Karissa Tunis

No Time to Cook? Here Are Some Useful Tips for Busy Moms

As parents, we know that we want to feed our kids the best possible foods. We want them to feel good, look good, grow up healthy and strong, and also have a good relationship with food. The only way to do this is to provide them with tasty and healthy meals as they go through their developmental years. Continue reading below for some useful tips for busy moms who don’t have time to cook.

For more on this topic, check out the full Staying Healthy collection

No Time to Cook?

We moms have a hard time fitting in top-class chef work alongside all the other Mom tasks we have to deal with! Luckily, there are a few handy tips and tricks that can help you here. In this article, we are going to share exactly those tips. So, busy moms, take five. Read this article, and learn the useful ways you can save cooking time.

Use An Instant Pot

If you haven’t already, you need to invest in an instant pot. These clever devices use boiling, pressurized water, or stock, in an outer pot to power steam around the inner pot to rapidly cook food. Your cooking time will be cut in half with this great tool. Plus, with Instant pot recipes on Corrie cooks taking care of all the ideas for you, you won’t even have to plan meals for yourself. Pick a recipe, throw all the ingredients into your instant pot, and then walk away. In half the time of a traditional stovetop, your meal will be complete and ready to serve.

With instant pots, you can cook everything you’d be able to cook in a normal frying pan or stovetop pot. Many recipes can be adapted to suit an instant pot, and you can often cook every element of the meal altogether within your instant pot. Give it a go, you’ll save yourself hours slaving away over the stovetop – giving you more time for the kid’s homework and all that other fun stuff!

Batch Cook

With your instant pot, or any other cooking method, a top tip we regularly get told is to batch cook. Batch cooking is a great idea because it saves you time for the rest of the week. Let’s say you make a chili con Carne for a family of four on a Monday night. Instead of making four portions, make enough for eight or twelve! This way, come Thursday or Saturday, you can grab portions out of the fridge or freezer and quickly microwave or reheat them. This way you also don’t even have to think about what’s on the menu more than a few times a week!

[Read: 8 Easy Swaps To Make Your Family Favorites Healthier]

15 Minute Meals

If you’re the kind of mom who wants to stand at the stove and watch what you’re cooking, that’s great! But, there are still some amazing ways to save yourself a bit of time. This time-saving trend has become quite popular on social media, leading to a lot of people sharing recipes that can be cooked in 15 minutes or less. This is ideal mom territory, feeding the entire family in just 15 minutes. Search online for 15-minute meals and you will surely find some recipes that change the way you cook every night.

Cans And Freezers Are Your Friends!

Lots of us worry that buying frozen or canned food is somehow not natural or not good for us. This is often not the case, especially when you look at vegetables. Often, freezer veggies are frozen the day they are picked, sealing in all the nutrients and freshness for a few months. Canned veggies are also package very quickly and hold their nutrients due to the airtight container. Both of these options are super handy and very quick to cook. No need to peel, chop or prep any vegetables. Just throw them straight in the microwave or the instant pot!

Meal Delivery Services

If you’re a mom with no time, but you do have a bit of spare cash, you could consider meal delivery services. These subscription-based meal services will be tailored to your family’s needs and provide a variety of meals direct to your door. With some services, everything will be prepped and ready to go straight in the oven or microwave. With others, you’ll receive ready-prepped and portioned food to cook yourself. Either way, you’ll be saving yourself some time.

As you can see, there are more than a few ways to save yourself some time and energy in the kitchen. And, while the instant pot is our absolute favorite, there are plenty of other options! We hope you find some of these tips useful and manage to save yourself minutes or even hours worth of cooking time!

For more on this topic, check out the full Staying Healthy collection

Stop Letting Your Small Business Stress You Out

If you run your own small business, you will know that there are endless sources of potential stress involved in the process. This means you have to be very proactive about looking after yourself. That can be a lot harder than it sounds. But there are a few things you can do to make it at least a little easier. Keep reading below to learn how to stop letting your small business stress you out.

For more on this topic, check out the full Work Life Balance collection

Focus on the good stuff

The fact is that you get to be your own boss now and work in your own terms. Perhaps you have a new product line that is selling better than you expected. Or that you’ve found a great new deal on the towing package on your commercial truck rental. If you want to fight the stress of running a small business, it’s imperative that you focus on the good stuff – the stuff that’s going right for you. Things are always going to go wrong from time to time. But if you only think about those challenges, and not the things that are going right, your mental health is going to take a serious hit!

Get serious about prioritizing

As a small business owner, you’ll know that there are always a million and one things that need to be done. But you do know that you don’t need to do them all yourself, or at least not all at the same time anyway, right? If you want to stay sane, you need to start ranking your business tasks from most to least important and focusing on only the most important tasks at hand. The rest can wait, or you can outsource them. You are only one person and you need to strike the right balance between work and personal life. Don’t try to be a hero and do it all because all that will lead to is stress and burnout.

Learn how to meditate

You might think that you don’t have time for meditation, working out, or taking time for self care with running your own company. You likely are also trying to juggle caring for a family, on top of countless of other commitments you have. However, the thing about meditation is that it gives you your time back. It gives you time back because it makes you a calmer and a more efficient version of yourself. Which is exactly why you owe it to yourself to learn the very simple technique. Or, if meditation sounds like to far of a change for your, at least be mindful about scheduling a little time for yourself. The goal is finding time that allows you to take a moment, reset, and be intentional moving forward.

Take breaks

In a similar vein, you should make sure that you take regular breaks for your work, even if it’s just 5 minutes out of every hour spent working. This will refresh your brain. So not only do you not get stressed, but you should also see your productivity soar. Working smart is what it’s all about – you don’t need to spend every second of every day working to be a success, you really don’t.

[Read: 9 Ways to Be More Productive While Working From Home]

Outsource

If you can afford to do so, outsourcing some of the more tedious aspects of work, such as bookkeeping and web admin, can be a great way to reduce your burden! It can also lower your stress levels, and it has never been easier to find great freelancers to help you out, so why not?

Time to stop letting your small business stress you out!

For more on this topic, check out the full Work Life Balance collection

Ways to Kickstart Your Career Again After Becoming a Full Time Mom

You might have changed careers recently, be a full time working mom, or planning to return to work after maternity leave. Trying to juggle full time childcare with your own career can feel like a daunting prospect! But at the same time you do not want to give up on any passions you have in life, or the ability to try out a new job just because you are a mom now. So it is important to remember that your happiness counts too. Here are some ideas to help you kickstart your career again after becoming a full time mom.

For more on this topic, check out the full Work Life Balance collection

Ways to Kickstart Your Career Again After Becoming a Full Time Mom

Start Your Own Business From Home

You might be quite a creative person and have a great idea for a new product that you could launch from the comfort of your home. The flexibility of working from home and looking after the kids when they are not in school could work out well. You could start by joining an online website and selling your products there to begin with, to see if you enjoy the idea before spending a lot of money to set up the business. This will allow you to see how you cope with the demands as well.

[Read: 9 Ways to Be More Productive While Working From Home]

Good at Selling

If you are good at talking to people, and even better at selling, then why not venture into real estate? You would not need a degree for this. It simply requires you to take some classes and an exam to obtain a license to become a real estate agent. Typically this takes about 6 months, and you are good to go. The pay can be very good as well.

Return to School

If you miss studying and want to get back into it, you could look at courses that would allow you to partly learn from home. Then when the kids are in school you could attend any in-person classes. If one of your skill sets is that you have the ability to help others and listen to their problems, then perhaps you could consider between available occupational therapy degrees that would fit into your current childcare routine.

Creative Role

Perhaps you have always wanted to write your own book or start your own blog to share your experiences about being a mom. This would allow you to share how you are raising your children, or you could focus on one of your specific interests. You could start freelancing as a writer which is a great way to work around a schedule that suits you while also allowing you to tap into your inner creative side. Who knows, you might even find that once you get going you wish you had started this sooner!

The World of Fitness

You might have found a new love for all things fitness during lockdown and are now feeling inspired to become a fitness instructor or yoga teacher. You would need to take a course and complete an exam before you are fully qualified. But it would certainly be easy to set up tutorials from home once you are qualified by streaming through your social media page to attract clients.

For more on this topic, check out the full Work Life Balance collection

7 Things Every Household Should Pay Attention To

May 10, 2021

Whether you’re buying a new house, looking for a fixer-upper, or thinking about purchasing an investment property, there are some key elements you should pay attention to. Buy property comes with some intricate ins and outs that will definitely influence your final decision. You might find yourself fixating on the price, how the house looks, fixtures, and other amenities. And while these are important, they aren’t the most important. When you go into this process you aren’t going in it alone if you’re a family, whether that’s a family of two or more. Your entire household will in some way, shape, or form be involved. And as such, every member of the household that is able should keep their eyes open for these things that we’ve listed below. Continue reading below to find out what 7 things every household should pay attention to!

For more helpful resources, check out the full Moving Tips collection

7 Things Every Household Should Pay Attention To

Depending on what you’re trying to accomplish your mortgage for your new property will be influenced by it. You want to be aware of this and try to have ballpark figures in your mind when viewing various houses. Use a house mortgage calculator to help you get an idea of what a particular property might cost. Once you have these estimates you can then focus on these other areas of concern that you’ll want to pay close attention to.

1. Realtors Relationship With The Sellers

If you find that your realtor is also responsible for the listing you may want to consider looking for another real estate agent. This can potentially be a conflict of interest that will not go in the buyer’s favor (your favor). While it may make for an easier transaction, the realtor and seller will benefit most from making as much as possible from the listing. So this doesn’t protect you, the buyer. Instead look for an agent with no conflicting interest or ties to the listing.

[Read: 5 Tips to Buy a New Family Home]

2. Sellers May Be Recording Viewings

Something that buyers of a household should be aware of is the potential of being spied on by the seller. With all the tech available a seller will likely in some way record or watch a viewing with buyers. When touring a house it’s best to be careful with what you say, both positive or negative as either type of comment can influence the way a seller behaves. You can always discuss your thoughts once you’ve left the location. You don’t want to find yourself overpaying on a home because you love it and the sellers are aware of that fact.

3. Growth Potential And Challenges When Making Changes

Another thing you’ll want to pay attention to is the potential for growth and possible challenges when wanting to make changes. You may think that buying a small place is ideal in the beginning. However, if you plan to grow your family you may find yourself quickly running out of space. Depending on where your home is located you may face a lot of challenges trying to make changes to accommodate your growing family. You’ll want to make sure that the space you’re buying now has room for this potential. Moving is hard enough! But having to move every time there is a new addition, or need for change in your family, can quickly become a nightmare.

[Read: 3 Ways to Make Your House Feel Bigger]

4. Recent Sales In The Area

Something you’ll want to look into is the recent sales in the area. Use the information from these sales to get a general idea of what a house or property costs in the area. That way you can know if a price is fair or not. If it’s overpriced you’ll know why. If it’s underpriced there may be unseen issues that you’ll want to avoid. This is a good method to give yourself some leverage when going into the process of potentially purchasing a place. The price may also give you some indication of what the immediate area is like. Low-priced homes may come with some unsavory surroundings whereas a heavily-priced home may come with some additional amenities. These are all things you’ll want to ask about.

[Read: 4 Things to Look Out for When Buying an Older Home]

5. The Location

Location is probably the most important factor when purchasing a home and it can be one that many don’t pay attention to. Sometimes when considering the cost it can be easy to buy a home in a not-so-great location. You can make all kinds of changes to your home. But if you’re the best home on a bad block it can seriously hurt the value of your home. This can also lower your resale potential and make selling the home a much more tedious process. So remember that location matters when making your final decision.

6. Maintenance Cost

Another thing you should pay attention to is the maintenance cost of a property. Your expenses don’t stop at the completion of the sale. Once you’ve gained the house you have to take care of it. There are certain things that can greatly increase the maintenance cost which may be outside of your monthly budget. Pools are an example of this. A large yard is another thing to consider. Make sure that you can handle these costs before investing your money.

[Read: 8 Tips for Keeping Your Family & Home Safe]

7. Neighbors

This goes without saying but neighbors can make or break how long you live in a particular area. When you’re going for a house tour pay attention to the people you see around and ask questions. If you see a lot of basketball nets, bikes, and other toys around the homes in the area then you can be sure it is a family-oriented place. This is great for families with children. If you are looking for something quieter this can tell you that it may not be what you’re looking for. Neighbors can be one of the single factors that make you dislike where you love. Pay attention to who your potential neighbors may be.

Once you’ve covered these things and found the perfect home you’ll be well on your way to closing on the property. This process takes time so you’ll have to remain patient and also be prepared for some drawbacks or possibly not getting them home. For this reason, you should also have backup listings just in case. You don’t want to rush your decision either. Rushing may make you miss out on key important factors. The right home for you will come along but making the wrong choice can cost you big in the immediate and long-term future.

For more helpful resources, check out the full Family Home collection

Protect Kids from the Sun: 5 Tips from a Doctor

May 10, 2021

In the midst of summer these months mean days at the pool and family trips to the beach, while also meaning increased risk for sunburns. While sunburn may seem temporary, long-term exposure to UV radiation can cause severe damage, and with repeated exposure, potentially skin cancer. Read below for 5 tips from a plastic surgeon to protect kids from the sun….

Great Outdoor Space Project Ideas To Get Your Place Prepared For Fun Summer Nights

May 2, 2021

Summer is almost here. And that means it is time to get your place looking great for all of the fun that will be happening. Whether you have a lot of space in your yard, or just some room on your roof, making sure these outdoor spaces are ready is important! Especially since this summer will surly be filled with amazing memories. The article below will give you ideas to get your outdoor space ready for summer fun.

For more on this topic, check out the full Family Home collection

Build An Outdoor Kitchen

There is no better way to spend a night than outdoors cooking with friends, family, or even by yourself. There are many Outdoor Kitchen Project Ideas to choose from. Whether it be a full-time outdoor kitchen with gas lines, or cooking over a grill. Informally preparing your meal, while spending quality time in the great outdoors, is a great experience!

When it comes to creating an outdoor kitchen, the discussion on whether to choose paradise grills or RTA outdoor living kitchens will quickly come up. A paradise grill can give you all the amenities of a complete outdoor kitchen, and with a sleek stainless-steel look and feel. According to an rta outdoor living review, the other option of an RTA outdoor living kitchen, will provide you with a more rustic charm that is perfect for any backyard patio. Therefore, regardless of your preference, you will be able to find a paradise grill or RTA outdoor living kitchen that is ideal for the space, budget, and your outdoor dinning area.

Create An Outdoor Dining Room

While outdoor seats are functional, creating an entire dining space outdoors will make your backyard the place to be. Utilize an outdoor rug. Hang some string lights. And add a few plants to create an inviting atmosphere for you and your guests. If you have enough space, consider adding an outdoor dining table with chairs. – As this can be a wow factor for any get-together!

Add a Pool

Summers get hot. What better way to cool off than by taking a dip in your very own pool? Not only will this keep you entertained all summer long, but it will also provide an excellent place for guests to gather. If you don’t have space available, or the budget for an in-ground pool, consider installing an above-ground pool instead.

You don’t necessarily have to spend your savings on a new pool. You can get creative with your space and create a pool using less traditional methods. For example, if you don’t want to dig out your backyard for a full-sized in-ground pool, consider installing an above-ground wading pool instead.

Install Proper Lighting

Nights spent on the outside need proper lighting. This is to prevent any accidents and risk of injuries. But also for safety purposes when you need visibility outside in the dark.

There are many ways to light up your outdoor space. Such as different types of lamps that can be used on a table, lanterns hanging from trees or walls, candles (if there is no wind), torches, etc. You only need to find an attractive idea and replicate it throughout your garden. And remember to keep everything uniform for a stylish look!

Bring In Some Greenery

It’s time to get your hands dirty and bring in some greenery. The benefits of adding plants to your outdoor space has been well documented over the years. Not only will you be making a beautiful environment, but plants can also help improve air quality and provide homes for small animals!

A few examples of great plants include:

Lavender

The flower from this plant produces a beautiful scent that has been proven to reduce stress levels by calming people down.

Rosemary

This herb is very easy to grow. It makes an excellent addition because it has properties that kill off bacteria in food, and purify the surrounding area around its roots.

When adding greenery like these two items mentioned above, be sure they are placed in areas where their aroma can reach freely. Keep in mind though that not everyone enjoys lavender or rosemary scents. So be sure to allow space around these plants.

Get a Hammock

Summers are great for spending time outdoors, and there’s no better way to enjoy the warm weather than by relaxing in a hammock. If you don’t have one, now is the perfect time to get one! Not only will it make your outdoor space more enjoyable, but it’ll also come in handy when you want to take a break and unwind.

Preparing your outdoor space for the summer is something that everyone should do. It is fun to be able to enjoy your backyard or even head out on the deck for some quiet time during those hot summer nights! This article mentions some great project ideas that will help you get your outdoor space ready for summer.

For more on this topic, check out the full Family Home collection

Free Printable Mindfulness Activities + Tips to Create a Zen Space

Free Printable Mindfulness Activities + Tips to Create a Zen Space

Meditation has grown in popularity all over the world, with a global increase in meditation by 2,900% from March to September 2020. Given the pandemic, many people have opted for meditation in their own homes.

Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom or a working mom, meditation can be extremely beneficial. Especially when it comes to reducing stress, depression and anxiety. You can even meditate as a family to facilitate healthy, long-lasting habits. Creating a calming meditation area in your home where everyone can practice doesn’t have to be a big task. we’ve compiled a list of tips for a zen yet cost-effective meditation space. For more information on how to create a serene meditation room, check out our visual and fun printable resources below.

For more on this topic, check out the full Self Care collection

Declutter Your Space

For a soothing meditation, decluttering your space will result in a minimalist room to work with. Try purging as many nonessential items as possible so that you can utilize organized storage. It’s also a good idea to clear any electronic devices so that you can hone in on your meditation practice. This will allow you to mentally unplug and focus on what you’re there to do.

[ Learn More in the Get Organized Collection ]

Invest in Proper Lighting

Lighting is incredibly important when it comes to meditation because it can energize or relax you, depending on the type of meditation you choose on a particular day. For the best of both worlds, consider hiring an electrician to install dimmable light switches so that you have the flexibility to meditate in dark or light environments. Conversely, if you prefer an energizing meditation practice, take advantage of natural light through windows and sunlight for lots of brightness.

Invigorate Your Sense of Smell

Meditation can involve all the five senses, one of which is your sense of smell. Aromatherapy has become an increasingly popular method of soothing relaxation through the use of essential oils. It’s important to note that different essential oils can have different effects on the body; for example, peppermint oil is an invigorating scent while lavender is a calming one. Try your hand at burning incense or using an essential oil diffuser for an aromatic meditation practice.

[ Read: What Type of Self Care Do I Need? ]

Why Breathing Exercises Are Key to Meditation

One popular meditation technique is mindful breathing, where you focus on your breath as the epicenter of your practice. As a parent, juggling childcare with your personal life can be stressful; this is where mindful breathing can be extremely helpful. Some of the benefits of mindful breathing include lowering blood pressure and improved regulation of your body’s physiological stress response. Check out this resource for mindfulness activities.

Parents have the unique responsibility of caretaking while also facilitating their own well-being. By utilizing meditation, you can improve your physical and mental health as well as setting a good example for your children on how to manage stress and hardship in their lives. For more information on how to create a serene meditation room, check out our visual and fun printable resources below.

Free Printable Mindfulness Activities

Breathing Activities & Mindfulness Worksheets

Free Printable Wall Art

3 calming designs to choose from

How to Create a Serene Space at Home

Infographic created by HomeAdvisor

School Headphone Buying Guide

School Headphone Buying Guide

Schools are a special place to so many people. It is where you go to learn. And it is also where you make lots of friends. Schools are getting more and more technologically advanced as the years go on. So keeping up with what a school needs, and what you should get for your school, can be tough. There are so many different things that your students will need for school, and it can be hard to know which options to choose. Things like computers, whiteboards, and even chairs all need to be selected for a school and ordered in.

For more on this topic, check out the full Back To School collection

Why Are School Headphones So Important?

Another thing that is very important for schools are headphones. With the amount of students now in school, the noise level is also significantly higher. And if a student does not have headphones, it makes listening and learning much harder. Also, there are many students and schools who are now taking advantage of online learning. In these cases students need the best headphones to make sure that the students can learn without hindrance due to the technology being used.

The problem with headphones is that there are so many different options for you to choose for your school. Not only are there different connection types, but there are also different types of headphones. You will also need to consider how they fit your student’s ear and head. Because of this it can be tough to know the exact ones that would work for your school and your student. Continue reading below to learn how to decide what you need, get an idea for what is available, and find out what is best on the market. Check out the great infographic below to help you out.

School Headphone Buying Guide

Infographic Designed By Learning Headphones Buying Guide

For more on this topic, check out the full Back To School collection

How To Take Care Of Yourself As A Parent

It goes without saying that parenting is tough. Though children bring an unexpected amount of joy into their lives, they also bring a lot of responsibility and pressure along with them. This is because, as a parent, you will always want to ensure you are doing your absolute best for your children. As a result, you will often attempt to hold yourself to certain standards which are unrealistic in the long run.

For example, you may begin to neglect your own needs so that you can continue to put your children first. While this is perfectly understandable, if you can’t take care of yourself, you’ll begin to find it harder to take care of others.

With that in mind, here are some simple and straightforward ways that can start taking better care of yourself as a parent.

For more on this topic, check out the full Self Care collection

Don’t avoid your problems; face them head-on

Whether you are feeling isolated or dealing with some form of addiction, it will always seem tempting to avoid problems instead of addressing them. This is because we often mistakenly believe that ignoring a problem will make it go away. This isn’t true. The problem will only continue to grow and spiral if you give it permission to do so. As a result, you can begin taking better care of yourself by addressing these issues sooner rather than later.

For example, if you feel like you are dealing with an addiction – reach out for support today. Whether that means you speak to a trusted friend, or family member, or sign up for professional help and support. Try not to worry too much about the associated cost. There are plenty of affordable rehab copays available to you that can help reduce the price of rehab. Furthermore, it is an investment into your future health and happiness – meaning that it is definitely worth the price tag.

Make time for self-care

When you’re raising a family, it often seems as though there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get through everything you need to do. Nevertheless, no matter how busy or overwhelmed you may feel, you must find time for self-care. Studies suggest that self-care can lift both your mood and confidence, helping you tackle any problems that come your way. It can also reduce stress and anxiety by a considerable amount.

Remember, self-care comes in many forms. It doesn’t have to be spa trips and face masks if that kind of thing doesn’t interest you. Instead, focus on spending time doing something that brings you joy. Whether that means you head out for a game of golf or simply spend a little time alone in the house.

Don’t sweat the small stuff

Whenever you feel more stressed than usual or notice that anxiety is taking control of your day – take a step back and try to see the bigger picture. Will the thing that you are worried about still matter tomorrow? Or in a week? A month? A year? Asking yourself these questions can help you realize when you are simply worrying for the sake of worrying. It can also provide you with the tools and coping mechanisms you need to make it through tough times.

For more on this topic, check out the full Self Care collection

TikTok Tips to Get Started – How I Grew to 100k Followers in 3 Months

April 21, 2021

TikTok Tips to Get Started + Free Printable

I gained over 100,000 followers and 1.8 million likes on TikTok in 3 months! I found an incredibly fun and interactive community. And agencies began reaching out with high-value brand deals.

There is so much opportunity on this platform. And I highly encourage you to start creating there today!

So how do you get started? Check out the free printable guide below…

On this TikTok account, I post fun kid activity ideas. However, I set myself apart by doing crafts based off of popular characters from YouTube, video games, shows, and movies. I always make sure that the ideas I post feel doable to my viewers! I want them to be able to watch a fun video, and then go give it a try for themselves. They are all affordable and approachable!

It is also important to remember that you’re are going to have to put out a lot of content! What are some things that you could post about every single day?

Check out the free printable below to help you get started on TikTok!

TikTok Tips to Get Started

Download this free printable to help you build your platform as well!

Follow Us on TikTok

@Sharidini – @AdoreThemParenting – @KarissaTunis

And check out more Free Printables!