Yesterday I talked about how I want to have a cleaner house (even while living with a husband and 7 kids – what can I say, I like to dream big). A thought came to me late yesterday afternoon. I remembered something I read years ago. The main message was this: Use good tools. Clean […]
December: Things I Enjoyed
This is a new feature here: Things I Enjoyed is simply quick takes on stuff I liked using, reading or wearing in the previous month. Tangie Laundry Paste Concentrate I recently decided to start buying my laundry detergent in bulk, since I go through so much, and the stash I bought back in the summer […]
Why I won’t feel bad about my house anymore
Every once in a while, I feel bad about my house. I have a lovely house. I am thankful for it. But it’s not Pinterest-worthy. It’s rarely even Instragram-worthy. I look at pictures of my friends’ homes on social media, with their perfect, unblemished walls, and I wonder whether they repainted just last week. I […]
From Crunchy to Soggy, and the sweet spot between frugality and environmentalism
There is a sweet spot between frugality and environmentalism. While I aim for both values and they have much overlap, they are sometimes at odds with each other. And I discovered that I’m happiest when I stay in that sweet spot. Read on to see what I mean. As I review the nearly 2,000 posts […]
Back-to-homeschool to-do list
I didn’t post a summer bucket list this year as in years past. I’ve been focused on writing my new book. However, there are a couple of things I need to accomplish before the busy season of homeschool and extracurricular lessons begin. They’ve been niggling at the back of my brain, but for some reason […]
This crunchy, frugal mama: why I don’t make homemade laundry detergent
I’m about to make a radical statement. Are you sitting down? This frugal, crunchy mama is about to spill it: Why I don’t make homemade laundry detergent. Gasp! I wrote on this topic a few years ago after several good, solid trials into homemade laundry detergent making adventures. Why don’t I make homemade laundry detergent? […]
The right size for a home may be smaller
I read this post recently from Becoming Minimalist’s Joshua Becker and found myself agreeing with every word: 12 Reasons Why You’ll Be Happier in a Smaller Home Since we’ve decided to buy a home, I’ve been thinking a lot about our real needs. Our current home, while lovely, is simply too big for us. A […]
Why I got rid of so many books
A lot of spring cleaning and decluttering is going on around here lately. One of the toughest things for me to get rid of has always been books. When I read Marie Kondo’s books, I became convinced that I needed to ruthlessly cull my bookshelves. Why? Because they were frankly getting on my nerves! I […]
Call me Florence
This week has been … fun. Some type of virus (possibly, after a Google search of symptoms, adenovirus because of the fever, cough, stomach pain/vomiting, red eyes, extreme malaise) has made its way through our house. Both of the couches in my living room have been strewn with sleeping bodies all week. I’ve never seen an […]
How Grove saves me time and money
I’ve written about my love for Grove.co (formerly ePantry) before. Anything that can save me both time and money and keep me out of stores is a huge win in my book. I dislike shopping generally, but shopping with several kids in tow? NOT fun. It’s tiring, stressful, and always leads to extra spending or poorly thought-out […]