What's in a fortune?

Today my mom came over to help me do some cleaning and organizing—the cellar, my bedroom and the kitchen. In my bedroom, we removed everything from under the bed to be able to vacuum  (it was gross). In  a box full of memories, there were items of my dad's, my great-uncle's and even my childhood. In one little box belonging to my dad I found fortunes from fortune cookies. When I was in my 20's I used to save mine too, putting the date on them and taping them to my bedroom mirror. No matter how many times, I had rifled through the box, I had failed to notice the fortunes and just one more thing my dad and I had in common. Now everytime I get a fortune cookie, I will think of him.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Brownies:

2 sqs. Unsweetened chocolate

1/4 C Butter

1 C sugar

1 C flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs, well beaten

Melt the butter and chocolate in the top of s double boiler. When slightly cool add the rest of the ingredients.

Peanut Butter Filling:

3/4 C Peanut Butter

1/4 C butter, melted

1/4 C powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients in a bowl with an electric mixer for 3-5 minutes until it is all mixed together.

Heat oven to 350. Pour brownie batter into a greased 8" pan. Spoon peanut butter mixture on top. Swirl up and down and back and forth with a knife. Bake for  30-35 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting. Makes 16.

An old adage to reality....

The old adage, "If at first you don't succeed, try again." Well, when the first batch of Yorkshire Pudding failed, I made a second that worked. Why one batch and not the other? The oven temp. I failed to realize my recipe was European, so the temperature was Celsius and here in the US we do Fahrenheit. A quick ask to Siri on my phone told me of my mistake and the right temperature. At this time of year, the end that is, often, I think about the mistakes I made and what I learned from them. From this one, I learned that I should I think through what I read before I act on it. What did you learn this year?

My new look...

My daughter decided I now need a new look complete with growing my hair long again.....

As a time management coach.....

"But Time... You can never lose time and get it back again. You can't spend time and go earn more of it. You can't buy it, rent or borrow it." — From 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management by Kevin Kruse

Thank you my ex for gifting me this book; it is a page turner. Sorry to my ex, some friends and former clients who might recipe this book as a gift in the new year along with my nagging you to read it immediately.

Shout outs are due....

I have been recovering from surgery and tomorrow will be the two week mark. So some gratitude should be given out. First, to my mom who has taken care of me —finishing unpacking after our renovation, cooking dinner and giving me sponge baths, until I was allowed to take a shower. I remember loving sponge baths as a kid, but  not so much as an adult. Second, to my daughter who reminded me everyday that laughter is the best medicine (keep it up). Last but not least, to my extended family and friends, who sent well wishes in the form of cards, food, flowers and healing energy. At two weeks out I am rested, energized and ready for life in my new body thanks to all of you. At this time of year it is important to count our blessings and not the number of presents we get.

Wise words.....

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give" —Winston Churchill

New Year, New Me and New Name, for blog that is.....

New Year's is fast approaching; well we need to finish the winter holidays and my birthday first. Even before all of this can happen, I need to finish recovering from medically needed breast reduction surgery that was done to alleviate back and neck pain. With the aid of my mom and daughter, I am recovering well and on my way to a "new" me, that is a "pain-free" me.  Carpal Tunnel Release surgery on both wrists and now this qualify me to describe myself as new and not updated. In this vane, I am reinventing my blog to be more about my life— "a mouthful of busy" as I described it in my journal last night. In fact in that same entry,  I described myself as a solorprenuer, divorced single mom, home owner with a dog. Now you see the busy.

So as of January 1st, 2016 look for my blog under it's new name, A Mouthful of Busy.

Thanks and have a great holiday season,
Mali

Since its Friday.....

What's in a word?

When I punish my daughter, I have to say no screens or of late have said no devices to mean no videos, TV and/or Instagram because any thing less and I might hear, "Mom, it isn't videos, just FaceTime."

Goals for the young....

My daughter's goals for 5th grade.....

Wise words.....

From the late great, Yogi Berra

"The future ain't what it used to be." —Yogi Berra

Rice pasta vs. Me — a clean sweep...

I love to cook and feel I am good at and yet not matter how many times I cook rice pasta and adjust the cooking times, it comes out overdone and so, rice pasta wins every round and tells me I should stick to spelt pasta.

Wise words on Monday....

"The Golden Rule of Habit Change: You can't extinguish a bad habit, you can only change it."  — From The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle

Been a while....

I have moved back into my home despite the fact that my kitchen renovation is not quite done, necessitating that I wash dishes in the bathroom up stairs (only working sink) and so I am grateful for canned items with pull tabs (my can opener is packed away in storage), the automatic water dispenser on my new fridge and my patient daughter especially when she asks, "Mom, what's in the sink?" and I reply "I washed pots this morning."

What my daughter taught me....

This summer I choose to renovate in my house and we were to move back in yesterday and we couldn't, so we are still living at my mom's and I noticed last night that my 10 y.o. daughter was taking this better than I, when she said, "It's just a few more nights. It's nothing major." and in that moment I realized I had a lot to learn from daughter then and in the future.

Great advice.....

Wednesday's words....What is lick?

“"Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get.”" — Ray Kroc, founder of McDonalds

Digital discarding...

I am reading the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, which is about her life long fascination with discarding and organizing as well as a treatise on her method know as KonMari and in the spirit of her words, I just "discarded" from my Amazon wish list all the items I no longer need (and probably never needed) and the books I will never read (and shouldn't have made onto the list in the first place) and I already feel better and less cluttered.

Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

The world wide web...

Today, I set-up a Yelp page for my business because a local solopreneur told me that she got the bulk of her clients through her business's Yelp page and when I signed up I saw that I could put up my 2 session special (now for back-to-school) as a "deal", so now I am putting me and my business out there.

Life Management Pros of Yelp

I forgot....

I forgot to practice what I preach and didn't write down the sites I needed to visit on the internet and now I can only remember one of the two, which makes me more convinced of writing your to-do list at night for the next day.

Shop local....

I called car service to go to the bus terminal and got into an Uber (oops!) and the driver said he didn't speak good English which explains why "Port Authority Bus Terminal" wasn't understood, but with his GPS and the address I provided I made my bus and realized that shopping local has its benefits-- drivers that speak good English.

GF Sweet Potato Pancakes

2 Medium Sweet Potatoes

2 eggs beaten
2 Tbsp. GF Flour
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a cookie sheet with 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Wash and grate potatoes. Mix in eggs and flour. Form into large "meatballs" and flatten on cookie sheet. Brush tops with remaining olive oil. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Serve warm with apple sauce or sour cream. Makes 6 pancakes.

(P.S. These pancakes have been an excellent dessert this week.)

Off to camp...the hard part

Today I took my daughter to sleep away camp for the first time and while it is hard to realize she is 10 and old enough to go, it was harder to iron on the name tags, since the instructions weren't clear on the temperature of the iron-- very, very hot for your knowledge. (The label company will remain nameless, but it will receive an email from me on this matter.)

Going old school today

The internet has sites and videos on every topic imaginable, but today instead of web surfing on dog training, I watched the AKC (American Kennel Club) DVD on the subject and found viewing the video on a large screen TV to be the break my eyes and mind needed.

Making new memories

On a girls' weekend with my daughter in a town my ex and I have been to many times and it feels good to share it with her and make new memories here.

Tip: Traveling Sandbox Toys

With the plethora of collapsible kitchen items and travel accessories, you can make a flat pack sand toys kit for that family trip to the beach

1-2 collapsible bowls
1 collapsible colander
2-3 plastic cookie cutters
2 collapsible travel cups
1 set collapsible measuring scoops
1 small plastic shovel (optional)

And you are good to go!

True Friendship

My daughter wore a yellow stripped shirt today and forgot to pack a blue one for her school dance performance and when I arrived for it, her best friend was wearing an orange shirt, which was purposeful (she had a blue shirt to change into) so my daughter wouldn't feel bad and I realized that I was witnessing an act of "true friendship" and the girls would be friends forever.

Procrastination isn't my thing.....

My daughter has a project due tomorrow and all weekend and last night I told her to start work on it since we have a family dinner tonight and she said there would be time to work on it at school and then last night she tried to get out of the dinner due to the assignment and I said no way because I am a productivity coach and procrastination makes my brain spin (especially when it is used as an excuse not to honor commitments).

(She called me mean in the end and I said, "Ok.")

From my daughter

Her pad, her words, her misspelling (she is 10 y.o.)

Old school VS. New school

Today, I was asked to send a contact a calendar invite to our meeting and I had to for the first time use Google calendar, since I am old school and still use a paper calendar and now, it has me thinking that maybe I should go to a new school soon.

I received this yesterday... Makes you think....

Wednesday's words...Giver's gain

"Whatever I have given, I have gained." —Leonard Nemoy

Business Norm......Ditch the standard

Today I decided to file away the business cards I had collected over the years through networking, doctor's visits and a love of beads, but when doing so I noticed several had to be trimmed (too tall) to fit in the protector page which assumes each card is a standard 2" X 3.5 " and I realized in the age of technology and flash graphics on websites, the business card is yet another way to standout especially when you do a size that is not the standard and so in my opinion business is going the way of standing out and not fitting into the standard.

(P.S. One of my favorite business cards came from a financial planner whose card was 2" X 1.25" and said on the front, "The lack of orders from you has made this economy size card necessary.")

The holiday weekend according to my daughter....,

Wednesday's words: small steps lead us to big things

"great things do not just happen by impulse but as a succession of small things linked
together."  — Vincent van Gogh

In the Kitchen on Thursday: Easy Tacos—Turkey and black bean

1 lb. ground Turkey
1 can (14 oz.) black bean soup (I used Progresso)
2 Tbsp. Taco Seasoning
2-3 Tbps. Sunflower oil
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
Taco Shells
Toppings: Shredded lettuce, tomato, grated cheese, sour cream or plain yogurt, diced Avacado

Chop the onion and the garlic. Heat the oil in a 10" skillet. Add the onion and the garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add the meat and cook until it is browned. Open the can of soup and drain off 1/2 the liquid. Add this and the seasoning to the skillet and stir to combine. Let the soup heat through. Then, let each person make their own taco. Serves 4 (2 tacos each).

Wednesday's words: Wise words from an elder

"I am convinced that almost anything can be accomplished if one does his or her very best and perseveres."— Rose Sachs

(Ms. Sachs passed away this month at the age of 103.)

Neat and clean

I hired a professional organizer to help me make sense of my office which is now also my craft space and from the picture you can see we did good work, so I am thrilled and loving my neater bookshelf.

    

An early's mother's day gift....

This morning at a local farmer's market, I pointed out the mother's day cookies at a bakery stall and my daughter said, "I would by you one, but I know you want to lose weight, so it wouldn't be good."

(Thanks, Sweetie.)

Singlehood

I live in my own home, run my own business and am the custodial parent to my 10 y.o. daughter and I have noticed the non-divorced ask, "How are you doing?" And the divorced say, "Dont worry you'll get through it."

(P.S. Either way, I feel supported.)

Wednesday's words...Red light, Green light....

"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me." —Ayn Rand

Wednesday's words on Value

"Price is what you pay. Value is what you get." —Warren Buffet

Small plates all around....

I have discovered in my business as a productivity and time management coach that people like a coaching program that is "small plate" which is why my Spring Program, two sessions is outselling my 2 and 4 month programs so far this year.

(Want to know about my program--spring cleaning your day, then email me at Mali@LifeManagementPros.com)

In the kitchen on Thursday.. A recipe from a friend.

Last night I made Chicken and Rice from the Family Plate Cookbook by Marie Isner and my family loved it.

Full Disclosure: Marie is not only my health coach but also a dear friend. My hat goes off to her for writing a cookbook.

To purchase the cookbook at Amazon, click the link below.
http://www.amazon.com/Family-Plate-Cookbook-Real-Families/dp/1500147273/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429219452&sr=8-1&keywords=marie+isner

(P.S.I made the Italian Meatball recipe too and thought it to be better than the one in the Joy of Cooking.)

Wednesday's words on Productivity

"Besides the noble are of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone." —Lin Yutang

Time for reflection...

Of late, my blog has been sporadic for two reasons—one, I forget about it with all that it is on my mind and two, this gives me pause as to the concept of blog, so for the coming weeks it will be sporadic as a spring clean the blog and mu concept and my house.

Wednesday's words from Shakespeare

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." —William Shakespeare

Wednesday's words.....The importance of time management

Vodafone Fiji’s Sponsorship and Marketing manager Ligavatu Gukisuva said: “To succeed in life, one needs to manage their time wisely.”

In the kitchen on Thursday or not....

For my Thursdays, I post a recipe that I have made recently and well since I had wrist surgery last week, I haven't been cooking and not starving either since I hired a caterer to prepare some meals for me, so my family could eat well (not take-out every night) and I wouldn't have to worry thankfully.

Tuesday's Tip: The help

I am not one to ask for help, but since having wrist surgery (the right last summer and the left currently), I heave learned that when needed, help is the best medicine.

Wednesday's words of encouragement

"You can do it." —Coffee

In the kitchen on Thursday: Orange Pecan cake

1 box vanilla cake mix (or butter or golden or yellow)
3/4 C. Orange Juice
1 egg
1/3 C. Pecans.
Butter or shortening for pan

Preheat oven to 350. Chop the pecans. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Grease a bunt pan. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from the pan. Cake can be sliced and the individual slices frozen for up to 2 weeks.

Wednesday's words from Peter Drucker

"Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else." —Peter Drucker

Tuesday's Tip: to-do list

No matter what you have to do, writing it all down will make sure you don't forget anything important and the back of an envelope will do if you don't have pad or paper handy.

Wednesday's words from Maragaret Mead

"Never doubt that small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, its the only thing that every has." —Margaret Mead

Tuesdauy's Tip: Networking

When you collect a business card make a note of where you met them, so when you follow-up later you can mention the event to jog their memory.

Connections, Networking and LinkedIn

Every time I go to the LinkedIn page "people you might know",  I look at the pictures wondering how I know the person and realize that I don't know him/her; it is just that I have seen his/her photo so many times on this page that I feel I should know them and wonder what would happen if I sent an invitation.

In the kitchen on Thursday.....Mac n' Cheese reinvented

1 box your favorite mac n'cheese brand

1/4 C. pesto sauce

Prepare the mac n' cheese according to the box. Once the cheese sauce is all mine, add in your pesto and toss the pasta until coated. Serve warm with grated cheese as a topping.

Wednesday's words: Mixing business and personal

"Behind every professional mission there's personal purpose." — from Manage Your Day to Day (pg. 137) by Jocelyn Glei and 99U

Find the book on Amazon

Tuesday's Tip: Don't leave home until.....

When traveling, be sure to prep your home by watering plants, putting a light on a timer and closing all windows.

What's important?

While traveling, I am learning that being there for your family is just as important as having a good time and that you can truly only have a good time when your whole family (those traveling with you) feel at ease.

In the Kitchen on Thursday....Oatmeal Pancaks

1 C. Oats
1/2 a medium Banana
2/3 C. Almond Milk (Soy milk or cow's milk)
1 egg.
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Maple Syrup
Oil or vegetable shortening

Preheat oven to 350. Blend all ingredients in a Cuisinart or high powered blender (I use my Nutribullit). Grease a muffin top pan. Pour batter until each top is 2/3 full. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Serve with jam, syrup, butter or other topping. I spread almond butter on mine. Makes 6 pancakes.

“Effective time management not only helps to improve productivity but also helps you to achieve your goals. As an entrepreneur, one has a limited amount of time and needs to use it wisely.” —Dr. Subhash Chandra

In the Kitchen on Thursday: Asian Salmon

1 lb. Salmon filet

2 Tbsp. Teriyaki sauce

2 tsp. Soy sauce

1/2 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger

Mix the last three ingredients together. Place in a bag of covered dish with fish. Shake to coat. Let stand at least 1 hour. bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes depending on the thickness of the filets. Serves 4. Great with salad or brown rice and veggies.

Wednesday's words: Life

"Life is the art of drawing without an eraser." —John W. Gardner

Tuesday Tips: Natural moisturizers

These oil are know for their moisturizing qualities for skin, feet and nails:

Almond

Avocado

Cocanut

Olive

A little TLC goes a long way...

In between loads of laundry, a quick grocery shop and making chili for Superbowl Sunday, I was called an "awesome mom" because I made Sylvie baked donuts to have breakfast this week with all the fresh berries in the house because she said she wanted to eat yogurt, berries and granola for breakfast to be healthy which lasted a few days before she got bored.

In the kitchen on Thursday: Decadent Mac n' Cheese

1/4 C. butter

1/4 C. flour

1 lg. can evaporated milk

1/3 C. milk

1/4 lb. each of American, Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Colby Jack cheeses

2 boxes elbow noodles

Cook the noodles according to the box. Melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Then add the milk. Cook for 3-5 minutes until mixtures thinkers. Add Cheeses and stir constantly until they are melted. Toss with the cooked noodles until they are all coated. Makes plenty for a Superbowl get together. Serve hot.

Wednesday's words: Teamwork

"Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success." —Henry Ford

Ford Biography

Tuesdays; Tip: Itchy Scalp

Make a paste out of lemon juice and baking soda. Rub on your wet scalp and let stand for 2 minutes and then rinse. Then rub Avocado oil, olive oil or coconut oil on your scalp.

I tried this home remedy and it worked great on my itchy scalp.

Snow day...

Home on a snowy day and thinking of all the things I could do which is overwhelming and making me want to "run for the hills" (a.k.a. watch TV) and realizing as a productivity coach that I actually should be productive since the house is empty because school is in session (no snow day, yet)— so what do you do to keep motivated?

Well, it's a saturday night...

The kid is sleeping over at Grandma and Grandpa's house and I am cleaning house, organizing, doing laundry and even making mac n' cheese for a family dinner tomorrow night (yes, homemade) and wondering why I am not taking this time to do for myself rather than for my household (I don't count doing my laundry as self care).

Wednesday's words from Eeyore

"A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference." — Eeyore

Tuesday's Tip: Make a meeting

If you want to do go to gym, meet a friend for coffee or have dinner with your partner put it on your calendar like a meeting and then you are more likely to do it.

Wednesdays' Words: Pure Wisdom

"No man in an island unto himself' —John Donne

John Donne Biography

Tuesday's Tip: For the New Year...

Be sure to print a hard copy of your address book on your computer and your contact list on your phone, so that you can recover the information should you need to do it.

The end of the week blues

My daughter was complaining this morning about it being Friday and she is tired after a long week at school and I realized that I am tired like her and so call it the "Friday Blues", where you are just pushing to get the day done to start a weekend of R&R (Hopefully!).

In the kitchen on Thursday: Clair's cabbage salad

My friend Clair made this when she came over and cooked dinner.

1 medium head of green cabbage
1/2 medium onion
2 small limes
1 1/2 Tbsp. honey
2-3 Tbsp. olive oil

Cut cabbage in quarters and remove the core from each cabbage. Slice into strips on the short side and place in a bowl. Slice the 1/2 onion in strips and add to the bowl. Add the juice of the two limes, the honey and the olive oil and toss well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy.

(Thanks Clair and Sean for an awesome dinner and a great time with good friends.)

Tuesday's Tip on pet "accidents"

Pour baking soda on pee spot on a rug or carpet and it will soak up the pee and remove the order, then just sweep or vacuum up after a few minutes. (Can you tell we got a puppy?!)

Wednesday's words from Winnie the Pooh

"Always remember, You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think and loved more than you know." —Winnie the Pooh/Christopher Robin

In the kitchen on Thursday: Festive Slaw

Take one medium green cabbage and cut it into quarters. Take one quarter at a time and remove the core. Slice into strips on the short side until the whole cabbage is cut. Place in a bowl and add 1/3 C. dried cranberries and 1/3 C. walnuts chopped. For the dressing mix 3 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar and 1 tsp. Dijon mustard. Poor this on the cabbage mixture and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste.