Organization & Cleaning Archives - Page 2 of 8

Tips for Owning an Older House

September 18, 2018 by Danielle

Sponsored by One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning® service providers. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Since moving to Texas, we have owned two newly built homes – this meant everything was new, from the walls and paint to the HVAC systems and windows. Our most recent home purchase, though, is one that’s almost 20 years old – so things aren’t fresh and shiny, or functioning at their best. While we really love this house, we’re having to learn some maintenance and care things that weren’t even on our radar before! If you’re in the same boat as us, here are some Tips for Owning an Older House that we’ve learned that may help out.

Our biggest wake-up call when we moved into this house a few months ago was the HVAC system – the air conditioner just couldn’t keep up at all. Being early summer in Texas when we moved in, this was certainly not ideal, especially considering we have kids, as well as a ferret (they’re extremely sensitive to temperatures, so it could actually be dangerous for her). Since we know practically nothing about these systems, we knew we needed to call in the professionals from our local One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning® service provider to come and take a look. Owning an older house typically means older systems, so we knew they could help us get things working properly because they’re a brand we can trust, and they provide quality service when we need it (for us AND our pets!)

The local One Hour service provider is part of the Direct Energy family of brands, with independently owned and operated locations all over the country. That means you get local service, backed by a national brand! Their service is backed by an on-time guarantee, and even endorsed by UWIN® (that’s a consumer service resource that lets home service contractors provide a nice, extra level of protection – as well as peace of mind to residential consumers who actually get the services). To find your local One Hour service provider, check out their website or call 855-One-Hour.

Our technician, Shane, showed up and was very professional and friendly. He handled all of our not-so-knowledgeable questions and concerns, then took a good, deep look at all the aspects of our HVAC system. He definitely knew his stuff, which shouldn’t be a surprise since the One Hour technicians receive ongoing HVAC training. They’re thoroughly skilled to address any HVAC issue, and get you back to feeling comfortable inside (especially if you’re in this Texas heat – dang!). Everyone can appreciate a properly-cooled house – even this cool dude!

Honestly, I was a bit concerned about what type of technician would show up at first, but I should’ve known that One Hour service providers ensure you’ll be served by a reliable professional who’s not only well-trained and skilled, but also clean, courteous AND background-checked. This was HUGE for me, as a parent, when it came to someone coming into our home!

One thing we learned about owning an older house – you never know HOW things were actually installed or maintained! As Shane went through everything, he made sure he answered all of our questions, showed us photos of the spots he was talking about, and cleared up any aspects we didn’t quite understand. It turned out that our HVAC system had many things not even installed correctly, which explained clearly why it wasn’t working right! He pointed out areas that could be fixed to bring up the functionality (and save on our terrifying electric bill from wasted usage due to leaks), and also the spots that were just fine. I really liked that he also let us know of some aspects that weren’t exactly 100%, but that wouldn’t make enough of a difference to justify paying to fix them now. That’s honesty, right there! We even got some tips to help prepare for the upcoming seasons:

Change air filters regularly, especially before winter begins
Properly ‘winterize’ your A/C units
Have a pro check your HVAC systems for any leaks or issues

I was so relieved to know what was actually going on with our HVAC system, and how we could get it running better for a more comfortable home and family. Now that we’re on our way to having that taken care of, here are a few other tips we learned about owning an older house:

Check your Roof – missing/loose shingles (or hail damage, if you’re in an area, like us, that deals with that) or overhanging tree limbs may need to be taken care of
Look at your windows, doorways, tiles, showers and other spots that may need to be resealed if the caulking/sealant has worn away or started to peel up
Double check your air vents, making sure they’re clear of junk or debris for proper airflow
Check your locks – doorknobs or locks may wear out and not work 100% after some time
Test your smoke alarms and CO2 detector (if you have one) to ensure they’re still functional
Keep an eye on drains and pipes – you don’t want them blocked!
Stay alert for signs of foundation issues – doors getting funky in the door frames, corner cracks from settling, etc. This is something you want to catch early on!

What are your best tips for owning an older house?

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning® service providers

Homework Station for Teens & Tweens

July 30, 2018 by Danielle

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BackToSchoolGoals18 #CollectiveBias

Supporting our kids at home can really help their success at school, especially as they get older and into higher, more challenging grades. One way we can provide that help to them is having things organized in a way that makes homework and study time less hassle – and maybe even more fun. We put together this organized and colorful Homework Station for Teens & Tweens as we’re getting nearer to the start of the school year, and stocking up on all of the essentials. We’re even showing you how to make this super simple DIY Pencil Caddy!

Back to school shopping can be stressful, which is why I make sure to plan ahead and go early before the rush. Walmart always has what I need in just one stop, which is a huge sanity saver! Not only that, but be sure to check out their specific Back-to-School section so you don’t have to wander all over the store to grab everything you need for your students.

From my experience, teacher supplies lists can be a bit generic – which is fantastic in finding what you need and covering all the basis – but be sure to stock up on the items you’ll certainly need plenty of for the school year, such as Scotch® tape or Post-it® Original Pop-up Notes. I go through a TON of them all year long, and love that I can keep a good stash of them to pull out whenever.

My tweens have started using Post-it® Notes Cubes and Post-it® Tabs a lot, using them to mark pages in their books (without the worry of leaving marks) or planners to help them stay on track and more organized. Of course they LOVE leaving little memos and friendly notes all over, too – but I’m all for it if it makes learning time more fun for them!

Supplies

Post-it® Notes Cubes and Post-it® Tabs
Box or Container
Paper of Choice
Scissors
Containers or Organizers
Tissue Paper, if desired
School Supplies

Note: If you’re using a box, make sure the top flaps are removed first.

Directions

Decorate the box/container. For ours, we just used some sturdy paper (like construction or card stock). Your teen/tween can even decorate it beforehand, if they want! Start with a strip on the four outside corners, just so they are covered neatly. Next, size pieces of paper to cover all the outside sides of the box. Fold over the top and bottom and smooth out, then use Scotch® Super Hold Tape to secure it into place.
If you want some depth to for your containers, use tissue paper to build up the bottom (we put the back row of containers higher than the front, just because we liked the look of it better).
Place your containers, then fill with all of your student’s school supplies!

See, I told you it was really simple – and it’s a great way for them to customize their supply box, making it a bit more enjoyable when it’s time for them to tackle homework or study. We filled our containers with pencils and other supplies to help them, then set up a nice area for them to store it until needed.

I’m pretty relieved that I thought ahead this year instead of waiting until the last minute – but at least I know I can always grab everything my kiddos will need for back to school during my regular Walmart trip – because I almost always forget something!

Be sure to go here more Back-to-School Inspiration & Help!

Getting Your Home Ready for Summer

May 29, 2018 by Danielle

This post is in partnership with Swiffer. All opinions are mine alone. #SwifferFanatic

I’m not ready for summer. Yes, I’m excited for the kiddos to be home (although nervous for how to still fit in work/to dos of course) and trying out the pool in our new house, hitting the zoos and all the fun that comes this time of year. That being said, there’s some important things that need to be done around the house that I’ve been neglecting. If you’re in the same boat, here’s some tips for Getting Your Home Ready for Summer so we can ALL be a bit more prepared for the coming season!

Since we’re going from cold (some places FREEZING) and wet to hot and mostly dry, it’s important that we get our home ready for summer and the weather it brings with it. A few tasks now can not only save time and frustrations later, but possibly even money! That’s right, some things mean energy savings when the heat strikes – and I’m a huge fan of saving on our budget!

Tasks for Getting Your Home Ready for Summer

Check Your Air Conditioning: Make sure the units are functioning properly, the ducts are cleaned out (you don’t want settled dust and yuck from the winter months blowing into your house) and air filters are replaced as needed.
Check for Leaking Energy: All that cool air you’re paying for can escape from little spaces on windows, door gaps and other places. Check around for spots that may need to be re-caulked and fix or add weather stripping as needed.
Be Ready for Nature: Warm weather means grass, plants and much more outside time – meaning it’s going to get tracked in onto your floors. Have a convenient spot for your cleaning supplies, such as your handy Swiffer products. I use my Swiffer Sweeper daily to get all the pet hair and grass the dogs drag in, and the Swiffer WetJet is perfect for keeping the floors clean of pawprints (and kiddo foot prints, of course!).
Check Your Dryer Vent: This is often overlooked, but it’s crazy how blocked up the vent for your dryer can get. Now is a good time to clean that out for better air flow!
Prepare for Bugs: I hate bugs – like REALLY hate bugs. Whether you’re the type who sprays to prevent too many in your home, or just like to make sure there’s not cracks or crevices they can get in at, make sure you get that handled soon.
Give Your Plants Attention: Time to prune your trees, check your plants, and maybe even prepare your garden area. You don’t want to be out there doing a TON of work on them during the mid-summer heat, so tackle it now.
Change Your Ceiling Fan Direction: I had no idea that ceiling fans can go different directions, and that it mattered depending on that season until a friend mentioned it randomly! It turns out that during the winter, fans should go clockwise to better distribute the heat that rises – but in the summer they should rotate counter-clockwise (at higher speeds) to get a good breeze going in your home.
Switch Out Your Winter Items: From your winter coats in the closet, to snow blowers in the garate – it’s time to get those put away. Things like cute t-shirts and shorts should be brought back out from storage, as well as your outside items like lawn mower, weed wacker, gardening tools, etc.
Check the Deck: Many decks or patios need to be resealed every so often, so now is a great time to check if yours is due for it. With how much time may be spent out there this upcoming season, better have it in great shape to fully enjoy!

If you haven’t tackled your Spring cleaning yet, it’s never too late – and I for one love starting off the summer break with a really clean house, because heaven knows I’d rather spend the summer enjoying my family than more-than-normal cleaning. Luckily it’s then super easy to maintain with the Swiffer Sweeper and Swiffer WetJet – and it helps that the kids think it’s great fun using these so are more than happy to help out!

What do you do to get your home ready for summer?

Getting Real About Shedding

May 25, 2018 by Danielle

This post is in partnership with Swiffer. All opinions are mine alone. #ShedHappens

I’ve shared before how frustrating all the pet hair in my house gets, and it actually made me hesitant to get dogs because I wasn’t sure I wanted to tackle it. I’m so glad I didn’t let the shedding stop me, though, because I can’t imagine life without any of my special pups! If you’re stressed about it, as well, listen up – because we’re getting real about shedding here!

Of our 4 dogs, the main one who sheds is our Tula girl, with her fluffy white hair making what we call ‘mini Tula’s’ all around the house! Seriously, it looks like tiny balls of puppy fluff clinging to the floor edges, under chairs and couches, and random nooks and crannies. And now that we moved into a house with super dark wood floors, it shows up REALLY bad!

Here’s the thing though – even though all that shedding can be frustrating or make you second guess adopting a new pet, think hard before you let it get in the way. Like they say – #shedhappens – but despite what some think, it can be cleaned up quickly (and easily, so even the kids can do a quick sweep to get the job done!) with the Swiffer Sweeper. It’s seriously a LIFESAVER, because our family wouldn’t be complete without this goofy fluffball.

Obviously she doesn’t care much for sweeping up her own fur piles, opting for a nap in the cozy dog bed. Oh well, the Swiffer Sweeper is so quick to use – especially when we just turn up some music and get it done! The kids actually argue over who’s turn it is to sweep, making it great for me (because heaven knows us moms have enough to do).

Choosing to adopt a new pet is a HUGE decision, and there’s a ton you have to take into consideration. There’s the time and money commitment – taking them for walks, feeding and watering, cleaning up their ‘messes’ in the yard, plus play and snuggle time. Don’t forget the belly rubs, too! At least dealing with the shed can be one potential obstacle that’s easily checked off that list!

Since over half of Americans are pet owners, and many have said that keeping the pet hair under control is one of their top concerns, you know it’s something that needs to be considered when choosing to adopt a new pet. Thankfully Swiffer makes it super easy when shed happens, so you can have both a clean home AND a happy, furry-family member filled one! The dry cloth that goes on it has deep ridges and grooves that conform to your floor’s surface to TRAP + LOCK the dirt, dust and – of course – hair.

And since costs are ALSO a consideration when choosing to adopt a new pup, you can save some extra money with great coupon offers – $2 off the Swiffer Sweeper Starter Kit and/or $2 off the Swiffer Sweeper Dry Cloths Starter Kit in the Target Cartwheel app now through June 2nd 2018! Gotta love saving on the budget, right?

For more info about all the fabulous Swiffer products, check out their website or Facebook!

Spring Cleaning for a Move

March 6, 2018 by Danielle

I’m excited to share this spring cleaning post, sponsored by Swiffer #SwifferFanatic

I have no idea how the whole ‘spring cleaning’ thing started, but I’ve always loved the idea of doing a major deep clean and organizing of my home at a regular-ish time each year. That way I know it’ll get done, and it makes our house feel fresh for the coming seasons. On a whole extra note, Spring Cleaning for a Move not only gets that job done, but also helps save time and hassle later when you’re switching houses!

I’ve shared some of my tips for Spring cleaning before, and today I’m sharing a few more – plus how it’s a great time when you’re also planning a move. As many of you know, we recently put our house on market to down-size a bit. We love our current house, but it’s just TOO big and pricey for us to stay in. So part of the preparation before we sell and move, is to purge a bunch of unnecessary stuff. It’s far too easy to collect ‘stuff’ when you have a big house, so by going smaller we can declutter.

The first step to decluttering for your Spring cleaning is to go through all the obvious places – closets, pantries, under stairs, shelves, drawers etc. Sort through your clothes and decor, your dishes, even the tools and supplies in the garage. Decide what you really need/want to keep, and what would be best to get rid of. Make a bag or box (or multiple, if you’re really trying to get rid of a bunch of things) for donations and also for garbage/recycling.

Now check the less obvious spots – in couch cushions, up high on the kitchen cabinets, and the like. Really go through and do a good check for any place items may have been shoved or collected. After that, you should have your excess or no-longer-needed items ready for either disposal or donating.

You’re now ready to start your deep cleaning – but don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be a huge project! I kind of make a list of everything that needs to be done, then check off things one room at a time so I don’t lose track of where I left off in case I’m interrupted.

Some of my Spring Cleaning items are:

Dust everywhere – don’t forget those hard to reach places like ceiling fans, high ledges, light fixtures and blinds. I love using my Swiffer® Dusters™ (my kids also LOVE cleaning with this, so that’s a bonus for me!) because they easily trap the dust, dirt and other fluff that accumulates everywhere.
Clean the windows – inside and out
Wipe the baseboards well – those can sure get icky!
Sweep all your non-carpet areas – our Swiffer® Sweep + Vac™ is my hubby’s favorite, while I’m more into the Swiffer® Sweeper X-Large™. Either one is great, as they do excellent at collecting the junk on our floors – including the ridiculous amounts of dog hair!
Clean the mirrors, counters, sinks, toilets and showers in the bathrooms
Clean the counters and sink in the kitchen
Clean the stove, oven and microwave. Wipe off and/or clean the dishwasher, as well
Vacuum all carpeted areas – don’t forget the edges really well, too, since these can often be skipped over during normal vacuuming jobs
Wash all bedding, towels, wash clothes, etc. – I know this gets done regularly, but I like having a time when EVERYTHING in the house is clean at once 🙂
Mop all non-carpeted areas – I’ve used the Swiffer® WetJet™ Mop since I was younger at my parent’s house, and now rely on it for my own home. For our wood floors, the Swiffer® WetJet™ Mop Wood Floor is excellent for our nice wood floors in our office and family rooms.
We also organize the garage, and give it a nice sweep
To top it off, we wipe off all doorknobs and light switches (because you know those collect germs like crazy)

It may seem like a LOT, but it’s actually not that much for an extreme deep clean once or twice a year – especially with the right tools to help you get the job done, as well as a family to help with all the jobs! Adding in the decluttering aspect is excellent for if you’re preparing to move because it 1) makes yours house appear nicer for selling, 2) makes cleaning easier, 3) gets rid of stuff so you have less unnecessary stuff to move and 4) makes stuff more organized so packing is easier when moving day arrives.

What is YOUR big Spring Cleaning item?

Announcing the Busy Mom Bundle!

March 1, 2018 by Danielle

I’ve been working like crazy behind the scenes creating something for all my fellow busy moms out there to make your lives a bit easier, and maybe even more organized. I’m thrilled to finally announce the Busy Mom Bundle! We’ve taken several of our most popular products and are offering them as a complete set for all the parents out there – whether you need help organizing your families important files, want meal plans already done for you for a YEAR, love Disney activities, need a reliable planner, or help planning the best summer camp ever – this Busy Mom Bundle has practically EVERYTHING to help out!

Busy Mom Bundle

From getting all your important files, documents & information together with the Family Home Binder, to having a whole year’s worth of weekly meal plans (with the recipes, of course) already done for you. Keep track of your schedule and tasks with our beautiful planner. You can even earn money hosting an awesome summer (or Spring Break) camp for kids with our FOUR different themed camp kits – or just enjoy them as bonus activities for your own kiddos!

Plus, both the Disneyland-California AND generic versions of our Unofficial Disney Activity & Autograph Books – perfect for that upcoming Disney trip, or just a great booklet for Disney lovers.

These fabulously fun and helpful books and kits sell individually for $2-$10 EACH (except the planner, it’s always free), but with the Busy Mom Bundle you can nab the whole set for just $8 – that’s less than the cost of ONE of the summer camp kits or the meal plan pack alone!

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So let me break it down a bit so you can see exactly what’s included in this incredible printable bundle pack…

Family Home Binder

4 Cover Designs
Weekly Tasks and To Do Spread
Page for listing household Utilities & Services information
School Information
Weekly Menu & Shopping List
Medical Forms
Family Emergency Plan, Map (fire escape route) & Contacts
Emergency Contact Sheet
Monthly Budget – one blank and one with some general expenses filled in
Babysitter Helper Sheet
Birthday List

2018 Printable Calendar & Weekly Planner

also includes 8 different covers (4 styles, each with the option for the stylized ribbon strip or without it)
This is normally a free printable anyway, so we’re just including in here since it’s also a helpful resource for busy moms

Summer Camp Kits – a great way to earn some extra cash!

The 4 themes include: Arts & Crafts, Wizard (aka Unofficial Harry Potter), Science and Superhero
Don’t want to do a camp? They still make great preschool themes, party plans & ideas or just awesome kid activities!
Each has:
- a cover
- tips and ideas for planning & organizing your camp
- themed food ideas
- activities, games, crafts and/or expiriments
- access to LOTS of free printables to assist in your camp, such as invitations, sign in/out sheets, name tags, coloring pages, photo booth cut-outs, banners, drink labels, food cards, etc.

Both Unofficial Disney Activity & Autograph Books (Disneyland-specific, and the generic version)

Pages for keeping memories and records from your Disney trip
Coloring sheets, games & activities
Plenty of styled & themed autograph pages (also work great for photo pages)
Disneyland version includes ride lists & height requirements

Meal Plan on a Budget

52 Weeks (a whole year) of weekly meal plans already done for you
Breakfast, lunch AND dinner
Recipes all included with page numbers for easy reference
Daily food costs average to less than $5 per person per day!
Blank shopping list for easy grocery list planning

Like I said, the Busy Mom Bundle will be only $8 – such a great savings from buying the printable sets individually! But here’s the thing – we’re celebrating this awesome kit by doing a TWO DAY SALE when it’s live – by selling it for just $7! Yup, when it becomes available in our shop next Tuesday, March 6th at 6am until Thursday, March 8th at 8am you can nab the ENTIRE kit for just $7 – that’s less than a single summer camp kit set or the meal plan book all alone.

So mark your calendars, because this amazing, parent-sanity-saving set will be available starting next week and you can save more by purchasing the first two days. WOOT WOOT!

Don’t want the whole bundle? Check out our other products HERE

Family Home Binder

Unofficial Disney Activity & Autograph Books

2018 Planner & Calendar

Summer Camp Kits or Kid Activity Packs

A YEAR of Meal Plans with Recipes – on a Budget!

Which of the printables would YOU most like to have?

Organizing Your Mom Van

February 19, 2018 by Danielle

Do you have a “mom van”? We’re talking about a vehicle that you live in for the better part of the week because you’re always shuttling kids here and there. Yes, I have a mom van myself – between dance, karate, the store and running to/from school, it gets good use out of it. That means it can get SUPER messy with all our stuff, and crumbs (even if they don’t EAT in the van, they manage to get crumbs everywhere – what the heck?) So what can you do to keep yourself sane? Here’s a few simple tips on How to Organize Your Mom Van!

Organizing your minivan (or whatever vehicle you have) is one of the best things you can do to simplify your busy life. You spend tons of time in there driving here and there – and everywhere – so make it an enjoyable space. Here are some tips on how to do it:

Organize Bit by Bit – You will want to create sections within your mom van that you can organize according to who sits where and what their needs are. Toys and games for the toddler? Towels or extra shoes for a young sports star? Organize sections of the car and use collapsible bins for storing goodies and important items.

Create trash solutions – Nothing ruins a car/van quicker than trash and every mom knows that where kids go, trash goes, too. Fix this by putting some mini trash bags in your van on all seat rows/levels so it’s accessible to everyone. And ziplocking baggies can be your best friend when organizing your mom van!

Create snack solutions – How often do your kids need to have a snack in the car? Whether it’s an afterschool shuttle to soccer practice or a quick meal before going to a doctor’s appointment, there’s a good chance your kids are going to be eating in the car. And what about those days they forget their school snack and you’ve already left the house? Be prepared with some baskets or bins of car snacks that you keep in the van at all times – make sure they won’t melt, and the less ‘messy’ the better (at least for US, right?). Toss some water bottles in there, too, just in case.

You can also include some goodies for yourself – after all, even the chauffeur needs a special treat! Maybe a book or magazine to read while you’re waiting in that carpool line to pick up a kid?

What are YOUR tips for organizing your mom van?

How to Stop Multitasking and Get More Done

February 3, 2018 by Danielle

Raise your hand if you’re a multi-tasker! I sure am – but that’s not necessarily a good thing. As busy moms, we often pride ourselves on our ability to do many things at once – and with all we have to do, it’s not avoidable all the time. But really, we’ve got to learn How to Stop Multitasking and Get More Done!

You may think that multitasking is helping you get more things accomplished in your day, but many studies have shown that it does more harm than good. When you’re doing a specific task, you need to be sure you’re focused only on that specific task and not anything else at the moment. This will help you be more efficient with what you’re doing and you’ll get through things more quickly. It’s also super easy to get started on several things, but they never really get finished because we were handling too much all at once – or we were doing one thing, saw another and remembered it needed to be done and switched our focus, then several items later never make it back to the one we started with. Crazy, frustrating and exhausting, right?! By just focusing on one thing at a time, it not only gets done BETTER, but you can check more things off your to-do list, rather than have many things half started but not completed.

So, if you’ve been overwhelmed and trying to tackle several things at once, it may be a difficult habit to quit. Here’s some tips to stop multitasking and get more done:

Make a list of things you need to do, then prioritize your list. Put time estimates beside each task of how long they will take you. That way, if you find you have about 15 minutes, you can pick something that takes about that long to get done – instead of wondering what you can fit in and simply waste that time not deciding.
Take each task one at a time and commit to doing it until finished. This also frees up your brain power from trying to keep too many tasks ‘open’ in it all at once.
Block out your time throughout the day in chunks, based on your to-do list. I do better with smaller chunks of time, since it doesn’t seem so daunting – you can divide larger tasks up into smaller ones to help this, too.
Allow yourself breaks in between completing tasks. You’ll be more focused on getting it done, and have a chance to refresh knowing you get a rest time when complete.
Practice it until it becomes your new habit. Changes don’t happen instantly, especially with long-ingrained habits like this, so be patient and just keep at it the best you can.

What are your tips to get more done in the day?

Time Management for Busy Moms

January 23, 2018 by Danielle

Us moms have to juggle many tasks and wear many hats, from carpooling and checking homework, cleaning and laundry, managing the budget and shopping, and sometimes even a whole slew of job work! It might seem like you never have time to stop, or even slow down with your enormous to-do list – but it’s important that you manage your time and your busy tasks as well as you can so that you CAN still get quality time with your family, as well as some time for yourself. Here’s some Time Management for Busy Moms to give us ALL a little help!

It’s very important to your well-being, as well as the well-being of those you care for each day, and many moms just don’t make it a priority. I struggle with that all too often myself, so know what you’re up against! Maybe one or two of these time management tips will give you a little help and guidance.

Delegate – Whenever possible, try to delegate some tasks to someone else. Sometimes busy moms try too hard to do it all when there are tasks that others are perfectly capable of helping with. Despite what some husbands might think, they’re perfectly capable of helping with the house cleaning and such. No, they may not load the dishwasher perfectly how you want it – but if the dishes will still get cleaned, great! Are your kids able to help fold the clothes (who am I kidding, we don’t ‘fold’ clothes in our house – it’s wash, dry and put away in drawers or hung in closets!) or maybe wipe down the counters? Let them help!

Create a schedule – You need a schedule and you need to stick to it. It might seem difficult when everything is happening at a crazy, breakneck pace but it’s important you follow the schedule to help manage your time properly. Once you force yourself into a habit of following a schedule, it’ll become easier to do and help you get done what you need to while seeing where you can fit in other things.

Use a timer – Focus on one task at a time and use a timer to block out short blocks of time to get things done. The timer will keep you on task while also helping you see how much time you’re actually spending on things. It’s easier to tackle scrubbing toilets when I have a timer for only so many minutes – I can do REALLY good cleaning for those minutes, then I get a break!

Don’t overcommit – This is a difficult one for most moms but it’s important not to overbook and overcommit yourself. Sometimes you just need to say no because you already have too many things going on. There’s nothing wrong with this at all, regardless of why we tell ourselves we have to say yes or let ourselves feel guilty when we don’t. Us busy moms are AWESOME – but we’re not time lords or anything, so we just CANNOT do everything. Please let yourself say no sometimes.

Y’all remember when I shared how important it is for us moms to have a hobby of our own? I know that it’s easier said than done with how much we need to squeeze into each day – but with these time management tips for busy moms, hopefully we can ALL can keep ourselves on schedule a bit more and feel like we have some downtime now and then, because every mom deserves that!

What’s YOUR best time management advice for busy moms?

How to Create a Homeschool Area in your Existing Space

January 19, 2018 by Danielle

When you homeschool, you’re going to collect more teaching aids, books, papers, lesson plans, arts and crafts, and other related items than you’ve ever had before. You’re going to need someplace to put all this stuff, which can be frustrating when you have limited space in your house. Here’s a few tips and ideas on How to Create a Homeschool Area in Your Existing Space to give you a little help.

Create multipurpose rooms – Maybe your garage can double as a gym, and your dining room can double as a space for homework and art projects. Try to look beyond the typical room ‘assignments’ and come up with what works best for you. We currently have our ‘formal’ dining room as an office, and use our breakfast area as our only dining spot.

Make it livable – You might try to create a homeschool area inside a small portion of your home such as a small home office, a sitting room, or even a closet (at least for storage). If it’s not livable and practical with the rest of your home, it’s not going to work long term and will only cause more stress and frustration.

Work with the things you have – You don’t need brand new furniture, expensive student desks, or fancy gadgets to make your homeschool space work for your students. You can work with the things you already have, and you can use old furniture and other thrift store items to create your own workable homeschool area.

Have lots of storage – You can never have too much storage in a homeschool (well, you probably can – but I doubt many of us have reached that point yet!). Seriously, boxes and bins are your friends. You can work with the space you have when you maximize it with great storage solutions. And labels – don’t make it a nightmare to find what you need WHEN you need it!

Build around your goals – Don’t obsess over those homeschool spaces you see on Pinterest, or even what another family is doing. Build your space around the goals YOU have for your students and yourself. Then you’ll have everything you need right in the space that you have available. Win-win!

With these tips and ideas, you can create a homeschool area in your existing space that will work for all your needs, and hopefully will make your entire home life a bit less overwhelming for everyone.

If you homeschool, where do you do it in your home?

Housework for Busy Moms

January 11, 2018 by Danielle

Do you feel like the housework never ends? I sure do! This is a common complaint for busy moms and – whether you have one child or six – it can feel like the housework is constantly piling up on you. In the case of laundry and dishes, it LITERALLY can be piling up (story of my life, it seems!) However, there are a few ideas on tackling Housework for Busy Moms, to help streamline the cleaning process and help you to feel like more of your time is freed up, instead of spending it all cleaning all the time.

The housework tips below may seem so simple, but while many us might already KNOW to do these things, actually doing them is another story. After all, us moms are notorious for not asking for help – even when we really need it! Let’s try to get past that, and see if any of these ideas about housework for busy moms can help us out a bit.

Create a plan – Just like anything else in your busy life and busy schedule, making a plan will make it easier. What will you clean first? What needs to be cleaned every day and what is cleaned less often, like once a week? All of these details will go into your cleaning plan. If you’re like me and like checklists and such, check out all these great cleaning printables! It can really help our stress level just by knowing what the plan is, instead of trying to keep EVERYTHING in our head all of the time. You know what they say – being a woman is like having 237 internet tabs open, all at once, every second of the day. Let’s remove some of those tabs 🙂

Delegate what you can – If your kids are old enough, they can be helping out – don’t think you have to do it all on your own. If there are cleaning tasks you can delegate to others in the household – like your hubby, then don’t hesitate to ask them to pitch in.

Block out time for similar tasks – You can also streamline your housework by doing it in blocks and chunking similar tasks in those blocks together. Maybe you clean for 45 minutes in the morning and you knock out all the bathrooms. Then in the evening, you do dusting and vacuuming, for example. Set a timer, so you SEE your time and know that there’s a limit – you won’t be cleaning all day long. This helps me a lot, just knowing that it’s a very specific time that I’m stuck doing a task I don’t like.

These are just a few ideas to help us busy moms tackle the housework. Your mileage may vary since every home is different and your needs will be unique. However, some careful planning can help make the entire process easier for you and will help you save time. And don’t stress if there’s a few exceptions you need to address – like for me, it’s toilets – that’s a chore than hubby knows I refuse to do, so he’s wonderful and does it. Yay!

More Help for Busy Moms

update link on Jan 11th

Be Company Ready even when you HATE Cleaning

How to Get the Smell out of Shoes

Free Goal Setting Printable

January 6, 2018 by Danielle

Who else gets super excited to start a fresh new year? Other than the utter surprise that it comes so quickly, I love it! I know it’s silly to get all motivated just because it’s a new calendar year…why can’t we get that way in the middle of the summer? But just the same, it’s great and I’m looking forward to setting goals for things I want to improve upon and some that I want to accomplish. These Free Goal Setting Printables will surely help, too – and they’re now updated for 2018! (originally shared in 2015)

How likely are you to meet a goal without having written it down? Me….no chance! I need it in writing, plus the steps to reach that goal. It keeps me organized and stay on track by having it right there in front of me. Of course I had to include a neat quote along the top!

You can print off as many sheets as you need, and they match perfectly with our Free Printable 2018 Planner & Calendar and FHE Planning Pages! My favorite feature of the sheets is that there’s a line for the overall goal, then you can break down the steps below. If you’re like me, a goal seems much more achievable if I can see the baby steps instead of a giant leap!

To download and print our fun goal printable, be sure to sign up for our newsletter as it’s one of our many subscriber-exclusive printables! Just sign up, and you’ll receive an email with the link to get your free printables!