simplify your life

Weekend Kids’ Closet Makeover With DIY Shelving (Easy Weekend Project)

February 11, 2021 / The Organized Home with Kids / 2 Comments
Wondering what to do with a small closet in your kids' room? Adding DIY custom closet shelving is an easy weekend DIY kids' closet makeover.

Give Your Kids’ Closet A Makeover This Weekend With DIY Shelving: Looking for kids’ closet makeover ideas? Wondering what to do with a small closet? The best DIY closet makeover ideas don’t have to be expensive, take forever, or require the pros. This DIY kids’ closet makeover is a low-budget weekend project that’s easier than you’d think, and is great …

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Your Carsick Kid Plan-Ahead Survival Guide

July 13, 2018 / Favorite Mom Hacks, Traveling with Kids / Leave a Comment
Ever had a carsick kid? Trust us, it's not fun. This plan-ahead guide will help you be ready when disaster strikes while you're on the road.

Have you ever had a carsick kid? If you haven’t been down that road yet, count yourself as one of the lucky ones. But don’t expect your luck will hold forever. All it takes is one episode to scare any car-owning parent out of their complacence. Trust me. Alas, we’ve been down this road enough …

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When Vacation Ends: Tips for Readjustment

July 6, 2018 / Traveling with Kids / 30 Comments
Readjusting to "normal life" after a trip is hard. If you find it hard to jump back in to your normal routine when vacation ends, give these hacks a try.

Who dreads returning home when vacation ends? It’s not just that you’re no longer away from all the stresses and cares of daily life. Readjusting to daily life can be a major challenge – especially if you’re a mama. We’ve just returned from the first of several family trips this summer, and I’m already struggling …

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How To Start A Bullet Journal (The Easy Way!)

February 4, 2020 / Favorite Mom Hacks / 93 Comments
Want to start a bullet journal, but not sure how? This step-by-step beginner's guide to starting a bullet journal will help you overcome your mental blocks and get going!

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 …

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How Bullet Journaling Has Made Me A Better Parent

February 4, 2020 / Favorite Mom Hacks, Lessons in Parenting / 9 Comments

I’m now just over two months into my bullet journaling experiment. For those of you who’ve thought about bullet journaling – either to become more efficient and organized, or to help you juggle your competing to-do’s – yes, it’s made a huge difference in those areas. But I’m also surprised to discover another upside: Bullet journaling has unquestionably made …

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Ten Things to Purge From Your Garage NOW

December 12, 2017 / The Organized Home with Kids / 5 Comments
10 things to purge from your garage NOW

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 …

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Baby in a Small Space: Five Hacks to Save Room (and Money!)

December 1, 2018 / The Organized Home with Kids / 3 Comments

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 …

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On (Not) Being Responsible for Everything

December 12, 2017 / Lessons in Parenting / 1 Comment

If you’re a mama who’s continued to hold down a high-powered position post-parenthood, without dropping balls on the job or at home too often, my hat is off to you. Parenthood has a way of thrusting a whole new level of being responsible onto unsuspecting grownups (holy cow, did they just let us walk out …

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Holiday Hacks: Ten Tips to Make Your Life Easier This December

December 12, 2017 / Favorite Mom Hacks, Lessons in Parenting / Leave a Comment

Do you need a few good holiday hacks? I know I do. Barely a week in, my December is already bursting at the seams. My to-do lists keep getting longer, and some things (like this post) never get done until weeks later than I’d planned. What’s on your plate this month? Too many kids’ concerts, …

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My New Favorite Kitchen Tool: Our Immersion Blender

July 16, 2019 / Favorite Mom Hacks, Stuff I Love / 2 Comments

Do you like smoothies, shakes, etc. but don’t have the storage space for a full-sized blender? (Or, alternately, do you detest taking apart all the pieces afterward to wash them by hand?) Do you wish you could make your own baby food from scratch, but don’t have the time? (Or, do you already do this …

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Thinking About Consignment? Five Tips to Help You Decide

March 11, 2018 / The Organized Home with Kids / 2 Comments

What is consignment, and why should all parents consider it? Anyone who’s been a parent for any length of time knows the eternal dilemma of modern parenting. Namely, how to keep from drowning under all that baby stuff, toddler gear, and related paraphernalia you’re no longer using. At some point, containing the clutter and organizing …

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Five Smart Ideas for Mindful Downsizing

January 10, 2019 / The Organized Home with Kids / 28 Comments
Is decluttering on your new year's list? These five mindful downsizing tips will help you get all areas of your life back under control, once and for all.

How’d you do on your New Year’s resolutions last year? My New Year’s goal for last year is still an ongoing effort, but remembering to use the Calm Mommy voice when I want my kids to cooperate is becoming more second-nature. My goals for this year center around being more mindful each day, saving myself …

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Less Is More: Three Ways We’re Cutting Back and Living Better This Holiday Season

December 3, 2018 / Lessons in Parenting, The Organized Home with Kids / 13 Comments

Even though the first week of December was rainy and dreary in our neck of the woods, the girls and I have had a super start to our month. Part of the credit goes to the fact that I’ve made some very conscious decisions to simplify our lives, both for the holiday season and beyond. …

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The Organized Home with Kids: Why Baskets Rock

December 1, 2018 / The Organized Home with Kids / 13 Comments

As I mentioned in a recent post, I adore baskets. Baskets were a part of my life before I became a mom, but in retrospect, I think my pre-parenthood self was only scratching the surface of their full potential. While I love an organized home, getting mine to that state is a constant, ongoing work-in-progress. …

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The Functional Home: Stay Clean and Organized, Even with Baby and Kid Stuff

November 14, 2018 / The Organized Home with Kids / 18 Comments
Maintaining an organized home is always a challenge. These tricks will help you keep your home organized AND functional, even with kids (and their stuff!) around.

First, a confession: Much as I might wish otherwise, much as I might aspire to live differently, my home does NOT look like a photo spread in Better Homes and Gardens. It’s a constant work-in-progress. And while I like to think I’m always moving forward, the reality is that it feels like an endless uphill …

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