Extreme weather and emergencies can take us by surprise. Being prepared can help you take action when you need to whether it’s bad weather that has you hunkering down or an emergency that has you leaving home in a hurry. We’ve had our fair share of issues including power outages and storms, so I share some ways […]
Tips to Survive Daylight Saving Time
We all dread it. The day that we lose an hour of sleep every year-daylight saving time. While I definitely appreciate the extra hour of sunshine, I am not a fan of losing sleep. Maybe it’s because of the four kids that kept me up many nights, but I LOVE sleep. I need a good […]
How to Create a Disney World Surprise Word Puzzle and Riddle
We love to surprise our kids with fun and adventure, but sometimes you can’t surprise your kids completely. We had set plans that the kids knew about, but we still wanted to surprise them. We knew we’d be taking a trip to Disney World as part of the Disney Social Media Moms conference, but we […]
How to make a blow-out last for 5 days
I recently sat down with my stylist - literally, in her chair as we do - and rather than taking out my Kindle and indulging in 30 minutes of relaxation with a book, I opted to take out my notebook and pen and conduct an interview. “Rachel, oh queen of blow-outs, how can I get […]
10 Tips for Healthy Holidays from GIANT
The holiday season is here! With the holidays come holiday feasts, parties, and gatherings with friends and family all of which involve rich foods and sweet treats galore. I’m sure I’ll indulge a bit, but after sharing about my weight struggle I’ve working hard to lose weight, get healthy, and eat clean. That work has been paying […]
How To: Stock the Pantry
Despite having a sizable layout our kitchen lacks usable cupboard space. We have no pantry and many of our cupboards are unusable due to the lack of shelving, or shelves that are falling apart. The previous owners did a remodel and while it looks okay on the outside, the insides of the cabinets are atrocious. […]
How To Tame the Mail
The second in my series on how to tame the paperwork, I’m going to share with you my tricks to taming the mail. One of the easiest ways to tame the legions of trees in your mailbox from falling is to stop getting so much mail. This will decrease what you bring in so you […]
3 Steps to Make Emergency Fund
Turn on any financial news show and the host, say a Suze Orman or a Carmen Wong Ulrich, will mention an emergency fund. It’s always stressed that your emergency fund (called the EF from now on) should be 3-6 months expenses. Based on savings rates in the US few people have even a few […]
How to Tame the Paperwork
After reading about Stephanie’s piles of paperwork, I was reminded why I like this time of year so very much. It’s a time to stay indoors, wear warm socks (love my new SmartWool socks), drink tea (check), and clean up the inside of your home. Most people reserve spring cleaning for the spring, but I’d […]
Keep it Simple at Christmas
This year more than ever before I’m trying to keep the holidays simple. With 4 kids you’d think we spend a lot on Christmas, but we manage to keep it cheap by using a 5 simple strategies. 1. Pay attention to what the kids you are shopping for like. Usually a few times a year I […]
