This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sears Home Appliances and Services.

Residing in a rather small home with numerous kids, these latest and greatest kitchen and appliance hacks have made our family life easier.

We now have less mess.

Fewer accidents.

Less chaos.

The kitchen tends to be one of the busiest rooms in our home and the most accident prone. I’ve come up with some of our favorite kitchen hacks that have made our kitchen more friendly for our gang. I’m sure some of these ideas will help your family as well.

1. Have a designated stepping stool. I can’t tell you how many times my children have made a mess because they could not reach something in the refrigerator or cabinets. I admit, I have been guilty of this one, too. Having a stepping stool just makes it safer and easier to reach those hard-to-reach items. 
2. Remove knobs off your gas stove. Store your knobs in a little basket or plastic tub in a nearby drawer or cabinet. Little hands have a tendency to love to turn those knobs which can lead to serious burn accidents.
3. Make a Snack Friendly Spot. Place all snacks that the kids can easily get to in a plastic bin that you buy at the dollar store, or Sears Home Appliances and Services has many options that will meet your family’s needs with built in drawers and spaces.
4. Use Plastic Tubs for Condiments. This has proven to be one of the most effective kitchen hacks for our family. I put all the salad dressings together, sandwich condiments, etc. in multiple tubs in the refrigerator. I like to put all frozen vegetables in one plastic tub in the freezer. It’s easy to pull out the whole tub or just one item at a time depending on your need. The plastic tub is simple to clean, too. 
5. Use Wine Cellar for a Beverage Center. Who said a wine cellar had to be used for just wine? Place your soft drinks and water bottles in the wine cellar, too. You will have a nice little beverage set up.
6. Clean your Microwave like a Pro. I started cleaning my microwave in a matter of minutes by using these simple directions. It comes out looking brand spanking new.
7. Make DIY Instant Oatmeal Packs. For those busy mornings, have your children make a bowl of instant oatmeal  without making a mess with milk and the numerous paper wrappings. You can customize the DIY oatmeal packets to make your family needs.
8. Enforce a Dishwasher Sign or Magnet. Teach your family to utilize the simple clean or dirty sign on the dishwasher. I can’t tell you how many times we have rewashed clean dishes because we weren’t using our little magnet. It also helps to run the dishwasher at the same time each day. We put our dishwasher on the delay setting to go off in the middle of the night.
9. Make Vegetable Stock. Save all vegetable peelings in a baggie and make vegetable stock. It’s so easy and it’s so much healthier than just boiling rice or pasta in plain water. 
10. Use your Double Oven for Storage. It’s wonderful and convenient to have a double oven when you are making a big feast for the holidays. It’s also a great space for storage when your double oven is not in use.
11. Consult a Sears Home Appliances and Services Expert. When researching and purchasing a new appliance, always stop by Sears Home Appliances and Services for useful and helpful tips on what appliance is best for your family. They will be able to tell you the nitty gritty for each appliance and what each has to offer you. Bring your children to make sure the appliance will suit their personal needs, too. Sears has been a leader in the home services industry for more than 50 years and installs 4.5 million appliances and 4 million parts a year. They can take care of your house, offer expert advice, so you can enjoy your home with your family.

These are just a few of our favorite kitchen and appliance hacks that have made our family life easier and safer. What appliance would make your family life safer?

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sears Home Appliances and Services.