What to do with those socks that have no mates? They still have lots of uses, says a mom who goes by the screen name KnJ on www.HawaiiMoms.com: If your child's or your shoe gets wet, fill a sock with uncooked rice and stick it in the shoe overnight to absorb the moisture. You can also fill a sock with potpourri, warm it in the microwave and wear it around your neck, KnJ wrote. "It relaxes me and also helps me keep a good posture while I'm at work typing on the computer. It also works on my son; it calms him down."

Got tips to share? Submit them at www.hawaiimoms.com or to hawaiimoms@honoluluadvertiser.com.

WALKING REALLY CAN BE A WORKOUT

Many people don't think that walking is real exercise — but a recent research study, comparing sedentary adults who ran 20 or 12 miles a week and those who walked 12 miles a week, showed that all saw improvement in fitness. What mattered more was the duration of the exercise, rather than the intensity; walking 150 minutes a week or 30 minutes a day produced measurable improvements. So get out and walk regularly. Start with 10 minutes. The more you walk, the faster you will be able to go.

For more tips on walking, see www.healthyhawaii.com. Step it up, Hawai'i.

— Jay Maddock and Katie Richards

FINAL WORD

"I like the music I make, and I know a lot of surfers do. But there are surfers who don't. There's this band called the Goons of Doom that has this line, 'I'd rather smoke napalm out of a bong/ Than have to hear another Jack Johnson song.' I was so stoked when I heard that."

Jack Johnson | in Spin magazine