Smart home gadgets have LONG been a conversation piece around here. We’ve shared how we keep our home running with the help of a smart refrigerator, automated lights, video doorbell, and internet hub. A few readers have emailed asking for a complete list of connected smart home items we use to keep things running smoothly while we travel. Not just one-off features, but an item-by-item list of stuff that helps us keep it all together.
Here in the Day family, I’m always advocating for clever use of resources. Our household duties are often solved with either delegation or automation.”Work smarter, not harder” is the driving philosophy around here! Delegating things can be challenging, though, if you’re isolated or travel a lot or simply don’t want other people mucking around in your house. For seniors and active families, it can be a financial and time burden to manage the comings and goings of helpers. That’s when smart home features can step up and hold down the fort to give you the most independent life possible.
This is the area of our home that Chelsea calls the “command center.” Elements of it have moved around during the never-ending renovation process, but this is where it … Read more
Looking for the perfect Amazon Echo setup for a busy family? We’re working with Amazon to share how to pick the best skills, games and functionality for your Echo. Here’s how we get our Amazon Echo set up for our family of six!
Christmas has come and gone. You’ve got all sorts of fun new technology itching to get out of the box and get put to good use! We’re here to help, with quick and easy rundowns of all our favorite new smart home gear to get your New Year house ALL jazzed up. First on the list? Amazon Alexa and her best pal, DISH. Oh yeah, these two pieces of tech mastery play super well together.
This time of year is no joke. So much running around and things to do. Not gonna lie, you guys, I’ve been STRESSED! As I always do when things get overwhelming, though, I’ve taken a nice big step backwards and looked for inefficiencies that I can rectify. Where am I spinning my wheels? What minor, aggravating tasks are eating away at my day? I realized that we’ve become heavily reliant on tech as a family, but we were missing a smart home controller to bring everything together and minimize friction.
I don’t foresee the Sonos One hopping up to wash my dishes anytime soon, but this sexy little number gives every other smart speaker a run for its money. And there’s even more capability on the way. The biggest testament to its abilities? It got this husband and wife to agree that it’s the best choice in home assistant hardware on the market today.
Having a little farm, it turns out, is a LOT of work. Nate and the boys are constantly shuffling around wood and dirt and hay – and I’m in a never-ending battle to keep all of that stuff from getting tracked all over my floors, couches and even counters.
Every time Chelsea and I have a baby, people inevitably ask where the baby’s sleeping in relation to us and his brothers. The concept of four kids under six years old IS mind-boggling, sure. The bigger issue people seem to be grappling with, however, is the idea of getting any baby to go from sleeping in the parents’ room to sleeping in a room with siblings. So, I’ll admit it. Here’s our big secret.
Chelsea and I made what some might call a ridiculous choice to have four children. We honestly must not have been thinking when we got started on … Read more
