The best ideas for planning a unique baby shower

If someone you love is pregnant, whether they’re your best friend or sister, throwing them a baby shower is a lovely way to show them that you love them and to celebrate their upcoming parenthood. However, if your loved one isn’t the traditional sort, a standard baby shower with pink and blue balloons and cheesy party games might not be for them. Here are some of the best ideas are an amazing baby shower with a difference.

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Go Co-Ed

Baby showers are usually a women only affair, but there’s no reason that Dad shouldn’t get to celebrate his pregnant partner and new baby too. The pregnant woman probably has close male friends too who would like to be part of the festivities. Make the party a shower for both parents and invited their friends of both genders. Make sure that the pregnant person gets plenty of fuss, as they’re doing the hard work, but there’s no reason not to celebrate with male friends too. 

Give Gifts They Actually Want

If you’re looking for gift ideas for pregnant women, think about things they will actually want. If you have children of your own, think back to what you wanted when you were pregnant or in the early days of parenthood to come with a good gift idea. Pampering gifts for Mom or practical gifts for baby are always gratefully received.

Take The Party Outside

If the weather is good enough, throw the shower outdoors. Host a picnic or a grill-out, and plan outdoor games like frisbee, croquet or large outdoor games. This is a great choice for an outdoorsy pregnant woman, or if one of you has a beautiful garden, or a great park nearby. If your friend is more of an evening person, you could host an evening barbecue with a bonfire. Toast marshmallows, tell stories and celebrate your friend.  

Book A Spa Day

Not everyone is a party person, and being the center of attention can be a bit stressful for more reserved people. If this is your friend, think about whether they would rather just spend a special day with you. Book a spa day for you and the Mom-to-be. Lots of spas do special packages for pregnant women, with relaxing massages and other treatments that you know will be safe for them. 

Host A Dinner Party

If your friend isn’t really the party type but would still like to celebrate with others, why not host a dinner party? Invite round some friends and cook your friends favorite meal. You could ask everyone coming to bring a dish for a potluck dinner if you’re not much of a chef. Be sure to have some mocktails on hand so the guest of honor and non-drinkers have something festive too. 

Have A Tea Party

Who doesn't love a tea party? Perfect for all occasions, especially in celebration of a friend. This is great if your friend likes all things classy or pretty. Put on your best tea dress and ask everyone to dress in theirs. Put on a spread or hire a caterer to serve sandwiches, scones, and different cakes. Have a range of teas on offer, and make sure some are caffeine free for the Mom-to-be. 

Do Some Crafts

Is your friend arty and good at making things? Hold a craft afternoon! Buy a load of plain white onesies and some fabric paints and pens and ask people to decorate some onesies for the new baby to wear. The pregnant guest of honor can choose her favorites and give out prizes accordingly. You could also make some decorations for the baby's room or go back to childhood and make something like friendship bracelets. 

Plan Some Fun Games

Silly games are a baby shower staple, and even if you are throwing a party meant to be different from the party with the games no one likes, you can still have some games. Avoid the cheesy games and pick something more fun. You could ask all the guests to bring a baby picture and have everyone try and match the baby photo to the correct person. On a similar theme, try and match the baby name to the celebrity parent. 

Have A Grown-Up Night Out

One of the most difficult things for pregnant women is feeling left out when their friends are out on the town, and that doesn’t improve when you have a newborn. Before your friend becomes a mother, why not take her out for some grown-up time? Gather the girls for a night out. Get ready together and help her get all dolled up, then go out for a posh dinner or to a special event in your area, whatever she feels like doing! Your friend is sure to enjoy some grown-up time, as it is sure to be a while before she can do this again. 

Include Children

Children aren’t usually included at baby showers, but if your friend already has children, it could be nice to include them in the celebrations for their new sibling. You could invite baby’s cousins too to make a kid friendly party. Kids are sure to enjoy the party games, and they’ll be excited for their new sibling instead of feeling a little bit left out of the festivities. 

Share Wisdom

If your friend is going to be a first-time mother, she’s probably feeling quite nervous. If you have friends who already have children or you have children yourself, the parents in the group can share the best piece of parenting advice. Make a gift of this by writing all the pearls of wisdom in a pretty book, or get everyone to write the wisdom on pieces of paper which you then put into a pretty box. Your friend is sure to appreciate the advice and the thoughtful gift. 

Give Books Instead Of Cards

Cards are pretty but always end up thrown out. Instead, ask each guest to bring a copy of the book that was their favorite when they were little, with a personal note written in the cover. These make for lovely keepsakes which are sure to touch the parents-to-be. 

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This post was written for the Life According to Steph audience.

Five quick wedding tips

I got married before I blogged, so you're welcome for not sharing 293840398 posts of excruciating details no one gives a shit about aside from me. I have been thinking of weddings recently so I'm going to do some wedding tips posts. When you’re planning a wedding, the more tips and tricks you can use, the better.

1. Make it easy to RSVP

Organizing any event is difficult when you don’t know how many guests will be attending. Make it easy for your invitees to RSVP by setting up an online portal or email address. With a quick and user-friendly way for people to reply, they’re more likely to RSVP in good time. If you’re sending RSVPs by mail, number your invites and attach corresponding names on your handy invite spreadsheet (just me? Surely not). It's easy to keep track of missing responses when you have numbered cards. I wish I would have saved the postage and had an online portal reply thingy.

2. Be prepared for an outdoor wedding

If you’re planning your marriage vows to be said outside like we did, make sure you’re ready for any weather conditions. Literally the only thing you cannot control is the weather. Having back-up plans in case of rain or excessive heat will ensure that everyone is comfortable and that your day isn’t spoiled by whatever the weather throws at you. If you're wearing a veil, veil weights are good for stopping your veil from blowing away in the wind. If you're wearing heels, heel attachments will prevent high heels from sinking into the grass. And if your wedding reception is in the sand, take it from me and wear a shorter dress. I did not and always wish I did. 

3. Second hand saves

Wedding decorations can be costly. If you want to try something different, hit all the antique shops, garage sales, and markets you can find in the run-up to your wedding and snap up vintage vases, candle holders and centerpieces to give your wedding decorations a bespoke and budget-friendly twist. Or just go largely without like I did. 

4. Create a wedding planner

Whether you opt for a book, folder, or online organizer (I had a binder like the dork I am...not a trapper keeper though), keeping an up-to-date wedding planner makes things so much easier. When you come across tips to help you on your big day, just like this page, you can save them directly to your online planner (pinterest board, too) or jot them down in your hard copy wedding book. With all of your ideas and plans in one place, you can ensure nothing will be overlooked in the run-up to the event.

5. The Cake

Many couples want to have a showstopper cake at their wedding, but it’s easy to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a cake alone (not me, we had a family member make ours and it was perfect, thank the lord). If you don't know an awesome cake lady, to keep costs down have a smaller masterpiece to display and cut, as well as a sheet cake in the back to serve. With two cakes, you can keep the top layer of your showstopper for your first anniversary and have a stunning cake to display while you enjoy a delicious sweet treat with your guests.

Married people, give me the first five wedding tips that come to mind for you - not like "don't worry about anything" but like solid try this hack tips. 

Tips and advice for your next holiday

South Africa about a mile from The Cape of Good Hope, January 2016

Happy Wednesday! Some travel talk for the day.

Make the most of travel apps

There are lots of great apps out there that are designed to help you make the most of the world around you. Of course, using your map app is a good place to start when visiting somewhere new. It is also a good idea to read this, Google Translate tricks you need to know about - Setapp, as it will inform you about different ways to make the most of Google Translate. This will ensure you never find yourself in the middle of a foreign country with no idea how to communicate or read the signs, which is my worst nightmare. Of course there's an app for everything nowadays, from booking restaurants to tourism forums, and so you should get your phone prepped before your trip and pray for wifi. 

Consider traveler's checks 

What a blast from the past, right people my age? Talking about them makes me think of National Lampoon's Vacation, but I digress. 

When going away on vacation most people worry about their travel money. How much money should you take with you? What is the currency of the country you're going to? Should you change the money before you leave or when you get there? Is it safe to carry a large sum of cash with you when travelling? All of these questions run through peoples’ minds. I typically use a credit card when traveling now, but the first time I traveled abroad I used traveler's checks. 

If you are unfamiliar, a traveler's check is a pre-printed check with a fixed amount on it.You pay the financial company in question the amount of money you wish to place on your traveler's check and take that with you over your own currency or foreign. While traveling you'll be able to pay for things with your traveler's checks at certain shops, hotels, restaurants, and you can exchange these checks for cash at a bank or bureau de exchange. If you lose your traveler's checks, unlike cash they can easily be replaced. You’ll simply need your serial number handy – you will get this upon purchase of your traveler's checks. 

The main reason why traveler's checks have been a popular form of carrying travel money for years is that they are exceedingly safe - you won’t be carrying around wads of cash with you, there is very little chance that anybody would be able to use them even if they were stolen. This is because when you purchase your them you need to sign for them. When you go to pay for something with them or you go to get out money, you have to sign again. Unless the person who stole them knows your signature there is no chance he or she will be able to take your money. If they are stolen, you'll be able to receive a replacement within a 24 hours. 

Obviously, safety is very important but you will be able to cash in on other benefits as well by opting for travelers’ checks. You can capitalize on a good exchange rate by getting your check in any currency you desire: yours or the currency of the country you're visiting. Opting for the latter can be gainful because you can take advantage of an attractive rate and you won't have to worry about finding a good exchange rate while abroad. 

Don’t forget to take baggage allowance into consideration when booking your trip!

Most of the time, when looking for a flight people will understandably search for the cheapest ticket they can find. However, the price you see first is often very different from the price you see when you get to the final stages of the checkout procedure. This is because there is everything from in-flight meals, to insurance, to tax, to hold bags to take into consideration. Instead, you need to consider these factors before you come to your decision. This can be extremely time consuming, but that’s where travel management software really shows its worth, as well as comparison websites.

You may think baggage allowance is only a tiny expenditure, but it can soon end up being a really costly one. Firstly, there are a lot of companies that charge per flight. This means that you have to pay ‘x’ amount for hold bags on your outgoing flight and then the same amount again for the inbound flight. This can end up being a considerable sum of money, especially if the hold bags are expensive to begin with. Aside from this, airlines have really cracked down when it comes to overweight cases. If you are even one kg overweight you can expect to be charged nowadays. It can prove to be much cheaper to buy extra kilos online as opposed to waiting until you get to the airport. The fees tend to be astronomical at the airport, as they know there is nothing you can do except to pay them. 

The cost of baggage and airport food annoy me, but they're part of travel. 

How do you deal with cash when traveling? Traveler's check or pre-exchange for foreign currency or no cash/tap MAC while there? And what are your annoying yet unavoidable expenditures on a trip?

Things I Do to Make Life Easier - 2017 update

Often when I make reference to making things easier what I really mean is requiring less of my time. Here are some things I do to buy myself some time/make life easier. If you like this concept, you'll want to check out these old things from 2014: 10 Things I Do to Make Daily Life Easier and 10 Things I Do to Make Life Easier in the Kitchen. Kathy's recent post reminded me that it's been quite a while since I shared a version of this that is applicable to my life, so here are some recommendations:

1. HousePaws Mobile Vet - I'm not sure if trips to the vet are more traumatic for me or the dogs, so unless an office visit is required, I say fuck it and have the mobile vet come to the house.

2. Chewy.com - Chewy delivers dog stuff and they do it quickly. I still need to get Mae's food at a store because they don't carry it, but it's worth it for the dry food for Gus and Bruce. Their customer service is awesome as well.

3. Fresh grocery delivery - Amazon Fresh shot an arrow through my heart by cutting off delivery service to my area as of Thursday, but not to worry. I've got my old reliables that I used before Amazon Fresh came on the scene - Instacart and Peapod - and a new one to try on a friend's recommendation - Fresh Direct. MFD will run to Aldi some weeks, sometimes I get fruit and veggies at Lou's Farm Market, and I will sometimes pick groceries up at Target when I need to enter the physical store for other reasons but otherwise my groceries are delivered. But to answer the inevitable questions: the quality of meat is the same as it would be in the store you're ordering from, they can pick produce just fine to put in your order, and if anything is wrong or not as you'd like it you call and get your money back. It's no use wasting two hours going, shopping, packing, unloading, unpacking because you don't trust someone to pick your apples. Take the chance.

4. Make that everything delivery - If I can order it, I order it. I have said one million times and believe with all of my heart that time is money. I will spend money to use the time I do have doing what I want to do instead of what I have to do. Being out of the house close to 12 hours a day, I'm looking to buy all the time I can. I still get Amazon Prime Pantry but I'm hoping to transition over to Target Restock for pantry items. I also use Thrive Market for my pantry needs that are more organic in nature and Penzey's for spices. I get toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, clothes, gifts, everything delivered.

5. Google Photos - I don't back up photos to iCloud, I back directly up to Google Photos. I can share easily from there and I never have to worry about losing any of my pictures or dicking around in the cloud.

6. Wunderlist - I prefer my notebook lists, but on the fly or just to jot down ideas, Wunderlist is my go to. I can email lists to MFD also.

7. Goodreads - My want to read life was so cumbersome before Goodreads came on the scene.

8. Five Calls - When the political machine is spitting shit out faster than you can track, you just open up the Five Calls app (or visit the website) and it walks you through what is pertinent for the day based on what is important to you and who to contact about it. Democracy requires participation. Not participating is how we got here.

9. Feedly.com - Feedly stores the blogs I read so I can just go down the list and see what's up without any bullshit of other readers out there (looking at you bloglovin'). I will miss Google reader until I die though.

10. Gratitude List - When I'm in a real snit or feeling woe is me (not often, honestly, because I fucking hate woe is me shit even/especially when it pertains to myself), I do a quick and dirty things I'm grateful for list. On bad days one might be clean socks or breathing, but are they not things to be grateful for regardless?

What do you do to make life easier?

15 things I do the week before a trip

Cape Town, South Africa, January 2016

The best time to talk about how you wore yourself out preparing for a trip is when you're on the trip. I don't wear myself out exactly, but you know what I mean - the week before vacation, everything at work becomes extremely urgent and errands become fraught with peril in a race against the clock.

Some things I do the week before a trip:

1. Print out my big ass list of instructions for my dogsitter(s). My brother Sean is holding down the fort this week and he came over last Monday to get the low down and see my crazy lady list and supplement/medication labeling.

2. Yell at MFD about various things. I've been asking for that light to be fixed forever! When are you packing? Why is this here? Are you ready? It's sort of amazing that he's not killed me and gone on trips alone. Leaving For Vacation Day is fraught with peril in our house.

3. Clean myself up. Last week that meant getting my hair done, a gel manicure, and a brow wax. Not a huge fan of the gel nails, I get annoyed and my nails feel weird, but you can't beat them when you want your manicure to last for many days. I didn't need a pedicure or I'd get one of those too.

4. Pack, unpack, and pack again. I packed for this trip in a carry on size suitcase so I actually did this a number of times in the weeks leading up to this trip. I am shocked as shit that it all fit. I might need help getting souvenirs home, but for now, we're going with it.

5. Pick up and change the sheets on all beds. Since we always have someone stay with the dogs in our house, we cannot leave vacation preparation hurricane debris behind when we run out the door. Thank God our cleaning captain Linda was scheduled to come the Friday before we left.

6. Call the cards. I inform my bank and credit card company where I'll be. I also take photos of my cards (front and back) and our passports and store them in my dropbox. If we're traveling abroad, I usually get $100-300 in foreign currency so I don't have to dick around at the airport when I get there and can just be on my way and into a cab or onto a transportation system.

7. Swear I will clean out my travel stuff when I get back. I have too much of it and it needs to be culled. Since this is an item on this list, you can tell it doesn't happen.

8. Buy new shoes. Despite my personal knowledge that new shoes should not ever be taken on a trip, I buy them anyway. Then I get my head out of my ass, stow the bag in the closet, and return them when I get back.

9. Pay bills. Least fun thing on the list.

10. Confirm reservations. In order to be somewhere, you have to confirm that you really are set to be there. I also print everything out and carry it with me in a binder because there's no cell access in some areas so i can't rely on electronic copies of everything.

11. Stock the books. If traveling by air, I have at least one paperback that I am okay leaving behind somewhere and a lot of books on my kindle. If I'm traveling by car, library books are taken along for the ride.

12. Clean out my purse. Anything that is not essential for travel gets the boot.

13.Order from Amazon. There is absolutely always something I need at the last minute. This time it was plug adapters.

14. Stare at my dogs a lot and try not to think about how much I'll miss them. No need to elaborate. I also may or may not take 498 photos of them in the six hours before I leave.

15. Prepare for my return. I schedule a massage for one to two days after vacation and a grocery delivery for the day we get back.

We are here in Ireland for my Dad's 60th, and today is his actual 60th. Happy birthday Dad!

What do you do to prepare for vacation?

I am travelling and will reply to comments when I return. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Simple Ways to Save Money on your Next Holiday

Given that we are big into travel and saving where we can so we can do even more of it, this sponsored post is quite timely as we look to really get into planning our next trip. I don't think I can do the no fixed itinerary on most trips, but I can roll some of the other suggestions here.

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When you travel, it’s easy to spend more money than you intended. So, before you even leave home, you should look at ways to reduce the cost of your holiday. Thanks to the latest technologies and the easy availability of travel knowledge, it’s much easier to find great deals and travel for less. Once you achieve these savings you can put this extra money to good use later. These are some simple ways you can save money on your next holiday:

Price Comparison Websites

Some websites let you compare the price of travel or accommodation in a particular town or city. For example, www.ihg.com lets you compare the prices of hotels in a particular location such as Gloucester. The prices available on many comparison or booking websites are often cheaper than the prices charged if you deal directly with the hotel itself.

Be Flexible and Don’t Have a Fixed Itinerary

This is an option for the more adventurous traveller. Sometimes having a set itinerary can be more expensive than booking travel and accommodation as you go along. This is particularly true if you will be spending a few weeks travelling in the country or area you are visiting. For example, once you have arrived at your destination and spent some time there, you will have more knowledge about the place and be able to find more affordable accommodation as you travel.

If you have pre-booked everything before going on holiday, you may not be getting the best prices. As well as this, you may find interesting places to visit off the beaten path that you can only find out about once you are at your destination. Last minute deals are another option for travellers who are flexible and are able to travel at short notice.

A last-minute Sailing in Indonesia trip in Indonesia provides an unforgettable experience with their pristine waters, lush island landscapes, and abundant marine life. No matter whether you are an experienced sailor or new to sailing, Indonesia provides numerous islands perfect for exploration. Last-minute deals often allow for spontaneous trips without breaking the bank, giving you the flexibility to explore hidden gems off the tourist radar.

Communicate for Free

There’s no reason to be charged huge roaming charges these days. A range of social media websites, free apps and video conferencing systems like Skype and Google Talk are available. All of these platforms can be used to make it extremely affordable to contact family and friends while you are away. It also means you won’t have any unexpected surprises in your mobile phone bill when you get home.

Travel Passes

Most travelers love to explore new places when they are away. However, visiting the main landmarks and attractions can be expensive. It’s more expensive to pay to visit each landmark and attraction individually. To avoid paying too much, most major cities and tourist destinations provide travel passes for their main landmarks and attractions. This makes it easier to organise your sightseeing tours and costs a lot less too.

Avoid Buying Unnecessary Items When You Travel

Many naïve travellers waste a lot of money in airports, on trains and on planes when they are going to their destination. A lot of the items purchased could be bought for a lot less in local stores before leaving or in local stores at your destination. This is where a comprehensive travel checklist plays an important role.

When you go on a holiday, you want to get value for money. However, many travellers lose the run of themselves and have to pay the price later. However, if you prepare properly and follow the advice above, you will be less likely to waste as much money on your next holiday.

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What are some ways you save money on vacation? 

SMD

Kickstart your productivity

I pride myself on my productivity, but even I get in slumps where I feel sluggish and unmotivated and don't want to do anything, which makes me unproductive, and then I hate my life. So I have to snap myself out of these periods quickly. How do I do that? Like so.

1. Wake up refreshed. The chances of me kicking ass increase exponentially when I'm coming off of a good sleep. Preferably 7-9 hours of sleep even though I can do with six in a pinch. This requires that I am off of all technology for at least an hour before bed and that I don't linger too long in my book.

2. Make your bed as soon as you wake up. What? Hey now, you haven't even left your bedroom yet and you've already accomplished something. Your bed is made. Army corners or whatever they're called are not necessary. Just pull the covers up, plump the pillows, and make it look presentable.

3. It's all about the three. What are the top three items that must get finished today?  Eyes on the prize, work towards those three things only. If you finish those, you might do more, but if you don't you'll have done enough to be proud of.

In July I wrote about things you can do today to increase productivity tomorrow, so if you like this post you might like that one too.

Ciao bellas. Tonight we begin the long journey home.



Replies to comments will be sparse while we're away, I'll get back to you when we return! Follow me and MFD on Instagram to see trip snaps! He typically out instagrams me on vacation.

Road Trip Tips & Tales

MFD and I spent nearly 16 hours in the car this past weekend. Lots of things along the way made me say I think I need to do a road trip post. I'm sorry for anyone who is looking for serious, solid tips, because you won't find them here. You'll find stuff like...

Pee happens. I'm not going to avoid drinking just so I can drive eleventy hours without stopping. I don't think there's a badge of honor in that. When I have to pee, I am going to be kind to my bladder and pee.

Speaking of pee...

Attention Ladies: When using a public restroom, spread out. Do not choose a stall next to one that is occupied unless you have no other choice. I was peeing in a row of 10 empty stalls, two ladies walk in and occupy the stalls on either side of me. I was thinking what is this, a fucking raid? I have nothing. Move away.

Use public restrooms as an opportunity to prove you were not raised by wolves. Why are there toilet seats in public restrooms with pee on them, women of the world?  If you're squatting and you pee on the seat, WIPE IF OFF before the next person comes in. If you don't, you are a disgusting disgrace and your parents are surely ashamed of you unless they are fucking wolves. What, you don't feel like wiping your pee off the seat? Guess what? No one else does either, you cretin.

Keep your eyes on the road. Not on the weather map in your car. If you want to know what the weather is, just, you know, look outside.

Know what your car looks like. Don't go to the car two cars over and open the door and start to get in that one, because then you might have to do the walk of shame to your actual car, open the door, and sit there for a long time while waiting for your partner to come out of the rest stop. You might actually text your partner to move his shit along because you see the guy in the other car typing frantically on his phone, likely updating his facebook status about the fool woman who just got in his car, and you don't want him to get a clear photo of you.

I may or may not know this from experience.

You will never like your co-pilot's driving as much as you like your own. This might prompt you to tell them how to drive in a snotty voice which might encourage them to say things like, "Maybe I should have left you in Canada." Wait, is this just us?

Now you tell me a road trip funny or pet peeve.

Linking up with Kristin and Joey for Stuff & Things

My Top Five Organizing Tips

One of my favorite things to do is to purge and organize. If I had to choose a different career, I'd be a professional organizer. Since this month's Choose Your Own Adventure Goal Challenge theme is Organize, I thought I'd take this opportunity to share my top five organizing tips with you. This post was initially written as a guest post for Helene in Between.

Let's do it.

1. Do not get involved with piles. Deal with it the first time it's in your hand. There should be a place for everything and everything should be in its place. This message about piles that appeared in the June 2014 issue of Real Simple says it best:

2. Make sure every item you own has one of these connections: it must be useful, beautiful, or beloved. If the answer isn't yes to all or at the least one of these questions, it's time to get rid of it.

3. It's easier if you organize by zone. If you say I'm going to organize my bedroom this weekend, you might avoid it because that sounds like a big job that could be long and grueling. But if you say I'm going to organize the top shelf of my closet this weekend, I bet you'll do it. And you might even be inspired to tackle a drawer or two after. Set yourself up with 10 minute projects and see what you can get done in 10 minutes. 

4. Use a laundry basket during your cleaning and organizing. Put whatever doesn't belong in that room in the basket to be transferred to other rooms instead of running back & forth while you're in the middle of cleaning. You can tote your cleaning supplies in there too.

5. It's never over. Purging and organizing is circular because life is circular. Life happens around us. Something you organized four months ago could probably use an update. New stuff has likely come in, old stuff has gone out, and how you use the space probably needs to be reevaluated. You don't organize something once and then never have to do it again. It requires upkeep.

I could talk organizing all day, but those are my top five tips. Do you have any to share?

One more tip for you...get out and rock the vote today.

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Haikuesday

Election Day! Now.

Some people dream of voting...

Exercise your right.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spring Hausfrauing Tips

1. Before you start hausfrauing, purge. It may take you a few days or a week to go through your house, but it's worth it. For tips on decluttering, click here. You don't want to be moving things around to dust that you're going to get rid of anyway. That's extra work for nothing.

2. Make a list of what you'll do room by room. To me, spring hausfrauing means focusing on areas that don't get cleaned weekly, i.e. moving big furniture to vacuum, washing curtains, washing doorknobs and switch plates, washing walls as necessary, etc. There are 47029084 lists on spring cleaning on the Internet. I say just clean everything you can possibly think of to clean in every room, from top to bottom, from the corners to the vent covers. The End. 

3. Arm yourself with a laundry basket that will serve two purposes: It will carry supplies you need for cleaning, and you will place items in there that need to be moved to other rooms to be put away. 

4. Before you start in each room, pick up and put away whatever is laying around and remove all laundry (curtains, sheets, towels, clothes, whatever).

5. Hausfrauing hacks:

• Spray your cleaner on tubs and sinks and let it soak in for 5-10 minutes = less scrubbing
• Microwave a bowl of water with one tablespoon of vinegar on high for four minutes = steam loosens crud and it wipes right off
• Remove bags from trash cans, add cleaning solution, fill bottoms with water, and set outside
• Dust your ceiling fans with pillow cases, drawing the dust inside of the case. Shake them out and wash when finished
• If you have oily dust in your kitchen (on your stove hood, etc), the easiest way to get it off is by wiping it down with a little veggie oil. Then put some dish liquid on a sponge and get both off.

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This won't help you this year, but if you stick to a hausfrauing schedule, your spring hausfrauing won't be a big thing because your house is in pretty good shape all the time. I don't follow this verbatim every week - I move it around depending on my schedule - but it's a good idea of what goes on. 
And since I do it weekly, it really takes no time at all to whip through whatever chore is on that day.

Don't be sad if your spring hausfrauing takes more than one day. 

You are a warrior and you got this. 

Eye of the tiger, baby. Eye of the tiger. 

And you? Any spring hausfrauing tips to share with the group?

10 Tips on Decluttering

Decluttering is really personal. I don't believe in holding on to things I'm not using, wearing or loving in the hopes that I will one day use them, fit in them, or love them. I'm not telling you to get rid of your stuff...that's a lie. I am telling you that. Everyone has at least a few items they shouldn't have, me included.

I think people shy away from decluttering because they think it means an absence of things and a home void of personality.  It does not mean that. It means having the respect for the things you love and want on display to give them a home and space around them.  I have a lot of decor throughout the house. My walls are full of photos. I never, however, have more than I can handle. If it doesn't have a place, it doesn't belong.

My view on clutter in the home is that it leads to clutter in the heart and mind; it allows clutter to infiltrate everywhere. Too much stuff, then suddenly too much to do, too much chaos. In my mind, clearing physical clutter clears a path to a better life.

Here are some things I live by. I'm not a genius and these aren't things I made up. They're basic tenets of organizing in my words.

1. A place for everything and everything in its place. If something doesn't have a designated space, find one for it or get rid of it. Wherever it goes is its home, so when you're done with it return it to its home. I swear I heard my Grandmom say this 49030489038 times. The next one as well.

2. One in, one out. One of the best things my Grandmom taught me. Last week I brought home two cardigans, two t-shirts, and a 3/4 sleeve t-shirt. I also ordered a skirt and two dresses. That night at home I did a quick closet purge. That's how you keep from having too much.

3. Tough love evaluation. If you hold something in your hands and don't feel a connection to it because it's useful, beautiful, or because you love it, get rid of it. If you just want a memory of it, take a photo. Purging requires a shred of ruthlessness. When the urge hits, do it.

4. Cast a critical eye on your every once in a while items. I have seasonal items and entertaining items that I don't use daily or monthly. I make sure I keep an eye on them so I'm not holding on to more than I can use at any given time, or buying more to add to an already complete collection.

5. Zone by zone. I don't say today I will declutter my bedroom. I say I'm going to go through my top two drawers. Once I do that and deal with all the stuff (throwing out, packing up to give away, or putting away in a new home, NOT just moving it), I may move on to my shoes, two more drawers, the bookcase in my room, the box next to my bed. Or I may just stop with those two drawers. Scaling decluttering projects down to 10 minute intervals allows me to accomplish something in 10 minutes. Decluttering a closet sounds like a lot of work and something I might not be up for. Decluttering a shelf does not.

6. Know that organizing is circular. I typically declutter and organize some part of the house on a daily basis even if it's just a pile on the table. Some weeks shit lays on the floor in the closet for three days before I can get to it. Life happens around us. Still, I'm disciplined in continually putting things in their homes and reevaluating my organizational systems and whether or not things are still functional, useful, or loved. You don't organize something once and then never again. It requires upkeep and evaluation.

Real Simple

7. Do not transfer clutter. FYI, it's not decluttering if you're just moving shit from place to place. You have to actually find a home for it, toss it, or give it away.

8. Jammed in is not a good look on anything. We always get new things. Make sure there's a little bit of space for you to assimilate new items and still have some space around the items you have.

9. Someone might want it is not a good reason to hold something. Your home is not a storage locker. Don't treat it as such. Reach out to whomever may want or need it and give them a pick up deadline. If they don't meet it, it gets tossed or donated. MFD wants to hold on to things for months just in case. Nope. Not happening.

10. Use reminders. If you can't bear to part with something, set a reminder on your calendar for six months from now. If you haven't thought about it or used it since you set the reminder, get rid of it.

What about you? Is decluttering a part of your life or a foreign concept? Do you have any tips to share?

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Haikuesday

Purging is needed

or you will be on Hoarders. 

Then we can't be friends. 

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10 Things I do to make Life Easier in the Kitchen

1. I put tinfoil in a bowl before I drain the grease from bacon. I throw it out or freeze it if I'm going to use it to cook with at another time. I don't need to worry about a gross bowl.

2. I prepare food on Sundays: breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks. I'm cleaning up for an hour or two one day versus every morning and night. I leave the house by 7 and get home at 6. I do not feel like cooking every night. Being prepared gives me no excuse for eating shitty processed meals. That being said, some weekends we're away or I'm too busy to do that. So I always have some meals in the freezer ready to heat and eat: quiche (pieces frozen individually), breakfast burritos, baked ziti, enchiladas, mexican stuffed shells, soup.

3. If a recipe calls for half an onion, I chop the rest of it and freeze it. Likewise, if I only need a tablespoon or two of tomato paste, I freeze the rest of the can in ice cube trays and to use at my leisure. No haste, no waste, and since I usually add them to sauce or soup, no defrosting. I hate wasting food. There are too many people in this world who don't have that luxury.

4. As soon as I use the last of something, I grab my phone and write it down on a list under the Grocery Note I keep in the notes. I check that when I'm making my grocery or Target lists. I've been shopping more at Target using my red card for a 5% discount plus the Cartwheel app, Target mobile coupons, and real live coupons.

5. Wear gloves when doing dishes. Do you think these nails keep themselves? I buy fun gloves at Homegoods to put a shine on a shit chore.

6. I separate bananas when I bring them home - it keeps them good longer.

7. I never buy buttermilk because it would go bad before I'd use it all. If I need it, I add a tablespoon of lemon juice to a cup of milk, stir, and let stand for 10 minutes. Viola - you made buttermilk, bitches.

8. I whisk eggs in a four cup measuring cup so they're easy to pour out.

9.  I don't peel carrots, cucumbers, or potatoes. Again, I hate wasting food and more importantly wasting nutrients. Most nutrients in carrots are in or just below the skin. Scrub those bitches and cut the ends off and boom, you're good to go. Cucumber peel is a good source of fiber. Potato skin has a ton of finber and vitamins - it's full of vitamin K, potassium, copper, and iron. So if you eat over and we're having potato salad or mashed potatoes, expect the skin.

10. I always have a box of brownie mix in the pantry and a few bags of frozen berries in the fridge. If I have to make a dessert on the fly to serve to impromptu dinner guests or bring to a spontaneous gathering, brownies and berry cobbler will do nicely.

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Haikuesday

Share your kitchen tips!

Ordering out tricks work too.

Please, no tips on beets. 

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Tomorrow: our weekend in Mexico. Hasta manana, amigos.

Cruise Essentials

This post originally appeared as a guest post on Green Fashionista on November 17, 2013. Kate is a fellow cruise lover, so a cruise essentials post was perfect to share there, and it's perfect to share here now because      

1. It's February and winter has us in a headlock

2. I'm sick of whining about cold and snow.  

3. Monday night our roof started to leak because, yes, too much snow and ice up there. Instead of laying in bed in the fetal position, I want to think of beaches and vacations. 

4. It's my blog and I do what I want. 

I never thought I'd like cruising, but I freaking love it. So does MFD, because a cruise ship is just another small town where he can be the mayor. 

Here are my cruise essentials:

1 - I hate clutter at home, I don't want it on vacation! Cruise rooms don't have a ton of counter space, so buy a hanging shoe organizer and bring it with you to store toiletries, batteries, chargers, etc.
2 - No one wants to deal with wet bathing suits. Most bathrooms have retractable clotheslines. You can fit more on them if you use clothespins.
3 - I know, I know, no drying clothes on the balconies. That being said, if you bring a clamp, nothing will fly away. Good for shirts or cover ups that get wet.


4 - A fierce manicure. There will be a lot of photos.
5 - Comfortable shoes. Boats are big, so even if you're sashaying around in flip flops, make sure they're comfortable. My favorites are Sanuk Yoga Mat flip flops.
6 - A stylish yet comfortable to carry beach bag. Some excursions can mean a lot of walking. It's not fun to lug a bag that's not easy to carry.

7 - A room with a balcony is a must for me. I'm claustrophobic and I need to be able to get outside without having to go up steps and down hallways. 

8 - Your on-board schedule. You don't want to miss out on bingo, baby. 

9 - Good reading material. A must on any vacation. 

10 - A camera to capture the gorgeousness that is the sun setting over the open sea. Your iphone isn't going to do it justice. 

The next time we'll be saying Bon Voyage is in December for a five day out of Miami with stops at Cozumel and Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. And two days at sea to bask in the ocean on all sides of us. We're going with our good friends and cruise buddies Jill & Frank and hitting Disney for a few days after. It promises to be a wonderful time. 

Are you a cruiser? What are your cruise essentials? 

Linking up with Kathy for Humpday Confessions.

 Linking up with Shanna for Random Wednesday

Organizing items of note

Nerd alert: one of my favorite things to figure out is which storage item to use to organize something. I know Steph at Not Entirely Perfect feels the same way, which is why we are giving away a $50 gift card to The Container Store right now that you can enter to win at the bottom of this post. We love to organize the shit out of things. Check Steph's organize posts out by clicking here.

I look around and re-purpose what I have before I buy an organizer. I have a lot of things laying around that would be good organizers. I bet you do too. Before you throw something out, look at it and ask yourself how you could put it to work as an organizer. A magazine holder was on its way and now holds my garden flags. However, sometimes you just need to purchase organizers instead of re-purposing something. Here are some of my favorite organizer purchases:

1. Rectangular sea grass bin from The Container Store - $7.99. I also have one in my linen closet holding extras: mini tissue packs, mouthwash, toothpaste, MFD's shave gel and deoderant.

2. Large multi-purpose translucent bin from The Container Store - $5.99. I also use one of these under the kitchen sink to store water bottles, and an XL one ($6.99) to store dish liquid and other kitchen cleaners. I am not of the "keep all cleaning items in one place" school. When we lived in a small one bedroom apartment, I did that. This house has three floors.  Leaving cleaning stuff in each bathroom and the kitchen stuff in the kitchen ensures that those places get wiped down daily.

3. Mini stacking basket from The Container Store - $3.99. I usually have four rolls of TP stacked in here.

4. Shoe boxes from Target - It's been a while, but I think they're around $3? I can fit two flats in one box. I also use them in the linen closet to store medicine, travel sized products, and Qtips/cotton balls. These are a great work horse and can be used throughout the house.

5. Dollar Store organizers. They're a little flimsy, but they do the job. I use them in both freezers to keep shit in check. In the fridge they hold little stuff like MFD's beloved Country Crock, yogurts, etc. They also hold baking stuff: vanilla, baking powder, salt, chips, cookie cutters, etc. I have an oval one under the kitchen sink that holds my dirty towels, napkins, and wash cloths until they're ready to be washed.

6. ClosetMaid Cubeicals from Target - $5.99. I employ these on the book shelf in my room. They hold pajamas, pants, flip flops, slippers, and crapping around t-shirts. 

Most of my other organizers come from Marshalls/Home Goods. I'm lured to fun colors and textures, especially for organizers that sit in plain sight.

And, of course, my Muji makeup organizers. They are lebombdotcom.

What are your favorite organizers?