Style, Recipes, Travel, Crafts & Household Tips
We love Star Wars movies and were inspired to make some printable star wars valentine cards that will be a HUGE hit with both boys and girls. These are so simple to print at home and have your child give them to their classmates. The Valentine’s include Rey, BB8, Finn and Chewbacca. [Read more…]
One thing I am focusing one this year is memory keeping. My girls are growing up so fast and I am sad that I don’t have items like this Valentine Quiz for Kids from when they were young. I am going to make them complete the quiz this year but wish I would have started when they were little.
If you are a room mom or teacher this would be a great activity for a classroom Valentine’s Day party. I am sure most parents would love to receive this.
Wondering how to keep a house clean? It can be hard especially once you have kids who seem to make messes quicker then you can clean them up. If you have had a hard time committing to a daily cleaning schedule, or sometimes feel like all you ever do is wash dishes and straighten your home, maybe you need to add a few simple things to your daily routine to cut down on housework time. These tips can become automatic and will do wonders to cut down on the time it takes to keep your house straightened up.
1. Clean As You Go
One of the quickest and most effective habits to create is to clean as you go! This may take some practice if it isn’t your natural tendency to be clean or orderly. But making it a priority to put things away as you use them and clean as you go is the best way to keep a clean and orderly home.
Taking those dozen extra steps to put your shoes in your room, or to hang your coat in the closet, or to put the shopping bag of items away will save so much time in the long run. It’s much easier to put things away immediately than it is to be facing an entire room full of things that are out of place at one time.
2. Have a Bathroom Routine – Bathroom Cleaning
Bathrooms are often the biggest drudgery to clean, but can be quickly cleaned each week if you make a simple daily habit. Chances are you have a nightly or every morning personal care routine – wash your face, brush your teeth, etc. Add a small step to that routine that will help keep your bathroom clean – wipe down the bathroom surfaces. Put a canister of cleaning wipes under the sink to grab and wipe down the sink, faucet, counter, and back of the toilet each night or morning. Or if you use disposable facial wipes, use that before tossing it to wipe everything down. It probably goes without saying, but make sure to use it for your face first. This bathroom wipe down habit will probably add less than a minute to your nightly routine, and will keep your bathroom looking freshly cleaned between actual cleanings.
3. Delegate Responsibilities
Repeat after me – I do not have to do everything by myself. It really is okay and a good idea to delegate house cleaning responsibilities to other members of your household. Even if your husband doesn’t load the dishwasher the most effective way possible, or if your children make a sloppy bed, it’s okay for things to not be done perfectly.
Especially with your children, it’s important to delegate tasks to help teach them the importance of keeping a neat and tidy home. Create a chore chart to help your children know who is in charge of which chore each day or week. If things aren’t getting done well, take a day to teach them a fast and effective way of completing their designated chore.
4. Beds, Dishes and Laundry
If you can only tackle a handful of daily chore habits – the three that will most likely make the biggest impact are the beds, the dishes, and the laundry. Make it an automatic to pull your blankets up and fluff your pillows each morning. Military corners and perfectly made beds aren’t necessary, but just having the blankets and pillows straightened will make a huge difference. Make it a family rule that no one goes to bed with dirty dishes in the sink. Waking up to a sink full of dirty dishes is a horrible way to start the day. Make sure to load and run the dishwasher before bed, or wash those last few dishes by hand. Then make it a morning automatic to put the dishes away when you wake up. Create a daily or every couple of days policy of finishing one full load of laundry. Letting your laundry pile up all week will most likely create an entire day of laundry and who wants to spend their weekends that way? Start a load in the morning, toss it in the dryer at lunch time or when you get home from work, and fold and put them away right after dinner. It will take minutes of your day and you won’t have to dread an entire day spent in the laundry room each week.
5. Perfection Is Unnecessary
This is the most important housekeeping tip of this list – you are not Martha Stewart and she most likely has paid help in the first place. And you know what – that is okay! Don’t allow a Pinterest-perfect world to give you the idea that you have to live in perfection as well. Keeping your home somewhat tidy and straightened will do wonders to alleviate stress and create a peaceful environment. But you can easily undo all of that serenity by having lofty and unattainable goals of a perfect home.
6. Use beautiful cleaning supplies: I know it sounds silly, but I’m way more motivated to clean and do dishes if I have nice supplies that I look forward to using. For example, Mrs. Meyer’s hand soaps and dish soaps are made with essential oils and plant-derived ingredients, so they smell amazing and don’t irritate my skin. Plus, the matching set looks so nice sitting next to my sink!
Grove Collaborative has a special offer to help start the New Year with a clean home. When you place your first order of $20 from Grove using my link, you’ll get:
If you’re already a customer, you’ll get a free set of Grove walnut scrubber sponges, which are so pretty you won’t mind leaving them out by the sink.
Switching to beautiful home care products has been a real game-changer for me. Because I look forward to getting out this stylish cleaning caddy, I’m much more inclined to stick to my cleaning routine. And dishes don’t feel like such a chore with a stylish sponge and lovely smelling dish soap.
Plus if you spend $39, you’ll get a beautiful stoneware tray for free! It’s perfect for holding your soaps and a sponge.
Grove hand-selects the best green products and delivers them (carbon offset) right to my doorstep, on my schedule. I get helpful reminders when it’s time to reorder, so that’s one less thing I have to think about.
As a VIP, I also get free shipping, free gifts, price matching, exclusive sales and personal service. Once you’ve submitted your order, you’ll be signed up for the free 60 day VIP trial so you can check it out for yourself!
Here’s how it works:
Learn more about Grove Collaborative here.
What are some ways that you make housework easier? What seems to be your problem area where cleaning is concerned?
Next check these tips on home to stay organized at home.
and get a free printable task list for each month with the Clean & Organize challenge for 2019.
A new year always makes us want to start every aspect of our lives off on the right foot. Diet, exercise, family time, and of course cleaning, organizing, and decluttering often top the list. To help you clean and get organized in 2018, we are having a fun challenge. We will be sharing a new list of tasks that can help you get on track each month this year. (We ran this same challenge in 2017 and 2018 and people loved it!)
Instead of spending a month breaking your back getting it all done instead we will help break it up into smaller tasks over the entire year. We even have a printable checklist that you can laminate and hang on your refrigerator or slip into your planner. I will be sharing 365 simple tasks that can be done each day to help you get your house in order this year. Most tasks should take 15 – 30 minutes. If it works for you do each task on the corresponding date, if not just use it as a list of tasks, some days you may get more than one done. You may wish to take off the weekend and double up on weekdays or vice versa. I want you to be successful so do what works best for you.
Be sure to see the full list and helpful hints below the printable sign up!
Here are all the tasks we have included for January and some helpful tips.
Dust blinds, remove cobwebs from corners, and wipe off window sills– Something like this blind duster makes quick work of this chore. A damp cloth with a bit of all- purpose cleaner is great for the sills.
Remove and rewash curtains in main living areas of the house, rehang– I occasionally dust my curtains but sometimes they need a good refreshing that only a wash and hang can give them. Some curtains can be washed and rehung while still slightly damp and you won’t need to iron them, otherwise for formal curtains you can send them off to the dry cleaners.
Scrub the oven, and toss out pots, pans, and baking sheets in rough shape- After this task, you should treat yourself to a nice new pan if you need one! I could not believe how bad some of my baking sheets looked!
Start a donation box, put at least 15 items in it immediately- Toys, clothes, extra kitchen items, whatever you come across that you consider clutter and needs a new home. This is essential for helping you feel more organized and overwhelmed. I wish I had stayed on top of this the last few years. It was a HUGE project when we moved to Germany and I could not believe the number of things we had in our home we no longer needed. I know even with the amount of items I got rid of it will still be easy to find 15 more items.
Dust ceiling fans, light fixtures, replace burned out bulbs- This should take no more than 10-15 minutes to do and will make a big impact.
Replace ac/heating filter, dust vents, make service appointment to have it checked- Stock up on filters you will see this pop up every few months and keeping your filters changed regularly will keep your unit running better and longer.
Test and replace batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide alarms- This task takes just a few minutes but makes an important difference in your family safety!
Remove 1 pair of shoes, and 8 clothing items that you don’t love, add to donation box– Purging always feels good, dig into your closet or your kids and add to your donation box (if you want to add more, feel free). If you want to
Reorganize pantry, toss out expired items including spices- Check dates and toss anything past expiration, take a few minutes to reorganize and add items to your shopping list if needed.
Dump out your junk drawer, rehome items that don’t belong, reorganize- Consider grabbing one of these drawer organizers to help keep your drawer from returning to its cluttered state.
Soak all shower heads in vinegar, clean and replace caulk where needed. Snake hair out of drains.- Slip rubber band over your shower head, then place a baggie filled with vinegar over it, secure with rubber band, leave in place for a couple hours then remove. This easy trick removes hard water buildup and mildew. If you are anything like me your hair sheds like crazy in the shower and they need a good snaking now and then.
Clean keyboard, delete unused apps and pics off phone– If you have done all of this recently find something else to do similar like moving computer photos to a zip drive, cd, or usb.
Flip mattress, clean out under bed, and replace bed pillows if needed- A good spring cleaning of areas like this is a good idea several times a year.
Sort through medicine cabinet, toss out expired medicines- Call your local pharmacy or hospital and see if they have a disposal program in place. I was able to take expired medicine to my local police department.
Empty refrigerator, give it a good scrubbing, throw away nearly empty or expired containers-This one may take more than 15 minutes to do and can be broken up over a couple days if you like.
Create a family command center, add a few organizational pieces if necessary– Use a chalkboard or dry erase, hooks, and whatever else you need to streamline family life.
Wash fabric shower curtains, take out old towels and cut up for rags- If you have a vinyl curtain you can soak it in a tub with soap and a bit of bleach to sanitize.
Spend 15 minutes tackling an area that has been bugging you for awhile- Set a timer and attack that desk or tidy up the mudroom.
Go through your jewelry box, take items in for repair, get rid of single earrings, and unloved pieces.
Toss magazines older than 3 months, unsubscribe to virtual subscriptions you don’t use.
Rearrange furniture and pictures in the living room to give it a fresh new feel- Sometimes this is all you need to get out of a winter funk and freshen up your living space, and it’s free!
Vacuum and wash car, put air in tires, top off all fluids. Don’t forget to empty the trunk!
Sweep off front porch, put away any holiday decorations still out, add a new plant- Giving the front of the house a freshen up will make you smile every time you come home.
Find 5 more items to add to the donation box- Outgrown kids clothes, an extra toaster, unused rice cooker, etc… You can go over 5 of course but at least make it the minimum.
Replace ragged kitchen towels and potholders with new ones- Pass usable ones on to the garage in a rag bucket, throw away others.
Clean out dryer filter, toss mismatched socks, buy new laundry baskets if needed– I can not believe the number of mismatched socks in my home. Where do the matches go?!?
Go through PJ’s, socks, and underwear drawers– Toss or donate overly worn out items. Treat yourself to some scented drawer liners.
Empty spam, delete emails and answer a few-feels good doesn’t it?
Dust the tops of high furniture pieces- Those places we forget like the top of the entertainment center, cupboards, and armoires need attention now and then.
Wipe down baseboards throughout house- If you are so inclined after giving them a swipe with cleaner you can go back over dry trim with a dryer sheet to help repel future dust.
Take your full donation box (or two) to a local thrift store or charity center- You can pat yourself on the back for cleaning out the house and doing good!
We included a few holiday outfits in our latest capsule wardrobe from JCPenney. Having outfits that mix and match makes it easy to look great for holiday get-togethers.
Pieces 2 + 9 +12
A few weeks ago I shared our newest capsule wardrobe with cute winter outfit ideas from JCPenney and I highlighted the outfits I was wearing for Thanksgiving and other casual winter events. I am excited to partner with JCPenney on these two posts since I love clothing that is stylish and affordable and JCPenney offers incredible style and value for all. They offer a variety of affordable fashion for the whole family and home decor. JCPenney offers a huge variety of high quality stylish pieces at great prices.
The outfit above I choose to wear for dinners out and casual holiday get-togethers. I included the Liz Claiborne pull-on pants in the capsule in both pine and black. Many of you love the comfort of leggings but not the tight fit. I find these pants to be the perfect solution. They are so comfy for when you are on the go but want to look more dressed up than leggings. The Liz Claiborne Three Keyhole Top, Black Dot can easily be dressed up or down. It looks great with the black pants or jeans. I love the fit of this top so much I also bought the red floral style.
Did you know that you can pick up items in store if you need items quickly? It is a huge time saver to browse online and then pick up in store or have the items shipped to my home. In this busy holiday season, we are all looking for ways to save time and money. I ordered each of the outfits I am wearing online but then picked up in store. I love this service. [Read more…]
Looking for a cute easy DIY gift for the kids. Check out this DIY Gift of Reindeer Hot Chocolate! This gift requires just a few ingredients and supplies which makes it very easy to make. It so simple to make that kids can easily make them themselves for friends. Just add ingredients and a tag and you are good to go with a simple but oh so cute gift! [Read more…]
This Home Holiday Checklist will help save you stress this December.
This is our final cleaning and organizing post for the year, I hope it has helped you get some things in order and taken some stress off you. We are going to finish up strong and enjoy the end of this year and look forward to a new year! We are working on Christmas preparation for your home (or the holiday you celebrate) You can repeat these daily quick cleaning and organizing tips again this next year to keep on top of those tasks that are sometimes forgotten!
Take it one small task at a time throughout the year with our series and you can tackle it all easily! We want to help you clean and organize your home the way that works best for you! We have been working on getting ready for the holidays that last few months and these final daily tasks should help you have less stress this holiday season.
Most tasks should take 15 – 30 minutes. If it works for you do each task on the corresponding date, if not just use it as a list of tasks, some days you may get more than one done. You may wish to take off the weekend and double up on weekdays or vice versa. I want you to be successful so do what works best for you. We only gave you 25 tasks this month so you can catch up if need be.
My friend’s over at Grove Collective made a special cleaning offer for my readers.
You can items FREE from Grove Collaborative when you place your first order of $20 using my link.
New customers will get the holiday set
Plus, if you spend $39, you’ll also receive a free Grove stoneware tray to beautifully display your new holiday soaps.
Existing customers will get free Grove walnut scrubber sponges, which are perfect for all your cleaning needs.
Check out this special cleaning offer
It is so handy to have cleaning products come right to your doorstep and they make it easy to cancel auto shipments so you can just order whenever you want or you can easily cancel.
Sign up a the end of this article to get your free Clean and Organize List for Every Month This Year
Hopefully by tackling a few things each day throughout the month. It will help make your home run more smoothly and help you enjoy your holidays more. It is amazing how just 15 minutes a day can make a HUGE impact! Don’t forget to sign up and we will email you free tasks lists for each month.
Be sure to check out more great info here to help with daily cleaning
Simple Steps to Help Keep Your House Clean
Here is a list of live Cyber Monday Sales and extended Black Friday Sales.
I will be adding more sales as they go live. So be sure to bookmark or pin this page. I update it every year.
Just click the store name to shop.
6pm.com – Cyber Monday Deals – Plus Tak an extra 10% off your order with code CYBERSALE and FREE shipping
Abercrombie – 50% off everything and free shipping
Abercrombie Kids – 40% off everything plus free shipping and all jeans 50% off
American Eagle – 50% off all sweaters plus 40% off everything and free shipping
Ann Taylor – Cyber Monday: 50% Off Everything + Free Shipping. Use code CYBER2018
Anthropologie – 30% off everything and free shipping over $100
Athleta – 20% Off Your Purchase. Use code BOOST
Amazon – Cyber Week Sale
Amazon – Cyber Monday Deal on Toys up to 70% off
Amazon – 30% Off Select clothing shoes and accessories.
Amazon – Use promo code NOVBOOK18 to save $5.00 when you spend $20.00 or more plus Get $10 credit when you sign up for Prime Bookbox for Kids
Banana Republic – Cyber Event: 50% off Everything (no exclusions) Online only. Extra 10% off with Gap Family Card – Use BRCARD
Baublebar -35% off everything. Use code CYBER35
Best Buy – Laptops , iPads, TVs, cameras and more.
Boden – 30% off with code V4N9, plus free shipping over $49!
Body Shop – 50% off 100s of items! Plus 20% off gifts.
Cents of Style – 50% off sweater with code CYBERSTYLE
Children’s Place -Cyber Monday Deals – Get 60 – 75 Percent Off Everything with Free Shipping! No Exclusions!
Clinique – 25% off and free shipping plus free 6 piece gift with $65 purchase AND free plus sized product with orders over $75 – Use code 25OFF
Christopher & Banks – 50% off everything and free shipping
Crate & Barrel – 20% off Cyber Monday sale and FREE shipping no minimum
Crate & Barrel Kids (formerly Land of Nod) – 20% off Nod Chairs and Bean Bags plus free personalization – 40% off playhouses and teepees – free shipping no minimum
Crazy 8 – Up to 80% off entire store plus free shipping, and an additional 20% off with code CYBERWOW
DiscountMags – 3 magazine subscriptions for $12, 5 for $18 , or 10 for $30 – these make great gifts!
Eddie Bauer – 50% off everything and free shipping. Use code CYBER50
Fanatics -30% off all orders with code MONDAY
FinishLine – 25% Off online orders with code CYBER25 no minimum
Gap – Get 50% off everything, includes brand new styles! Use code CYBER . PLUS stack code YOURS for an extra 10% off and FREE shipping no minimum.
Garnet Hill – 45% off select cashmere and 25% off plus FREE shipping on everything else
Groopdealz – Daily deals save up to 75% off
Gymboree – Up to 80% off and FREE shipping plus $20 off purchase of $100 with code CYBER
Hanna Andersson – EXTRA 40% off everything, and $25 kids pajamas, FREE SHIPPING on all orders. New customers save 15% on their total order with code HOLIDAY15.
H & M – 30% off everything no exclusions and free shipping.
Janie & Jack -35% Off Entire Purchase + Free Shipping at Janie and Jack and up to 70% off sale styles
JCPenney – Items on sale plus stack code HOLIDAY8 for an extra 30% off orders over $100 or 25% off orders under $100
Jcrew – 50% off entire purchase with code CYBER and 60% off sale items
Jcrew Factory – Up to 60% off with code ADD2CART
Julep – 50% off with coupon code HALFFUN
Kate Spade – 30% off Full price items anf 40% off sale items with code MORECHEER
Kendra Scott – Buy More Save More up to 30% off plus over 500 new markdowns up to 60% off
Kiwi Crate -Get 60% off your first month’s subscription with code CHEER60
Kohls -Take an extra 20% online with Coupon Code GIVE20 and stack code JACKPOT for orders over $50
Land’s End – For 50% off your order, enter: Promotion Code MONDAY and PIN 3264
Loft – CYBER MONDAY: Free Shipping + 50% Off Everything And More with promo CYBER.
Mabels Labels – Get 40% Off Mabel’s Labels Favorites, Plus Free Shipping!
Macys – 2-Day Cyber Deals + $25 Free Ship! Extra 20% Off Code CYBER
Melissa & Doug – BOGO 50% off with code
Minted – 25% off everything including Holiday Cards – If you are not ready to actually make your cards today you can still buy and save to make them later – Details on buy now personalize later program here.
ModCloth – 40% off orders over $150
Nordstrom– Cyber Monday Savings for Women, Men, Kids & Home Cyber Monday special – Spend $250 get a $50 gift card
Nordstrom Rack – Free shipping with no minimum. Spend $150, Get a $35 gift card – Plus Flash sales
Old Navy -Free Cozy Socks with Any Online Purchase. Use code COZY + 50% off Everything. Online only. Limited time. Restrictions apply. . Need some ideas on clothing check out our capsule wardrobes.
Pottery Barn – 25% off full price items and Free shipping with coupon code CYBER
Pottery Barn Kid – Exculsive Cyber Monday Deals plus 25% off your order – use code GIFT25 plus Free Shipping
Pottery Barn Teen – 25% off and free shipping with coupon code OHWHATFUN
Rent The Runway – 50% off unlimited rentals. This is great for upcoming Holiday parties & New Year’s Eve!
Shutterfly – Save up to 50% PLUS an extra 25% Off with coupon code CYBERMONDAY
Stella and Dot – Shop and save with Stella & Dots Cyber Monday Sale: Up to 60% OFF flash sale items!
Stila – 25% off everything plus free shipping
Target – 15% off almost everything no code needed just put items in cart- and BOGO 60% off clothing plus extra 15% off -FREE shipping on everything! Great day to stock up on anything you need at Target.
Tea Collection -Tea Collection is offering 30% off everything Tea + totally free shipping on all orders. Use the code CYBER30
Tervis Tumbler -25% Off all orders and Free Shipping – plus when you buy 4 tumbler get a powdercoated or rose gold one free
Timberland – Up to 50% off select boots, clothing and accessories
Tiny Prints – Up to 50% off everything with code CYBERSALE plus free shipping on orders over $10 with code TPSHIP
Tory Burch – 30% Off orders over $250 & Free shipping use code THANKS
Uggs – Up to 60% off new markdowns
Urban Outfitters – Up to $50 off your purchase
Vera Bradley – 30% off entire purchase including sale items plus free shipping with no minimum
Looking for more coupon codes? Be sure to check out our online coupon code database with 1000s of online coupon codes.
Looking for affordable but cute winter outfit ideas? You have come to the right place. These winter outfits from JCPenney will make it easy to get dressed every morning and look great.
I was excited to partner with JCPenney on this post since I love clothing that is stylish and affordable and JCPenney offers incredible style and value for all. They offer a variety of affordable fashion for the whole family and home decor.
Did you know that you can pick up items in store if you need items quickly? It is a huge time saver to browse online and then pick up in store or have the items shipped to my home. I know that in this busy holiday season, we are all looking for ways to save time and money.
I choose the following outfit (pictured below) to wear for Thanksgiving and picked it up in store. I love the paisley and rich colors. I included the Liz Claiborne pull-on pants in the capsule in both pine and black. Many of you love the comfort of leggings but not the tight fit. I find these pants to be the perfect solution. These are perfect for Thanksgiving! I am always saying that you can easily change up the outfits with jewelry. I picked this Monet® Yellow Stone Gold-Tone Collar Necklace to add a little sparkle to the outfit. This dresses the outfit up a bit but it is still quite comfy.
Black Friday clothing sales are a great time to pick up clothing for yourself and your whole family. Many stores have everything 50% off! These sales have already started so maybe I should be calling them Thanksgiving sales not Black Friday sales. I will be updating this post when more sales go live so be sure to pin it for later!
If you like sales and deals, be sure to join our facebook group here.
We are sharing deals quickly over there as they go live.
Here are the best gifts for book lovers and Unique gift ideas for people who love to read and bookworms
If you have someone who loves to read on your holiday gift list, the obvious thing to get them is books but we found lots of cool ideas for book lovers that are unique but perfect for someone loves to read. Everything from shirts to jewerly, home goods and more.
We have unique gifts ideas at many price points so be sure to check out our page of Great Gift Ideas. for everyone on your list!