About Jessica

Jessica Fisher is a busy mom to six children, making her home in San Diego. She writes about life, laughter and the pursuit of a clean house at Life as Mom and shares delicious ways to act your wage at Good Cheap Eats. She is the author of several books, including A Simpler Season and Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook.

by Jessica on December 10, 2012 • 42 Comments food & drink

6 Steps to a Relaxed Christmas: strategically feed your family

A note from Tsh: I asked Jessica of Life as MOM to write this next step in our Relaxed Christmas series. Why? Well, she’s awesome, for one, but also because this mother of six knows how to feed an army—she recently released a book called Not Your Mother’s Make Ahead and Freeze Cookbook, and her Christmas e-book, A Simpler Season, is chock full of practical ideas to keep you sane. If you feel a bit overwhelmed about dinner during the holidays (I’m raising my hand here), then Jessica’s your gal.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

You’ve heard the music blare from the mall’s speakers or tuned into the refrain from your car. And it is. Christmas is a wonderful season where peace and goodwill abound.

Or at least it could be. Sometimes.

But, it’s also a season of increased busy-ness. In our efforts to craft a jolly holiday, we add more to our plates: Christmas concerts, church plays, holiday get togethers, and office parties. It’s tough to handle the day to day when we squeeze in numerous festivities amidst our daily life. We’re easily wired to short circuit.

One way to plan for peace is to set your family table for success—and I don’t mean making sure you can seat a party of 12.

It’s in our best interests to simplify family meal times so that we enjoy a calm breather and eat nourishing food during this busy—and most wonderful—time of year.

Here are some ideas to help you do that.
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by Jessica on November 15, 2012 • 11 Comments Art + Photography Your Home

Memory keeping made simple

Written by guest contributor Jessica Turner of The Mom Creative

I started scrapbooking in 2003. It was right at the beginning of the scrapbooking craze and I fell in love with it all – the papers, the stickers, the circle trimmers.

By 2005 I was entering contests and submitting pages for publication and in 2007 I started teaching classes.

I was obsessed.

In 2008 I had my first child and was that first-time mom.

Every milestone of my son’s first year was documented. I developed an online class encouraging other mom’s to scrapbook their chidlren’s first years.

But life got busier in the toddler years. And then I got pregnant with our daughter and was sick pretty much through the whole pregnancy.

As passionate as I remained about memory keeping I needed something simpler for documenting our family’s story.

Enter Project Life

This memory keeping solution has changed my life because of its simplicity.

Here’s why I love it:

It’s a kit

I don’t need anything extra to document my family’s story. Just a core kit of journaling cards, page protectors and an album.
It’s beautiful

Every kit is beautifully designed.
It’s archival safe

As a memory keeper, this is important. I want my scrapbooks to be passed down to future generations.
It’s easy

You don’t need any skills to do Project Life. The products make it so easy.
It’s fast

It doesn’t take long to get lots of photos and memories documented.

Instead of 12×12 layouts featuring layers of embellishments, I now just stick my photos in divided page protectors, along with pre-printed journaling cards.

And what’s most amazing is I am documenting more than ever.

So if you have hundreds, thousands of photos sitting on your hard drive, my message to you is this: Develop some of them. Put them in albums. Maybe try Project Life. (Check out Project Life creator Becky Higgins’ website for more information about this memory keeping tool).

Your family will be so thankful you took the time to document your story. Your pictures+ words are a legacy that will last for generations.

And it can be simple.

Have you ever tried Project Life? What are your tips for memory keeping? Share in the comments!

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by Jessica on October 22, 2012 • 28 Comments food & drink

Make your freezer your best friend.

Written by Jessica Fisher of Life as Mom.

My freezer is one of my very best friends. I know. Weird. But hear me out.

This weekend I grabbed from the freezer a roll of Gorgonzola-Herb Butter that I had made in advance and froze. Once it thawed, I sliced it and topped grilled steaks. I will confess to adding a pat to my mashed potatoes as well. It made for an amazing meal without a lot of fuss.

The next day, I grabbed a loaf of sourdough bread — also from the freezer — and we made an impromptu panini bar with the leftovers. May I say that that gorgonzola butter makes a fabulous sandwich filling?

I felt like a rock-star chef, but really, I hadn’t done anything that special. At least not this weekend.

That is the beauty of make-ahead and freeze meals. I don’t have to spend inordinate time in the kitchen — unless I want to. Batch cooking allows me to prep many meals at once and store them to use later. In this way, we have lovely, homemade food items at the ready.

Here are some of my favorite things to stash in the freezer:

• Vegetable-Beef Lasagne and Make-Ahead Garlic Bread
• Creamy Chicken Enchiladas and Seasoned Pinto Beans
• Inside Out Cheeseburgers
• Easy Stovetop Ratatouille
• Italian-Spiced Cheesewiches

These are not difficult things to create, but on busy school nights or on weekends when I’d rather be with my guests than cooking, pulling something from the freezer is a boon. It’s like I have a best friend waiting in the wings, ready to hand me a Platter of Awesomeness.
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by Jessica on September 26, 2011 • 62 Comments Productivity You

Making a Household Notebook Work for You

While I travel, I’ve asked a few friends to share their voices here. This is from my friend Jessica Fisher of Life as MOM (she’s also a Simple Homeschool contributor). I really do use tons of her printables for my home management notebook.

Ever wake up and ask yourself, “How did I get here?”

Whether it’s an untidy house, a jumbled bank account, or an overpacked schedule, I’m stuck in chaos on more than one occasion. It may be because I am bursting with creativity or actively working on a project. Or I might be in such a fog of busy-ness, I can’t see clearly.

As moms we’re responsible for the welfare of others as well as ourselves. That’s the nature of the job. While we can’t do everything perfectly—nor should we try—it’s in our and our family’s best interests to put a little order into the chaos.

This is where paper comes to my rescue. Not only does writing things down help me make sense of my thoughts, it also helps me organize my life and my household. And I do it with my handy dandy notebook.

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by Jessica on July 8, 2011 • 66 Comments Personal Growth You

How to Be a Professional (Mom)

This guest post is written by my friend Jessica of Life as MOM and Good Cheap Eats. She has six (six!) kids, so she pretty much knows what she’s talking about.

Over a decade ago I made the transition from high school teacher to full-time mom. Gone were the days of toting my European leather satchel, wearing high heels, and attending staff meetings. Instead, my hours were filled with baby spit up, a bigger laundry pile, and endless “free” time.

Six kids later, I find myself with a home business, a homeschool, a much bigger laundry pile, and less “free” time. I’ve made a ton of mistakes along the road of motherhood.

I would never turn back from this path I chose so long ago. But I’ve found, even now, that there’s common ground between the old days and my current ones.

In fact, I’m discovering ways to feel more like a pro in my primary — and best — of professions.

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