Home & Garden

If you're like me, you've got little packets of seeds left over from last year's garden and you're wondering if they'll come to life again during next year's planting season.  A table

Are you a farm girl at heart?  Do you like to make crafts, sew your own clothes, grow your own food or cook naturally good food?  The magazine, Mary Jane’s Farm is the one for you!  Mary Jane

I found this great site for organizing my clostes. At Room It Up I bought the Boho Flower Handy Hold. This is a stylish solution for storing handbags, baseball caps, and scarves. The Handy Hold can also be used

Every day my 5 yr old always asks me what she is doing today, tomorrow and the next day and I got tired of telling her over and over again.  Since she is only 5, she can't read or understand our regular

I am allergic to the powders you sprinkle on your carpet before vacuumming, but this tip I read in my ezine worked for me: Homemade Carpet Freshener Freshening carpet is a breeze when you mix one teaspoon of cinnamon

Here's a great tip I read in a money-saving ezine I get: My two sons' sports bags, cleats, shin guards, etc. had a horrible odor that would smell up the car and the garage where we kept them. We tried

Here are some great ideas for a kid'd bedroom. The article focuses on saving money, but I think some of the ideas are great, even if you could have afforded more. For example, if you buy wallpaper border, use

I was in a big rut at home.  The interior felt really drab after a long summer of being outside on our porch everyday, I sort of neglected my home and tended more to my gardens! 

I bought some of these after my first few weeks making my sons lunch. I was surprised how many plastic bags I went through!!  These are well made and a good price for quality. I feel so good about using them

After doing some research, I have found a few helpful recipes for green, simple, earth friendly, home made cleaning supplies.  I have found recipes for baking soda scrub (like comet), all purpose

There is one chore my son (age 9) loves to take charge of.  There is never a rebuttal, whining, or other creative ways around his important duty to family & Mother Earth.  He is always happy to help. 

A way to save energy in the household is to replace the incandescent light bulbs with florescent light bulbs throughout the household.  Florescent light bulbs have the same candle power (illumination) as incandescent

From my money saving ezine:  When I find a great bargain on clothing that is one or more sizes larger than my child currently wears, I buy it for one of the kids who shared his/her clothing with my child. This

Have you seen the new toilet cleaner from Scrubbing Bubbles? This stuff is so totally cool! It is a dispenser with six gel flowers that adhere to the toilet just under the rim where the water flows over it during

Installing laminate flooring?  When I read the instructions it said to use an installation kit.  I laughed and said why bother I can do it without.  Was I wrong!  Life became so much easier with

These wraps are a great alternative to plastic bags and foil wrap – you just wrap up your sandwich and use the Velcro strap to close it, and when you unwrap it, you can use it as a placemat.  They are

A little known fact about computer peripherals (external devices attached to the outside of a computer via ports) is that many continue to use power even when turned off because of the transformer (internal or

I've always thought I couldn't afford to spend more on the healthier brands of cat food, but it turns out that I can save more in the long run because the money I am spending on preventing disease is always

There is a little known hazard when heating water in a microwave that involves filtered water and very clean containers.  One should never heat water for more than 3 minutes on high in a microwave oven. 

In today's high fuel price society, there is a rush to replace the old gas guzzler with a more efficient fuel usage vehicle; but, is such a replacement cost effective or might one do better by changing transportation

I thought this was a great idea – reusable bags for sandwiches and snacks that are lined with nylon and can be wiped clean.  Even better, they can also be machine washed and dried.  It’s a

I am so excited about this tip, I just can't type fast enough to share it with you! This woman's daughter wanted a make your own bear party, but she just couldn't afford it. She made her daughter a fabulous

Every year instead of getting a tree to decorate, having a artificial tree that needs storing when not in use, or simply just not having enough floor space to have a tree, I decorate the floor lamp using holiday

Want to go green, save money, and teach your kids to be environmentally responsible?  Packing a school lunch is the perfect opportunity for you to teach your child about being green.  It's easy! 

Warning to all dog lovers!! The dog in this story is my neice's friend's dog, so I know it is not a hoax. The dog had a life-threatening injury due to a type of toy many of us have in the house: a ball

With prices of everything going up, if your pet gets sick or injured, you might be less able to help him. This terrific article has ten ways to get discounted pet health care or to get financial assistance paying

This article has some neat ideas (haha, get it?) for organizing different rooms in the house using a pocket shoe organizer. You can find inexpensive ones or more decorative ones, depending on the use. One idea I

If you have a child just starting kindergarten, or even if you have one already in elementary school, check out this adorable school memories scrapbook: School Years: A Family Keepsake of School Memories.  This

Painting by numbers has come a long way, and now you can do it on your WALLS!  Check out these really cool wall paper strips in nature themes that you can actually color in by following the numbers.  This

If your kids are into bike riding like mine you've got to check out these cool bike locks from Fred Flare.  These 'snakes' are so cool! I remember the days of chain link and destroyed paint jobs

We have an adundance of beautiful Hydrangea flowers this year.  We have a rainbow of color from many varieties we planted a few years ago.  This year we yielded an assortment so beautiful I want to preserve

This great article teaches tips for taming your to-do list. (You can use that sentence to teach  your kids about alliteration!)  For example, break all tasks into manageable chunks. Don't write down

This is a wonderful site if you would like to live more self-sustainably.  She has lots of videos and articles about how she maintains her very small garden, chickens, goats and bunnies in an urban setting. 

It's never too late to protect your babies, children and family from the dangers of the sun. There are many myths out there and getting the facts can save you from cancer. I used to believe I can get Vitamin

Make an easy solar clothes dryer.  Actually, it's called a clothesline and they are coming back into fashion.  This site promotes the right to hang your clothes on clotheslines. Be the first on

Make some green while going green!  A new service called Gazelle gives you an easy way to recycle the electronic gadgets that you no longer use!  And make some money at the same time!  Every item

As gas prices continue to soar I am sure many of us have considered the option of a hybrid vehicle. However, I was surprised to learn that the transition to a hybrid may take years to pay off  in some models. 

This is a simultaneous tip: saving time and being prepared. I keep a bag in my car for my daughter for the summer that includes: a bathing suit, panties, a towel, bug repellent, sun screen, snacks in ziploc bags

GreatGreenGoods is a green blog. You can also shop for creative and recycled products. They have a wide range of products such as jewelry created from recycle car parts, metal jewelry, recycled floppy diskette bracelets

Have you ever thought about how much bacteria is lurking on those countertops...or worse...on that dishcloth or sponge. This tip from the folks at Real Age provides the low down on the possible "dirties"

Back to school for most parents could either be a joyous occasion or it might possibly be an overwhelming experience.  Take it from a mother of four, if there is not some form of organization present

I get the most compliments from the reusable bags from Home Depot that only cost .99 each!   They clip on to the side of your cart so it stays open and you can just place groceries right into the bags. 

Here's a great idea from my money-saving ezine: For the last 7 years, I have lived in a home with no air conditioning. To keep cool, I close off windows to keep out the hot sun, use fans, drink cool water

This website will inspire you to create your own decorative pieces and inspire you to decorate your house. I really like their project ideas. Some of my favorite ones are the glittering glasses and spicy herb pots

Did you know that many rugs are made by illegal child labor? Unfortunately, some textile mills in South Asia are relying on children to make rugs. And typically they work for little or no pay when they should be

The next time I have a birthday party or get together I will order earth friendly paper goods and favors from Green Party Supplies. I really never thought of how parties contibute to an enormous amount of waste

I really enjoy reading Real Mama, which collects information about environmental issues relevant to moms and families.  It’s written by moms with backgrounds in environmental law and tries to present

Since my baby has started eating baby food, it looks like her bibs have gotten into a fight with the carrots, pears, or whatever the meal is that evening. I have found that Dreft Spray gets out anything! It works

Now that summer is here and school is out - round up the family and send them to their rooms with the task of gathering up some items for your family yard sale! Okay so it probably won't be that easy to get

A frustrating problem I have run into is removing a broken lightbulb that is still in the socket.  In order to remove the lightbulb without electrocuting yourself simply cut a potato in half, jam the white