The beginning of a new year is a great time to reflect, refocus, and establish new goals. I love to do this both personally and professionally. This past year was my first full year of blogging and it’s exciting to see the most popular posts and the topics readers enjoyed the most.
It’s no surprise that from the 56 posts published in 2018 there are a wide variety of topics that hit the top ten from parenting to family routines, to being more productive in less time. Check out the details below. I’m curious; did you read them when they were first published? Are there any you missed that pique your interest? Spoiler Alert…any that have an asterisk also includes a free printable found in the Free-Bee Library! Woot woot!
I hope you enjoy this recap and it inspires you to make sweet memories in your home and with your family!
Family
Family is a big topic around Our Happy Hive. Posts often include fun activities and crafts you can do with young kids, birthday parties (because we all know that they happen almost E-V-E-R-Y weekend), and ideas for parents from lessons learned (usually the hard way) to strengthen your marriage. Five of the top 10 posts from 2018 were in the family category!
Kids Birthday Party Etiquette
Throwing or attending birthday parties is a big thing for young kids. Parents can face lots of questions about who they should invite, if they should open gifts at the party, if it’s ok to bring siblings or even if the parents should stay or go. Click the title to read about modern day kids birthday party etiquette.
Must See Pancake Pajama Party Ideas*
Check out this fun, cute, sweet, and easy birthday party theme for your favorite little boy or girl. It’s perfect for busy moms and a huge hit with the kids!!! Free printables included!
How to Get Your Kids to Listen*
You want to stop nagging and get your toddler or preschooler to listen. You’re tired of having to ask your kids the same things over and over. These positive parenting tips will change the way you communicate with your children and how they respond.
13 Children’s Books that Teach Life Skills
Children’s books are a great tool for teaching kids values and life skills. Books help build vocabulary. They engage a child’s mind, increase their creativity, fuel their imagination, and teach values. Check out these books for new ways to teach your preschooler and toddler about values and life skills.
4 Super Simple Keys To Making Date Nights Happen
As a parent, it can become difficult for just you and your spouse to get out of the house for a date. Check out this post for practical ideas to make date nights happen again!
Organization
I love love love having an organized home. It’s an ongoing project in a busy home with a young family, but the end results always pay off. Only one new organization focused post from 2018 hit the top 10 list, so I added a couple of crowd favorites from 2017 that continue to fall in the top 10!
Medicine Cabinet Organization Hacks
Do you ever wonder how to organize all of your family medicines? Is your storage area one of those hidden places that need decluttering and organization? Check out this post for helpful tips, practical ideas, and easy steps to organize your medicine cabinet. With these helpful how-to tips, you’ll have a well organized, easily accessible, and safe medicine cabinet.
Some of the most popular posts from 2017 continued to rank high including:
5 Insanely Easy Steps to an Organized Pantry
Avoid getting overwhelmed at the thought of cleaning out and organizing your pantry. Check out this post for 5 easy steps! It’s so easy, you can start it today!
Vertical Clothes Organization That Will Change Your Life
This is one system I wish I would have learned sooner. It is a serious game changer, especially if you have young kids with lots of t-shirts or leggings. Vertical filing of your clothes is a simple yet highly effective change. It helps you to easily organize your folded clothes, view a broader selection of clothing at once, and gives you access to all of your folded items.
Save Time
I have seriously spent almost my entire career planning and organizing projects for large organizations. Creating focus and being efficient were critical factors to success. It’s no surprise that almost 50% of the top ten posts had to do with saving time and becoming more efficient. If you’re a busy mom (or dad) and need to do more with less time, then this is the section for you!
Minimizing Overwhelm, Maximizing Time via Block Schedule*
Block scheduling will help you find extra time in your day every week! Check out this post to help your family schedule get organized, identify more time each day, and improve productivity.
Productivity Tips for Busy Moms – from a Professional Planner
Being productive can be a challenge for even the most organized mom. Once kids are in the mix, time to plan is minimized. A professional planner and organizer shares six simple steps that are seriously do-able for busy moms!
Create an Easy Morning Routine for your Family*
End Morning Chaos – Start The New Year On The Right Foot. With just a few simple tweaks to your schedule, you can create an easy morning where your family can get out the door without any added stress. Check out this post for practical tips to help the whole family!
Instant Pot Review – Not Your Mother’s Pressure Cooker
If you’re curious about Instant Pot and want an honest review, then this is the post for you! Read on to learn about my first experience with this pressure cooker on steroids! This is one tool I love when I’m in a pinch for making a quick dinner!
There you have it, the top 10 from 2018 plus a couple from 2017. It was a great year and I had so much fun connecting with you, the Our Happy Hive community. We have grown to almost 1,200 subscribers. I love it when I hear from you via email, on Facebook, or a comment on a post. If you want more posts on a specific topic, I’d love it if you would share it with me either through an email to Melissa [at] ourhappyhive.com or via my reader survey here.
I hope your New Year is prosperous, productive, and filled with sweet family memories!
