FitSugar

Do You Label Your Shelves and Storage Units?

Julia Walsh — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 08:00:45 PDT

I recently gave my closets a serious cleanse, and I'm concentrating on being the most neat and organized version of myself. I've been promptly hanging up my dresses and folding my sweaters, slipping my shoes into their little hanging cubbies, and making my bed every morning.

That said, the most organized version of myself is not a person who labels her shelves - or anything for that matter. The categorized sections of my closet are all mental ones, and until I have someone else putting away my laundry, I suspect they will remain that way. How about you?

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Tag It and Keep Track of Your Kiddo's Things

LilSugar — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:00:07 PDT

Whether you tag your lil one's items by choice or to meet day and overnight camp requirements, most mamas don't have the time to stitch the tickets through all of their children's goods. From traditional sewn-in labels to ink stamps and permanent markers, we've rounded up several shortcuts for completing the chore.

A self-inking stamper like the Deluxe Marking Kit ($35) gets tots in on the action. With permanent ink and interchangeable stamps, the kit can be used for several camp seasons.
Iron-on labels make adhering a cinch. Available in a variety of designs, classic name labels ($6 for 60) are mommy's lil helper.
For those who label at the last minute, the Sharpie Laundry Pen ($1) is the permanent scribbler of choice available in a variety of widths.
Mums looking for a sticky fix will get stuck on Stikins Clothing Labels ($25 for 60), which can handle a toss in the washer and dryer.
Those handy with a label maker can type the camper's name into the gadget and spit out Fabric Iron-On Tape labels ($24).

Simple Tip: Label Plastic Wrap With Cheese's First Initial

partysugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:30:05 PDT

Thanks to Say Cheese!, my weekly series featuring different types of cheese, the charcuterie drawer in my refrigerator is full of cheese. However, when the packaging is removed and the cheese is partially grated, many of them look the same. To ensure that I don't confuse the pecorino with the parmesan, I've started labeling them.

Here's how you do it: instead of writing out the cheese's entire name, simply write the first initial, like A for asaigo or R for romano. For easy identification, use a thick, colored Sharpie. Place the labeled cheese in the drawer with the initial facing up.

Are you an avid cheese eater? How do you distinguish one opened cheese from the other?

Etiquette Past vs. Present: Introducing Your Significant Other

DearSugar — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 07:30:00 PDT

I don't know about you, but when I'm dating someone, and we're in an established relationship, I like to be introduced as what I am - their girlfriend. Often times, though, men don't feel comfortable putting labels on their mate, and Emily Post agrees with this practice:

The English language may contain more words than any other, but it has yet to supply satisfactory designations for people in intimate relationships other than "husband" and "wife" and the French "fiance" and "fiancee." So begin with the introduction basics: a gracious exchange of names. Spelling out relationships in an introduction can be a distraction and may make people uneasy.

I happen to think not explaining the relationship makes things more awkward, especially for the person being introduced, but what do you think? Do you prefer to be introduced with a title that explains your relationship, or are you completely indifferent?

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Are You Label Able?

FitSugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:00:00 PDT

One diversion to buying healthy foods is figuring out what the labels mean. It can be tough and misleading at times, but the sooner you learn. the easier it will be for you to make smart decisions at the grocery store. So put your label smarts to the test in this five question quiz. Good luck!

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Take the Quiz

Lil Find: Stuck On You

babysugar — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 08:06:37 PST

Do you have trouble keeping track of your kid's belongings? Maybe it's not your fault since junior likes to hurl things from the stroller when you're not looking.

Now there's no excuse. Stuck On You provides you with all the supplies you need to stay organized. Order personalized labels and stickers for cups, food containers, pencils, clothes and even shoes. For valuable items like luggage or backpacks, you can order specialized tags with any information you want included.

And for parents of children with allergies, Stuck On You sells nut, egg, and dairy free labels. Wristband labels are also available and can come in handy when you're anticipating being in large crowds. If your lil one wanders off, his information will be wrapped around his wrist making it easier to connect him back to you.

Do You Read Nutritional Labels?

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 07:30:00 PST

Me, I read a label pretty thoroughly and consistently. I like to know what I am putting into my body, good or bad. However, I always find it interesting that my husband will eat just about anything that sounds good to him without so much as glancing at the label - reading the label is not something that he even thinks about (even while being married to FitSugar). I know my husband is not alone in this, so what about you guys?

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Personalized Wine Bottles

YumSugar — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 09:51:32 PDT

While searching the web to find the best wedding planning ideas out there, I came across these personalized wine & champagne labels. You choose from a label template, personalize it with your information and images, and choose the bottle of wine you put it on. It would make for a great anytime gift (favors for your bridesmaids perhaps? housewarming? anniversary?) or as a superb wedding favor (assuming your wedding favor budget is larger, or your wedding is small, half bottles are $10+ each).

Alternatively, you can order the customized labels only from Stoney Creek Wine Press. The price is around 80 cents per label with an additional setup cost starting around $10.

The New Trans Fat: Interesterified Oil

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 08:45:00 PDT

As you know, I have been pretty thrilled about all the bans on trans fat happening worldwide, but of course food makers are finding a way to still make food cheap and unhealthy, without the trans fat. Enter Interesterified Oils.

Being confused about it myself, I decided to look to Mr. Seth Braun, natural health expert and author of healthyfastandcheap.com, because he's really done his research on this new type of oil:

Food manufacturers are getting around the trans fat labeling by mixing small amounts of fully hydrogenated oil with liquid polyunsaturate oils and calling “interesterified oil.” They claim that fully hydrogenated oil is healthier. Since there is less trans fat, they can sell this product to food manufacturers for use in commercial dressings, baked goods, candies and anything else that used to have partially hydrogenated oil in the ingredient list.

In plain english, interestification means mixing fully hydrogenated oil with liquid polyunsaturate oil to produce a consistency similar to partially hydrogenated oil, which is the source of trans fats. The solution to the trans fat problem; from the manufacturer perspective!

So what's the moral of the story? Read those labels folks. Food makers are in the business of not only making food, but also in the business of making money. If it has interesterified oils listed, chances are it has trans fat too.

Trans Fat Label Confusion

FitSugar — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 04:00:00 PST

Have you ever noticed that even though a label may say there are zero grams of trans fat, you see in the ingredients that there is some form of hydrogenated oils? How could this be?

The reasoning is simple. As of Jan. 1, 2006, the FDA required food companies to list trans fat content separately on the Nutrition Facts panel of all packaged foods. This way consumers can easily see how much trans fats are in the foods they choose. Awesome.

However, food and beverage companies only have to list the trans fat amounts if one serving has 0.5 gram or more. Therefore, we should be aware that just because we see zero trans fat on the label of the product, this does not mean that the product is trans free. Don't be too worried because while there may be a trace amount of trans fat in each serving, researchers have found that the amount of partially hydrogenated oil is so small that trans fat content is nutritionally insignificant, unless large amounts of the food are consumed.