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 da...

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                                                                                  ...

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 b...

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...