Hailey's Helpful Hints

LEAVE YOUR SHOES AT THE DOOR. Think of removing your shoes when you enter a home as the equivalent of washing your hands. First, it couldn’t be easier. Second, it allows for a more "green" home by prevents the outside gunk like car exhaust, chemicals, and pesticides from being tracked all over your home.  And third, it leaves the nasty outside world out. After walking into public restrooms, city streets, yards where there are animals, etc., do you really want all that bacteria and filth in your home? There was a study by the EPA conducted in 1991 titled the “Door Mat Study.” It measured the amount of lead dust that was in homes. The study found that in homes where there was a doormat at the entrance and where shoes were NOT worn, there was a marked reduction (about 60%) of lead dust and other chemicals in the home. Not only that, but in homes where shoes are removed, there is a reduction in allergens and bacteria being tracked into the house.  Try it for a day. A week. A m

There's something so fresh and light about lemon. The refreshing tang that balances out the sweetness makes these lemon pudding cakes the perfect dessert as we get further into these spring and summer nights! ~Lemon Pudding Cakes~ Courtesy of Real Simple Serves 6 | Hands-On Time: 15m | Total Time: 1hr                                                                                    Ingredients: 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled 3 large eggs, separated 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces 1 cup whole milk 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 3 teaspoons turbinado or some other coarse sugar Directions: 1. Heat oven to 350° F. Place six 4-ounce ramekins or a 2-quart b

Saw this idea on Pinterest and became inspired. And no don't go searching for my Pinterest page. I don't have one. How does anyone find the time??? I think I'm a pretty ahh-mazing multi-tasker but the thought of adding a Pinterest page to my to-do list makes my head spin. And yes, pretty much everything I do gets put on a list to be checked off. Just how I roll. Over the top? Alittle. But highly effective. You should try it. Moving on. How cute is this personalized alphabet book ? If you've never checked out " Modern Parents, Messy Kids " blog, I highly suggest you do. It was named one of the top 50 Craft Blogs for 2012 by Babble.com. There are so many ideas for DIY projects and activities for the kids and organization tips. But don't you start reading that over HHH. I'm watching you. ;) The purpose of this alphabet book is to get your child excited about reading and to become familiarized with the letters of the alphabet with personal objects or expe

Alright Jana, this post's for you - and all the other mom's that are pulling their hair out at the sight of their kid's toys and need a toy storage solution. Jana asked: Do you have any suggestions for toy storage?   Namely, do you prefer big baskets/ toy chests, etc. that hold a lot of toys, or do you prefer smaller boxes or bins that you can use to sort based in type of toy?   I would imagine that this would lead to more work when cleaning and putting away, but may be worth it for the organization? My response: I personally prefer smaller baskets or bins sorted by type. My observation with my two boys is that if it's too messy - aka a hodge podge of random toys all thrown into one big toy chest or closet - they won't touch it. It's too overwhelming and the toys don't look nearly as inviting. While the clean up might save you time in the short term with a big chest, it will cost you more time in the long run as they are bugging you to help them dig around

BE A 'REAL' FRIEND. It's that time of the day - overnight guests are gone. lunch mess is cleaned up. boys are napping - and it's time to rally together an inspirational blog post for y'all before it's off to swim. When I sat down to the computer, I myself needed inspiration and thanks to Facebook, an article just popped into my news feed that is a great reminder for the week. So thanks to my "real" friend Jodi, here is a blog post from Marc & Angel's Hack Life  on what it means to be a real friend (and a good partner) --- As we grow, we realize it becomes less important to have more friends and more important to have real ones. {Isn't that the truth? Something I feel I didn't really grasp until I hit my 30's. What a breath of fresh air.} Remember, life is kind of like a party. You invite a lot of people, some leave early, some stay all night, some laugh with you, some laugh at you, and some show up really late. But in the end, af

Thanks to Tobi Fairley's Pinterest page , I found this easy peasy no bake recipe from My Baking Addiction  that uses the ever so popular chocolate goodness, Nutella. Wondering who the heck Tobi is? Unfortunately, Tobi is not a friend of mine. Nor does she even know I exist. She just happens to be one of my favorite Interior Designers that I love to follow who uses colorful, bold patterns to liven up her fresh and simple design. If you want to be inspired like I continually am by her, check out her blog here . ~No Bake Nutella Cheesecake~ Yields: 4-6 Prep: 15 min Ingredients: For the Crust: 12 Oreo Cookies, crushed into crumbs 3 tablespoons unsalted butter ,  melted For the Filling: 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 2/3 cup Nutella 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 (8 ounce) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed For the Garnish: whipped topping, optional chocolate shavings, optional toasted, chopped hazelnuts, optional Directions: 1. In a medium bowl, stir together t

Let me preface this post by saying: “I eat these foods.” Especially Diet Soda although it's significantly decreased from one a day a few years ago to about one per week, usually longer. And I give into the "healthy" food labels - fat free, sugar free. I'm a sucker for fat free salad dressing. Although I hate that it's loaded with sugar. If you take this list literally, it will just aggravate you, so take it with a grain of salt… or maybe a rain of whole wheat. There are many terms that are misleading in the food advertising industry today. Think of how many times you see healthy phrases plastered all over food containers. Some examples of “healthy food” words on product labels: Fat Free Reduced Fat Low Fat Sugar Free No Added Sugar Diet We are supposed to believe that each of these categories makes a food healthier. In reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Here is what those “healthy food” phrases actually translate to: Fat free, but full of sugar

Forget the drive-thru and those full fat burgers. This hearty, meatless meal with a Tex-Mex twist is high in fiber, packed with protein and low in fat. Eat alone or place on top of a whole wheat bun and some avocado. Delish. And ready in less than 25 minutes. Yep, you better "Pin" this. Recipe calls for jalapenos but in fear of it being too spicy for the kids, I didn't add them. Surprisingly it still had tons of flavor. You can even swap out the corn meal with rolled oats. ~Black Bean Patties with Salsa~ Courtesy of Better Homes & Garden Yields: 8 patties Start to finish: 25 minutes Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups prepared salsa 1 jalapeno pepper (optional) 2 - 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 - 8 ounce corn muffin mix (or rolled oats) 2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder 2 t ablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup low fat sour cream 1/2 teaspoon chili powder Directions: 1) In colander, drain 1/2 cup of the salsa. 2) Seed and finely chop half of the jalapeno; thinly slice remain

SWAP YOUR STANDARD CUP OF COFFEE WITH A GLASS OF HOT LEMON WATER. It is recommended by nationally known nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman, author of "Fat Flush for Life" and other books to start your day with a hot glass of water flavored with lemon. The combination can benefit your body in numerous ways, including helping you to lose weight and keep hydrated, improving your digestion and upping your vitamin C intake. You can even spice up this morning drink to boost its benefits. Types: Gittleman recommends combining the juice of half a lemon with 1 cup hot water. If you don't want to squeeze your own lemons, you can substitute 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Make sure to use 100-percent organic lemon juice. You can spice up this drink and further rev your metabolism by adding a pinch of ground cinnamon and a pinch of ground ginger, Gittleman says. Lemons will keep for up to 10 days at room temperature, so you can shop for them weekly. You also can store fresh lemo

Mini Buns. Majorly quick. Yes please. Now. These gooey cinnamon rolls take just 20 minutes and pack few than 75 calories apiece. Hooray for healthy shortcuts! ~Cinnamon Rolls~ Ingredients: Pillsbury Simply Buttermilk Biscuits (they're made without high-fructose corn syrup or trans fat) Land O' Lakes Cinnamon Sugar Spread Reduced Fat whipped cream cheese (optional) Cinnamon Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch round pan with cooking spray. Flatten 10 biscuits on a cutting board. Top each biscuit with a teaspoon of the sugar spread. Roll and cut into thirds. Place in pan overlapping as needed, top with cinnamon. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool; frost with cream cheese (optional) I hope this ends your weekend on a sweet note! (Or starts your morning off right!!)

Curious what tickled my fancy this week? The OTTERBOX Defender Series iPhone 4/4S Case . The case you need if you want to be careless, work in harsh conditions, are tough on technology, anticipate heavy use or are just plain clumsy. This case is a  must have for someone like me - a mom on my 4th iPhone due to carelessness. My husband keeps threatening that if something happens to my current phone, I'm done. Cellphone less. I call bull but I'm doing everything in my power to avoid that conversation. I'm hoping the Otterbox will be my saving grace. Yes this case is a little beefier and bulkier than most but it's design is made to protect. All those trendy, cute plastic one sided cases are crap. It has a robust 3-layer protection, built-in screen protector and port covers to keep out dust and debris. One flaw I see in the design is that you have to undo the bottom flap to plug the charger in. Granted it's a soft silicone so it's easy to undo but with it not being

FIX IT TOGETHER. Ok ok, I know I'm a little late on the post. If you're an avid HHH follower, I usually post this on Monday but I had guests in town since last Wed, my son's first birthday, Easter and then I got terribly sick. Enough said. What do I mean by fix it together? If you have somehousehold minor repairs say a leaky faucet, a furnace filter that needs to be replaced, a fence that needs to be painted, a tire that needs to be changed around the house, I suggest you never do it without your kids. Home improvements are a great way to spend time with them while teaching them about tools and life at the same time. The attic, basement and crawl spaces are wonderful classrooms for learning how things work and how to safely fix things. Hand them a flashlight and talk them through the job you are doing. As they get older, moments will be seen as bonus chances for time with your kids amongst their busy schedules. An added bonus - they will know how to do things and fix a prob

Does your jewelry box need a refresh for Spring? Want to add some fun pieces to your collection? Accessories are an inexpensive way to stay current and add life to some old staples in your closet. Aside from my wedding ring, I rarely get compliments on jewelry unless it's the $8.99 pair of earrings from Brass Plum (Young Miss section at Nordstrom) or Target. Go figure. In fact, places like Kohls and Old Navy have a great selection of fashion jewelry that are cute and affordable enough to buy for that  one shirt or dress. Below are the three key spring trends and a small collection of what Target has to offer. Where else right?!?! I personally am diggin' the Geometric collection. 1) Colorful Stones: Color is in season ! So whether you’re looking to brighten up your jewelry box or add punch to a neutral outfit, turn on the shine with these eye-popping stones. Nature, meet color. 1. Gold Wired Green Agate Earrings 2. Sequin Gold Two Strand Green Necklace 3. 5-pc. Stack Colored

Use less - of EVERYTHING. If you’re looking to save money, there are some obvious solutions; you might want to track your spending, avoid impulse buys or try going cash-only. But have you ever thought that you might be throwing savings down the drain, literally? Do you know how much you really need of things of consumable goods like like shampoo and dish soap? Sierra Black of Get Rich Slowly recommends  using half of what you normally would. The idea is to reduce half the amount of these things you use by doling out smaller portions. Normally use a quarter-size dollop of shampoo? Try cutting back to a dime. There’s no need to stop at half, actually. You can keep scaling back your usage gradually until you hit a point where you actually don’t have enough, and then creep back up to the last place it felt good. Maybe that dime-size drop of shampoo isn’t enough for your hair, but a nickel-size portion gets the job done nicely. This approach  - he calls the 50% solution - works. Stock up

How adorable are these little bird's nests? Too cute and too easy. No baking. Minimal ingredients. The perfect treat on a busy week leading up to Easter. ~Chocolate Nests~ Courtesy of Pastry Affair  (with a few variations) Yields 8-10 3-inch nests Ingredients: 3 cups crispy chow mein noodles or pretzel sticks 1 cup chocolate chips 1/2 cup peanut butter or butterscotch chips 30 candy robin eggs (picture shows mini whoppers, but you could use jelly beans, foil wrapped eggs, or anything egg shaped) Directions: 1) Place the chow mein noodles (or pretzel sticks) in a medium mixing bowl. 2) In a small saucepan, melt together the chocolate chips and peanut butter (or butterscotch) over low heat. Stir until smooth. 3) Pour over the noodles/pretzels and stir until evenly coated. 4) On a cookie sheet covered in parchment or wax paper, take a handful of noodles/pretzels and form a nest, making an indent in the center or form in a muffin tin. Continue doing so until all the noodles/pretzels ar