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The Absolute Best Ways To Organize A Kids Room On A Budget

by | May 15, 2020 | Parenting & Household Tips

These tips to organize a kids room on a budget are so simple, but so effective, that you’ll wish you’d read this last year.

“Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.” 

If you haven’t heard that quote before, I’ll bet you’ve lived it!

When it comes to kids room organization, the trick is to keep it simple, sweetie.  So let’s talk about simple solutions to problems like the kids room being a constant mess. 

(And wouldn’t it be nice to get out the door without searching for last minute items for once?)

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Creative Ways To Save Money When You’re On A Tight Budget

by | May 11, 2020 | Saving Money

These creative ways to save money are exactly what you need to boost your savings. Get money saving tips you can use in real life, every day.

That stupid kitchen faucet was leaking again.

And because we don’t have city water (we pay to have water hauled to our home every couple of weeks), it was more than an inconvenience.

It was literally money going down the drain.

So I asked a few super handy friends what faucet they recommend.  We bought that thing not so long ago, and I didn’t love the idea of having to buy another one so soon.

Turns out, all I needed to do was replace a cartridge inside the faucet.

(Who knew?  Well…not me.)

And that right there shows you two of my favorite ways to save money.

See, saving money isn’t all about not buying expensive coffee.  There are things you can do all the time to save big.

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Family Boredom Cure: Things To Do To Hear Less Whining

by | Apr 20, 2020 | Parenting & Household Tips

Summer time is a mixed bag.

On one hand, it’s nice to not have the worry about school lunches, car pool, forgotten homework, and last minute projects.

On the other hand… how many times can you hear “I’m bored!” Or “she looked at me!” before you lose it?

(Hint: It’s around three times.)

We have six kids here, so believe me when I say that I feel your pain!

Luckily, I’ve also been at this kid raising thing long enough to have collected some tricks that really help with a stressed out, booooored family.

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Large Family Games That 5 Or More Can Play (And Are FUN!)

by | Apr 6, 2020 | Large Family Life

Your family will never be bored with these large family games on hand. Not only are they a ton of fun, but all of these options allow at least five to play!

That rare moment that you find a board game that everyone in the family can play together is almost magical, isn’t it?

Especially something that everyone actually wants to play…and doesn’t end in tears.

Are we asking too much?

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The Best Ever Homemade Potato Soup: So Creamy and Savory

by | Apr 4, 2020 | Recipe

Looking for the best homemade potato soup recipe? This rich, creamy stove top recipe is the perfect cold weather meal!

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Soup is just about the perfect frugal meal, isn’t it?

It’s easy to put together, and it always brings back memories.  Which is why it’s such a great comfort food.

If you’ve been searching for ways to feed your family on the cheap, you’ll definitely want to add this potato soup to your meal plan.

It’s so delicious that your family won’t even realize you’ve served them a meatless meal.

And potatoes are always cheap…and pretty easy to keep on hand.  (They last a long time if you keep them in cool, dark storage like a pantry or potato bin like this one.)

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Celebrating Easter At Home: How To Keep It Special

by | Apr 4, 2020 | Holidays

Celebrating Easter at home this year? Here’s how to celebrate Easter when you’re stuck at home…and how to keep it special for kids and families.

Last year our 5 year old son had a fairly serious spine surgery and was admitted to the hospital for several days.

We spent Palm Sunday there.

And when they released us, it was with orders to stay home for at least a couple of weeks.

(No one wants a still healing child exposed to more germs.)

That meant that we missed Easter Sunday mass, as well.

Who would have guessed that we’d miss them again this year?

Well, spending a special day like Easter at home, without the traditions you usually keep with loved ones, is a tough thing for adults to deal with.

And no, it’s not nearly as hard as what lots of other people are struggling with right now.  But it’s ok to admit that you’re bummed about missing out on this special day.

And for kids, it’s even harder.  They don’t really get what’s going on.

So how can we keep Easter special, even when we’re stuck at home?

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5 Ways to Make Your Nature Walk With Kids More Fun

by | Mar 31, 2020 | Parenting & Household Tips

Taking a nature walk with kids isn’t always as much fun as it sounds. Get more “woohoo” and less “I’m bored!” with these memory making tips.

Let’s be honest.

Taking a nature walk with kids sounds more fun than it usually is.

It always seems like a good way to get out of the house.

But no sooner are you out there walking than you start hearing, “How much loooooonger??”

“My leeeeeeegs hurt.”

Followed by the classic…

“I’m booooooooored.”

Forget that jazz.

Here’s how you get the kids to burn off some of that energy (you know, the stuff they only have when they’re inside and bickering with their siblings?) without the hassle.

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5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week #153

by | Mar 27, 2020 | Ways We Saved This Week

Like you (probably), our family has mostly stayed home for almost two weeks now.

That’s made it pretty easy to save money.

If you can stay away from online shopping, you might be finding the same thing.  Maybe you’ll even have time to develop new habits that will stick when life gets back to “normal”.

(Whenever that happens…and whatever that means!)

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