Search Results for: blog keeping home in the summer

Free Boredom Busters for Summer

Monday was the last day of school for our kids, and they “escaped” school, eager for some fun. While their friends all headed off the camp the very next day, it was left to me to make sure that each day had some new adventure planned, all while keeping house and working from home. Fortunately, there are a lot of great resources to help me. Our local community, for example, provides a number of free and low-cost activities. On Tuesday, the kids learned about cave painting and created their own art through a library program, and they also got to … Continue reading →

St. Paul has Difficulty Keeping Paraeducators

The St. Paul Public Schools district, in St. Paul, Minnesota, is having difficulty recruiting and retaining paraeducators. This directly affects the students who are in Special Education and who need the assistance that comes from the teacher’s aids. This is not the only school district with this challenge. A paraeducator, or paraprofessional, are the current names for what used to be called a teacher’s aid. Previous to that, in some schools across the nation, the position was staffed by mothers, who worked as volunteers. Sometimes, the job title is shortened to “paras”. The paraeducators are the ones who help children … Continue reading →

End of Summer Layouts

Now that summer is coming to an end, it’s time to go through all of the masterpieces your mini Picasso made for you in the last three months. Whether she crafted them at sleepaway camp or during an afternoon workshop, you’ll want to preserve the special works of art. Scrapbooks are ideal vehicles to show off your child’s precious artwork and the end of summer is one of the best times to craft a memory album. The weeks before kids head back to school is perfect for sorting through what’s worth keeping and displaying and what is really better off … Continue reading →

Homes for Bees: Creating a Bee-eautiful Garden

This summer, I’m teaching kids about pollinators. I love pollinators. So do you, even though you may not realize it. A third of what you eat is a product of a pollinator. Fruits and many things that we call vegetables were pollinated by a bee, a butterfly, or another creature that fertilized the flower and allowed that fruit to grow. If you have a garden at home, you need pollinators too. Even if you don’t have a garden, there’s a whole world out there that needs pollinating! Pollinator populations are dropping rapidly, since urban development has taken away wild sources … Continue reading →

How to Keep the House Clean in the Summer

With a flurry of kids coming in and out of the house all summer long, how do you keep the dirt, the mud, the sand, and yes, even the water out of your home? Sometimes I will settle for just getting the dirt cleaned up enough that it doesn’t permanently damage the carpets or flooring. Beside the damage from spills, carpets can become matted and hard floors can become scratched by dirt and grit. There has to be a balance between having a relaxed summer home and spending all of your time cleaning up. We want to reduce the clean … Continue reading →

Keeping Out the Bugs

In my last blog I talked about preventing bedbugs. There has been a lot in the news about the increase with infestations. So while I am already on the talk of bugs, I thought I would share my opinion on a product we have used the past two years…Ortho Home Defense Max. Like most people, I hate bugs. There are certain ones that I especially would like to ask God about…such as centipedes. Was it really necessary to create them? I have heard the defense. These squiggly little creatures help us by eating other bugs. In all honesty, I think … Continue reading →

Cooling Your Home For Less

Just like Spring, Summer came early to Utah and with it lots of hot, dry air. In the middle of the summer I don’t miss the humidity of the east coast but sometimes, a little rain would be nice. Keeping your home cool in the summer is just as expensive as keeping it warm in the winter. There are some things you can do to reduce your cooling costs. All of the things you do in the winter help with cooling costs as well. Changing the filters on the air conditioning unit, using weatherstripping, closing the curtains during the hottest … Continue reading →

Summer Sanity Savers for Parents

Summertime and the living is easy. Kind of. Maybe. Sort of. Well, not so much if you have a house full of bored kids. Summer vacation is an exciting time for children. However, once the novelty of being out of school wears off, parents are often left with warring offspring whining that they have nothing better to do than to beat the heck out each other. In order to preserve your sanity this summer, consider the following simple kid-friendly activities aimed at keeping youngsters out of trouble: Fun with Dirt: Take a trip to a local greenhouse and select seeds … Continue reading →

Summer Is a Great Time to Turn Your Craft into a Business

How fun would it be if you could turn your fun hobby into a cash making business? Frugal living is about saving, but it is also about extending your resources, such as by earning a little extra cash. So many have already done it. The best part? You get to decide how much work you put into it, and you get to have fun at the same time. Summer is an idea time to launch a home business. The weather is nice and opportunities to sell your items in the community abound. It will also give potential customers a chance … Continue reading →

The Line Between Work and Home

One of the biggest issues facing home – based professionals is defining the boundary between work and home. It is both a physical boundary, as well as one made up of your time and attention. It can be challenging to keep your work and home separate from one another, but if you can make and implement a plan for doing so both you and your family will be happier. One of the best strategies that I have found for keeping work and home separate is to avoid multitasking. Since I work only a limited amount of hours each day, I … Continue reading →