The kitchen is the heartbeat of the home, but too often our kitchen counters can be messy and cluttered which can lead to us feeling stressed and overwhelmed. A clean kitchen is a happy and productive place to be! I shared last week about how I had completely cleared off my kitchen counters last summer, and the big difference that it made in my life. And if you follow me on Instagram you probably noticed that I spent most of a recent Friday sharing my process of clearing off my … [Read more...]
Conquering the Laundry Pile: Catch Up and Create a System that Works in Just One Week!
I think we've probably all been there at some point in time - standing at the bottom staring up at Mt. Laundry and wondering how we're ever going to conquer it. When we have so much laundry to do, we feel like we will never get caught up, much less keep on, our family's laundry. Because we all know what happens when we have a lot of laundry to do, while we're working on getting caught up, the piles just keep growing and growing. I recently found myself in this exact place. After finally … [Read more...]
Choosing a Safer Shower Curtain for Your Bathroom
We've probably all experienced the lovely chemical smell that permeates the air when you take a new shower curtain out of the package and hang it up in your bathroom. Does it ever make you wonder what's actually in the plastic shower curtain to makes it smell that way? Many shower curtains are made out of vinyl or PVC (polyvinyl chloride), a plastic that does in fact release harmful chemicals into the air for at least a month and possibly up to a year after you open it and hang it up in your … [Read more...]
How to Give Extended Support to a Grieving Family
How do you provide extended ongoing support to friends or family after someone they love has died? After writing last week about cancer and losing my dad, and with the Holiday Season upon us, this topic has been on my mind. In my experience, after a family loses a loved one, it can be a hard and awkward time for people around them. This has been true both for me when I lost my dad and as I have had close friends who have experienced loss. It's hard to know what to say, what to do, … [Read more...]
How to Make Homemade Disinfectant {Green in 365}
This is Day 300 of the Green in 365 series! By Sara from Your Thriving Family, Contributing Writer The seasons and weather are changing again and with that comes coughs, sneezes and germs! We all need a kid safe way to keep our homes clean and family healthy. What better way to KNOW your products are safe than to make them yourself?! Making a homemade disinfecting spray is as easy as mixing some essential oils with a carrier liquid in a spray bottle. When using essential oils … [Read more...]
How to Read Ebooks on Your Phone, Tablet or Computer (No e-reader needed!)
When I first started reading digital books, or ebooks, I was unsure if I would ever prefer ebooks over traditional books. It did take a little while to get used to reading this way, but now that I've been reading books on my Kindle, iPhone, and computer for several years now, I can enthusiastically say that I love it!! One of my favorite things about ebooks is that I can have so much information and so many options for reading, all at my fingertips! I like a little choice and variety in my … [Read more...]
Madness to Manageable: How to have a Better House by Monday {Green in 365}
This is Day 272 of the Green in 365 series! By Elizabeth Phillips of runningfamily.net, Contributing Writer *Emily's note: I'm thankful that my cousin Elizabeth is joining us as a contributing writer. She and her family have been on a journey toward simplifying and minimizing and getting rid of all the stuff in their home that they didn't truly need. I know from your comments, both on this post and on Facebook, that many of you are interested in this for your families too, and I hope … [Read more...]
How to Grow a Fall Garden
This is Day 265 of the Green in 365 series! By Hilary of Accidentally Green, Contributing Writer Until last year, I only thought of gardening as a spring and summer possibility. Since I had never heard of fall gardens, I had never tried them before. Boy, had I missed out on a unique growing season. Grow a Fall Garden Fall gardens can be started near the end of summer. Depending on your climate, this may be mid- to late-August, or mid- to late-September. Typically you should … [Read more...]
Planning for Canning {Green in 365}
This is Day 222 of the Green in 365 series! By Renee from Joyful Mom: Last summer I had some grand ideas about canning! After all, I had a long history of canning within my Polish community growing up - I was the youngest girl and my hands were the perfect size for cleaning all of the small mouth jars! I loved my role as chief bottle washer and the accolades that I received from all the women. So as an adult I thought that it would be a natural progression in my "being … [Read more...]
Using Cloth in the Kitchen {Green in 365}
This is Day 214 of the Green in 365 series! Guest Post by Anjanette of Raising the Barrs: I have unpleasant memories of the wet dishrags from my childhood. I remember them being threadbare and an unidentifiable dingy color. And the smell... I wouldn't have dared wash my face or hands with it after a meal any sooner than I would have stuck my face into a sink of dirty dishwater because that's what it always smelled like. I assumed that when I had a home and children … [Read more...]
