Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Busy Life---Meet Evernote and E-mealz

I LOVE being a mom....and couldn't have asked for better children than my 2 sweet girls!!  It's the time of year for Easter dress shopping, which is so much fun for me.  I used to match the girls, but now that they are older, they like their own stuff.  I have to plan way in advance for things, because it sneaks up on me!  So yes, I realize that Easter is still over a month away :o)

It's tough being a mom who works 40 hours a week plus additional hours for my etsy business, in addition to keeping up with managing a household, 2 kids in school which means homework 3 times a week right now, and being the wife to a wonderful husband.  Said husband is amazing, too, btw!!  He make the girls' lunches in the morning while I get them ready...among other things.

Juggling everything can be overwhelming.  Especially when you're one of "those moms" who actually check homework before it gets signed off and forces piano practice to continue despite the overly dramatic complaints!  Yes, I am one of "those moms" and yes, it is FRUSTRATING sometimes when homework is wrong and you want it corrected and resistance is so thick you can cut it with a knife!  Whew....yes, I LOVE being a mom :o)  I also love tools that make my life easier.........

A friend of mine recently turned me on to 2 wonderful tools for busy moms:

1.  Evernote

2.  E-mealz

First of all, Evernote is a great tool for organizing my life, which is often so full of ideas for gifts, birthday presents, travel, and business ideas.  I have just begun using it and I am sure I am just touching the tip of the iceberg for how useful this tool is!  You can download it to any computer and your smart phone and then sync them together so you can access and add to anywhere, on the go or at home.  I am just in awe of its usefulness.  It is an idea book and filing cabinet all in one place!  This is going to rock my birthday and Christmas gift shopping this year!!

The second tool I am really excited about is E-mealz.  This tool is endorsed by money-saving guru Dave Ramsey as a tool to help you plan meals for the week and shop to save money.  For the cost of $5 a month, you receive a 5-day meal plan with accompanying recipes AND grocery list!  It doesn't get any easier than this!  I love meal-planning, but I am stuck in a rut right now...and trying to plan for a low-fat or Weight Watchers friendly meal is not the easiest when you are cooking for 2 adults and 2 kids and don't want to fix 2 meals!  These meal plans are for REAL people with no crazy ingredients.  The one drawback is that it is only 5 days a week, but I think I can manage the other 2 on my own :o)

My last thought is that I want my life as stream-lined and simple as possible so I don't miss out on my kids growing up.....they only do it once and I don't want to miss a second!

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