There’s nothing quite like the joy that comes from having a family pet, whether it’s a comforting weight sleeping on your lap, or the delicate scamper of tiny feet across your back. Pets are especially great for kids Pets are cherished additions to your family, but they can also leave your home smelling less-than-pleasant. These
Easy Home Tips for Getting Rid of Pet Odors Read More »
Feeling stressed? Feel like you need more sleep? Or is life just too much from time to time? Want to make your home more relaxing, but don’t know where to start? We all feel like this, more often than not. And while you may do your best to keep everything at bay, there are times
Quick Ways To Make Your Home More Relaxing Read More »
Smart Cleaning Shortcuts when Preparing a Home for Buyers: So it’s spring, and you’re putting your home on the market – congrats! No doubt you’ve already learned about staging tips for home sellers, and improving your home’s curb appeal. But what about the small day-to-day prep of getting ready for showings, sometimes on super-short notice? That’s where this cleaning checklist
Cleaning Checklist for Home Sellers: Smart Cleaning Tips Read More »
Caring for Quartzite Countertops Made Easy: Whether you’re planning to upgrade your kitchen sometime soon, or you’re in the market for a new home, chances are good – if you’re a busy parent, like I am – that family-friendly features are top on your list of must-haves. You want a home that’s functional and easy
Caring for Quartzite: How to Clean Quartzite Countertops Read More »
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
How To Get Mud Out Of Clothes Read More »
Does your child help around the house? No matter what their age, if a kid can walk, they can help. (And even infants can “practice” things as a game.) Unless you have a maid or a cleaning service, getting help around the house from family members is essential. However, it’s also easier said than done,
How To Get Kids to Help Around the House: 21 Hacks Read More »
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
How To Get Paint Out Of Clothing Read More »
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re a mama with more to do than there are hours in the day – or you know someone who is. You know the only chance you have of tidying your house in time for Thanksgiving next week, and KEEPING it that way through the rest of
Incredible Cleaning Tricks For Busy Moms Read More »
Most mamas like to think we do a decent job keeping our family’s home clean and safe. But let’s face it: deep down inside, we know our homes could always be cleaner. The good news is, you don’t necessarily need to work harder than you already do. A few simple hacks to help you work
Clean House In Less Time? Here’s How Read More »
The days are getting shorter and cooler. And (football families excepted) if you’re a parent who likes to keep your kiddos’ clothing stain-free, it’s time to trade getting mud out of clothes for figuring out how to get out grease stains. You know – turkey grease, butter, oily gravy, salad dressings. All those lovely grease
How To Get Out Grease Stains (Even Set In Oil Stains!) Read More »
The final countdown is on – just over a week until all those Halloween costumes need to be ready to go! For those of you who are DIYing, especially if you’re cranking out a homemade ghost sheet costume or two, you may be busy with your sewing machine, iron, and/or fusible interfacing. Or now that
How To Remove Adhesive From An Iron Read More »
Do your school-age kids help with cleaning at home? Or is this a constant battle in your house, as it was in ours until recently? I don’t like all the regular upkeep that goes with maintaining a house with a family. And my husband does his fair share, including lots of jobs he knows I
How I Got My Kids To Help With Cleaning Read More »
Think about it. How many hours of your life have you spent hunting for a missing piece of paperwork? Your Social Security Card. Your kids’ birth certificates. The contact info for that guy who unclogged your drain a few years back. The warranty and purchase information for an appliance on the fritz. Time and time
How to Organize Important Documents: Organizing Important Papers Made Easy Read More »
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating in the United States (as well as expats overseas) today! In honor of this national day of giving thanks, I’m thrilled to share a guest post written by a blogging friend of mine, Michele Tripple. If ever there were a Supermom, this amazing mama is definitely one in my eyes!
How To Teach Your Kids Gratitude Read More »
This week’s post is a follow-up to my previous post, on having a workable kids’ art table set up. If your kids have an art corner set up that’s truly functional, chances are there’s a storage caddy involved. Every kids’ art corner needs an art caddy: a place to contain markers, crayons, etc. when they’re not
Easy DIY Wall Mount Art Caddy Read More »
Do your offspring have a designated place to draw, color, do Play-Doh, paint watercolors, and work their way through activity books? If not, they need a kids’ art table. No, you don’t need a huge space to do this. Our kids’ art table fills a small corner about 2 feet x 3 feet. It’s a
Five Must-Haves For a Kids’ Art Table That *Works* Read More »
I never thought I’d need to know how to get melted crayon out of laundry. I remember leaving crayons in the car when I was a kid, where they melted into a congealed mess in their box. But I never remember leaving any in pockets to go through the wash. (Why would you put crayons
How To Get Melted Crayon Out Of Laundry Read More »
Have you fallen in love with melamine sponges yet? Those things also known as Magic Erasers truly do work magic, if you’ve never tried them. They’re also a great way to get your kids into the cleaning act. If this cleaning powerhouse is new to you, here are my Top 10 Cleaning Hacks with Melamine Sponges 1.
Top 10 Cleaning Hacks with Melamine Sponges Read More »
Spring is nearly here, as my children keep reminding me. Time for some spring cleaning. Or making good on those New Year’s resolutions to clear out the clutter. Either way, here are ten things to purge from your garage NOW. If you don’t have a “garage,” substitute “attic” or “basement” or “junk closet” – wherever you stuff things
Ten Things to Purge From Your Garage NOW Read More »
It’s a fact of life. As the crowded image above suggests, baby gear takes up a LOT of space. So how do you manage a baby in a SMALL space? We were facing this prospect when I was pregnant with Kimmie, and my husband and I were still living in his bachelor pad. We finally
Baby in a Small Space: Five Hacks to Save Room (and Money!) Read More »
