Keeping some Vicks

in strategic locations throughout your home is a handy little tip that I learned once in a book, of which I unfortunately cannot remember the title.

The book was about a crime scene investigator....yes, I have had a long and entirely unexplained propensity for literature that is macabre.....

The crime scene investigator kept a jar of Vicks in her kit for when the odor from a crime scene might become, well, a little overwhelming. She would put it under her nose, thereby cancelling out much of the nasty scent.

After finishing the book, I didn't dwell too much on the plot or minute details as I have with other books...i.e. Harry Potter....until I had a child throw up and Jay was out of town. Faced with the disgusting task that we've all undertaken at one time or another, I started to clean when suddenly, the book and the use of Vicks popped into my head. A ha! Before I did anything else, I ran to my bathroom and grabbed my Vicks, put some under my nose, and went back to work. Did it make the job easier? You bet! It was still gross, mind you, but it's the rather disgusting smell that usually pushes me over the edge and the Vicks pretty much cancelled that out.

Now I keep some upstairs and downstairs. And I unfortunately got to use my Vicks last weekend when Rachel's friend who was sleeping over, threw up in the middle of the night. Though it's not a tip or suggestion you look forward to testing, you'll be appreciative when you have to put it into action.

And as much as I love Harry Potter, it's never given me such a practical solution for every day life. Now if I actually had a wand.......