Five Faves!

Good morning Blogland...

I'll start my Moxiewife's Five Fave list with a non-fave.  I don't like the look of my blog.  It's cluttered and bothers me.  But.. who has time for blog clean up? I barely have time to blog.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest... here are this week's five:

1-  An Oil Mister from Williams Sonoma.  First off, WS rocks.  A college roommate turned best friend worked there for a few years post college and made me a devotee.  Love the store and never seem disappointed.  Anyway.. this oil mister was given to me courtesy of my dear husband at Christmas (disclaimer-  I had it on a list of wants... he is no cook and didn't know what it was... but who cares!)

The oil mister takes the place of PAM or other oil sprays.  When I first opened it, I thought it was broken because it won't pump.  Well, follow directions and you'll see... you've gotta pump air into it to force the oil out.  It works magically.  I don't think I've been this excited over a kitchen gadget ever.

2-  I've taken back popcorn!  After years of nasty tasting microwave popcorn, I decided to make it as a snack for the girls.  It's delish!  Using a heavy pan on the stove with olive oil, I pop and lightly season.  So yummy as a treat and so natural as compared to microwave yuckiness.

3.  My skin has grown dry over the years yet I still have break outs.  I finally realized I need to cleanse with a creamy cleanser.  I found this one on Amazon and love it!.  It smells good. It's gentle.  And it's inexpensive.

4.  Best sippy cups "hand's down". Nalgene Grip and Go toddler cup.  No further review needed!

5.  And my last favorite was from New Year's Eve.  As my three year old said, "this is fancy dinner!"  We had dinner on our China with our nice flatware and cloth napkins... but it't what I served that's a new fave.
Easy Shrimp Scampi
Defrosted bag of uncooked shrimp.  I used medium size
Stick of butter (yes, the whole stick... this  is NOT healthy!)
A package of Italian salad dressing seasoning

Throw it over med-low heat and cook.  YUMMY!  Make sure not to overcook the shrimp.  Keep them tender by watching them as they move from translucent to white.  Turn off heat before pink.  Serve over Jasmine rice w/a side of whatever.... no one will care what veggie you are serving when the get a taste of this!

Happy 2014!

7 Quick Takes

Alas "Quick Takes" and "Five Faves" are an easy way to remind me to blog :)

Today's quick takes are somewhat resolutions for the new year.  Overall 2013 was a good year... definitely more highs than lows... most important-  a new baby!  But with dear Jack Jack came a crush in routine.  I feel sort of out of rhythm. If I were a Yogi, I'd take to the mat all day to straighten things out.  Instead I am a word person so I'll try and summarize what needs to be tweaked into 7 Quick Takes:

1-  Prioritize time.  Take back Sundays as Holy and family days.  I find that too often our Sundays include laundry, cleaning, and other not so fun things.  If it works for your family to mix it all up, great... but for me, I need time to decompress and focus on what's important-  God, my husband, my children, and me.  
In addition to taking back Sundays, I want to be deliberate about one "family exploration day" a month and "one date" with my hubby a month.  These can be cost free or complete indulgences.  They just need to happen to feed my soul.  Lastly, I need to find more time to read and knit.  My time to stimulate my brain and creativity makes me a better mommy... and that's important.

2.   Take care of myself.  I need to "eat more carrots"!  My girls are so healthy in their eating.  I need to be more like them.  I want to instill good eating by example. I love food and I over indulge.  I eat healthy things.. followed with indulgences.  I need to remember that my body is a gift from God and I need to treat it as such.    Here is a pic from Christmas day (note the dog is NOT ours!):

I want to stretch more, walk more, be active, and feel healthier.
In addition to being more aware of my health, I want to feel better about ME.  That means getting dressed in real clothes and not Yoga pants (remember #1 I am not a Yogi!), wearing make up daily, painting my nails... the things that make me feel attractive.

3.  Be smart about money.  We go through phases where we are super good with money but that's not always the case.  We need to budget monthly, discuss weekly, and be cognizant of how we use our resources.

4.  Be peaceful.  I want my girls not to hear my frantic or stressed.  I've had them say "it's okay mama" when I am stressed.  That makes me feel awful.  I need to keep in mind that my reactions impact who they are... and I love my girls so much and want to impart peace.  I have made up a little diddly that helps... I sing "come Holy Spirit, come to Us, come Holy Spirit, come to us, come Holy Spirit, come to us, help ______."
It started as a song that I would sing as I rocked them and they resisted sleep... but now I call on the Holy Spirit to bring me the gracefulness of peace.

5.  Organize my favorite and inspiring blogs.  Some days blogs are what I read and nothing else.  Let me fill my mind with inspiring and good women... not harsh condescending and/or sarcastic women.

6.  Grow my spiritual life.   Adding a third to our home has been wonderful but I am so much busier.  I feel that the business has impeded my spiritual life.  I was in such a good place last Spring... I need to return there.  I am super excited that I'll be attended the Created for Care conference in March.  It's a retreat for Christian women who are touched by adoption.  I want to make sure my heart is ready to fully soak in the goodness of the retreat.

7.  Simplify.  I am coming to terms with who I am at this stage of my life and simplicity fits who I am best.  I need to focus on keeping life simple.  I am better with less... less chaos of "things".  This is a hard one for me but I know it's important.


Happy New  Year!