DIY Personalized Homework Station

This DIY Personalized Homework Station is a useful project that teens or tweens can customize to enhance their work space for back-to-school! There is plenty of room for memos and important notes. My daughter loves this personalized workstation using Fujifilm INSTAX photos to display fun memories! The chalkboard surface is perfect for jotting down assignments or upcoming due dates. There […]

5 Steps to a Calmer Before School Morning Routine

Mornings before school are notorious for being rushed and hectic, but with just a bit of prior planning you may be able to enjoy a calmer before school morning routine that sets the family up for a successful day. Here are some of our favorite tips for a calmer before school morning routine and a […]

Simplify Your Life: Tips for the New Year

When I used to work as an Elementary School Counselor, parents frequently requested, “Help my child learn to be organized!” Organization is a skill that can be taught to some degree and I was happy to help . . . but I would often gently encourage those parents to look openly into their everyday lives, […]

10 Things You Can Make from Cereal Boxes

Have some empty cereal boxes on-hand?? Don’t throw them away! Here are 10 inspiring ways to transform ordinary empty cereal boxes into amazing home decor items, organizational bins, toys, and more! Cereal Boxes for Organization from Urban Nest   from Martha Stewart   from Katydid & Kid   Cereal Boxes for Home Decor Can you […]

Review and Giveaway — Mabel’s Labels

It’s time for another fun giveaway, this time from our friends at Mabel’s Labels — perfect for back-to-school!! I was provided a Mabel’s Labels Ultimate Back-to-School Combo set for the purposes of this review, and once again their labels and tags exceeded my expectations. What I love about the Mabel’s Labels Ultimate Back-to-School Combo pack: […]

Our New Creative Space!!

Mark has been very hard at work recently — for our wedding anniversary, he transformed what used to be our dining room into a wonderful creative space for me and the girls. He installed all new flooring, lighting, and a pegboard wall — all budget-friendly!! This could win him Husband of the Year Award! I […]

Allowance Manager

Mark and I have discussed starting an allowance for Emily, and we’re still in the process of experimenting with exactly what process will work best for us. However, there is a great new site that helps manage your child(ren)’s allowance — allowancemanager.com which I was recently asked to review. Giving Emily an allowance would help […]

Organizing a Homework Station

Recently, I was given the opportunity to review some fantastic organizational supplies made by Smead. Smead sent us a box with their stadium file organizer and some file folders to keep inside — perfect for use as a Homework Station! What I love about the stadium file organizer is that it is well-made. It provides […]

Mother’s Day Gifts Kids Can Make — To Do List

These To Do Lists are such a useful gift for Mom — plus they are reusable! The girls had so much fun making these, and you only need a few materials to make one of your own. I took an ordinary sheet of construction paper, folded it in half, and drew a 1 inch margin […]

5 Tips to Minimize Food Waste with Kids

Please join me in giving a warm “Frugal Family Fun Blog” welcome to my guest, Debbie Lillard, from SpacetoSpare.com for today’s post! Debbie is the author of Absolutely Organized – A Mom’s Guide to a No-Stress Schedule and a Clutter Free Home, and she has generously offered her best tips to help minimize food waste […]

Eliminate Plastic Bag Clutter with this Easy Craft

We recently borrowed Ed Emberley’s Picture Pie (Ed Emberley Drawing Books) from our local public library, and it inspired this quick project for a plastic bag organizer that uses an empty tissue box! We used a large circle cutter to cut all the pieces quickly and easily. Then Emily chose a design from the book […]

And the winner is…

Just a quick post to announce the winner of the Absolutely Organized giveaway (chosen by random.org) is Amy from A Small Farm Family! Congratulations, Amy!! And thanks to everyone for entering. If you haven’t picked up your copy of Absolutely Organized: A Mom’s Guide to a No-Stress Schedule and a Clutter-Free Home yet, now would […]

Book Review and Giveaway — Absolutely Organized

Looking for a book with practical advice you can actually use? Then you must have a copy of Debbie Lillard’s book Absolutely Organized: A Mom’s Guide to a No-Stress Schedule and Clutter-Free Home. I had the honor of meeting Debbie while taping a recent segment for The 10! Show, and she featured some fabulous ideas […]

Frugal Wall Organizer

Oh, the stuffed animals and where to put them! Do you have this problem in your house? I try to limit the number of stuffed animals that are out at any given time, and we have boxes full of them in the basement that we rotate through again and again. I’m not sure how we […]

Behold… the Power of Mod Podge!

Mod Podge is quickly becoming one of our favorite ways to re-use recyclables. You can find Mod Podge in the glue section of any craft store, and we have found that one bottle will go a long way. Isn’t it cute?? Emily wants to make another one to organize her paint brushes, colored pencils, crayons […]

Chalkboard Fridge Magnets

These magnets are so easy to make and very practical for organization purposes. We are loving them and plan to make a lot more! To make your own chalkboard fridge magnets, you will need some metal frozen juice concentrate lids, a little chalkboard paint, and some magnets. Paint one side of the juice can lid […]

Organizing with Recyclables — Pencil Holder

This decorative pencil holder is great for organizing pencils, paint brushes, pens, and/or markers. We used chalkboard paint, and a little ribbon to give new life to an empty baby formula canister! This is messy, so you might want to do the painting part outdoors. We used a water-soluble non-toxic chalkboard paint. You can find […]

Treasure Box

This is one of those activities that keeps the kids busy, and has the added benefit of organizing tiny toys. To make your own treasure box, you will need a small fold up box from the craft store (this one cost just 30 cents), some stickers, and an empty egg carton.  Have your child decorate […]