One of the best ways to establish a new habit is to build on an existing routine.
Trash day comes on the same day every week. It is a routine. Cleaning out food from the fridge that is growing as a science project is a task that you often procrastinate doing until you can ignore it no longer. It is a task that would be the most effective as a routine. Since trash day is a routine that has already been established for you, build on that and try to make trash day (or the day before trash day) your routine day for cleaning out the fridge. This gives you a natural weekly reminder as well as an efficient way to not stink up the garage with the old food.
*Tip - To simplify this routine even more, read my easy idea for date-labeling food.
My kids play with Play-doh…a lot. It is a creative, hands-on activity that they love and a craft that requires very little preparation from me. 
However, it is messy enough of an activity that it requires a certain level of commitment and some days I’m just not up to it.
Imagine my excitement, then, when I discovered Play Foam! It is not sticky, messy (no Play-doh crumbs!), doesn’t dry out or turn brown when colors are mixed. The substance of Play Foam reminds me of Rice Krispies treats without being sticky. The only downside is that it is harder to create detail than with Play-doh, but my kids still love it. It is a perfect 30-minute, no clean-up craft. Try it out!
*Tip - Play Foam can be purchased at most craft stores, but I have frequently found it at greatly discounted at stores like TJ Maxx, Ross, and Marshalls.
There are few things more stressful than needing to shuffle funds or worrying about your bank account going negative at the end of the month while you wait for the next paycheck to come in. Especially if you are self-employed, paychecks can often be delayed, putting great strain on the budget.
But with a just a little bit of organization and planning, you can easily eliminate this stress from your life.
Begin by setting up an additional checking account. This will be your “holding account” and it is what all of your paychecks are deposited into. Before each month begins, you and your spouse work together to determine your budget and the amount of money you need to meet that month’s expenses. On the first of the month, transfer the amount of money you determined that you need into your regular checking account. Any extra money in the holding account can then be transferred into savings. As that month progresses, your paychecks will again replenish your holding account and will wait for you there until you do your budget and transfer again at the beginning of the next month.
Gone are the days of living paycheck-to-paycheck. You will always be one month ahead.
*Tip - If you do not initially have the money to set your one-month-ahead-plan in motion, temporarily use your holding account as a savings account. Deposit your savings into that account until you accumulate one month’s worth of expenses.
I made an interesting self-discovery recently - I spend most of my clothing money on the wrong items! In the past, most of my money has been put towards shirts and sweaters. It is relatively easy for me to find ones that I like and feel good in without spending too much money. In contrast, I find jean-shopping, shoe-shopping, and coat-shopping to be much more time-consuming, overwhelming, and not as exciting. The result is that I have a closet full of shirts and sweaters that I really love, but I get frustrated when I try to match them with jeans I don’t feel good in, a 10 year old coat, and jogging shoes. 
Yet if you think about it, I actually wear those despised items more than any shirt. And in the winter time, that 10 year old coat is what constantly covers the sweater I was so excited about.
So in light of this recent self-discovery, I have changed the way I look at clothes shopping. I now try to focus on purchasing foundational clothing items such as jeans, shoes, and coats, that I love and feel confident in and use those as the building blocks for my wardrobe. The accumulation of those items is a gradual process, but I have already been amazed at the difference it has made.
So what clothing items in your closet frequently put a damper on your otherwise chic ensemble? What clothes do you wear the most but don’t feel good in? That is where you can make the maximum impact on your wardrobe and your confidence.
A date can be romantic, fun, and refreshing. It provides a time to focus on the two of you as a couple, your dreams, your goals, your relationship.
When all of the demands of life and kids are removed, though, sometimes we can find ourselves at a sudden loss for conversation topics. What do you talk about other than kids and work?? Here is a fun way to get the conversation rolling.
Take turns asking each other random questions. What is one place you would like to work if qualifications weren’t an issue? What is one book you want to read this year? What is your favorite outfit that I wear? Where is one place in the world that you want to visit? Tell me one thing I did this last week that made you feel really loved? What character trait do you most want to be known for? No topic is off limits. The only rule is that you cannot reask a question that you have been asked.
Conversations don’t have to be deep to be significant. By asking simple questions like these, you will be amazed at how much you learn about your spouse of so many years…and how much you laugh.
Our lives are made up of happenings, big and small. Event the smallest events can be significant and defining.
Many events have some sort of token associated with them: bulletins, newspaper clippings, ticket stubs, pictures, keys, a lock of baby’s hair, a hospital band, or a small piece of brick from the new house you built. These small tokens can hold big memories.
Designate a special box to hold these little treasures from the life of your family. At the end of the year, make it a special family event to go through your little Treasure Box and relive some of the defining moments of your year. What events were significant to your family? Where were your happiest memories? What tokens do you hope to be adding next year?
There is magic in the Treasure Box. It can turn simple tokens into priceless treasures.
Tip - At the end of the year, transfer your year’s treasures into a year-labeled box (see box system) and repeat.
My grandmother used to play a game with me that she called “Hide the Thimble”. The concept was simple - she took a thimble from her sewing desk and hid it in a specified room. The kids were then sent on the mission to find it.
Not being much of a seamstress myself, I don’t have a thimble in my house, but I play this game with my kids using other small objects. The kids pick a small toy or trinket from around the house and we take turns hiding and finding it. It is a fun and simple game (requiring very little energy output from you!) that kids love.
Tip: Younger kids can play too! Simply pick a bigger object to hide!
After purchasing a new electronic, assembling a new piece of baby equipment, or installing a new appliance, you are usually left with an instruction manual. After it sits on the counter for a couple of months, it is tempting to throw it away, but it is risky. When you need an instruction manual, there isn’t an easy replacement.
As a part of your box system, designate a box for the sole purpose of storing instruction manuals. It removes the manuals from “clutter” status where they are likely to get lost, damaged, or thrown away and provides you with a predictable place to look if you should need it.
In an ideal world, I would use an all natural deodorant with no antiperspirant. I’m all too aware of the less-than-ideal ingredients in mainstream deodorants. But I will admit to you that I like to be dry and I like the extra-strength protection more. So it is one ideal that I have decided to let slide.
There is one simple thing you can do, though, to help reduce the amount of deodorant your body absorbs: wait for 10-15 minutes after you shower before applying your deodorant. The moisture and steam from the shower causes your pores to open, allowing them to easily absorb anything you apply to your skin. In contrast, pores close more tightly when your skin is dry and cool. So if natural deodorant isn’t your cup of tea, try making a simple adjustment to when you apply your deodorant. Maybe you don’t have to completely write off your ideal either.
I have tried a lot of chocolate cupcakes in my day, but this one hands-down, takes the cake. They are amazing. The assembly for any filled treat requires a bit of time and patience, but trust me when I say this recipe is worth it.
Chocolate Cream-Filled Cupcakes
Cupcakes
1 c flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/3 c cocoa powder
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c oil
1/2 c boiling water
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
Filling
3 T water
3/4 t unflavored gelatin
4 T butter, softened
1 t vanilla extract
1/8 t salt
1 1/4 c marshmallow cream
Glaze
1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips
3 T butter
1. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. Whisk (boiling) water, cocoa, and chocolate chips in a separate bowl until smooth and the chocolate chips are melted. Add sugar, sour cream, oil, eggs and vanilla to chocolate mixture and blend.
3. Fold the flour mixture into the chocolate and egg mixture. Stir until moistened.
4. Pour batter into 12 greased muffin cups. Bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool slightly and then remove from muffin cups. Cool completely.
5. Filling: Mix water and gelatin and let it stand for 5 minutes. Microwave for about 30 seconds or until the gelatin dissolves. Add butter, vanilla and salt. Cool for about 5 minutes before mixing in the marshmallow cream. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set. Set aside 1/3 c. Put the rest of the filling into a pastry bag (or us a ziploc bag with a corner clipped off).
6. Once the cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone shape out of the top of the cupcake, about 2 inches deep. Remove cone and cut off the tip (to create space for the filling). Fill the cupcake with about one tablespoon of the filling and then replace the circular top.
7. Glaze: Melt chocolate and butter in a bowl (30-60 seconds) and stir until smooth. Let the glaze cool (10-15 minutes) and then top each cupcake with about one tablespoon of the glaze. Let sit for 15 minutes and then use the remaining filling to pipe decorative curlicues across the top of the cupcakes.