May 13, 2015

Upcycled Bath and Bodyworks Candle Jar

May 13, 2015/ Lydia Senn

If you're anything like me you have about 800 bath and body works candle jars at your house. Okay, that's a slight exaggeration. But I do have a lot of candle jars with just an inch of wax in the bottom. I thought, why not turn those jars into something cute and functional I could use in my home.

So last week I took five minutes, literally, and made these adorable pedestaled apothecary jars.

They require just a few things you might already have around your house and take just seconds to put together.

May 12, 2015

How I got my 3-year-old to drink more water

May 12, 2015/ Lydia Senn

As the weather gets warmer and my kids are playing outside more it's important to keep them hydrated.

My kids don't sit still for a minute!

But I will admit I haven't always been the best at getting my oldest to drink water. I would put it in a sip cup, he would take one sip and ask for something else.

But in the past few weeks we have turned the corner and Ryals is actually asking for water!

May 11, 2015

Four tips for dealing with budget burnout

May 11, 2015/ Lydia Senn

I am tired of budgeting. I am tired or living frugally. I am tired of pinching pennies and tracking dollars. I am just exhausted of the whole thing.

May 08, 2015

Why I don't want gifts for Mother's Day and what I want instead

May 08, 2015/ Lydia Senn

I don't want anything for Mother's Day.

I don't want any flowers or candy or perfume. I don't want to be taken to a restaurant. I don't want new shoes or a trip to the day spa (okay, that's a lie I totally want a trip to the day spa).

I don't want anything for Mother's Day. Why? Because I have everything I need and another mother doesn't.

May 06, 2015

Spicy Veggie Loaded Buffalo Chicken Burrito

May 06, 2015/ Lydia Senn

Have you ever looked in your fridge, realized you had some pretty random ingredients and attempted to turn that into a meal?

I feel like this can go one of two ways. It can turn out TERRIBLE or it can turn out to be the most delicious thing you've ever made. (Total hyperbole, but you see where I am going with this??)

A couple weeks ago I did just that. I threw everything in our fridge into a pan and called it dinner and you know what? It was fantastic. It turned out to be the Spicy, Veggie Loaded Buffalo Chicken Burrito.

May 05, 2015

Tips for potty training a reluctant boy

May 05, 2015/ Lydia Senn

When you announce you're pregnant people are quick to tell you that you will never sleep again, that you will stay up many nights worrying and that it will all go by the blink of an eye.

People are quick to tell you the hard things, but no one warns of what is quite possibly the most difficult thing you will tackle within the first three years of parenting... potty training.

May 04, 2015

How to sell on Craigslist and make the MOST money

May 04, 2015/ Lydia Senn

This weekend I tried to sit down and to the math on how much money Jason and I have made selling stuff off Craigslist. But I lost count.

In the past three years we have made THOUSANDS of dollars via Craigslist getting rid of stuff we didn't want, need or use. It is the best place to sell things like furniture, large baby items like high chairs and swings and farm equipment like old lawnmowers and weed eaters. (And that spare tractor you have lying around...)

Last week I talked about how to maximize your eBay profits, today I wanted to talk about how you can sell on Craigslist and make the most money.

May 01, 2015

Why you need an emergency fund today

May 01, 2015/ Lydia Senn

Why do you need an emergency fund? Because emergencies happen whether you have one or not. Here is an example.

It happened at the worst possible time. Emergencies usually do. It was the middle of June, I had a three week old baby and a 19-month-old toddler and the AC in my car had gone out.

We were halfway to my oldest son's nursery school when it happened.

April 30, 2015

6 steps to spring clean your budget

April 30, 2015/ Lydia Senn

The sun is shining the weather is warmer and the birds are chirping. If you're like me you've started cleaning out closets and dusting your baseboards. But have you thought about spring cleaning your budget?

Why not embrace the season by taking this time to make a budget, find ways to cut back and simplify your spending?

April 29, 2015

Simple newborn memory boxes you can put together in 15 minutes or less

April 29, 2015/ Lydia Senn

I love collecting memories. I love photographs and small reminders of experiences past. So memory boxes speak directly to me. I look at them in envy on Pinterest, because the truth is while I love a good DIY, I am not a crafter.

Today I wanted to share the memory boxes I made for our sons. They are beautiful and simple and I put them together in just 15 minutes.

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