle that a sneezing woman just had her hands on, but the cart has held numerous packages of raw meat and chicken from countless other people. You could have salmonella, E.coli, and lots of other nasty germs stuck to your hands before you even make it to the first aisle! After the groceries are bagged and packed up in your trunk, but BEFORE you open your car door, reach into your pocket and fumigate those germs away with your mini sani-mist pocket sprayer. You’ll say adios to those disgusting germs and prevent yourself from getting a nasty bug. These little sanitizers are perfect to keep in your glove compartment, purse, pocket, or to pack in your kids’ lunchboxes, so that they can “wash up” before munching on that PB&J at school.

BYOB (Bags, That Is!)

Mother Earth has suffered more in the past 100 years than she probably has for the past 10 centuries. Imagine a world without penguins, polar bears, life-giving rainforests, coral reefs. Will these beautiful things disappear so that your grandchildren only learn about them in history books? It is our responsibility to prevent further damage to our environment. You are probably wondering, “But I’m one person. What can I do to possibly make a difference?” The answer is quite simple. Turn off the water when you brush your teeth. Shut the lights when you leave a room. Replace your old light bulbs with the energy efficient fluorescent ones. Recycle. Choose biodegradable cleaning products and laundry detergents. Stop using plastic bags when you shop and invest in some ecologically friendly Goingreen Grocery Tote. Stick them in your car so that they are waiting for you when you drop by the store after work for a few groceries. If you prevented five plastic bags from ending up in a landfill every week, you’d have saved the planet 260 bags over the course of one year. Now, that’s something the polar bears can smile about.

Getting Teed Off

With the sun peeking through the clouds and the weather warming, humans start emerging from hibernated states to welcome the new season of spring. Some will find themselves on the jogging trails. Others will take their kids to local parks for some good, old-fashioned seesaw and slide time. Still others will hit the links – truly one of the best ways to enjoy the emergence of spring. Find yourself in a foursome on the green? You might feel a tad rusty after a long winter of being cooped up in your house with nothing to lift but the remote control. But you have nothing to worry about. Show off your pink spirit with some Wilson Hope Ladies Golf Balls or Nike Power Flight Golf Balls if you are less in touch with your feminine side and get into the swing. Once you’re on the course, you’ll feel as though you’ve never left. And a beautiful day spent outdoors with three other of your best guy (or gal) pals will remind you of how grateful you are that you’ve come out of hibernation. May spring bring you lots of holes in one!

Thawing Out

Once you step foot into the month of March, your thoughts turn to springtime, St. Patrick’s Day, the Ides of March, and such. But you probably had no idea that this third month of the year 2009 has received a very important moniker. March is National Frozen Food Month! I’m not sure why it’s March and say, not July, when frozen food would be more refreshing, but hey, go with it. Dine on frozen burritos, mini egg rolls, and chopped spinach and then round out your meal with some vanilla ice cream topped with frozen strawberries. Of course, what’s the best way to eat that frozen food? Defrosted, of course! But we can’t have you shoving your beautiful hands into a 400 degree oven. Not to worry, because you have your therma-grip oven mitts to come between your 10 digits and the brutal heat. Preheat that bad boy oven and clean out the freezer this month or enjoy a dinner of all sorts of frozen appetizers for a little fun. I don’t recommend you try that mystery meat that’s been hidden behind the bagels for the past four years, though.

Top o' the Morning to Ye

With March in full swing and the winter months seeming endless, it’s no reason why those Irishmen (and those who aren’t!) look forward to that motherland holiday sandwiched in the middle of the month. And no, I’m not talking about the Ides of March. It’s almost time to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day – or St. Paddy’s Day if you are truly Irish – with green beer, corned beef and cabbage, parades, and shamrocks. Contrary to popular belief, celebratory parades actually were first held in New York City, not in Ireland. While the thought of March 17 usually conjures up images of drunken customers at various pubs and taverns, the day was considered religious in Ireland for years and pubs were closed. The great thing about St. Patrick’s Day is that you are welcomed wherever you go – whether you are Irish, Greek, Italian, Chinese, or from another culture. You don’t need to actually be Irish to celebrate. Toss on your St. Patrick’s Day top hat and lift your giant beer mug for a pint. Drink up with your favorite Irishmen and remember the old Irish saying, “In Heaven there is no beer, that is why we drink here.”