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 …
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 »
Maybe this is your first fall making school lunches for your kiddo. Maybe you’re looking to revamp the routine. Or maybe you’re realizing that the beloved PB&J’s of your childhood won’t work for your own child’s peanut allergy, or your school’s ban on peanuts. Whatever the cause, you find yourself in need of some back-to-school-lunch …
My house is a mess of unpacking, my writing is behind schedule – can you guess that my family and I have just spent the past few weeks on various road trips? For many families, summer means travel. But the reality is that in two-parent households, parents can’t always coordinate limited vacation time with other …
Sanity-Saving Hacks for Roadtripping Solo With Small Children Read More »
The days are short, the outside temps are frigid, and what you’re going to eat this summer is probably the last thing on your mind. But ‘tis the season for CSA registration; if you haven’t already joined one for the upcoming growing season, now’s the time to act. The CSA bandwagon is one worth jumping …
CSA and You: Save Money, Eat Better, and Get Your Kids to Love Veggies Read More »
Last weekend, a two-car accident left three people seriously injured and one woman dead. The woman was a friend of my family’s, and my mother’s entire church community is reeling with the news that she is gone and her husband has more broken bones than he can count. So am I, quite frankly. Dinah and …
There are two items in my kitchen that make my life oh-so-much easier. These kitchen gadgets take a lot of extra time and work out of food prep. In the process, they make it easier for me to cook healthy meals from scratch, AND help me save money by cutting my own produce (instead of …
You probably have your own toiletry kit that you keep packed for travel (if not, I strongly recommend one that hangs, so you can hang it up high, out of kiddos’ reach). But do you also have a separate one for your littlest travelers? Keeping one packed, and reviewing its contents before each trip, is …
Traveling With Kids: Packing Your Kids’ Toiletry Kit Read More »
First off, my apologies to those of you who will read this post and say “duh!” You’re probably at least ten steps ahead of me already on hacking mommyhood and otherwise simplifying your parental existence. When I stop and think about what I’m about to tell you, part of me thinks, How banal! How obvious! …
