HELPFUL HINTS
Posted: August 27, 2009 at 3:56 a.m.
LITTLE ROCK — DEAR HELOISE: My frequently asking "Are we there yet?" on a vacation trip when I was 8 years old made my father pull off the road to show me his map. He said: "We are in this town, and this is the direction we are going. See this little circle? That's the next town, and the tiny numbers between towns show the mileage between them. Now, how many miles is it to the next town?" Placing the map on my lap, he then said, "You are now my navigator."
As we approached the next town, he pointed out the population sign, and we read signs and billboards to see what some of the businesses were. From that day, I never asked the question "Are we there yet?"
The next year, my dad brought another map with us. I learned geography as I looked up the altitude of mountains that we went around and the names of the valleys and rivers between them. When we drove through the countryside, I also learned to recognize crops and different colors of wheat and oat fields. And it all started with "Are we there yet?"
Being a navigator could be rotated between several children in a family, and it could encourage them to look outside of car windows instead of being focused on inside entertainment.
- Mae M., Houston
DEAR HELOISE: Here are two of my favorite hints:
I like the cube box of tissues, but find them more expensive. I buy the large-size oblong box and slit the cube open at the side to "refill" it. I fasten it with clear tape, and the cube lasts for several months.
I have a large family that comes to visit from out of town. Not having enough towel rods, I take pants hangers that hold four to five pairs of pants and hang them on the back of the bathroom door.
- Barbara Baker, La Habra, Calif. Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or e-mail
Weekend, Pages 35 on 08/27/2009
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