Hailey's Helpful Hints

Chore chart not cutting it? Sick of the kid's never helping around the house? Try this: Get a pack of ping pong balls. Write different chores on each ball. Each family member chooses a ball, completes the task, then chooses another one. After 30 minutes, whoever has the most balls gets a prize - like a no-chores day, or gets to pick a movie. Such a fun, interactive way to get the whole family involved without all the nagging and whining. Genius in my book.

I was in a conversation last week where the gal had never heard of substituting spaghetti squash for noodles. I was shocked. So I asked another. They too, were a deer in headlights admitting they've never even bought one. "What do they even look like?" she asked. Sound familiar? You're not alone. Those big yellow things are intimidating. Heavy. Hard to peel. Hard to cut. Not an everyday item on the grocery list. But as intimidating as they look, spaghetti squash is strangely simple to cook.  Just plop it on a baking sheet and pierce a few times all around with a sharp paring knife or bamboo skewer. No cutting, no peeling, no marinating, no massaging. Just plop. And carry it to your oven. Just don't drop on your foot. Ouch. Alternatively,  microwave for 2-4 minutes, slice in half, roast bake cut side down for 30 min or just microwave the entire thing. I've had the best success with the oven. This is a staple in our house. An amazingly low carb dish...

Throw out your cutting boards and buy new ones - assuming you've had them for some time. Three of them to be exact. One for chicken, One for beef, pork, fish and other meat. And one more for fruits and vegetables. And the old saying 'when in doubt, throw it out' certainly holds true for cutting boards. If you suspect that your board has too many deep cracks and cuts and sanitizing is not assured, it's definitely time to replace it. According to a segment on The Early Show, 1 in 7 home kitchens would fail a restaurant health inspection. A big factor for your kitchen to fail is cross-contamination; aka using the same cutting board and knife for vegetables and raw meat. The big questions is always - which is best; wood or plastic? There has been much discussion and confusion over the years as to which type of board is 'safer' or less likely to provide a breeding ground for bacteria. Although some are easier to clean, I feel that any board, if not used and cleaned p...

All you have to do is search "cookies" in Pinterest and this recipe was pinned ALLLLL over the place. Must be a hit. So here's a season-less cookie wihin a cookie with easy ingredients and minimal effort.  ~Cookies & Cream Cookies~ Recipe adopted from Lovin in the Oven Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature 6 Tbsp sugar 6 Tbsp brown sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla 1-1/4 cup flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 12 Oreo's, broken up into small pieces Directions: 1) Preheat the over to 350 degrees. 2) In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). 3) Add egg and vanilla and beat until well mixed. 4) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. 5) With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. 6) Gently fold in Oreo pieces. 7) With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet about 1-2" apart. 8) Bake for 8-10 m...

This last week a very dear friend of ours was diagnosed with cancer. On Tuesday, I walked out of the hospital with a heavy heart anxiously awaiting test results and next steps. Somewhat numb. Definitely helpless. Alittle bitter. One of those - why him, this isn't fair type of moments.  When I got in my car, the song "Blink" by Revive streamed through my speakers. I immediately downloaded it on iTunes and continue to listen to it on repeat with tears running down my face as I sat in traffic on my way home. As the night went on and the chaos of dinner, bath, books and bed occupied my motions, a particular line from the song kept playing back in my mind -- "No one remembers how far we have run, all that really matters is how we have loved." Although there is nothing we can do to take away the cancer or his pain, we can love him and his family through this time. We can comfort him. Cover him in prayer. Lend a hand whenever possible. Thank you Revive for tickling m...

Wondering what color to put on your nails the next time you're getting a mani/pedi? The big news with nails this spring season: nude is in . After an excess of neon and oddball colors, the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction with an emphasis on pretty, wearable shades of cream and beige. That’s not to say there aren’t bold patterns and bright moments to be enjoyed - it is spring, after all - but it's all about soft pastels, mellow yellows and all natur-all. Although I tend to go for the POC (pop of color), nude nails are very wearable. They go with everything. They don't compete for attention against your fucshia lipstick or patterned sundress. And honestly this trend works on everyone. The idea is to go with a shade close to your skin tone that has a beige undertone to it. I personally like a subtle hue of pink, as the too nudey nail is alittle blah for me. Here's some to look out for - If you're medium to olive skinned: Try OPI for Sephora Nail Polish in ...

Did you know we're only 18 days until we SPRING our clocks forward? You know what that means - time to start peeling off the layers and actually reveal some skin. Eek. How you feeling about those arms? Thighs? STOMACH??? Holy anxiety attack. Deep breath. (PS that's my little brother and his fiance in St. John (US Virgin Islands). Cool photo huh?) Ok back to shrieking about the thought of being caught dead in a swim suit... Last week I revealed my best kept secret - the Ultimate Body Applicator . This week I'm going to take it a step further. A system that will refine your figure on the outside and nourish your body for better health on the inside. The perfect solution to getting you beach body ready in 8 weeks. An all-natural regimen that will have you confident once again in your own skin. Wouldn't that be nice? Need more energy? Looking to lose 5, 10, 20 or even 40 pounds? Fallen off the New Year's Resolution track? Want to lean up? Plateaued in seeing results and...

Although that bag of 99¢ Cheetos may look like a bargain, knowing that you’re not getting much in the way of nutrition or sustenance makes it seem less like a deal and more like a dupe. Low cost however doesn’t have to mean low quality. In fact, some of the most inexpensive things you can buy are the best things for you. At the grocery store, getting the most nutrition for the least amount of money means hanging out on the peripheries—near the fruits and veggies, the meat and dairy, and the bulk grains—while avoiding the expensive packaged interior. By doing so, not only will your kitchen be stocked with excellent foods, your wallet won’t be empty. Choosing one of these twenty items, or the countless number of similarly nutritious ones, might just stretch that dollar from a snack into a meal. 1. Oats High in fiber and complex carbohydrates, oats have also been shown to lower cholesterol. And they sure are cheap—a dollar will buy you more than a week’s worth of hearty breakfasts. ...

Get your email inbox under control. Some people rave about only having a few emails in their in-box at any given time. They are always organized and under control. Others can’t seem to get ahead of the never ending string of emails. They might need to reference those informational emails from their coworkers. Those online coupon codes might be useful in a few days. They have several clients to respond to but need to look up some information first. There are several dates that they need to put on their calendar but haven’t found the time to actually do it yet. Each day the influx of emails crowds their in-box and they feel more and more unorganized. If the latter better describes you and you feel like your email is holding you hostage, just do one thing this week and start getting your in-box under control. Depending on the size of your email in-box, it may not be feasible to get your email under control in one day. Life is still happening, right? New emails are coming in and you ca...

Here's a weekend warrior challenge for you: This weekend before the kids get up, before you have to get ready for church, before the President's Day weekend festivities start, before you step on the treadmill called "life," do this quick, fat blasting, heart pumping 10 minute workout a try. Do it right out of the gate and you'll set the pace for your day  and  get your workout out of the way. Research suggests that morning exercisers tend to stick to their exercise habits in the long run and and that morning exercise improves sleep, a benefit that could also promote weight loss.  Cedric Bryant, PhD, chief exercise physiologist of the American Council on Exercise, explained the connection of sleep and weight loss like this: "We know that if you have poor quality sleep, it influences certain hormones that control appetite. It is possible that by exercising in the morning - instead of evening - the exercise affects the body's circadian rhyt...

This came into my inbox this morning and I got such a laugh that I wanted to pass it along in case you needed something to cheer you up on this Friday morning... Why men are happier than women NICKNAMES:   If Laura, Kate and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Kate and Sarah. If Mike, Dave and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Bubba and Wildman. EATING OUT:   When the bill arrives, Mike, Dave and John will each throw in $20, even though it's only for $32.50. None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back. When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators. MONEY:   A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs. A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need but it's on sale. BATHROOMS:   A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel. The average number of items in the typical woma...

I was rummaging through my neglected sewing kit on Monday and I thought, "man for never getting in this thing, it sure is disorganized." It had a gazillion random extra buttons that I have no clue what article of clothing they came with or fell off of. Sound familiar? There's got to be a more efficient way to organize this - right?? There sure is thanks to Martha Stewart. She suggests in addition to your sewing kit that holds the tape measure, pins, needles and scissors to have a "clothing fix-it kit." A clothing fix-it kit is an easy, budget-friendly project to keep all your fixings for your clothes in one place. All you need to do is get a package of plastic business card organizers (available at your local office supply store) and fill each compartment with a button and thread. Label each slot with what article of clothing it goes to in case you are in need of the spare. Organize into a three-ring binder and store near the sewing kit. And for its organization...

Most of us want to get organized but feel we don't have enough time. It's just a matter of taking advantage of the occasional spare moments. Follow the guidelines below to make the most of any such opportunities; If you have 10 minutes: -Clean out your handbag and/or wallet -Organize credit card receipts -Sort through catalogs and magazines -Clean your email inbox -Bag up recyclables -Take inventory of cleaning supplies and batteries If you have 30 minutes: -Refold sweaters -Straighten a linen closet shelf -Organize one drawer and move onto another if you have time. You'll be on a roll -Update a bulletin board or family calendar -Sort through toys and redistribute them -Restock spice containers and update labels -Clean out refrigerator and/or freezer -Sync your phone to your computer to update and save newly taken pictures If you have 60 minutes: -Take an inventory of your pantry and toss anything past it's expiration date -Sort through clothes closets, looking for item...