Our blended family is going to get a bit bigger. Remember how I mentioned that I was recovering from mono and taking some time to rest? Well, I went straight from mono to morning sickness. Consequently, productivity has not been at an all-time high around here. Throw in a couple of hurricanes to monitor, a…
Off Topic with an Menu Monday Attempt to Get it Together
Heather says Late summer is difficult around here. You’ve got the usual back to school hassle and sports starting up with four kids, we enter birthday season mid-August and before any of that happens, I start dreading an anniversary. For those that don’t know, my sister was killed in August of ’13. It was a traumatic…
[Personal and Off Topic] Heavy Hearts
June 17, 2015 was a terrible day for my home. A coward drove two hours to kill people he didn’t know. He sat with them for an hour, while they prayed. And then he brutally took their lives. My heart hurts for them, for their families, for my home. Yesterday we sat and listened to…
Well That Wasn’t Fun
Heather says Hi, it’s been a couple weeks, hasn’t it? Things started off with the best of intentions, but then my youngest decided to play Typhoid Mary (only she was sick, too) with a fun thing called Rotavirus. Parents of very young children probably know this term and are cringing. I took the kids to…
Here is to 2015
Heather says 2014 has been very quiet at Home-Ec101.com; it’s been a year of healing and new beginnings. The year has been about learning what is good enough and what can and can’t be tolerated. Back in April, one of my best friends, who is also my assistant at FeedBlitz, found a lump and began…
Where Has Heather Been
Heather says: Moving. It’s not a cross-country move, just a one town over, this-won’t-be-so-bad wait, the Internet co doesn’t cover the new house move? I’m in the process of buying a house. It’s the house I grew up in, but no one has taken care of it in at least ten years. The upside? Cost….
The Really? That Happened? Personal Aside and Back to School Nightmares, Share Yours
Heather says: Yesterday I stood at my children’s bus stop for over an hour, eagerly waiting for their bus to drop them off. I was excited to hear about their first day. Dripping sweat and with my phone battery dying I paced at the edge of the road, out in the sun. Finally there was…
Share Your Best Back-to-School Tips / Ideas
Heather says: Here’s a little transparency for you. This is the first time my children are going to school and frankly, I think I’m more nervous and excited than they are. I have once mentioned that my oldest child is on the autistic spectrum (Asperger’s) and that he needed a couple of extra years at…
Sunday Confessional with a Side of Site Admin
Heather says: Let’s get the site adminstration stuff out of the way. Home-Ec101.com has been having some performance issues; my good friend Michael Carnell and I are working hard to make sure that we get it whipped into shape. The comment system has been changed, IntenseDebate seems to have been a part of the problem,…
New Year’s Eve, The Retrospective
Heather says: Tonight we’re having a geek in, because that’s how we roll in the Solos house. What is that? Another couple is coming over with their laptops. There’ll be food and drinks, video games, and geek talk. At midnight I’m sure there’ll be a toast. Just don’t tell anyone that my husband specifically requested…
Three Years of Home-Ec Goodness
Heather says: I can’t believe I wrote this morning’s post and completely forgot to mention that today marks the third anniversary of Home-Ec101.com. A lot has been covered in that time, but what amazes me is how much there is to learn and share. There is so much more I want to cover, like household…
Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig
Heather says: Coming home from a long trip is hard. While I’m thankful I had to have the house company ready, I am still facing a monster pile of laundry, unpacking and a nearly empty refrigerator. I am a creature of habit, I have routines I like to follow and starting today I’m re-launching #backontrack….
Been There, Done That: When a Baby Bird Leaves the Nest
The following is a guest post from Kathy Tyson, who has been there, done that and whose advice I’m more than happy to take. Kathy says: My oldest daughter was recently shoved out of the nest. She left kicking and screaming – very unhappy because I made her move into a college dorm room rather…
It’s a Frugal Friday Free for All
Heather says: There’s a lot on the Home-EC101 plate right now, so I’m opening the comments up our frugal friends. Have you recently written a post on frugality? If so, link to it in the comments. Later today I’m heading back to Myrtle Beach, SC but this time it’s not for vacation, I’ve been helping…
Sunday Confessional: This Is How It Ends
Ivy says: My grandmother passed away at about 5 this morning. We’re sad that she’s no longer here on earth, but we rejoice since we know her name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and we will see her again one day in Heaven. As always, she was the polar opposite of my…