Category Archives: household

5 Steps for Simple Organization

storageboxes
Stuff, stuff, stuff. We have too much of it. We love it and hate it all at the same time! Maybe I am just projecting but I don’t think that I am alone in this. So how do we deal will all that stuff so we can both enjoy the things we have AND also enjoy the space we live in? One word, and I swear it isn’t a dirty one, ORGANIZING. It doesn’t have to be complicated or hard. Use these 5 simple steps to have a more organized, decluttered space!

1. Decide on an area to sort and start kind of small, like a desk versus the whole office;).

2. Set up 3 containers: One for keeping, one for garbage, and one for donations (or yard sale;).

3. Go through everything piece by piece and decide which container it should go in. Remember, don’t keep it just because it is in good shape. If you aren’t going to use it, bless someone else with it!

4. After you go through everything then and evaluate what you are keeping. Then (and only then) decide on what containers you will need to fit the space and separate everything. Don’t worry if you can’t afford to buy containers, you can use free things too! Target will give you all the shoe boxes you can handle and in all different sizes too.

5. Put everything into containers and label them. Live in your organized space!!!

That is it!!! 5 simple steps to organization and sanity!!!

Wahl Hot-Cold Therapy Massager Giveaway

hotcoldFirst off I have to get some business out of the way! This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own. I received a Wahl Hot/Cold Massager for the purpose of this review.

Mother’s Day is coming!!! And with that comes talk treating moms to something relaxing and pampering. What can be better than something to have at home to relieve her aches and pains?

Ok, I know that I am not the only mom who has a variety aches and pains. And as I get older it seems to get worse! So when I go to try the Wahl Hot-Cold Therapy Massager I was quite excited.

This has a plate in the middle of the massage head that can go hot or cold (ie the name;) but also there are 4 interchangeable pads with different textures on it too. There are also 2 different speeds.

I have to say, I loved it! The first thing I tried it on was my neck that is still hurting from when I took a dive playing broomball a couple of weeks ago. And yes, that is a literal dive;). My neck felt so much better. Then I tried it on my achy knee! I find it is perfect to manipulate around the knee cap to really relieve the tightness!

Wahl’s Hot-Cold Therapy Massager is available at most retailers about $60 and you can pop out and get one as a present for the mom in your life.

But how would you like to win it?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own. I received a Wahl Hot/Cold Massager for the purpose of this review.

6 Ways to Clean with Baking Soda & White Vinegar

bakingsodavinegar

You don’t have to use caustic chemicals to clean around your house. Really! Lately we have all heard how great things like baking soda and vinegar are around the house. But you need to make sure that you apply the right treatment to the matching problem. Here are 6 ways to use baking soda and vinegar around your house!

1) Use a combination of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water as a carpet stain remover! Put the mixture into a spray bottle and spray the spot. Then use a cloth to blot, not rub, the spot. The 1 problem with this is it can get the spot cleaner than the rest of your carpet;).

2) Have a musty smell in your carpet? Sprinkle it with baking soda. Let it sit a little bit then vacuum it up. That is it!

3) Stinky garbage disposal? Seeing goop? Take baking soda (and a cut up lemon/lemon rinds if you have it) and dump it in the disposal. Flip the switch to grind it just a little bit. Let is sit a few minutes. Then dowse it with vinegar. Not only will it bit a good show, it actually does clean. Then let the whole thing sit if you have time.

4) Have a diaper pail or just a garbage can that has a musty bag? Sprinkle in some baking soda! I sprinkle it in the bottom of my garbage cans or diaper pails before putting the bag in. It keeps food (or diaper) odors away. At least until you have time to take out the garbage;).

5) Have a grimy shower or stove top? Or is that just me;)? I make up a mixture of 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 Dawn. Gently mix it together and sponge it onto the surface. You don’t have to let it sit but more you do, the less work you do. Then you just wipe it off. It isn’t a miracle, you are going to have to rub some but it is just like using any other cleaner. Except I actually think it works better. It will prevent both mold and soap scum from developing in your shower! And the smell dissipates a lot quick than those bleach based shower cleaners!

6) Cleaning anything that has a hard surface and you have to wipe it? Use baking soda as an abrasive. It is gentle so you don’t have to worry about scratching! And it really seems to be effective.

There are so many other ways to use vinegar and baking soda but these are just a few to get you going!!!

5 Household Tasks to Kick Off Your Year

KickoffWith a new year upon us it is a perfect time to do a few of the much neglected but needed household chores! You can set aside a day to tackle it all or just do 1 job a day for a few days. Let’s kick off this year with a sense of accomplishment!

Lets start with the coffee pot because I need the coffee!! A clean coffee pot really does make a difference! Run 2 cups of vinegar through your coffee pot just like water to clean away the mineral deposits and gunk in your coffee pot! Then run 2 batches of plain water through it to get rid of the vinegar smell and taste! (The smell lingers longer than the taste!)

Change all the batteries in your smoke detectors! Yes, they will beep when the batteries die but that always seems to happen in the middle of the night around here. Buy a pack of batteries, grab the ladder and change them all in one fell swoop.

Another thing we all avoid but needs to be done semi-regularly is cleaning the oven. Don’t wait for your oven to hint to you that it needs to be done. How would the oven do that? Well, I had a friend preheating the oven and his smoke alarm went off. We call that a hint, don’t wait for that. There are a variety of commercial cleaners but there are also some great homemade methods/cleaners! They almost all call for applying something and letting it sit overnight. You could also do the same thing by setting it up in the morning to sit and taking 20 minutes in the evening to wipe it all down.

I find January a good time to do your windows both inside and out. Since it is cool the sun won’t bake on any sprays. Just take a bucket of warm water and add both about 1/2 cup of vinegar per gallon and a squirt of lemon juice. You can use paper towels or the more traditional newspaper and go at it. Or better yet, have the kids do the outside!

You can also take that left over glass cleaner to wipe down your glass light fixtures. Dump out any dust or bug bodies that have collected first and dust the metal bases too.

5 Often forgotten jobs that really make a great impact! Now don’t you feel all organized?

Scout Clearance

Ok, I have said before how much I was in love with my large Scout bag, right? I love the polywoven fabric that is water resistant. I love the fact that I can fit everyone’s towels, sunscreen, bottles of water and toys in it.

Right now Scout is having a clearance sale for some of their awesome bags. But you don’t need a bag big enough for a small child;)? Have no fear! They have a ton of sizes and varieties on sale!!! I mean coolers, small bags, laundry bags, bags on wheels, etc!

But this sale is only until Thursday so go, shop!!!

Scout Sale!

Ok, I love Scout bags! I have one big one and it is great for taking to the park because I can put food and drinks in there and if anything leaks I just wipe it down. Easy peasy! And everything seems to hold so much relative to their size!!!

So in the spirit of parks, bbq’s, beaches and summer there is a sale going on! All Indigo Girl and Starstruck patterns (in a variety of bag types) are 20% off right now!

But don’t wait! Get these bargains by May 20th when the sale ends!

(Yes, these are affiliate links! It helps support this blog to get your fabulous deals through my links!)

Fresh Coupons!

It is the beginning of the month and that means there are some great coupons that are out there!!! But often there are limited amounts so go get them!!!
Household
Health & Wellness
Pet Food
DVDs & Magazines

Mertado Giveaway

What is better than getting great deals on housewares? Having it be a social experience that you can easily share your deals with friends! And that is possible on Mertado! I mean what can be a more social shopping experience than using a site built on top of Facebook? You can become a member for free to get access to all the deals by signing up by email or facebook. It is just that simple!

In addition to great houseware deals there is also some great videos. Mertado has gotten Food Network TV veteran Curtis Aikens to create some great videos with ideas (and recipes) to use with some of the items they are selling!

Speaking of great houseware products…. I received a fluffy, cozy Coral Springs Home Plush blanket from Mertado. I love it!!! It is twin size so if I were to want to share (not likely;) I could put it on 1 of my children’s beds. But they have plenty of blankets, right;)? But I will share with you!

Mertado is giving one of my fabulous readers a Coral Springs Home Plush blanket too! But you have to play to win! It is simple because there are many ways to enter!

Mandatory entry: What is 1 thing you have ever bought due to a friend’s influence (either due to their recommendation or because they had it;). I have bought a variety of clothes due to my best friend Sara’s recommendations.

Additional Entries (that need additional comments for each one):
-Become a member of Mertado for free! And it is worth 2 entries (leave 2 comments;).
-Like NerdFamily Things on Facebook
-Follow me on Twitter. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter including @Mertado.com and then come back here and show us the link.
-Follow Mertado on Twitter and then come back here and show us the link.

The giveaway will close 12/23! Make sure you leave an email for me to contact you!

This post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own.

Run to Macy’s

What I scored this week!

Ok, I am not a huge Macy’s shopper usually. They have cute things but often the price point is just a little higher than I think they are worth. But honey, when they have a good sale! Buckle up because it is good!

My niece is getting married in a couple of weeks and is registered there so I was looking around at what I was getting her. I saw that they were having a blowout bedding sale and I have been looking for a set that was both a price I was willing to pay and something I love;).

The set in this picture I picked up for $39.99 plus tax! It is a reversible 8 piece set for a California King bed!!!! Such a deal.

And if you are looking for cookware!!! Bunches of the Tools of the Trade line is on clearance. Why you might ask? Because they are changing the color of the box. They have decided to take the packaging orange again. That is what the sales person told me;).

So I picked up these 5 quart skillets with 2 handles for $19.99. Well actually, I got an extra 15% off too;). And yes, my niece had the fore site to register for this!!

So go! Look at the Macy’s site and make sure that you go through ShopatHome.com so that you can get 3% back in cash and get some fab coupons to go with it!!!

Last Chance Coupons

It is the last day of the month, which means that some really great coupons may be going away tonight! So if you haven’t printed these yet, hurry!!!