March 2011

If you haven’t worn it in six months, get rid of it. You most likely will never wear it again.

This wardrobe rule sticks in my mind when deciding to keep clothes since I tend to wear the same outfits over and over again. Instead of tossing clothes you’ve gotten tired of, why not share them with friends? Recycle, freshen up your wardrobe and have fun by hosting a Spring Cleaning Clothing Swap Party. There is no better way to welcome in spring than cleaning out unused clothes and accessories from your closet and getting some fun new finds in return!

I’m excited to host my first Clothing Swap Party this month. I found a lot of useful tips online for hosting a swap – including things I may not have thought about in advance like:

It comes as no shock to parents that children like to put things into their mouths. My son has even gone so far as to eat an entire puzzle at nap time! Since he likes doing puzzles – and some time has passed since the “incident” – I decided to make a homemade puzzle using a piece of his artwork. And because it is his own masterpiece, I think it will be easier for him to recognize how the final puzzle should look.

Here are the steps I followed to create my puzzle:

My passion for cooking has been passed down for generations. My grandmother would always greet me with a warm baked pie or vegetables picked from her garden. I especially enjoy making recipes from scratch with fresh ingredients, but I often have more leftovers than I can eat in a week. I learned the value of freezing extra food early on and I can’t tell you how great it is to come home after a long work day to a homemade meal.

I recently learned interesting freezing food tips from an article in The New York Times, “Freeze That Thought.” Here are highlights from the article that may you enjoy, too:

While I’m not yet a parent myself, I do have two godsons (ages four and two). Over the past several years, I’ve seen how much effort goes into their birthday parties and how hard it can be to come up with unique ideas. The oldest, for instance, loves taking pictures and looking at photos that he’s in, but it’s been difficult to work pictures into some of his party themes. Luckily, I found a unique way to do it: by making a modern, pop art poster featuring pictures of the birthday boy!  ...read more