Home & Garden

In light of all the discussion on bottled water and the build up of plastic waste.....I encountered this website (by a for profit Texas corp.) that seeks to compare the various water filtration systems on the market

HGTV has some wonderful holiday decorating tips and ideas...right now they are featuring some "Spooky Halloween Decorating" ideas as well as some cute ideas for pumpkin carving/decorating which include

MySimon is a site that allows you to comparison shop on every item from computers to handbags....I love this site especially for the holidays. You can check out which companies offer the best prices as well as check

I tend to bring one of two things when I’m invited to dinner or to a party, either wine or chocolates, but my new favorite idea is to bring a bottle of good quality olive oil.  It’s something pretty

I had been meaning to buy a water bottle and then I saw these gorgeous Sigg water bottles at Whole Foods, so I thought I’d try it.  Check them out on their website.    Their site offers 144

Paint Clean Up - Rub petroleum jelly on your hands before you pick up that brush or roller to paint a room.  It seals the pores on your hands, taking the post painting job of cleanup from problematic to

Before my kids were born, I found these great health journals for children - My Child's Health Journal. They are small, spiral bound, hardcover books to keep all your medical info for your kids. What shots

I wish I had this already filled out for my oldest. Your Birthday Book: A Keepsake Journal provides an easy way to keep track of your child at each birthday in pictures, words and memorabilia. The neat time capsule

ConsumerSearch gives you product reviews from Consumer  Reports, and other sources like Baby Bargains, PC Magazine, Motor Trend etc, FOR FREE.No registration, no subscription. You look up a product: cars, cosmetics

If you don't have time to paint a mural - check out Wallnutz for affordable wall paper murals, paint by number kits or color wash kits. I wish I would have found this site before I painted my daughter's

I was shopping at Target the other day and realized that Target now carries Flor - the "fashionable and customizable" carpet tiles that let you piece together tiles to create your own area rug, runner

If you're looking for some great thermoses and BPA free sippies, try out these Foogo Thermoses. They have leak proof bottles with straws (sippy alternatives!), leak proof food jars and even a sippy. They even

Target has these wonderful angled shelves for sale that come with brightly colored buckets. Our toddler can see all of the options, and it's also easy for her to put things away when she's done. Theoretically

So regular readers already know we just did a kitchen mini-remodel. We did not want to go to the store, look at the options for borders and choose one. We wanted to design our own. After some discussion, my husband

Deirdre Imus' book, Green This! Volume 1: Greening Your Cleaning, is a great resource for those looking for guidance on how to use more environmentally safe cleaning methods. An added bonus is that book's

Concerned about what is in the cleaners, deoderants, shampoos and other household items?  Then you will want to check ot this book: The Safe Shopper's Bible: A Consumer's Guide to Nontoxic Household

I've been a AAA member for a long time, but I never knew about AAA's free Auto Manager.  AAA members log on to their local AAA website and click on Auto Manager.  You simply enter in some

A few years ago, I added a few non candy options to our offerings for trick or treaters - and I was really surprised by how fast they went!  Pencil sets were really popular - they went like hotcakes since

Getting out your silver for the holidays?  Thinking about putting it back away because you don't want to polish it?   Try these natural silver cleaner recipes: Silver Cleaner I 1 sheet aluminum

Check out these Wall Decals websites all in one place - there are some really innovative things on the market now! Wall Decals are a fun solution in your child's room.

We love Caspari cards and party products. Their designs are gorgeous and very unique. I had never seen their Birthday in a Box Kits before - but check them out. They have beautiful prints that could be for adults

I love this article How to Green Your Kids' Toys - it's a very important article considering the current issues we're having with lead paint on some toys in the marketplace.  A must read!

I love the French made Laguiole steak knives and cutlery.  Oftentimes I'm able to get them discounted at Marshall's or TJ Maxx...gotta love them for that!

This site not only offers practical organizing advice but also lets you find a professional organizer. If you are looking forward (or not!) to organizing yourself for the holidays or delegating tasks/chores

I hate to clean. But even I don't mind using my Swiffer mop. I have one of the Swiffers that can take the wet or dry cloths and it really is great. I just order the cloths in bulk from Amazon so I always

My husband found these velcro straps at Staples, which you can use to keep all your wires and cables in check. They’re much easier to use than twist-ties because it will stick to itself after you wrap it

We saw this segment yesterday on a SF Bay Area TV show called View From The Bay, and later found it online on ABC's website - and had to share it! Michelle, the mom in the segment, talks about making healthy

I'm not big on organizational gadgets (as anyone who has seen my closet can attest) but this product has actually transformed our fridge: LabelOnce Erasable Food Labels. You put a label on your container once

Here's a nice checklist of chores it's best to do in Fall.There's also a link to a housecleaning guide and checklist, as well as what to start thinking about in Fall to make the winter holidays more

This article from Real Simple has 12 unusual ways to cut clutter for Fall. It's quick and easy to read, has big pictures, and unique ideas. My kind of article!

I love these inexpensive boot racks for the mudroom-you hang the boots upside down on the wall. That means they stay together and aren't strewn all around the floor. Quick and easy fix.

Dr. Bronner has come along way since my first bottle of all purpose body and hair "shampoo" on my camping trips in college! I love the new products they have and they continue to be very eco-friendly...I

Do you have ten different calendars going for your family? We have a ton of different calendars going: work (2), school (2), soccer, brownies, birthdays, holidays, and more. I've found a few great wall and

The deer have eaten all my plants.  I love gardening but it is frustrating to plant something and have it disappear within days!  Then I found this great database from Rutgers' New Jersey Agricultural

I take a lot of pictures.  I love my camera.  But I'm not so great at getting the pictures organized in any fashion.  I use Snapfish and have lots of online albums, but I need REAL albums. 

You probably have heard that a great way to prepare your dog for a new baby in the home is to play sounds of a baby crying.  Not easy to find if you don't know anyone with a newborn and if you do know

I'm always looking for the perfect lunch box for my kids and this may be it.  I really like the Lunchopolis (the name is cool, too).  The soft, insulated box has plastic containers for all the yummy

I love this article: How to Clean Your Room - it's perfect for kids!  I love that they suggest piling things found on the floor on their bed, as you don't want to sleep on that pile, hence - the pile

Bravo to this fantastic recycling resource site!  Got old smoke detectors, printers, motor oil or even toys?  You want to dispose of these items properly to be gentle to mother earth - Earth 911 is a great

If you have ever lived with a dog or cat, you have to read this. It is a hilarious letter to your dog or cat, and whoever wrote it must have been a fly on the wall of my house-I'm sure you will recognize your

Storing and retrieving out-of-season and outgrown clothing was always such a hassle for me. I ended up with loads of too-large, unmanageable, opaque bins. My various attempts at labeling them always failed due

With two kids and two dogs I use the stretch slipcovers made by Surefit to protect my sofa and oversized chair.  I usually have to buy new ones at least once a year so I purchase them from  Overstock.com

100% Dissolvable! This is a great idea!  Glass Plus Dissolvable Refills are quick dissolving little packets of Glass Plus that you add to water, eliminating the need for big refill bottles that can be

The lunch boxes from Lap Top Lunches are the Green Solution you're looking for! In these unique bento-ware boxes there is NO waste at the end of a picnic or school lunch.  Our school LOVES them

Feeling overwhelmed with your family schedules? Check out MomAgenda's calendar products. They have unique week-at-a-view layout and great design will help you organize your life. You can even download a free

Simple has ecoSneaks that are made with sustainable materials like recycled car tires, recycled plastics and organic cotton - now I call that TREADING LIGHTLY!  Designs are very hip, "California dreamin'"

It seems like I've been going to the grocery store every day this week because I keep forgetting things when I'm there.  So when I saw this "All Out Of" notepad sticks to your fridge

This website has one of those clicky things where, if you go there and click up to once per day, the sponsors will pay for food for homeless pets waiting in shelters. You do not have to open any ads, or even glance

Now that the kids are requiring healthy lunch choices at school - no cafeteria at our school, I purchased the amazing T-Fal Steamer.  This amazing steamer is perfect for our busy lives...and the veggies come

This looks so useful I just had to share it.  A site that lists 800 numbers for lots of the bigger online corporations.  (You know the ones, who generally bury phone contact info deep in their websites....)