House & Home Archives -

How to Make the Most of Life at Home During a Pandemic

How To make the most of life at home during a Pandemic--Pin We’re all spending most of our time at home these days due to the pandemic. I’m not working, and my kids have been home from school for 5 weeks.

Their school district began distance learning 4 weeks ago, and the teachers and students are working hard to continue the school year online.

School is filling many of our daily hours, but we are also making time for a variety of activities and trying to enjoy this time as different as it may be.

Outdoor Time

walking the rocks

Outdoor time has been such an important part of our day as we keep our distance from others and enjoy time at home. We recently bought my son this soccer net, and the kids have been playing plenty of friendly, competitive games. They’ve also spent time creating chalk drawings, and we’ve been reading in the sun. It may be chilly, but the Vitamin D does us all good!

Walks

walk

We are very thankful that our neighborhood abuts conservation land. We have been trying to take daily family walks. Even if we’re not initially feeling up to it, everyone is in much better spirits when we return from the walk.

For more pictures and a little inside scoop into our family life, make sure you come follow me on Instagram!

Audio books

We have always been fans of audio books even before all this extra time at home. Audio books are such a great way to consume books. We’ll play an audio book and color or build LEGOS or just rest on the couch.

Some of our favorite audio books include:

Family Games

Our family enjoys playing various card and board games together. For my son’s birthday he was gifted both Yahtzee and a nice chess set.

We have so many favorite family games including:

New Simple Recipes

I like cooking simple meals for my family because I like to keep things simple whenever and however I can. I’ve been sticking to simple meals during all this time at home, and we’ve also been experimenting.

I’ve recently tried these simple recipes:

Banana Muffins

Italian Chicken with Green Beans and Potatoes

Lasagna

Pinterest has been my favorite place to find simple recipes. If you’ve made a favorite tasty meal recently, please share it in the comments below!

Online Workouts

We’ve been having lots of fun moving and exercising inside when we can’t get outside. What a rainy spring it has been!

When this all started, I searched for at-home workouts and immediately found the Body Coach. We’ve enjoyed working out with Joe, the Body Coach, several times a week. He has daily PE sessions for kids, and endless workouts for anyone looking to move their body!

My kids also really like Go Noodle. These short videos get them moving and release energy while having tons of fun!

Making the Most of It

Truth be told, I enjoy life at home. I don’t think that comes as much of a surprise to those of you who have been around here for awhile. I enjoy slowing down and taking part in the simpler things of life.

This isn’t an easy situation, but we’re trying to make the best of it. The days aren’t always pleasant. Sometimes they’re just plain hard, but we’re finding our way day by day.

With each passing day, the important becomes even more clear.

What about you? What is life looking like for you right now? I’d love to hear from you, so drop a comment below!

Until next time,
Charissa
The Not So Busy Mom

5 Items I Recently Got for Free

5 Items I Recently Got For Free

This is a fun little post about FREE items. And who doesn’t love free?! I recently realized that we had acquired a number of free items in unique and not-so-unique ways. I thought it would be fun to share with you what we got and how we got it. Perhaps you will be inspired to add a few things to your life without spending any money!

2 Outdoor Chairs

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Our town has a swap shop that is located next to our transfer station. It’s open 2 days a week, and town residents are welcome to bring unwanted items and take desired items. We like to stop by and see what items are available. After a recent visit to the shop, my husband came home with 2 small adirondack chairs. We have 5 adult-sized chairs, so these were a nice addition. It’s not really something I would have paid money for, but when he found them for free, they were just the right price!

2 Bedside Lamps

free1

I have been wanting to replace the lamps that my husband and I each have on our bedside stands. I wasn’t really in a hurry, though, because I wasn’t sure what I wanted. I also didn’t want to pay a lot of money. A neighbor had a yard sale a few weeks ago. We drove by when they were selling, but nothing caught our eye. After the sale was over they put free items out for passerbyers to peruse and take. We decided to stop and see what was available. We were very excited to come upon 2 matching lamps! They were a bit dusty, but with a little cleaning, they were good as new!

A Desk

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My daughters have been wanting to add a desk to their room because they generally just do their school work at the dining room table. We were certainly making do, so I wasn’t rushing to buy one. When my kids mentioned to their grandparents that they were looking for a desk, my mother-in-law shared that her childhood desk was available. They kindly passed it along to us, and we painted it a fun color! My girls are happy to be enjoying their nana’s desk now with an updated color!

A Desk Chair

free5

The girls’ new desk was in need of a chair. We used one of our dining rooms chairs while we figured out what we wanted to do. I considered looking online, but I just wasn’t sure what would really look best. I was hoping for a nice sturdy chair with character. My husband mentioned to me that he saw a possible chair when driving by a church yard sale one Saturday morning. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get out to check on it that afternoon. Then we ended up going for a drive later that evening, and what did we discover? Yes, we discovered the freebies…including the chair! This antique chair looks perfect with their new-to-them desk!

A Fleece Jacket

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I have slowly been overhauling my closet, trying to carefully consider what I really like/enjoy wearing/look good in, etc. It’s definitely an ongoing process. I don’t like to overbuy when it comes to clothes, so I generally keep a running list of items I am looking to add to my wardrobe. I had been wanting a fleece jacket, but it really was more of a want than a need. When I discovered a $10 off code with thredUP, I stumbled upon a great Old Navy Fleece and scooped it up! I happened to have free shipping at the time, so this fun new-t0-me item cost me a whopping $0!!!!

*If you’re looking to learn more about my love for thredUP, check out this post.*

*If you want a $10 credit to thredUP, click here & you’ll receive the credit with your first purchase!*

What about you? Have you recently acquired any free items? I’d love to hear about them, so drop a comment below!

Until next time,
Charissa

5 More Things You Can Clean or Organize in 5 Minutes

How often do you find yourself dreading a nagging task that sits staring you in the face?

I know that I easily find myself saying, “I don’t want to do that right now!” or “Maybe I can do that tomorrow.”

These tasks are generally not overwhelming, but somehow, they seem to get pushed to the back burner. But what I find over and over is that they almost always take much less time than I every thought they would. In fact, it’s not uncommon for them to take just a few minutes to complete.

In light of this, today I am sharing 5 more things that can be cleaned or organized in 5 minutes or less. If you missed my original post dealing with the same topic, you can find it here!

(This post contains affiliate links, so thenotsobusymom receives a very small commission if you make a purchase through the links. Thank you for supporting the blog!)

Wallet

A few weeks ago I decluttered the inside of my purse, and that process was quite quick. The wallet, like the purse, can quickly accumulate unwanted items including: old receipts, coupons, and lists.

wallet

Time Taken to Complete Task: 3:29

Within a few minutes my wallet was clean and organized. Now let me work on keeping it that way!

Kitchen Sink

I wish I was better about cleaning my kitchen sink each evening, but I’m not. It really isn’t a lengthy task, though, so taking the few minutes to deep clean your sink at least a couple times a week seems worth it.

Time Taken to Complete Task: 5:17 (17 seconds over 5 minutes; I’m still calling it good!)

I sprinkled the inside of my sink with baking soda, gave it a good scrub, and rinsed it down. It’s now sparkling clean and ready for tomorrow’s dishes!

Car Glove Box

In a former blog post I shared that I keep a cosmetic bag in my glove box, and that bag generally stays quite tidy. The rest of the box, though, can become overly cluttered with extra napkins and random odds and ends that just get shoved inside and forgotten.

glove box

Time Taken to Complete Task: 4:15

In just a few minutes I was able to quickly remove a lot of extras and do a quick tidy.

Top of the Refrigerator

The top of our refrigerator can easily become a catch all. We hide things up there and also use it for extra storage of random items. Before we know it, it becomes quite messy.

Time Taken to Complete Task: 3:50

I’m so glad I took the time to do this. This task had been staring me in the face for way too long. I’m happy to see a much cleaner and more organized space now!

Sock Drawer

Truth be told, I actually have a sock basket. But whether it be a basket or a drawer, our sock collection can get a little overrun if we don’t tackle it every once in awhile. Sometimes you just have to throw out that holey sock; or finally admit that your missing sock is never going to be found, and it’s time to toss the mate.

sock basket

Time Taken to Complete Task: 2:10

I got rid of some worn out socks and even returned my son’s sock (which somehow made it to my collection) back to his room.

All of these tasks took me less than 5 minutes (and 17 seconds)! Getting started was the hardest part, but once I got going, well, I was almost done! In less than 25 minutes I had completed 5 tasks.

What about you? What will you clean or organize today?! Give yourself just 5 minutes and see what you can do! I’d love to hear what you think you can clean or organize in 5 minutes. Leave your ideas in the comments below!

Until next time,
Charissa

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The Perfect Twin Mattress for Under $100!

(This post contains affiliate links, so thenotsobusymom receives a very small commission if you make a purchase through the links.)

Buying a Mattress

It’s no secret that I am a fan of online shopping. I find it to be a simple way to make my life just a little easier. I do a majority of my grocery shopping online, and I tend to do much of my household product and gift-buying there, as well. I am guessing you probably do a little of the same. But what about shopping for a mattress online? That sort of sounds like a bit of a stretch for some, but for me, it seemed like the right option.

I have actually never tried out a mattress before buying it. My parents chose my mattresses as a child. When I was in college, it was provided for me. Post-college, my roommate purchased a mattress for me. My husband picked out our current mattress.

Perhaps it’s because of my past experiences that I wasn’t scared away by the idea of purchasing a mattress online. All 3 of my kids were in need of a mattress. My youngest was moving out of her toddler bed, my oldest had been sleeping on my old mattress, and my middle child was sleeping on a horribly uncomfortable mattress.

An Inexpensive Option

Replacing 3 mattresses seemed like an overwhelming task because of the money that would be spent to make that happen, but then I started looking online. One of my first options was Amazon.

I really wasn’t looking to spend much money, so I looked for the most inexpensive twin mattress with great reviews. An option from Linenspa popped up, and I loved what I was reading in the reviews. I also really loved the cost at $99.99.

We decided to just purchase one and see what we thought. Here’s what it looked like upon arrival!

Unwrapping and allowing the mattress to breath for a few hours was an exciting event for my children. It really only took a few minutes for the mattress to come to size, but the packaging does say it can take up to a few hours.

We all tested the mattress even before it went on my daughter’s bed, and we were all very impressed with the comfort of this inner spring/memory foam design.

2 weeks later I decided we might as well buy mattresses for my other kids as well. We ended up purchasing 2 more.

The mattress is still a winner in our books. My husband is quite particular about mattresses, and even he says it’s quite comfortable.

This might be our pick (in a queen size) when it comes time for my husband and I to update our own mattress.

Might be a great choice for your family too

I was so very pleased with our experience buying a mattress (make that 3 mattresses) online. I realize this might not be for everyone, but if you’re inclined to buy items (even big purchases) online, then I would completely recommend this one.

I suppose only time will tell how long this holds up, and if we will continue to love it, but I do know they have a 10 year warranty.

A comfortable twin mattress for just $99.99 shipped to my door?! Yes, please!!

What about you? Would you buy a mattress online? What unexpected item have you successfully purchased online? I would love to hear from you, so drop me a comment below.

Until next time,

Charissa

Got 15 Minutes? Bedroom Closet Organization

bedroomcloset

I find I have this terrible habit of dreading tasks, so I wrote about this problem and a simple solution in a prior post. I have also found that it takes more time to dread and huff and puff about a task than it actually takes me to complete the task.

I am trying to be better about diving into various areas of my home that need attention and working for just fifteen minutes to see how much I can accomplish in that short amount of time. It is surprising how much can be done in a focused amount of time.

(This post contains affiliate links, so thenotsobusymom receives a very small commission if you make a purchase through the links. Thank you for supporting the blog!)

Today begins Post 1 in a series called Got 15 Minutes?.

We live in a small home with small closets that can quickly become a bit disorderly, so my bedroom closet was the perfect spot to start my Got 15 Minutes? series.

The Bedroom Closet

Yesterday I put on some music, set my timer for 15 minutes and tackled my bedroom closet.

These were the 4 tasks I was able to accomplish in 15 minutes:

1. I pulled out unwanted clothing.

I quickly looked at everything hanging in my closet and pulled out items that I no longer was wearing including items that: didn’t fit well, were damaged in some way, or I just didn’t like.

2. I reorganized hanging items by category.

I took a few minutes to make sure like-items were hanging together. I put pants in one section, skirts in another, long sleeved shirts and then short sleeved shirts, etc. I know I don’t always keep things this orderly all the time, but it’s nice to reset when I can.

3. I removed any items that did not belong in my closet.

Why is my closet the catch-all? It seems that so many random items end up in the bottom of my closet. I took some time to pull out those items that should be living in another “home”.

4. I organized my folded sweaters.

I keep my sweaters in a wire basket on my top shelf. I pulled all of them out, got rid of a couple unwanted ones, refolded the keepers, and placed them back in the basket.

When the timer went off I was pleased with all the progress I made in a short amount of time. My closet was cleaner and more organized than it had been 15 minutes ago!

(My closet is not large or fancy, but it does the job & it does the job even better when I keep it clean & organized!)

Another 15 Minutes

I was actually so pleased with the progress I made that I decided to set the timer for another 15 minutes and see if I could bring even more order to my space. Another 15 minutes later, and I was smiling with satisfaction.

I’m so glad I stopped dreading this task and took some time yesterday to work on a needy space in my home.

What about you? What space can you tackle for 15 minutes today? I would love to hear from you, so leave me a comment below!

If you’re curious to learn what I do with the clothing I do purge, check out this blog post!

Until next time,
Charissa

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5 Meal Planning Tips

Earlier this week I shared a very basic meal planning post. I believe that meal planning is a great option for those looking to make life just a little less busy. A little planning goes a long way in saving you time and money.

Today I want to share 5 Meal Planning Tips.

(This post contains affiliate links, so thenotsobusymom receives a very small commission if you make a purchase through the links. Thank you for supporting the blog!)

1.Check your cupboards & refrigerator.

Look in your cupboards and refrigerator before choosing your meals for the week. You may find canned goods that inspire a chili recipe. Maybe there is meat or veggies that can be used in a casserole. You might even have enough ingredients to make a complete meal. Start here for inspiration and in order to eliminate unnecessary buying.

2. Consult your store flyer.

Your store flyer (whether online or a paper version) can provide direction as you pick meals for the week. If ground chicken is on sale you can add chicken burgers to the week’s plan. If you see a great deal on pasta and sauce then add an Italian dish to the menu. The store flyer can inspire ideas and help you choose inexpensive items for low-cost meals.

3. Don’t be afraid of repeats.

All families have their favorites: Mom’s meatloaf, a tasty lasagna or burger and fries. You know which meals your family loves and talks about with their friends. It’s okay to have the same meal week after week. If your family loves baked macaroni and cheese then maybe you add it to the menu every Tuesday. It’s one less meal you need to think about each week.

4. Consider your leftovers.

If you make a large enough portion of a certain meal then you can eat it again in one of the upcoming meals. You might even wait until the end of the week and eat all the leftovers from earlier in the week (making a buffet of sorts). You could also use leftovers from one meal to create another meal. If you made shredded chicken over rice one night perhaps you can then use the leftover chicken in tortilla wraps with black beans and tasty toppings for another meal.

5. Make your grocery list.

A list of meals is great, but don’t forget to then make your grocery list. Going to the store with only a list of the meals will make for some disorganized shopping trips. Write down your meal ideas, consult the recipe noting the ingredients, and then add those ingredients to your grocery list.

I hope these tips are a help to you as you make meal planning a part of your weekly routine.

**My favorite way to grocery shop is online with delivery from Peapod. If you’re interested, make sure you check out this detailed post. If you’re looking to make your first order with Peapod, use this link to get $25 off your first order!**

What about you? What are some of your meal planning tips? Share them in the comments. I would love to hear from you!

Until next time,

Charissa, The Not So Busy Mom