Happy Father's Day

We'd like to wish a very happy Father's Day to all the wonderful Dads out there!

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Solutions for a Better Night's Sleep

Is your bedroom keeping you awake at night?  There are five reasons that may be the cause of your lack of sleep in your own home.  This blog has a list of those reasons. It also includes a list of possible solutions that could help you in your quest for a better night's sleep.  You can learn more at apartment therapy.

PROBLEM #1: ALLERGIES

Is your stuffy nose keeping you from getting shut eye? Seasonal allergies are one thing, but dust mites are with us all year round. Your bed is Disneyland for those little critters, who thrive on all the dead skin cells your body provides.

Fixes: Vacuum your room with a HEPA filter and clean your bedding as often as you can— including your pillows, which you can throw in the dryer for 15 minutes to kill off any existing bugs. Instead of scented detergent, use a few drops of eucalyptus oil in your laundry. Put hypoallergenic protective covers on your mattress and pillows. And lastly, strip your mattress before you go out of town to give it time to air out. (I won’t rile up pet owners by suggesting you ban furry loved ones from the bedroom, but it’s worth thinking about.) Read more onbedroom allergies here.

PROBLEM #2: LIGHT

Your room is too bright at night. Whether it’s coming from the outside, a nightlight, the television screen, or your blinking alarm clock, any light keeps your body fooled into thinking it’s not sleeping time.

Fixes: Buy really dark curtains, or add liner, to block out street lamps. Also turn off electronic devices and remove anything else that emits brightness. (If you’re worried about getting up in time, try covering your alarm clock instead.) Lastly, swap out higher watt lightbulbs in your bedside lamp for dimmer ones; these will aid the transition as you’re winding down from the day by reading in bed at night.

PROBLEM #3: TEMPERATURE

Some nights you're too hot, and other times, it's too cold. Sleep is induced when you are at rest and your core body temperature lowers. If your heat is on too high (or too cold for that matter), your internal thermostat fluctuates which leads to restless sleep.

Fixes: Everyone is comfortable at different temps, so experiment to find the right one for you. There's no right answer but cooler is generally better - start in the 65 degree range. There are always fans and blankets to help you regulate, but know that bedding material makes a difference too; memory foam pillows and mattresses, for example, are hotter than more traditional ones. If you are still having trouble staying asleep, look into bedding and pads that keep you cooler at night.

PROBLEM #4: NOISE

There’s the 5 am garbage truck variety that’s impossible to ignore. But when it'stoo quiet, the slightest disruption can reach epic proportions and you find yourself focused on that weird hum or dripping faucet. Either way, you need a way to soundproof your sleep.

Fixes: If it’s too loud, wear earplugs as a first resort. Or, try a white noise machine or app —or even a basic fan— to drown out any noises that violate your REM cycle. If it’s really bad, get as far away from the offending noise as possible. Either move your bed to another wall to dampen neighbor noises, or, if you have the option, try swapping your current bedroom with another room entirely. Read more on bedroom noise here.

PROBLEM #5: MATTRESS

Having a healthy, comfortable, supportive mattress is critical to a good night's sleep.

Fixes: Flip your mattress with the seasons, alternating between end-over-end and side-over-side rotation. If it's time for a new one, check out Danny Seo’s great tips on mattress shopping. A couple of years ago, Maxwell also experimented with different mattress brands for twelve months and wrote about it in his Year in Bed series.

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Five Money Saving Purchases at Yard Sales

The weather is nice and school is out.  This means that it is time for a favorite summer activity.  Yard sales will be popping up throughout your town, and we have found some great purchases that can save you money in the future.  Grab your family and friends and head to the yard sale to save your household money this summer.  Apartment Therapy has some great articles for your family this summer.

1. Rugs. Rugs are notoriously difficult to sell secondhand, which is why you will see plenty of them around at yard sale time. Head out for a few Saturdays, you are bound to find a new rug for the kids' room for under $30. I found one recently, a 5x7 foot 100% wool rug for $5! It had been passed over by others because one small corner was a little frayed - a problem easily solved by tucking it under a crib.

2. Baby gear. Babies need so much gear and for such a short time, everything bought new ends up looking practically new still once they are done. Save money for your new nursery budget by scouring your local yard sales for the gear you need. Not sure what gear to consider getting secondhand? Check out this post for a few ideas.

3. Dress up clothes. Costume jewelry, hats, old bridesmaid dresses, low-heeled dress shoes: these exist in abundance in yard sale-land, and no one would love them more than your four-year-old daughter who is crazy about dressing up. Haven't got a dress-up box? Put one together, starting with this list, and a fist full of quarters, which is probably about all each of these items will cost.

4. CD players. Given the opportunity, kids love to listen to music, and they love to dance. Remember back in the 80s and 90s when you hoped and wished and dreamed for a stereo so you could boogie all on your own? Now that everyone's passing them up for MP3 players, for just a few dollars, a yard sale-found CD player can transform any kids' bedroom into their own disco. Just be sure to test it before you take it home!

5. Outdoor play equipment. Especially easy to find at the end of Summer, when Moms and Dads are getting ready for the Winter snow, outdoor play equipment can be snatched up at yard sales for a fraction of the price of buying it new. If it's looking a bit shabby, never fear, a fresh coat of paint will do the trick - much like the Little Tikes playhouse above - found for $30 secondhand, now looks better than anything you could find in the store! (For this and more playhouse makeovers, check out our roundup of them here.)

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Clean Up While You Green Up

(Image courtesy of Dan Brady)

Do you know what happens to the chemicals in your common household cleaners when you've rinsed them down the drain? Often times they end up in our water and soil effecting the environment around us. Who would've thought cleaning would leave such a mess!

You don't have to worry about threatening the earth in order to keep your home and clothes clean and smelling fresh with this one simple idea: instead of opting for store bought, chemical-laden cleaners, simply make your own at home. This article from apartmenttherapy.com has all the tips you need to get started!

1. Get all the ease of laundry pods with these DIY laundry bombs that include vinegar, epsom salts, and essential oils. From Savvy Sugar.
2. I haven't used dryer sheets in years, but I'm tempted to try this smart, inexpensive option from Radical Possibility.
3. If you're going to make your own spot remover, you may as well try a recipe created by the mom of a preschooler. From The Prairie Homestead.
4. Make your sheets smell especially nice with this floral-scented linen spray fromStyle Me Pretty.
5. Bleach is terrible for the environment; give it up and keep your whites white with this homemade solution instead. From Nourishing Joy.

Do you have a favorite DIY cleaning idea that we've missed? Leave us a comment and share it with us!

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Happy Mother's Day

Here's wishing a fantastic and joyous Mother's Day to all of the wonderful Moms out there. Thanks for being such great Moms!

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Unplugging At Night

We know you’re all busy. With an endless list of things to do and places to be, technology like cell phones and iPads keep us connected to everyone at all times. During the day being connected can make our work and social engagements easier, but at night it can mean the difference between a goodnight’s sleep and no sleep at all. 

Instead of sacrificing your sleep, why not separate yourself from your cell phone? One blogger did just that - at night she began putting her phone away in order to get the optimal level of sleep. In this blog from apartmenttherapy.com she takes a look back at the last four months to document how her routine has changed. Keep reading to find out what she discovered:

(Image courtesy of Rennett Stowe)

About four weeks ago, I declared that I was going to stop keeping my iPhone at my side overnight. I'm happy to stay that I've stuck with the plan, and the results have been positive across the board.

First, thanks to everyone who expressed support for the idea. Telling you about the plan and knowing I wanted to report back were key in getting me to stick to it.

These days, my lonely little phone spends nights on the TV room coffee table, or on a particular window sill in a well trafficked hallway of my house. On the few nights where I've gone on autopilot and brought the phone into my bedroom, I've tucked it into the top drawer of my dresser so I won't be tempted to waste time looking at social media feeds before sleeping or when I first wake up. I've used my laptop from bed at night once or twice more than I would have before, but never for as long as I'd use my phone (which I'd attribute to the device's size).

While I expected to notice the change the most at night, the morning has been the biggest improvement. Using a dedicated alarm clock has actually helped me get up earlier. I'm hitting snooze less often; the alarm has only one, pretty annoying sound. But really, it's the peacefulness of letting my mind ease into wakefulness, rather than checking to see who's shared an interesting photo of flowers or dogs, that makes me happiest about reshaping my habits.

What do you think? Would you be able to unglue the phone from your hand to help your sleep schedule? Leave us a comment and let us know!

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5 Ingredients Inspiring Us This April

Which ingredients are becoming popular with cooks this month? Check out "5 Ingredients Inspiring Us This April" and see if any of them tickle your fancy. Also, if you have any ingredients to add, let us know!

Here are a few of our current obsessions this spring. Can you relate to any of these?

Cambria says: "I'm eating Haitian mangoes, which Whole Foods brings in every spring. I've made Emma's shrimp tacos with avocado-mango salsa twice in the last week!"

• Recipe: Roasted Shrimp Tacos with Mango-Avocado Salsa

Faith is all about the Meyer lemons. Their season runs from late winter through May and the citrus and herbal notes are basically the best ever thing for spring cooking.

• Get a recipe: Spring Recipe: Meyer Lemon Shaker Pie

In California, Anjali is on a "half basket a day" strawberry habit. "I think it’s because of the drought, but they’re super flavorful this year," she says.

• Get a recipe: Strawberries, Sour Cream & Brown Sugar

Ariel has been making chicken with artichokes all the time this spring, mostly using frozen artichokes, but she's excited for the fresh ones to start showing up at the markets in New York.

• Get the recipe: Chicken & Artichokes in Wine Sauce

Emma is loving fresh asparagus (yes, she lives in California too!). She says, "I'm roasting it in olive oil and sea salt and then eating it straight from the baking sheet."

• Get a recipe: Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg and Parmesan

What's inspiring you to cook right now as spring bursts through the door?

(Image credits: Danielle Tsi; Faith Durand; Emma Christensen; Cambria Bold; Rachel Joy Photos;Ariel Knutson; Rachel Joy Baransi)

Original Article Here: http://www.thekitchn.com/5-ingredients-inspiring-us-this-april-202034

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