I have regularly involved my children in doing laundry for over a year now. Starting at about age 2 their laundry duties have gradually increased. Now that they are 3 and 5, they are doing the majority of their own laundry every week. Their duties include: Putting dirty laundry in the hamper. Helping me load…
My Home is My Castle
How to Organize a Garage + Cricut Giveaway
I’ve done my best to keep my garage organized, but with very little storage, it has been difficult. I’d often not know where to put something in the garage and instead just find a place for it in my house. As a result, my home was more cluttered than I wanted it to be. I…
Day at the Park Packing List
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Wet Ones® hand wipes. The opinions and text are all mine. Hidden Valley Park is our favorite park to go to relax, play, and enjoy a great afternoon. My kids and I love it. We try to visit once if not twice a week….
Packing Tips for Kids
When I go out of town without my kids I like to pack their bags efficiently. This is so that those watching them know exactly what is what and where things are without having to dig. I’ve found packing in the following way really helps those who are watching my kids to have a stress-free experience. Further,…
26 Energy Saving Tips
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of IGS Energy for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine. Energy is a big expense. When I say energy, I’m referring to power/electric and gas. These bills can be very high if you own a home in a less temperate area. It makes sense to…
3 Easy Steps to Cleaning a Genuine Sheepskin Rug
When I was a little girl my grandparents brought our family back a large sheepskin rug from their religious mission to Australia. Since then, I have had a love for the genuine fur. My siblings and I would lay on the rug as we watched TV. We’d put a blanket on top and sleep on it. We’d roll each…
13 Clever Cleaning Tips That Increase Efficiency
My mom has always told me that I’m a great cleaner, which is weird because I do not enjoy it. I love blasting music and getting a slight work out in and I like the end result, but I dread cleaning. I feel like it is the most monotonous task of my life—not to be overly dramatic…
5 Steps to Prepare Your Yard for Winter
Cleaning up and preparing for winter can be a fun family activity. Here are five quick ways to winterize your yard. 1- Turn off and drain sprinklers. Depending on your sprinkler system and area the protocol for turning off your sprinklers may be different than ours. We simply turn off our yard water, then turn the…
How To Store Water in Case of Disaster or Need
Water storage is vital in many predicaments. A year ago a serious flash flood hit my sister’s little community. Homes were flooded, the highway disappeared, and a nearby dam was threatening to break. It was scary. My sister’s water could have been shut off at any minute. Knowing that she and her family had water…
Step-by-Step Instructions to Detail Your Vehicle
Everyone loves a nice looking clean, fresh smelling car. But not everyone can afford detailing their vehicle every 2-3 months. Detailing costs anywhere between $100-$1,000+ depending on the options you get. Detailing your own vehicle can not only be a great way to save and ensure a job well done, it can also be a…
15 Inexpensive Laundry Hacks That Will Save You Hundreds
Laundry is more enjoyable for me than many other tasks. That said, I do sometimes get frustrated at how quickly it piles up and how it never seems to end. Then I remember that for centuries before my time people had to hand wash laundry. When I remember this, my slight frustration turns to gratitude. We are very…
Home Fire Proof Safes: Why Have Them & What to Put In Them
Accidents happen. I’ve known some people whose homes have been completely burned or ruined by natural disasters. Other people I know have suddenly lost the bread-winner or financial leader of the family. These unfortunate incidents although rare, do happen at random. It really is a wise thing to prepare in case such incidents do occur…
15 Steps to a Successful Morning Routine for You and Your Kids
Mornings are such a double edge sword for me. I love that I wake up rested and looking forward to a new day. But yet, I kind of dread getting out of my soft comfy bed (esp. if I feel like the morning could be chaotic). I’ve found (and I’ve heard from other moms, including my…
Labor Bag Packing List for Scheduled C-Sections
A reader emailed me and asked me to provide a list on what to pack for a scheduled C-Section. I asked around, scoured the internet, and surprisingly found out a lot about C-Sections! Read about the items you’ll most likely want with you below: 1. Insurance card/ID/Medical Papers – All your identification papers (your insurance…
How to Protect Your Loved Ones from Market Corrections and Economic Downturns
Market corrections have historically occurred about every 6-8 years in America, the last being in 2008-2009, and before that 2002. Some have been much worse than others. But the last two (in the past 15 years) experienced over a 40% drop. Many investors and economists say that we are at a place where a market correction could…
5 Ways to Reduce Time Spent on Washing Dishes + a Deal You Won’t Want to Miss!
Dishes. The never-ending household chore. Some women love to do dishes. I am not one of them! Dishes are my nemesis. So finding ways to get them done faster is something I’m always trying to do. Here are a few tips. 1. Rinse dishes immediately after use. When you are cooking, baking, etc. rinsing out…
How to Quickly Make Corn on the Cob without Boiling Water
This is a quick tip that I wish I had discovered awhile ago! You can make wonderful, moist, and perfectly cooked corn on the cob in just a few minutes by doing the following: 1- Cut the stem of the stalk off so it will fit and rotate/spin around on a plate in your microwave….
7 Ways to Keep Your Mind Sharp When You Aren’t in School
It’s really important to exercise our mind. If we don’t, it’s weakened. For example, after graduating with my Bachelors at age 20, I traveled and learned a new language. Because of this, I was studying often. When I got back to the US, I stopped studying and took a few years off from anything academic….
How to Easily Fit 128 GB of Photos and Videos in Your Pocket
As a busy mom of two and blogger I’m always using my iPhone and iPad to take video and images of our family, my activities, and food. I love how easy iPads and iPhones are to take the perfect photograph or capture an awesome video. If you were alive or remember the day of cassette…
How to Keep Your Baby Cool in Their Rear-Facing Car Seat
UPDATE- I have received both criticism and praise for this project on social media. I just have to say that the vent is made of a tin foil type substance that is very thin and light weight. I truly believe it poses no threat to my baby—even if we were to get in an accident…
How to Get Stains out of Clothes, Even after They Have Been Dried—without Scrubbing
My daughter has been teething like nobody’s business! It is so bad, slobber even goes through her bibs. Non-stop slobber + staining formula is a recipe for horrendous looking neck-stained-onesies. She just grew into size 6 onesies (of which I have about 15). So when they all turned out looking like this picture I wasn’t…
The One Year Week-by-Week Family Emergency Plan
It is crucial for peace of mind and financial stability to be ready for natural disasters, economic downturns, or emergencies. If you want to put food and supplies aside for such a time but are just too busy or can’t afford it all at once, don’t worry.This course will make getting your family prepared for…
4 Reasons to Have Food Storage in Times of Non-Emergency
*Article written by Karen Jensen, my sister and co-author of our book Living a Rich Life as a Stay-at-Home Mom: How to Build a Successful Financial Foundation for You and Your Children. Welcome Karen, Shortly after my husband and I were married we decided to work on building a food storage supply. We didn’t have…
How to Balance Your Time and Create a More Well-Rounded Life
The vast majority of us have more to do in a day than we can possibly get done. We often have to-do lists that are very long and schedules that are jam packed. Despite us doing so much and working so hard, we often neglect ourselves. Other times we may neglect important things that we value…
How to Prepare for Natural Disasters
In the last 24 hours, my sister’s town, Moapa Valley, Nevada was on a high flood alert. Homes were flooded, the power went out, people were stranded in or out of their homes, kids were stranded at schools and had to spend the night there, and many people abandoned their vehicles to get to safety….
11 Pregnancy “Must-Carry-With-You-Items”
It’s nice to have a check list of helpful things to carry with in your purse while pregnant. I really like preparing for the unexpected, being comfortable during pregnancy, and saving money. All of the items mentioned below are extremely helpful, increase comfort while pregnant, and 90% of them cost less than $1.00 per item….
11 Steps to Throwing a Fun and Stress-Free Party
Planning a party can be a bit overwhelming. Especially if you really want it to be memorable and fun. I’ve found that breaking the party planning and prepping down into 11 steps makes everything go much more smoothly. By following these steps you can have an amazing, yet stress-free party! 1. Start early (at…
How To Prepare for, React to, & Recover from ‘ The Earthquake’
My sister has lived in Los Angeles for two years and has already been in 2 earthquakes. They were smaller, but she felt them. One occurred while she was in her apartment and the other happened while she was driving. When I lived in Taiwan (teaching English) I experienced an earthquake as well. It was…
Newspaper Seed Starter Growing Pot
I’m so happy to introduce you to my friend Ali. She, her sisters, and mom blog at The Mama’s Girls. Its an awesome blog that you should check out! Ali made this IMPRESSIVE newspaper seed starter pot and has included some great information on how to get your plants to grow well. Thanks Ali… Hello! I…
DIY NonToxic Toilet Bowl Cleaner in 11 Seconds or Less
Recently, I tried an experiment of a DIY nontoxic toilet bowl cleaner I had seen used on T.V. I wasn’t sure really how well it would clean the toilet. So I tried it twice. One with fairly clean toilet, the other with a dirty toilet. I was shocked at how fast and easy it was to…
