"Friends Don't Let Friends Dress Like Disasters." #TheWowFactor

Now, now, don't worry... nobody said that statement in the title of this post to me!

Yet.

Well, okay, maybe Jacqui Stafford did in her new book "The Wow Factor," but I'm pretty sure that was directed at everyone, not just me.

Do you remember when I met Jacqui?  It was love at first "darling."

She offered me great fashion advice that day.  Seriously, I still remember every bit of it and repeat it to myself often.  But now I have a whole BOOK of Jacqui, not just a one-time encounter to remember!  

In two words, this book is SO FUN (just like Jacqui).

The pages are littered with drawings and pictures and PRACTICAL advice that every woman can use.

First off, Jacqui starts off by helping you identify your body shape in, true to Jacqui form, a FUN way!

Then, she tells you exactly what that shape can or can't wear.

It's awesome.

But don't think this book is just about that.  Oh no, she truly spills the beans on fashion industry secrets!

  
Seriously, it's jaw dropping what this industry makes us think is "real" and Jacqui tells all!

THEN, Jacqui tells you MORE secrets...

Like, what to buy and when (for the best discount!):

And what style of shoe to wear with basic wardrobe pieces:

Fabulous!

This book is FULL of fun and "secrets-spilled" information, and just when you think Jacqui can't get any more real with you, you find at the end of each chapter "confessions from the confidential fashion files!"

This one in particular had me cracking up!!

This chapter brought back painful memories of when I was in Havana, Cuba, for  a professional salsa dance invitational (another story, another time) and swiped on a now-thankfully-discontinued light-reflecting concealer under my eyes. "What's wrong with  her face?" I heard a few confused Cuban audience members mutter as I swirled, oblivious, around the dance floor.  The circa-1980s strobe lights had transformed my under-eye concealer into glow-in-the-dark warrior stripes.

HA!  I love it!

This book is a fantastic read from a fantastically fun (and real) person!  

Jacqui's book comes out February 5th, but you can pre-order your copy on Amazon now!

Disclosure: I was sent this book as a review copy.  All opinions expressed are my own and don't go 'round saying otherwise, ya hear?

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Ice Wreaths {A Lazy Mom Kids Craft}

We've had a real cold snap here lately.  Needless to say I've been wrapped up in my electric blanket like a human burrito.

A gorgeous human burrito. *throws hair over shoulder*

::awkward pause::

Anyway, this really cold, below freezing, in-the-teens-on-a-good-day, gorgeous-human-burrito-inducing weather reminded me of a fun "craft" I did with my kids several years ago.  I was inspired by some birthday flowers that were close to being dead, freezer burned fruit and the ice wreaths I generally make for punch bowls using my bundt pan.

Stick with me.

To make our Ice Wreath, we cut up orange slices, dug out some really old frozen cherries from the bottom of our freezer and picked off some leaves from a flower arrangement I had gotten for my birthday.

We arranged them all in the bottom of a bundt pan, covered it with water about half way up the pan and left it in the freezer all night. In the morning we put the bottom of the bundt pan in some warm water until the "wreath" could be popped out of the pan.

We hung it from our tree in the backyard with some twine I had laying around and violà! An Ice Wreath was born!
 
I liked our "ice wreath" so much that I decided we should make another one using the rest of the flowers from my leftover birthday bouquet that year. Since the flowers were on their last leg, I had thought this would be a good way to enjoy them longer. And it was!

See how pretty it turned out?

And now that you know what an Ice Wreath is, I absolutely could NOT post this fun Lazy Mom Kids Craft and NOT mention my friend Carrie's Ice Wreath.

(She totally copies me all the time.)

*ahem*

She happened to call me when the kids and I were doing this project that fateful day and she decided to make one with her kids, too. But alas, she didn't have any fruit on hand, so she decided to use vegetables!

Peas and carrots, to be exact.

*stifles giggles*

So, um, get creative with your Ice Wreath contents!  (Carrie obviously did.) *snicker*

You could use leftover needles from your Christmas tree... curly ribbons... glitter... confetti... random vegetables *snort* ... the skies the limit!

You could even make a "themed" Ice Wreath too... Super Bowl... Valentine's... Birthday!  Bust out the creative juices lazy moms! Don't worry, it won't hurt you!

And of course, if you make one, I'd love to see it!  Email it to me if you want me to share it! (Find a link to shoot me an email at the top right side of my blog!)

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A Lazy Mom Tip for that Out-Of-Control-Video-Game-Playing Teen In Your House {You're Welcome}

I got a hot Lazy Mom TEEN Tip emailed to me!

Similar in idea to the wifi password code tip, this tip takes on that video game playing teen that's on the verge of out-of-control.  Here's what Tara from Winnipeg, Manitoba does...

What would (and does) work, is to have a to-do list that has to be accomplished in order to get directions to the video game controller! I hide the controller in the pantry, dryer… all the places a teen would never think to look. I’ve even left it at the neighbor’s. When the kids call to say that their chores are done, I call the neighbor and “release” the controller or give the directions to where it is hidden.

This also works when your teen is too "sick" to go to school. Take the controller to work with you! Then you’ll see how often they are too sick for school!

Oh man!  I love it! 

Do you have a great Lazy Mom Tip?  It can be for toddlers, school-agers, teens, whatever!  Find out how to submit it to me and hop to it!

Love,
The Lazy Mom

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A Simple "Go-To" Lazy Mom Meal

This Fall a friend I went to school with while growing up in the Oldest Town in Texas, emailed me her favorite "go-to" meal.  It was so easy and looked delicious, I HAD to share it with you!

Here's what she had to say about her meal:

I'm not sure this counts as a recipe, but this is my "go-to" meal on busy school nights.  It only takes a few minutes longer than it takes water to boil, it presents well, and my kids eat it UP and ask for it all the time.

We call it "Grown-up Ravioli" because when I hear the word ravioli, I immediately think of  Chef Boyardee, which stops tasting good about the time you stop having recess at school.

And here's how she makes it:

I keep frozen ravioli and tortellini in the freezer, and I keep spaghetti sauce, basil pesto, and alfredo sauce in the pantry at all times!  It doesn't matter which sauce you use, they are all delish, and changing it up makes the meal taste and feel different all the time!

If you have time, you can brown some ground beef, turkey or chicken to add to the sauce, if not, just boil the ravioli and dump it in the pot.  I whip out a fresh green salad, and serve a yummy cheesy garlic bread with it.  It's nice enough to make for a special night with the hubby, or make a big pot to feed the kids and their friends.  It is yummy.  I promise!

And I believe her! What a fantastic idea to keep those few ingredients always stocked. You could even keep a frozen loaf of garlic bread in the freezer at all times as well, OR you could whip up my Lazy Garlic Bread to go with it!

Do YOU have a go-to meal for busy weeknights? I'd love to hear about it! Check out how to submit a recipe to me.

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What A Pastor's Wife REALLY Does {Well, At Least *This* One}

Yesterday I wasn't able to put up a post here on my blog because I was busy doing the things a Pastor's wife does. 

You know, the typical stuff like... counseling, praying for people, listening, offering Biblical advice. 

But besides the occasional hospital visit, or delivering of a meal, what else does a Pastor's wife do?

Well! I'm so glad you asked!

1. She teaches the preschool class. Sometimes in a moments notice.

2. She listens to her husband preach.  A lot. *wink*

3.  She hosts dinners at church.

4. Hosts parties at her house. 

That are incredibly entertaining and never ever put anyone to sleep ever.

5. She folds church bulletins.

6. Decorates (and undecorates) the church... although this Christmas I got out of both! *high five* er, uh... I mean *sad face.*

7. Attends staff meetings.

8.  Does a stellar, Oscar-nominating performance in the Christmas Eve service.

9.  Helps out with "Sunday Funday" whenever there's a fifth Sunday in a month.

10. Cleans the church when necessary.

11.  Entertains the worship leader with paper airplanes and nerf gun wars. (Okay, okay... the Pastor's wife's KIDS do that.)

12.  All while his wife, lovingly tucked-in by my daughter, sleeps on the couch.  *smile*

13.  This Pastor's wife, like, totally rocks the announcements on Sunday mornings. Like, for real.

14.  She helps pass out food to those in need.

15.  Watches her husband prepare sermons week after week (except for when he makes *HER* preach).

16.  Attends yearly planning sessions with the church board and staff.

17. Takes her son to drum lessons.

18.  Attends and/or leads prayer meetings.

19.  Participates in countless church services.

20.  Participates in the national week of prayer.

21. Messes up being a mom sometimes and has to ask for forgiveness.

22.  Buys coffee cups at a moments notice.  Or whenever her husband frantically says, "Quick! Go buy coffee cups! We're out!!"

Oh, and a host of other things I didn't think to take a picture of in the last month!

Well, at least that's what THIS Pastor's wife does... but I tend to not be your typical Pastor's wife.  Which I'm sure just shocks all of you immensely, right?

Um, I said, right?

RIGHT?!

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Have Kids, Will Travel {Lazy Mom Travel Tips!}

This post from my archives is being re-run as part of BlogHer's Smart Mom's Guide to Being Busy editorial series, brought to you by Rice Krispies and BlogHer.

When traveling with kids, moms need all the help they can get!  (Can I get a witness?)  So today I thought I'd share with you dear sweet lazy moms (and dads) a few lazy tips I used during our spring break vacation.

We don't usually travel by plane when all five of us are headed somewhere, but this time we did!  In order to get ready for the plane ride with three kids in tow, I prepared snack bags for each child (and a snack bag for Lazy Dad and I to share).

I decided to give each person a gallon sized zipper storage bag with various snacks/treats inside.  Each person's name got put on the white label area to avoid confusion and that dreaded mom kryptonite - ARGUMENTS!

Also in each snack bag I packed a snack sized zipper bag with several sticks of gum.  I didn't want to have to scramble for gum for each person once our ears starting popping as the pressure on the plane changed, so they each had their own to be "in charge" of.

I didn't give the kids free reign over their snack bags, they still had to ask to get a one, but it was great to be prepared ahead of time for the snacking munchies!  Because remember, if you do a little bit of planning ahead of time, later you can be lazy! *wink*

Another great lazy mom tip we instituted for travel years ago was our color code tip.  About 6 years ago I ran across some carry-on sized rolling suitcases that were in different colors for ten bucks each at Target.  As I was standing there looking at them I realized that there was a color for each of my children, so I snatched them up and never looked back!

My kids love their colored suitcases and again, it cuts down on confusion and arguments.  These bags have been all kinds of places with us!

An added bonus to this travel tip is the fact that most people do not have bright orange, blue and red suitcases, so they were super easy to spot mixed in with everyone else's bags.  My kids even spotted their suitcase being loaded on the bottom of the plane as they watched out the windows!

Now, this next Lazy Mom Tip is a bit of a no-brainer for airport travel, but I thought I'd bring it up anyway just in case you haven't thought of it yourself yet.

I had each child pack a backpack of things to do on the plane.  Books, playing cards, stuff for drawing/coloring, and small (quiet) toys topped our kids' list.  I would also recommend a small stuffed animal for them to hold on to if the plane ride gets bumpy. (Just don't let your kids over-pack it! My daughter's got way too heavy! Definitely check the weight of it on your child's shoulders before you leave.)

Their backpack's contents not only gave them something to do on the plane, but also during the rest of the trip and in the airport. 

And of course, if all else fails, my last Lazy Mom Tip for airport traveling is....

Let them play on the moving sidewalks!

Read more great Lazy Mom Travel Tips here.

Disclosure: This post from my archives is being re-run as part of BlogHer's Smart Mom's Guide to Being Busy editorial series, brought to you by Rice Krispies and BlogHer.


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The Windows Phone #MeetYours {Enter for a Chance To Win!}

*Beware... cell phone lingo and other general techno nerdy words follow this warning*

Those of you who have been around here for any length of time know that I LOVE my current cell phone.  I've been known to tell people, and I quote, "this is my FAVORITE phone I've ever owned ever."

Then low and behold, I got a stellar chance to check out the new Windows Phone 8X by HTC.  

First impressions: Love the cool colors and how thin and light it is.  

Now, I just got it in the mail two days ago, and the jury is still out on my thoughts and opinions about it, but I just HAD to share with you all the cool start screen.

Unlike other phones, the Windows Phone 8X has "Live Tiles."  These tiles allow you to "pin" items to your home screen... much like you do with widgets with an Android device, but this is way more... oh, what's the word? Intuitive? Instinctive? Cooler? Oh, just pick one of those I guess! 

While Android widgets are not available for each app on your phone, the Windows Phone 8X can place virtually any of your apps on the start screen in Live Tiles.  Allowing you to see live updates from all of your apps at a glance.  

Also cool about this... (have I lost you yet?)... is the way you can customize your Live Tiles.  Those apps you visit every day, multiple times a day?  Stick them on your start screen in whichever size you see fit and violà! You now see their updates, again, LIVE.

Get it?  LIVE Tiles... LIVE... okay.   Moving on.

Here's how I set up mine.

And, well, just because the camera was on me...

And, well, just because I couldn't decide which one I liked better...

Okay, okay, back to the phone!

As you can see, I have my start screen set up just the way I want it!

Everything that's important to me or is visited many times in a day is right on the start screen.  And I can see action from all of those people, places or things live, as they happen.

Pretty cool.  And, well, makes my life a bit easier.  (Isn't that the point of these smart phones?)

For a chance to win a new Windows Phone, click here to take a quick survey!

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Windows Phone.

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