WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS ... Scrub the Microwave
Lemons don’t just add a tart flavor to your favorite desserts or cool you down in a refreshing drink on a hot summer day. In addition to bold flavors, lemons also have powerful cleaning properties. Their acidity and oils cut through grease and can sanitize many of your household items.
The best place to clean with a lemon is in the kitchen. For the microwave, simply juice a whole lemon into a bowl of water, then plop the used peels into the bowl. Microwave the mixture for a few minutes, let the bowl cool before removing it, then wipe away the grease in the microwave. You can also use this method for your oven. For odor-blocking properties, you can use a lemon as an air freshener. Leave half of a lemon in your refrigerator to trap and block potential smells and toss old lemon rinds down the garbage disposal. Run the disposal to clean the blades and freshen up the sink. As for your kitchen tools, don’t toss them out without trying this lemon trick first. Start by sprinkling salt on a wooden cutting board, then slice a lemon in half. Using half the lemon (flesh- side down) like a sponge, scrub the board really
well. Wipe and remove the leftover lemon juice and rinse the board before using it again. Not only will the board appear cleaner, but it also won’t smell as bad, and the bacteria will be gone. You can also use this method to polish dining ware, spruce up copper, and even remove stuck-on food from plates. Now, here’s the real secret: Once you master kitchen cleaning a la lemon, you can use these same principles to clean other parts of your house. For example, salt and lemon can be used to scrub grimy sinks and faucets, while a few squeezes of lemon juice in a cup of water makes an excellent cleaning solution for mirrors and windows. You can even make your own reusable cleaning spray by fermenting lemon peels — and the peels of other
M ental H ealth I ssues , Y our S pouse , and Y our I n -L aws citrus fruits — in white vinegar for two weeks. Remove the peels after two weeks and spritz the mixture over surfaces you need to clean! IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY
M ore than 50% of the population will be illnesses have a genetic component, it’s not unlikely that your spouse will have a mental illness or comes from a family with a history of mental illness. Instead of worrying about what could happen, learn how to live life normally as possible and cope with challenges. Set boundaries. If you have issues with your spouse’s family, it’s okay to set boundaries. Share your concerns with your spouse and set some rules. If they’re diagnosed with some sort of mental illness in their lifetime. Since most mental comfortable with it, limit visits with their family to once a week or once a month. Let your spouse know you love and accept them and their family, but you need boundaries to manage your feelings, too.
Learn about their illness. Your spouse’s family is your family, too. Instead of worrying about them, try to understand them. Learn about their illness and the ways it presents itself. Learn how to be an ally to them and better understand how they express themselves. There doesn’t have to be any ill will between you. Don’t be afraid to say “enough.” On the flip side, don’t overexert yourself trying to fit in. If your spouse’s family isn’t making an effort to get help or make you more comfortable, you may need to draw a line. Their mental illness does not excuse them from being rude or disrespectful to you. Find others to help you. Confide in your spouse or other family members about the problems you’re facing. If your spouse grew up with family members
who had a mental illness, they will be familiar with how to deal with them and they’ll have valuable input. They’ll help you learn about mental illness and how to not get taken advantage of. If they won’t help, get help from a therapist or support group. Determine if your spouse has a mental illness. If your spouse comes from a family with bipolar disorder, narcissism, or any other disorder, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll have that same problem. Talk to them in a nonjudgmental way about their mental health. See how they feel, and if there is concerning behavior, ask them if they want to seek help before things get worse. For more informative articles like this one, be sure to visit our blog at JustFamilyLaw.com/ family-law-expert-blog!
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