When I was learning to fly, my instructor always drilled into me:
Who you are, where you are, and what your intentions are.

So...incorporate that into your every day life. Your mom will love it. "John Doe, entering the kitchen, requesting home cooked meal in 40 minutes"

Additionally, like some mentioned above you can listen to live ATC feeds online from LiveATC.net.

It really helps to familiarize yourself with STARS and Departures. Try to memorize the waypoints along the way so you know what ATC is talking about when they let you proceed direct to a certain point. That way, instead of fumbling around with your map or GPS you already know what they are talking about.

Finally, some controllers can be intimidating but just remember it is their job to assist YOU. Do not ever be afraid to say you are unclear about anything. They would much rather have a pilot requesting more detailed instructions than a pilot staying silent and busting airspace/interfering with other traffic. As you get more experience in busy areas, it will become second nature to you and you won't even think about it. I learned at a Towered Airport in Class Bravo airspace, so I was doing all this form day 1. Had I been in your situation, it would be very intimidating to come into that airspace for the first few times.

Keep it up, you'll do just fine. Best of luck!