Top 10 Inspirational Female Athletes
Why Your Man Should Eat Less Meat & More Veggies
5 Second Rule -- Are Germs Good for Your Kid?
Snacks vs. Treats: There is a BIG Difference
Save Money and Help the Planet: Go Green This Month!
Is Buying Organic Really Worth the Cost?
follow us on twitter
Spring is a chance to clean up your house, literally and figuratively! There’s more to house cleaning than just cleaning out your basement and cedar closet! You should be approaching your spring cleaning as an emotional cleanse, just as much as a physical cleanse. What dust-balls are lurking in the corner in your life? Gotta clean up, ladies! Here are some tips to get you off the fence, and start spring cleaning your life!
The concept of “spring cleaning” seems to validate the idea that we only have to clean and organize once a year. Not true! It needs to be a daily maintenance, according to organization expert Mary Carlomagno, author of Secrets of Simplicity.
Can't ever find your pots and pans? Never a spatula at-hand when you need one most? Always frustrated at the can opener that always jams? Read on to make your hectic life just a little bit easier by organizing your kitchen!
It's a dreary day and the kids have been inside, watching television and making a general mess in the living room. That's no problem, until you get a phone call that company is dropping by for a surprise visit. Don't panic. Even if the kids aren't old enough to help, there are 5 things you can do to clean the room in no time.
Are you so tired of all of your clothes and shoes being just everywhere? Chances are you don't even know what you have with a messy closet. Glamour magazine's closet-obsessed guru Suze Yalof Schwartz says you don't need to hire a professional organizer to get things tidy. Here's her top five ways to get your closet looking ten times better instantly.
Ok, I know it might sound strange, but if you really want to be frugal and still have fun with your kids, one great idea is to give them a common object in your home and see what they can make with it. With the summer time "I'm bored" slogan going around, this is a great way to keep them busy and not spend any money at all! So our challenge today is "What can you make with a juice lid?" We're talking about those silver ones that come on top of juice concentrates. Here are 7 things to do with a juice lid that my kids and I came up with:
If you are the type of person who likes to keep your home clean for your health and for the health of your family, you are probably using cleaning products. The problem with them is that while you are cleaning your home, you are harming the air quality in it.
In eight short weeks, whether you like it or not, your tax return is due. Don’t let it sneak up on you. There’s no reason tax time has to be a stressful flurry of last-minute preparations capped off with a sprint to the post office (or accountant). If you take a few little steps each week, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much easier it all comes together on April 15th. But, unless you’re a financial-type, you may not be sure how to break down such a daunting task. That is why we’ve put together this tax prep schedule. Although it may seem like a lot of steps, the average “appointment” on the following list should take you no more than sixty minutes to complete – and many may take less than five. Stick to this schedule and you’ll be more likely to make it through this tax season gauntlet mistake-free and with sanity in tact.
Your bathroom is a cluttered mess, and you're getting exasperated trying to figure out how to organize it. Your bathroom counter doesn't have to look like an explosion at a makeup factory; with a few storage items and a bit of creativity you can transform that room to look like a model home.
The bedroom can be your haven, a place to unwind and relax. Unfortunately, it can also be the dumping ground for half-finished projects, smudgy art pieces with sentimental value, stacks of papers and objects that have no other home. The key to organizing the bedroom is to begin with a clean slate and then create systems and spaces for objects in transition.
While many cleaning products today are labeled "green," the term is not regulated and may or may not be an accurate description of the product, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The greenest cleaning products are ones that are made with ingredients that are safe for human consumption. Using products made from natural ingredients, such as baking soda, vinegar, essential oils and lemon juice, can keep your home free from chemical pollutants and airborne toxins, but it can also protect the smallest members of your household, such as your kids and pets.
If the title of this article caught your attention, it’s likely that you have stubbed a toe on a Lego or tripped over a wayward doll one too many times. It is the bane of any parent’s existence. Once kids enter the equation, white couches, glass coffee tables, and soothing clutter-free rooms get swapped for the loud primary colors of Fisher-Price and the inevitable tsunami of toys. If only the kids would enjoy cleaning the toys up as much as they enjoy dumping out the contents of their toy bins, baskets, and buckets. But don’t despair, even if your house looks like a Toys R’Us mosh pit, we’re here with a cheat sheet for getting your kids to meet you halfway.
There’s nothing more inspiring than watching great athletes go for the gold. But when you’re in the midst of the daily grind, you may inadvertently miss an Olympic moment or two that you really wanted to see.
"Eco-friendly" is a big-time buzzword in the home-cleaning aisles at nearly every store. Specialty companies offer cleaning supplies of all sorts, often in distinctive packaging and fragrances. Even common household names are getting in on the green trend and marketing their own eco-friendly cleaning products. Eco-friendly cleaners often come with a higher price tag, but you may wonder whether they can make a difference in your home and for the environment.
No matter the format, what you write down gets done. According to Dave Kohl, a professor emeritus at Virginia Tech., people who regularly write down their goals earn nine times as much over their lifetimes as people who don’t. Think about that for a moment. No matter how lofty or simple your goals may be, reaching them requires a systematic approach. And that begins by writing your to do list down; don’t just think it, ink it! Note-taking and list-making styles are as personal as the way you dress or cook. We’d never suggest you ditch a an approach that’s working perfectly well for you in favor of a newfangled “system.” But if you are dissatisfied with your own system in any way, we’ve got a few thoughts on how to fine tune your list so you’re cruising through it more effectively and efficiently.
The garage often becomes a dumping ground for an assortment of items. The growing pile can be intimidating, but an organizational system in the garage can get the mess under control. Sorting and organizing the items in the garage makes them easy to locate when they are needed. The initial organization process may take a few days, but the end result will be an efficient garage with easy access to all of the stored items.
There’s nothing worse than being stranded…except being stranded in bad winter weather. Colder months are tougher on cars, and a little preventative care now will go a long way to keeping your car running smoothly in the face of snow, sleet, rain, and freezing temperatures. We know, it can be tempting to skip a service if your car is running okay, after all, if it isn’t squeaking at you, there’s no problem, right? Wrong. Neglecting to give your car a pre-winter checkup is penny-wise and pound-foolish. It may seem like you’re saving precious time and money, but in the long run, you’re doing neither. The good news is that getting your car winter-ready doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg.
March 29, 2010 marks the beginning of Passover. If you are Jewish, it is week when family and community come together to celebrate the Exodus. The hallmark of this observance is the removal of all leaven from the home, which commemorates the fact that the Jews leaving Egypt were in a hurry, and did not have time to let their bread rise. It is also a symbolic way to remove the “puffiness,” or arrogance and pride, from the soul.
The trend toward greener household products has caused a green explosion in the cleaning aisle of the supermarket. People, concerned about their health, their children's safety and the environment, want to clean their homes with products that are less toxic, not only to their families, but also to their world. Manufacturers have responded with products labeled "green" and "eco-friendly." Green products--even those that truly are green--are only one facet of healthy, green home cleaning.
Everyone is aware of the obvious dangers in the home, such as rat poison, pest sprays, etc. But there are other dangers lurking in your home that could be damaging to your family and pets. Read on for the top dangers in your home and the protective measures you could take.
If your home office is not organized, then you may be working in clutter and chaos. With a commitment to change the space, invite the kids to help or warn them about the forthcoming flurry of activity. They should know that Mom is ready to tackle the piles of papers, files and books in the home office. You can also organize shared office space, although that needs to be a team effort between spouses. What you think is junk may be your spouse's sketch for an invention. Whether you are alone or with members of your family, just start and you can transform your home office.
Kitchen clutter is the bane of homeowners. Perhaps because so much time is spent in the kitchen, it tends to get neglected when it comes to organization. Before you hire a backhoe, step back and take a deep breath. There's a method to the madness when it comes to kitchen organization, and it's not as complicated as it looks.
When you’re working, wrangling the kids, and generally living a full life, it’s easy to let taking care of your home fall to the bottom of the priority list. But you need to stay on top of your maintenance chores if you want to keep your home and all the good things in it functioning smoothly. As fall approaches, it’s time to start thinking about a top to bottom inspection to check for any damage and prepare for the upcoming cold, winter months.
You put child-safety devices and even locks on your cabinets to keep your kids out, but then you bring those cleaning chemicals out and spray, wipe and pour them around your house. Instead of worrying about these toxic ingredients entering your home, make your own cleaning products and rest assured that your family is safe and healthy.
Commercially available wrinkle releasers freshen and smooth clothing without an iron. Speed up your morning and cut the ironing with an easy and affordable homemade wrinkle releaser. Use homemade wrinkle releaser spray on nearly any garment, including some dry clean-only garments, but do be careful of items that may water spot or discolor.
Are you planning a formal dinner for Easter? They can be a little daunting -- there are a lot of moving parts to organize, from the menu to the table settings. Here's a stress-free plan that will allow you to actually hang out and relax during the gathering rather than running around like a chicken without a head.
The seemingly endless list of tasks to complete before the birth of a baby leaves many moms-to-be dizzy with the possibilities. Organizing the baby's chest of drawers takes some planning, but is a fairly simple task in the grand scheme of the baby preparation. Even if your new addition has already arrived, occasional organization of his clothes keeps things neat and tidy. Grab all of those cute baby outfits and get ready to organize.
While soap, body lotion and hairspray go a long way in making you feel sparkly, they don't do much for your rings. Residue from products you use on your hair and skin can build up on your rings, giving them a lackluster appearance. Dust, dirt and grime can also get into the crevices of your rings, dirtying them and making them appear dull and unsightly. With a few minutes and some common household products you can give your rings their shine back.
You're room's a mess, company's coming and you still have to do a hundred other things. When you find yourself surrounded by a sea of chaos and on your own, don't panic---there's hope. While it's not exactly ideal feng shui, here's a quick and dirty way to clean your room in 10 minutes.
If you have ever used a fountain pen or experienced the explosion of a ball point pen, you know the frustration of ink stains on your hands. As with Shakespeare's Lady MacBeth, you may finding yourself wrestling with a darned stain all over your hands. And like Lady MacBeth, you may find scrubbing to be of no avail. Unlike Lady MacBeth, your cure is just one more washing away. You don't have to live with this stain forever.
