A couple of weeks ago, my middle daughter (who is nearly three years old) was curled up in a ball on the kitchen floor complaining that she was cold. I felt her to make sure she didn’t have a fever. She didn’t, so I’m pretty sure she felt cold because the air conditioning had just kicked on and she was directly beneath a vent. She was also on … [Read more...] about Why Don’t We Help Ourselves?
organized living
Use Bakeware Organizers to Store Kids’ Puzzles
A couple of months ago I shared some ideas I’d come across online for organizing kids’ puzzles. I was trying to find a storage solution for the puzzles we keep on a couple of shelves in our living room. There are several great ideas in that post, but we’ve ended up using kitchenware organizers to store our puzzles. We ordered 2 sets of … [Read more...] about Use Bakeware Organizers to Store Kids’ Puzzles
5 Ways a Tub of Ready-to-Eat Snacks Benefits My Family
Snack time used to be one of my least favorite times of day. Sometimes my kids would sit down at the table and make requests (this was often for snacks I didn’t have on hand and, of course, each child would want something different). Other times I would offer one item (or let them choose between two items) and they would grumble because they … [Read more...] about 5 Ways a Tub of Ready-to-Eat Snacks Benefits My Family
Storage Solutions for Kids’ Puzzles
We have about 20 kids’ puzzles stacked on a bookshelf in our living room. They all fit there, but they’re a bit of an eyesore and it is difficult to access the one our kids ask for because inevitably that particular one is at the bottom of the stack! As you can see, we need to find a better way to store these puzzles. This is … [Read more...] about Storage Solutions for Kids’ Puzzles
Keep Short Lists
I don’t typically think about my mortality on a daily basis. However, throughout this past year, my husband and I have been reminded of the fragility and brevity of life on numerous occasions. Early in the year, we had a young cousin nearly die in a car accident. In the fall, I experienced two rare and serious complications while having … [Read more...] about Keep Short Lists
11 Tips That’ll Help You Survive Life with a Newborn
Whether you’ve just given birth to your first child or your sixth one, the newborn period is challenging. You’re recovering from childbirth (unless your newborn was adopted or birthed by a surrogate) while also dealing with midnight feedings, endless diaper changes, periods of unexplained fussiness, sibling adjustment, etc. You need to cut … [Read more...] about 11 Tips That’ll Help You Survive Life with a Newborn
How to Make 10 Freezer Meals in 3 Hours
During the latter half of the summer, I made one or two freezer meals every weekend. This was in preparation for the arrival of my third child. As August approached, I got together with a friend who was also pregnant and we spent an afternoon together making freezer meals. I’ve seen lots of blog posts on how to make a significant number … [Read more...] about How to Make 10 Freezer Meals in 3 Hours
How to Cook Real Food Without Spending All Day in the Kitchen
I do my best to feed nutritious meals to my family. It’s been really tough during this season, though. I’m in the third trimester of pregnancy and I’m caring for my 3-year-old and 2-year-old. I’m tired. By the time evening arrives, I’m tempted to feed them any old convenience food in order to avoid being on my feet and working over a hot … [Read more...] about How to Cook Real Food Without Spending All Day in the Kitchen