Prepare yourself with a summer self care plan! Take steps to fill up your cup and enjoy your days with your kids this summer! My kids are done with school in just over a week, and I know some school's summer breaks have started already! While I'm definitely looking forward to sleeping in and lazy mornings, not having to wake my kids up every morning and get them out the door, I also realize it's going to be an adjustment for all of us to be home together all day. Every day. So, I've … [Read more...]
5 Simple Castile Soap Cleaning Recipes
Replace five conventional household cleaners with these simple castile soap cleaning solutions. Save money and eliminate toxic cleaners from your home! Castile soap is one of my greatest green and natural loves. It is made from plant-based oils and free of artificial foaming agents, harsh cleansers and detergents, petrochemicals, and anti-bacterial agents like triclosan. I use castile soap as the base for almost all of my homemade natural cleaning recipes because it is so effective. … [Read more...]
How NOT to Save Money by Protecting Your Cell Phone
So what is more expensive? A quality protective cover for your cell phone? Or replacing a cracked, broken screen twice in three months? Well I can tell you, it's definitely not the cover! And I'm thankful to OtterBox for sponsoring this post and providing my phone with a case that will protect it from my kids and me from now on. I don't know about you, but my kids use my iPhone a lot. They play games, read books, watch shows and YouTube videos, FaceTime family, and listen to music. The first … [Read more...]
3 Fun & Frugal Back to School Traditions for the Whole Family
*This post was originally posted on Aug. 16, 2011, but I love these ideas so much and with my kids heading back-to-school tomorrow, I wanted to share them with you again today! I'm still catching up from being on vacation, so here's another great guest post for you! I love the idea of the time capsule, since this is my daughter's first year in school, it would be a great time to start that tradition! Guest Post by Stacey at A GOOD and SIMPLE Life: Back to school is just around the … [Read more...]
15 Favorite Classic Children’s Books for Every Family
Do you know what I think is absolute magic? Watching your child learn to read and then grow in their love of reading! This summer, I've had the pleasure of watching both of these happen with my two older kids. Kaelyn, who's going into 2nd grade, has been reading for a few years and has always read above her grade level, but this summer, she really started to dive into books and is reading a chapter book every few days! I love it when she brings her book to the breakfast table, in the car with … [Read more...]
How to Waste Your Day
Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow? -Old Procrastination Proverb I learned from my Dad I sit snuggled up on the couch, the clock reads 11:00pm. I'm tired and I need to go to bed. I look around and notice a few things strewn about on the living room floor, left over from the post-soccer practice bedtime rush for the kids. The dining room table is still covered with crumbs from the day. In the kitchen, the dishwasher door sits open, left that way after loading the dinner dishes. … [Read more...]
7 Things That are Saving My Life Right Now…
I stumbled across this post at Modern Mrs. Darcy a month or so ago. I love the idea of keeping a list of things that are saving our lives and giving us life, especially in the midst of heartache, brokenness, grief or painful seasons. So as I emerge from April and walk through the season of grief of the anniversary of my dad's death, I thought I would take a minute to reflect on the things that are saving my life right now. Some of these were intentional steps I took in anticipation of going … [Read more...]
7 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Clean
I often find it a little bit ironic that some of the most popular posts here at Live Renewed are posts about cleaning. I don't know if I'm the best person to offer cleaning advice because it's something I struggle with myself! I wrote those posts as encouragement and motivation as much for myself as I did for you! But, there's something about these posts that have really resonated with a lot of people; maybe because you don't like cleaning either and have a hard time keeping up with your … [Read more...]
The Best Way to Fold and Organize Your Kids’ Clothes!
Let me just start off this post by saying that I am NOT a naturally organized person or a naturally good housekeeper. You know those women whose homes seem to always be clean and in order, even when you stop by unannounced? Yeah, I am definitely not one of them! Because keeping a clean and organized home doesn't come naturally to me, but I wish it did, I have read A LOT of books on organizing, decluttering, and cleaning. Over the years, through a lot of trial and error and with many relapses … [Read more...]
How I’m Kicking Off 2015: My 5 Personal Quarterly Goals
Okay, yes I realize we are already a week into 2015, and I'm finally getting around to posting after my almost 6 month blogging break. (Yikes! Was it really that long?!) Oh, it it so good to be back! I have so much to talk to ya'll about! First of all, how are your New Year's goals and resolutions going so far? You know, I used to think that I HAD to have all of my goals and resolutions set by January 1st and if I didn't then I had already missed the boat. I thought that if I didn't start … [Read more...]
