Saturday, July 26, 2014

Fall in Love with Your Home All Over Again

Do you feel like you need a change in your home?  This does not mean you need to run to Ikea and buy all new furniture.  A few simple things can give your home that "sprucing up it needs".  Keep reading to learn about five simple steps that will make you fall in love with your home all over again. You can learn more below and at Apartment Therapy.


You could change your home or you could simply change how you feel about your home. Why not try a little of both? Here are five ideas to help you tweak your space so it's more comfy, inviting and happy, plus five ways help you have a more positive outlook so you'll enjoy spending time in your space no matter what.

Do This:

Change the lighting. We say it all the time: if you want your home to have a golden glow, good lighting is the easiest and fastest way to get there. Each room needs at least three separate lighting sources (and that ceiling monstrosity doesn't count). Here are some of our lighting tips to get you started.

Get a plant. Bringing a living thing into your space will help the whole place (and you) feel fresher and more alive.

Clean the windows. You'll be amazed at how much brighter (literally) your outlook on the world will be if you're not looking at it through a layer of grime.

Decorate with something sentimental. This is a great way to feel connected to your home. Adding some family history or travel souvenir with memories attached will give even a cold, impersonal space instant personality.

Buy a little treat. Something new (make it bright!) will give you a little lift and punch up your space. Treat yo'self.



Feel This:

Focus on one thing you love. Every room has something you love in it. Make a conscious effort to train your eye to go to that thing the moment you walk into the room. Those positive feelings will start to add up over time, really!

Relax and restart. Bursting through the door after a rough day doesn't start your evening in a good mental place. Don't take your bad mood out on your house! Rest, grab a shower, get yourself a snack, whatever you need to reset your attitude and begin the next portion of your day on the right foot.

Ignore the decor. There's so much more going on at home than simply pillows and paintings. No matter the state of your space, the people and pets will always be up to par. Hang out with them for a while and forget your house woes.

Get grateful. You have a lot to be grateful for so write it down. Seriously, get out a pen right now and write down one thing you're grateful for in your home (even if it's just that you have a home!).

Do something fun. Making memories is key to feeling connected and at home in your space. Like game nights? Go for it. More the quiet type? Curl up with a book and get cozy.

Friday, July 18, 2014

Ten Items to Clean in One Minute


Cleaning can take a lot of time out of your day.  However, there are certain items that you can clean in under a minute.  These items can quickly become the dirtiest in your home.   Even though they are the dirtiest, they are also some of the quickest to clean.   Check out our list below of some items you should look at today, and you can learn more at Apartment Therapy.

1. Sponge — Although you should be regularly replacing your kitchen sponge (right?), you can increase its mileage by nuking your damp sponge in the microwave to kill bacteria.

2. Ceiling fan — If you switched on your fan this summer only to have dust fly everywhere, then spend a minute here. Make your life infinitely easier by cleaning each blade inside an old pillowcase to trap falling dust.

3. Kitchen towel — Even though I regularly wash my bathroom towels, I tend to forget to throw the kitchen towel in the wash. Now, I have four or five so I can rotate more often and quit wiping my clean hands on a greasy towel.

4. Cell phone — Turn off your phone and let it cool down. Clean the casing with a slightly damp cloth and straight alcohol (which evaporates quickly). For the screen, polish with a plain microfiber cloth, because alcohol could damage the protective coating.

5. Pillow — You spend more time with your pillow than with most of your friends. Freshen it by tossing it into a hot dryer or out in the sun every so often.

6. Lint trap — Checking it after every load is a good habit, but let's be realistic! Go clear it out right now so your next load will dry faster and save energy.

7. TV Remote — Snacking and channel surfing don't mix. Wipe down the remote with a damp cloth and a 50:50 mix of water and rubbing alcohol. Careful with the buttons! If you're feeling ambitious, use a Q-tip to get in between them.

8. Silverware organizer — I don't know about you, but those little trays in my silverware drawer collect gunk like nothing else. I'm eating off those forks! Take out the silver and give it a soapy wash.

9. Makeup brushes — Your brushes touch your face every day, clean 'em often. Just swirl in a cup of mild, soapy water, rinse, reshape and air dry. Easy!

10. Showerhead — If your shower is losing power, fill a plastic bag with white vinegar, put it over the shower head and secure it with a rubber band. Leaving it on overnight should soak away the deposits that block your pressure.

Friday, July 11, 2014

Cooking with Kids


Trying to introduce your children to cooking can be a difficult challenge.  Many people do not want to deal with the mess or mistakes when they are in a hurry.  However,  The Kitchn has gathered some great reader tips on how to make cooking with kids easier.  These tips will help you navigate the tricky challenge of introducing your children to different recipes.


Cooking with kids can be a truly fun and rewarding experience, but it also raises a lot of questions. We've shared a number of helpful tips with you fromcookbooks for kids to baking with kids, and our favorite tips on how kids can be truly helpful in the kitchen. Turns out that you also had a ton of great tips to share with us and each other.
Here are the 8 best bits of advice from our readers on cooking with kids.

1. Use a special kitchen stool or bench.

I love involving the kids in the kitchen and these are some really great tips. We have special stool (kitchen-helper style) that has been my biggest and best investment for our kitchen. It's their spot in the kitchen and they love it. - jesser
I've been cooking with my 3 year old for about a year - probably once or twice a week. We keep a footstool in the kitchen which is just the right height for her. I always place the stool far enough away from the oven so that she can't reach over and touch something hot. - Nerves

2. Large bowls are your friend.

I would add: use the very biggest mixing bowl you have. If it's not very big, get one. My daughter's first and favorite task was/is whisking eggs. Even for 2 eggs I give her a massive bowl. Only big mishap so far: she touched my upper arm with the whirling beaters. No harm. I was quite frosted, though. -cmcinnyc

3. Be cautious when necessary.

I agree: teach them early, but also start immediately with the discussion of "hot" and "dangerous", which is what I'm trying to do with my 16-month old. My hope is that he'll have developed a healthy respect for the stove by the time he gets around to using it. - lkb

4. Give small tasks to get them involved.

My 3.5 year old helps out, but not with the hot or sharp stuff yet. I've had him stirring things and swishing veggies since he was about 2. My 18 mo old loves to take (non-breakable, non-spillable) things to the table. The 3.5 yo can usually be trusted taking breakable, spillable stuff to the table. -pschreiber42
I've been including my son in meal making since he was 6 months (when he was only the audience!!) Now at 2, he LOVES emptying the dishwasher, breaking asparagus, whisking eggs, and adding ingredients to my mixing bowls. I love how he is just as passionate about cooking as I am ;-) - Lisa @bitesforbabies

5. Vegetable prep is a good source of easy tasks.

I have 3-year-old twin boys who love to "help" me cook. We eat a lot of spinach salads, and one of their favorite helping mommy things to do is to pinch the stem off the spinach leaves. - Jillana
My kids do things like harvest veggies & herbs from the garden, shell peas, husk corn, and snap beans. - NowWeAre6

6. Make it into a game, or even better a cooking show.

My daughter will do anything I ask of her in the kitchen, as long as we either talk about our day or pretend we're on a cooking show. I'm not joking. The other day I called her from work to tell her when I'd be home and she said, "Mome, there are a lot of dishes to do. Will we have time to do them together when you get home?"

Anyway. She loves keeping an eye on whatever's cooking so she can guess what time it'll be done ("I think this water will boil by 6:13. What do you want to bet?"), and putting whatever vegetables I chop into whatever they're going into. While being interviewed by Alton Brown on Iron Chef, of course. - DD Lizzy
We do the "Mom Cooking Show" thing, too. She just loves to hear me discuss what I'm doing. It sort of reminds me of the old Sara Moulton call-in show on the Food Network. - Scraps

7. Let them help with the dishes.

Over the holidays, I discovered that my 3 1/2 year old niece really likes washing dishes. We were cleaning up after a meal, and my niece really wanted in on the action (monkey see monkey do). We propped a step stool in front of the sink, took out the knives and let her go to town. It got a little messy (wet) and a few things needed a quick re-wash, but she had a great time and was actually a good helper! - Chels504
My 3.5 year old likes to dry and put stuff away (all her plates and cups and bowls go into a drawer she can reach) and also she loves to empty the silver ware from the dishwasher. It's a great sorting task and she's been doing it for almost a year. She will also help clear dishes off the table. - K80

8. Above all...have fun and forget about the mess.

My biggest tip for parents starting out with teaching their kids to cook, is just let them do it, forget about the mess, have fun an enjoy it.....my little daughter will drop any other activity just to spend time cooking in the kitchen with me & I love it :) - Eavan

Friday, July 4, 2014

Happy Fourth of July and Trivia Answer

We hope everyone at The Arbors has a great Fourth of July!  The answer to our trivia question is below


Answer:  Thomas Jefferson
Though John Adams was the first president to occupy the White House, it was Thomas Jefferson who, on July 4, 1801, opened the Executive Mansion to diplomats, civil and military officers and Cherokee chiefs. The Marine Band performed "The President's March" (later retitled "Hail, Columbia") and other patriotic airs.

Did you get it right?


Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More