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We love our kids. But in our love, are we showering them with one too many things? And other than possibly encouraging materialism, are we also reducing their attention spans (which can set them up for disappointment down the road)?

Your floor squeaks, your cupboard shelves whirr and when you sit on your couch, it tends to speak out. What are we talking about? A home overladen and overburdened with one too many toys. As parents, we want the best for our children in every way. But is buying them every new toy that hits the shelves a good idea?

I have a complicated relationship with my Amazon Echo and Dot, the hands-free, voice-controlled devices Amazon developed as a user-interface for Alexa, their answer to Siri and other intelligent personal assistants.  The Echo and Dot devices can be used as Bluetooth speakers, but their most well-known function is to allow users to interact with Alexa – you can search the web, buy stuff directly from Amazon (because, of course!), listen to music, get news briefings, and more – all by simply talking to the device.

Kitchens are supposed to be clean, hygienic and somewhat sunny in health and disposition. Is your kitchen matching up to this lovely picture or is it, in fact, harboring hidden and deadly bacteria and germs?

More than termites, rats, and wasps, Argentine ants might actually be the worst pests in the world. Based on their size alone, they might appear innocuous: worker ants are between 1.6 and 2.8 mm long, while queens are no bigger than 6.4 mm. Despite their tiny size, they’re major disruptors of native ant species. While they’ve only lived in the United States for little more than 120 years, they can be found across the nation with large populations in moderate climates like Southern California.

What begins as retail therapy may end turning you into a shopaholic with too many things, too little money and a whole lot of stress.  To de-stress, start with de-cluttering your life, desk, home, and all things big and small.

Think your bathroom could use a touch of green? Try adding some plants! In addition to being a great element of decoration, some indoor plants can help improve the air quality and freshen up bathroom spaces. Not only that, having indoor plants around is said to help reduce stress levels and evoke feelings of calmness, which is definitely appropriate for this particular setting.

Looking for more natural ways to wash those dirty clothes? Try organic soap nuts! Soap nuts, otherwise known as “soap berries," come from the Chinese Soapberry tree (Sapindus mukorossi). Although they look like nuts, they are actually dried fruit that is similar to lychee. Soap nuts are usually harvested after they drop from trees grown in the jungles of Indonesia or India. Soap nuts have various uses, and they can be used for cleaning more than just your laundry.

Sunny springtime sure is lovely and all, but what about the hair (pet hair, that is)?! During the colder months, our furry friends gain their winter coats to keep them nice and warm, but, at the first sign of sunshine, those coats seem to come right off—onto our carpets, couches, clothes, etc.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am the most loyal and dedicated thrift store shopper. Whether I need a basic item for the kitchen or a staple item to complete an outfit, I check out my thrift store first. If I could find everything I needed second hand, I’d never shop anywhere else…but this is not the reality. Even so, your local thrift store is an amazing resource for many reasons.

It’s a bone-shivering day, overcast and dreary outside. The woodstove is going, and you’ve just prepared a warm and relaxing chamomile tea in your favorite mug – a nice big one perfect for clasping with both hands. You settle into your favorite armchair, wool-socked feet curled up under you, and open up your book…