Some posts just get a little more attention than others. Check this area for seasonal favorites, category roundups and my readers’ top picks of the last five years.
Reader’s Choice – Top 20 MeckMom Ideas
Happy 2010, everyone! Thanks for putting up with my month-long hiatus as I enjoyed some quality holiday time with my family. I have loads of tips to share with you this year and I’m anxious to get started. I thought I’d kick things off this year by featuring some of the best ideas from the past several years. Back in November, I asked you guys to submit your favorite MeckMom ideas so I could create a quick reference guide for new readers. Thankfully, you guys were very generous in your replies. I’ve compiled your...
read moreTotally Addictive Cinnamon Roasted Pecans
Don’t you just love it when you find a recipe that everyone begs you for? I’ve made these addictive pecans for neighborhood gifts, teacher presents, and holiday parties and I always get requests for the recipe. I love to make them because they’re incredibly easy, they make my house smell fantastic, and I can make them weeks before I’ll need them. I found the original recipe at AllRecipes.com – my favorite recipe site. I’ve made a few adjustments over the years, but I still owe credit to the original...
read moreWarm Up Your Neighborhood with a Christmas Pass-along Plate Tradition
Several years ago I came across a plastic Christmas plate that encouraged a sweet tradition. Much like the ‘Boo Ghost’ idea you may have seen around Halloween, this plate was designed to be filled with goodies and then passed around the neighborhood in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The original plate is long gone but the idea has stuck with me over the years. Now that we’re in a new neighborhood, I’ve decided it’s time to kick off this tradition once again. Luckily, I wrote down the poem a few years...
read moreGet the Conversation Going with ChatterBox – Women’s Edition
Last year, when I was planning a big girls weekend with a bunch of friends, I started looking online for fun conversation games. Some of the attendees were close friends and some were brand new to the group so I wanted to find a game that would help everyone get acquainted. I spent $50 on two conversation games from Amazon and thought that they would do the trick. Unfortunately, once the games arrived and I started flipping through the cards, I realized that they weren’t what I had in mind at all. To begin with, there were...
read moreTissue Paper Pom-Poms: A Cheap and Easy Way to Jazz Up Your Daughter’s Decor
Hey everyone! Sorry I’ve been kind of MIA this month. October is my favorite month of the year and I’ve been so busy planning parties and picking pumpkins with my kids I haven’t had much time for posting. I’ll try to get a few up this week to make it up to you. Earlier this year, when my daughter’s forfeited their old bunk beds for a new big bed I decided it was time to give their room an inexpensive mini-makeover. The girls loved their new color scheme, but the room was a little bottom heavy – it...
read moreBack To School Solutions #1: Managing the Morning Mayhem
Back in 2007, I wrote an article for Organize magazine entitled Making the Grade. It was loaded with great tips for keeping your family organized during the school year. The original article is a bit long for a single post, so I’ll be trimming it a bit and breaking it up into four posts focused on the common back to school frustrations: Managing the Morning Mayhem, Avoiding the After-School Avalanche, Coordinating Crazy Schedules, and Helping Your Kids Handle Homework. Whether your kids are seasoned school veterans or gearing up for...
read moreScrumptious and Simple Honey Wheat Bread Recipe
Sorry, guys. I know I promised this post yesterday but life got in the way. For those of you anxiously waiting, here’s the recipe I mentioned in my last post. I tried out and adapted several different wheat bread recipes and finally settled on this one for three basic reasons. 1 – It’s made entirely from food storage ingredients (no refrigerated items needed). 2 – The finished product is good for sandwiches or toast. 3 – It freezes really well so I can make four loaves in one batch and have enough to...
read moreGet Rid of Multiple Charts with a Family “Big Board”
Let’s face it, as an organizer I have a natural affinity for charts. Over the years I’ve made all kinds of charts to track various parts of family life…job charts, reward charts, cleaning charts, homework charts…I’ve made them all. This year, as I face another school year (and all the chaos that comes with it) I’ve decided to try a new approach. Instead of making loads of different charts to keep track of my kid’s jobs, schedules and misc. details, I’ve opted for a more streamlined...
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