by Solange Lopes | Nov 23, 2016 | Working Mom & Woman Tips
Whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving this year, or attending a Thanksgiving family gathering, you know that this time of year always gets busy. Which also means any help you can get is more than welcome, especially when you’re running around at the last minute trying to make the traditional family dessert, or figure out how to entertain your guests…
This is where technology, especially apps, come in to play. As a busy working woman, you can now use that smartphone you’re carrying around everywhere as a virtual Thanksgiving assistant. Here are 7 apps you can use to pull off the best, and most stress-free, Thanksgiving ever:
This free app will help you plan you your Thanksgiving Day menu in a swipe, or find amazing recipes to make and bring to any gathering. From meats to desserts to side dishes, you can find a large selection of delicious recipes to try. If you’d rather go by theme, then you can check out the menu section for recipe ideas grouped under Southern or Modern dishes for instance.
Here’s another free app that collects all the great recipes from your favorite Food Network stars. Even better, it has a whole section for Thanksgiving, including meal plans from renowned chefs like Giada, Sunny Anderson and Bobby Flay. Video tutorials are even included, and there’s even a section for leftovers!
Not sure which wine to pair with which Thanksgiving food? There’s an app for that, and it’s called Hello Vino. The app suggests different types of wines for different types of Thanksgiving foods, including turkey, ham and even side dishes.
Worried about making lasting memories of this Thanksgiving? Try this free app, which offers 15 cute holiday-themed photo frames to place in your pictures. It’s a wonderful way to make lasting memories, while impressing your guests in the same token…
Happy Thanksgiving Holiday Decoration Ideas
Running out of ideas to decorate your home for Thanksgiving? There’s an app for that. With more than 20,000 pictures to inspire you, you can turn your home into a holiday-themed abode in no time.
Is your family more into going out to eat for Thanksgiving? No problem. This free app helps you not only reserve and manage restaurant reservations, but also have access to hotels all around the world. You can turn this whole holiday thing into a delicious getaway in no time! Bonus: the app provide you with rewards too!
Want to send someone a Thanksgiving card? This app has plenty of choices to pick from. You can now send a quick card to anyone to remind them you’re thinking of them on the holidays…
Which Thanksgiving apps have you been using?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Nov 20, 2016 | Working Mom & Woman Tips
![]()
Chocolate-dipped sugar cookies with the Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix
The holidays are upon us! With all the hustle and bustle going on, from family gatherings to work constraints, not to mention managing the Big Holiday Shopping, we can easily forget to enjoy the season!
In my family, our favorite way to get in the holiday spirit is to take some time out from all the to-do’s, and spend some time in the kitchen baking…and eating! This year, we’re channeling our inner holiday creativity and family cheer with the Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes. They come in various flavors, from the traditional sugar cookie to the peanut butter mix and everything in between, and are perfect to pull easy, quick and tasty recipes for any busy mom out there! And if you know me, you know if it’s delicious and quick enough to make to let me get on with my to-do list, it’s right down my alley…
For me, it’s as easy as stopping by my local Walmart in Providence, RI, darting through the “Baking” aisle, and grabbing a few Betty Crocker Cookie Mix pouches in various flavors. My favorites are the Sugar Cookie, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chunk kinds.
Betty Crocker Cookie Mix from my local Walmart store
Then it’s time for fun at home, by enlisting the help of the kiddos to create cool and delish recipes. It’s a time for bonding together, especially when the weather’s cold outside. And a way to get the little ones to use their amazing creativity for something else than writing all over the walls…Just sayin’…
My daughter enjoying mixing up a batch of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie recipe
This time, we settled for chocolate-dipped sugar cookies, which are perfect for Christmas or any time really. Of course, we could’ve made traditional sugar cookies, which always come out perfect with the Betty Crocker cookie mixes. But we decided to go fancy with this recipe that’s much easier than the actual results look like! Here it is, courtesy of Pinterest via feedingbig.com:
Chocolate-dipped Sugar Cookies:
- Prepare the cookie dough and bake cookies according to the Betty Crocker package directions
- Microwave chocolate baking chips (I used the Baker’s brand semi-sweet chocolate kind) until melted according to package directions
- Let the cookies cool, and dip 1/2 of the cookies in the chocolate
- Sprinkle the chocolate section with colorful sugar sprinkles or candy before the chocolate cools
- And voila!
Chocolate-dipped sugar cookies with the Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix
This is just one of the recipes I use the Betty Crocker cookie mixes for. There are so many options for delicious cookie recipes (just check out your Pinterest boards).
These cookie mixes have gotten me out of a jam (in addition to making me look like the perfect housewife that I’m not) countless times, from piano recitals to school functions. All of this for a very low cash and time investment!
How easy is that! So stop by your local Walmart and pick yourself a few Betty Crocker cookie mixes and get in the holiday spirit!
How would you get in the holiday spirit with the Betty Crocker cookie mixes?
Happy Holidays!
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Nov 17, 2016 | Working Mom & Woman Tips
You can tell the holidays are looming near. As soon as pre-holiday season starts, the hair’s in a bun; the to-do lists are out; deadlines are on and poppin’ everywhere, and your edges are growing thinner by the second…
Most working women know the feeling all too well… That restless ball of nerves somewhere between the pit of your stomach and your chest cavity says it all: too much to do, not enough time, and why is everyone driving like they have nowhere to go?
Plus all your work deliverables are due yesterday, which may seriously impact your free time to make your signature homemade pie for Thanksgiving, buy everyone on your list a thoughtful gift, and get your eyebrows waxed for the family gathering….And all of a sudden your armpits go on a sweat fest, as every fiber in your body starts asking for chocolate (the milky kind with almonds)…
Most advice out there will give you 101 tips to cope with pre-holiday stress, or 1,000 ways to to grin and bear though this period while consuming outrageous amounts of chocolate (or wine, or vodka…)But really, how much fun is it to just survive what’s supposed to be one of the happiest times of the year, when instead we can thrive, strive and enjoy the whole process instead?
Except since all this pre-holiday stress won’t go down without a fight (and we won’t either), here’s my own version of a battle plan for every working mom who’s ever considered jetting to Bali until January 1st:
Put Your Anti-Holiday Stress Armor On.
There are 1,001 reasons to stress out during the pre-holiday time…All your work deadlines are coming crashing down on your already busy calendar. You can’t keep track of how many gifts you have to buy, wrap, mail out, or exchange. And now it really doesn’t look like that cute red dress you’ve been saving to wear over the holidays will ever fit…
When all hell is threatening to break loose and you feel you have no time to stop and catch your breath…is definitely when you should! Start the day by spending some quiet time, whether it’s praying, meditating, or just sitting in silence. It’s another way of preparing your mind for the onslaught of stressful deadlines, to-do’s, requests, not-to-do’s, etc…
So even if that report due yesterday is not coming out the way it should, or you realize you forgot half of your shopping list, or your waistline is filing for divorce from the rest of your body, you can still maintain a shred of sanity (and your edges)…
Think Less Effort, More Impact.
Admit it, those homemade toffee candies you’ve dug out the recipe of from Pinterest, and are desperately trying to fit in to your crowded schedule, can be skipped. As in, you can buy the same exact toffee candies from the store, and save yourself a couple of precious hours, loads of dishwashing, and a serious case of sugar high…
So ditch the perfect-housewife, I-can-do-it-all attitude, if you know you have neither the time nor the energy to bake bonbons from scratch. If you can buy it from the store, please do yourself a favor and grab a double set. The same goes for spending hours wrapping gifts when you can order them pre-wrapped on Amazon, or pick the wrapping option at most stores….
Think less effort, more impact…And you can tell that perfect frenemy of yours who’s just out-baked the whole neighborhood, that this is not about being lazy… It’s just smart allocation of your resources and energy, plus saving yourself wrinkles, lost edges and other stressful side effects…
Ditch the Pride and Seek Demand help.
Gone are the days when you tried to do it all alone, so you can get credit for pulling all the holiday weight all by yourself…only to show up at the Thanksgiving family gathering with a deep-seated desire to utter choice words to pretty much everyone in attendance.
The pre-holiday stress economy has officially turned in to a sharing economy. Which means you can spread the cheer (and the stress) around…So enroll the hubby and the kids into the Pre-Holiday Academy, and start spreading the wealth assignments. Hubby can type the gift tags while the kids help with Christmas Eve invites. And wveryone can bring a dish while you just make the main course…
And you may just be able to make that eyebrow threading appointment after all!
Enjoy the Process.
As in, have a bite of that pecan pie (my favorite), stop by your favorite shoe store and grab yourself a pre-holiday pick-me-up, or book that spa appointment…Or drive a bit slower and enjoy the holiday lights in your neighborhood (as opposed to skipping the Stop sign to get home early enough to get started on those homemade bonbons).
Yes, there are a gazillion things to do, and no one can do them better than you (and if they can, they better not say it!). But there are also a gazillion things to enjoy over the holidays, from having precious family and friends around, to the many calming benefits of chocolate, cake and wine…
So in the middle of all this pre-holiday frenzy, lift your head up from your pile of files and to-do lists, log off of the Thanksgiving recipes boards on Pinterest, close your eyes and picture yourself victoriously crossing that pre-holiday stress line with your edges still on and one set of lashes put…
Now that’s a pre-holiday stress battle plan…
How do you plan on battling this pre-holiday stress?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Nov 8, 2016 | Working Mom & Woman Tips
The day’s here! It’s officially Election Day in the US. You went out and voted already, or you may be waiting to do so. That’s the fun, inspiring part. The most challenging part is the…WAIT! That time between now and when the results are finally announced, and you can stop surviving on chocolate and sugary drinks. But as much as chocolate-covered pretzels can help, the tension will still be at an all-times high at work, and even at home later tonight.
via GIPHY
I have to say, I was so excited to make it to the polls right when they opened this morning and cast my vote! What I didn’t anticipate was being so on edge for the rest of the day. So here are some tactics I’m using today to make it through this historical day sane, minus the extra pounds and missing edges:
Start Within!
Whether you choose to meditate, pray or pull out your yoga mat, do something that makes you reconnect with yourself from the inside! Put your phone timer on for 10 or 15 minutes, and spend some time with yourself. That’ll help relieve some of the stress and tension you may be feeling…
Treat Yourself!
Exercising your right to vote isn’t only a civic duty, it’s also a precious privilege! So go ahead and celebrate it by treating yourself! Who said Election Day shoes weren’t a thing?
Enjoy some free food!
I did mention earlier that you should watch for the chocolate overload! But there’s no reason why you shouldn’t take advantage of all the other available free food on Election Day. Get your free coffee on at 7-Eleven, or enjoy a free Krispy Kreme donut to help with all those Election Day jitters. You’re welcome…
Sweat it Out!
So did I mention the extra pounds factor resulting from all the sugary food and drink intake on Election Day? Yes, the pesky ones around the waist…The good thing about them is you don’t have to keep them. You can instead sweat all that stress (and extra pounds) out with some good ol’ exercise…No gym membership? No problem. Gold’s Gym is offering a free day pass on Election Day if you show your “I Voted” sticker… Check out more free deals HERE!
Get Your Updates!
While checking social media and the news every other minute may not exactly relieve your stress and anxiety, staying updated from time to time can help! Try this app called Brigade, which dubs itself as “the world’s first network for voters” to get your fill of information on the go…
Stay Close to Friends and Family!
We’re all in this together…But even more so with those people we’re fortunate to call our friends and family. When the stress of Election Day starts getting to you, why not get the chips and guacamole out and turn all that angst into a friends and family get-together? Nothing like a good laugh, and some serious guac to release any kind of tension…
Let go of the outcome…
Yes, the outcome is important! After all, we’re talking about the country we live and raise our kids in…But there’s something to be said about taking the high road, and letting go of whatever will happen…You did the best you could, had all the chocolate and guac you could muster, and even worked out for the first time in months…Now let it be what it will be, relax and have another cookie…
How are you making it through Election Day?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Nov 8, 2016 | Working Mom & Woman Tips
You know that woman who looks away every time the teacher, or another mom, starts talking about attending yet another school event or volunteering for school functions at 10:45am or any other time during “working hours”…Yes, that one…That was me, not too long ago…And I’m not ashamed to admit it…
I mean, yes, I did feel those pangs of motherly guilt every time I had to explain to my daughter that I may not be able to attend the Halloween morning parade on a weekday…Or that I may have to choose between volunteering for the walk-a-thon or the recital, because I couldn’t do both and keep my job and edges at the same time…
With a full-time career, a side hustle, two kids, and laundry that never seems to end, how can we, as working moms, manage to possibly attend school PTA events, or volunteer for the Christmas Bazaar (all of which happen on working days, AND during work hours)? And did I mention the pile of flyers every week or so from the kids’ school? And if you add to it soccer practice, piano recitals, birthday parties, and other kids’ social commitments, we might as well forego sleeping altogether…
Yet, as I looked over at my kids, I realized being a part of their education doesn’t just mean sending them off to school with matching socks and their breakfast semi-eaten every day…
It’s also being aware of and contributing to whatever institution is helping in shaping their view of the world…Which is all well and good and noble, but as working moms, we still have loads of other commitments , including our careers, to squeeze in somehow in those 24 hours….
So how, as a working mom, do you make time to attend and be a part of your kids’ school events, when your calendar is already overflowing and your to-do list is all over the place?
Take a Deep Breath, and Repeat After Me: “I Can’t Do It All”
Making peace with the fact that, as working moms and working parents in general, we can’t possibly do it all (and we wouldn’t want to, anyways), is the first step. I remember getting all the flyers from the kids’ school about events to attend and participate in, and progressively sweat my edges off as I attempted to reconcile my crazy calendar.
In between the guilt, the desire to do it all, and just running out of deodorant to control all that nervous sweat, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Hence the need to start with a healthy realization that you can’t do it all…And that’s ok…
It’s a Picking Game!
In line with not being able to do it all, try and pick those non-negotiable events you must attend or participate in.
Between making it to the fiftieth violin recital or not missing a single parent-teacher conference, try not missing the parent-teacher conference. If it matters for the future of your child, whether it’s a parent-teacher meeting or a fundraiser for a new tech lab, you may have to mark it as priority.
And if there are chances neither you nor your baby wound remember it next month, forgive yourself and hit the “skip” button….
Plan Ahead
It can be a challenge to drop everything and run to every possible school event your kids may have. But planning ahead can allow you to do more, minus the stress and headaches.
A good way to do this is to implement a family calendar that the entire family can update. I personally use Google calendar that I share with the rest of my tribe. This way, everyone can add their own events and update it.
Planning ahead will allow you to ask for days off or work from home days early enough, and save yourself some last-minute stress. Or make peace with missing that fiftieth violin recital…
How do you manage to attend your kids’ school events?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Oct 26, 2016 | Working Mom & Woman Tips
When my daughter stepped away from an incoming soccer ball while playing as goalkeeper so she could straighten up her hair and keep from sweating, I realized two things:
1. She inherited my exercise-adverse genes.
2. She is my daughter.
Exercise has never been one of my favorite activities and I wasn’t surprised my baby shared the same trait. I’ve had to come to terms very early on myself with the fact that I kinda…ahem, hate exercise. The whole concept with visions of sweaty bods and huffing and puffing, makes me run to the closest bakery (or cheese shop, whatever’s nearest).
Yet as I (gracefully) age and pile on the responsibilities, laundry and those pounds that stick to your thighs, I’m learning to compromise. Plus the whole fitting into cute clothes, staying awake at work and trying to stay alive and healthy thing…
So for all the anti-exercise, super-busy-but-still-want-to-look-and-feel-good sisters (and dudes) out there, here are four tried-and-true ways to get your fitness on without all that “exercise” pressure:
- Trick your brain: This may sound unethical at best, but one’s gotta do what one’s gotta do. Which also means picking times and schedules that allow you to get your fitness on before your mind actually realizes what you’re doing. For me, it means taking the 5:45am boot camp class, or getting on the elliptical at the crack of dawn. Oh, and let’s not forget about the occasional shoe-shopping reward too! Extra benefit: everyone else is asleep (including the little people who live in your house), and you may actually get some time to yourself!
- Think less time, more impact! Ok, after about a half-hour doing any kind of workout, my brain gets in overdrive mode. Which also means staring at the clock and looking for the nearest exit! What’s been working well for me lately, are the shorter, yet maximum impact, fitness routines now available. Think of kettlebell-based routines for instance, which can help you burn more calories in as little as 15 to 30 minutes!
- Do something fun! Who said all the steps you registered on your Fitbit while walking through Nordstrom during its annual sale don’t count as fitness? Do fun stuff, get out more, park your car further from the office! All of this counts as part of your fitness routine as well. Make it a habit, without thinking of it as “exercise”! Worst case scenario: you can always clean the house (major calorie burner)!
- Recruit supporting forces! Ok, if push comes to shove, you may have to get some allies! Join forces with some friends or co-workers to start a fitness routine together! It may be a simple walk around the block at lunchtime, or a group yoga class, as long as you motivate and keep each other accountable. Plus you can always get some Pinkberry afterwards…
What do you do to get your fitness even when you hate exercise? Please share your tips and tricks below.
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Oct 20, 2016 | Working Mom & Woman Tips
Our Coffee Break feature offers brief and to-the-point discussions of everyday issues faced by women professionals and entrepreneurs. You know, the kinda stuff you talk about with your work bestie on your coffee break….
So I was listening to Myleik Teele’s podcast #MyTaughtYou earlier, and one of her listeners asked about dating a nice but not ambitious guy. If you don’t know who Myleik is, she’s like the big sister you never knew you had (check her out here), in more straightforward and to the point.
It got me thinking about the rest of us, ambitious corporate or entrepreneur sisters. When you have ambition the size of a skyscraper and the drive to match, can you really date (or marry) someone who’s kinda lower on the ambition scale?
My $0.05: This is one of those tough questions that make you weigh the pros and cons, and end up giving you a major headache plus some pregnancy cravings. Listen, if ambition is high on your list of qualities that you enjoy in a partner, it’s going to be challenging to deal with someone who doesn’t have much.
But if the other stuff, like the support, kindness, romance, etc, ranks higher, you may be able to compromise and manage. At the end of the day, it’s less about what he wants and how he behaves, than who you ultimately are comfortable and happy being with in the long run. All of you, the ambitious, go-getter part and all!
I’ve seen super-ambitious women marry less ambitious guys because they brought a sense of balance to the relationship. Two go-getters can make a relationship pretty heavy at times! Yet I also have girlfriends who are turned off by anything less than successful, driven men. And it works for them too.
So what’s your take on it? Would you date a guy who has no or limited ambition?
The Corporate Sis.
