It's time for another edition of Make Your Home Awesome, via the incomparable Paige Lewin of Tess & Ted:

Unlike many interior designers, I did not rearrange my room monthly from the age of 5. However, whenever my mom had friends over for dinner or hosted a holiday, the table setting was MY domain. I loved hunting through cabinets for the right dishes, arranging the flowers purchased at Star Market, and choosing linens perfect for the occasion. In fact, to this day, my favorite part of throwing a party is setting the table.

I think a lot of people are overwhelmed by the idea of “dressing up” the table, but the truth is, you can have a phenomenal table by starting with what you own and adding a few key pieces (Christine does this beautifully). Here are five easy settings to use as inspiration for making your table shine:

1. For a springy lunch with friends, start with basic white dinner plates (my favorites are these from IKEA) and your own cutlery, then add the Somerset Napkin from Anthropologie ($10), Reactive Salad Plates from Sur La Table ($7.95), Daily Bubble Glasses from ModCloth ($24.99 for 2), and a small bouquet of coral ranunculus (image via Pinterest).

2. There’s no reason you can’t dress up the table for your kids…half of the dining experience is in the presentation! Again, start with your white dinner plates, cutlery, and glassware, then add these great cork-backed placemats from A Farmer’s Daughter ($40.50 for 4), black modern bowls from World Market ($47.94 for 6), black ticking stripe napkins from Little Blu Nest ($14 for 4), and a big bowl of red grapes in the center of the table for all the little hands to serve themselves (image via Pinterest)!

3. Get ready for summer with this coastal inspired setting. Breakfast by the ocean? Start with white dinner plates and cutlery, and add Honfleur Linen Napkins from Fresh American ($48 for 4), Naturalist Outdoor Chargers from West Elm (on sale for $24.99 for 4), Clara Tumblers from Williams-Sonoma ($27.95 for 4 short), and a few blue hydrangea in a simple glass vase (image via Pinterest).

4. Bring the summer picnic inside with this bright and colorful setting. Get the white dinner plates, glassware, and cutlery together and add Jolie Napkins from Furbish ($40 for 4), Laurentide Side Plates from Anthropologie ($12), Vista Square Placemats from Crate & Barrel ($10.95), and a gathering of gorgeous succulents (image via Pinterest).

5. Finally, bring elegance to your table with summery earth tones. White dinner plates and cutlery will serve as a base for the Melange Leaf Print Salad Plates from Ballard Designs ($49 for 4), Center Stripe Woven Napkins in Horseradish from West Elm ($24 for 4), Tortoise Shell Rocks Glasses from Furbish ($50 for 4), and a small arrangement of Bells of Ireland and orange roses (image via Pinterest).

Bon Appetit!

Images via linked sources above; compilation graphics by Paige Lewin

So remember back in January when I was yabbling away about how much I love meal kit service Just Add Cooking? Well, I'm thrilled to share that in honor of Mother's Day, 5 lucky, randomly drawn readers will win Just Add Cooking meal awesomeness; specifically, a one-week kit including three meals (for two people; $79 value)! WOO HOO! To enter to win, all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post by midnight, May 13, 2015. Happy Mother's Day!

Image credits: Just Add Cooking

In honor of Earth Day today, and via my role in the Office Champions program, I wanted to share a couple of resources re: decluttering tech responsibly. Because if you’re like me, you have some gear that sorely needs to be scrubbed and disposed of (such as the computer I used to collect data on my dissertation experiments 15 years ago...doh!). This spring I am committing to decluttering my tech, and I wanted to share these helpful tips and resources:

1. SCRUB. One thing that definitely has hindered my recycling of old tech gear is the fear that I won't properly scrub my hardware and then face security problems later on. Here's a guide for how to back up and remove data from devices.

2. DONATE. What would feel better than giving your old hardware a new life? You can donate equipment to people in need via the Microsoft Refurbisher program. So cool!

3. RECYCLE. In many instances, you need to pay to recycle your hardware. Microsoft offers sponsored recycling opportunities in your area that will enable you to recycle your hardware for free.

And if you're looking to further green your everyday life via technology, definitely check out OneNote. It's a great digital note-taking app that allows you to go paperless via photos and notes. Yay for less scraps of paper floating around!

Disclosure: This post was inspired by my role as a compensated Office Champions ambassador; ideas and opinions are, of course, my own! For more in this series, check out my 9 tips for digital decluttering and 6 financial things to do to make being a small business owner less painful!

Image credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When the last snowpocalypse hit, I will admit that one of my first concerns when potential electricity loss came up was WHAT WOULD I DO ABOUT MY COFFEE? Sad, I know! But, the experience reminded me of a conversation we had with friends about pour-over coffee and hand grinders + the fact that our electric coffee was dying, so I decided to order a manual coffee system. It has worked great so I wanted to share the solution with you!

At first the idea of pour-over coffee seemed hard to me (there are lots of instructions online that make it sound really hard), but it's really not hard! Just heat up water (some say not to boil the water but I do...it's fine!) and pour it over grounds in a filter set up in a pour-over system. Here's what you need:

1. My friends have a Chemex and it is beautiful, but I wasn't ready to plunk down that much cash before knowing whether we'd like the pour-over system. I ordered the Melitta carafe ($10.99!); it's not as pretty but it totally works. You will also need the #4 filters for the Melitta carafe.

2. Coffee grinding is optional. You could always grind beans at the store, but if you're buried in a snowpocalypse, the store will not be an option! My friends have this Zassenhaus coffee grinder but again, I wasn't ready to drop that much cash. I order the Kalita coffee grinder and it works great. An unexpected bonus is that the circular shape and size makes it very easy to hold and grind. Even Violet and Laurel have had fun using it!

I'm sure there must be benefits to the Chemex and Zassenhaus but if you're looking for budget entry into the world of pour-over coffee then try the Melitta and Kalita options. We've been using this system daily for over a week and the taste is great, I really enjoy the mindfulness of the process, and it makes me excited to serve coffee to friends too!

Oh, and also, if for some reason the gas went out during a snowpocalypse and we weren't able to use the stove, we could heat water with our Primus propane stove or Whisperlite camping stove. Just trying to give you all the coffee preparedness options!

Image credits: coffee thumbnail via FreeDigitalPhotos.net; product images via Amazon

Today is Clean Out Your Computer Day -- a day to review and delete old files and programs -- and as many readers know, I love random holidays like this, especially when they inspire me to get more organized! As part of my work via the Office Champions program (and because I was in desperate need of laptop cleanup!), I thought it would be helpful to share my top tips for digital decluttering, and also how to keep those precious files safe.

1. Make note of your disk space. This is a super quick step and really more for your data collection gratification. Make a note of your remaining disk space so you can see your starting point.

2. Delete old programs. Go through and delete old programs you no longer use. Sort by most recently used applications for specific details on usage to help your process.

3. Break the process down into small chunks. The idea of cleaning out your entire computer can be a daunting one. Break the process down into small chunks so it feels more doable and so you can enjoy the satisfaction of checking off sections. For example, start with cleaning off your home screen (I have a terrible habit of dumping temporary files there) and then work your way through individual folders.

4. Clean out folders, tackling digital photos LAST. Clean out and delete/reorganize files and folders. I recommend tackling digital photos last because of the nostalgia rabbit hole factor. Get in a good rhythm with the easier files first!

5. Be ruthless. As you tackle #4, BE RUTHLESS. I recommend this tactic with physical decluttering and the same goes for digital decluttering. For example, with photos, delete images where people have their eyes closed, mouths open and full of food, etc., as well as repeats of the same shot or photos that really don’t contribute to storytelling in any way. I like to think of the process as curating the very best images; I may shoot, say, 300 photos at a party and I'm happiest when I can reduce that collection to 25 or so images.

6. Empty your trash/recycling bin and check your disk space again. This is the gratification side of step #1; you’ll feel happy seeing your increase in disk space!

7. Back up your data. After some catastrophic file losses in the past, I cannot recommend backing up your data enough! I use both an external hard drive + cloud service. Using something like OneDrive or Dropbox is awesome so you can access your files from anywhere. (To learn more about how Office and Dropbox work together, see here and here!)

8. Run a scan. Once your hard drive is cleaned up, I recommend running a scan. Just initiate and go make yourself a cup of coffee!

9. Maintain a digital decluttering routine. Prevent future overwhelm by maintaining a digital decluttering routine. If you digitally declutter once a week, or even once a month, the process will be quick!

Have other great tips to share? I’d love to hear them in the comments!

Image credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Disclosure: This post was inspired by my role as a compensated Office Champions ambassador; ideas and opinions are, of course, my own!

I love cooking, but these days especially I’ve been hampered by lack of time and inspiration. So when local “meal kit” service Just Add Cooking asked whether I’d like to test their service for editorial consideration, I was -- to say the least -- enthusiastic! And I've been really happy with the service for a number of reasons -- so much so that I booked and enjoyed another delivery last week! Allow me to enumerate the reasons (12 of them).

Quick note to start: roughly speaking, Just Add Cooking serves the 495 belt inwards; pop your zip code into their service area finder to check if they deliver to your town! Now, on to why I think you should give it a try -- and if you'd like, use code REFGVJE to get $20 off your first order.

1. Pricing. The price is very competitive with -- and in some cases less expensive than -- other meal kit services. Pricing for 3 meals for a family of 4 = $109 (4 meals = $129, 5 meals = $139). You can also opt for 2 servings per meal.

2. Flexible commitment. I will admit, I'm a commitment phobe about some things. I don’t like getting locked in to contracts! I like that you can opt in or out of meals each week. You need to decide and select meals by Wednesday to get the Sunday delivery; if you don’t want service that week, just select to skip.

3. Ordering. The layout of the site makes it easy to look at recipes, see how much time each meal requires for prep, make selections, or skip a week altogether. Yay for easy web interface!

4. Shipment arrival. Just Add Cooking texts you when your package has been dropped; which was handy when we got our first shipment since we were home but just cruising around in our jammies. Who knows when we otherwise would have stepped outside!

5. Packaging. Meal kits include pre-measured ingredients. The shopping and measurement has been done for you; all you need to do (in some cases) is chop and cook.

6. Local love. I love that Just Add Cooking sources local! For example, our shipments have included salmon from Captain Marden’s, Greek yogurt from Green Mountain Creamery in VT, bread from Nashoba Brook Bakery in Concord, cream from Mapleline Farms in Hadley, MA, and steak from Creekstone Farms.

7. Clear instructions. Recipe instructions are clear and in your welcome letter, they provide a recommended cooking order for your dishes.

8. Taste. Overall, the dishes have been tasty! The salmon toast with horseradish and slaw was excellent and easy and the chicken gruyere was delicious and decidedly fancy feeling. The beef stir fry was more of a B+ in my book, but that may be because I’m used to stronger Asian flavors (being Asian and all…). This week we enjoyed the tarragon crusted salmon and Shepard's pie and I'll make the last meal this evening when I return from D.C.

9. Leftovers. All of our meals have rendered leftovers. Thumbs up for leftovers!

10. Rut busting capacity. It has been SO AWESOME to bust out of our food rut with this service. Not only in the immediate sense, of having the meal prepped for us, but also in the longer term sense of being reminded to use different ingredients and preparation methods.

11. Engages little helpers. I’ll have to see if this effect lasts, but there is something about the neatly packaged box with all of the adorably packaged items that makes Violet want to help prepare meals. Longtime readers know that I’m a huge fan of getting kids in the kitchen!

12. More time for fun. One clear benefit of paying for a meal kit service is that it frees up TIME. So precious, right? I love spending less time attempting to meal plan and shop and more time playing with my family.

I think my only critical recommendation would be to select your meals with balance in mind. So, for example, the first week, 2 of our 3 meals came with cabbage as a side. Cabbage and potatoes seem to be a common side (makes sense, given that they are sturdy vegetables) but we tend to want more green vegetables so I need to keep an eye out for that.

In short, this is an awesome solution! We’re thinking we’ll use it 1-2 times a month, depending on our schedules and bandwidth (or lack thereof!). If you’re interested in trying Just Add Cooking and want to get $20 off your first order, you can use my referral code REFGVJE when you sign up. Happy cooking!

Disclosure: Just Add Cooking provided me with 3 complimentary meals to try out; all opinions expressed here are, of course, my own. And I loved the service so much I laid down my credit card and ordered a box last week and can't wait to order another!

Image credits: logo by Just Add Cooking; photos by Christine Koh

Money is a source of stress for so many people; not just how to earn it, but what to do with it. And the topic becomes more complex when you have kids and need to budget for their needs and teach them about money. I'm subsequently thrilled to welcome Sandra Gilpatrick as a new contributor! Sandra not only is a Beacon Hill expert and devoted mom; she also works to help women become financially confident and competent. SO AWESOME. Welcome to Sandra's first financial literacy post on teaching kids how to budget:

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From Sandra:

My inspiration to write a series on financial literacy came to me when I realized my son was the only 4-year-old I knew who was already saving for a house. I did the obligatory Google search and had a difficult time finding any articles written by financial advisors who were mothers themselves, writing about actual lessons they were teaching their children. Through my work as a financial planning professional, I’m passionate about helping women find their confidence with finances; through this new series on Boston Mamas I’ll share doable tips on how to become -- and teach your kids to become -- financially savvy. Today I want to share 5 tips to teach kids to budget:

1. Make financial “fitness” a part of your regular routine. Having a basic handle on how much money comes in, knowing what is spent, and understanding your required debt payments is a basic financial exercise. Like most important parts of life, the first few steps always seem the most daunting. As you are reading this, you may be listing one or two reasons why this has caused hesitation. Here is a sample budget worksheet and a cash flow worksheet to help you get started. Becoming financially “fit” will help equip you with the skills to pass along to your kids.

2. Choose a budget threshold. Kids aren’t born with a sense of money and value; you’ll need to give them context. I chose $5 as the budget threshold to acclimate my son about value. For example, if he saw something for $10, he would think it was expensive given that $10 was twice his $5 threshold.

3. Teach financial value through chores. One simple way to teach kids about financial value is through chores. For example, my son wanted a $20 toy desperately, which was well over his $5 budget. He did extra chores around the house to earn the money. The most I gave him was $1 for a major effort; smaller tasks ranged from 5 to 25 cents. Eventually he saved up $20 and he still wanted the same toy. It can be easy as a parent to spend $10 here and $25 there at the whims of your pleading child. Before you realize it, you can cumulatively spend hundreds and be outside of your own budget.

4. Have your kid become a savvy consumer. When my son likes something in a store I have him read the price tag. He will know if it is within his budget or decide if it is something worth saving for. More than once, he has dealt with the disappointment of a newly purchased toy not living up to his expectations, or experiencing hopeless buyer’s remorse when the toy breaks instantly. Over time, he has learned to evaluate items and he often discusses their worth with me. Our conversations also have led to discussing -- and viewing documentary clips of -- toy factories in other parts of the world that permit deplorable work conditions. I gave him a lesson in labor economics! Not only is he used to working in a budget, but he is also becoming a savvy consumer.

5. Keep at it! Instilling sound financial habits early in children increases the likelihood that they will retain these habits into and throughout adulthood. Be consistent with the above, simple practices and you’ll be on your way. And don’t be hampered by feeling behind if finances have scared you; it’s never too late to get started!

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Are there specific financial topics you’d love to see Sandra address? Drop me a line at christine@bostonmamas.com to let me know!

To learn more about Sandra, visit SandraGilpatrick.com. Third party posts on this profile do not reflect the views of LPL Financial and have not been reviewed by LPL Financial as to accuracy or completeness. Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC.

Image credit: piggy bank via FreeDigitalPhotos.net; large graphic by Christine Koh

Last week I attended the Boston Auto Show via a partnership with Chevrolet and SheBuysCars and it was a truly fascinating experience. I’m by no means a car freak, but I do use a car daily and think about design and usability daily. I learned so much about design research and urban mobility (Chevrolet designer Wade Bryant had me hinged to his every thoughtful word!), and a Women in Automotive panel especially struck a chord with me.

During the panel, moderator Scotty Reiss asked Betsy Flegg (Chevrolet), Michell Lander (General Motors), and Tina Mahoney (Best Chevrolet in Hingham) about their best car shopping advice for women. As these ladies shared their advice, it struck me that their tips extended way beyond car shopping and into the domains of work, parenting, and relationships. Here were the key takeaways I thought you might find helpful.

1. Do your research. A car is a big investment (obviously) -- one worth researching! The panelists recommended using resources such as Consumer Reports, Edmunds.com, and SheBuysCars for comparative research. They also recommended Google’ing dealer reviews (brilliant...never thought of that!), crowdsourcing friends and family, and also asking complete strangers you see driving a car you're interested in (e.g., at a coffee shop, parking lot), given that they'll likely be candid since they have no relationship with you. Similarly, research is so key with many parenting/life choices, though I do advise against driving yourself crazy via the quest for the one perfect solution -- it usually doesn’t exist (totally speaking from experience here)!

2. Know what your needs are. As with many work and personal situations, it's important to outline and make explicit your needs/priorities when car shopping. I'm a big fan of writing down your priorities so you don't lose sight of them in the face of other incoming information and options. Tina Mahoney (who totally awesomely rose the ranks from cashier to sales manager at Best Chevrolet) made the smart recommendation of bringing key things you usually travel with (e.g., stroller, luggage) to make sure your car fits your needs. Super smart.

3. Take a test drive. Related to #2, it’s important to take a test drive to figure out if a vehicle is right for you, or whether there are options that may be right that weren’t even on your radar (here's where the needs/priority list comes in handy...a car dealer could help you learn about other options depending on your needs). It made me think how enormously helpful it was for me to “test drive” careers when I was in college via internships and mentoring programs; the processes of which helped me rule out law, child psychology, and politics! I’ve also heard -- particularly from women exploring new careers after leaving the workforce to raise kids -- how helpful it is to go into a new employment situation with a 3-6 month test drive period.

4. Be confident. Like many things in life, confidence goes a long way. If you're armed with the knowledge, experience, and reflection from tips #1, #2, and #3 above, you will be in a good position! However, if you're really nervous about a situation (car shopping or otherwise), I recommend practicing your opening line/asks out loud. Having a loose script -- so you're not fumbling for words -- helps a lot!

5. Know what your deal breaker is. I loved Michell Lander’s advice to know what your deal breaker is when shopping for a car. And I find this to be 150% relevant to work negotiations! In fact, whenever I'm negotiating a new client project I always explicitly map out the expectations, deliverables, and ideal compensation...and internally make note of my deal breaker line so I'm ready to negotiate if there is push back on my proposal.

It was so interesting to be on the floor at the auto show and to engage with the Chevrolet and SheBuysCars teams in depth. In addition to clearly putting a lot of thought and resources into their work, I love that Chevrolet also commits to social responsibility, and it's wonderful that SheBuysCars is working to help women gain the confidence and experience in a consumer domain that is often male dominated!

Image credits: Christine Koh

Disclosure: I attended the Boston Auto Show as a compensated ambassador of Chevrolet and SheBuysCars. All expressed opinions are, of course, my own.

As I mentioned yesterday, this weekend we got into the holiday spirit by getting our tree and working on some holiday projects. And while I do like making things festive, I also want (and need!) it to be relatively quick and not break the bank! I still love and think about the post my friend Gabrielle Blair shared about creating instant holiday mojo via smell, sound, and light and wanted to share my favorite ideas for easy and affordable holiday decor today.

1. Evaluate (and rearrange) what you have. It's easy to fall into a pattern with how you decorate. And sometimes, all you need to do to freshen up decor is to rearrange your existing holiday decor items. For example, instead of decorating by category (e.g., Nutcrackers, birds), try grouping items by color.

2. Incorporate items from nature. Sometimes the best decor elements are right in your backyard. Send your kids foraging for fallen branches! Branches in a vase cost zero dollars and can look amazing.

3. Incorporate inexpensive grocery store items. Our backyard is tiny and rather bare (so, not much in the way of foraging opportunity per #2)) so over the weekend, I bought a bundle of greenery and berries at Whole Foods for $12 and arranged them in three vases of different heights (see image at bottom of post). Another awesome grocery-store idea? For a lightning fast, affordable centerpiece, toss clementines and pinecones in a bowl and DONE.

4. Keep to a simple color palette. Decorating is way easier -- and more harmonious -- when you limit the color palette. Other than the ornaments on the Christmas tree, I'm keeping things simple with green and white, nature-inspired. I haven't purchased holiday decor in ages, and over the weekend bought gorgeous white LED branches (both garland and standing branches) + white pierced candle holders (that I can use year round) from West Elm. They were on sale and look amazing.

5. Leverage the sense of smell. As Gabby shared, the sense of smell is powerful! In my Eat Seasonal feature on cranberries, I included this cranberry infused simmering stove top potpourri. Add these items to your grocery list (#2 above)!

Our home redesign included a built-in bookcase near the entryway to better define the space in our open concept first floor. I arranged greens and berries in vases, along with the LED standing branches and pierced vases. So easy and pretty!

Image credits: all images via linked sites above, with the exception of the final image by Christine Koh