Home Ec

Do you have a guest room that’s neglected? I admit it, we need some guest room TLC and I wanted to create a cozy guest room. It’s a work in progress, but here’s where we are on the project. As a busy working mom, I admit to many failings. One is that I like to think big when ...read more

After 21 years, it's now free to join Angie's List. Homeowners like me are celebrating this new access to 10 million verified reviews from Angie's List members. To celebrate and spread the news, Founder and CMO, Angie Hicks held a splashy party at a breathtaking Chelsea NYC ...read more

Allergies are the worst. That's why we have 4 air purifiers in the house. The latest is the Honeywell True HEPA Allergen Remover which we just installed in my tween daughter's beautiful room. She designed this gorgeous space with us four years ago. We wanted to give her room ...read more

You've still got time to make a DIY gift basket for mom. I put this one together on my latest shopping trip to Marshalls. For just about $40, I was able to create a thoughtful, sweet gift for my mom. How to Make Your DIY Gift Basket for Mom I started in the housewares ...read more

It's high time my family learned some basic toilet paper etiquette. Some folks have toilet paper battles about whether the roll should come from the top or the bottom. Frankly, I don't care I just want someone else to refill the roll. I got my chance to talk TP and toilet paper ...read more

What's on your homescreen right now? A bunch of apps that you barely use? I admit the meditation app has been gathering virtual dust. Time to de-clutter my phone. I want a apps that work for me and solve problems. Like my calculator, my workout reminder, and my new Clorox® ...read more

Robot vacuums are genius. I can think of 1,564 things I'd rather do than clean BUT I'm also really picky about how my home looks. I'm forever tidying things up and wiping down the counters and battling clutter. We have a cleaning lady come in for the heavy duty cleaning ...read more

Cleaning ins't my favorite. But I do love a good vacuum. We're still loving our Shark Sonic Duo now I've got an additional weapon. Check out our review and demo of the Powered Lift-Away Technology. Display of all the tools and how they work. Find out more ...read more

Hello Bounty with Dawn! 2 is better than 1. Well that's the rule when it comes to cleaning. Two little helpers get more done than one--when the girls team up to tackle room clean-up or laundry the chores are finished in a flash. Bounty figured out the same equation. They teamed ...read more

Trend alert from New York Fashion Week: Wearable is in! Has there been a BIG shift in fashion? Are designers ready to say buh-bye to fussy fabrics? Yes, and no. Watching the 2015 fall fashions was a great sporting event. There were artistic statements (Thom Brown) and glorious ...read more

Are you ready for the holidays? Are you doing any entertaining? Here's some tabletop inspiration for you. We've used gold as a theme color and added some additional touches. For my recent holiday party I went for a metallic theme. It is classic and modern and I want to share ...read more

It's kind of hysterical really. I am the world's least-inspired baker, yet time and again over the holidays I'm called upon to muster my mediocre (at best) skills. Baking is so precise...and messy. But when you've got kids you have to embrace a cooking challenge and the mess. ...read more

I’m not supermom. Our mac ‘n’ cheese usually comes out of a box. Though the kids love it, I'm not a huge fan. Thanks to a little inspiration from American Express’ two new web series “My Everyday Dish” and “Everyday Genius”, I now have a few new kitchen tricks up my sleeve to ...read more

1 in 5 children face hunger every day. To help drive awareness to the issue and to help solve the problem, Unilever launched Project Sunlight in November 2013. Unilever Project Sunlight embodies the consumer product company’s global mission that encourages people to take small ...read more

The art of letter writing is alive and well in my world. Pretty printing for mom and baby is a great resource to get you inspired to write again. A thank you, a birthday wish, a sweet sentiment attains a deeper meaning when one puts pen to paper and crafts a note. I'm always ...read more

Today's moms have it good. We've got style galore when it comes to fashion and design. Earlier this year we teamed up with Huggies to talk about the debut of the Clutch 'n' Clean wipes--those chic little cases that look so good on the go. Now we're taking on home design. I ...read more

Welcome to HappiMess. Let me explain. Cooking creates a beautiful mess. Trust me I know, I regularly cook with two insanely cute, but insanely messy sous chefs. I have done my best to impart my love of preparing fresh food to my girls. This means letting them suit up in aprons ...read more

Bridgestone's BlogHer event really stood out. I'm going to be frank with you all. I was not dazzled by this year's BlogHer conference. One of the big reasons I make an effort to attend is to spot trends and meet with marketing representatives. The 10th Annual BlogHer Conference ...read more

Getting a great gift for my parents is a tough one. They don't need any stuff--in fact they are trying to downsize. So this year to thank them for being awesome parents and grandparents we took them to Bermuda for a family beach vacation. Now it's time to recap the holiday. ...read more

With 4th of July right around the corner, it's time to get the kids into the spirit of the holiday. Craft a special skirt for your girl for a 4th of July Celebration! We've got a no-sew patriotic craft that's easy and fun! Related: DIY fireworks shirt How to Make a No-Sew DIY ...read more

How do busy women get it all done? Creativity. Energy. The right tools. That's my key to success. Tomorrow I'm celebrating all of these at a special event with Microsoft Office 365. As I type this, I am flying back from Seattle after three days of getting a glimpse of all the ...read more

We are almost done with our renovation! This summer we combined two city apartments to create one grand living space in Brooklyn. It's been a long project and we've devoted our hearts to it. We want this renovation to last a long time and add value to the apartment. Here's a ...read more

Being a work-at-home mom has been incredible for me to being close to my kids while still feeding my passion. It also means that I am often juggling my time between my home responsibilities and my work responsibilities. To help me out, I have been tackling the dishes, laundry ...read more

Moroccan flair was a major influence on our kitchen redesign. We opted for imported mosaic tile on the walls to set the mood. From there, we worked with our designer to craft some overlays for our stark white cabinets. With a bit of burnished metal trim and metal accents, I was ...read more

This summer we started a vegetable garden for the kids. We visit the farmers market each week, Making healthy food choices is a priority for our family. I've tried to make food exciting and fun for the kids. I want to know food can empower them, fuel them and also be a fun way ...read more

We're renovating an apartment in the city and adding a flatscreen TV. I'm very concerned about safely mounting this monstrous (and expensive) device. Number 1 fear? It falls on one of the girls. Number 2 fear? It falls off the wall and we are out thousands of dollars. Sanus has ...read more

We're knee-deep in apartment renovation and I am looking at lots of plumbing fixtures.A few years ago we re-did the kitchen cabinets (see above) and tiled the wall behind the stove. I was really happy with the results. But we never got around to the faucet. We stuck with what ...read more

I'm sharing my top 10 tips for creating work/life balance. When Always Infinity came to me with the program, my first thought was to giggle. No working mom I know has balance 100% of the time. But some of us have a fragile dance that is working. I consider myself one of the ...read more

Dream Closet Inspiration by momtrends featuring Tweezerman beauty products Dream Closets. If you work in fashion or style or simply love clothing, you've likely had visions of the glorious closet of your dreams. Well, mine is getting a little closer to reality. This summer we ...read more

It's the season of weekend visitors and we want to help you get your home ready for guests.Whether we are hosting in NYC or in Connecticut, we always try to make our house as inviting as possible for our weekend guests. From keeping things tidy and organized to adding cozy ...read more