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Home » New? Start Here!

Hello and welcome to The Happier Homemaker! Maybe you found yourself here popping over from Pinterest for my Apple Cinnamon Bread recipe or looking for tips on how to clean your house fast. However you ended up here I’m so very glad you did.

Where to start:

  1. Download our Happy House Starter Guide (it’s free!)
  2. Check out our most popular posts
  3. Browse our easy & delicious recipes
  4. Find useful printables for organizing your home in our shop
  5. Need more help? Consider enrolling in our Clean Routine Academy or Mom’s Chore Toolbox eCourses!

About Melissa Riker

Hi! I’m Melissa and I’m so glad you’ve found your way to my little corner of the internet!

smiling woman with brown hair Melissa Riker

When I was a newlywed I thought I had it all under control-my house was going to be spotless, fancy home-cooked meals on the table every night and of course, my children would be perfect angels!

God gave me a reality check when he blessed me with three crazy little boys and showed me the true chaos that family life can be! Over the years I’ve learned how to run my home more efficiently so I can spend more time doing the things I love.

I love solving problems and finding new ways of doing things that save time and money. And I love sharing those ideas with you!

What You’ll Find on The Happier Homemaker

The Happier Homemaker is all about making life easier. Here you’ll find:

  • tips to make cleaning and organizing your home easier and faster.
  • delicious recipes for the everyday cook-no hard to find ingredients or complex techniques required
  • simple, frugal ways to DIY and decorate your home
collage of logos of major publications and TV networks

The Happier Homemaker has been featured in BuzzFeed, Good Housekeeping, Martha Stewart, CNN, Mashable, Country Living, HGTV, Apartment Therapy, Better Homes & Gardens, Today.com, The Huffington Post, Womens Health, and Woman’s Day among many others.

Listen to Podcasts featuring Melissa:

Fun Facts About Melissa

  • In addition to three sons ages 7 to 12, we have a lovable Goldendoodle and two rescue cats with big personalities!
  • We are a military family that has lived in ten homes in the last 15 years, across three countries and five states! See all the homes we’ve shared over the years here.
  • I started my first blog in 2007 as a way to stay in touch with family after our oldest son was born. The Happier Homemaker was started in 2011 while my husband was deployed to Iraq and I was pregnant with my third son. You can read my blogging story here.
  • We love to travel and since having children we’ve fallen in love with cruising as well. We try to take a cruise at least once a year!

Are you a brand looking for information about working with me? Please click here.

Otherwise, you can Contact Me here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Vee says

    sign up for emails, thanks!

    • Melissa Riker says

      Thank you Vee, so glad to have you here!

  2. Mamie Bell says

    I would like to learn a out running a good home, decluttering and cooking some.American recipes
    I too cone from a military background, my 3 broyhers and myself were all born in different countries! I look forward to hearing from you.

  3. Monica Jeffrey says

    Hi Melissa, just came across your biscuit recipe, and loved the details. I do like life made easier.
    Do you have a book out with your recipes and other tips?
    If not, will you send me printouts of your gluten free easy recipes, all at my eSpenser.

    Thank you Carroline Annie

  4. m white says

    Thank you so much for your blog. It seems that my family, and my father in particular, is the biggest family member with the hording issue. I am a big fan of throwing unneeded/unnecessary items out of my places/spaces.
    It seems that most of the rest of my family just doesn’t get the whole concept that having less clutter around you, pays you back in dividends in the time saving and organization department. In this case, as the saying goes: less is truly more!

    We all tend to collect things over the course of a lifetime. However, we all must stay ever vigilant to what we really actually need and use. The rest simply must be thrown out in order to truly have peace, organization and live a clutter-free, stress-free life.

  5. Carol says

    Will you be offering the Gardening calendar for 2019?

    • Melissa says

      It’s good for every year Carol, just a general guideline of what do and plan as the seasons change! ~Melissa

  6. Jennifer Rankin says

    How can I get enrolled into your class on be organized in 7 days?

  7. Ibraheem says

    Hi,

    Hope you are doing great Job.

    I am looking for some advertising opportunities and really impressed with the quality of your blog thehappierhomemaker.com and the way you have updated it.

    I was wondering did you allow Sponsored/Paid post on your blog. Can you please let me know with the price you charge for per post?

    Looking for your kind reply.

    Best Regards,

    ibraheem

  8. abigail nasser says

    Hey,

    I’m looking to buy some advertising space on thehappierhomemaker.com. Is this something that you’d be interested in talking about further?

    If so, then please reply to this email so that we can kick things off.

    Looking forward to hearing back from you.

    Abigail

  9. abigail nasser says

    Hi,

    I came across thehappierhomemaker.com and I’d like to find out about the possibility of purchasing some advertising space.

    Please let me know if this is something you’re interested in and we can discuss things a little further.

    Thanks for your time.

    Abigail

  10. Eileen Etheridge says

    I would like to make this if i can get the recipe

  11. Amanda says

    I love your blog!

  12. Mark says

    Thank you both for your service to our country. Not everyone understands that the Spouse and family also serve. A quick tip for finishing. Pure tung oil. If you don’t have any on hand also buy a bag or two of marbles. As you use the oil, fill with marbles to keep the level to the bottle neck. This will keep the oil from skinning where the air meets the surface. If you need to thin it out mix it 50/50 with paint thinner. You don’t need stain if you want a natural stain color it comes automatically. So that saves you a step. Also pure tung oil can be re-coated about an hour (longer if cold and/or humid) after each application. For a really SLICK surface, wet sand with 800 grit paper and furniture oil or an Amish formula based product 12 hours or more after the final coat. Apply the liquid and lightly sand until the paper doesn’t drag on the surface. Wipe it dry and enjoy.

    Happy Trails, Mark

    • Melissa says

      Great tip, thanks so much Mark!

  13. Bebe Pitts says

    I forgot the name of the Grout Cleaner that you used when you cleaned your grout. Please e-mail me. Thank you.

  14. Guarana askri says

    Love your creativity

    • Melissa Riker says

      Thanks so much Guarana!

  15. Cecilia says

    I love your headboard potting bench project. Thanks for sharing. And, many thanks for your husband’s military service and your support as a military spouse. Best Wishes, from an Air Force wife and mother