It’s often said that the kitchen is the heart of the home, but unfortunately for many moms, the kitchen is often the central point for something unwanted – piles of clutter. So, I am always searching for new kitchen organizing tips! My kitchen tends to accumulate a lot of clutter, too. My kids like to do their homework on the kitchen table (even though there’s a desk for them upstairs), so we often have to take the time before dinner to clear off homework, pencils, books, etc. The kitchen table is also where I tend to leave the mail for my spouse to see when he comes home, so junk mail Continue reading...
Privacy for a Chain Link Fence
For homeowners whose backyard backs to a chain link fence, lack of privacy can be an issue. Finding ways to create privacy for a chain link fence can be difficult. Such is the case with my home's backyard, which has a schoolyard behind it. The school's chain link fence separates the school playground from my home's backyard. The playground is filled during the day and some afternoons with children who are very curious about my activities should I venture into the backyard when the schoolyard is filled. (Luckily, the schoolyard is quiet and empty most weekends.) So, if I'd like to use Continue reading...
Is It Time to Toss the Condiments in Your Fridge?
Open the door to my home’s refrigerator, and one usually find bottles and bottles of ketchup, salad dressing and other condiments on the door’s shelves. Even worse, the bottom drawer of my fridge tends to accumulate those sauce packets that are free when we go to Taco Bell, McDonald’s and the local Chinese restaurant. Which got me to wondering: How long do condiments last? What is the shelf life of things like ketchup and salad dressings? I did some research, and found out that things like cocktail sauce, salad dressing and mustard last a lot less longer than I thought they did. Website Continue reading...
An Unfinished Basement Playroom
Walk into my home on any given day, and you will be confronted with toys in almost every corner of our home. My kids have so many toys that I am actually at a loss as to where to put them all.So, I am hoping to convert our unfinished basement into a playroom. I hope to create an unfinished basement playroom without incurring the costs associated with actually finishing or remodeling the basement. Like many homeowners, I could add a lot of useful square footage to my home if I converted the basement from storage space to usable space by remodeling the basement. A Thrifty Unfinished Basement Continue reading...
The Best House for Your Family
When I purchased my house, I knew nothing about what kind of home would work best for my future family’s needs. I had no kids, and did not fully know what a mom would want in a home. Sure, I knew that my home’s location – on a cul-de-sac and within walking distance of an elementary school – would be great for us once my husband and I had children. I also liked the fact that the park has swings, a slide and a fun sandy play area for children. But I had no clue about what else a mom would want in a home. We chose a new Colonial house with an open floor plan, one in which the living room Continue reading...
Pinning for Home Décor
Homeowners shopping for home décor have a great new tool available to them. Pinterest, the social media platform that debuted in March 2011, is perfect for home shoppers who are looking for decorating ideas and suggestions, and who need a place to see how those ideas work together. On the site, users can “pin” images that they like from across the Web to visual boards they create. For instance, in MomHomeGuide.com’s Pinterest account, I’ve created a board entitled “Small Living Room.” To that board, I’ve pinned loveseats, accent chairs and other décor that I think would work Continue reading...
Creating a Raised Garden Bed
A sunflower that I grew in my family's raised garden bed last summer.Last spring, one of the best things my daughters and I did together was designate an area of our yard for a raised garden bed, and started a flower and vegetable garden. We started small and planted sunflowers, peas, tomatoes and sunflowers. My daughters loved watching the sunflowers grow, and especially liked eating the peas straight out of the garden. This year, we decided to expand our garden, and bought the same raised garden kit that we purchased last spring from Eartheasy.com, the Farmstead Raised Garden Continue reading...
Cheese Herb Bread (1 lb loaf)
Recipes for 1 lb-loaf bread machines, like for my Zojirushi 1-Pound-Loaf Programmable Mini Breadmaker, can be hard to find (most recipe books include recipes for 2 lb or larger loaves), so when one comes across a tasty recipe for a 1 lb. loaf, you stick with it! I have made this recipe, which I've adapted from the Bread Machine Magic cookbook, several times, and my kids love it. It is simple to put the recipe together, and the bread comes out soft and delicious consistently. It tastes great with a little flavored olive oil (you can add some dried oregano and basil to the oil) drizzled on Continue reading...
Organization for a Small Entryway
My home has an open floor plan, and the front door enters directly into the living room and a small foyer. Most of the first floor of my house is carpeted (to my chagrin), with only a 6-foot by 4-foot patch of linoleum by the front door foyer to protect the beige carpeting from dirty shoes and boots. Which means that when my family of four enters the home together, we all try to fit ourselves onto that small 24-square-foot patch of foyer space to take off our shoes before the mud, dirt, etc., finds its way to the carpeting. The area by our front door serves as a "mudroom" of Continue reading...
Baking Bread
I’ve long thought about buying a bread machine, but held off, thinking that the small appliance would become a short-lived fad, only to take up the limited space in my cabinets. But, I am happy to say that now that I have purchased my bread maker, the Zojirushi 1-Pound-Loaf Programmable Mini Breadmaker from Amazon.com, the appliance has a permanent place on my kitchen counter. I like the appliance’s mini profile, that the machine is so easy to program (most times, I just press “start”) and that its parts – like the baking pan and the kneading blade – are so easy to clean. Easy to Use I Continue reading...