In today's video I'm sharing ten habits that have changed my life for the better and have set me up for success. 

One of this month's Chic Assignments is to cultivate a good habit. I thought I'd share ten habits that have improved my life for the better so we can keep the discussion going. 

I highly recommend reading the book, Atomic Habits, by James Clear. This book has put so much into perspective for me. I realized why some parts of my life are successful... and others aren't. It's all about my habits. Let's look on the bright side today as I share the good habits I've cultivated over the years. 

🌿Habit #1 Wake-up Early I started this habit around 13 years ago when I became serious about becoming a writer and I'm so thankful I did. Of course, there have been exceptions over the years (like when I have a baby), but generally I wake up between 5:00 am and 6:00 am. I even did this before I had children. Waking up early sets me up for success each day and if I ever oversleep my alarm or wake up with the kids on a busy weekday, I always regret it. 

🌿Habit #2 Setting Up the Homeschool Room the Night Before Yes, there are other things I prepare for the night before, but this particular habit, helps the following day run much smoother. We tidy up the room when we are finished with school, but at night I go over the lessons for the next day and lay out all of the school work at their desks. That way, they can get started without me, if necessary, and there is no confusion about what work to do in the morning. On the nights I don't do this, chaos generally reigns the next morning. I realize not everyone homeschools, but if there is something you can prepare the night before to help the next day run smoother, develop a good habit to cultivate that. 

🌿Habit #3 Taking Vitamins I got into the good habit of taking vitamins at the beginning of my first pregnancy, over ten years ago, and have regularly taken vitamins since. I've been taking the Women's 18+ from Ritual for the past year and can personally recommend them to you. They have a lovely mint essence that make them easy to swallow, and never upset my stomach. Thank you to Ritual for sponsoring today's video. Code DAILY10 gives 10% off.

🌿Habit #4 Meal Planning I have experienced life while meal planning and life without meal planning and I can definitely tell you that meal planning makes life easier and keeps us on budget. After the birth of our fourth child I really burned out and didn't meal plan for nearly two years. I relied heavily on meal kits and last-minute dinners. The ironic thing is that meal planning would have made my life easier back then. I now enjoy meal planning. It's fun to try new recipes and keep them mixed in with family favorites. You can check out my What's for Dinner? playlist for more inspiration. 

🌿Habit #5 Ordering Grocery Delivery I resisted this for a long time, but one of my good friends convinced me I had to try online grocery delivery. I took her advice and have never looked back. It can be really stressful to take all of your children to the grocery store, especially if they are little (and especially now in a pandemic). I love ordering my groceries because I save money by not putting extra things in my cart that we don't need. Armed with my meal plan, I am able to save so much time and energy and just focus on actually creating the meals. For those curious, I use Instacart and my personal code gives you $10 off your order JSCOTT70795F190

🌿Habit #6 Intermittent Fasting I do the 16:8 method. Since I started intermittent fasting last year, I have seen a massive improvement in my overall health and wellness. I was able to lose over 20 lbs and settle comfortably at my pre-pregnancy weight from over ten years ago. I also have increased energy, clear skin, and so much more. I'll be doing a one-year update on intermittent fasting in March so I hope you will join me back for that. 

🌿Habit #7 Listening to audio books while cleaning I have an audible subscription and enjoy it so thoroughly. You can also listen to audiobooks free from the library. I'm always listening to a riveting book and the wonderful side effect is that it actually makes me want to clean. I enjoy popping my headphones on in the afternoon and tackling the kitchen or folding laundry. I enjoy escaping into books and since I rarely have time to sit down and read anymore, I can still get my fill of enjoyment from reading.  

🌿Habit #8 Reading living books to the children My boys (ages 4 and 2) are still very young and enjoy the picture books we read to them everyday. With my older daughters (10 and 8) I've gotten into the wonderful habit of reading a chapter from a living book to them each night. I can't stress enough how life-changing this has been for all of us. If you only take one tip away from this video, I hope it's this one. We started with The Wind in the Willows, then read the entire Little House on the Prairie series, The Secret Garden, and now Little Women. I look forward to reading a chapter to them each night. It is such a special bonding time and the benefits of reading living books are too numerous to count. 

🌿Habit #9 Planning (with my planner) I use both a digital and paper planner. I schedule appointments, write down deadlines, and things I need to remember for the kids. I also plan out all of my work and homeschool too. Each day I will write a to-do list that helps me stay on track. Planning properly majorly contributes to my productivity and is a beneficial habit that I do every day. I currently use The Day Designer for my main planner and love it. 

🌿Habit #10 Writing every day My writing mentor, Alan Watt, suggested that I write every day. As a writer, I agree that it is essential. If you don't write every day, you start to slip and, as soon as you know it, you haven't written in a month. Writing every day, whether it is a book, for this blog, or writing poetry, fills my creative cup and keeps me feeling alive. You might not be a writer, but you can certainly find your passion and find time to do it every day. 

News

📍I have released a new line of beautiful and affordable digital art through Teespring. Check out these beautiful Parisian Cityscapes. A 3-pack of artwork is only $2.99. Print them and frame them for easy and elegant artwork in your own home. A Parisian Monuments 3-pack is also available. 

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Comment of the Week

Leslie writes, "Thank you for acknowledging that there really are days we don't feel like cooking. And that doesn't make us bad homemakers."

Hello Leslie, even Madame Chic had days when she relied on prepackaged frozen foods for dinner. It wasn't often, but it definitely happened. The key is to not fret over it and just own that you're going through a burnout. I can totally relate! 

I hope you enjoyed today's video. Is there a habit I discussed today that you would like to cultivate this year? Let us know in the comments below and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog. 

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Welcome to a new episode of What's for Dinner? But this time, I'm sharing 6 dinners I make when I don't feel like cooking.

Ok, we’ve all been there. Cooking burnout. You don’t feel like cooking. You’d rather do anything else than bust out the pots and pans. Cooking burnout is real and it’s important to have some handy, quick meals you can serve so you don’t constantly rely on take out. 

 Today’s video is a collaboration with my wonderful friend, Robin, from Faith and Flour. Robin’s channel is so delightful. She shares homemaking, cooking, and cleaning videos, and also does the ten-item wardrobe. She is also sharing meals she likes to make when she doesn’t feel like cooking. You can see Robin's video here. 

There are some obvious things you can make when you don’t feel like cooking: frozen pizza comes to mind. I definitely make this. Also, pasta with jarred sauce, cheese, and garlic bread is a great option. But other than those two obvious meal ideas, here are some more ideas that might work for your family. 

Here is a key element: these are all crowd pleasers. Because there is nothing worse than not feeling like cooking AND your family doesn’t eat the meal you eventually make.

Fish n' Chips You can find really delicious frozen beer battered fish at the supermarket. These are different than the standard fish sticks that kids generally enjoy. Pop the beer battered cod into the oven according to the package directions along with some french fries. If you like to make your own fries in the air fryer, slice your potatoes (keep the skins on... you don't feel like cooking, remember?), let them soak for 20 minutes in water, then drain and pat dry. Season with 2 Tbs olive oil and a teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook in the air fryer according to your air fryer directions. Serve this with a side of peas, tartar sauce, a lemon wedge and malt vinegar. 

Chicken burgers These are a nice alternative to a traditional beef burger and way less messy. (When you don't feel like cooking, you don't generally feel like cleaning either.) Place your breaded chicken patties directly from the freezer onto a greased baking pan and bake according to the package directions. Toast the buns. (Keep those in the freezer too so you always have them on hand.) Serve with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, mayo and mustard and whatever other toppings you like. So easy. 

Meatball subs Cook your meatballs straight from the freezer in this easy, but satisfying recipe. Place 1/2 cup of water in the Instant Pot, add 1lb of frozen meatballs, Place a 14oz jar of marinara sauce on top. Close the lid to the Instant Pot and set it to sealing. Cook according to your Instant Pot instructions (I cook mine on high pressure for 12 minutes). Place the meatballs on toasted, buttered sandwich rolls and place mozzarella cheese on top. Lightly toast in the oven until the cheese is melted. 

Tuna pasta salad This classic pantry dish is a family favorite. My mother made this for us and I, in turn, enjoy serving it to my family... even on days I don't feel like cooking. I usually have all of the ingredients and can whip this up in no time. Boil and drain your pasta (I like to use penne or fusilli), Add mayonnaise to taste, garlic salt, and whatever ingredients you have on hand. I like olives, corn, pickles, peas, etc. Don't forget to add the canned tuna (drained). Delicious! 

Soup and salad or soup and sandwich This one is delightfully easy and still satisfying. I like to heat up a nice tomato soup on the stove and fry up a few grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough bread. I serve the soup with a dollop of sour cream and a very easy meal has just been served. 

Rotisserie chicken with vegetables This is a wonderful alternative to take-out. On days I don't like to cook, I like to pick up a rotisserie chicken and serve with a simple salad. If you want to make it really easy, make one of those salad kits from the grocery store. So easy. 

Breakfast for dinner This is actually the 7th idea, but I had to include it here as a bonus. Many people don't consider breakfast for dinner, but it's the perfect thing you make when you have nothing to make or don't feel like cooking. You can usually fry up some eggs, make some toast and bacon, and have a rather enjoyable dinner. Or consider having waffles, or even sausage and blueberry muffins. 

News

📍I have released a new line of beautiful and affordable digital art through Teespring. Check out these beautiful Parisian Cityscapes. A 3-pack of artwork is only $2.99. Print them and frame them for easy and elegant artwork in your own home. A Parisian Monuments 3-pack is also available. 

📍If you are looking for more content, consider becoming a member of The Daily Connoisseur through the MEMBERSHIPS feature. I publish one vodcast every Friday and do one livestream or zoom call once a month. It only costs $1.99 a month. There are also upper tiers available for people who are interested in supporting the channel on a higher level and receiving monthly mentions in the videos. 

📍Join us for The Chic Assignment for February. 

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Comment of the Week

Regarding Monday's interview with Bryan Kozlowski, Sandy writes, "I so enjoyed this interview! I want to read both of his books. What really stood out was how etiquette can slow down our eating, so we can take time digesting and registering that we are full, and enjoying conversation and time spent together. I eat slow compared to my husband and kids, and cooking from scratch takes so long, I have thought about serving my family in courses so that they will take a slower approach to eating. I also loved hearing about the Queen looking at every situation, and finding one positive thing to look forward to. Thank you for the interview and sharing such timeless advice."

Thank you so much, Susan. I'm so happy you enjoyed our interview! 

I hope you enjoyed today's video. I would love to know what you make for dinner when you don't feel like cooking. Let us know in the comments and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog. 

*NEW* Join The Chic Society on YouTube and become a member of The Daily Connoisseur.

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Welcome to a new 3 Articles on dress. Today we are exploring the fashionable world of Bridgerton, Netflix's hit Regency Era show.   

Doesn't it feel like we were just recently discussing Cottagecore? Well goodbye Cottagecore, hello Regencycore! (Or so the fashion magazines say). Today I have an article from British Vogue, American Vogue, and Byrdie discussing everything you need to know about Regencycore and Bridgerton style.

But first, I have a confession to make. I haven't actually seen Bridgerton. Have you? I have heard it is very racy and that somewhat ruins the plot. What do you think? Let us know your opinion on the show. 

The first article comes from British Vogue: Are You Ready for #Regencycore? Here's how to dress like a debutante by Alice Cary. I notice a decided slant for feminine dresses in white, cream, and blue. Pearl accessories in the form of jewelry and headbands, feathers, and dainty bags. Regencycore style seems like a more royal and upscale version of Cottagecore. 

I recommend the following retailers for finding pretty and romantic Regencycore style: 

Morning Lavender, Lulu's, SKYE (for pearl headbands and jewelry) Jennifer20 for 20% off, 

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The next article shares how to achieve the Regencycore look with makeup via Byrdie.  The emphasis here is on natural makeup the gives a dewy, flushed, romantic look. The two natural makeup brands I recommend for this romantic beauty look are Merit minimalist makeup and A'DEL Natural Cosmetics  TDC20 for 20% off

The final article is from Vogue and shares the surprising uptick in fancy tea set sales since Bridgerton came on the scene. Thanks to Bridgerton, Fancy Tea Sets Have Become the New Home Must-Have. It's not surprising that a popular television program launches fashion trends, but I find it very curious that high-end tea sets have been one of the emerging style desires of Bridgerton fans. Some beautiful tea sets to consider are the Victoria Magazine blue roses tea set, And the tea sets featured at Riverbend Home. 

The necklace I am wearing in today's video is by SKYE. Jennifer20 for 20% off. 

Thank you to Function of Beauty for sponsoring today's video. 

News

*NEW* Join The Chic Society on YouTube and become a member of The Daily Connoisseur.

Visit my newly designed Author Website

Shop my Amazon page for a comprehensive list of my favorite things and mentions on the blog.

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my affordable eCourses on the POISE *NEW course*, debt-free living, and efficiency at home

FTC: This post is sponsored by Function of Beauty. I use affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links.

Welcome to the first Chic Assignment of 2021. I look forward to restarting this series and exploring some amazing artists this year.

Chic Assignment no. 1 Rachmaninoff Prelude in C Sharp Minor (Op. 3 No. 2) 

I have always been intimidated by Rachmaninoff. As a (very very amateur) pianist, I looked at my great grandmother's Rachmaninoff pieces and couldn't even fathom playing them. Even though they might be unattainable to the amateur musician, we can still enjoy his works. This month we are diving into this performance of Prelude in c sharp minor (Op. 3 no. 2) performed by Rousseau. We will dive into the biography of Rachmaninoff in the mid-month check-in. 

Self-Portrait, 1929

Folk Family, 1944