Car Kit Essentials: Basic to Advanced

Have you ever driven a car and wished you had something with you, but didn’t? Here are some basic car-kit essentials people should keep in their car to help ensure that they are prepared for the unexpected.  

Basic Car Kit must-haves: 

·     Insurance card, state registration, roadside assistance card, owner’s Manuel, vehicle maintenance checklist, car accident information gathering checklist 

·     Pen, small notepad, and paper atlas

·     USB cell phone car charger adapter and cable, or a portable charger/aux cord.

·     Car Cell phone holder

·     Jumper cables

·     Spare tire and jack

·     Tire pressure gauge

·     Reflective triangles/vest

·     Multifiber cloth

·     Flashlight with a long-lasting LED light

·     Ice scraper and snow chains

·     Standard First aid kit -- Alcohol pads, triple antibiotic ointment/Neosporin, Band-Aid, Tylenol/Ibuprofen, gauze, tape, small scissors

·     Simple tool kit -- Multitool or small knife, adjustable wrench, needle nose pliers with a cutting edge, screwdriver with multiple bits

·     20$ Cash and quarters

 

Advanced Car Kit must-haves:

·     Wet wipes, and kleenex

·     Sun screen, bug spray

·     Hand sanitizer

·     Umbrella, or poncho

·     Sunglasses

·     Picnic blanket

·     Bags

·     Air freshener

·     Mint, or Gum

·     Bottled water

·     Car Coffee mug

·     Car trunk organizer, or Utility tote for your specific lifestyle necessities; i.e., yoga mat, hiking backpack, child provisions etc.

 Personal touch-up Car Kit must haves:  

·     Lint roller

·     Mirror and hair compact, and/or comb

·     Chap stick and flosser picks 

·     Lotion 

·     Small deodorant stick and mini perfume bottle

·     Nail clipper, and Tweezers 

·     Mascara

·     Extra hair ties, and bobby pins

·     Feminine products—pads/tampons

·     Extra shoes— Comfy flats, flip flops

 

 

What essentials do you keep in your car? 

 

 

 

Photo source: autoquarterly.com

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Simple steps to clean your car & DIY car cleaning solutions

Depending on how dirty your car is, it is recommended to deep clean your car every month, or at least every six months. Here are simple steps to help make the process of cleaning your car easier, along with environmentally friendly DIY cleaning solutions. Make sure you set aside ~1 hour to clean your car. 

 

1.    Remove all items from your car. Use two bags: one for garbage to throw things away, and the other for miscellaneous items to sort and put back later. 

·     Remove the floor mats, and carseats as well.

2.    Vacuum the seats and floors in the back seat, then move towards doing the same in the front and the trunk. Remember to work from top to bottom. 

·     Ensure your vacuum has a strong suction, and don’t be afraid to use different vacuum attachments to help you get in between the crevices better.   

3.    Wipe the hard and then soft surfaces down such as dashboard, console, steering wheel, doors etc. with a microfiber cloth. Always do a spot test when using different cleaning solutions. 

·     Use a toothbrush to help scrub grime away. 

·     Use wet wipes to wipe surfaces down, including windows.

 ·     DIY Leather/Vinyl/plastic/Upholstery stain remover — Mix a few drops of liquid dish soap + water, or equal parts vinegar + water in a spray bottle in a spray bottle. 

·     DIY Upholstery stain remover— Mix equal parts rubbing alcohol + water in a spray bottle for stubborn stains. Avoid use on leather, since alkalotic solutions can cause leather to dry, crack and dull. 

·     DIY Carpet stain remover — Mix 1/3 hydrogen peroxide + 2/3 water + 5 drops of lemon essential oil to help remove carpet stains. Alternatively, you can use a pre-made carpet stain remover like, Resolve. 

·     DIY interior car polish — Apply vaseline, coconut oil, or olive oil to a separate clean/dry cloth and buff surface in a circular motion to add some shine. Remember to apply after you have cleaned the surface, and to wipe off excess solution so it doesn’t collect dust. 

4.    Wash the outside of the car with some soap and water using a microfiber mitt to hand-wash your car.

·     DIY Tire and hubcap shine — Mix ½ cup baking soda, 1 tbsp dish soap, and 2 cups of warm water in a bowl, and use a towel to gently scrub it onto the tires. Alternatively, you can use a pre-made tire shine spray. 

·     DIY exterior car polish — Mix ½ cup of hair conditioner with lanolin + 2 cups water to give the car a waxy finish 

·     Wash the floor mats with a soapy water and scrub brush, and let dry in sun.

 

5.    Place only necessary items back, in an organized way.

·     Depending on your lifestyle, create a snack basket, car kit etc., or get a trunk/back seat organizer to keep things organized. 

·     DIY trash container—Use a cereal container to collect trash in the car.

·     DIY air freshener — Place 5-10 drops of essential oil on a wooden clothespin and attach it to your cars air vent to help the car smell good.

 

6.    Ensure your car maintenance are up to date. For example, when did you last change your cabin air filter, transmission oil, windshield wipers, or add coolant, brake/Power-Steering/windshield wiper fluid?  In addition, check your tire quality, alignment, and pressure?

·     DIY windshield fluid— Mix 1 cup rubbing alcohol >90%, 1 tbsp liquid dish soap, and 1 gallon of water. To ensure it doesn’t freeze, let the solution sit out overnight before adding it. If the solution freezes overnight, you might need to add more alcohol for your climate.

 

 

What is your favorite car cleaning solution?

Photo source: www.rd.com

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Self Care: Nightly Routine

Having a nightly routine will help prepare you for the next day, help you create positive behaviors and habits, as well as help you get to bed on time to ensure you get enough sleep. Your personally established routine does not have to have hard core regimens with a lot of habits in it to be considered a good one, yet it should be something you can overall keep. 

First, find out what time you need to be in bed by considering what time you need to wake up, and what the recommended amounts of hours of sleep you need for your age group.

 

Alternatively, you can use the calculator on startsleeping.org to calculate the approximate best time to go to sleep and wake up based on an average sleep cycle of 90 minutes. This will help ensure that you sleep at least 5 sleep cycles, and wake up at the end of your sleeping cycle, rather than get interrupted during REM sleep, thus making you feel more relaxed in the morning. 

https://startsleeping.org/sleep-calculator/ 

 

Second, consider what nightly routines you would like to implement, and how much time each will take you to do. Then, set a wind down alarm to give yourself enough time to accomplish them before your bedtime; gradually limiting screen time. Here are some nightly habits you can implement into your nightly routine. Start with implementing three routines, and then gradually adding more as you feel appropriate.

 

1.    Take time to "Mise en place" (10min)

·     Clean up and organize your environment (bedroom, workspace, kitchen) to help reset your living space for the next day, putting everything in its place, aka “mise en place.”

2.    Hydrate yourself  (5 min)

·     Drink a warm beverage, or cup of lemon water. 

3.    Brush your teeth (5 min)

·     If needed, this is also a good time to shower. 

4.    Exercise (30 min)

·     Follow along to a yoga/stretching exercise video, or perhaps go for a walk. 

5.    Reflect on the day passed (10 min)

·     List 3 things you are grateful for and/or have achieved, as well as what you would like to improve moving forward. 

·     Reflect on what kind of person you would like to be, and how you would like to feel the next day. That way, you are more like a regulating thermostat, rather than a reactive thermometer just responding to your environment.

·     Gain awareness of yourself and determine what your values and priorities are to help you visualize your ideal self, and start transforming your life to reflect your dream.

·     Read/say positive affirmations out loud, and set an intention of how you want to rise.

 ·     Journal, write, draw, read, pray/meditate.

6.    Plan and prepare for the next day (10 min)

·     List 3 things you would like to achieve tomorrow, and consider what goal will create a “Celebratory moment” when you look back at the end of the day and say, “yes, today was a great day.”

·     Help cut down on decision making by choosing and setting out tomorrow’s daily outfit, workout clothes, filling your water bottle, charging your headphones, and packing your bag if you will be going somewhere the next day.

 

7.    Get ready for bed (5 min) 

·     Put on your pajamas and fluffy socks

·     Say good night to your family, and set the alarm for the next day. Ensure your room is pitch black to assist your body in further relaxing and getting into a sleeping mode. 

What nightly routines do you have for yourself? 

Photo source: soundoasis.com

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Top 20+ Eastern European cookies and others!

The Christmas Advent season is typically the time of year that people gather with their loved ones, and often times bake! Holiday cookie-making is a tradition many incorporate with their families as they enjoy each other's presence, and create new memories together. If you decide to occasionally indulge, or even want to create a handmade cookie gift package for others during this season, here are the top 20+ primarily Eastern European cookies, and other well loved cookies organized by cookie type. Enjoy!

 

1.    Drop cookie type- Cookie dough that is scooped and dropped onto a baking sheet. Usually, the butter and sugar are beaten before the eggs, and dry ingredients are added. 

·     Jam thumbprint nut cookies with sesame seeds

·     Glazed “Pryaniki,” or gingerbread cookies*

·     Poppy seed Sugar cookie*

·     Almond Snowball tea cookies*

·     Almond Amaretti cookies

·     Truffle cookie kisses

·     Coconut macaroons

·     Lemon crinkle cookies

2.    Bar cookie type– Cookie dough, or batter that is pressed, or poured into a pan to bake. Usually, they are cut into bars, squares, or diamonds. 

·     “Tertiy Pirog,” or Strawberry/Cranberry cookie bar*

·     “Zakarpatcki Palochki,” or Poppy seed bars*

·     Chocolate chip cookie bar

·     Almond Toffee bar

 

3.    Rolled and Cut out cookie type– Cookie dough is usually rolled out and then cut out before baking.

·     Ricotta, or Farmers’ cheese cookies*

·     “Rogaliki,” or Rugelach Crescent cookies*

·     “Rakushki,” or Walnut shell merengue cookies* 

·     Cottage cheese shell cookies

·     Poppy Seed Hamantaschen

·     Nutty Shortbread cookies

·     Elephant ears/Palmiers with Nutella and hazelnut cookies

 

4.    Sandwich cookie type– Two Cookies with a filling in between.

·     “Zirochki,” “Pisochnoe Pirozhnoe,” or Jam filled Linzer cookies*

·     Dulce De Leche Sandwich cookies* 

·     Italian Baci de Dama hazelnut cookies with dark chocolate

·     French Macaroons

5.    Refrigerator/Ice-box, or Slice and bake cookie type – Cookie dough that is formed into a log, refrigerated until dough is firm, and then sliced into round cookies 

·     Chocolate  Kielbasa*

·     Zebra walnut cookies*

·     Biscotti with dried fruits and nuts.

·     Shortbread cookie with dried fruits and nuts.

6.    No-bake cookie type– Cookies you don’t have to turn on the oven for. 

·     “Kartoshka,” or potato cookies*

·      Dulce De Leche wafer cookies*

·     Chocolate covered Biscuit/Oreo no-bake truffles

·     White chocolate peppermint oreo cookies

·     English fridge no-bake cake bars

7.    Pressed cookie type – Cookie dough is pressed through a type of pastry tube 

·     Butter spritz cookies with jam 

·     Meat grinder cookies

8.    Specialty- Cookies that don’t quite fit in the other categories…

·     “Persiki,” or peach cookies*

·     “Ezhiki,” or hedgehog cookies*

·      Meringue “Beze” cookies*

·     “Oreshki” or walnut shaped cookie*

·     “Gribochki,” or mushroom shaped cookie*

·     “Zefir,” marshmallow cookies*

·     Kolaczki Jam cookies

·     Nutty crescent finger cookies

  

        Common cookie toppings/fillings:

·   Chopped nuts (walnuts, hazelnut, pistachios, almond, pecan) 

·   Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries, apricots, prunes)

·   Grated or melted white/dark Chocolate

·   Jam (strawberry, raspberry, apricot, plum, nutella)

·   Powdered sugar, Cocoa powder, Colored sugar, Peppermint 

·   Coconut flakes, Poppy seeds, Sesame seeds

What is your favorite cookie to make during the holidays? 

 

 

Photo source: valentinascorner.com; natashaskitchen.com; curiouscuisiniere.com; olgainthekitchen.com; valyastasteofhome.com; letthebakingbegin.com

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