household tips
How to Make Homemade Butter {in a Stand Mixer}
Okay, so maybe I just tend to get overly excited about butter in general, but I am pretty sure that making homemade butter in my Kitchen-Aid is both the coolest and the most domestic thing I’ve ever done. Just when I didn’t think it was possible to love an appliance even more….I mean really, what’s better than homemade butter? Mmmmmmmm…..butter…… But I digress. It was seriously so easy that I see a lot more butter making in our future. Since this was technically a homeschool activity (and had no selfish motivations whatsoever!), we tried to follow the instructions from Little House in the Big Woods as closely as ... read more
Just Call Me Superwoman {4 Simple Rules for Managing Your Time}
I woke up this past Monday ready to start my week with a bang. I had spent the weekend getting caught up after last week’s trip, and by 8am I had already finished my work for the day, returned several neglected emails, handed in a writing assignment, tidied my house, put in a load of laundry, set our schedule and made our lesson plans for the day. We had a lot to get done and I was READY. And then I got a text message from a Very Important Person asking if I would be available for a phone call in about an hour. I don’t know how it works ... read more
Better Christmas Card Photos {8 Tips for Getting Shots You Love}
The act of sending and receiving Christmas cards might be my favorite of all holiday traditions. I just love seeing how my friends & family have changed and grown, and reading what they have been up to throughout the year. It reminds me that even in the midst of all this busyness, even when we don’t always have a chance to catch up, we are still connected. Husband and I have always sent photo cards, though some of our early photos were truly cringe-worthy. It has always been a dream of mine to learn to take really great photographs and I have spent a lot of time studying, practicing, ... read more
Why I took my kids’ toys away {& why they won’t get them back}
If you follow Project Simplify 365, you already know that I’ve been on a mission this year to simplify my family’s life and rid ourselves of excess. Over the course of this past year I have probably given away about 75 percent of their toys, keeping only the items that I felt encouraged their imagination and that they actually played with. I thought I was doing pretty good. Even so, there were warning signs that my kids still had too much stuff. In June, we took a field trip to Reptile World in Orlando. Afterwards we decided it would be fun to take the girls to dinner at a dinosaur-themed ... read more
5 tips for creating the perfect dorm room {on a budget}
My oldest niece Coryn started college last week. She is attending University of South Carolina on a full soccer scholarship so she had to arrive early to begin training with her new team. She is an amazing kid, er, young woman, and has worked so unbelievably hard to get where she is, and our whole family is so, SO proud of her! My entire extended family lives in Washington State, so I am pretty excited to have her over here on the East Coast with me. I was completely honored when she asked my sister if I could come help her get moved into her dorm and decorate her ... read more
Why I Make My Bed {10 Reasons I Keep My House Clean}
A couple of months ago, when I launched ProjectSimplify365.com, I posted a list of “simple rules” that I wanted my family to live by. Funnily enough, the one thing people commented on more than any other was a line I honestly hadn’t thought twice about including: Make your bed every day. (Get the free download here) Is this a novel concept? I am slightly obsessive about making our bed each morning. I also try (though some days are more successful than others) to spend an hour “Speed Cleaning” the rest of my house. Until I posted the above list, it never even occurred to me that it might be considered odd. ... read more
5 Quick Tips for Getting your Post-Holiday Budget Back on Track
Welcome WINK viewers! Officially I am still on vacation this week but I wanted to make sure you’d be able to easily find the resources I talked about on air this morning. For those of you who didn’t catch the segment, here is a brief overview of my 5 quick tips for getting your post-holiday budget back on track: 1. Freeze your spending. Once you’ve gotten into the “spend” mode, it can sometimes be hard to stop, even when you know you shouldn’t. If you spent too much this Christmas then the first thing you need to do is STOP spending money! Resist the temptation any way you can. 2. ... read more
LWSL Holiday Planning Guide {Free Printable}
The holidays are right around the corner! I don’t know about you , but my feelings are mixed. On the one hand, I truly love this time of year, but at the same time, I can’t help feel a little stressed. There are so many expectations! So many things to do! So many things to buy! As my girls get older, I am finding it increasingly important to keep my priorities in check. I want them to grow up knowing the true meaning of Christmas, not being caught up in the commercialism of it all. I want them to remember happy memories with our family, the special traditions and the ... read more
5 tips for flying with young children
It’s finally here, the very last day of Take 5 in June! I hope you have enjoyed this little break from my normal posting schedule (but hopefully not so much that you’re not glad to have me back.) Tomorrow I’ll be back to my plain old boring self. Our vacation is officially over. After a very long day of flying yesterday, we are back in Florida and very glad to be warm again. I will admit that I am more than a little overwhelmed by all the post-vacation stuff I now need to catch up on–unpacking, laundry, paying bills, re-stocking the fridge–but it was really nice to sleep in my ... read more
