Lifestyle blogger – cruises, organizing, managing money, and parenting.
My organizing tip for today is a book review for you. I’ve been listening to the audiobook of Throw Out Fifty Things – Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life by Gail Blanke. Affiliate disclosure – As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I enjoyed it so much, I listened to it twice […] Read more…
If there’s one thing I’ve noticed, it’s that most people do not know how to make an effective complaint. I’m actually really good at doing that. I actually used to write formal complaint letters for people on Fiverr. So, here’s a situation I experienced recently that ended in a refund of several hundred dollars. As […] Read more…
So, my middle son Matt got married about a month ago. I haven’t posted the pictures from it because it’s taken a while to get the pictures back from the photographer. But it was a lovely day and we were all excited to see them married. Great weather – perfect since it was a rooftop […] Read more…
I am always surprised when I find that most people have not heard about a water alarm. I think it’s just as necessary as a smoke alarm in your home. These things are BRILLIANT and have saved our bacon more times than I can count. Water damage can be very expensive. We’ve had water in […] Read more…
Do you suffer from hostess neurosis or hostess anxiety? You know that HORRIBLE feeling when you’ve got guests coming over and the house looks like a complete TRAIN WRECK?? That’s about the worst feeling in the world. I don’t think anything causes me more stress or anxiety in the world than to think that […] Read more…
One of the most common and negative things people say about themselves is we are lazy. It’s kind of a fascinating question because if you look a little bit deeper, it is almost always NOT TRUE. And it’s probably healthier to do away with the stereotype that someone with a messy house is lazy. Because […] Read more…
Some moms were talking the other day about how their kids fight so much. The discussion was about what is normal sibling rivalry or sibling fighting? Is it was normal for siblings to have such a hard time getting along? I don’t think so and I’ll tell you why. If you’ve been reading my blog, […] Read more…
Raising teens and tweens can be quite a challenge. What’s that saying? It’s like being pecked to death by a duck. As the mother of three sons – two adult and one still in those “fabulous” teen years, I can certainly testify to the truth of that. What if there was one magic truth that […] Read more…
Writing workshops always say that you should write about topics you know. Well, one thing I know a little bit about is being a Scout parent. Since I have all boys, I’ve been involved with a Boy Scout Troop. But I’m sure the Girl Scout program has similar benefits. Anyway, I’ve been involved in our […] Read more…
These 90 days* same as cash deals can be really good or really bad. Here are some tricks to keep them on the good side of things and save you money. These deferred payment deals can be very effective when used correctly. (*I say 90 days, but many of them are like 6 months or […] Read more…
Sometimes I think the saving habit is one of the hardest habits to develop. But that savings account has saved my butt so many times, I just don’t understand how people function without one. That’s one of the reasons I came up with this stealth savings strategy. I think the trap people fall into is […] Read more…
My son Blake and I had a good talk the other day. He’s a High School Sophomore and he has been slipping a bit in school lately. He needed a kick in the butt and I was definitely in the mood to give it to him. But it reminded me of how difficult it can […] Read more…
Passive aggressive behavior is massively frustrating! I see a lot of it with the people in my life at home and at work. My kids have learned something called Intentional Incompetence, which is basically doing a lousy job on their chores – on purpose. They figure if they do a lousy enough job at their […] Read more…
Shopping Emails are like little golden tickets for your favorite stores. Do you know when you buy stuff in stores these days, they no longer ask for your phone number. Instead, they’ve started asking for your Email address. Gotta love marketing. If they can’t get to you one way, they’ll find another. However, keep […] Read more…
Why should your teen get involved in doing regular volunteer service in your community? I’ll give you one reason. Your teen needs to feel like a hero. Not every kid can be the popular one, score the winning sports goal, or win the top prize at the science fair, but every kid can do volunteer service. Usually, […] Read more…