My Seven Favorite Ways to Save Money on Groceries: 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 best deals, parent …
7 Grocery Shopping Tips to Save Time (And Money!) Read More »
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 …
a.k.a. Engineering the Perfect Morning Routine How are weekday mornings at your house? We have been through a gazillion versions of The Morning Routine, from flip charts to clip charts to even a Morning Routine Contract. Whenever we get one nailed down, the girls grow/change just enough that it no longer works, and it almost seems …
How to Hack Your Morning Routine: My Top Ten Tips 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 …
This past weekend my Junior Girl Scout completed her Simple Meals badge. One of the requirements for this 21st-century version of the Cooking badge was to tour a kitchen with a knowledgeable adult. Since she’s already spent a lot of time helping out in the kitchen, I had HER give ME a tour. She correctly …
Looking for an easy and inexpensive way to update your home? Do you need a “change” in your surroundings? Do you hate the colors you inherited when you bought your house? If you answered “yes” to any of these, then a DIY painting project may be just what you need. DIY painting isn’t hard, and …
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 unplugged 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: My New Secret Weapon Read More »
The Bullet Journal Quick-Start Guide, Step-By-Step for Beginners: Maybe you’ve thought about starting a bullet journal before, but don’t know where to start. Or maybe you’ve wanted to give bullet journaling a try, but you’re intimidated by all the beautiful bullet journal pages on Pinterest. If you’re afraid to start a bullet journal because you …
Mamas (and daddies) who spend time in the kitchen, have you put together your holiday gift lists yet? These ten must-have kitchen gadgets should be on your list. They are game-changers, saving you time AND money while making food prep with little helpers more efficient. I’ve raved about several items on this list in other …
Not only is this scarecrow costume fast AND simple AND adorable, there’s a reasonable chance you already have everything you need to make it! (And if you don’t, you can probably acquire what you need for well under $10 at your local thrift store.) And with a few simple modifications, this costume will also work …
Does your child love doing science experiments in the bathroom? Is she a huge Doc McStuffins fan? Or does he long to be a doctor when he grows up? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then this 15-minute costume has you covered for Halloween. Even better, it involves things you probably already …
Halloween DIY: 15-Minute Scientist/Doctor/Vet Costume (Cost=Free!) Read More »
Want a quick and easy DIY Halloween costume that you can put together in 15-30 minutes? How about one that costs you ZERO to make, because you probably already have what you’ll need on hand? If so, give this adorable spider costume a try! Essie learned about spiders a few summers ago, at a summer …
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 »
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. …
Or laundry-routine must-haves, if your laundry “room” is the nearest laundromat. These laundry hacks have saved my clothes more than once over the years. They’ve also helped keep the girls’ fave outfits in the rotation, especially after major mealtime mishaps. Far as I’m concerned, keeping things organized around a home with small children starts in the …
Laundry Hacks I Love: 16 Laundry-Room Must-Haves Read More »
OK – I can hear some of you groaning from here: “Roasted eggplant? You’ve got to be kidding me – my kid won’t eat that!” So don’t call it “roasted eggplant.” Call it roasted dinosaur eggs, or roasted purple plant, or whatever it takes to get you and yours to give this dish a try. …
It’s winter in the northern hemisphere, which is where most of you live, dear readers. Are you hibernating? Or are you out hunting for some comfort food? I recently stumbled across a collection of super-simple slow cooker recipes gathered for the New Year. As I scanned the pictures and titles, I could feel myself getting …
This Quick and Easy Dinner Recipe is the Ultimate in Easy Soup Recipes: As in, “everything but the kitchen sink soup.” In other words, this is another super-flexible recipe that can help clear out your fridge and eat up your leftovers. Throw together a round of these on the side, and you’ve got dinner on …
So it’s days from Halloween last week, and I’m dashing out to bulk up our candy supplies for trick-or-treating. Just one problem, though: I had a hard time finding the Halloween candy, thanks to all the Christmas displays already out in full force. Funny, I had the same problem when finishing back-to-school shopping – in …
Most of the time, when I think of “hacks,” I think of the make-your-life-easier tips and tricks to which this website is devoted. But when I see all the winter squash and fresh pumpkins that are now front-and-center in the produce displays at supermarkets and farmer’s markets, the last thing I want to think about …
Winter Squash Made Easy: How To Cook Winter Squash in Less Time Read More »
