Home & Family – Page 15 – Mommy's Hangout/Atlanta Mommy Blogger/Jen Williams

Tips for Keeping the Home Organized in 2016

January 29, 2016 by Jen

The home is the one place you want to keep clean and organized all the time. Am I right? The home should have a place for everything, but it doesn’t always work that way. If you have kids and a spouse, then most likely you are frantically trying to keep up with everything. Looking for better ways to stay organized? You’ll want to check out these tips for keeping the home organized.

Quick Pickup

Every day, no matter how busy I get; I always take time for a quick pickup. It’s easier to keep a clean home organized than it is to try to organize it while the house is dirty. I spend about 15 minutes each day doing a quick pickup of our house. This has saved my sanity and helped me be more organized throughout the day.

Have a Schedule in Place

Another way to keep the home organized is to schedule everything that needs done. If I know my house needs heavily organized, I write it in a schedule. It may sound silly, but with kids, I need all the help I can get when it comes to staying on track. For example- In May, I might spend that month organizing the kids’ clothes. In June, my focus might move to organizing the shed or the garage. If your house needs organized, you might as well carve out enough time to get it done.

Be Creative About It

I’ve learned that being organized doesn’t always mean having clothes neatly folded; it can mean utilizing every space you have. We keep our extra blankets in our ottoman, in our living room. They are not folded because no one can see them. However, everyone in the house knows where they are and that helps us to stay organized (no one has an excuse, not to put the items back).

Declutter the House

Just like I spend time tidying up my house every day, I spend the same amount of time decluttering my house. It’s so important that I do not have a bunch of junk piling up. Junk can equal chaos, and it’s something I want to avoid in our home. If your house is overdue a Declutter, make it a priority and get around to it as soon as you can. You’ll feel so much better once you have gone through and sorted each room out. If you find yourself with lots of things that you no longer need, you can go through these again and sort them into things to sell, donate and discard. A service like this one offering Rubbish Removals Hampton can help you out when it comes to your discard pile, as they will come to your home and collect the items – they’ll even take care of making sure they are disposed of properly!

Always Keep Things Going

I’ve learned that my home becomes more unorganized whenever I don’t stay on it. That’s why having a schedule and doing things little by little really helps. Just think about how much easier it is to clean your home on a daily basis, then it is all at once. The same exact concept works for organization.

Do you have any tips for keeping your home organized? I’d love to hear your tips in the comments!

Tips for Better Communication in Your Marriage

January 6, 2016 by Jen

Who doesn’t want better communication with their spouse? Great communication just means a better marriage and a better day to day! If you are struggling with communicating with your spouse, you will want to check out these tips, so you can strengthen your marriage like never before.

6 Tips for Better Communication in Your Marriage

Spend Time Together

It’s hard to communicate whenever you are not spending time together. Raising a family is hard work, but it is still vital to find time to spend together. Spending time together doesn’t need to involve anything fancy, you can sit across from each other at the kitchen table and talk. It’s not about what you are doing, but who you are spending time with that matters.

Text Each Other

If you both have cell phones, there is no reason you cannot send texts back and forth to each other. You will want to make it a rule that there are no “bad” texts though, only encouraging ones. Texts are one of those things that can get taken out of context. So, only text your spouse if you can say nice things.

Stay Positive

Communication doesn’t work if you are negative all of the time. Whenever you’re communicating in your marriage, you’ll want it to be positive. Don’t just spend the time you have together being negative. If you do catch your spouse being negative whenever you’re communicating, just smile and try to get them to change the topic. Keep in mind that there is a time and a place for complaining to your spouse, you just don’t want to do it all of the time.

Hug it Out

If you find that you and your spouse are not communicating on a verbal level, at least spend some time hugging. Hugs can make you both feel closer and like you actually want to be around each other. Give it a try, when is the last time you actually hugged your spouse?

Get the Timing Right

If you know your spouse is upset or isn’t in a great mood, don’t push the communication agenda. If there’s anything we have learned in our marriage over the years is that timing is everything. There is always good timing and bad timing. If you’re talking about a strenuous issue in your marriage, always wait for a good time. Just don’t avoid communication all together because that’s when you run into trouble.

Communication Never Ends

Keep in mind that even when you do get on the same page in your marriage, you should never stop being on the same page. You will literally want to make an effort every day to make sure you are communicating in your marriage.

What tips do you have for better communication in your marriage? I’d love to read your tips!

5 Ways to Make Your Garden Stand Out From The Rest

November 30, 2015 by Jen

When it comes to your home, it is not just the exterior of your house that makes an impression. The style and appearance of your garden, pools and spas is also important. If you have ever driven down your street thinking that all the gardens and pools look the same, don’t despair. Here are a couple of ways to make your garden stand out.

1. Create A Little Mystery

Evergreen hedges help to create privacy, offering shelter from the eyes of the neighbourhood. To make your boundary line stand out, a healthy hedge is the perfect choice. While they take up a little extra space over the traditional picket fence and lawn combination, a well-manicured hedge can add value to your property as well. To keep the hedge from looking straggly, use a piece of string and a quality electric hedge trimmer. This will also help promote the growth of your hedge.

2. Add A Water Feature Or Pond

A water feature brings nature into your garden, creating a wonderful place for birds to visit. Adding a cascading waterfall or pond isn’t complicated or expensive. You can buy a number of different DIY kits from hardware stores, or hire a landscaper to construct one for you. Running water can help to drown out street noise, giving you a quiet space away from the rest of the world. Water features and ponds come in many different styles, which can be matched to other elements of your garden. Whilst water features containing moving water are fairly low maintenance, ponds or other still water sources will require a little more maintenance. Getting in an expert to treat your water with an algae control solution once a year can prevent algae overgrowth which could harm wildlife, which would be the last thing you want to do in your garden sanctuary.

3. Decorate With A Statement Sculpture

With so many materials to choose from, sculptures can fit in gardens of any style. From Asian-inspired designs to classic marble, from stainless steel to ornate bronze pieces, adding a sculpture draws attention to any garden. The right sculpture can create dialogue or can be used to enhance the overall feel of your garden. Take inspiration from your lifestyle or surroundings and incorporate this into the sculpture.

4. Artistic Lighting

Lighting adds dimension to the garden, highlighting features and casting shadows throughout. Adding lighting to your garden doesn’t have to be an expensive exercise either; even cheap solar lights can be an attractive new feature. Of course, if you choose to spend a little extra, LED lighting designs are a wonderful way to highlight your favourite areas of the garden. Sculptures, water features and landscaping look amazing when illuminated with the right placement.

5. Landscaped Garden Beds

To stand out from the long line of generic gardens, think outside the box – the garden box, that is. Try planting raised garden beds with vegetables instead of flowers. Border the garden bed with marine rope rather than timber or bricks. A small detail can make a huge difference to the overall appearance of your garden. Don’t be afraid to mix and match materials for an eclectic look.

These suggestions can be used together or on their own to help make over your garden. Injecting some of your own personality into the design is a sure-fire way to make your garden stand out among your neighbourhood.

4 household items that will make your life easier

November 12, 2015 by Jen

Everyone knows life is hectic. Why create more stress with household chores when your day is already busy enough? The best way to de-stress is to invest in household items that make your life easier and help with all of the tasks you have to do during the day. Appliances and other items can free up your time and simplify your life. Here are a few household items that can make your life easier.

Tumble Dryer

Tumble dryers allow you to get more satisfaction from your daily load of washing. Forget putting the wet clothes on the line outside to dry all day. Forget dirty clothes piling up in the basket because of the multiple days of rain. One-way tumble dryers, which are sold by appliance companies like ASKO, are great because they are gentle on your clothes and your daily washing will be complete in a short amount of time instead of turning into an all day affair.

Dishwasher

Dishwashers are an excellent addition to your home. Not only will a dishwasher save you time in cleaning up after a meal, it will also limit your water use and minimize your environmental impact. A dishwasher is an important appliance because it cleans your dishes better than hand-washing and you can be assured that germs and grime are stopped before spreading onto other surfaces. Sponges and dishrags that are continually used are more likely to spread germs than otherwise. Dishwashers can give you peace of mind knowing your dishes are clean, and save you from slaving in front of the sink.

Slow Cooker

A slow cooker will make your life so much easier. When you get home from work, often you just want to relax and not worry about what to cook for dinner. A slow cooker takes that away! Just throw a bunch of ingredients into the pot and turn it on while you’re out of the house. The pot will cook on simmer mode while you are at work, and will be ready to serve by the time you walk through the door. Slow cookers not only cook your dinner to perfection, they will save you precious time when you don’t feel much like cooking at all.

Rolling Alarm Clock

Everyone has those mornings when hitting the snooze button is the only option upon waking. The danger comes when you keep pressing it and eventually find yourself rushing to get out of the house. A rolling alarm clock will gently roll off the shelf when it goes off and cleverly fall out of reach, thus forcing you out of bed and to start your day. Let’s face it, sleeping is a great fact of life, but waking up in the morning is a necessary evil. Start your day properly by waking up right away instead of groggily being awoken every ten minutes from your snooze button.

Your daily routine does not have to be hard. Take the time out to make your life easier as you go. What clever life hacks have you incorporated into your day? Post your answers below.

Transform Your Outdoor Entertainment Area with These 4 Ideas

October 20, 2015 by Jen

Outdoor entertainment areas are great investments for property owners. They offer extra space for large families, as well as extra room for dinner parties and catch-ups with friends. However, styling your outdoor area can sometimes be a challenge. If you are looking for inspiration on how to style an entertaining area, these 4 ideas can help you get started.

1. Build a Deck or Patio

A deck or patio gives you extra space to host family dinners, relax with a good book or enjoy a drink and catch-up with friends. Adding a deck (or patio) to your home creates your own little getaway to enjoy as you see fit. Why are decks so popular? They give you all the enjoyment of a living area as you bask in fresh air. You can select from a range of different styles and materials to create the perfect space for you and your family. Even if you don’t know where to start, a company like AdaptIt Group can show you decking styles to give you some ideas. Once you have selected the style you like, the rest is easy.

2. Select Stylish, Comfortable Furnishings

An outdoor space doesn’t have to match the style of your interior furnishings. You can be as creative or as subdued as you like. Don’t want to build a roof over your deck? Add a couple of giant umbrellas to provide a little bit of shade. Fancy turning your deck into a reading area? Invest in a couple of wicker lounges with soft, cosy cushions. Fancy giving yourself a bit of unique style and privacy? Install some Feelnets around the perimeter of your decking. Choose furnishings to match the intended purpose of your deck and they will cover their costs in use.

3. Add an Outdoor Kitchen

Have a little extra room in your budget? Consider adding an outdoor kitchen to your decking design. An outdoor kitchen can be as elaborate as you wish, with some designs including a bar fridge and sink. If you plan on using your deck for barbecues and outdoor dining, an outdoor kitchen is definitely a worthwhile investment. A countertop for preparing food (or at least for juggling plates and cooking instruments) is a must, but it is also worthwhile to consider adding a side burner for browning vegetables or different types of meat.

4. Illuminate the Area with Outdoor Lighting

Just as indoor lighting enhances both the functional and design elements within your home, outdoor lighting works in much the same way. Plan for the areas in your yard that will need the most functional lighting – the sitting and relaxing areas require less lighting, while an outdoor kitchen will typically need more. Dimmable lighting over outdoor lounges and dining areas in particular allows these spaces to be used for a variety of functions. Get creative when illuminating your outdoor area!

Transforming your outdoor area requires a little planning and forward-thinking. Spending some time creating an attractive entertainment area means you will almost certainly use it more often, making the entire process a whole lot more rewarding. How would you create your ultimate outdoor entertainment area?

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