Staying Organized with the Samsung 4-Door LCD Refrigerator with Apps {Gift Card Giveaway}

Tell me if this sounds familiar. You head downstairs first thing in the morning, pour your first cup of coffee while looking through bleary eyes and sit down in front of the calendar to remind yourself what you need to accomplish that day. Ah yes, soccer practice for the kids, appointments to schedule, dinner to be made...you know, the usual. You turn on the television and flip to the Weather Channel to check out the day's forecast (God forbid you actually step outside to check the temperature).

Next, you stand in front of the freezer, door wide open, and realize that all you have for dinner is chicken breasts...again. What the heck are you going to do with chicken breasts to stop your family from saying, "Can't we get takeout tonight"? And then you realize you won't be home in time from soccer practice to turn on the rice so that it will be ready in time for dinner. Better leave a note for the husband to turn on the rice when he gets home.

If you're like me, this is a standard scenario for the morning. More often than not, at least one of the items on my mental "to do" list gets forgotten because organizing myself in a coherent fashion is not one of my strong points. In fact, I would say that I am the queen of random notes. Little pieces of paper, covered with well-intentioned reminder notes, litter my work area in the kitchen. Guess how efficient that system is. It's a wonder that I get anything done at all.

What I really need is one central place where I can organize all of this information. That's where the Samsung 4-Door LCD Refrigerator with Apps comes in. That's right - WiFi...in your fridge.



If this beauty was sitting in my kitchen, I could check the weather report, figure out what the heck I was going to do with that chicken by looking up recipes, and leave my husband a note about turning on the rice, using the post-it function.



I haven't come up with a name yet, but I'm sure I'd have to christen this new kitchen companion with a down-to-earth, sensible name. Madge, Mabel...something like that. Not only would she keep me organized in my daily tasks, but Madge would store and food in a very novel way. Besides the Wi-Fi, one of the coolest features about this fridge is the FlexZone Drawer. The drawer is divided into four sections which can each be set to a different temperature so that you can store a variety of food and drinks at the proper temperatures.



If you would like more information about this amazing appliance, head over to the Official site

This fridge would do wonders in solving my organizational issues. Now I want to hear from you.

Imagine your dream appliance to solve a vexing problem for your chance to win $100 Best Buy gift card.

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This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older and runs from 7/25-8/19/11.

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Laundry Tips

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Samsung.

I have been tempted many times to add up the number of hours that I spend doing laundry each week, but have decided that ignorance is bliss in this situation. With two very active boys, who like to jump in muddy puddles and play hard, and a husband who runs 70 miles per week, we never seem to be able to get ahead of the laundry pile. Along with the inordinate amount of time spent washing and folding soccer socks and running shorts, we are aware of the environmental impact washing and drying can have. Oh yeah, our bank account is not terribly appreciate either.

I will assume that all of you reading this know not to wash red socks with white pants, so I will stick to less known tips that either my mum taught me or I picked up through trial and error.

Turning and zipping
While it takes a little bit of extra time, turning clothes (not underwear and socks) inside out before washing helps to prevent fading and wear and tear on the fabric. Do up any zippers or hooks to prevent them from catching on other clothes in the washer.

Turn down the temperature
Use the coolest water possible to wash your clothes. Not only will this prevent clothes from fading and quickly (not to mention unwanted shrinking), but it will do wonders for your electric bill. Turning the dryer to low heat will give you the same benefits.

Dryer balls
We used to throw a dryer sheet in with every load. That is, until we discovered dryer balls. These little miracles are allergy-free, will help to reduce drying time, and are far better for the environment than dryer sheets. Each pair lasts for a couple of years.


Baby your delicates
Delicates, such as lingerie, can be protected by placing them in a mesh wash bag before being thrown in with the rest of the laundry. These bags will help to protect your bras and underwear from wearing out too quickly (saggy elastic is never a good thing) and being damaged in the wash.


Clean your washer
It is never good news when your son is yelling, "Mum, come quick. There's a flood!" That is what happened to us a couple of months ago when our washing machine overflowed, spilling gallons of water over our laundry room floor. When the repairman came, he discovered that the tube that clears the dirty water out of the washer was blocked. He was able to just blow the blockage out, but also gave me an invaluable tip. One time per month, use a washing machine cleaner, such as the ones made by Tide or Affresh. They can be found beside the detergents in your local supermarket. Of course, you could use vinegar to do the same job, but be prepared for a laundry room that smells like a pickling factory.
After using the washing machine cleaner, we noticed that our clothes smelled significantly fresher.

What are your tried and true laundry tips?

For laundry tips from 6 other bloggers, head to the BlogHer round-up page.

Check out some of Samsung household products:

Samsung Washers & Dryers
Samsung Refrigerators
Read more!

Tips on Organizing Your Kitchen

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Samsung.

Asking me for organization tips is a bit like asking Bernie Madoff to lecture on the ethics of business. There is some basic understanding of how things work, but the principles are rarely put into practice. That being said, I spend a great deal of time in the kitchen, developing recipes for my blog and cooking meals for my family. Even though I am not the tidiest person - just ask my husband about the little piles of paper on various countertops - I am rather picky about the set-up of my kitchen.

For me, the ability to reach necessary kitchen utensils and pans quickly is essential. The time it takes to walk to the other side of the kitchen to reach the tongs, for example, can make the difference between a perfectly seared shrimp and a rubbery, inedible specimen.

The tools that are used the most - tongs, wooden spoons, spatulas, knives - stand proudly in ceramic containers immediately to the right of my stove. I am right-handed, so this makes reaching as convenient as possible. Likewise, my saucepans and skillets are in a drawer on the other side of the stove.


Yes, I still cook on electric. How I yearn for a proper gas stove! Someday.

A couple of years ago, when my mum was here for a visit, she decided to tackle the job of organizing my pantry. Believe me, she deserved a gold star for this! Using a mixture of wicker baskets and plastic containers, she divided my (very large) collection of condiments into manageable sections - oils, vinegars, mustards and so on. Baking ingredients were nestled together in two boxes with pull-out drawers, and dried pasta was neatly arranged in one small section. When she was done with it, I almost felt like I was living a scene out of Sleeping with the Enemy. Now that guy knew how to organize a pantry. Too bad he was completely off his rocker.


One of my friends owns a label maker and puts that little machine to very good use. I tease her that her kids are going to have labels on them if they don't run from her quickly enough. I borrowed the handy little tool one day and had a ball labeling all of my dried grains containers. Alongside the name of the grain are the cooking instructions. If I am running late, my husband can get dinner started without calling to ask me how much water gets added to the brown rice.


While I am on my way to better kitchen organization, I would really like to hear your tips.

How do you keep your pantry organized? Do you have any tips on making your kitchen function more efficiently?

For tips from 6 other bloggers on organizing your kitchen, head to the BlogHer round-up page.

Check out some of Samsung household products:

Samsung Washers & Dryers
Samsung Refrigerators
Read more!