Getting Your Kids Ready Faster…Smart Home Lighting Hacks To demonstrate how easy it is to make any home a smart home, we’ve teamed up with Leviton as part of their “Automation for All” campaign.Have you ever noticed how long it takes to get everyone ready when you have to be somewhere? Are ...
House & Home
Declutter my home: How clutter affects your family & what you can do about it.
CLUTTER CAUSES ANXIETY. It is true that clutter causes stress. In fact, I shared it in an early post where I share studies that prove that clutter & stress are linked. Clutter also affects your family, but there are solutions that can clear your home of unwanted clutter and clear you of ...
20 Best Coastal Gallery Wall Ideas
20 Best Coastal Gallery Wall Ideas I love coastal wall art and I wanted to share the 20 Best Coastal Gallery Wall Ideas that I found on Minted.comI love working with Minted and they were so sweet to provide me with some pieces to help with this post. Minted.com has an amazing ...
Free Football Cupcake Toppers
Who's ready for some football? Not me! Ha! But I do love cupcakes and parties. So what better way to mix the three and have fun with family and friends than at a tailgating party (that they love) and cupcakes (that I love)!I couldn't resist creating some fun cupcake printables for game ...
How to Organize Backpack Chaos
Before my kids started school, I had read about the horrors of messy backpacks and unearthing cheese sticks from the bottom of the them in May that were packed as a snack in September. “Surely,” I thought to myself, “it’s not that bad. After all, it’s just a backpack! How much of a mess can it be or ...
Keeping your home safe while on vacation
To demonstrate how easy it is to make any home a smart home, we’ve teamed up with Leviton as part of their “Automation for All” campaign. There is something to be said for peace of mind. One of the biggest worries about being away during the summer is always the “what if” happening back at ...
Pay off Mortgage in half the time
How to Pay off Your Mortgage in 1/2 The time Thanks to Eave for sponsoring this post. Mickey and I knew that we had one goal when we bought our home: Pay our mortgage off in half the time. We came up with a plan to pay it off 20 years sooner than we had predicted (so actually less than half the ...
Coastal Decor Ideas
A coastal look is so relaxing and inviting. I have always loved the look of a beach home, so I wanted to share a few tips today. Thanks to Lush Decor for providing bedding to inspire this post.1. Don't Follow a Theme. "Having seashells everywhere, fish netting and every sheet and blanket ...
Daily, weekly, monthly cleaning list
With four children, I have given up on having a home that looks pristine. If I'm being completely honest, I don't want it to look pristine. I want it to look like a home that our family loves to be in, to hang out in, to play in.I love to look at spotless homes in magazines, but even more, I ...
Summer Cleaning Hacks for Families
Messes don't take a break, especially as spring turns into summer and pollen is everywhere. However, we don't want to spend all of our time cleaning. The key is to keep the house (inside and out) tidy as we go and then it is easy to clean the house to set the stage for an amazing summer party. ...
DIY healthy, green lawn care tips
Yesterday, Mickey opened his e-mail inbox to this question... " I saw a picture of your house on your blog. How do you always get your yard to look nice?" I laughed because a green lawn is his pride and joy, so that reader just made his day!Mickey and I have lived in three houses since our ...
Cleaning with kids teaches them so much more than cleaning
Cleaning with kids teaches them so much more than cleaningBeing a parent involves a lot of things. Guiding our kids through a daily routine is part of that job. Teaching our kids what needs to be done as a child and what it looks like to do these things as an adult is part of that job, ...
Teaching a child to keep their room clean
Teaching a child to keep their room clean can be a challenge, but this is working great, so I had to share it with you! I love to have a clean house and I love to know where everything is, so I want my kid's rooms to be organized, too. Otherwise, they are complaining of being "bored," but ...
The link between clutter & stress (How to declutter)
Clutter Causes Stress. It's a proven fact. Do you ever wonder how to declutter and why you feel the need to declutter? There are reasons... "Dishes in the sink, toys throughout the house, stuff covering every flat surface; this clutter not only makes our homes look bad, it makes us feel bad, ...
DIY Fluffy Slime (non-sticky slime!)
Shaving Cream Slime - non sticky, fluffy slime Today we are making non-sticky slime! I wanted to make slime, but I always wondered how to make slime less sticky and we finally figured it out. Our kids have been asking to make shaving cream slime for weeks (really), but I've been putting it off. ...
5 Meal Prep Lunch Hacks to Engage Your Kids
With four kids at home, packing lunches can become overwhelming and time-consuming, but I do it because I love my kids, and I want them to be healthy. A few years ago, I knew that I didn’t want to pack lunches every night, but I also didn’t want to wake up and pack lunches in the mornings. ...
DIY Glitter Shamrock Canvas Art Project
Our kids and I created these DIY Glitter Shamrock Canvas Art projects that are the perfect St. Patricks Day Craft.Not only are they super easy to make, but they were very inexpensive and it they look so cute! Decorate your home for St. Patrick's Day with this DIY glitter shamrock silhouette ...
Working mom to Stay at home mom (finance how-to)
When I was pregnant with our first son, I was teaching at a school that I loved. I was enjoying working and loved the children and staff that I worked with every day. With all of that said, I knew that I wanted to be a stay at home Mom.I was going to have to learn how to become a stay at ...
DIY Ikea homework station (with build in desk!)
We finally made our Ikea Homework Station that we had been putting off for about a year. My husband builds it for me and I love it! (He can build just about anything- like our DIY wall bed that he & my dad made!)I knew that I wanted a homework station, but I couldn't figure out where ...
DIY Murphy bed for under $150 – with video & plans
Murphy Bed Plans Are you looking for a Murphy Bed Kit? Now you can make your own! You don't need the Ikea Murphy Bed because this DIY wall bed will save you a lot of money & look just as great! This post has two videos (of the murphy bed), so be sure to stick around to watch them!(If ...