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The Polished Jar has modern, customizable jars for your soaps and cleansers

About every year (hence, Spring Cleaning time), I begin to feel like certain rooms need a revamp. Sometimes a room needs a fresh coat of paint or a closet clean out. Other rooms may just need some new decor. You can spend very little and make changes that seem small and simple and really make a room look better and refreshed such as with customizable jars. Brands like The Polished Jar can be the exact change your spaces need.

In my kitchen I redid my coffee area with a cute black and white coffee jar I found a few months back at Home Goods. Recently, I simply changed my dish and hand soap set up at the sink. It seems small, but it took this spot on my counter and gave it a modern update. The Polished Jar lets you choose and customize labels and jar colors and pumps.

For my kitchen I chose the Luxe collection for the label design with 1 white bottle with brass pump and 1 black bottle with black matte pump for dish soap and hand wash. Then I have The Polished Jar White Ceramic Tray to keep them on so that dish soap does not end up on the counter.

I loved the idea of this simple change to my counters that I knew I wanted to make a similar change to the guest bath that is right off of my kitchen. I replaced the shampoo, conditioner and body wash store bottles with The Polished Jar Luxe Collection (same as the kitchen design) in black jars with copper pumps to all look cohesive in that shower.

This guest bath of ours has a shower that no one ever uses. My guest bedroom is upstairs so if anyone stays over they use the full bath up there, so this is more of a stage for decorative shower soaps to see when someone needs to use the restroom when just over for dinner. What a difference! With free shipping at The Polished Jar US orders, it makes ordering these reasonably priced customizable jars so fantastic for yourself or as a gift.

The pumps work great! They just seem like great quality and of all of my jars, each pump works great right away. They have so many label designs to choose from to match your home style. You can even add monograms to some designs. Visit The Polished Jar to make these small updates to your spaces.

Home, Mother's Day

Noot is the secret sauce that keeps my plants alive and thriving

April 6, 2021July 10, 2023 Erin Sluka

This front garden bed of mine, ugh! It has been a chore finding the right recipe that keeps my plants alive and thriving. I am not the most plant knowledgable, but the way the builders left this hodgepodge of a bed when we bought the house was too unorganized. My front bed lacks color and I have tried to ‘guess’ my way into the right set up, but then I am left with a mess or just brown and dark green 3 of the 4 seasons. I am finally soliciting my sister to help me design the garden as she has come to love gardening so she can now help me.

She gave me some tasks to do before we shop. I am moving some plants around and even transplanting a boxwood we feel won’t work here in the end, but I love the health of it so I want to keep it. I am adding a few English Daisies for some spring color as I wait for summer plants to be available to buy and plant. To do this, I am using the trusty Noot, where every watering offers no-fuss organic fertilizing that fuels long lasting, natural growth. Noot keeps my plants alive and thriving.

Whether planting or transplanting, the nutrients you give your plants to root and thrive in their new locations matters the most. I have old soil on top of clay/rocks, so I have had to add more layers of better soil and really make sure I am giving them the best feed.

Noot nourishes plants with 18 powerful organic ingredients combined with beneficial bacteria. Noot makes caring for plants easy with monthly delivery and comes in 3 varieties – Noot Mix (standard for all plants), Husky Mix (for root health) and Rescue Mix (for damaged/strained plants). To use, just pour it on the soil and Noot converts ordinary water into a complex nutritional and microbial solution that every plant craves.

With the Noot plan 7 gallons of feeding fits within 2 glass tubes for under $20. Choose how much you need delivered from 3.5 gallons to 300 gallons worth of plant food. Noot Works with most houseplants: tropicals, succulents, ferns, palms, cactus, bonsai, calathea, orchids, anthuriums, monsteras, aroids, and even kitchen herbs. Simply, mix 1 tsp of Noot every 1/2 gallon of water. No PH-ing needed. Learn more at Grow with Noot!

Earth Friendly, Home

Arm & Hammer Essentials Disinfecting Wipes for a Cleaner Home

March 23, 2021July 10, 2023 Erin Sluka

Thank you to Arm & Hammer for providing these wipes to me. I am proud to be an Ambassador to this brand.

Arm & Hammer Essentials Disinfecting Wipes for a Cleaner Home

I am cleaning and disinfecting more this year than in previous years and it is important that the cleaning products I use are safe for my pets and family. I do not like using harsh chemicals, it really is unnecessary when so many natural products are proven to clean as effectively, if not better! I quickly went from shopping any ‘ole cleaner that was on sale, to making sure I choose pure ingredients only so I don’t leave extra harm behind after I clean. Arm & Hammer Essentials Disinfecting Wipes are what I am using right now.

Arm & Hammer Essentials Disinfecting Wipes do not contain harsh chemicals such as bleach, ammonia or Quats! This is because they use Citrus Based Disinfection – it is pure and simple and cleans effectively. These wipes are safe on any spaces near pets and kids such as food surfaces (although wiping down food surfaces with purified water to finish is always recommended no matter the cleaning products used).

I can even ring the excess moisture form a wipe and use it on electronics. Remotes, phones and screens get touched the most in my home and by the dirtiest of hands, so using a cleaning wipe that kills 99.9% of Viruses¹ & Bacteria on these products is fantastic!

I have used these wipes in my bathroom, kitchen, home gym equipment and electronics and I am never left with any residue. It dries quickly so you can just wipe and move on. They smell great and come in these tall, narrow containers for easy storage.

Look for these Arm & Hammer Essentials Disinfecting Wipes at most major retailers. Make sure that when you clean, you find pure and simple ingredients and no-mess options to save you time.

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How to Relax as a Family After Relocation

March 3, 2021March 3, 2021 Erin Sluka

Saying goodbye to your old place and moving to a new one can be exhausting. You will spend several months dealing with every detail. After a successful relocation, your family deserves to relax. You’re not the only one who felt exhausted because of this decision. Apart from the physical exhaustion, relocation can also take a toll on your emotional health. Relax and feel better after relocation.

Look for local accommodation to have a staycation

Even if you enjoy your new house and you feel excited to stay there, it’s not yet perfect. There are still many things that need to happen. You also don’t have enough time to finish decorating everything. You feel tired, and you don’t have the resources yet. It makes sense if you decide to look for local accommodation and enjoy a staycation. It is also a way to get to know the neighbourhood. Even if you found a wonderful place to live in, you will only appreciate it once you finish decorating it. For now, a lovely staycation place is good enough.

Shop for new home features

If you moved into an empty house, you have more freedom to determine how to decorate it. If you wish to buy a luxury painting or antique products, it’s your choice. However, you also have to consider buying relaxing features. Freestanding baths would be a great addition. They might be pricey, but you will enjoy using them. Your entire family will also love having one at home. Whenever you feel stressed out, you can go to the bathroom and take a break.

Order food online

There’s nothing wrong with cooking at home. However, after moving to a new place, you won’t have the energy to provide home-cooked meals for your family. Sometimes you want to order food online and call it a day. Your family will probably agree with this decision. Tell them they can order whatever they want.

Walk around

Since you recently moved into a new city, you will still feel like a tourist. Therefore, if you walked around, it helps. It will allow you to get to know the area. You can also find your neighbours as you stroll.

Do nothing for a day

You can decide as a family to not do anything for a day. Forget about anything related to relocation. You can also drop work-related tasks. You can call it your lazy day. There’s nothing wrong with doing it since you spent too much time working on other things. If you want to take a break for a day, you deserve it. Don’t worry about the rest of the relocation tasks. You can deal with them later when you regain energy.

Deciding to move to a new place isn’t easy. Even your children will disagree with it. They don’t like to leave the people they know and start over again. Finding ways to relax as a family is an excellent idea. You need time to hit the reset button before you keep going.