Make a Midlife Crisis Work for You

Rather than letting fear and anxiety restrict your life choices and leave you in a rut, experts say you can look at a midlife crisis as an opportunity for personal growth.
Linda Sapadin, author of Master Your Fears: How to Triumph over Your Worries and Get on with Your Life, recommends these steps for using a midlife crisis to your advantage:

1) Do one gutsy thing. Do something despite feeling uncomfortable or fearful about it. "That's one way to move outside of your comfort zone, rather than be depressed, anxious, or dissatisfied, which is the essence of a midlife crisis," says Sapadin.

2) Use children as role models. Most people are ashamed to admit they're jealous of their kids. But you could look to them as role models during this time. If they're not afraid to take a risk or do something, you may be able to learn from them and become more socially and physically active.

3) Delight in difficulty. Reframe how you think about difficulty. Rather than thinking of something difficult as exhausting or that you can't do it, think of it as an opportunity to pick up skills you never thought you'd have, such as taking up a new sport or hobby. You can do it as an individual, couple, or as a family.

"When people at midlife stop worrying so much about pleasing others and measuring themselves by other peoples' standards, then they begin to think more about what they want, and that is a positive aspect of a midlife crisis," says Sapadin.

By Jennifer Warner

Our motto: One step ahead, everyday.

Removal of stain

10 Rules for Stain Removal

Stain removal is one of the most crucial parts of handling your family's laundry. These 10 rules are basic for any type of stain removal.

Timing
Take care of stains as soon as possible. Fresh stains are much easier to remove than those over 24 hours old.

First things first
Blot up any excess stain liquid with a clean white cloth or paper towel. Avoid rubbing the stained area with a linty terry towel or a dark-colored cloth. You may make matters worse. Remove excess solids by gently scraping with a dull knife or metal spatula. With some solids, such as mud, removal may be easier after the stain has dried. Brush off the excess before the garment is submerged for washing.

Check before washing
If you do the laundry for the whole family, they may not have told you about a stain. Teach your family to tell you about stains or mark them with a clothespin. Always check before washing, many stains need pretreatment.

No soap
Never rub a fresh stain with bar soap which sets many stains.
Check before washing
If you do the laundry for the whole family, they may not have told you about a stain. Teach your family to tell you about stains or mark them with a clothespin. Always check before washing, many stains need pretreatment.

Check again
Stains slip by us all. But it helps to inspect wet laundry before drying. If a stain is still evident, do not dryer dry. The heat of the dryer makes the stain more permanent. Same principle applies to ironing - no heat should be added to stained areas.

This is only a test
Before starting on the stain, test the stain removal agents on a seam or hidden area of the garment to be sure they do not affect the color or finish of the fabric.

A gentle touch
Avoid excessive rubbing unless the fabric is tough and durable. Rubbing can spread the stain and damage the fabric. However, gentle to vigorous rubbing under running water helps remove dried food, blood or oil stains from shirts or jean-weight fabrics made of cotton or cotton blends.

Separate and conquer
Wash heavily stained items separately. Soil and stains can be redeposited on cleaner clothing during laundering if too little detergent is used, water temperature is too low, washing time is too long or the wash is overloaded. Never wash family clothes with pesticide-soiled clothes.

Go for the cold
Avoid using hot water on stains of unknown origin. Hot water can set protein stains like milk, egg or blood.

Except sometimes
Use the water temperature recommended on stain removal products and detergents. Hot water should be between 120 and 140 degrees F, warm water between 85 and 105 degrees F and cold water between 65 and 75 degrees F. Water below 60 degrees is too cold for detergents to be helpful.

By Mary Marlowe Leverette, About.com

Remember a stain on you cloth or character leaks your self esteem.