Blog Archives

9 Command Strip Hacks

1/31/2017

I have been a fan of Command Strips for years, but the commerials featuring MC Hammer have sealed the deal for me. Can't touch this! But seriously, have I said Command Strips saved my walls? They actually saved me a boat load of time and money. Living in Military Housing you have to be extra careful with your walls so that you don't get charged for repairs when you PCS. Who lives in a house with nothing up on the walls? If it was up to my husband, that's how it would be, clean lines. Better yet, no lines. We have had many discussions about this topic, but luckily the Artwork won. Here are some great command strip hacks:

1. Use command hooks to hide the pesky cords in your living room and home office.
2. No more wrapping your cords around your mixer - use command cord bundlers.
3. Use command strip hooks inside cabinet doors to organize your bathroom.
4. Use jumbo command hooks to hand curtain rods.
5. Create extra storage in kids rooms for with a decorative bucket and command hooks.
6. Save tons of cabinet and counter space by securing a few tea cups unde a cabinet in your kitchen to create a hidden tea-cup organizer.
7. The best way to organize jewlry? You guessed it command hooks.
8. Organize your sun glasses too. Use that wall space and hang them on a command hook.
9. Hang a door wreath with an upside-down hook.

Share with us any Command Strip tips you may have.

Until next time,
Maria

Check out the Command website for more tips. http://www.command.com/3M/en_US/command/?WT.mc_id=www.command.com

1 Comment

What We Do At Moving With The Military

1/22/2017

1 Comment

Netflix binge watching has become a thing in our house. Watching our favorite shows or finding new ones is easy and we can watch them whenever we want to, where ever we are, and right from the palm of our hands. Streaming video content is what we do right? Additionally, we rely on technology more than ever to stay connected, to find information about housing at a new duty station, and learn about the area we will be moving to. Yelp and Google are our friends. So when I created the concept of Moving With The Military, making it a web series just made sense.

So what do we do at Moving with the Military? We are home improvement, lifestyle series that shares the stories of military families and their PCS journey. We post DIY tutorials, as well as PCS tips, and yes, we decorate a room in homes military families, completely FREE for the military family. Why are we doing this you may ask? Because for years I have heard military spouses say "one day we will have a grown up house," or "some day we will have things that isn't held together with duct tape." We PCS so much that items get broken, lost, or furniture will work in one house, but not in another. Families and their kids often times feel like they never have a real home. So I created Moving With The Military to help military families find comfort in their new spaces and show them how much they are appreciated for all that they do.

Military families sacrifice so much from schools to field training, deployments to PCSs. We miss births, first steps, birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, graduations to mention a few. We are apart sometimes more than we are together. But we are strong and resilient. We are a family and community that works together, that helps each other in the good times and in the not so good times.

One moment I will never forget is when we lived at Fort Benning. There was a fire in a house down the street from us. The house was destroyed, the family lost everything. Within minutes the military families in the neighborhood created a network to help the family, get clothing, food, and shelter. It happened so quickly and I was amazed at everyone pulled together. I witnessed an incredible community of people who care come together in a time of need. That's just what we do.

Another moment that remains in my memory is when a former high school student of mine was getting ready for her senior prom. Her dad was deployed and had Skyped with her before the dance so he could share that special day with his daughter seeing her all dressed up for the dance. This is one of my favorite photos. It's moments like this, that although may not be considered the norm,
I find beautiful and empowering.

Our military family has embarked on several PCS moves and I am so grateful for it all, even the broken televisions. My husband might disagree with that one though. I am thankful for the experiences we have had and friendships we have made. We would have never met all the wonderful people we now call friends if it had not been for the Army.

I am dedicated to showing military families that they are appreciated and to giving America a glimpse into what military family life is like. HOOAH

All the best,
Maria

1 Comment

Collection vs Clutter Part 2

1/8/2017

7 Comments

Hello again and HAPPY NEW YEAR! Thank you for checking back in with us for Part II of the “Collection versus Clutter” blog! There is a popular trend going around on how to trash 40 BAGS (of STUFF) in 40 DAYS, have you heard about it? Well, I have, and personally, I LOVE IT. But, I’m a goals and deadlines kind of gal, so this sort of thing totally works for me! Now, let me be CLEAR, this topic is always hard for me to write about because we have NEVER EVER bought a home. That certainly does not mean we haven’t had one or that we have never felt “at home”. Quite the opposite, actually. If you are like us, and many in the Military, OUR STUFF IS OUR HOME. So with that in mind, let me walk and talk you through my personal plan to help you achieve balance and organization in your HOME in 2017. We already know that we are moving back to the States in six months. So I am on a mission to purge our house of the unnecessary!

“Have nothing in your home that you do not know it to be useful or believe to be beautiful”~~ William Morris.

HOW TO COMBAT CLUTTER:
Five Things to Consider:

This is not a sprint. It is a marathon. It takes time. And like running, it’s also helpful to have friends who will encourage you! ( do you have a friend or neighbor to enlist in this effort? It is so much more fun when you can do it with someone else on the same mission!)
Start room by room. Advance to item by item. Steady girl...
Break down your belongings into zones. ( I’ve provided my own list to help you from becoming overwhelmed.)
Ask yourself:

Have I used this item in the last 12 months? ( If no, TOSS IT. You don’t need it or won’t use it in the next 12. UNLESS it’s rare or sentimental, which I will discuss in another blog soon. ( that’s a freebie, keep it until we talk about it later!)
Is it in good condition? If it’s unusable, TOSS IT. If you want to keep it but it requires repair, GREAT. Now set a REASONABLE deadline to repair it or TOSS IT.
Do I love this? Really, really THINK about this. (The rare and sentimental, again, do not fall into this category, so take a deep breath my friend!) If you do not LOVE IT. TOSS IT. Otherwise, you are wasting time, energy, and SPACE (that’s code for HHG ALLOWANCE).
Do I already have this? I get it. “Multiples” mean that you are never “without”. But it also means EXTRA WEIGHT. You will survive with ONE of whatever it is and if you’re like me, you always have that wonderful neighbor friend who will loan you the item until you can replace your ONE.

5. Do I need this in my life? Say whaaaatttt? We can talk ourselves into a LOT of things. If it doesn’t work, doesn’t fit or doesn’t align with your personal plan of organization and decluttering, TOSS IT.

1. Storage room
2. Cubbies, catch-alls
   3. Master bedroom
  4. Master closet
   5. Master bathroom
   6. Nightstands
   7. Master dresser
   8. Kid’s closets
   9.    Husband’s closet
   10. Any other bedroom closets
   11. Kids’ dressers
   12. Any other dressers/ clothing storage
   13. Garage
   14. Entry closet by front door
   15. Closets anywhere in the house
   16. Laundry room
   17. Kitchen cabinets
   18. Kitchen drawers
   19. Pantry
   20. Refrigerator

21. Refrigerator Freezer
22. Additional refrigerator/freezer
   23. Office
   24. Craft supplies
   25. Books
   26. Master linen closet
   27. Vehicles
   28.   Junk drawers throughout the house
   29. Wet bar cabinets
   30. Attic
   31. Sunroom
   32. Playroom
   33. Papers to shred/organize/file
   34 E-mail
   35. Guest bedroom
36. Guest bedroom closet
37.    Purses/ Backpacks
38. Videos, DVDs
39. CDs
40. WHAT’S LEFT?

I began my personal mission this past week and can’t believe how just a little bit of work each day has made such a big and immediate difference in my home. One thing for certain is that instead of looking around and seeing the chaos (all indicative of an active and busy life!), I am seeing a home that we live in and enjoy. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed in the beginning, but I guarantee you, the effort is worth it! I haven’t taken the outcast bags anywhere yet (I have plans for sell, donate, and trash) but it is so rewarding to see them stacked alongside the garage wall! It’s all the motivation I need to continue my mission! And the most amazing part about all of this is replacing the chaos with peace. WHO doesn’t want a little bit more of that?

Thank you for continuing to follow our Moving With The Military journey! We are committed to helping you make your home and lifestyle much more enjoyable while assisting you with home decor, solutions, tips and advice along the way!

Until next time,
Jill

7 Comments

Blog Blog Blog

9 Command Strip Hacks

What We Do At Moving With The Military

Collection vs Clutter Part 2

Author

Archives

Categories