Inspiration For Moms: January 2012

Tuesday, January 31

Moms Win On Wednesdays! Link Up Your Giveaways!

List your giveaway here!! I am hosting a giveaway link every Wednesday on Inspiration For Moms. So if you or someone you know has a giveaway you think my readers would love to know about, please link up!!

What I Wore

I found this neat idea from Lindsey over at the pleated poppy. If you are not familiar, allow me to explain. Basically the purpose of WIW is to keep us accountable for getting dressed everyday. That may sound strange to you, but if you are a stay-at-home or work-from-home mom, you probably understand the problem.

Some days it is so much easier to stay in the pajamas then get dressed. I tend to not focus much on getting dressed if I have no where to go. So this is going to be a challenge for me.

I am generally a pretty plain dresser. Jeans. T-shirt. Flats. Go. But I am going to try to be a little more creative in my outfits and not just wear the same clothes time after time.

So this is one of the outfits I wore this week:

Monday Lunch Date with Hubby

Black sweater and Black and White Blouse {Banana Republic},

Jeans {Lucky Brand}, Shoes {Nordstroms}

Do you like how my pug, Butters sneaked into this photo? ;)

You can tell he likes to pose!

I have to tell you that I love my new shoes....

They are a grey flannel with a black bow across the top.

A few notes:

1) No...I don't only shop at Banana Republic. Truth be told, I rarely do. Both of the items, bought years apart were on sale 50% off or more.

2) This is my the first pair of lucky brand jeans. I also snagged these on sale for 50% off.

3) The shoes I found on sale online, again at 50% off.

4) Next week I will try to show you more than one outfit! Like I said, this is a challenge for me.

So one step, or outfit at a time! :)

I am linking with Lindsey.

Monday, January 30

10 Day Series: Stay in Love

There is no denying that February is the month when love is in the air. Whether you just found the love of your life or have been married for 50 years, falling in love is a magical experience that sweeps us off our feet.

We become totally infatuated with that special someone. We can't stop thinking about them day and night. And want to be with them every moment of every day.

But as the days and even the years pass the relationship starts to evolve. Sometimes infatuation turns into familiarity and spontaneity turns into routine. The magic starts to fade into the back ground and life starts to appear front and center. We start to let other people or other responsibilities have all our attention and say to ourselves that our relationship can wait.

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Well, if this sounds like your relationship, I want to remind you on how to get the loving feeling back and stay in love.

Now first let me say, I am not an relationship expert. I am a wife in an almost 10 year marriage that can talk from some experience. My marriage has had some definite ups and downs. So honestly, this 10 day series isn't only for you. I definitely could use some reminders for my own marriage. ;)

STAY IN LOVE is my acronym for the different topics I will be discussing:

Spending quality time is a must.
Talk and communicate with good manners.
Appreciation, simplest tip ever.
Yes, there will be ups and downs.

Invigorate your intimate connection.
Negotiating skills, learn them well.

Laughter, really is the best medicine.
Overlook flaws and focus on strengths.
Variety is the spice of life.
Experiences, create many good ones!

This new 10-day series will start on Sunday, February 5. I hope you will join my on this journey to bettering your relationship.

I know my marriage could use a tune-up and maybe even a new 'spark' plug!! ;)

Here is an updated list of each day in the series:

Day 1: Spending Quality Time Is A Must Day 2: Talk And Communicate With Manners, Please
Day 3: Appreciation, Simplest Tip Ever
Day 4: Yes, There Will Be Ups and Downs Day 5: Invigorate Your Intimate Connection

Day 6: Negotiating Skills, Learn Them Well

Day 7: Laughter Really Is The Best Medicine

Day 8: Overlook Flaws and Focus On Strengths

Day 9: Variety Is The Spice Of Life

Day 10: Experiences, Create Many Good Ones

Giveaway Winner Of Pantry Labels

Thanks to all that entered my giveaway for a

set of 5 pantry labels from House of Smiths Designs.

The winner selected with Random.org is...

Comment # 24 by Amanda...who said she loved the chalkboard labels!

Congratulations, Amanda!

Please shoot me an email with your mailing address

at inspirationformoms@gmail.com and I will get your labels in the mail!

M.A.D. Menu Plan Monday

To see our menu from last week, visit here. Our menu for this week is as follows:

Monday: Organic Hot Dogs with Potato Salad
(I know this is more of a summer time meal, but I found hot dogs on sale and my husband loves this meal!)

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Gourmet Chicken Chili with Jack Quesadillas

Wednesday: Bean and Kale Soup with Jumbo Croutons

Thursday: Chicken with Mustard and Super Buttered Noodles

Friday: Take Out!

Saturday: Pizza with Artichoke and Black Olives

Sunday: Slow Cooker Sunday: Vegetable and Chickpea Curry over Couscous

Dessert For The Week: Pomegranate Pear Crumble Cups (found this recipe on Pinterest)

Sunday, January 29

Your Greatest Power

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Slow Cooker Sunday: Honey Garlic Chicken

I found this recipe at crockpot365. It sounds easy and yummy, so I had to get it a try.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3-4 hours on high, 6 hours on low
Serves: 4

1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup honey

1) Use a 4-quart slow cooker (if using a 6-quart, this will cook faster. Check after 3 hours on high, 5 hours on low.

2) Put the chicken into your cooker. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, then pour evenly over the top.

3) Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3-4.

4) Serve with rice and steamed or roasted vegetables. Enjoy!

Saturday, January 28

Six On Saturday: New Uses For A Hair Dryer

I found some great new uses for a hair dryer that just might "blow" you away! :)

1) Detach a photo from a album. To get a delicate photograph off one of those sticky pages, blow warm air onto the back of the page while gently tugging the photo free.

2) Erase crayon marks on wax spills. Kids gone wild again? Blow-dry the stain on high until the wax melts, then wipe with a soapy sponge.

3) Remove those stickers. A little hot air quickly removes those price labels- with zero fingernail chipping frustration.

4) Dust tough-to-reach places. Set the dryer on cool and point it at dusty shelves (highest shelf first), intricate knick-knacks, or even silk flowers to blow the debris right off!

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5) Perfect frosting or icing. To harden frosting on cakes or cookies, blow cool air directly on it. To brighten a dull finish, give the icing a hit of hot air.

6) Dewrinkle plastic shower curtains or table cloths. Blow hot air onto fresh-out-of-the-bag material to "iron" out wrinkles- just keep the dryer about 12 inches back from surface. You don't want a wrinkle problem to turn into a melting problem. :)

Sunday Coupon Preview

Good morning to you! I hope you are having a wonderful Saturday morning! :) I just enjoyed some organic blueberry pancakes so my Saturday is going great.

Sunday Coupon Preview has the new list of this Sunday's coupon inserts. There will be four inserts this weekend; one Smartsourse insert, two Red Plum inserts and one P&G insert.

Here's a list of the coupons that I liked from this insert:

Smartsource:
Eggland’s Best Save $.75/1 cage free dozen or organic dozen eggs

Old El Paso Save $.50/1 product excluding refrigerated, frozen or soup

To see the complete list of Smartsource coupons, go HERE.

Red Plum:
Lipton Save $.50/1 Tea Bags

To see the complete list of Red Plum coupons, go HERE.

P&G:
Cascade Save $.50/1 ActionPacs

Tide/Downy Save $1/2 Tide detergents, Downy Bounce or Tide Stain Release

To see the complete list of P&G coupons, go HERE.

Please remember, that coupons do vary by region. So you may not receive all the coupons listed here in your local newspaper.

The 21 Days To A Clean Organized Home Series

The 21 Day List:
Introduction and Sign Up

Day 1: Meal Planning

Day 2: Tupperware Organization

Day 3: Organizing Freezer Meat

Day 4: Cleaning The Junk Drawer

Day 5: Organizing Your Spices

Day 6: Lovin' The Oven Clean
Day 7: 5 Minutes To A Clean Microwave
Day 8: Organizing the Freezer (Part 1)
Day 9: Organizing the Freezer (Part 2)
Day 10: Customized Kitchen Utensils Drawer
Day 11: The Clean Coat Closet
Day 12: Organizing Your Desk

Day 13: The Pantry

Day 14: A Peek Under The Sink
Day 15: An Organized Fridge
Day 16: Under the Bathroom Sink
Day 17: A Look In My Medicine Cabinet
Day 18: Organizing Glass Bakeware
Day 19: Organizing Vitamins and Supplements
Day 20: Organizing Pots and Pans

Day 21: It's Your Choice!

Friday, January 27

Reminder: House of Smiths Giveaway Ends Tonight!

Happy Friday to you!!

I just wanted to remind you that my giveaway for a set of 5 pantry labels from House of Smiths Designs ends tonight!!!

So if you have not entered, run over HERE and enter for your chance to win!

Wednesday, January 25

Valentine's Day Themed Shelves

In a week from today it will be the first day of February. Crazy, I know. It seems like it was just New Year's day. So I thought I better get decorating for love day...that's what we call it in our family. Happy love day. :)

My mantel is a hard place to decorate because of the huge TV, so I have been decorating my shelves instead.

I wanted to keep this low budget and simple, so the only thing I bought for this display was the candy hearts and the fresh tulips.

The mail boxes I made last year. I just placed them on some candlesticks I had in storage and there you have it...cuteness.

The LOVE sign was a revelation I had late one night while blogging in my office. I was thinking about Valentines and wanted to put something with the word 'love' on my shelves. But I didn't have anything in my house....or did I? I turned around in my chair and behold....

Yes! That canvas wall art that I made would be perfect! So I snagged it up and ran down stairs and placed it on the shelves at one o'clock in the morning, just to see how it would look! Ya, I know that's a little crazy...but that's me.

I think the shelves turned out nicely. Simple and sweet. Happy love day. :)

I am linking up at:

Home Stories A 2 Z

Tuesday, January 24

Moms Win On Wednesdays! Link Up Your Giveaways!

And speaking of giveaways...have you entered my giveaway for a set of 5 pantry labels from House of Smith Designs? If the answer is no...then come on over and enter. :)

21 Days To A Clean Organized Home: Day 21- It's Your Choice!!

Well, you made it! Today is the last day of the series! I thought for day 21 you could choose any area in your home that needs some organization that I may not have covered in the series. Maybe a craft room, or the kids toys, or maybe even your car! Mine needs a cleaning in the worst way!! That will be this weekends project for me.

Anyway just for fun, I wanted to share with you three ways I organize things in my kitchen just to make my life a little easier.

The first is my soap dispensers...

I found both of these glass olive oil bottles at Target, on clearance! The white one stores dish soap while the clear one stores my lavender hand soap. I think they are cute ways to organize plain, boring soap. It's out in plain sight, but pretty to look at!

Next, is my favorite steal from Kohl's...

The over-the-door towel bar has been a nice way to keep a dish towel close at hand. I say it was a steal because it only cost $10 bucks, but I had a $10 coupon. So for me...it was FREE. :) The Valentine's dish towel I won from Relish! last year. How sweet is that?!

Finally, I wanted to show you how I organize my frequently used spices and oils...

I found this cake stand at...you guessed it Target. And yes, it was on clearance too! I placed a small wooden turntable on top. And this is where I keep my salt pig, pepper grinder, olive oil, canola oil, and (for my husband) cinnamon/sugar shaker. I keep this next to the stove for easy access while I am cooking.

Those are just a few tips in organizing and simplifying your kitchen area.

I want to say a big 'thank you' for joining me on this journey. I hope you enjoyed the series and you found it to be encouraging. I know my house is sooo much more organized and each day I am enjoying the reward of my hard work! :)

Next month I will be starting a new series, but this time I will be giving some tips on relationships. I hope you will join me. More details to come soon. :)

And one last reminder, don't forget to enter the giveaway for the set of 5 pantry labels from House of Smiths Designs. The giveaway will end this Friday, so don't delay!

Let's Try This Again...Relish! Winner

The first winner I announced for the 6 months membership to Relish! never claimed the prize, so I am selecting again.

The winner picked by Random.org was:

Allysa!
Congratulations Allysa!

Please email me at inspirationformoms@gmail.com so I an get you your prize!

I will be back later today with day 21 of the series.

Monday, January 23

21 Days To A Clean Organized Home: Day 20- Organizing Pots and Pans

There are so many fabulous ways to organize your pans and pots...

If some stranger rang my door bell and said they needed

to install these in my house... I would say, "Come on in friend!"

I would love to have pull out drawers like these.

Everything has its own slot with lid....beautifully organized.

This kitchen just caught my eye. I don't know if it was

the black color or the crazy amount of pans lining the walls.

Ok...now back to my reality. My pot and pans needed to be dealt with...

After reorganizing my glass bakeware, I knew the perfect accessory for this space...

I placed my big stock pot in back because I don't use it very often. And I reorganized my other post as well.

And by the way, I didn't put all the pots back. These guys will go to the donation box...

And here is how my pots and pans look now...

I just adore this pan organizer. It gives you more storage plus you can pull anything out easily. Easily being the key word! :)

I hope I gave you some great inspiration to help you organizing your own pots and pans. Tomorrow is the last day of the series..*sigh*

Photo Credit:

Photo #1

Photo #2

Photo #3

M.A.D. Menu Plan Monday

To see our menu from last week, visit here. Our menu for this week is as follows:

Monday: Leftover Chicken a la Criolla

Tuesday: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and Broccoli

Wednesday: White Bean Chicken Corn Chowder with Popovers

Thursday: Halibut on a bed of Kale

Friday: Turkey and Bean Tostadas with Tomato and Avocado Salsa

Saturday: Pizza!

Sunday: Slow Cooker Sunday: Honey Garlic Chicken

Dessert For The Week: Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

Sunday, January 22

Slow Cooker Sunday: Chicken a la Criolla

I found this recipe at the wonderful site Skinnytaste.com. Gina has tons of great tasting recipes and I think you'll agree with me after you serve this chicken to your family! :)

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 - 6 hours
Serves: 5

10 (2 lbs) skinless boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 bell pepper, chopped or sliced
4 plum tomatoes
2 tsp alcaparrado or pitted spanish olives
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cumin
sat to taste
1-2 bay leaf
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (plus 2 tbsp more for serving)

1) Place chicken, onion, garlic, pepper and tomatoes in the slow cokker. Season with salt, cumin, and oregano. Mix well so everything is seasoned.

2) Add tomato sauce, alcaparrado (or olives) along with 1 tbsp of the brine, 1/2 cup water, bay leaf and cilantro. Mix well and set slow cooker to HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours. When done, taste for salt and seasoning and adjust spices as needed. Add 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro and serve over rice. Enjoy!

21 Days To A Organized Home-- Day 19: Organizing Vitamins and Supplements

Our vitamin and supplement area is totally out of control. My husband is the nutritionist in the family and he is always bringing home new supplements. So this area can get crazy...fast!

Since I don't know what all these supplements are for or do, I asked my hubby to remove all the supplements and vitamins that we no longer use. He jumped on the task so fast that I didn't get a good before picture. This is what he removed and saved on the counter...

A few years ago I tried to manage this area by adding a turntable. I think it does help, so it will stay. I found a few baskets at Walmart that will also help organize this space.

In our home it is really hard to organize all the vitamins and supplements into just a few categories. I don't think we have your average supply. So I just tried to organize as best I could. Plus, I knew that my husband would not keep everything in cute little clusters, so I wasn't going to waste my time.

Here is how it looks now...

It is an improvement and I think my husband will maintain this too.

And speaking of supplements, I thought I would show you what I take. This is my breakfast cocktail every morning....

I also take a Vitamin D supplement, just forget this morning so that's why it's not in the picture. Opps.

I highly recommended curcumin...it helps reduce the amount of inflammation in your body. And that is a good thing!

If you would like to ask questions about any of my supplements feel free to leave me a comment. Or you are more than welcome to email, too!

So it's your turn, go tackle those vitamins and supplements! :)

If You Want Your Life To Change...

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Saturday, January 21

Sunday Coupon Preview

Good morning to you! I hope you are having a wonderful Saturday morning! :) I got to sleep in, so my day is already off to a great start!

Sunday Coupon Preview has the new list of this Sunday's coupon inserts. There will be two inserts this weekend; one Smartsourse insert and one Red Plum insert.

Here's a list of the coupons that I liked from this insert:

Smartsource:
Tazo Save $1/1 Filterbag Tea or Latte Concentrate---LOVE THIS COUPON!!!

Rosarita Save $.50/3 beans

To see the complete list of Smartsource coupons, go HERE.

Red Plum:
Bounty Save $1/1 6pk+ paper towels TARGET coupon

Charmin Save $1/1 9pk+ bath tissue TARGET coupon

To see the complete list of Red Plum coupons, go HERE.

Please remember, that coupons do vary by region. So you may not receive all the coupons listed here in your local newspaper.

21 Days To A Clean Organized Home: Saturday Link Up Party!

The Saturday Link Up Party!

Wow! Saturday is finally here and I am so excited to see your progress. Remember, you can just share one link or you can link up any of the projects from the series!

Let the party begin!! :)

Friday, January 20

21 Days To A Clean Organized Home: Day 18- Organizing Glass Bakeware

If your kitchen is anything like mine, you have experienced frustration when reaching for your glass baking dishes. Mine have been all stacked together in a huge pile for years. So convenient....(do sense the sarcasm here?)...

And as you know, those big casserole dishes are heavy! I always try to save time and take like 3 or 4 out at once. My poor little wrist. I also hated it when a recipe called for my biggest one. I would think. "Oh man, I have to take all those out just to get to the bottom dish. Forget...let's get take out!" :)

I never actually did that, but I did actually hate the way I stored my baking dishes. So today...I made a change. A beautiful change that I know I am going to love!!!!!!!

As always, I pulled everything out and then I cleaned the cabinet and placed the liner back.

I then reached for my new favorite organizer. I found this guy at Lowe's. As soon as I saw this wonderful creation, I knew it was designed just for me!

I bought two...and I may go back for more to organize my pots. Haven't decided on that one yet.

But this was the best $9.00 bucks I have ever spent!! :) Be hold...organized baking dishes!

I have all my large baking dishes front and center. The smaller ones are in back on the upper shelf.

On the other side of the cabinet I have my mixer. On the upper back shelf I have some glass mixing bowls, a pitcher and all my ramekins.

It is sooooo easy now to grab any size baking dish that I want, without breaking my wrist. I wish I would have reorganized this space years ago! But at least I can enjoy it from now on. :)

If your baking dishes are stacked like my used to be...run out and grab one of these pot organizers from Rubbermaid. You won't regret it!

Just a reminder...tomorrow is our link up party. Can't wait to see your progress! :)

Linking up to:
Between Naps On The Porch
Home Stories A 2 Z

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Tuesday, January 31

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Saturday, January 28

Friday, January 27

Wednesday, January 25

Tuesday, January 24

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