5 Spring Fitness Tips

It is not officially spring yet, but depending on where you live it is definitely in the air in some places. But even if you are still dealing with the last remnants of winter, its time to start thinking about the warmer months soon coming. Following are 5 spring fitness tips to get you started. The first tip is to invest in some good footwear. Don’t skimp on quality just to save a few bucks. You could end up injuring yourself if you don’t wear the right kind of footwear. You can find virtually every category of footwear available, from … Continue reading

Spring Cleaning – Part 1

It’s that time already…spring cleaning is on the minds of many. Although I am more about the fall cleaning, I have decided to make this a twice-a-year event. This means deep cleaning and organizing in preparation for the warmer months. This week we had one of those rare warm days we get in Wisconsin when it’s still March. It was in the lower 60’s and I was able to open my patio door. There is just nothing like fresh air when your house has been closed up all winter long. That’s what kind of kicked it off in my mind … Continue reading

Turning Cleaning into Exercise

Yesterday I decided to do some “fall cleaning.” Yes, I like to be different. Instead of deep cleaning my home in the spring (when I would much rather be outside), I do it in the fall. It helps prepare my home for the upcoming holidays and I like it to be really clean when I am going to be spending so much more time indoors. I only tackled my living room yesterday but it took me a good 3 hours. There was a lot of scrubbing (I have hardwood floors), wiping down walls, dusting and wrestling with these new sofa/loveseat … Continue reading

Spring Cleaning with Toddlers

Spring is here and we are all trying to do our spring cleaning. With toddlers around, it is important that everyone remember to use caution when cleaning. Let’s look at some spring cleaning tips for parents and grandparents with toddlers in the home. Cleaning with Toddlers *Never leave spray bottles of cleaners within a toddler’s reach. They may spray the cleaner into their eyes or even swallow some of the cleaner! It is best to always put the bottle on a high shelf, the top of the refrigerator or some other high place while cleaning. *Do not use strong fragrances … Continue reading

Easy Tough Love Tips for De-cluttering

While getting rid excess stuff seems like an easy thing to do (just start in one place and keep going), for many of us de-cluttering is tough to do. From not knowing where to start to having an emotional attachment to our stuff, we can be our own worse enemies when it comes to having an organized home. One thing that may help in your de-cluttering efforts is to practice some tough love with yourself. Practicing tough love means that you establish certain rules for yourself and then follow them most of the time. Notice I said most of the … Continue reading

Tips for Organizing Your Closet

If your clothes closet is bursting with clothes, shoes and accessories, then it is probably time to organize your closet. Asking yourself one simple question can make a closet cleanup easier than you might think. When you first take a look at your closet, you may find some things that you obviously don’t want. Make these items, such as broken shoes or torn clothing your first task. The rest of your closet may prove a little more difficult. Most people tend to hold on to things past their useful life. Clothing can carry associations and memories, and we sometimes wonder … Continue reading

Tips in the Kitchen 3

Don’t you just love it when you find a tip that makes your time in the kitchen so much better? I’ve been sharing some of my best kitchen-related tips and strategies. While melting chocolate in a microwave can be more convenient than using a double boiler, it can quickly become a disaster. Chocolate burns easily. To help reduce the chances of this happening to your chocolate, use a clear glass bowl that will allow you to see the progress of the chocolate in the microwave. Heat it in 30-second intervals, and always stir it between heating times. Sometimes what looks … Continue reading

Tips in the Kitchen

Whether you are Betty Crocker or Mrs Take Out, kitchen tips can make your life easier. From cooking shortcuts to cleaning dilemmas solved, isn’t it nice to know that help is on its way? If you are cooking anything that contains milk, eggs and flour (such as pancakes or a sauce), rice or pasta, and things get sticky, here is a tip to clean those pans up easily. First soak the pan in cold water. Hot water can set the starch in these foods, making cleanup tougher. The easiest way to make pie dough for a pie crust is by … Continue reading

Springtime Dieting Rush

Is it the panic that sets in that prompts more people to diet in the spring because we know that we will be wearing less? As soon as March rolls around the bathing suits are coming out on the racks in the store. Shorts start to appear, sandals, suntan lotion. I walk through the store and I feel an instant panic. Do not fear. There is time, but you have to get moving. You can lose about 20 or so pounds before June if you start now. Find a good dieting plan that you are comfortable with. You should also … Continue reading

More Clever Household Tips

Do you know the best way to vacuum or how to keep the roll of plastic wrap from falling out of it’s box? Sometimes it is the clever little tricks that make daily keeping of a home so much easier and more effective. Here are plenty of clever home tips that I bet you didn’t know about. On a roll Did you know that from the very beginning, those boxes that hold plastic wrap and aluminum foil were engineered to prevent the rolls from falling out when you are trying to rip off a piece of wrap or foil? It … Continue reading