Tag Archives | busy mom

Afternoon Inspirations and Pick-Me-Ups

A New Day

My days begin with a few minutes in the morning for “me” when I try to connect that stillness inside me with the universe- when all I can hear at this hour are a few chirping birds and maybe a garbage truck out in the distance.

And then it begins- another hectic day.  After getting the kids dressed, fed and off to school, I jump right into emails, chores and errands.  I juggle multiple jobs throughout the day.  I’m a recipe creator, meal designer, food photographer and blogger one minute, co-founder of a local charity to build a school for the blind the next minute, and parent volunteer for Kindergarten class after that.  And somewhere in between I squeeze in laundry and grocery shopping.

The Afternoon Crash

The day flies by at lightning speed and then… afternoon hits.  Like a steam engine that just ran out of coal on its way up a mountain, the afternoon crash hits me from out of nowhere.  I’m the little choo-choo that begins to fall backwards down the hill just before reaching the peak.  This is the time of day I need a “pick-me-up”.

The Pick-Me-Up

I find the only way to regenerate and keep going to pull my freight car load over the mountain is to grab an afternoon beverage and change scenery.  Whether I’m indoors all day working or arriving home from driving around for hours, the mere act of changing scenery helps shift my perspective and revive my body and mind.

Inspiration can come with just a few minutes of stillness while connecting with what’s much bigger than my day and my schedule.  Inspiration can be right outside my door- literally.

Today, a package arrived with a sample of International Delight Iced Coffee– and Mocha flavor at that (my favorite)!  All I had to to do was pour it over ice and “head for the hills”- or in this case, my backyard.  With only a few minutes to spare, I needed to regenerate.

Everyone who knows me, knows that I do the majority of my shopping at my local Sam’s Club, which is why I’m happy to discover that this refreshing afternoon beverage will be available at Sam’s Club this next week.

International Delight iced coffee

Mocha flavor

 

My advice for an afternoon pick-me-up- no matter how much you have going on, taking a few minutes to regenerate will make you even more productive- those dirty dishes and that unread email will still be there in ten minutes.  Have a beverage on-hand that’s easy to prepare, like International Delight Iced Coffee, and most importantly- find somewhere close by that inspires you.  Then chill.

Find a quiet spot to sit, be still and refresh.  Oh, and have a notebook handy because it’s amazing how much creativity can come out of a few minutes of inspiration and stillness.

 

 

Made it through another day.

Join the afternoon pick-me-up buzz with International Delight on Twitter, Facebook or at idicedcoffee.com.

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. All opinions expressed herein are very much my own.

#CBias #SocialFabric

 

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The Busy Mom Purse

What’s In Your Bag?

Be Prepared.  That was our motto in Girl Scouts.

Some things never change.  From Girl Scout to Busy Mom, my motto is still the same.

With school, PTA, girls dance classes, gymnastics, therapy and doctor appointments for Connor, church and programs at Nevada Blind Children’s Foundation… oh, and The Organized Cook- I’m prepared.

Here is honestly what I have in my purse at this very second…. no paid endorsements.

Toni Spilsbury's Busy Mom Bag

 

It’s important to find a bag that is functional and inspiring.  I like a “hands-free” purse, like this one from Sakroots that allows you to carry it as a backpack, purse, or- as I prefer- across the torso, so that all my items at my fingertips.

  1. KIND Fruit & Nut Bar.  This snack saves me from grabbing something unhealthy to eat during a fit of hunger.  Plus, the fact I can stock up on them at Starbucks helps.
  2. Tide Stain Remover To Go Pen.  “You spilled your blue Icee on your new white t-shirt, seriously?”  What’s serious is the fact this pen can instantly remove just about any stain, thereby saving me stress and frustration when situations like this arise.  The only problem is that I look as bonkers as Kelly Ripa does when I pull it out of my purse in public to use it.
  3. Wet Ones.  It’s the “stranded island” dilemma… if you were spending the afternoon with your kids and could take only one thing- WHAT WOULD IT BE?  I go through a pack of these a week.
  4. Notebook and Pen Mini.   I love getting these cute sets for my friends and family, and if you ever want to get me a small gift, I’m a sucker for decorative notebook and pen sets.  If I hear or see an inspiring quote or have a thought I need to get out of my brain and onto paper, it’s always handy.  The kids also like to use them to write me little messages or draw pictures.
  5. Boogie Wipes.  What a brilliant invention.  I can’t imagine going back to plain tissue for my kids or myself.
  6. Aveda Botanical Toning Mist.  You know the feeling you get when you can tell that your face is showing how sluggish you feel?  I kid you not when I say that a quick misting of this product immediately erases it.  I’m addicted to it almost as much as I am to Iced Venti Chai.
  7. Reusable Water Bottle.  It’s easy to be friendly to your environment when they make such cute reusable water bottles these days.
  8. Migrastick.  A bottle of this is smaller than my thumb at about an inch and a half long, but it’s lasted me four years now and it’s still as potent at knocking out any “tired” headaches.
  9. Lysol Disinfectant Travel Spray.  I swear I’m not as Type-A as I sound when I say I carry this in my purse.  But let’s just say that there have been at least a half dozen occasions when I was really happy I had it.
  10. Anthropologie Loyalty Card Holder as my business card holder.  If you have a loyalty card from Anthropologie then you got the cute little cloth pouch it came in.  What’s even better is then on your birthday they send you another one with a discount card that I love to use as my business card holder.  Whenever I pull it out to get a card, I see this cute message printed on it, “What’s in the stars for you, Capricorn?”.  Why would I use anything else to carry my cards?
  11. IPhone with Applications.  I call it my “golden ticket”.  Whether we’re waiting in the doctors office or ordering a specialty item at the deli, I save this as a last resort for getting the kids to give me a few moments to converse or think.  To ease my guilt, I download only educational applications.
  12. Ann Taylor LOFT sunglasses.  I have several pairs: gold, silver, black, brown…  you get the picture.
  13. Bare Minerals Lipgloss in Iced Coffee.  Although I have many, many (too many) lipstick-lipgloss combinations, this one is my “match-all” gloss that can hold its own… on its own.

 

To transfer your purse items easily from one bag to the next while keeping them organized, a purse organizer like this one from Pouchee is perfect.  And, if you haven’t checked out our giveaway from Pouchee this week, click here to enter:

Enter The Pouchee Giveaway

 

 

 

The Organized Cook Weekly Meal Plan System

 

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May 2011 Calendar: Download and Print

Happy Mother’s Day to my fellow busy moms!  Enjoy a May calendar to print and hang or fold into your wallet.

To download: click here

The Organized Cook May Calendar for Busy Moms

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Spring Into Clean

What is “Spring Cleaning”?

I’ve now read so many blogs and articles about spring cleaning, you would think I’m now an “expert” on the matter.  However, I’ve determined that it’s really individualized.

To some, it’s the mere act of catching up on neglected housework throughout the year.  For others (like me), it’s the task of going through the old to make way for the new by sorting, organizing, storing, donating and tossing.  And still for many, it’s the annual chore list of scrubbing, dusting, shining and painting that has become family tradition.

Spring Into Clean Spring Cleaning

Spring Into Clean

What is “Spring Cleaning”?

I’ve now read so many blogs and articles about spring cleaning, you would think I’m now an “expert” on the matter.  However, I’ve determined that it’s really individualized.

To some, it’s the mere act of catching up on neglected housework throughout the year.  For others (like me), it’s the task of going through the old to make way for the new by sorting, organizing, storing, donating and tossing.  And still for many, it’s the annual chore list of scrubbing, dusting, shining and painting that has become family tradition.

So how do I break it down to determine what “spring cleaning” means to me?  That is the question.  This year I decided to give it some thought rather than artificially make the day special by slapping the label “spring” onto something I do all the time- “clean”.

As always, getting out the old pencil and paper is how I begin my journey to the answer.

And here it is.

As a busy mom of four, I often say that taking care of kids is one job while taking care of their things is another.  So, I take one day- without the kids– to go through their things, store, toss and donate.  Pack up or give away Fall/Winter clothes making way for Spring/Summer clothes, organize toys, artwork, etc.  This chore I will call “Spring Organizing”.

Spring Organizing then makes way for “Spring Cleaning”.  And I agree with all the articles out there that boast the benefits of having children involved in this all-day spoon-full-of-sugar event.  My 7-year old daughter actually loves any chore related to sorting and organizing and jumps for joy when I mention the words, “clean_out_garage”- really.

Toni’s Tips For Spring Organizing

  1. Schedule it and find a day without kids
  2. Have a written plan: kids closets, toy room, garage, etc.
  3. Use the “three bin rule”: have storage bins or boxes ready and labeled:  “Keep“, “ Give“, “Toss”  Click here for free downloadable.
  4. Have one “Memory Box” for each child with their name to store items that are too precious to throw away
  5. Have label machine ready.  Label everything!
Spring Organizing Tips from Toni Spilsbury

Spring Organizing Tips from Toni Spilsbury

 

Toni’s Tips For Spring Cleaning

  1. Schedule it for you and each family member involved
  2. Go through each room in advance and make a list of every cleaning chore
  3. Divide chore list
  4. Make supply buckets for each person
  5. Create incentives.  Make a game out of it with prizes and a fun family event grand prize

 

Don’t forget to enter this week’s Manic Monday Giveaway for a Spring Cleaning Fashionable Gift Set!  Click here for details.

Spring Cleaning Fashionable Gift Set

Manic Monday Giveaway: Spring Cleaning Fashionable Gift Set

Here is my favorite and most helpful article on the topic of “spring cleaning” by Sarah Aguirre at About.com: A Spring Cleaning Extravaganza.

 

 

 

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