Ask The Helpful Housewife

What Is Your Most Important Issue as a Homemaker?

I'm going to pose a question out here, and I really, really, really want you to leave a comment on this post! It's important! I'm looking for your input on this blog. You see, I have been analyzing the different ways people find their way to this site. My stats will show me where folks clicked in from when they get here.  It doesn't tell me who, or where, you are in the world. It just shows the last page you clicked onto a link to my page. That's all...don't panic about privacy! Seriously! I have no idea what you were doing, who you are, or anything else! It just tells me how you clicked to here...

Anyway, I have noticed that about 78% of those who come to my blog reach it from a GOOGLE or BING search for "routines, schedules for housewife" or similar search keywords.  That's right... 78%.  That's a staggering figure to me! There are obviously those who click in from feeds, blogrolls, other blogs who link to me, and other avenues.  But apparently everyone is really interested in how to maintain or develop a schedule for either cleaning or just plain managing their day. The second highest route to get here is a search for "laundry chart", or other such terms. That's around 13% of the search engine traffic.  That leaves only around 9% of the page views to other search terms or the traditional clicks I mentioned above.

So, here's the question: "What do you want to read about the most?" I want to know. Seriously. I want to make sure my content is useful for you, and makes clicking on the page worthwhile! Please tell me what you are looking for in the posts I publish out here.  Now, obviously, I started this because of my passion for all things housewife. Therefore, I've tried to write about all aspects of it, from grocery shopping to cleaning; from gardening to decorating. I enjoy all of these things, so it's not a chore to write! And of course, even though I'm looking for input, I will still post the things I feel compelled to share due to my excitement or interests.

But I want to know your thoughts.  If you are looking for certain topics, information, details, how-to's, tips, anything, I would like to be able to give you what you are looking for! So, if you've managed to read all the way through this post, please take a moment to leave your suggestions/requests in the comments. I promise I will read each and every one of them and take them to heart...

Finally - you get to decide! You may not get to choose when anything else happens today, since the world doesn't always cooperate, but here's something that you can control for a change! Take advantage! You never know when you'll get your own way again!  lol

"Window" Shopping

I've been indulging in some eye candy this morning...  I found two emails in my inbox that I absolutely couldn't resist opening.  I'm going to put lots of pictures in this post as I just can't help myself!  I have to share these lovelies with all of you! 

First, I opened my email from a London-based shop called "Plumo".  I'm positive I've posted about them before.  It's where I got my sweet little lollie makers from!  Anyway, they are having a big summer sale, and I had to peek.  I fell in LOVE with so much!  Here are some items that I added to my wish list (and may even be ordering by this afternoon if I lose my willpower!)  As you click on each photo, it should then change the large image to the one you just selected....  I hope it works. 

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I can't decided which of these items I like the best!  I absolutely ADORE the retro doilies and the polka dot pots.  But the Lena Totebag is near and dear because my nickname all through highschool and college was "Lena".  There is so much more on their website than these goodies.  They have gorgeous clothes, shoes, bags, accessories, home items and gifts.  And once in a while I get an email from them that offers free shipping, which is always wonderful when it's coming from England!  Sign up for their newsletters.... you'll get those notifications, and will always know when the next yummy thing is coming!

I also happened to check out the April Cornell website.  In their email they showed some beautiful new summer prints for the kitchen.  The Blueberries print and the Strawberries print collections are so cute, and perfect for those picnic-like days of summer.  And then there was the  California Check print collection....  so reminiscent of the 1950's, and fresh and bright to really perk up your day!  Sigh.....  I want.  I want. I want.  (My husband would tell me to want in one hand and wish in the other and see which one fills up first. But I am so tempted to take advantage of their sale as well!)

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 I personally love the watering cans... how sweet! If you click here it will take you to the table linens section, by category/print.  If you click here, it will route you to the watering cans.  But also be sure to check out the exquisite clothing lines, too!  When Attie, my oldest, was not quite 2 years old (and still an only child for a few more months!), I went to the actual April Cornell store here in town and got her an absolutely amazing Christmas dress, and mother/daughter matching aprons in the same fabric collection.  We still wear those aprons every Christmas when we bake cookies together!  But I have to admit, I only purchase from this site once in a very great while, and only when on sale.  Kitchen linens, especially table cloths, are my weakness.  I have way too many already that I have found at antique sales, flea markets and such.  I love the vintage ones, but when I find a brand new one that is a replica of a retro design, I have a tendency to get it.  I don't feel as bad when I use it daily and wash it so frequently.  But I'm an addict.  I have an entire shelf in my linen closet devoted to kitchen linens, and two drawers in my dining room "buffet" that hold the rest of the collection.  And I can't squeeze another in either space.  That's the main thing stopping me from going nuts on these items today.  Especially the California Check pattern, as it's on sale!

Hope you all enjoy browsing these sites like I did!

Need some Housewife gear? Now available!!!

If interested, just check out The Housewife goods here....  I've got my Christmas list taken care of now!  lol

"The Coupon Mom"

I know this book has been out for a while, but a few weeks ago I picked up "The Coupon Mom's Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bills in Half" by Stephanie Nelson.  It is wonderful!  Although I already am a coupon user, this book had some great tips in it.  I tried some of them out, and ended up having some pretty good success.  My receipt said I spent $94 after all the coupons and sale items, but my savings total on the receipt was beautiful:  I had saved $53!  Apparently my total grocery bill that day would have been $147 if I hadn't been paying attention to the ways to save that she lists. 

I am going to continue to use her methods and see just how much bigger my savings can get.  If you want to learn more about it, go to www.couponmom.com and check it out!

"The Coupon Mom"

I know this book has been out for a while, but a few weeks ago I picked up "The Coupon Mom's Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bills in Half" by Stephanie Nelson.  It is wonderful!  Although I already am a coupon user, this book had some great tips in it.  I tried some of them out, and ended up having some pretty good success.  My receipt said I spent $94 after all the coupons and sale items, but my savings total on the receipt was beautiful:  I had saved $53!  Apparently my total grocery bill that day would have been $147 if I hadn't been paying attention to the ways to save that she lists. 

I am going to continue to use her methods and see just how much bigger my savings can get.  If you want to learn more about it, go to www.couponmom.com and check it out!

THE Must Have Item This Fall...

 
 
 These bowls are simply amazing! Two years ago, my mom gave me 2 sets of these bowls for Christmas.  They come with matching plates that sit under them perfectly if you like.  Unfortunately, one broke, so this past Christmas, I asked for one more set of 4.  We use them ALL the time, so they are always in the dishwasher, and 4 more would be so handy in this family of six.  Well, bless her, she gave us 2 more sets instead, since we didn't want anything else!  We use these every. single. day.  No lie.  Every morning, they come out of the cupboard for cereal, oatmeal, or Malt O Meal.  At lunch I fill them with soup or mac and cheese.  At dinner they get used for chili or stew or any other hearty dish.  Even lasagna at times when it's extra gooey! And at night, Andy uses one for his evening ice cream indulgence!

These are so versatile. They are great for any occasion.  Put them on your registry.  Your birthday list.  Your Chrismas wish list.  Dishwasher and microwave safe.  Durable.  (Unless a 4 year old throws it in a sink a little TOO hard!) And a good basic white to match most any decor.  A bargain at $29 for a set of 4 bowls and 4 plates that will be a favorite for years and years!  And occasionally they go on sale, so watch for that, too.  Available at Williams-Sonoma stores and online. 

Tonight I'm using mine again... chicken chili is on the menu, along with home made rolls, veggies to crunch on, and home made hummus dip. And then later on tonight we'll use them for popcorn, the plates for donuts, and have cider while we watch a movie!
  

Honeycrisp Season! YUMMY!

What is the best thing about this time of year?  Just the fact this is the only time you can get Honeycrisp Apples!!!!!  OMG!!!!  Have you ever tasted one?  They are exactly as described... sweet as honey and oh-so-crisp!  They are the only red apples I will eat.  And I will eat them by the bushel.  And I do!  Because the season is so short, I gorge myself on them.  They are so divine.  And I do not bake with them.  It seems almost sacreligious to do so.  I will bake with MacIntosh apples any day. Those are the absolute best for apple crisp.  And Gala's or Paula Red's are perfect for apple pies.  But Honeycrisp's?  No.  They must be eaten as is. 

They crunch as you bite in.  The juice runs stickly down your chin.  The sweetness fills your mouth, without a hint of tartness.  It's like eating candy from nature.  Literally!  And I have a kitchen full of them.

My next stop?  Uncle John's Cider Mill in St. John's for fresh cider.  It's fall.  Cider is a must have around the bonfire!  Warm cider with a stick of cinnamon for stirring... so simple and yet so elegant.  Want to feel like Martha Stewart without the stick up your you-know-what?  Get some big, over-size mugs.  Pour warm cider in them.  Insert long stick of cinnamon.  Ouila!  Throw in a couple whole cloves and a sprinkle of fresh ground nutmeg and a squeeze of an orange wedge, and you can be Martha's overlord in mere seconds.  MUAHaaaahhaahaaaa!

With the fresh air coming through the windows in the kitchen (I don't care if it's chilly out - the sun is incredible, and the smell of leaves is amazing), pumpkins galore at the farmers market this week, and my favorite apples in abundance, life is good right now!  As long as it doesn't snow anytime soon...  And I have to go back to my second favorite apple, Granny Smith, and bundling up in snow gear. 

Are you in the mood for Autumn on this first day of October?

More Green To Share!

  This is something completely new to me!  I just heard about it yesterday, literally.  I'm ordering a starter set of the cleaners so that I can give you an honest to goodness review, as well as ordering the Zoegetics product as well.  Listen, I try really hard to eat organically, detox once in a while, and am willing to try supplements like this.  It truly does make a difference in living with my MS, believe it or not!  So I am going to try this product as well.  I will happily give this company a shot.  Take a look at their site, and see what you think!  The prices are very reasonable, and the products definitely meet my criteria for environmental friendliness.  Just click on this link:  Zoe Lifestyle and poke around to your hearts content.  I think you'll like what you see as well.  It's always nice to find a company that can create a cleaning product that is natural, safe, and that works.  Can't wait to get mine!!!!!  This company has only been around for about 6 months, so it's a new find for everyone.  Thanks, Jeannie, for sharing it with me!!!!!

Ouchies Bandaid Winners!

Congratulations to Sarah, Pam, and Mrs. Pogle!  You've all won the Ouchies Bandaid packs... I'll pass your email on to Ouchies and they will contact you to send you your sample packs.  Enjoy!

Wanna score some great swag? You'll love this!

Yeah, I need to get back to work on here!  I've been off enjoying the pool with the kids in this summer heat instead of paying attention to my favorite little corner of the web!  And it has turned into a little sweepstakes storefront it seems, hasn't it?  But that's OK, because you are going to LOVE this giveaway!  And I mean LOVE it!   When I got these in the mail, I flipped over them - too cute and fun! I wish I could post a photo of them here, but the best I can do is send you to the website to see them....

PLEASE KEEP GOING!!! GIVEAWAY DETAILS ARE AT THE BOTTOM!!!

Presenting:  Ouchies Bandages!  These are the coolest thing!  They are bandages for booboos, real and imaginary, that are far from the boring old peach color that blends right in.  They come in three styles:  Teen-ages for girls, Teen-ages for boys, and Make Your Own.  Yes!  You read that right!  MAKE YOUR OWN!  How sweet is that?!

I got these a couple weeks ago, but didn't post until today.  I wanted to put them through their paces.  Of course they passed the style factor with my kids.  And me!  I want to wear one as a fashion statement!  But I wanted to test them for product effectiveness.  Sure enough, it wasn't long until Annika scraped her knee! 

These things stick like crazy glue, but they don't irritate the skin.  They protect the skin very well, are thick and durable, and don't flop off when they jump in the pool.  A big plus for my whiny kids!  At one point they were all fighting over a temporary tattoo as well.  Four kids, one tattoo.  You can imagine my joy...  The bandages saved the day!  They were all thrilled to have one instead!

They retail at $5 per box, and come with 20 per tin in different designs.  The tins themselves are darn cute!  I'll be keeping mine to put all kinds of knitting notions and stuff in after the bandages are gone!

So, here's the dealio on the freebies you can win...

I'm giving away an Ouchies 3-pack, including 1 each of Boys, Girls and Make-Your-Own bandages to 3, count 'em, 3 lucky readers!  That's 3 prize packs up for grabs! 

In order to win, you need to do the following:

1.  Leave a comment here telling me to enter you in the contest.

2.  Become a fan of "Ask The Helpful Housewife" on facebook.

3.  Send an email to thehelpfulhousewife with a fashion statement you'd like to make with the bandages yourself as a mom!

I'll announce the winners on July 17th, so that should be plenty of time to get your entries in!   

EcoStore USA Has Another Hit On Their Hands!!!

I know that I have told you before how much I absolutely love this company's product line, but EcoStore USA deserves yet another post about one of their proven winners!  Their Naturally Active Pure Oxygen Whitener has far surpassed my strict testing requirements!  Not only is it 100% natural and oh-so-gentle on mama earth, this stuff whitens like you wouldn't believe!  I love it!  

I tried it several ways.  First I used it on a load of regular whites, and then put them in the dryer.  They came out so nice and bright!  The dingies were gone!  Then, I washed a second load of whites that were a bit faded and greyed out, and hung them on the line.  Well, as you know, sunlight is a natural bleach for whites.  The combine power of the two was even more amazing!  It was like the scene in "Friends" when Ross had bleached his teeth!  No lie!  

It even brightened and whitened a load that had accidently had a red beach towel mixed in with it... have I convinced you yet?  And it only takes a tablespoon or two in a load!  Talk about economical.  I've tried OxyClean.  That stuff is garbage as far as I'm concerned.  It has never done a thing it promised.  Not one.  But this product has me sold forever!  Go get some.  Right now.  And you can even get a coupon for it to use at Meijer.  Save almost $8 when you go to Coupon.com, type your zip code and print out the Meijer coupon.  It is under household products.  What could be better?!?!?!

MyPunchbowl.com Contest Winners...

OK, due to underwhelming interest in the contest (I am SOOOO disappointed, you all.  This is an awesome site!), I decided to choose winners anyway!  I plugged in the names of the followers of this blog from Facebook and found two winners from a random generator.  And the winners are (drumroll please.....)

Lisa Smith and Christie Nutkins!!!!  Watch for an email ladies!!

Irons in the fire...

As if there weren't enough going on around here, why not add one more thing to the list?  I've finally resisted the urge long enough, and I've added Twitter to my ever growing vocabulary of technological tools.  You can find me there as peony0505!  Of course, don't expect anything earth moving or profound.  I'm just a housewife who loves to clean and save the earth... whoopee.  But what the heck?  I have to try everything at least once!

A Contest Give-A-Way!!!

 

I am a little (OK, a LOT!) late in getting this news out to you... this month has been crazy hectic for us.  But the lovely Ms. Stephanie Fader at mypunchbowl.com emailed me a while ago with a great idea for a contest!  And of course, I agreed because this site is just fantastic. 

To introduce all of you to this amazing virtual destination, we are giving away two, count 'em, TWO free premium memberships to mypunchbowl.com, valued at $49.95 each!  What does a membership include, do you ask?  Well, all of the amenities of the site!  Here's what mypunchbowl.com is all about!

As busy moms and housewives, we  have all had to plan the kids' birthday parties or family events and so many other happy occasions.  And it gets to be overwhelming, doesn't it?  This site does so much of it for you!  From here, you can manage your guest lists, set your date for your event (even coordinate it with your guests beforehand), send out free e-cards and e-invitations, order gifts, get great theme and decorating ideas, and SO MUCH MORE!  I can't tell you any  more details because it's part of the contest. 

Here is what you need to do:  In order to possibly win one of these two memberships, you need to post a comment here letting me know at least one feature of the site you like the most or an event you would use it for.  You can comment as many times as you like, but it will still only get you one entry!  If you become a follower of this blog on facebook, this will get you an additional entry.  If you send an email to thehelpfulhousewife@hotmail.com with one feature from the site that you love, you will get an additional entry.  Add a link to Ask The Helpful Housewife on your blog homepage and that's another chance to win.  There's four entries for you all together!  If you have completed all four items, go back to our blog page on facebook (click from the home page here) and post it in the comments section, along with your blog url.  That way I can be sure you've completed all four and can go back and check them all! 

You have until June 2nd to enter this amazing opportunity that Stephanie has given us.  I wish everyone luck!  I'm definitely going to be using this site for all of our events from now on!  I'm already starting to make a list of the summer parties I want to have just to use the site....

Good Luck, Everyone!

Happy Earth Day!

Earth day is the perfect day to introduce you to a new product and some information about washing dishes!  Because you know the Helpful Housewife loves anything that has to do with the kitchen and making life easier for us all, as well as making it environmentally friendly along the way. 

As a general rule of thumb, I'm not a huge fan of paper plates and paper towels unless they are post consumer  recycled content, they are compostable, or you are going to actually recycle them.  Of course, in a pinch, they are a great invention!  And there are some great companies out there, such as Seventh Generation, that make products that I do support and purchase because of their ethic and mission.  As for washing your regular dishes, did you know that a dishwasher is actually BETTER for the environment than washing by hand?  But only if it is an energy star rated appliance and you run it only when it's full?  You actually use less water with the dishwasher!  (And less work & time by you, too.)  And if you use one of the green dishwasher detergents, you are making an even better choice for mother earth.  But if you have an older dishwasher that isn't an energy star rated appliance, opt for the handwashing scenario.  Just don't run the water constantly, and wash a sink full, not a dish here and there.  Maximize to minimize.

The product I promised you the other day, and at the beginning of this post, is a brand new product called EarthShell Dinnerware, and right now it is on sale at Meijer stores 2/$4.  If you must use disposable plates or bowls, try these!  They are biodegradable, heavy duty, soakproof, grease resistant, cut resistant, and -- get this! -- microwave safe!  They are actually made from vegetable starch and limestone.  They even come in a biodegradable bag!  After dinner you can take your kitchen scraps out to the compost bin in the bag or on the plates and just toss the whole kit and caboodle in the bin!  No mess, no muss!  How wonderful is that? 

They list a website on their packaging for www.earthshell.com, but it isn't up and running yet.  If you click here, you'll be taken to their current webpage that lists their information and additional links to more information on their products.  You can even order in bulk if you really fall in love with their plates and bowls!  And did you know that shopping online is actually good for the earth?  When you buy in bulk and have it shipped like that, the packaging is actually reduced; the carbon emissions are definitely reduced because it's combined in the shipments of millions of other people who are placing orders all over the world from any number of companies and is simply in the transportation chain along with the other packages; and you are buying what you want, and not purchasing those impulse things at the checkout lane that just end up in the landfill!

Anyway, a big 2 thumbs up for EarthShell Dinnerware!  And it's on sale right now at Meijer stores for Earth Day, through this Saturday...