LITTLE ROCK — DEAR HELOISE: I have a complaint about my doctor’s office. They requested and wrote down the phone number to reach me in the daytime because I work full time, as many people do. Lo and behold, they leave messages on my home phone. If they had not specifically asked me which number to call, I wouldn’t be so frustrated. Please, doctors or other businesses, call the number we give you.
- Alice in Connecticut
DEAR READER: This can be frustrating on many levels. You need to stress which phone number is the first contact number. Sadly, I’ve had messages from someone else’s doctor left on my answering machine. So that means the person did not get the message. Also, I have had people leave me a message for their doctor. I call that doctor’s office and tell them the patient called me by mistake.
DEAR HELOISE: My husband and I went to dinner the other night, and I brought home leftovers. Unfortunately, I forgot them in my car. When I went to get into my car the next day, the odor was unbearable! How can I get the smell out?
- Juliette in Wisconsin
DEAR READER: After removing the spoils, the first thing is to open all the windows and let the car air out. Then try an ozone-type spray (not an air freshener with a scent) that kills bacteria.
DEAR HELOISE: When my daughter showers, she washes her hair first. Then she leaves the conditioner in while she washes up. I always did the opposite and would stand there running the water for two or three minutes while my hair conditioned.
Now I save a few gallons of water every day, and my hair gets conditioned for a few extra minutes, too. As for saving time, three or more extra minutes in the morning come in handy for grabbing a cup of coffee before going to work.
- A Reader, via e-mail
DEAR HELOISE: To get my picky toddler to eat more vegetables, I sneak baby food into his favorite meals. I mix sweet potatoes and carrots into his mac and cheese, smear squash on the inside of his grilled-cheese sandwiches, mix peas into muffins and use any variety of vegetable in a red pasta sauce. Because they’re purees, my boy can’t tell they’re there!
- Abigail B. in California
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
ActiveStyle, Pages 26 on 07/23/2012