On Fridays, our family takes an hour or two to work together to tidy the house together so we are ready for weekend fun and adventures. Everyone pitches in to tidy up, vacuum, dust and pick up and put away things that have gotten out of place throughout the week. Now that we’ve been doingContinue reading “Friday Tidy”
Category Archives: House and Home
Snowy Saturday
It’s a windy, snowy, stormy Saturday here in the Northeast, Mama, and we are sorting socks, straightening art supplies and dreaming of all things Spring. We started our day making waffles, and the kids are playing games while the littlest one naps. We will probably do some Spring Art together (3 crayon or marker challenge?)Continue reading “Snowy Saturday”
Friday Tidy
On Fridays, we tidy as a family. “Friday Tidy” is what we call it, and we take an hour or two as a family to get the house “ready for weekend fun”. It’s been almost two years that we’ve had this routine, and the kids (though they still complain from time to time—they’re kids!) haveContinue reading “Friday Tidy”
Seasonal Housekeeping
Cleaning, decluttering and re-arranging our home today, as we slowly shake off the shadows of winter and turn our sights toward longer days outdoors and warmer weather adventures beyond these walls. Spring cleaning and simplifying lay the foundation for easier homekeeping; so we can spend more time loving the community He’s called us too. HowContinue reading “Seasonal Housekeeping”
Perfectly Imperfect
Your house doesn’t have to be perfect, Mama. Neither does your kitchen. It doesn’t have to have the latest appliances, or granite counters, or fancy coffee pots. It doesn’t have to have new flooring, or fresh paint, or impeccable decorating. It’s what you can’t see that counts, Mama. Is it full of love? Is itContinue reading “Perfectly Imperfect”
Some Thoughts on Capsules
There’s a lot of talk these days about “capsules”. I found a definition online that really resonated with me: a capsule is a concise, curated collection. And I realized that I use capsules in a lot of places, not just in my clothing choices, but in much of life. In our family, we have aContinue reading “Some Thoughts on Capsules”
Upheaval & Washing Machines
Good Morning, Mama. Did you ever have a day that you’d carefully planned out one way, and before you’d barely begin, your plans were totally thrown into chaos and replaced by something else? We were unexpectedly gifted some items for our home yesterday (including a new to us washing machine to replace the one that’sContinue reading “Upheaval & Washing Machines”
Cocoa Amidst the Chaos
It was a rough night, followed by a rough morning. Multiple clothing changes, multiple night time calls, and I was awake far earlier than I wanted to be, accompanied by a sidekick. By 7:00 am the day was already spinning out of control in ways I didn’t want. Have you had one of those daysContinue reading “Cocoa Amidst the Chaos”
Purchases and Your Values
Good Morning, Mama. It’s Cyber Monday, and we’re just past Black Friday. What are you investing in? We have been saving gift cards for awhile now, and just purchased some patio furniture and a gas fire table. In November. In New Jersey. What might seem like a waste of our precious little resources to someContinue reading “Purchases and Your Values”
How A Weekly Meal Plan Can Simplify Your Days
Good Morning, Mama. It can be exhausting figuring out dinner night after night. For me, it wasn’t the cooking, it was the deciding what to cook that was so hard!!! We’ve been using this simple rhythm for years, and it’s made dinner time so much easier. It actually allows for a lot of variety, whileContinue reading “How A Weekly Meal Plan Can Simplify Your Days”
Next Door Hope 