Author Archive

Redbox Code 01.12.09

Monday, January 12th, 2009

Today’s Redbox code is H48MX2. This code can be used all day until midnight at any Redbox location.

Side Notes:

– If you want to rent more than one movie for free, bring more than one credit/debit card. You can use the same promotional code, you just will need different cards to charge it to. The charge will be zero as long as you return your movie on time for the next day.

– When entering in your free movie code, you need to enter it FIRST before picking the movie. On the very first screen, click the, “Rent with Promo.” Enter in the above code and then make your selection- the amount should then total zero.

Menu Planning Monday: 01.12.09

Monday, January 12th, 2009

Here has been our menu plan for the past two weeks with recipes!

1. Deli Sandwiches With Chips (shopping day)

2. Herb Baked Tilapia, Rice, & Corn

3. Sticky Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, & Peas

4. Baked Ziti, Holiday Punch, Moist Chocolate Cupcakes With Vanilla Buttercream Frosting & Garlic Bread

5. Rosemary Chicken, Cheesy Orzo Pasta, & Baby Peas

6. Chicken BBQ Sandwiches, Tortilla Chips, & Baby Carrots

7. Sloppy Joes (new recipe coming soon) on Homemade Hamburger Buns With Baked Potato Wedges

8. Ranch Pork Chops With Rice & Corn

9. Braised Balsamic Chicken With Rice & Green Beans

10. French Bread Pizzas

11. Parmesan Chicken Drumsticks, Mashed Potatoes, & Baby Carrots

12. Chicken Tacos with Tortilla Chips

13. Chicken Parmesan Over Spaghetti

14. Old-Fashioned Spaghetti & Meatballs (made a double batch)

15. Meatball Subs on Homemade Buns & Oven Fries

Please visit I’m An Organizing Junkie for a whole slew of menu planning ideas and recipes!

Quick Weeknight Dinner: Braised Balsamic Chicken

Monday, January 12th, 2009

Braised Balsamic Chicken (Courtesy Of: AllRecipes Dinner Tonight Cookbook)

6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced (I omitted this)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained (I used petite diced)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Season chicken breasts with ground black pepper and garlic salt. heat olive oil in a medium skillet and brown the onion and seasoned chicken breasts. Pour tomatoes and balsamic vinegar over chicken and add basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. Simmer until the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, approximately fifteen minutes. Serve over a bed of rice or spaghetti.

This would be delicious served up with a side of green beans and a big sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. The dinner comes together in about twenty minutes which makes it a great dish to entertain with or to throw together on a weeknight. Enjoy!

Freebie Friday: January 9, 2009

Friday, January 9th, 2009

Welcome to Freebie Friday! A big thanks to Heather, from Freebies 4 Mom, for partnering with us each week. Heather has a great article this week on baby feeding resources that is a must read for any new/expecting mom! Heather also shares a list of tips for how to be the best freebie finder you can be. Who couldn’t use sme great advice like that? Thanks, Heather!

Health & Beauty

Aveda Color Conserve (if in your area)

Food
Cream of Wheat Cereal
Soyjoy Bar (Walmart)
Quaker Rice Cakes
Total Cranberry Crunch Cereal
Barbara’s Bakery Organic Cereal
South Beach Living Foods House Party

Entertainment
Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan (free eBook download from Oprah)
Marie Claire Digital Magazine
American Photo Magazine
Amazon’s Free Book Downloads (for Kindle users)

Home & Garden
Beech-Nut Growth Chart (enter sweeps)
Ziploc Back to Basics Gift Pack

Upcoming Freebie Events:

JANUARY
10 – Lowe’s Kids build a Time Capsule 10 – 11am
10- Sephora 10 Free Samples Event 12-6pm
14 – Suavenomics – request your free bottle of Suave
15 – Baskin Robbins: show any gym membership for free scoop of BRight Choices flavors
24 – Change a Pet’s Life – Free Adoption

FEBRUARY
24 – IHOP National Pancake Day 7am-10pm

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Don’t forget to visit the Apron Full of Giveaways and enter all the latest contests here and all over the web! This round-up is posted every Tuesday so check back next week for a fresh new list!

MomAdvice Simplified: Simplifying the To-Do List

Thursday, January 8th, 2009

Wow, that half hour went by fast and I just want to thank everyone who listened live and chatted with me while I did my first podcast. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You made my day and I feel very proud to have accomplished this first one! I hope that we provided some great information for you and that these podcasts will help to make your day easier.

If you weren’t able to listen live, scroll down and you can click on the player on the left-hand sidebar of the site. These episodes will update as new ones become available. To visit my show page, just click on over to BlogTalkRadio to see what we will have in store for the upcoming month.

Here are some of the resources that we highlighted in our first episode:

Full Out & Fearless– Coach Charrise joined us for our first podcast and offers a valuable blog and website where you can get tapped into accomplishing goals that you have always feared. Many thanks to her for joining us on our first episode and sharing how moms can work through those to-dos!

Simplify the To Do List Have you ever looked at your to-do list and just felt completely and utterly overwhelmed before you even start? My day was often looking like that and rarely did I actually ever complete all of the things off of the list. I would end my day defeated before the next day had ever begun. While the high of checking things off the list was there, the items left unchecked left me feeling less euphoric about what was actually accomplished… continue reading this entry.

remember the milk This site is great for our list-writing mommas. You can make as many lists as you like and no one will tell you to put your notepads away. Into tagging items on your blog? Use the task cloud to easily see what you have to do. Want to store notes along with your tasks? You can do that too. Saving gas is always a priority too and you can use the map feature to see where your tasks are located in the real world. See what’s nearby or on your way, and plan the best way to get things done.

Ta-da Lists- Another great site for the list-writing mommas because that is virtually all this program is. It is simple, it takes about ten seconds to sign up for an account and you can make as many lists as you like. You could also be like, “Ta-da!” and have this open on your computer with a giant list of things you need your spouse to do… you know, if you were that kind of spouse!

Simple Mom I highlighted Tsh as a great example of a mom who uses a wonderful tool for time management. Here is her entry on her daily docket and the goals she creates for her day.

What’s Up Next Week?

Getting a healthy dinner on the table can be a real challenge for moms. What are some things that you can do ahead to get dinner on the table quicker? How can you get out of the rut of preparing the same dishes every week? This week we will be speaking with Kristen Doyle, of Dine & Dish, on some ways we can make our dinner hour easier and how to simplify the planning process for busy moms.

The MomAdvice Simplified Show Starts Today

Thursday, January 8th, 2009

Today is the big day and I am a ball of nerves. Venturing into the world of podcasting is a big step for me, but I am hoping it will be just another wonderful way to connect with all of our readers and hopefully give us some exposure with people who have not heard of my website before.

Here is today’s show description:

Does your to-do list each day overwhelm you? Join us as we discuss how to make a better to-do list and actually feel productive at the end of the day. Charrise McCrorey, of Emergence Business Coaching, will be helping us organize our day better by offering practical advice for moms on time management. To learn more about Charrise’s latest program Full Out And Fearless, please visit http://www.fulloutandfearless.com for more information.

You can listen to this show live at 2PM EST every Thursday where we will discuss quick and easy tips for simplifying our home management routines. To visit my show page, just click on over to BlogTalkRadio to see what we will have in store for the upcoming month. I am still working on shaking the dust off on my page, but I plan to have lots of very inspiring guests and great content for simple living. To see all of the Eleven Mom’s shows, you can visit the Eleven Moms Channel for shows on all different topics.

If you are an expert in simplifying whether it be home organization, food, money-saving, or in work/time management, please shoot me an email at amy@momadvice.com and tell me your idea for a show. I would love to share your business and advice with our readers.

Thank you so much for your continued support and I can’t wait to start this adventure with you!

Notebook Experiments: Can I Make an Amazing Cupcake From Scratch?

Thursday, January 8th, 2009


Experiment: Can I make a cupcake from scratch?

Experiment Taken From: Notebook Entry 01.08.09

Materials Needed: Please see The Farm Chicks for the full instructions. I followed the instructions exactly.

Results: I will admit it, I am a cake mix kind of girl just because it is quick and easy. I was really intrigued by this recipe though for Moist Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream because they just sounded divine.

The perfect occasion arose as we were celebrating my mother-in-law’s birthday. I wanted to make a birthday dinner for her so I thought this would be a sweet ending to our dinner.

The recipe came together beautifully until I added the boiling water. As I stirred, what now looked like watery soup or a dish leftover in the sink, I did feel a little panicky. The entry assured me that it was supposed to look exactly like that though so I used my batter bowl to pour in this watery mess.

I made the frosting while the cake was baking and the frosting came together perfectly. I loved the ratios in this recipe because it was so light and fluffy. I also used the tip for just a hint of food coloring to create a more pastel look.

What was a watery looking mess turned out to be the most delicious cupcake I have ever made in my life! The cake was moist and flavorful. In fact, the cake was still good four days after our party and tasted just like the day I made it. The frosting on top was sweet, but just the right amount of sweet.

Conclusion: The entire family agreed that this is a recipe worth repeating. I think this will be my new cupcake recipe for these special occasions because it was delicious and also was made from ingredients that are always lurking in my pantry. Thanks to The Farm Chicks for a wonderful recipe that I will be using over and over again!

Here are the other recipes from the birthday party:

Classic Baked Ziti

1 pound lean ground beef (I subbed it this time with Sweet Turkey Sausage removed from its casings)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (32 ounce) jar meatless sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 (16 ounce) package ziti pasta, cooked & drained
2 (8 ounce) cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I subbed it this time with Italian Cheese Blend)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, cook ground beef & garlic over medium-high heat for six to eight minutes or until beef is browned; stirring frequently. Stir in spaghetti sauce, chicken broth, & oregano. Reduce heat & simmer for ten minutes. Stir one cup of the sauce into the cooked ziti noodles. Spoon half of the ziti mixture into a 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle with 1.5 cups mozzarella cheese & a 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Top with two cups sauce, then remaining ziti mixture & remaining sauce. Cover & bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella & Parmesan cheese. Return to oven & bake uncovered for ten minutes or until heated through.

Amy’s Holiday Punch

1 (2 liter) bottle cherry 7-Up soda
1 liter (half a bottle) raspberry flavored soda (I found this at Walmart)
1 (12 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate
1 (12 ounce) can frozen pink lemonade concentrate
1 (1 liter) can pineapple juice

Mix all the ingredients together for the punch. This will fill one large punch bowl or two smaller ones. Rum can be added for a spiked punch, but that would be super inappropriate for a princess party! This will convert the non-punch lovers in the group, I promise!

There was also something else at the party in this…


But I will have to show it to you next week! A girl has to save some content for next week!

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I am so excited to open our Notebook Experiments up to everyone and I hope that you will be able to participate this week or in weeks to come! I will be posting this each Thursday so please mark your calendars if you plan to participate. You can post your entries at any time throughout the week and then leave your entry in the links below.

We have this handy banner that you are more than welcome to use, but it is not a requirement! It is just something you can add to add a little sparkle to your entry.

Rules for Participation:

1. Choose anything from any of our notebook entries (past or present) to do with your family. We have hundreds of bookmarked links of crafts, ways to save money, and organizing ideas.
2. Complete an experiment from the notebook and share about it on your blog or website. We would love to see pictures of what you accomplished or a detailed description of how your projects turned out. Please include a link to this entry, a link to the original posting of the entry (at the original crafster’s blog), and (to help us relocate the project) the date or link of the notebook entry where you found it. You can use the same formatting a
s our entries or you can just include that information in your post in your own unique way!
3. Post a link below. Please include your name or blog name & a fast description of your project. Example- MomAdvice (WHO bread)

I can’t wait to see what you create and what you find inspiring!

Amy’s Notebook 01.08.09

Thursday, January 8th, 2009

I am loving these little homemade glove warmers (@ Craftstylish)

I love this homemade card holder inspired by Pottery Barn (@ whatever)

I love this round-up of homemade holiday gift ideas (@ sparkle power)

This art hat party is a brilliant NYE tradition (@ Make)

This Coca Cola cake recipe sounds delicious (@ Teresa Sheeley)

These custom iPod covers are so cute (@ jannypie)

This cereal box puppet theater would be a fun winter day craft with little stick puppets (@ flip flops & applesauce)

I will have to keep this in mind- knitting projects for American Girl Dolls (@ zakka life)

Here is another round-up of homemade holiday gifts (@ Chocolate on My Cranium)

I love this photo collage poster & stretched fabric over canvas as new wall art (@ Don’t Call Me Becky)

I love these storage solutions for holiday gift wrap (@ DIY Maven)

I like these rules to bake by (@ Joy the Baker)

I love these organizing solutions for a home office and I want to try this recipe for moist chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting (@ The Farm Chicks)

These ideas for winter decorations are great (@ A Storybook Life)

This pasta with chicken and artichokes looks so good (@ Blissfully Domestic)

I love these tips for piping a basketweave (@ Bakerella)

All Knitted Up: The Anthropologie Inspired Capelet

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009


This is a proud, proud knitting moment. As I gaze at this capelet, I feel nothing but happiness that I was able to make something that I could actually wear with great pride.

I printed out this pattern a few weeks ago and read it a dozen times, but would immediately become overwhelmed with anxiety. What if I couldn’t make anything more than a scarf or a dishcloth or a blanket? What if I was destined to make square flat things for the rest of my life? What if I failed?

I began to knit and what happened was that I began to learn. I made a swatch to check my gauge. I made mistakes, but I ripped them out. I learned what 1×1 ribbing was. I placed markers. I moved things to scrap yarn. I created sleeves. I seamed. I became excited as I began to understand what I was doing.

I knitted with wild abandon. I tried my work on. I tried it on again. I modified it to my personal taste. I sewed it up with a button. I blocked. I collapsed at midnight of the same day and felt quite smug that I had done it. If I could knit this, what else could I knit? I held back from spending the night flipping through patterns with my new skill set in mind. Yes, I must rest.

The next day was the other anxiety filled moment. I wore it out in public. And no one laughed or asked if it was what I made in my Home Ec class. And they complimented me. And there was so much pride.

And now, I know I can do so much more than I gave myself credit for… and that was the best feeling of all! A whole new world of patterns have just opened up for me!

I plan to make this in a couple of other colors and play around with the pattern a bit. It is one that can be modified depending on your style and shape.

Details on Pattern: This is the Anthropologie Inspired Capelet from Peony Knits. I used size 11 (8.00 mm) needles and Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in Fisherman. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make it so I bought the inexpensive yarn.

Modifications: I added two inches to the length of the capelet and then added 5 rows of additional ribbing to the sleeves. It is a small pattern. I have a very narrow frame and am petite and this fit me perfectly. I would recommend modifications if you are busty or have a wider frame. This project did require some blocking, but came together quickly with instant gratification.

The project only took me one day of dedicated knitting and I am a newbie knitter.

Inspiring Moms: Charrise McCrorey of Emergence Business Coaching

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

I am so excited to introduce you this week to my friend and business coach, Charrise McCrorey!

Charrise will also be joining me on my very first podcast. I mean, if I am going to do something that is completely new for me, who else better to join you then your coach?

We will be exploring how to simplify the to-do lists in our lives and create balance with our work (and/or home management) and our families. Charrise has been an invaluable person in my life and I look foward to sharing this interview with you.

To listen to the podcast live, you just visit my profile page on BlogTalkRadio on January 8th (Thursday) at 2PM EST. You can call in questions to me or just type a question or comment in to me while listening. If you aren’t available at that time to listen, we will be sure to post it on our site. You can stream the episode or download it- whatever is more convenient. I am so excited to connect with our readers in this way!



Can you explain what a business coach is and what they can do for your business?

Business Coaches are not always doing the same kind of work – so much of the work is based upon the unique people involved. Generally speaking, a business coach will work with the leaders of a company to help them manage change, improve bottom line, create new initiatives, empower people, and tighten up profit losses. Another facet of coaching is personal coaching, and in my experience it is critical to create a balance between the two, as we are in fact people with full and busy lives. The more growth we experience personally, the more effective we will be in our business.

How did you begin this journey into coaching? What have you discovered through this career path?

I began a few years back when I found myself at an important crossroads in my life. I was out of work, and had experienced some health issues with my husband and myself. I suddenly woke up to the fact that I was wasting my talent in the jobs that I’d had. I discovered the world of coaching through personal development work I had been doing. I knew instantly that this was what I was searching for. I found a great company to get my certification training from and got started right away. I’ve learned so much since then, about myself, and about the unnecessary ways that people suffer through their life. I’ve become more passionate about living my life as if it were my last day here, and have developed stronger relationships in my life. I enjoy the experience of serving people, knowing that in some way I am helping them lead a more satisfying life.

One of the things you have really helped me with is my time management. Can you give some tricks or tips for work-at-home/busy moms for managing their day more effectively?

Amy, you are very coachable, and it’s been a real pleasure working with you!

I often recommend a strategy that I use myself with good results. It involves creating a list each day of 6 Things that would be satisfying to get done in a given day. These 6 things must be reasonably feasible to accomplish in that day. Mixing small things with big things allows us to actually get through the list, and end our day feeling a new sense of accomplishment, as opposed to our old ways of making lists we never complete and feeling like a failure because of it. Making a list of 6 Things causes us to re-evaluate what is really important to us. It sets us up for success rather than failure. We all have enough time – what we don’t utilize enough is the discipline to arrange our priorities in a way that satisfies us.

What advice would you give to a mom who is struggling with balance? How can moms make themselves a priority when caring for everyone else in the home and balancing their careers?

Being a mom is such a fulfilling and important job. The need to be a super-mom is a made up story that we create, seeking validation for one thing or another and creating the martyr image. My best coaching is to build in time for self care, because who will you be for your family if you are ill or unhappy and stressed out with your life? As a parent, you set the example for your children. You want them to grow up to be happy, healthy adults. They are watching you carefully and will model what they see. Teach them to honor themselves first, so that they are capable of delivering their gifts in a big way to the world. Start by doing this yourself. The laundry will wait. We sacrifice a lot for our children. We must be careful not to sacrifice our health, because they need us in their lives.

You will be beginning a new venture in your business. Can you share a little bit about what you have in store for the future?

Of course! I am so passionate about helping people to stop sleepwalking through life, I’ve created an intense coaching program designed to WAKE PEOPLE UP TO THEIR LIFE! It’s a program designed for people who are at the point where they know something’s got to give. They are ready to identify and push through the fear that stops them from fulfilling their dreams. They are committed to living their life as if every day were there last. It’s an exclusive 6 month program limited to 8 extraordinary people, and more details can be found at Full Out and Fearless. After 6 months of working with me in this program, the participants will be living a much bigger, more satisfying life. In fact, it may even be unrecognizable compared to what they’re up to right now. This is the kind of work I was created to do, and there is such a need for it right now. People are ready for change, and tired of settling for the status quo.

What is the proudest moment that you have had as a business coach?

Wow, this is a really great question. All of my clients have created dramatic results in their lives through their commitment to coaching. One client has learned to live his life with an abundant mindset, which has resulted in earning 3x more in the past year since our relationship began. Another client has learned the value of serving others, and is working to build a foundation for charitable giving. My coaching helps them discover what makes them great, and helps them focus on that instead of spending precious energy on weaknesses. I am proud of all of the work we do togeth
er! Coaching is for people who really want to see improvement in their life – and are ready to make an unwavering commitment to do the work. I am grateful to all of my clients for their contribution to my life.

To learn more about Charrise please visit Emergence Business Coaching, Coach Charrise, and Full Out and Fearless.