photo by katmere

“Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the sidewalk before it stops snowing.” — Phyllis Diller
The kitchen is sparkling clean. You leave the room for a few minutes, and, when you walk back, there’s a mess. It’s frustrating trying to keep your home clean if you have a family. Even more so if you have young kids. You’ve heard they’re only young …

photo by freakapotimus

We’re six weeks into the new year, and you’ve probably replaced your outdated calendar with a new one. If you didn’t throw your old one away, there are plenty of ways to reuse it. I save mine to do crafts with my kids. My 5-year-old hangs her favorite calendar pictures on her closet door. I help her practice writing her numbers in the squares, and we have even …

photo by laffy4k
I have a confession. It’s my homekeeping weak spot. I can’t throw away my kids’ art projects. I save more than the typical handprint art. I cherish the stick-figure drawings the most. I have them organized in near perfect evolution. The drawings started out as crooked circle heads with dots for eyes, and, through the years, hands, ears, smiles with teeth, clothing and an entire world according to …

photo by philipsphotos

While I advocate simplifying your home by decluttering, there are times you might need to pack stuff away. According to the Self Storage Association, 10 percent of U.S. households are currently renting a self-storage unit. For various reasons, such as moving, remodeling, college, military deployment or business, you might be one of the people who needs to park your stuff elsewhere. You can explore free options such as …