Home Maid Simple

Tag: moving

When Books Predict your Future

Earlier this year I read my kids the book “Addie’s Dakota Winter”. Little did I know by the end of summer we’d pack our bags, sell off most of our furniture and make our own move to the Great Plains State known for it’s winters.

Of course after holding on to this book since I was a child, and then reading it to my kids, I decided it was one we could get rid of. I’ve been on a downsizing mission this whole year, but perhaps I should have held onto it. Oh well, someone else may get lucky enough to read it and then find themselves heading out to this beautiful, although cold, state.

We thought we could make the drive in a mere 2 days. After all, it was only supposed to take 14.5 hours. That’s 7 hours a day, easy peasy…..
The kids and I loaded up one car, and Mark jumped in the truck. We made it not quite out of Utah, when I start seeing tire tread falling off the truck tires. I called Mark on our walkie talkies, and we pulled over. Sure enough we needed a new tire.

Unfortunately the nearest town had no tires in our size. Our next option was stay over night and hope they could get one in sometime the next day, or continue on another hour+ to Evanston, Wyoming. So we continued on. We were lucky, very lucky! Along this next stretch another tire completely blew out, yet Mark handled it well and we made it to Evanston where we bought 4 Brand New tires to complete the rest of the trip; as well as adding another day to our move.

Along our trip my kids had some fun things to say. If you ever plan to drive 900+ miles with your small children, remember to bring a long a pad of paper and pen. After that long in a car, they’re going to have commentary on the scenery.

Kids “Where are we now”
Me “Wyoming”

a few hours later
Kids “Where are we now”
Me “Wyoming”

with a break at Martins Cove to run off some energy by pulling handcarts!

and a few hours later again
Kids “Where are we now”
Me “Wyoming
Kids “STILL?! Wyoming doesn’t end?”

Finally we made it out of Wyoming and into South Dakota.

Chloe “There are no clouds in South Dakota?”
Me “huh? of course there are clouds in South Dakota. Just none right now”
Kids “no clouds!!!”
Me “that is kind of a big sky without a single white puff in sight”

Finally we make it to North Dakota
Kids “YAY! There are clouds in North Dakota!”
Me “well look at that…the clouds are back….”

August 27, 2014
Robot Turtles on the Road

When I was a kid and we’d go on vacation we always made sure to bring a bag of games. Hotels rarely had more channels than the local news to watch, and after a long car ride, no one really wanted to watch TV when we got there.

As we got ready to move our family 900 miles, with many nights in a hotel I knew I needed to set aside some games. We ended up staying in a hotel 4 nights, with not much to do on any of those nights. The kids were more active and bouncy then normal from abnormal daytime naps and having nowhere to run around the majority of the day. I was really glad I packed this game bag come 9pm at the hotels.

We had recently got Robot Turtles from ThinkFun in the mail, and although the kids and Dad had played it, I hadn’t had a chance to sit down with them yet. The game promotes basic coding skills for kids ages 4+. With my new found love of computer oriented stuff and HTML coding I periodically have to figure out with the blog, I was really excited for this one. Especially if my 4-year-old could also play with us.

Seriously, such a fun game!! It wasn’t coding like I thought it would be but really is just the basics. The kids are “Turtle Masters” while an adult or older child is the “Turtle Mover”. Or think of the kids as the programmers, and the Mover as the computer. The kids really wanted to move their own
turtles, but when I explained it as me being the computer, they really got into it and loved giving me commands.

There are 3 levels to Robot Turtles. We’re currently mastering Level 1 still, but eventually, we’ll add laser beams, and ice blocks and crates. Obstacles the kids must learn how to program around.

Night 3 in the hotel was draining on everyone’s patience and attitude, so thank goodness I had Robot Turtles packed. We sent Prince L off with Mark, while the girls and I got some sillies out playing.

For more fun games check out ThinkFun on social media

Facebook Instagram Youtube

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

August 21, 2014
Foodie Friday: North Dakota Fare

Welcome back to another Foodie Friday! Some big news is coming your way! We’re changing the name of this party. We don’t know what to yet, but Diane and I would love your suggestions. It seems in the past 3 years, more parties have opened with the same name, and since we don’t want you to get confused, we are changing!! Leave us some suggestions below in the comments.

SO, you might be wondering why I have no feature for you today. I’m so sorry, but it’s been just crazy around here. As I told you last week, we are moving to North Dakota. It happened fast, and we only had 1 week to pack and move. In fact while you are reading this I should be driving somewhere across Wyoming, maybe even into South Dakota already!

I got curious about the cuisine of North Dakota. I’m sure they have your regular American Fare, but every state I believe has something unique about them when it comes to food. Here in Utah we’re known for our jello and funeral potatoes. So what was I going to find in North Dakota? First I found out that Wikipedia has a page all about North Dakota Cuisine. Then I learned that they are very much into their Norwegian Heritage. This October may very well find me driving up to Minot, ND for the largest Scandinavian Festival in North America! And sometime in February I will look into attending the Lutefisk Dinner which just might be the largest authentic Norwegian Dinner.

You are excited right? I plan on really getting into some Norwegian cooking over the next year to connect with the heritage of my new state.

I would love it if you took a moment to visit my co-host Diane at Simple Living and Eating.

If you’re new to Foodie Friday, here’s the run down

1. Link up your recipe or any food related post below

2. Browse the linky, visit some new blogs, and share if you feel so inclined.

3. Please only link up 3 posts. This lets us visit as many of you as possible.
4. By linking up you give me permission to feature your photos on Home Maid Simple (always linking back to you of course!)

5. Each month I send out a newsletter with the most popular links from that month – you may be featured!! This is a once a month newsletter, every first Friday of the month, no spamming involved. Sign up over there ——>

Have a recipe from India to share? Come on by the Food of the World Party.

An InLinkz Link-up

August 15, 2014
How to Minimize Stress with Paperless Coupons

This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias Inc. and its advertiser, #WalgreensPaperless. All opinions are mine alone.

There are so many things in life that can cause us stress. Finances, kids, employment, family, school – you name it and it has probably added stress to your life in one way or another. For me, clipping coupons was just packed full of stress, so I avoided it. Honestly the idea of buying a bunch of papers to get coupons that I then have to match up to store ads to find the best price at the best store – it’s stressful all around! I just don’t need that kind of stress in my life. I like the idea of saving money, just not the time it takes. So I was pretty stoked when someone told me Walgreens has paperless coupons.

What is a paperless coupon?
Paperless coupons are just that – paperless! All you need is a smart phone and a Balance Rewards Card at Walgreens. You will download the free Walgreens app to your phone, and then sync it to your rewards card. Once you are logged in with your rewards card you can clip manufacturer ecoupons. When you clip them, they get loaded directly onto your Balance Rewards Card. Now the really cool part is when you go to the store. You can use your actual card, type in your phone number, OR the cashier can just scan your phone! Isn’t that just neat?

How do Paperless Coupons minimize stress?
I know you’re wondering. It sounds fun, but does it really minimize stress? You bet it does! Let me tell you 3 ways it has minimized stress in my life.

Money. Now this seems pretty obvious. Coupons save you money. When you save money, you stress over finances less. When you stress less over finances, there will be less stress in your marriage. I would venture to say the #1 cause of stress in a marriage. I know it usually is in ours. Especially now as we get ready to move 900 miles away. It’s crazy expensive to move, so we’ve got to find creative ways to cut our outgoing money down. Trying to clip coupons the old fashioned way, just rearranges where the stress is coming from. Paperless coupons minimize the stress completely! Not only does is help with the stress, but with paperless coupons you don’t have to buy a newspaper just to get the coupons. Saving you even more money.

Time. How much time do you spend clipping paper coupons each week? Now imagine that the whole process takes less than 5 minutes. Did you just sigh out loud? I sure did! When you’ve been given a week to move, and 2 of those days need to be spent actually driving to your new home, you really need every spare moment you can get. Spending the time clipping coupons is not what you want to do. Whether you’re moving like us or not – your time is valuable! Don’t waste it on trying to save every last penny, and instead go play hide and seek with the kids for a couple of hours, or in my current state – pack 5 more boxes.

Sanity. Yep, Paperless coupons have totally saved my sanity this week. My awesome kids were looking at a week of freeze dried strawberries and apple slices, because I didn’t think we could afford other snacks and the time it would take to get them at the right price. I found a great ecoupon for Gerber Graduates Grabbers, and General Mills cereals so my kids can now snack on a little more variety and not complain about the same thing over and over again. To help even more with my stress, I put the cereal in these handy to go containers.

Isn’t that great? Now instead of spending my time, money and sanity trying to save us money, I can do what needs to be done for our move, like you know staying up all night packing for the next 4 days. Thank goodness there was a coupon for Dasani Sparkling Water – it’s going to be my late night stay awake drink.

Do you clip coupons?

August 11, 2014
Downsizing: 2600 sq feet to 1300 sq feet

It is finally official. Mark has a new job working for a Tire Store in Provo. Which means we’re moving. Since Mark only has Sunday and Monday’s off, we decided to hire a moving company. In case you’ve never used a moving company, what happens is they come and load all your stuff in the truck, drive the truck, and then unload it all in your new home. They are coming this Friday. I now have 3 days with 4 kids, to pack our house.
Here is the kicker though. We are moving from a nice and spacious 2600 square foot home to a 1300 square foot basement condominium. That means some serious downsizing. I’ve already sold some of our furniture and given some away, but there is still more that can’t come with us.

When this plan first became a reality, we thought we would just store what we couldn’t take with us, in our garage. It is after all still our home. We haven’t sold it yet. That plan has now been dashed because today I got a lovely family interested in renting our home. Talk about a financial burden being lifted (and I thank my Heavenly Father for this blessing!). Now we just have to figure out in 3 days what to do with all our stuff.
So while I’m off being very very busy, check out our new flat.

Welcome and Enter the house we will call home for the next year or so.

Let me cook you up some treats in probably the nicest apartment kitchen I’ve ever had.

Take a walk down my hallway with me.

Hello Princess. Playing nice I hope.

I love red to an extent. Our yellow ducks seem to give this bathroom the right touch of fun yet elegance.

Not very large, but we’ll see how many of our linens and games we can fit in this closet.

Due to room sizing, Princess V is going to be sharing a room with Prince L. How do you think a loft bed would work over a crib?

And at the end of the hall, our Master suite. Not quite comparable to our recent remodeling, but it will work. The recessed lighting is such a nice touch.

Tucked in the corner is a toilet and shower, with the sink outside across from our

walk-in closet. I’ll give this space to Mark.

Off the Master is a little outdoor patio. Perfect for my recovered Chairs and table.

Thanks for stopping by! We hope you enjoyed this home tour.

August 6, 2013
She’s Real Fine … My 409

Well I saved my pennies and I saved my dimes, For I knew there would be a time, When I would buy a brand new 409. – Beach Boys

Not what you were expecting, now was it? You didn’t really think I got one of these did you?

Wouldn’t that be nice? (This was not an intentional Beach Boys quote…though you may start singing now).

No, my new best friend is 409 All-purpose cleaner. I don’t understand why people will move out of a home, and leave a bunch of stuff behind, including dirt. If we ever purchase another home, I think I’ll need to request that it be cleaned before we move in. I mean I don’t mind general cleaning, but when I can’t put my dishes in the cupboard until I take yours out? That’s going a little too far. It appeared many of the cupboards may have been closed for sometime too, based on he layer of dirt inside them.

I usually like to rely on good old vinegar and baking soda, or my green cleaners that I have. But since I didn’t know what the dirt was, how long it had been there, or any other scenario you can think of, I decided it was time for the big guns. I went and bought a bottle of good old reliable (Guys and Dolls...) 409.

The inside of my “new” kitchen cupboards reminded me of those really old yellowed photographs. With every wipe, my towel turned a similar yellow. Now I’m guessing it’s because of the yellow wallpaper they used to line the inside of the cupboards (and hoping too), but still, that’s just gross!

When you move, do you clean your old house?

What’s your favorite deep down gunk cleaner?

And for your entertainment, I leave you with The Beach Boys singing 409

January 9, 2013
2012 A Year IN Review

2012 was quite the year around here. Looking back I wonder how we made it through intact, but here we are. It’s 2013. As part of our New Years Eve Celebration, I asked the family what some of their favorite moments were from the year.

From Princess V “Watching TV”. This amazing event is probably due to the fact we didn’t have television service for 1/2 the year. I somewhat miss those days.

From Princess C “I love everyone”. Well gosh Princess C we love you too.

Princess R and Prince L didn’t have much to say on the topic.

For me the highlights of the year were

Remodeling the kitchen

Giving birth to Prince L

Moving

Selling our home and Buying a new one

Yes, we finally closed on this house, and have moved in. It’s been crazy, but worth the wait. I also see another kitchen remodel in our future….

January 2, 2013
Stress Free Moving {Guest Post}

I need to remember this advice when we begin moving again in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully, especially with the holidays upon us, I can stay as stress free as possible while we settle into our new home!

Staying Sane While Moving Between Homes

Moving is exciting, but it’s also rather stressful. People tend to become so overwhelmed during the move that they just feel immense amounts of pressure and anxiety. Follow these tips to have a less stressful move this time around.

Take Time Off

Try to plan the move, if possible, for a fairly low key time at work, and then take a few days off. You’ll likely want to take off at least a day or two before the move, the day of the move and possibly the day after as well. You’re going to need this time to pack up, organize and just deal with the general steps of moving.

Make Lists

You might be paranoid that the movers are going to lose some of your beloved items, so keep accurate and detailed lists to maintain control. Mark each of the boxes, and note as they make their way through the doors and into the moving truck. Once you’ve arrived in your new home, check the items off of the list to denote that they have arrived.

Use Storage Units

Sometimes, it’s not possible to move directly from one house into another. The house might not be ready yet, or the sellers are not ready to move out of the space for another month. In that case, you’ll need to rent for a while or spend some time living with your family. Now, where are all of your items going to go during this transitional phase? Instead of cramming them all into a space that’s too small, simply rent a storage unit, like Dallas Texas Self Storage, for the time being.

Children and Pets

Two of your biggest worries are likely going to be your children and pets during the move. If possible, board your pets for the day, so they aren’t able to get out. When that’s not an option, keep them in a separate room while the doors are opening. For small children, hire a babysitter or ask a family member to help for the day.

Generous Time Limits

If you insist that the job must be completed within a few hours and that all of your items must be unpacked that very night, then you’re really going to stress yourself out. Remember, moving is a process, and it will likely take several days or even weeks to be settled in your new house.
Whenever the anxiety and stress creep up, remember that it will be worth it once everything is done and finished.

Author Bio:
Melisa Cammack is a busy mother of three young boys (with one little girl on the way), wife to one handsome man, and a freelance writer who loves writing health, travel, parenting and self-help articles. Though she is originally from Seattle, Melisa is currently living in Western Australia with her little family for the next few months due to her husband’s job, and is looking forward to going back to the States in December for a white Christmas, but is already dreading the 30+ hour flight.

November 28, 2012
Thoughts on Moving {Guest Post}

I have moved so much in my life that I just can’t take it anymore. I went to three different elementary schools as a kid and went through about six different places on top of that. Thankfully once I got to high school I was old enough to commute to school. Much like my last year of school where I commuted from North Burnaby all the way to the top of the British Properties in West Vancouver…. When did I wake up?? 4am every day, just to get ready and get on the 5am bus to get me to school on time. I had a choice, either a half hour early or a half hour late.

To this day I still move, in fact I will be moving again in a month here. I think the main issue is the economy right now and the fact that I rent and we’re so low income. Thankfully our money situation will be changing but up here in Vancouver B.C. you are still low income… the price of living is insane. I am going to be moving into a three bedroom apartment at 1100/month, nothing included.

Guess what?? That is SOOOO CHEAP!! You can’t find three bedrooms at this price; the fact of the matter is… I live in the “ghetto” of North Burnaby. Average prices for a three bedroom in this area are in the 2000 range usually. When you live here in Vancouver B.C. you get to the point where you understand you will never own a home here, you’re a renter for life. Though that may be sad sometimes, what I can tell you are the prices of homes up here vs. how they look is appalling especially if you look out of country to compare prices and homes. I can own a celebrity home for the same price it would cost me to own a crack shack in some horrific neighborhood here completely beyond me. This city is gorgeous but not at these prices, places in the states are gorgeous for a lot cheaper!

What am I getting at?? We’re making another great migration and I am hoping it will be at least the second to last place we will ever live as a family. I am so tired of moving, I know my hubby is tired of moving our couches, soon he will be tired of moving the kids beds etc… our plan is to never move again until the boys are big enough to help with the move, in a decent way too dresser lifting and TV lugging kinda way. So here is hoping that for all our moves, we’re taking strides to “better-ness” to something bigger and filled with even more love. For every home is like a new fresh beginning…. And my closets really did need to be organized. I certainly didn’t see me doing that anytime soon lol!

Eschelle Westwood is the writer of www.mumfection.com and is a dedicated young mother to two wonderful, though mischievous at times, boys. Social media marketer, blogger, daycare provider, mother and partner you can find her on twitter @Eschelle and Mumfection on Facebook!

August 8, 2012
Packing, and more Packing

When people move, they usually have some kind of system.

Green tape = kids room
red tape = kitchen

and so on …. or…..

They do colored dots, and then place those same colored dots on the rooms in their new house, so the movers know where to put everything.

Brilliant ideas really.

I have no system. My only system is that no garbage comes with us, and the box be labeled accordingly. We do all our own moving. Although we’ve had plenty of family and friends to always help us. This time may end up a bit different.

The house we’re moving into, isn’t ready yet. The owners still have about 25% to clean out, and then they want to hire a professional cleaning service to come in and clean it (you will hear no complaints from me!). This put us back a couple days though.

Mark still needs to be down there this weekend so he can get his classroom(s) ready. School starts in a 3 weeks! So what are we going to do? We’re going to move all our stuff on saturday into the three car garage at the new place. The kids and I are only going 1/3 of the way, and will stay at my parents house until the new house is ready to live in. Mark will pick a room, and live in it alone, spending most of his time at the school prepping. How we are going to get his car down to him I have no idea. I’m sure we’ll figure something out though.

I don’t know how long I’ll be at my parents…who don’t know anything about this plan as of yet…. so I’ve got to make sure I have anything that we may need packed in the van with me.

Oh the joys of moving.

Now if only my allergies would go away, I would feel a bit better, and could get more done.

Nah, I think I’ll just have a tea party with the girls and their friends tomorrow instead. No need to do more packing. It can take a break.

July 31, 2012