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Housekeeping in 2013

Getting ready to kiss 2012 goodbye, I am eager to embrace the New Year.  But I am also ready to conquer what I believe has become a lost art in today’s society, housekeeping. If you think about it, it’s kind of an old-fashioned word.  Homemaking has mostly replaced it.  But it means one and the same. It can also be a concept viewed in a negative light.  It might conjure up images of women donning aprons, scrubbing the floor on their hands and knees (forget the Shark Steam Mop!).  Or you might picture June Cleaver in her dress and heels, … Continue reading →

Three Ways to Avoid Holiday Debt

It is easy to start racking up the debt during the holiday season. There are many demands on our money, such as holiday gifts, special events, travel costs, food, decorations, and other entertaining costs. We often get carried away when we spot the perfect gift or want to make it the best season ever. As you are planning, cooking and shopping, you might want to use the following strategies to avoid holiday debt. Start with a Holiday Budget In order to control holiday spending instead of letting holiday spending control you, you will need to set a budget. Start with … Continue reading →

Planning and Preparing for Holiday Baking

I have been spending the past few days planning my holiday baking.  Each trip I make to the store, I pick up some of the ingredients. Normally my baking takes place a couple of weeks before Christmas.  But since my military son won’t be home until a couple of days before, I am doing my baking the week he is home so that he can enjoy the yummy treats. The ingredients for baking can get expensive.  So if you plan early enough what you are going to make, you can create a master list.  Then instead of purchasing everything at … Continue reading →

Fun Holiday Gifts and Crafts for Toddlers

If you are trying to navigate the holiday season on a tight budget this year, you are not alone. Many people, parents of toddlers included, are looking for ways to make merry for less. Whether your desire to cut back on spending is motivated by necessity or simply a desire to live a little more simply, here are some ideas that you might want to use this year. For your toddler, here are a few ideas. One thing that you can do is to round up any old, broken crayons that are lying around. Home made “crazy crayons”, made from pieces … Continue reading →

Balancing the Holidays: Simplify, Blend and Schedule

I don’t know about you, but December tends to be the busiest month of the year.  There is so much to do, so many preparations to make, gifts to buy and a house to clean. Yet this is also the time of year for being with family.  So how can you balance it all?  I think it comes down to three things:  simplifying, blending and scheduling. Let me explain.  First, simplify.  What are some things you can skip doing?  Are there areas of the home that really don’t need to be cleaned? Could you cut down on the amount of … Continue reading →

Christmas Decorating

It’s the tradition in my home. The day after Thanksgiving I start pulling out the Christmas decorations. Then I take the rest of the day off and save the actual decorating for Saturday. I absolutely love the day of Christmas decorating. A hot mug of coffee, Christmas music playing and my living room is transformed. This is also the perfect opportunity to get in some cleaning. Because I have to move furniture in my living room to fit the Christmas tree, I take advantage of this by wiping down the baseboards and getting on my hands and knees to scrub … Continue reading →

Easy Thanksgiving Crafts You Can’t Mess Up

Thanksgiving is just two weeks away. Are you hosting the Turkey Day celebration this year? Preparing a massive meal for your extended clan is no picnic. Add to that the task of decorating your home for the holiday and you may be wondering if you bit off more than you can chew. With time ticking down to the big day, now is the time to recruit the troops. Get your kids involved in the making simple decorations to embellish your Turkey Day buffet. The following Thanksgiving-themed projects are so easy you can have a houseful made in no time: PAPER … Continue reading →

Saving on Holiday Decorating

I’m not much of a holiday decorator when it comes to my home. In fact, there are only two holidays in which I do, the fall season and Christmas. This is the time of year in which I break out the scarecrows. Mr. Bob (yes, I named him) is my favorite. He is my largest scarecrow that sits on our porch. I also have a few pumpkin decorations that grace my home as well. I keep it neutral. In other words, it isn’t about Halloween or Thanksgiving. It is more of a “harvest” look, so that way I can keep … Continue reading →

Stretch Your Dollar on Halloween Thrills and Chills

Halloween will be here and gone before you know it, and if you aren’t careful, celebrating the holiday can leave a nasty mark on your wallet. The key to saving money at various Halloween-related events and attractions is to get the most bang for your buck. The following family-friendly travel attractions allow you to maximize your holiday fun without breaking the bank: Indiana: Each October the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo hosts a Halloween Extravaganza. The zoo goes wild with Halloween activities, such as pumpkin decorating contests, costume parades and a Monster Mash dance party. Kids can also have a ball … Continue reading →

Extending the Holiday Magic

(Our Tannenbaum) Here’s a sight you don’t want to see on the third day of Christmas: a bare tree dumped on the curb, stripped of its holiday lights and ornaments, waiting for the city recycling truck to pick it up and chop it into mulch. Oh, the horror! It’s like seeing Santa standing naked on the side of the road. My eyes! My poor eyes! It’s the third day of Christmas, people. Where’s your holiday spirit? Knowing that someone undressed that tree’s lovely branches and prepared it for disposal within hours of Santa’s visit is utterly heartbreaking. It’s especially gut-wrenching … Continue reading →