Because peas are a natural product, the package may contain small stones, dirt, or pea pod fragments. Sift through the dried split peas with your fingers and pick these out. Once you're left with just peas, rinse them in a fine mesh strainer to clean off dust. Split peas cook relatively quickly, so soaking is not necessary. That said, you can speed up the cooking time by soaking them in a covered pot of water for four hours, or overnight. Chop up the carrots, onions, and celery, plus other vegetables if desired. Chop finely for a thin soup, or into to " (6 to 12 mm) chunks for a more stew-like meal. Optionally, save half a carrot to grate over the top of the serving bowl.
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One-sentence summary -- Sort and rinse the peas. Soak the peas (optional). Chop the vegetables.

Push for more frequent and extensive evaluations of individual schools. Brainstorm potential consequences for low testing scores and then implement them so that the teachers and administrators at schools are more motivated to help their students test well. This should help keep individual schools from slipping through the cracks by encouraging all public schools to strive for the same standard. Push for school choice, so that parents have the ability to move their children to a better school if the one they're currently attending is failing. This can also act as a motivator for teachers and administrators to provide the best education possible, so that the most motivated students want to attend their school. Innovation provides learning alternatives and can also make learning more efficient. Encourage innovation and allocate money towards it if possible, as new technologies can aid students with learning disabilities, serve as an alternative teaching method, and engage students more. Support higher standards in curriculum and also encourage programs like STEM that teach students about subject areas that are highly valued in the working world. This should help more students graduate high school, get into college, and become successful in the long run. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math.
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One-sentence summary -- Hold underperforming schools accountable so that they evolve. Allow parents to choose where their children attend to motivate schools. Support technology in the classroom to vary the learning process. Push higher standards and support STEM programs to prepare students.

and brush your dog. There is no set frequency and over-bathing can dry out the skin and coat. Around once a month is considered a good compromise, with some dogs needing bathing more frequently and others less depending on how dirty your dog gets. You will also need to brush or comb their hair at least once daily in order to prevent matting of the fur. Shih Tzu have a coat of hair, not fur. This means that their coat will not shed. Just like human hair, Shih Tzu hair needs to be taken care of or it will become a knotted mess. Pay particular attention to the hair around your dog's eyes. If you leave their hair long, you will need to tie the hair around their eyes up. This will help to keep the hair out of their eyes and out of their food and water dishes. the dog's hair regularly. Because Shih Tzu don't shed, their hair can grow very, very long. Take the time to have you dog's hair cut so that it does not become unmanageable. If you are not showing your Shih Tzu, consider giving it a short "puppy" cut, instead of the classic long show coat for ease of care. Pay particular attention to the dog's eye area but be careful when using scissors around your them! It's important to trim the hair around their eyes so that your dog's eyes stay clean and so that they can see but it can be difficult to keep them still enough. Just take your time and be cautious. You may even want to recruit a helper to hold your pup still. Shih Tzu should be groomed at least every two or three weeks for optimal health. If you like to groom your Shih Tzu yourself but can't do it every other week, try taking your pup to the groomers in between times you do it yourself.
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One-sentence summary -- Bathe Trim Take your Shih Tzu to a professional groomer if you can't take care of the dog's grooming yourself.

Because astringents remove excess oil from the surface of your skin, they can also help prevent clogged pores and acne. If you want to add even more acne-fighting power, find an astringent with a blemish fighting ingredient like salicylic acid or glycolic acid listed among the active ingredients. For acne-prone skin that is not oily, skip the astringent. Drying your skin out too much may increase your breakouts. If your skin is prone to redness or irritation, take special care when choosing an astringent. Alcohol-free astringents are much gentler on the skin. If you feel any burning or stinging, or if your face turns red after applying astringent, stop using it. Other ingredients you may want to avoid if you have sensitive skin include fragrances, colorants, menthol, and sodium lauryl sulfate. If you already have dry skin, an astringent can take out even more moisture and make the problem worse. In this case, you may consider using a toner instead of astringent. They have the same cleansing properties as astringents, but they can help soothe and draw moisture back into the skin. Toners also prime the skin so your moisturizer can penetrate even deeper. To soothe dry skin, look for moisture-enhancing ingredients in your toner like glycerine, propylene glycol, butylene glycol, aloe, hyaluronic acid, and sodium lactate. Witch hazel is a natural astringent made from the bark and leaves of a plant called Hamamelis virginiana. The astringent properties of witch hazel come from natural compounds called tannins. It is a quite gentle astringent that usually works well for all skin types. Sometimes witch hazel products have high concentrations of alcohol. If you want to find the most gentle form of witch hazel, check the ingredients to make sure there is no alcohol, and look for "witch hazel extract" in the ingredient list instead of "witch hazel distillate".
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One-sentence summary --
Use astringents with blemish-fighting ingredients for acne-prone skin. Choose alcohol-free astringents if you have sensitive skin. Consider using a toner instead of an astringent for dry skin. Try using witch hazel if you are unsure what to choose.