Homestead

32 Smart Home Features for an Independent Life

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.

How to install a Hot Tub Anywhere. Seriously, Anywhere.

When we bought our house, it came with a hot tub. The sellers made it part of the deal that they could leave said hot tub where it sat, and we soon learned why. It was dead as a door nail from day one! There was something wrong with the overly-complicated electrical setup, and soon this massively-heavy beast of a machine was acting as a makeshift sanctuary for wayward frogs and snakes. It HAD to to be replaced, but we didn’t have a ton of money for this task or the first clue about how to install a hot tub.

Sonos One smart speaker

The Sonos One Smart Speaker does almost Everything

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.

Cuddle time

7 Ways to Carve out more Cuddle Time with your Family

I’ve always been a rather health-conscious parent, but as my kids get older I’m starting to realize how much emotional health matters, too. These concepts are so intricately-woven. As important as it is to provide their bodies with nutritious food, they also need to be supported with time and patience from their parents. Kids are more willing to try new things when they come from a foundation of security and safety.

Family portrait tips

10 Family Portrait Tips for Stress-Free Photos that Rock

We recently had family portraits taken by a professional photographer for the first time EVER. We’ve been in a few brand photoshoots, we’ve done the self-timer thing plenty of times, and we’ve enlisted other photographers in our family to snap all of us together for Christmas cards. Never before, though, have we done pictures just for us, taken by someone we didn’t know, for no reason other than posterity. It was a nice change of pace, and I picked up some helpful new family portrait tips from the other side of the camera.

Pizza date

A Super-Simple Romantic Tailgate Pizza Date

There are few things that my husband loves more than pizza. I’m pretty sure I’m one of them, and I’m fairly positive his truck is up there on the list as well.

Delegate the holidays

How to Choose things to Delegate during the Holidays

I’m a BIG proponent of delegation, to the point that several conferences have invited me to speak on the subject. I’m even writing a course about it! My lovely assistant comes to my house to help with studio tasks in-person each week while remote consultants wrap up the digital stuff I need done. It’s wonderful. In business, however, there are fairly clear-cut lines between what a manager should do and what someone else should take care of. Delegating domestic stuff is a whole other ball game, especially during this festive season of crafts and gifts and baubles and bows!

Amazon FreeTime Unlimited Holiday

32 Festive Holiday Titles on Amazon FreeTime Unlimited

People often ask how we keep the kids occupied on plane trips or infinite-seeming stretches of road. I do have a magic trick up my sleeve, but it isn’t any big secret or surprise. Tablets. We hand the kids tablets. These long travel stretches are the one time they’re given total, unbridled (parental pre-screened) access to all the apps and videos their little hearts could desire.