Last week, I hopped up on my soapbox and shared some of my frustrations about all those silly Facebook and Pinterest photos that proclaim “good moms have messy homes but happy kids” — as if a good mom can’t possibly have a clean home and happy kids!
I received LOTS of feedback from that post and felt I should write one more follow-up post to expand on my thoughts (boy, do I have lots of thoughts!)
Many people I know (myself included) often slack off on meal planning in the summer. I supposed it’s easy to put meal planning on the back burner {pun intended!}
However, these busy weeks of summer are some of the most important weeks to create and utilize a meal plan… because it will save you so much time and stress! If you are struggling to set up a meal-planning routine, here are 6 simple ideas that just might help.
Next weekend, Dave and I will celebrate our 7-year wedding anniversary… however, tomorrow marks the 8th “anniversary” of our engagement. We won’t actually celebrate, but it’s such a fun story, I just had to share it with you.
I still smile and get goosebumps every single time I reminisce about our engagement story…
I love dishes! And over the last few years, I’ve received numerous emails with questions about our dishes, serving pieces, tablecloths, etc. and how I store all these items in our kitchen.
I figured it was probably time to share my dishes… and serving pieces, and tablecloths, and napkins with you — or at least share how I store and organize these items!
We’re fortunate that we have an acre yard for Nora to explore and play — and a super long asphalt driveway for fun with scooters and sidewalk chalk. However, something we don’t like about being outside are all the bugs.
I’ve been on the lookout for natural ways to control these pests, and I’m sharing a bunch of those remedies, tips, ideas, and resources today!
I originally posted this recipe over two years ago, but since it’s one of our favorite quick lunch “recipes” — perfect for busy summer afternoons — I figured I should share it again for those of you who might not have been reading my blog two years ago!
I will often whip up 15-30 burritos at a time so we always have a supply in our freezer for days when we don’t feel like a sandwich or leftovers.
I think that no matter how old we are, we tend to look back on the past as the Good Old Days, remembering things as better and simpler “back then”. So if you think about it, this means that in 1, 2, 5, or 10 years, we’ll be looking back on today, this week, and this year, and remembering these moments as the Good Old Days.
Right now, we are living and experiencing tomorrow’s Good Old Days — are you making the most of them?
In less than 3 weeks, Google Reader will be gone — which means that those of you who use Google Reader to subscribe to my blog will no longer see any of my new blog posts after July 1st.
Today I’m sharing some simple alternatives to Google Reader — all of which should assure you don’t miss any recipes, simple tips, home renovations, or cute Nora pictures!
I recently read in a popular parenting magazine that 75% of adults say it’s important to educate children about finances, but only 36% of those same parents actually do so.
I’m not an expert in this area just yet, but there are so many things I want to teach my children about money management. In an effort to keep things simple, I’m sharing 5 financial lessons I definitely want my children to learn.
We live in a 120 year old farmhouse — and as we work our way through different renovation projects, we often wonder what memories and stories are “locked away” inside the walls of our house. If only walls could talk… right!
Spurred by a recent visit of our home’s previous owners, I’ve been thinking about this a lot. Today, I’m sharing some of those thoughts.
Summer is always such a crazy time of year for us (I’m sure many of you can relate). On one hand, we want to work on house projects, go on vacation, and pack every day with something fun. On the other hand, we just want to relax.
This year, Dave and I are on a mission to slow down summer — to find that healthy balance between “getting stuff done” and relaxing — I’ll let you know if we succeed in about 11 weeks!
It’s June — which means the end of our no-spending challenge, an 11-week summer break for Dave, my 28th birthday, the official start of summer, our 7th anniversary, and LOTS of yard work! It’s going to be a busy month — but I’m so excited!
I’m also excited to share a few more of my favorite things with you!
Over the past couple of years, I’ve shared many pictures, recipes, and tips for cooking/baking in bulk in attempts to keep our freezer stocked. And whenever I mention my freezer cooking/baking sessions, I always get a handful of questions asking how I do it with a toddler (or any number of small children).
So today, I’m sharing 5 simple tips that helped me get back in my “baking-in-bulk groove” after Nora was born.
It’s June — which means our month-long no-spending challenge is over! Yay! Dave and I made it through… and it honestly wasn’t that difficult, especially after the first week.
Today, I’m sharing what we learned (and how I accidentally broke the rules — oops!). I’m also sharing a few tips and ideas for how you could implement a similar challenge into your own life.
I’ve talked about my lack of cleaning routine in the past, but since the warm days of summer are just around the corner (and no one wants to waste them inside cleaning) I thought it might be a good time to share my super simple speed-cleaning tips that allow me to clean our entire house in less than 60 minutes.
Today’s post is a reflection on a recent email I received. The email was quite rude, but ironically, the phrase they used to try to put me down actually affirmed that what I’m doing here on AndreaDekker.com is working!
The ideas and concepts presented on my blog are NOT rocket science — that’s true. I never intended them to be rocket science. In fact, it would defeat both my business and personal goals if my ideas were rocket science!
EVERYTHING in our yard is getting really over-grown! There are a bunch of dead trees, the grass in the back yard is basically all weeds and dirt, and the planting beds have been taken over by ivy and other invasive ground covers.
So this summer, we’re trading our hammers and saws for shovels and rakes — and we’re doing a complete landscape renovation!
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