Putting Some Spring In Your Home

It’s just about, so close, very near…can you feel it? It’s spring, and here it’s sneaking through the cracks every few days. Today was a day that was dark, damp, and sleeting, though: very winter-like. If you’re feeling the winter blues, what can you do to add some spring to your home and hopefully to your step? 1. Flowers and plants Nothing says spring like adding a few flowers to your home. My favorite is the forced bulb. It’s so easy to force bulbs to bloom. Just place a paperwhite in a pot and place it in a sunny location … Continue reading →

Spic and Span? Cleaning Resolutions for Your Home

It’s time for a resolution! Or not. Whether you shun New Years’ resolutions or jump onto the resolution train, this time of year is a good time to plan for the next. Whether you call them resolutions or not, you might be thinking forward to what the new year will bring. If there’s one thing I’m fairly certain about, it’s that we’re not looking forward to more cleaning in 2013. What sorts of resolutions have I made in years gone by? 1. Do one thing a day. This resolution helped me in 2012, but I slid a little in the … Continue reading →

Doing Laundry With Frugal Style

Do you like doing laundry? There is something wonderful about making things clean again. Then again, there is something rather icky about that cat-vomited, kid-messy, sticky mass you shove into the washing machine. I am of two minds about laundry. Laundry can be a time suck if you let it. We only have three people (and three cats) in our family, and it takes up a bit of time. It used to take up more time, though. These days, I’m in a frugal and time-friendly laundry groove. Yeah. How can you reduce the time you spend doing laundry? Get proactive. … Continue reading →

5 Exfoliants You Can Create at Home

For the luxury of a spa treatment without the expense, create your own formulas. Exfoliants are fun and a good party of any beauty treatment. They work by sloughing off dead skin cells that can make your skin dull or cause break outs. You can create your own scrub and experiment with different recipes until you get one that works perfectly for you. While not all of the ingredients listed below are all natural, you can feel confident about choosing ones that are, if that is a concern for you. You can also avoid any ingredients that may cause allergies. … Continue reading →

How to Deal with a Mossy Roof

If your roof has moss, you’ll need to know how to deal with it. Here are the questions you need to ask and how to solve the problem. Moss needs to be removed from your roof for several reasons. The moss will keep the roof damp, causing your shingles to rot. Moss on the roof can also catch debris, such as leaves, dirt and twigs, and this can make the roof rot even faster. When you spot moss on the roof, the first thing that you will need to do is to take a closer look at your roof. Is … Continue reading →

Cleaning Out the Car

You know that things are bad in your car when a ten-year-old complains that it is gross. We have had a couple of strange weeks, so my normal policy of having everyone grab at least three things that don’t belong each time they leave the car just wasn’t working. I hit the last straw yesterday when two things occurred: my daughter pulled out an old and yellowed cheese stick from behind a seat, and the carpooling kids didn’t want to put on their seat belts because they were afraid of all of the crumbs. “They are huge crumbs. It isn’t … Continue reading →

Get Beautiful with Petroleum Jelly

Petroleum jelly (Vaseline) has long been used as a beauty staple. Learn all of the different ways that you can put this product to use in your beauty routine and save money, not to mention space in your bathroom cabinet. Fix your eyebrows. Use a clean fingertip or a mascara wand to apply a tiny amount of petroleum jelly to your eyebrows in a sweeping motion. Start from the inside and go toward the outside in one moment. Instantly tamed brows are yours. Remove your eye makeup. Put some petroleum jelly on your eyelids and then wipe it off again … Continue reading →

How to Keep the House Clean in the Summer

With a flurry of kids coming in and out of the house all summer long, how do you keep the dirt, the mud, the sand, and yes, even the water out of your home? Sometimes I will settle for just getting the dirt cleaned up enough that it doesn’t permanently damage the carpets or flooring. Beside the damage from spills, carpets can become matted and hard floors can become scratched by dirt and grit. There has to be a balance between having a relaxed summer home and spending all of your time cleaning up. We want to reduce the clean … Continue reading →

Channelling the Home Gurus

Every once in a while, while I am taking care of my home, I think of those home gurus and all of their advice. Some of it is very good: “Only surround yourself with the things that add meaning to your life,” and some of it is bad: “Bathrooms should be cleaned three times a day.” Ack, really? Still those home gurus have done a lot to help us with turning our houses into homes. Which home guru do you most relate to? Peter Walsh Super clutter organizer Peter Walsh wants people to “live rich and full lives without drowning … Continue reading →

Keeping Home in the Summer

When the temperature is hot and you would much rather sit by the pool and read a book, getting the motivation to clean and organize your home or to take care of the little things that contribute to the running of it can be tough. Who wants to pay the bills or do the laundry or wipe down the kitchen when the days seem lazy and sticky? Here are some tips that may help you keep your home in the summer. Simplify Summer should be all about being easy and taking a break. Simplify things in your home and your … Continue reading →