On a recent poll on instagram, I asked the community their ease in motivating themselves when they need to do something. The question was how easy is it to motivate yourself to do the tasks you need to do? 8% said it was easy, 30% said it was somewhat easy and 62% said it was somewhat difficult (39%) or difficult (23%). I wasn't too surprised by the results, but as a naturally born do-er, I fall into the "easy" camp for this question. Where I need to dig deeper into my motivational reserves usually is the last 10% and getting things across the finish line. Below are some of the ways I've ..read more

It's been almost two years since I wrote my last blog post. My last post was written about a month before my Dad died. I didn't even realize it until I looked today to see the last time I'd posted and then it all made sense. I didn't have it in me to write. I didn't have it in me to connect. I didn't have the energy, the inspiration or the will to do it anymore. Today, I feel differently. My energy is changing. My mind is growing and I've created a little more space for myself. It was in that space I realized I missed just sitting down to write and help in a different way by sharing from my h ..read more

There is something about summer that makes everything slow down a bit so you can linger on small things a little more like reading in a hammock, looking for rocks or shells on a shoreline or making s'mores by a fire after a day of working or playing outside. When I was small, we knew we were in for a treat if we saw a bag of marshmallows, a box of graham crackers and delicious bars of chocolate sitting on the kitchen counter. While today we still enjoy the simplicity of a tried-and-true s'more, we've also experimented with some new kinds of inclusions like peanut butter cups and m&m candie ..read more

Just like you, there are some projects on my own home update list that have lived there for quite some time. One big one for our family was our garage. For nearly 17 years we have talked about and conceptualized its overhaul but it remained less of a priority than other areas of our home... until this past spring. I had been looking at garage eye-candy on social media for a least a decade envisioning our future garage as a clean, decluttered space that would bring us joy when we pulled into it. I desired a garage space that was both functional and beautiful. To me, functional meant it would b ..read more

When my children, now 16 and 12 years old, were younger they had significantly more "stuff" than they have today. While it is true that younger kids generally require more stuff (with the diapers, carriers, strollers, etc.), that's not the reason our kids had too much when they were little. The reason was very simple ... we bought our kids too much stuff. Not only did we buy our kids too much, our parents bought them too much and aunts and uncles bought them too much. We all had the best intentions, but many of them were misguided. And those misguided intentions turned quickly into clutter. Ho ..read more

In my line of work, I meet a lot of moms who are weary. They are tired because they are trying to be housekeepers, breadwinners, entertainers, chefs, chief comforting officers, and taxi cab drivers. And when the pandemic served up online learning, moms had to take on even more roles like the head of IT and teacher. While I didn't need a research study to tell me that moms are busier than ever before, a study ,by Pew Research did indeed show that moms spent more time in both the labor force and on child care than in the past. No wonder so many moms are exhausted at their core. I get it, I've ov ..read more

I haven't posted a Neat Little Nest blog post in over a month because I just couldn't make it happen. From about mid-December until recently, I wasn't able to catch my breath. On top of the usual holiday bustle, we had a very busy client schedule and on top of that I kicked up a search to find my parents a new place to live, my dad took two trips to the ER and I took three trips to breast center to get a diagnosis about a suspicious spot. Thankfully, my dad is doing better and my breast biopsy was benign. While I'm pleased to say that I was able to, for the most part, stay steady, during this ..read more

The holidays are often a hectic and frenzied time of year and it seems that no matter how well you plan out your gift buying, it's inevitable that you will need a few quick gift ideas for those "in-a-pinch" moments. Whether you need a last minute gift for a teacher, a co-worker or a hostess, an edible DIY gift is one of my go-to resources. Sharing sweets and treats (or any yummy food really, think soup, sauce or salsa, or hot chocolate or cookie/brownie mix) is a thoughtful way to show your love and appreciation — and DIY gifts are easy on the wallet too. Best yet, you can make big batches of ..read more

'Tis the season where we find ourselves in a series of back-to-back holidays. For many, excitement is in the air and there is an eagerness to unpack holiday decor and don homes with much merry spirit. For others, holiday decorating creates anxiety and overwhelm and one of the biggest reasons for this is that last year's adornments were hurriedly stashed out of sight when the post-holiday let down hit. Opening up those bins of unorganized decor and tangled lights is a Pandora's box of sorts. Whatever holidays you celebrate, Neat Little Nest has some tips to lessen the stress of festive decorati ..read more

The holiday season can be an exhausting and stressful time of year as you run here, there and everywhere to check off all of your to-dos, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Neat Little Nest is here to help with some tips to get you through what should be a joyful season. Don't let mental clutter build and weigh down your merry spirit. schedule "me" time Don’t forget about yourself amidst handling all the overwhelming list of holiday details. Setting aside time aside to relax, reset and refuel throughout the season is essential for you to be able to show up as your best self at home, work and ..read more