Olympic organizers faced a lot of obstacles this time around, but not even the warmest winter in modern history could ruin the fun.

Final medal count for Canada was an impressive 26, with a Winter Games record 14 gold medals! But perhaps more significantly, our athletes and Olympic attendees displayed the sportsmanship and friendship for which Canada has become known.

Congratulations to our Olympic Athletes, their coaches and trainers, and all of those who helped make the 2010 Vancouver Olympics a global success. And Good Luck to all Paralympic participants in their quest for a medal. Keep it going, Canada!

Whether getting your home ready for sale or just keeping the household in order, decluttering can be a rewarding experience – a kind of cleansing that makes you feel - and your home look - revitalized.

Try these simple tips to get the ball rolling;

1. Declutter regularly. Just 15 minutes each day will quickly add up but it won’t feel like as much of a chore as designating an entire Saturday afternoon to the task. And every day you get to feel good about your progress, spurring you on to keep up the program.
2. End-of-season clothes clear out. As soon as winter has passed, go through your winter wear and remove anything that didn’t get worn this season, is worn-out, or that has lost its appeal. Plan to do the same after spring ends.
3. Declutter donation. Just because you don’t use it anymore doesn’t mean it’s not of value to someone else. Giving to others is always a good thing.
4. Declutter for dough. List and set aside all items that you feel are worth selling and either call the local paper to advertise them, or hold a garage sale – when the weather warms up a bit.
5. Get the kids involved – especially if the clutter includes stuff of theirs. Knowing obsolete toys and clothing will be used and enjoyed by other children will make children feel good, too. If you plan a sale, let them share in the revenue or buy them something special. 
6. Stop the clutter. Maintain your decluttered home by vowing not to buy stuff you don’t actually need. When you replace or upgrade something, dispense of the old one right away.

“Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence. Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance. Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence. Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance.”
~ Yoko Ono

The current and future cost of energy is on a lot of Canadians minds. When considering energy-saving home improvement, it can help to know where the energy goes.

There are many factors that can affect the amount of energy you use, such as size and location of your home, annual variations in weather, efficiency of your furnace and other appliances, thermostat settings, number of occupants and the local cost of energy.

The following list shows the 5 main uses of energy in our homes, displaying the percentage of total energy used and the associated cost based on an annual energy bill of $2,000*

Space heating - 57-62% ($1,425 - $1,550)
Water heating - 20-21% ($500 - $525)
Appliances - 12-13% ($300 - $325)
Lighting - 4-5% ($100 - $125)
Cooling - 0-7% ($0 - $250)

* Source: Data for Ontario, 2004-Office of Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources Canada and Statistics Canada.

From chilly Olympians to lazy umpires, the sports world is full of oddities and weird facts. Did j’a know;

• In ancient Rome, Olympic participants competed in the nude!

• The NHL tradition of the home teams wearing white jerseys and visiting teams wearing dark jerseys was started in the 1960’s because they figured it would be more difficult to keep white uniforms clean while on the road.

• Shaquille O'Neal puts on a new pair of shoes before every game – size 22!

• The phrase "It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye." comes from Ancient Roman wrestling matches where the only way to be disqualified was to poke someone's eye out.

• A yo-yo was first used as a weapon in the Philippine Islands in the 16th century.  It weighed 2 k (4 lbs) and had a 7 m (20 ft) cord.

• SCUBA divers cannot pass gas at depths below 10 m (33 ft).

• Baseball greats aren't always great pinch-hitters; Ty Cobb had a .217 average, Pete Rose .250, Babe Ruth .194, Ted Williams .297 and Jackie Robinson .175.

• Average life span of a major league baseball is 7 pitches.

• Each year 3,000 cows are needed to supply the NFL with enough leather for footballs. Each game must have 26 ready to go!

• There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.

• Before 1859, baseball umpires sat in a padded rocking chair behind the catcher.

Maple Syrup Recipes – It’s all natural goodness makes maple syrup a big hit in our house. We’ve been out for about a month now, so when this year’s bounty is ready, we plan to enjoy it. Check out these interesting recipes for ideas. Try the Caramelized Maple Popcorn Sauce – it’s wonderful!

Household Budget Tips – As the saying goes, ‘it’s not what you make, it’s what you spend’. If your earning and spending aren’t jiving, or if you just need to revise your plan, check out this site for some great tips and tools.

Stalking the Wild Groundnut – Check out this article - really interesting! It’s about a native plant – the wild groundnut - that was used for food by almost everyone in the past, but has since been forgotten.  They’re supposed to taste good and be good for you.

March Break Activities – You can never have enough ideas to keep kids busy during the March break, no matter what age. This Canadian Living site has some good ideas.

• What is the difference between an upset rabbit and a counterfeit banknote? One is bad money and the other is a mad bunny.
• Why did the Easter egg hide? He was a little chicken.
• What do you get when you cross a bunny with an onion? A bunion.
• What does a bunny use when it goes swimming? A hare-net.
• What do you get when you pour hot water down a rabbit hole? A hot cross bunny.
• How does the Easter Bunny stay fit? EGG-xercise and HARE-robics.
• Why shouldn’t you tell an Easter egg a joke? It might crack up.
• Why is a bunny the luckiest animal in the world? It has four rabbits' feet.
• What do you call a line of rabbits walking backwards? A receding hareline.
• How do you make a rabbit stew? Make it wait for 3 hours.
• How does Easter end? With the letter R, silly.

Easter Quiz - Allan, age 7, says, “I answered almost all the questions right in this Easter Quiz. It’s pretty hard, but you should try it anyway because it’s fun. I even got a better score than my older sister.”

Easter Eggs - Marnie, age 8, says, “Easter is my favourite time of year next to Christmas. This year Mom said we could decorate the house with Easter stuff. So we’re making eggs. This site has lots of great ideas. I think I like the Jeweled Eggs best.”

March Break Cooking - Jessica, age 11, says, “My mom is going to help some friends and I make some recipes during the holidays. This site has hundreds of ideas for kids. Try the Hamburger Cookies.”

Amazing Photographs - Kyle, age 13, says, “You have to check out these pictures. Amazing! This site has all sorts of really sick pics. They haven’t even been photo-shopped.”

People spend a lot of time looking for information on the net. But when your web searches yield a ton of results and force you to pick through vague and non-applicable sites, improve results by adding a minus sign and ‘subtract’ what you don’t want.

For example, if you are looking for a new MAC laptop computer, typing ‘MAC laptop computer’ into the search field will be better than typing simply ‘laptops’, but you will still get info you don’t want. Narrow the results by adding ‘-desktop’ or ‘-windows’, or subtract any other word you see appearing often in the search results that isn’t what you want.

One really tough spot to paint is behind a toilet or radiator. One look behind either will usually support this statement. But there is an easy tool you can make - a thin, disposable paintbrush - to paint tight spots like these.

Buy a replacement pad for one of those devices designed for ‘edge-painting’ (found at any hardware or paint supply stores for a couple of bucks) and glue it to a paint stir stick.

Voila! Your troubles are over.

“Coffee isn't my cup of tea.” ~ Samuel Goldwyn

“I do benefits for all religions. I'd hate to blow the hereafter on a technicality.” ~ Bob Hope

“Never stand between a dog and the hydrant.” ~ John Peers

“The shortest distance between two points is under construction.” ~ Noelie Altito