As a perfectionist I often overwhelm myself. My good intentions always lead to half finished chores and messes I walk away from because I overwhelm myself. I have such high expectations, after all if a job is worth doing it’s worth doing right. That statement right there is my downfall. A typical project will go something like this: Today is a perfect day to clean the garage! I’ll go out in to the garage and start going through boxes and bags and shelves, bagging up stuff that can be donated, tossing things that are broken or missing pieces and then … Continue reading →

I usually consider myself very organized and on top of things. The past several months have conspired to change that perception. It has been a rough year, there really is no other way to say it. My life and the lives of people around me have changed so much. As a result I’m suffering from a little bit of depression. Today, after a nap, I realized that my home is completely out of control. The yard that I love so much is overgrown with weeds and almost dead. My sprinkler system is broken and in my current state of mind, … Continue reading →

Do you do the majority of the housework in your home? A recent study has reinforced what we all already know, women, including working mothers, do the majority of housework, cooking and childcare. Why are people surprised by this? Since the dawn of time women have been responsible for the majority of housework. The division seems to be, women take care of the inside of the house and men take care of the outside. As we raise our children we reinforce those roles. Little girls help fold the laundry and run the vacuum. Little boys help mow the lawn, fix … Continue reading →

How do you get your kids to pick up after themselves? In my house it was always a battle. Hailey seemed to think that I was put on this earth to pick up after her. Nothing I tried worked, I begged, threatened, even threw toys away when she wasn’t looking. Still the floor was a Barbie minefield. Recently I saw the bin in the picture above on Pinterest. The idea behind it is if Mom has to do your chore by picking up your toys, then you have to do a chore for Mom to get them back. Now, we … Continue reading →

Sometimes people write blogs that inspire you to think about things. Recently Stephanie Romero wrote about Chores That Relax You. I could relate with the fact that she doesn’t find painting relaxing. I don’t either. I get all excited to paint but by the time I’m finished wrestling with all that blue paint, I’m done. It drives me crazy and no matter how careful I am I get paint on the ceiling, trim and carpet. Not relaxing at all. For me, it’s weeding. Although you couldn’t tell it by the state of my flower beds right now, weeding relaxes me. … Continue reading →

My mom is coming to visit in two weeks because my sister is getting married. Why does the thought of your mother visiting turn you into an insecure teenager again. I guess you are never too old to want your mother to be proud of you. That means I will spend the next two weeks cleaning and cleaning and cleaning. Not that she cares, my mother could care less if my house is clean, but I care. The carpets have taken a beating so I’ll have to steam clean everything. The spare bedroom will need to be cleaned and it … Continue reading →

Depending on which website you visit, Spam is 75 years old. Really? It’s hard for me to believe it’s held on that long. Personally I don’t like Spam but someone must for it to still be around. I work with people who are fans of Spam, one lady says her kids ask for Spam and eggs. All I can say is ewes! Although I have to admit that I have purchased a fair amount of Spam and it is a staple in my food storage. It seems counter productive to store stuff your family won’t eat but I figure if … Continue reading →

I am not a hoarder although at times I do have way too much fabric. I don’t like the look of clutter or how it makes my house feel. I don’t understand hoarders, and there are many benefits of not being surrounded by clutter. People who help others declutter for a living say that clutter creates stress because the human mind is not meant to deal with so much constant stimulation. When you clear out the clutter it’s almost like a sigh of relief. It visually opens up the space and makes it restful to look at instead of stressful. … Continue reading →

As you probably know, cooking is not my favorite thing any time of year but in the summer the last thing I want to do is heat the house up while cooking dinner. Bagged salads to the rescue. My favorite thing to do is cook a bunch of chicken, chop it up and freeze it to use later in salad. I sometimes do this on the grill if the house feels too hot. You can marinate the chicken or season it anyway you like to add some zip to your salad. Recently it seems that every week there is a … Continue reading →

Tonight in Utah we have a wild fire burning out of control. Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes, many with less than fifteen minutes notice.. People are scrambling to grab pets, medications, pictures, all those things that couldn’t be replaced. Look around your home, what would you grab first? No matter where you live you should have an evacuation plan. Whether its wild fires, hurricanes, earthquakes or some other natural disaster you never know when your home may become uninhabitable. It will help to have a plan and hope you never have to use it. Have an … Continue reading →