Food Fun Family

How to Find The Perfect Home

Lolli — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 14:31:34 +0000

At SunTrust Mortgage, we make it a priority to learn all about your unique circumstances. Confidence starts with a conversation.

Talk with a SunTrust Mortgage expert today.

This post was sponsored, and paid for, by SunTrust Mortgage. All opinions are my own.

When my husband and I were shopping for our first house, our “must-have” list was fairly short. At the time that we were buying our first home, we had a toddler (yes, just one toddler!). We hardly gave a second thought to the quality of the schools. Three bedrooms seemed like plenty for our little family. Our number one criteria was an open kitchen with plenty of space. Oh, how things have changed! Today, our home buying must-have list looks slightly different than it did 20 years ago. We still value a spacious and open kitchen, but with 4 teenagers at home instead of one toddler, our criteria have changed quite a bit.

Our Home Buying Must-Haves

Open, spacious kitchen with room for a crowd and a big table
Minimum 4 bedrooms and 2 ½ baths
Office space for both me and my husband
Space for my LuLaRoe boutique
Four walls that are all our own (and preferably plenty of space between our house and the next!)
Space for a backyard garden
Good schools

What must-haves are on your list for a new home, whether you’re in the market for a new house or not? We outgrew our little townhouse a while ago, and I love to imagine the home of our dreams. Of course, there are plenty of other items that are on my “ideal home” list, and the more I look at homes the more I realize that finding the “perfect” home that meets all our criteria is a challenge.

How to find your ideal home

Shopping for a new home is an exciting adventure. I love to imagine myself in each home that we look at – where we would put furniture, which kids would fit in which rooms, where I would run my at-home businesses. Here are a couple of tips for finding the ideal home for you and your family:

Set your expectations for a new home before you start shopping – make a list of things that are most important in a new home.
Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves – Which items on your list are deal-breakers and which items are things that you’d really like to have or that you may be able to add or fix once you’ve moved in?
Visit each prospective home with a checklist – keeping a list of the things you’re looking for will help you see new homes more realistically versus seeing them emotionally.
Get creative about spaces – you don’t have to use spaces for their traditional or intended uses. Because my husband and I both operate businesses from home, we often have to be creative and a little unconventional about our use of space.
Think about how you’ll be using the spaces in your new home – what things do you like to do? Do you need space for hobbies or entertaining? Or are you like us and need work-from-home space?
Look beyond the staging – don’t worry about things like wallpaper, paint, carpet…or even walls. Those things can be changed after the fact and shouldn’t be deal-breakers.
Talk to the neighbors and walk around the neighborhood – the space outside your home is often even more important than the space inside your home, and while you can renovate rooms inside, the neighborhood (and neighbors) are often impossible to change. Sometimes finding the right home takes a leap of faith. It takes looking beyond the obvious and seeing the potential beneath the surface.

Check out “Your Guide to Home Buying,” where Suntrust Mortgage describes the home buying process from A to Z so that you can leave the worry behind and enjoy the process of buying a home. Visit Suntrust Mortgage for more information.

Outdoor and Indoor is Not the Same – Says Me (and the Laws of Physics)

CandyMan — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 03:15:05 +0000

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Glad for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you’re like me, you have often switched to a roll of those plain black outdoor garbage bags for your kitchen garbage – not realizing the seemingly innocuous trade off you just made.

What is that “seemingly innocuous” trade off you ask? Parenthetically, I love the word “innocuous”, mainly because of a line from a very funny Will Ferrell movie. Ah yes, the trade off. Well, when you switch over to a big black outdoor trash bag, you are falling into the common trap and misconception that bigger is better and that outdoor is stronger than indoor. Wrong on both accounts.

Now, come with me as we explore the seemingly pedestrian and monotonous world of kitchen garbage bags.

Our kitchen garbage can is named “Ralphie,” like the boy who shoots his eye out with a BB-gun. Ralphie is pretty plain; he is brown, made of plastic and has the little foot pedal that lifts the lid. The lid often gets messed up and we end up lifting the lid with our hands, but you get the picture. We have to spray him with disinfectant all the time to suppress the toxicity of his inner fumes. Woo boy!

For many years, we have used these huge outdoor bags that are supposedly stronger and tougher (at least in my mind that was the idea). But, the issue is that these outdoor bags are not designed to handle anything but outdoor garbage, like paper, leaves, grass trimmings, etc. Those things aren’t the same as indoor garbage.

And that is exactly the point! Outdoor bags are made for things that don’t stink, don’t leak and don’t spill all over the kitchen floor. You wouldn’t carry a bowling ball in a lunchbox or pour a serving of soup into a napkin, so why would you put your stinky kitchen garbage into an outdoor garbage bag?

Enter the Glad KitchenPro “truly made for kitchen” garbage bag.

The Glad KitchenPro addresses several key deal breakers for those of us who produce more than their fair share of garbage.

First, Glad KitchenPro bags are bigger, so they can handle larger messes. I can’t deal with those tiny kitchen bags that you have to change every day. What a waste of time.

Second, they have 5-day odor control. The bags actually have Febreze odor neutralization built in. The KitchenPro keeps the whole smell thing quiet while it’s in the kitchen and then holds in the smell outside until garbage day. Once you put your garbage outside, it’s usually like ringing the dinner bell for critters. Think about that the next time you see that some critter has ripped into your plain black outdoor garbage bags and you have to go pick it up. With Glad KitchenPro the critters only smell the Febreze.

Lastly, who doesn’t love wiping up those leak trails from the kitchen garbage can to the back door or better yet, when you drip across the living room carpet. Oh yes, that’s a joy. When you see the leak protection in the KitchenPro, you’ll ask yourself who the village idiot is that sold you on those enormous outdoor bags that provide no more protection from leaks that a spaghetti strainer. (Oh, that idiot would be you).

It’s time to get on board. It’s time to rise up and refuse to believe the fake news that surrounds the world of garbage and garbage bags. Bigger is not better and outdoor is not stronger than indoor. It’s just the opposite. You can get the Glad KitchenPro at Target and save yourself from a continuing saga of stink and stench.

Picture yourself, your kids, your dog or cat, your iguana (if you have one) enjoying a nice luncheon and not a hint of kitchen garbage. Just the sweet aroma of cucumber sandwiches and fresh lemonade. Yes, that is what your life will be like when you make the switch to the Glad KitchenPro.

Glad KitchenPro is available at Target so head over there and stock up. Your nose will thank you.

Tips for Organizing the Kitchen Cabinets

Lolli — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 14:36:04 +0000

The day after Christmas, we started a couple of major projects in our house – all in an effort to be more organized and have our house in better shape for the new year.

The first project we undertook was to get our kitchen ready to paint and to renovate the cabinets. Although we’re still in the middle of the project, the first step we took – to get the cabinets organized – has made a huge difference in how our kitchen both feels and functions.

Whether you’re planning a kitchen remodel or just wanting to get order back in the kitchen, here are a few tips to follow:

Note: Amazon links are used within this post to point you towards some products I love.

Remove all the old dishes and other items

I am a person that has a hard time saying goodbye to items, even if I do not use them. However, getting rid of the unused items is super important. You cannot be organized when the cabinets are full of junk- so to speak. By removing all the old “items” you are making room to keep things organized. We’ve gathered a mishmash collection of cups, mugs, plates, silverware, etc. over the years and although it feels nice to have “plenty,” we’ve found that the mismatched dishes don’t stack well and take up more space than if we had the same number of the same dish.

Have a game plan ready

Have you seen all the awesome ways to organize your kitchen cabinets on Pinterest? Using hooks (I love this system!), pot racks (we’ve got something like this), baskets (functional and gorgeous!), shelves, spice racks and anything else you can get your hands on will help you stay organized in the kitchen. One of my favorite organizational tools in the kitchen is a Lazy Susan.

Keep inventory low

I have found that it is easier to keep inventory low in my kitchen cabinet. When you don’t have a ton in your cabinets, it’s much easier to organize. This is especially true if you have a smaller kitchen – less is more! I get frustrated and annoyed when I have too much stuff in my cabinets and I have found that this tip really works. I keep at least one dish for each person in the family. For example, one plate per person…plus a few extra for guests. I mean, I don’t need 5 sets of unused dishes in my cabinets.

Utilize the unique space in your kitchen

When I look in my kitchen, I try to embrace the unique shelves and space I have. When organizing, I try to find those unique spaces in which I can store things. If you look close enough, you may just find these unique spaces in your kitchen.

Keep your kitchen organized

The last step seems like the most reasonable step, but it makes the most sense. Once you get your kitchen organized, make sure to take the time to keep it this way. I set aside time each week to spend time organizing my kitchen. It only takes about 15-30 minutes to get things organized correctly in your kitchen.

What tips do you have for organizing the kitchen cabinets?

Tips For Getting & Staying Organized in the New Year

Lolli — Thu, 29 Dec 2016 13:00:49 +0000

2017 is right on our heels. We’ll blink and it will be here. A New Year gets me excited and scares me a little bit, too! Getting organized has never been hard for me, it’s the part of STAYING organized that seems to be the challenge. With some experience under my belt, I wanted to share how you can get organized and stay organized in the coming year.

Pick your battles

There is no way you are going to have your entire house organized at the same time. The way I get organized and stay organized is to pick my battles. What are my “main” areas I want to stay organized? For me, it’s my main living areas. Keeping those areas organized is super important.

You will notice that it is a lot easier to be organized whenever you don’t have the pressure to keep every single nook and cranny organized.
Checklists are your friend (whether you want them to be or not)

Listen, I know checklists are so pre-internet and smart phone, but they work! When I make a checklist, it is so much easier for me to stay organized. I will admit that checklists help me to stay organized with my kids, grocery shopping, and extracurricular things. Plus, I love having a list to “check off” when I get things done, don’t you?!

Keep the kids accountable in the organization department

If you are anything like me, you can get organized, no problem. It is the staying organized that is hard. Part of the problem, at least in my house, is that the kids seem to have a natural ability to destroy any sort of organization I’ve created.

If you want to stay organized this year, then you need to keep your kids accountable. They need to help YOU stay as organized as possible. I write my kids little notes to help them stay organized. I’m sure you can find a way that works for you!

Keep ongoing appointments

One area that I have been working on in the organizational department has been with appointments. I have found something that works and helps me stay organized. Instead of picking a “new time and date” every time I need an appointment, I keep a standing date. For example – hair appointments are every 6 weeks at the same date/time/place. Grocery shopping same date/time/place. Date night with the hubby — same date/time/place (it’s ok to pick a different restaurant or activity each time, but having that set date helps so much!). When you have repetition in your life, it’s harder to be disorganized because you know what to expect. In fact, this will make you look so organized that people are going to stay wondering who you are.

I hope some of these tips help you get more organized {and stay organized} this year! We can all use a new tip here and there, so share your tips with me. I’d love to hear them.

DIY Emergency Preparedness Kit – Four Things Every Kit Should Have

Lolli — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 19:32:12 +0000

This post is sponsored by ServiceMaster Restore, but all thoughts and ideas are my own.

367 Natural Disasters A Year – Which One Will Hit You?

If you like statistics, you’ll be interested to know that from 2005-2014 there were an average of 367 natural disasters reported each year (www.unisdr.org).

Depending on where you live, you have different possible emergencies to prepare for. On the East Coast we have Hurricanes, in the great plains and Mid-West we have tornadoes and on the West Coast we have earthquakes.

Then, in all areas we have the possibility of floods, droughts, wildfires or major seasonal storms.

Take your pick.

The Four Things You Need for Your Emergency Preparedness Kit

Although preparing for disasters or unexpected situations is important, it’s not the most exciting topic. Few people really want to sit down and memorize a list of things they need. So, here’s a straightforward and easy way to remember the things you must have.

Just remember the phrase “Warm Water Food and Friends”.

The four things you need for the disasters that occur in your area are: warmth, water, food and friends. If you take care of these basic needs, you’re off to a great start. (You can download a detailed checklist of possible items that you can customize here).

And now let’s see what that catchy phrase means.

Warm – the things you need to stay warm, stay cool or stay comfortable – that includes clothing, some form of shelter – rain/sun/cold/snow/wind, a way to make fire and any tools you need for getting things done (including a flashlight).

Water – clean water and a way to clean dirty water. No matter what the disaster is, you need to have fresh, clean drinking water. More importantly, if a disaster is not life threatening, but you don’t have water, your lack of water will become the disaster. Just because you can live up to 3 days without water doesn’t mean you want to.

Food – obviously what you have to eat. Get things that don’t require cooking or refrigeration. Foods with lots of calories, fat and sugar are best. They may slow down your internal plumbing, but they will provide you with lots of energy. Also in the food category is necessary medications.

Friends – who doesn’t want to drag a friend along during a natural disaster? Everybody wants friends, but in this case “friends” indicates how you plan to communicate. You should have a radio, phone or some means of communication so that you can hear about what is going on and hopefully communicate with others.

In the end, if you have warm water, food and friends, you’ll be alright and in a position to help others. Being prepared also provides tremendous peace of mind while the storms are on their way.

Of course, the more you add to your kit, the better prepared you’ll be. I love the in depth emergency preparedness kit checklist that Service Master has on their site.

Money Saving Tips for Assembling Your Home Disaster Kit

TIP: Use an old backpack or suitcase to store your emergency kit. You were just going to throw them out anyway.

TIP: Design your kit so that the items will not expire or need replacing (a can of tuna lasts for a long time, but a package of crackers is only good for 6-12 months).

TIP: Don’t throw away an old card game; put it in your disaster kit. Keeping mentally engaged or distracted during an emergency can make the difference between a brief inconvenience and a major traumatic experience.

TIP: Use some old clothes that you were planning to throw away (jeans that have holes in the knees, a sweater with a snag, etc) for your disaster kit. They are most likely comfortable. Old sheets or blankets are equally valuable as well.

TIP: Next time you eat at a fast food restaurant, grab a few extra ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise packets. They keep for a long time and can add some extra flavor to your food supply.

TIP: Look for some free swag the next time you are out. Companies give away T-shirts, water bottles, pens, notebooks and other items that you don’t need at home, but could be helpful in your disaster kits.

TIP: When you’ve eaten all the good stuff out of your Halloween, Easter, Christmas or other holiday candy, grab those things you don’t like as much and put them in your kit. Treats will be a welcome bonus, should you need your kit.

ServiceMaster Restore has so many helpful tips for preparing your home for the unexpected, and what to do when disaster strikes, like their checklist for home fire prevention. Being prepared doesn’t mean that disasters will never happen, but it does mean that you will face each day with more confidence and peace of mind.

Don’t forget to download our DIY Emergency Preparedness Checklist!

Connect with ServiceMaster Restore

20 Unique Uses for Trash Bags #HeftyHelper #HeftyHeftyHefty

Lolli — Thu, 06 Oct 2016 18:24:23 +0000

Garbage day is a weekly struggle in our house. You’d think that these kids had never been asked to gather the garbage in the house, put it in the garbage can for collection, and walk it around to the front yard. Every single time it’s a struggle.

And guess what? We keep making more trash.

I’ve used a lot of trash bags in my day (21+ years of marriage equals a lot of garbage. Ha!) and I’ve come to the conclusion that trash bags are one of those areas that you don’t want to skimp on. I mean, who wants stinky, two-day-old trash falling all over the floor because the bag was too weak to keep it all in?

Hefty can handle our trash. It’s kind of like having WWE Wrestler John Cena handle my garbage instead of my kids…

Hefty Ultra Strong Kitchen Trash Bags are Hefty’s BEST kitchen bag ever (I seriously love these things!) and the fact that they are now at a new low price (that’s even lower than the competitor’s kitchen bags) is a bonus for me.

{Psst….grab a $1.00 off coupon to stock up on Hefty Ultra Strong HERE}

Not only are they a great value, but they’ve got Arm & Hammer patented odor neutralizer, Active Tear Resistant Technology for superior strength (no more holes!), and they come with a break resistant grip drawstring.

But garbage bags aren’t only for collecting trash. I don’t know about you, but we use our garbage bags for tons of things around the house!

20 Unique Uses for Trash bags (That Go Beyond Collecting Garbage)

You’d be amazed at all of the things that you can use trash bags for – especially Hefty Ultra Strong, since they are so durable! Here are just a few ways we’ve used Hefty kitchen bags around the home and on family outings:

Rain poncho
Line cooler and fill with ice
Under-bed blanket storage

Halloween decorations (white bag + stuff & tie off “head” = ghost!)
Quick DIY costume
Sunshade
Household donations

Laundry bag (great for carrying dirty bedding)
Separate dirty laundry in luggage while traveling
Protect floor when painting
Keep arm or leg casts or stitches dry for bathing or rainy days
Picnic tablecloth

Protect hanging clothes (poke a hole in the bottom of a bag and drape over clothes on a hanger)
Hiding birthday and holiday gifts
Seat protection in the car for wet and messy passengers
Makeshift umbrella

Game seat (stack of newspaper wrapped in a trash bag = padded water-proof stadium or grass seating)
Backpack cover for rainy day walks to school
Store holiday decorations
Dirty shoe covers (for family members who don’t want to take messy shoes off when they come in the house)

What are some other unique uses that you’ve found for trash bags?

DON’T FORGET to grab your $1.00 off coupon to stock up on Hefty Ultra Strong!

PS – Hefty Ultra Strong Kitchen Trash Bags with Arm & Hammer patented odor neutralizer (13 Gallon white indoor bags) come in 7 different scents.

• Clean Burst
• Citrus Twist
• Lavender & Sweet Vanilla
• Crisp Orchard Apple
• White Pine Breeze
• Tropical Paradise
• Pomegranate Mist

My favorite is Citrus Twist (it smells SO clean and fresh!) as well as Scent Free. Which scent would you like in your kitchen (honestly, though, any scent is better than last night’s salmon….)? Amiright?

Why This Mom Still Loves Her Non-HE Top Loader Washer

Lolli — Fri, 06 May 2016 12:00:44 +0000

I am excited to be partnering with Downy Ball for this paid post, particularly because working on this post also meant accomplishing a few loads of laundry…which is always a good thing. All thoughts are my own.

Five kids. Messy, dirty, active kids.

One husband who works outside with chemicals, bleach, and lots of water.

Lots and lots of laundry.

I decided early in my parenting years to teach my kids how to do things around the house. Laundry, dishes, cooking, vacuuming, dusting, etc. I figured I had to teach them all of these essential adult skills at some point, so why not start them early?

A few of my kids caught on to the laundry very easily. A couple of the others….not so much. Some of my kids were eager to be able to do their laundry independently so that they could ensure that their clothes did not mix with other family members’ stinky clothes. Those kids who created the stinky clothes? They never seemed to care who did their laundry. (Ahem. Me!)

I have used many different washing machines over the years and the conclusion I’ve come to is that at this stage in our family’s life, our trusty non-HE top loader washer is perfect for us. It couldn’t be easier to use (the kids really can’t even mess a load up…unless they mix the new red towels with the white dress shirts). It fits nicely in our rather small, nothing-fancy-here basement laundry room. And it gets our clothes clean. What more can a mama ask?

Actually, I can tell you what I’d ask for. As easy as it is for any of the kids to start a load of laundry, our challenge seems to be in getting the laundry DRY. My husband’s solution for years has been to hang the towels and the jeans to dry. I came home from 2 weeks of travel recently to find several bath towels and 2 pairs of jeans hanging behind the washer and dryer. I removed them from their hangers and they were so stiff that they could practically stand on their own.

There’s nothing worse than a stiff, scratchy towel or an uncomfortable, can’t-bend-my-knees pair of jeans. I prefer my clothes to come back from the wash feeling soft and smelling great. I think that’s a reasonable expectation.

So what did I do when I found those not-so-soft towels and jeans the other day? I washed them again. Don’t tell my husband. But, really, who wants to dry off after a shower with a towel that’s stiffer than those brown cardboard-like paper towels?

And then, one of the first things I grabbed at the store last week was some Downy Ultra fabric softener to use with my new Downy Ball because I wanted all of my clothes (and the towels!) to feel softer and smell better.

It couldn’t be easier to use the Downy Ball (even the kids and husband can handle it!). You just pop the top of the Downy Ball down, pour in some Downy Ultra fabric softener to the line (based on the size of the load), pull the top back up to “seal”, and stick it on top of your clothes at the beginning of the wash cycle.

Yes, that’s right. No more waiting for the rinse cycle. No more cleaning out your dispenser. The Downy Ball releases fabric softener at the right time, every time. So you can start the wash and walk away.

Just don’t be like some people in my family and walk away for so long that you forget that you have a load of laundry in the washing machine. You’ll love the difference.

NOTE: The Downy Ball only works in top-loading—non-HE—washing machines. Just another reason why I’m glad that we still have a non-HE washing machine.

Purchase the Downy Ball online HERE.

Join the Non-HE Nation!

Be proud of your non-HE washing machine! It has been with you for countless spills, stains and spin cycles. And it’s going to be with you for countless more. Buck the high-efficiency trend and be proud to be Non-HE!

With Downy Ball, your non-HE washing machine makes softness simple. All you have to do is fill the ball with fabric softener, seal it and drop it in at the start of the wash. Then let your non-HE washing machine automatically release the fabric softener during the rinse cycle.

You can’t do that in an HE washing machine! Click here to learn more.

How to Organize a Desk

Lolli — Thu, 05 May 2016 15:20:28 +0000

If there is something I’ve enjoyed doing a lot of lately, it is organizing. It seems as though this is my year to get down with my bad self in the organizing department. The kids may think I’m crazy, but it really is a good thing to get organized. One area that I got tired of looking at in my house is my desk. It’s so full of clutter and disarray. So, you can guess that this week, this is what I tackled.

Note: I’ve linked to some helpful resources on Amazon. The links to the products are affiliate links and I can earn a small commission if you choose to buy anything, but the price for you will not be effected.

Are you like me and need help organizing your desk? Do you work at home? Or maybe you’re a student and use your desk for studying. Whatever your routine, an organized desk will help you stay focused on your to-do list. Stop letting yourself get distracted by the mess! Here’s where you can get started:

How to Organize a Desk

Ditch the paper stacks: On my desk, you will find tons of paper stacks. Sometimes they aren’t even stacks – they’re just lots and lots of papers that never got thrown away. Between the kids, mail, and my paperwork, you really never know what you’ll find. For this reason alone, I’ve been trying to make everything as paperless as I can. Makes more sense and it’s less work for me in the long run.

Make your desk functional: Sometimes, I put way too much stuff on my desk and it really makes no sense at all. This week I focused on making my desk more functional. I removed anything that I was no longer using and I put things away that don’t go on the top of my desk. You would be surprised at the amount of stuff I found on my desk that didn’t even belong there.

Ditch the junk drawer: I probably have a junk drawer in every room of my home. I ditched my desk junk drawer this week. There were so many random items in there. It’s really a good feeling to get rid of the items we don’t use and obviously don’t need. Plus, the sooner I get rid of those items, the less likely they will end up back on my desk.

Invest in a few desktop organizers: One of my favorite things about an organized desk it having room for real desktop organizers. You can find these super cheap almost anywhere you go, or you can just use organizers you have on hand. If you are feeling feisty, you can even use drawer organizers to keep everything in its place.

Below are just two examples:

Assign a place for everything: One of my biggest challenges has always been not knowing where to put all of the “things” I collect through the course of a day-week-month. When I don’t know where to put something, it usually ends up in a messy pile on my desk or in the junk drawer where it’s forgotten. My greatest long-term organizing successes come when I create a place to put each item. Note: that “place” is more than often NOT on or in my desk!

While organizing my home hasn’t always been the easiest task, I realized that I just need to take it one step at a time…and this week it was to organize the desk. Gone are the days where I let “things” and “stuff” overwhelm me. Are you ready to jump on the organizational train?

The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle 2016

Lolli — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 15:30:10 +0000

If you’re a Food Fun Family newsletter subscriber, you’ve probably already heard about The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle. Since email inboxes can get a little crowded, I wanted to put the word out here before it’s too late. You see, The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle comes off sale in just a few days. I figured now would be a good time to address some frequently asked questions. PS – I do make a commission on each sale, but this is something I really do believe in and am excited to share!

But first, what is The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle? It’s a collection of 93 high-quality eBooks and eCourses designed to help you:

cut down your time in the kitchen with crockpot freezer meals and make-ahead breakfasts
organize and declutter your home
teach your kids to clean (and create a chore system that works)
save money by making DIY personal care and cleaning products
create realistic weight loss plans and add more healthy movement to your life
learn how to keep your kids safe online
start your own business or find a great work-at-home job
get the mothering encouragement you need on the hard days (no matter what stage or age your kids are at)
and even relax and recharge in the evenings with a little adult coloring

If you bought each eBook separately, you’d spend over $1000, but when you buy them in the bundle, you get everything for 97% off (yes, that’s less than $30!). PLUS, included with each bundle is over $300 worth of bonuses from fabulous companies – such as a FREE Kids Discovery Box from GreenKidCrafts.com ($19.95) and a FREE online class from Craftsy ($29-$69). That brings the actual value of the Bundle up to nearly $1300!

Here are a few answers to the most frequently asked questions about The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle:

Q1: What am I going to do with 93 eBooks / eCourses? Yikes!

A1: There is no way on earth that each of these eBooks / eCourses is relevant to where you are right now. Some of them will have a lot of appeal, and some won’t. But, in most cases, it only takes 3 – 4 eBooks that you are going to use for you to start saving money. Not to mention the fact that there are 8 resources alone that are worth the cost of the bundle itself (with a time management course worth $49 and a life purpose workshop worth $59). So, even though you won’t use every resource in the bundle, it would be really hard to not still save a ton of money anyways.

Q2: With so many resources included, how will I even know where to start?

A2: That’s one of my favorite things about Ultimate Bundles! Each bundle includes an interactive “Getting Started” Guide to help you identify which books and courses are most relevant to you. Knowledge is power, but only if you can access it, right? The UB folks have done a tremendous job of getting their customers access to the right knowledge at the right time with their interactive guide!

Q3 – How do I know that I’m actually getting good quality products, and not just a bunch of “throw-away” eBooks?

A3: For one, almost 40,000 have purchased a Homemaking Bundle in the last few years, with thousands of folks purchasing the newest edition every single year. That simply doesn’t happen if the bundle is stuffed with “garbage.” The UB team spends months reviewing potential contributors, approaches only the best for inclusion, and then only accepts the finest products of those. They are highly selective, and it shows.

Q4: OK, but what if I buy it and don’t like it?

A4: Although Ultimate Bundles has had an extremely low return rate at less than 1/4 of the industry standard, there are some people who it doesn’t work for. That’s why they offer a full 30-day refund policy. If you don’t 100% love it, just email customerservice@ultimate-bundles.com to ask for a full refund.

Q5: Can I just wait and purchase it some other time? Isn’t this “limited time only” just a sales gimmick?

A5: You’re right. Sometimes that is used as a sales gimmick, because it helps to drive more sales. However, because of the unique nature of this sale (Ultimate Bundles does not have the perpetual right to sell the included eBooks and eCourses), the sale will end on May 2nd. That said, included in the author contracts is the right for Ultimate Bundles to run one more 48 hour sale at some point during the next 12 months. Although it’s likely to happen for the homemaking bundle (it’s a very popular one), it’s not guaranteed. And because it’s such a short window, it’s quite possible that you’ll miss it completely if you wait until then. The safest way to guarantee you get your copy is to pick it up before the official expiry on May 2nd.

Q6: I saw that there are over $300 in bonuses. Are they any good?

A6: Just like you, I’ve seen worthless “bonuses” before, too. But one of the things that makes Ultimate Bundles so special is their ability to get really incredible bonuses for each of their bundles. And this one is no exception. You’ll find free kid’s craft supplies, skin care, daily planners or journals, cleaning supplies, and lots more.

The bonus providers give you their very best, because they hope you’ll love their products so much that you’ll become a regular customer. In most cases, the only thing you’ll pay is their standard shipping costs. They are not allowed to “inflate” those either to cover costs.

To qualify as a bonus partner, they have to provide a legitimately awesome free offer of some kind. And because UB expects so much of their bonus partners, only companies that are truly confident in the quality of their product are willing to make the commitment that they do. I can say without reservation that you will not find this number and quality of bonuses anywhere else!

I hope that fully answers your questions!! In my opinion, there really is no downside, and there is a ton of upside. But I’ll leave that up to you. Just don’t wait too long, because the sale is almost over.

Get yours right now HERE

How to Organize the Kitchen

Lolli — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 16:01:49 +0000

The kitchen is one of my favorite places to be. You know that I love cooking and baking with the kids, but it can get into a disarray in no time. Getting your kitchen organized and keeping it that way has always been a challenge for me. This year, I decided to buckle down and make sure my kitchen is organized, so I can spend more time with my family and less time with a cluttered counter.

6 Simple Tips to Keep Your Kitchen Organized

Clear off your counters: For the love of clean, your kitchen will never be organized if you can’t get control of the clutter. It’s truly amazing how much energy it takes to just look at clutter. Take a few minutes each day and either throw away the clutter or put it in its rightful place.
Throw away old junk: I noticed that in my kitchen, I have a ton of old junk. Whether it is old spices or old papers from years ago, it’s time to pitch it all. People are scared to throw away things because they “might” need it later. The key to getting organized is to make sure you toss what you don’t need and stop collecting old junk you’ll never use.
Get your family to help: Another way to get the kitchen organized is to get your family to help. Washing their own dishes, picking up after themselves, and just being more vigilant about putting stuff away. Get them to concentrate on knowing that organizing is a family thing and not just a mom thing. (Can I get an amen?)
Get creative: No kitchen is going to look the same when it comes to organization. In my kitchen, I love to be creative with the things I’ve already got lying around. I might use a lazy Susan to help me organize a cabinet or I may use mason jars to organize smaller things like pens, dry beans, small utensils, etc. Organization comes easy when you are a little creative with what you have in your home. Just remember: you don’t have to have a large budget or a big house to stay organized.
Give everything its own space: A great way to keep things like utensils, cookbooks, and measuring spoons organized is to give them their own space. Not only will those areas be more organized, but they will be easier to keep organized going forward, and everything will be easier to find in a pinch, too.
Get rid of the extra: If you have two sets of dishes and 100 different types of cups, it may be time to part with some items. It is ridiculous to try to stay organized when you can’t keep track of how many dish sets you have. Pick a favorite dish set and pass the extras on to someone who is just starting out. College students are great candidates. I also love dropping off extras at the thrift store.

Maybe organizing your kitchen isn’t your favorite thing, but look at the bright side… imagine how much better everything will look and feel when it’s done. Give me your tips for organizing your kitchen!