Let’s face it: Kids like playing in the dirt. Toddlers are fascinated by making mud puddles. Preschoolers and school-age kids like to make them, then play in them. And older school-age kids take this love of mud to a new level: they play soccer, baseball, softball, or football. Which means that at some point in …
(UPDATED FOR 2021) As I’ve written elsewhere, once upon a time I was the Queen of Getting Things Done. Then I had kids, and my productivity mojo vanished. It’s taken a long time for me to reclaim it. But now that I have, I can’t wait to share with you the secret of how to …
How to Reach Your Goals This Year (Free Printable!) Read More »
My Seven Fave Supermarket Hacks and Shopping Tips for Busy, Budget-Conscious Parents: I love a morning of leisurely shopping as much as anyone. But ever since I became a parent, running errands has become more like a tactical strike operation. While single me would spend an hour of Sunday afternoon browsing store ads for the …
How To Cook Dried Beans In A Slow Cooker: Even if you didn’t cook at home much before, I’m betting that recent global events have you spending more time than ever in your kitchen: Restaurants are closed except for takeout and/or delivery. Store shelves are often out of half of what you want. And if …
The EASIEST Way To Cook Dried Beans (Foolproof and No-Fuss!) Read More »
Want to know how to lose weight and keep it off? This program did it for me: Do you struggle to make healthy eating choices, squeeze in exercise, eat a balanced diet, or resist that sweet treat or second helping of dessert? If you answered “yes” to any of these, I’m guessing you may have …
My Fave Mom Hacks for Getting Stuff Done: If you’re a parent, I am betting there are never enough hours in the day. Ever wish you could clone yourself, or have that magic tool Hermione used in Harry Potter to get twice as much done at once? If so, Mamas, you should seriously consider putting …
Do you like to entertain around the holidays? Even if you’re not much for entertaining the rest of the year, the holidays are often a time to host friends as well as family for get-togethers over dinner. Hosting a holiday dinner party can be hugely stressful, though. Unless you make a stress-proof plan ahead of …
Could You Save Money On Your Energy Bills? How much do you spend each month on your basic utilities – your electricity, water, and natural gas or other heating fuel? I’ve met few people who wouldn’t like to lower these bills. Whether your goal is to save the planet or just to save money, there …
No matter where your family stands financially, who doesn’t like to save a little extra money when they can? I love a good bargain, and I especially love finding ways to save on everyday purchases – those things you know you’re gonna buy, no matter what. Who doesn’t? Saving money has gone so far beyond …
Ways To Make Your Money Go Further Each Month: At the start of every year, people make all sorts of promises to themselves. They will make more. They will save more. And they will be smarter with their money. Yet by this point in the year, many of us are wondering what happened, and where …
Why The 25 Percent Rule For Housing Is Your Family’s Best Friend: How much do you spend each month on your housing expenses? If you’re following a family budget, chances are good you’ve done the math. But if you’re like many families in today’s economy, you’re probably still spending way too much on housing: Housing …
How to Find High-Quality Affordable Furnishings Online: Have you ever bought furniture online? It’s a catch-22 that so many of us in the U.S., who used to rely on things like upscale national-chain department stores for furniture buys, now HAVE to resort to online buying because our local upscale department stores have either gone bankrupt, …
Buying Furniture Online Made Easy: Tips and Tricks to Save Time and Money Read More »
We know, we know – eating healthily sounds like a great idea in theory, but actually DOING it seems darn near impossible. You’re a busy family; grownups work, kids have practices and sports and activities. You keep saying you’re going to make better food choices, to do family workouts together (or even these 9 quick …
Cut Costs At Home With These Easy Hacks: How’s your family budget doing? Do you find yourself having to make the same amount of money stretch a little further, month by month and year by year, than it did before? How do you tighten your belts and keep costs under control? There are the classic …
How To Cut Your Cell Phone Bill and Avoid Monthly Over-Limit Charges: Most adults have at least one smart device with a data plan these days. Add in other family members, and you’ve got even more devices. And as the number of devices multiplies, your monthly cell phone bill can quickly skyrocket out of control. …
Cut Your Energy Bill with Ease: Earth Day (April 22) is just around the corner. And whether you’re most conscious of conserving energy every April, you’ve had a recent sticker shock, or conserving natural resources is always a priority, we all can do little things to cut back on energy usage. Bonus? When you lower …
Easy Ways to Lower Your Electric Bill (Starting Today!) Read More »
Perfect Jobs for Parents With Some Spare Time So you’re a busy full-time parent, but you want to help grow the “income” side of your family budget. Or you’re gearing up for your youngest to enter kindergarten. Or your pre-parenthood job is no longer viable, and you’re on the hunt for a new career. Whatever …
Need To Get Paint Off Of Clothes? Here’s How: It’s spring consignment-sale season, which means I’m back putting in long days at my local children’s resale event (and loving every minute!). Thanks in part to my posts on topics like how to get mud out of clothing and how to get grease stains out of …
Healthy Living Tips for Busy Mamas You know the saying, “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy”? Well, I don’t know about you, but THIS Mama has a hard time being happy when she’s not well. In order to be there for our families, in all the ways they NEED us, we need to prioritize …
Getting ready to move is both exciting and stressful. This is especially true when you’re moving not just one or two adults, but a whole family. Hence this post – it’s full of tips and resources to help guide you through the process, one step at a time. With this getting-ready-to-move checklist, you’ll be in …
