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Stay Sane as a SAHM Interview with Katie Pickett of Joyful Messes

Posted in Blog, Interviews, Stay Sane as a SAHM

Welcome to my Stay Sane as a SAHM interview series! Every Friday I will interview another SAHM and share it here with you. I absolutely love getting the insights and perspectives of other stay at home moms.

Because we are all in this together.

We are showing stay at home moms that we are strong, smart, and savvy and just trying to figure out what it means to “have it all”.

Being a stay at home mom (aka Millennial Housewife) can be isolating and hard at times. It’s not easy to navigate the waters of being home, changing diapers, cleaning up spills, and doing laundry without any adult contact until your hubby comes home.

That’s why I wanted to give you the chance to see how other Millennial Housewives do it.

You are not alone. There are so many of us out there. WE can form a community to support and trust one another.

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing Katie Pickett with Joyful Messes and Kate’s Web Design Studio. She has over three years professionally designing websites and marketing businesses. She began coding, designing, and studying UX (user experience) while blogging in Norway. The weather was frighteningly cold, so she sat behind the computer learning, analyzing and creating her blog. The light bulb turned on when she realized the same principles are used to create profitable websites and build online brands. She is raising three rambunctious little boys. She starts her mornings early and does most of her design work in the late evenings when her mind is eager for a creative outlet. She recently started her blog Joyful Messes where she shares her personal stories, lessons learned, faith, fitness, fashion and more to help spread joy throughout our days in motherhood.

ByMillennialHousewife

Tags : interview, Millennial Housewife, millennial moms, mom, SAHM, stay at home mom, stay sane as a sahm

Stay Sane as a SAHM: Interview with Sam Palmer of Modern Day Hippie Mama

Posted in Blog, Interviews, Millennial Housewife, Stay Sane as a SAHM

Day 13-10:16 pm: Well folks, I have something really special for you! I have decided to start a whole new series of interviews with Stay at Home Moms who also blog. Every Friday I will interview another SAHM and share it here with you. I absolutely love getting the insights and perspectives of other stay at home moms.

I’m calling it my Stay Sane as a SAHM Series.

It makes me feel like we are all in a community together.

That’s why I wanted to give you the chance to see how other Millennial Housewives do it.

You are not alone. There are so many of us out there. WE can form a community to support and trust one another.

I had the immense pleasure to talk to Sam Palmer with Modern Day Hippie Mama (I love that blog name!). Sam has four beautiful daughters, a dog, and a guy she lives with. She has a passion for organic wine, profanities, and being a mom.

What is really amazing to me is that she has been a stay at home mom for 6 years with her 4 daughters. She really knows what she is talking about. Something I took away from the interview was that she is really big into self care. So many times busy Stay at Home Moms forget to take care of themselves. Sam stresses how important it is to and your family to take the time to practice self care. Sam has written several blog posts about this which is great.

ByMillennialHousewife

2 Comments

Tags : housewife, interview, Millennial Housewife, Modern day hippie mama, mom, SAHM, sane, stay at home mom, work at home mom

Easy, Cheap, and Beautiful DIY Holiday Gifts

Posted in Blog, Millennial Housewife, Money

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small percentage, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for helping keep Millennial Housewife up and running!

DIY gifts are all the rage. More and more Millennials are choosing to make gifts from the heart instead of shopping at crowded and expensive department stores. Making your own gifts is personal, heartfelt, and the receiver feels the love that was put into it. Also, it can save you a lot of money. That is why I chose to make all of my gifts this year. But DIY isn’t always easy, I should know! I am not good at DIY!

Are you like me? Does the thought of DIY make you think you have to spend hours and hours surrounded by crafts that never will get completed?

Making presents this year is more of a necessity for me and my family. We don’t have a lot of extra cash to spend on expensive gifts. While I wish I could give people the world, we just can’t. And, I have a feeling a lot of Millennial Housewives are in the same boat. And, since we are also busy watching the kids, cleaning the house, cooking the food, and side-hustling, we don’t have much extra time to spare.

If I’m going to make my presents this year, I have to find something that is easy, cheap, and beautiful. I absolutely can NOT spend a ton of money on supplies, I have a toddler so I can NOT spend a lot of time, and I will NOT give somebody a cheap, thrown together macaroni necklace. Nope. So I’ve scoured Pinterest for the best easy, cheap, and beautiful DIY holiday gifts that even a craft-phobic person like myself can do.

1. Monogrammed Mug

This adorable mug gift comes from tinselbox.com. I absolutely love this website for amazing DIY holiday ideas! They even have a great holiday subscription box they will send to your door each month. I’ll post more about them later but check out this mug! It’s definitely easy, cheap, and beautiful!

All you need is a white mug, a letter sticker (for the person’s first or last name), and an oil-based sharpie!

First, clean the mug and make sure it’s dry. Put the sticker on the mug, and put dots around it or decorate how you like. Then peel the sticker off and bake it at 250 degrees for 2 hours. Voila! For a twist, try it with a black mug and a white sharpie! Ooooh!

And, if you want to go the extra mile, put something in it like a plant, coffee, or a Starbucks gift certificate.

Check out the directions and more great ideas here.

2. Tea Cup Bird Feeder

Ok, I love anything to do with tea, and I have a feeling you know a few tea lovers yourself. Or perhaps bird lovers? Maybe both! So give them the gift of this adorable teacup bird feeder from asyouwishpottery.com. This is the easiest and cutest gift you can make.

All you need is E6000 glue, a tea cup (I’d look at a local antique store), scissors, and twine.

Glue the teacup on its side to the plate. Let it dry overnight. Then cut some twine and tie the twine around the handle. Add some bird feed and that’s it!

Check out the video here.

3. Melted Snowmen Hot Chocolate

Something else I love, hot chocolate! This adorable gift is perfect for the chocolate lover you know and it’s so simple to make!

You need powdered hot chocolate, large marshmallows, sharpies, and a 1/2 pint mason jar.

Wash and dry the mason jar thoroughly. Fill the mason jar half way with the powdered hot chocolate, then add 3-4 marshmallows on top. Close up the mason jar and draw a cute snowman face on the outside of the mason jar with the sharpies. You can put a gift tag on top too!

Thanks growingupgabel.com for the inspiration!

4. Chalk Board Serving Tray

This beautiful chalkboard serving tray comes curtesy of shanty-2-chic.com. It’s so easy to do and costs so little. You may have to make a trip to your local Home Depot, though, but I know you can do it!

You need a 2×12 framing board (have your local hardware store cut it to be 24″ long), wood stain (color of your choice), chalkboard spray paint, painters tape, power screwdriver, and 2 handles (they should come with screws but double check).

First, go to the hardware store and have them cut your board to be around 24″. Then apply the stain using gloves and a rag. After the stain dries, apply the painters tape to the edges. Then spray the chalkboard paint onto the uncovered area. After that dries, remove the tape and place the handles on either side. Screw them in with a power screwdriver. That’s it!

Here’s an easy to follow video tutorial.

5. Christmas Tea Tree

Once again I have found an amazing gift for a tea lover. Thirstyfortea.com has come up with this cute gift that is so easy, even I can do it!

You’ll need a styrofoam cone, individually wrapped tea bags, glue gun with glue sticks, small paper mache boxes or some kind of short, round cylinder to use as the “stump”, wooden star, rice (for weighing down the tree).

First you want to place a small line of glue on the top of the tea bag, then place it on the bottom of the styrofoam cone until it sticks. Repeat this all around the bottom, then work your way up the top. Then glue the top of the paper mache box to the very bottom of the styrofoam cone. Fill the box with rice for more stability, then glue it to the top, creating the “stump” of the tree. Use the hot glue to place the star on top and you have yourself a Christmas tree!

For step-by-step instructions go here.

(Psst….maybe you can give this with the teacup bird feeder!)

So, when you have a few extra minutes to make your gifts, make sure you take the time to think about the person you are making it for, and really put love into it. I promise it will show. I want you to find a quiet spot, light a candle, put on some relaxing music, brew a cup of tea, and use the time to get into your work. Then you will truly be able to create your best work and enjoy doing it too.

Or, if you’d like to include your kids, I’ve found it best to get all the materials together first and make sure you do it in small increments. Kids sometimes don’t want to sit and make 10 handprints, they have better things to do like writing upon the wall! Give them a little to do each day and they will find as much joy in it as the person you are gifting it to.

So, enjoy making these beautiful DIY holiday gifts!

What are some of your favorite DIY gifts? Have you tried any of these? Let me know if the comments below or join our private Facebook Group here and let us know!

ByMillennialHousewife

Tags : Beautiful, Cheap, Christmas, DIY, Easy, holiday gifts, Millennial Housewife

8 Silly Ways to Clean with Your Kids

Posted in Blog, Cleaning, Parenting

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a small portion of the sale at no cost to you. It helps me to keep this site going so I can provide you with more Millennial goodies!

Cleaning is not fun. There’s no way around it. Scrubbing tile until your hands are sore, washing dishes until your fingers are wrinkled, dusting until your allergies act up. That’s how it has to be for a Housewife.

Or is it?

It used to be that the housewife of the ’50’s put their child in their playpen with a few toys while they spent hours cleaning. The Millennial Housewife has no time for that, or patience. We don’t want our child to be left alone to fend for themselves. The whole reason we chose to stay home and not work was to be with our children, not clean the house!

But, the challenge in including our kids in the cleaning is this….

Look familiar? I know it does to me! You put one thing away and they take out 5 more. It’s a never-ending cycle. Then your hubby comes home and asks, “What did you do all day?” and you just about loose it. Steam comes out of your ears and you turn into a ferocious dragon. Yup, that’s me too.

But, what if there was a better way? I’m not saying it’s going to fix everything, but maybe it’ll allow you to get a few things done, and you might just enjoy it.

Millennials want everything to be easy, streamlined, and simple. And fun is an extra bonus. So can cleaning really be simple? Can it even be….fun? Is there actually a way to include our children?

The answer is a big, fat YES!

I’ve taken a few hints from our good friend, Pippy Longstalking, who I used to watch as a kid. She (along with her monkey and horse) would attach brushes to her feet and skate around the house singing while she cleaned. You can also take a hint from Mary Poppins and “whistle while you work”, or at least put on some upbeat music.

So here are 8 silly ways to clean with your kids!

1. Crawling and Cleaning

Get out dry Swiffer Dry Sweeping Cloths or just a few rags and put them under your hands and knees, then give your kids the same to put under their hands and knees and crawl around on the floor. You can pretend you are tigers or doggies and make sure you are sliding the cloths or rags along with you. Crawl over all the hard floor surfaces and you’ll just see how much dirt you pick up! And you’ll get a few good laughs out of it too!

2. Mirror Glass Cleaning

Remember the baby in the video and how she was licking the window as the mom was trying to clean it? That doesn’t have to be you! Give the baby a rag and spray some all-natural cleaner (just in case she takes lick) and go on the other side of the window. Then have her mirror your images as you clean both sides. Make some silly faces while you’re at it!

3. Laundry Basketball

Instead of having your little one take the laundry out, have them help you put it in the dryer or get a step stool and have them “toss” it into the washing machine like a basketball. Talk about the types of clothes and their colors and textures to make it a little more educational!

4. Vacuum Races

There are lots of fun ways vacuuming can be fun (ok, not really). But get your little one their own pretend vacuum. Or, give them a toy ride-on car or toy truck to race with. Make a starting line on one side of the room and a finish line on the other. It could be anything, like a stuffed animal or a ball. Start your engines, then race! You can go back and forth and soon the whole carpet will be clean!

5. Clean Up Rewards

Right before my hubby gets home I find myself frantically picking up a million gazillion toys in an attempt to make it look clean. But, I find it’s better to let the kids do the cleaning. Offer them a sticker for every 5 toys they pick up. Or up the anti with a jelly bean or their favorite treat. Then watch how fast they clean up! You can also get them started by racing them!

6. Dish Washing Fun

Washing dishes is never fun, but put a bucket in the sink next to you and add a few toys, and your little one will be entertained for a little while. You can even show her the different plates and utensils you are washing and let her dip them in her water bucket to rinse them off. Add some soap to the bucket for bubble fun! It’s simple, easy, and keeps your little one from watching too much screen time.

7. Shaving Cream

Yup, you heard me. Take some of your shaving cream (or Daddy’s!) and spray a big pile on the dining table. Then let your kid have at it. You can add toys (basically anything you can wash easily) and they can pretend it’s snow and spread it all over the table. When they are done, simply wash the kid and wipe the table off and voila! Everything is clean (and smells nice too!). Your kid just cleaned the table, their toys, and their hands. Easy.

8. Dust Buddy

It’s no secret that my toddler loves to dust. And I’ve found that lots of little kids out there, for some reason or another, love wipes! So, use that to your advantage, hand your little one a wipe, clear off the counter tops, and both of you dust away! Sing songs while you’re dusting to keep it fun, and spray some all-natural cleaner on the surface and watch how excited your kid gets to wipe it off. It’s so simple, but they love it!

Try all of these or some, and adapt them to your own family! Make up your own silly games or have your kids come up with them. It’s the best of both worlds when you can clean and have fun with your kids at the same time, and it teaches them cleanliness, responsibility, and just how silly mom can be!

Do you have different ideas for how you can play and clean? What are some of your cleaning hacks? Let me know in the comments below!

ByMillennialHousewife

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Tags : chores, cleaning, fun, kids, Millennial Housewife, millennial mom, silly

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