Stay Happy at Home

Who we are at home greatly affects how we feel outside of our homes. Often times the habits that we take part in during our “at home” hours have a significant effect on how we view the rest of our day. If you’re having a hard time keeping a positive outlook on life, maybe it’s time to make a few small tweaks to your daily routine.

It may be time to stop looking at outside sources and start focusing more on your habits inside the walls of your home. This quick guide from apartmenttherapy.com has a few interesting ways to boost your mood that may surprise you. Keep reading to find out what they have to say!




1. Make your bed. In a popular post last month, I explained the many benefits of daily bed-making. Gretchen Rubin, New York Times best-selling author of The Happiness Project, explains that this three minute task is one of the simplest habits you can adopt to positively impact your happiness.

2. Bring every room back to "ready." I learned this trick from Marilyn Paul's clever book, It's Hard to Make a Difference When You Can't Find Your Keys. It's a known fact: Clutter causes stress; order creates a haven from it. This mood-boosting routine is simple: Take about three minutes to bring each room back to "ready" before you depart it. (Unless you have a toddler, or a partner who likes to simulate earthquakes, three minutes should be sufficient.)

3. Display sentimental items around your home. One reason that experiences (and memories of those experiences) make us happier than material things is due to the entire cycle of enjoyment that experiences provide: planning the experience, looking forward to the experience, enjoying the experience, and then remembering the experience. Make your home a gallery of positive memories.

4. Start a one-line-a-day gratitude journal. Before bed, simply jot down one happy memory from that day. (If you have kids, you can ask them, "What was the best part of today?") Reflection is an important part of happiness, and pausing to reflect on a positive event from each day cultivates gratitude. (An added bonus: Later, when your memory is defunct, you will already have all of your meaningful adventures recorded!) If you have trouble getting started with journaling, consider buying a book to guide you. Simple Abundance, by Sarah Ban Breathnach, is a great one.

5. If you can't get out of it, get into it. This tip comes from The Happiness Project. I love the message: The dishes are not going to clean themselves, so you will do it, and you will like it! (Unless, of course, you can outsource this job, in which case I say: Nice work!) Otherwise, get into doing the dishes. Feel the soothing warm water on your hands. Enjoy the tickle of the tiny bubbles. Crank your favorite album at an unusually loud volume, do a couple fist-pumps while shouting "Can I get a hell yeah for the dishes? Hell! Yeah!" and pretend you love it.

6. Before you get up each morning, set an intent for the day. In The Art of Happiness, the Dali Lama says ""Every day, think as you wake up: today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it." Wow. What a wise man. I tend to wake up with a strong visceral reaction that says, "Attention human beings: Be afraid of me before coffee. Be very afraid!" Setting a daily intent makes a huge difference. Your daily intent could be something like "be productive" or "enjoy today's delicious moments" or it could be something more specific like "say thank you to my loved ones today." But it should not be another "to do" item on your list.

7. Do small favors for your housemates, expecting nothing in return (not even a thank you!). (That's right, I said it: nothing!) Mow the lawn for your husband, but don't expect him to pat you on the back. Make the bed for your wife, but don't try to get bonus points for it. Take the trash out for your roommate, just because. The ability to cultivate strong, healthy relationships is one of the biggest contributors to health and happiness, but when you start to keep score, the benefit is lost. (No! It's YOUR turn to clean up the dog poop!) It's a well-known fact: When you do good, you feel good.

8. Call at least one friend or family member a day. You can do this while you clean, while you make the bed, or while you walk the dog. Texts and emails do not count! Make an actual phone call to a loved one, just to chat and catch up. We humans are social beings and studies show that even when we don't feel like it, even if we are naturally introverted, socializing with our loved ones makes us feel better.

9. Spend money on things that cultivate experiences at home. Save money for a new grill for parties or a new DVD for family movie night — something that will encourage you to have people over and entertain. Plan a summer barbeque, invite your closest friends, kick back and relax. (And don't forget to print out the pictures to remember the good times.)

10. Spend a few minutes each day connecting with something greater than yourself.Whatever your spiritual beliefs — or non-beliefs — may be, studies show that connecting to a high power is correlated with happiness. Just stepping back to realize that we are part of an enormous universe can put some perspective on your annoyance with the those-are-definitely-not-mine-and-they-are-abso-fricking-lutely-repulsive socks under the coffee table. Before bed, spend just a few minutes contemplating something larger than yourself. Take a walk in nature. Write in a journal. Create a sacred space in your home. (Or if spirituality is really not your thing, create a home spa: light some candles, soak in a hot bath, delve into a good book… are you feeling better yet?)

Take That Out Of Your Freezer

Is your freezer packed to the brim? There are many things that do not belong in your freezer that may end there. These items take up space, and they also do not save well in these conditions. Keep reading to learn about what to clean out of your freezer this weekend. You can learn more at Apartment Therapy.


As you know by now, I'm a huge fan of the cook and freeze method. I've been doing it for almost half my lifetime which probably makes me officially "old." I've frozen everything from lemon juice to lasagne to buttercream frosting. I know which casseroles my family loves and which ones are better left unmade.

Also? I've learned that there are indeed a few foods better left unfrozen.

Over the years I've been able to adapt our family's favorite recipes for freezing in order to save time and to preserve ingredients that I find at a great price. Almost any cooked recipe that you love can be frozen at some stage in the game, even if it's just roasting the peppers and slicing the onions that you'll use in a freshly made skillet dish.

While there's a long list of things that will freeze well, there's also a short list of things that don't belong in your freezer:

Blocks of cheese - Cheese will freeze well, but its texture often undergoes a transformation, making it crumbly instead of easy to slice or shred. Instead of freezing the whole block, do your shredding and slicing prior to freezing.

Soft cheeses, like Brie or Camembert - Again, the texture changes when soft cheese are frozen and thawed. They won't go "bad", but they won't work for fresh uses.

Salad greens or other vegetables for fresh use - You can freeze spinach and other hearty greens that you plan to cook, but those you plan to serve fresh are better left unfrozen. Soggy salad? No thanks.

Canned goods - Canned goods are shelf-stable; they don't need to be frozen. And I'm pretty sure the can will explode if you try. However, if you open a can of something, like chipotle peppers in adobo, and decide you can't use it all in the next four days, feel free to repackage it for freezing.

Eggs in the shell - Ever forget a soda in the freezer? Yeah, same thing will happen to the egg. Things expand when they freeze. Don't put whole eggs in the freezer, but you can mix up a quiche and freeze that (unbaked).

Cream sauces - Cream-based sauces can separate during freezing making them a less preferred candidate for freezing. However, I have frozen soups with cream many times. If you're curious about your recipe, freeze a small amount next time you make it, thaw, and do a taste test.

Mayonnaise - Mayonnaise is another item whose texture doesn't hold up well. Store it in the fridge instead.

Short list, right? The most important thing not to freeze, though, is...

Any food you don't like - If you don't like it, then it shouldn't be taking up valuable real estate in your freezer. It's kitchen clutter that you will be better off without. At some point, it's okay to declare freezer bankruptcy on the things you just can't deal with. Give yourself a clean slate and stock up on the foods you do love.

Creative Gifts for Valentine's Day

What are you doing for your loved one this Valentine’s Day? Valentine’s Day can be special without spending your savings account. Here are some romantic and affordable Valentine’s Day ideas for you to try this year. You can read about some more ideas on Apartment Therapy.

Finding a creative way to spend Valentine's Day has the added benefit of avoiding the crowds at overbook restaurant and florist shops. The best way to show your sweetie you love them? Think outside the box and get creative. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

1. Get dressed up. Book tickets somewhere you might not usually go and put your fancy pants on. Try the local ballet, symphony or theater.

2. Do something creative. Attend a paint night or take a DIY class, you'll both walk away with a memento from the night.

3. Get cooking. Take a cooking class then head home and make dinner in together.

4. Get physical. Go for a hike, try kayaking, or take a bike ride. Added bonus, exercise releases endorphins and you get to enjoy the outdoors together.

5. Get an adrenaline rush. Do something that scares you, if you've always wanted to skydive or go climbing try it out together (just make sure your partner is on board first.)

6. Go tasting. You can go with the classic wine tasting or go for chocolate tasting,cheese tasting or coffee cupping.

7. Learn to dance. Don't know how to dance? Perfect, you can learn. Try out a class, be it ballroom, salsa, swing or square dancing. It's fun and a great way to learn to work together.

8. Take a tour. Instead of dining out, try a food tour—it's a meal and activity rolled into one.

9. Get a new perspective. Find out where the best views in your city are and make it a date. San Francisco has Twin Peaks and Los Angeles has the Griffith Observatory—bonus points if you pack a picnic.

10. Get lost. Grab a guide (or make your own) and go explore a part of town that you've never spent time in.

11. Get away. Book a weekend away, but look for creative lodging. You can stay in a yurt, a treehouse, a boat or even a wagon for something more adventurous, Airbnb has a whole section devoted to unique options.

12. Dwell on the past. Revisit places that were a part of your shared history, take a walk, grab a glass of wine or visit the restaurant where you had your first date. You can even have a custom map made on Etsy.

13. Do good. Take the day to volunteer together. You can visit Volunteer Matchto get matched up with a cause you both care about.

14. Have a game night. Pick a couple of favorite board games (even better if they are from your childhood), set out some snacks and a bottle of wine. "Sorry!"

15. Find a new way to explore. Try exploring a favorite place in a new way. Take a train ride through the Redwoods, go horseback riding, take a harbor cruise or even go for a hot air ballon ride in wine country.