Friday, November 28, 2008

Discount Code/ Black Friday

I am putting together discount codes for those of us who prefer to shop online instead of fighting the lines and crabby shoppers at 4 am on Friday. Or those like myself who's husband has to work on Friday and there ain't no way he can watch the boys.

Let's get this party stated
Dine Without Whine - get your kids to the table and Eating, Meal planning

Send gift baskets from 1-800-Flowers today!
Save 15% on your order, enter code MARTHA59

Great Gifts for everyone on your list at CurrentCatalog.com -PERSONALIZED FREE
15% off orders of $60+ PLUS FREE shipping on $45+
10% off ANY ORDER at CurrentLabels.com when you enter promo code RWLS10 at checkout

Gourmet Gifts Baskets
One day only! Coupon good for $15 off a $100 purchase! Use code CYBER15 at check out.

Lego Deals
Feast Your Eyes on These Savings with the LEGO 'Black Friday' Offer! Save $10 on your order over $100, Save $20 on your order over $200, or save $30 on your order over $300! This promotion is valid 11-28-08 through 12-01-08.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Always Give Thanks Today and Everyday


Thanksgiving In America - Today we see the history

When people think of Thanksgiving, most remember the story of the Pilgrims and the Indians at Plymouth Rock. The Pilgrims first arrived in America on December 11, 1620, not prepared for the winter they were about to face. Out of the 102 who arrived on the Mayflower, forty-six of the people died during the first few months. Despite the devastation, they had a good harvest, partly in thanks to the Indians who lived nearby.

They had a traditional British Harvest Feast in thanks to God for surviving and the blessings of provisions that would see them through the winter. In contrast to our modern Thanksgiving menu, they actually had more meat than vegetables, including venison, fish and wild foul, which may or may not have actually been turkey. They probably didn't have much in the way of desserts, as they didn't have a lot of flour or sugar on hand. They probably had some fruits and corn. Instead of pumpkin pie, they probably had boiled pumpkin. The first Thanksgiving feast lasted for three days.

Thanksgiving was not an annual event in the U.S. for many years. In 1623, there was a drought and instead of having a celebration, the Pilgrims held a prayer service. When their prayers were answered the next day, they invited their Indian friends to join them in another Thanksgiving observance.

June 20, 1676 was celebrated as a day of Thanksgiving in Charlestown, Massachusetts. However this was very different than the first Thanksgiving. This was to celebrate a victory over the Indians. Another victory, this time over the British, was celebrated in October of 1677 by all of the thirteen colonies. George Washington established the first national Thanksgiving day in 1789, however not everyone thought it was a good idea, including Thomas Jefferson.

It wasn't until 1863 that what we know as our modern Thanksgiving came into being. Sarah Josepha Hale decided to promote Thanksgiving in her magazine, Boston Ladies' Magazine and in Godey's Lady's Book. She also wrote letters to different governors and presidents. Abraham Lincoln finally established Thanksgiving as the last Thursday in November. The date was changed a few times (to the third Thursday), but in 1941 was finally established on its current date, the fourth Thursday in November.

Over the years, it has drifted away from its original focus on being thankful. It has become a day to eat and watch football. While those aren't bad things, it is good for people to take the time to actually be thankful for their blessings.

I am Thankful for my readers and passerby's to this blog. Thank you.
I am Thankful for my family and friends and their support.
I am Thankful to all those that have given me free or paid information that has helped me in my online journey.
I am Thankful for my struggles, without them I forget to appreciate what we do have

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Family Thanksgiving Ideas - At the last minute

Are you a last minute person? Here are some last minute ideas for Thanksgiving Fun.

Fun Family Thanksgiving Ideas

Thanksgiving is always a fun time of celebration and eating with your family. Here are some ways to make Thanksgiving even more fun for your family this year.

Thankful cards – Make a card for each family member that will be your guest for Thanksgiving this year. On each card, tell that person what you love most about them, and why you are thankful for them.

Recipe books – Call each member attending your feast and ask for a copy their favorite recipe. When you have all the recipes ready, compile them into a booklet and print them, using your computer and printer. (You can also use professional services, if you wish, to make a longer-lasting recipe book.) You then hand them out at the next family gathering.

Mini family scrapbooks – Gather family pictures, if you don’t have many pictures, take them to a local copier and have extra prints made. Purchase mini scrapbooks at a scrapbook supply store, along with stickers, markers and various scrapbook supplies. Create miniature family scrapbooks, using one picture per page. Write what you are thankful for, in relation to each family member, on their designated pages. On Thanksgiving Day, give a copy of your mini family scrapbooks to each family member as a memento.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Thanksgiving Dinner - Now what

Seven Things You Can Do After Thanksgiving Dinner (Besides Nap)

Every year, families all across the country have their Thanksgiving traditions, one of which is taking a nap after a huge meal. So, instead of doing nothing all afternoon, Here are a few actives to keep your bodies moving and burn off some of those extra calories.

1. Take a walk - while it may seem simple, just the act of taking a walk will wake you up after the feast, as well as being very healthy for you. Go enjoy the fall leaves, see who can collect the prettiest ones along the way.

2. Touch football - instead of watching the bowl games, organize your own backyard bowl game. Call it the Potatoes and Gravy Bowl if you want.

3. Volunteer - take some time out of your Thanksgiving to give back to those who don't have as much. There is probably a shelter or soup kitchen that is looking for people to help serve meals to the homeless. Consider making it a regular family activity, even year round.

4. Put on a play - have the children reenact the first Thanksgiving. A few simple costumes made out of paper bags, and they can put on a delightful show for the family. Don't leave the grownups out of the action; have them improvise some scenes with the children as well.

5. Winter sports - if it's cold enough to have recently snowed, have a sled riding party. If you don't have a large enough hill, try a nearby park instead. Have a snowball fight or build a snowman. Ice-skating is another fun activity, and there may even be an indoor rink (but they might not be open due to the holiday, so it's a good idea to call first.)

6. Turkey Hunt - take a stuffed turkey, or paper turkey, and hide it in the house or yard, weather permitting. The first person to find the turkey gets to hide it the next time. Keep playing till everyone's had a turn to hide the turkey.

7. Turkey Bowling - make turkey bowling pins out of two-liter bottles. Fill them with a little sand to weight them down and spray paint them brown. Let the kids decorate them with paint or feathers. Set them up and then try to roll a turkey (three strikes in a row). If you have a lot of people, you can make more than one set to keep the action going.

It's easy to just curl up and let the turkey take over after a large meal, but it is a good idea to get up and get moving and make memories that last a lifetime. The fact that it also happens to be good for you is an added bonus.

Tuesday Toot - 11/25/08



I happy to announce that I obtained my first client for my Social Media Virtual Assistant business (BeSocialWorldwide.com) and have her profiles set up and working.

My sons first ever parent/teacher conference went great.

Toot Toot to me this week.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Take a Break


Today we are going to take a break from being a WAHM and talk about Thanksgiving. People who work outside the home get a break from there work, so why shouldn't you.

Here are some tips to keep the stress out of Thanksgiving:

So how do we have a stress free Thanksgiving dinner? Here are a few simple tips to have a more enjoyable Thanksgiving dinner.

1. Plan ahead - While planning the Thanksgiving meal, do you plan who is going to help? Instead of doing it all yourself, recruit your family to help. Not only will the work go faster, it's more fun working together. Make a list of what needs to be done before everyone arrives. Give everyone something to do and assign things that are age appropriate to the children. Before you know it, the leftovers will be wrapped in foil and everyone will have had a great time.

2. Covered dish meal - If you are having a large group for Thanksgiving, divide the menu amongst all those attending. The host family can provide the main dish (turkey or ham) and the drinks. Each family brings a favorite side dish and dessert. If you want to make sure there is a variety, provide a menu and mark things off as people chose what they want to fix.

3. Simplify - Instead of having a huge feast, prepare a smaller meal. We all tend to overeat at Thanksgiving, so make an effort to make fewer dishes. Not only will the preparation be smaller, so will our waistlines. Another option is to prepare as much ahead of time as you can. Slow cookers can be used to make all kinds of foods, even desserts. Many things can also be made as "freezer meals" and stored for weeks before re-heating them. The less actual cooking you need to do on Thanksgiving, the lower your stress levels will be.

4. Family harmony - While you can't make everyone happy, there are ways to promote a peaceful, relaxing dinner. Use place cards to put the people who tend to bicker further away from each other during dinner. This will help alleviate some of the tensions.

5. Be thankful - Simply taking the time to be thankful for all your blessings can reduce your stress level. Before everyone arrives, take the time to list all that you're thankful for over the last year. Have everyone share their blessings before dinner. Having a better attitude will help everyone enjoy the day more.

Stress doesn't have to ruin the holidays. If you stop to smell the turkey, and plan ahead, you can have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Planning and organization, while not great fun, can help you enjoy things later once all the guests arrive.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Steppin Out to Grow


Stepping out of the WAHM comfort zone

As a WAHM, you probably have your circle of WAHM friends that have locally or online. They share in your successes, offer advice when you get stuck and listen when you have a bad day. They understand your life as a work at home mom.

However, to grow as a person and a business professional, you may want to step outside of the WAHM comfort zone once in a while. You may be asking “Why on Earth would I want to do that?” Well, there are lots of reasons.

Even if you have been able to conduct all of your business online so far within the WAH world, why should you ignore the business in your own ‘backyard’? Check your local paper for the times and locations for meetings of business networking groups or call your local Chamber of Commerce and find out when they hold their meetings. Let’s say you go to the next meeting and there are 30 people there; statistics show that the average person knows 250 people…. Well, if each of those 30 people in your networking group knows 250 people, who knows how many of them may need your product or service?

By showing up regularly for meetings and events, you will get to know the other members. The conversation will eventually lead to the subject of what each of you does for a living. When they, or someone they know, are in need of your services, you will be the first person they think of to ask for help. Likewise, when you are in need of something, you will have an established list of contacts that will be more than willing to help you out!

Plus, these networking groups often have guest speakers and business seminars. Who knows? You may end up picking up some tax tips or learn some community news you wouldn’t have heard about while surfing an online WAHM forum.

In addition, these events give you a reason to get dressed up and get out of the house, and sometimes that is the only reason you need to go to them!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Blog Energizer is finally here!

Today is a very good day for blogs and bloggers everywhere. Lynette Chandler has finally opened up Blog Energizer to the public and you can sign up for your free account right now.

Lynette has been giving away great resources leading up to this highly anticipated launch. I can't wait to take advantage of the great ideas and information to improve my blogs.

Blog Energizer is a unique resource that gives members valuable opportunities to fill their blogs with content, drive traffic and more.

With a basic account (it doesn't cost a thing) at Blog Energizer, you get access to:

- Freebies you can give away on your blog
- Blogs that are looking for guest bloggers.
- Bloggers who might just want to write for your blog.
- Podcasts that are actively looking for people to interview.
- Traffic boosting ideas for your blog - and more.

In minutes you'll be ready to fill your blog with all kinds of great stuff.

Don't wait go now to Blog Energizer and sign up.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Blogging Idol

One of my twitter friends wahmsuzanne is participating in Blogging Idol 2.

Suzanne is very creative in her attempt to win this contest, she is giving away seats to her Blogging for Bucks Bootcamp (which will launch in Dec) just for subscribing to her blog reader here. She has sent out video requests from some of the top "Guru's" looking for comments and support for her in the Blogging Idol 2 contest. Suzanne is always up for new and ingenious ideas to promote her blog and journey to win Blogging Idol 2.
Those of us who are supporting Suzanne will be notified of when and where to vote. That part hasn't started yet.
While you are there you might want to check out her great articles about working at home.

So let's get out there and vote for Suzanne Franco ~ the Next Blogging Idol.

WAHM - Do you have what it takes?

What it Takes to be a Successful WAHM

Being a work at home mom can be one of the most satisfying things you can do with your life. You will be able to spend time with your family and have the opportunity to create a successful business. It takes a lot of work, maybe more than you realized when you first started out. Here are some tips on how to keep going when things get tough.

There will be days when you feel like giving up. Don’t give in to those feelings. Success is not found overnight. You are going to have to put in a lot of time and effort when it comes to building your business, but you can do it. It is ok to take a “mental health day” once in a while, but when that day is over, you need to get up and start working again.

Stay motivated by hanging up pictures of your kids near your computer or phone and writing down what you want to accomplish by working at home. Maybe you want to pay off credit card debt or save for retirement or buy the kids a pool. Whenever you feel discouraged – read what you wrote down or look at the pictures of your kids. It will inspire you to keep working!

Try to find a mentor – someone who has already found success in the work at home field you have chosen. They know exactly what you are going through and can offer advice when you ‘get stuck’ on something. They can also help keep you accountable when it comes to your goals.

If you haven’t taken the time to write down your goals, take the time now. By having your goals written down on paper you will have a clear definition of what you want. Once you have them on paper, take a closer look at each one and write down specific action steps you can take now to achieve them. For instance, if your goal is to build a website, what are three things you can do today to accomplish that? Keep looking forward toward your goals and you will find yourself achieving success!

For more help check out WAHM Success Blueprint

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Finding that balance


Simple ways for WAHM's to balance work and relationships

No one has ever said that marriage is easy. Balancing your business, kids and marriage can be even more difficult. When you are feeling stressed, it is easy to put your relationship on the back burner. Which in turn causes more undue stress on you and your family.

Here are some ways to keep it front and center.

Just as you schedule time for your children and time to work, schedule time for your spouse. Set aside a weekly “date night”. Your dates don’t have to be expensive – it can simply be going out to lunch at the local diner, going for a stroll together around the neighborhood or playing cards after the kids go to bed. The point is just to set aside some distraction-free time for you and your spouse to talk and connect.

If you think you are too busy for a date night, ask your spouse to help you with some of the household chores. Just because you work from home, doesn’t mean you should be responsible for all the cooking, cleaning and laundry. You are working, and it doesn’t matter if you work across town or in a make-shift office in the corner of the dining room.

By sharing the chores, you are freeing up time to spend together. You can make it a family affair by getting the kids involved. For instance, designate every Saturday from 10 am till noon as “cleaning time”. Divide the chores among the family, turn on the stereo and have a “cleaning party”. You’ll be having fun together and getting the chores done.

It may not sound fun initially, but why not run your weekly errands together? You have to go to the grocery store anyway, so why not go as a couple? Having someone to talk to while you wait in line at the check-out stand could be a nice change!

You can also find time to spend together by asking your spouse to help you with your business. Your spouse will learn more about what you do and see you in a different light. Who knows? Your spouse may enjoy helping you and with their help, you will be able to achieve your goals twice as fast.

Friday, November 14, 2008

It's not just about "them"


Remember to take care of yourself too!

By nature, women are nurturers and care-takers. If someone within a 50 mile radius has a problem, a woman will try to help them! WAHMs are no exception. They spend their days caught up in a whirlwind of taking care of their families, housework and working their businesses.

However, a WAHM can easily become to busy to take care of herself!
Yes, you work from home, and you may be able to conduct your business wearing sweat pants and bunny slippers, but that doesn’t mean you should. Remember that every time you go out in public you are surrounded by potential business clients. You should look professional and well-groomed – you never know who you are going to run into!

Even if you stay locked-up in the house all day, it is important that you feel pretty.
When you look in the mirror and see a well-groomed, professional woman looking back at you, you will feel more confident and more competent in all areas of your life, including your business!

When you wake up in the morning, don’t just throw on your old sweats. You don’t have to wear a business suit either, but try to aim for something in the middle of those two choices. A simple shirt under a cardigan sweater and some nice jeans or slacks will do the trick.
If you simply do not have the time to wash and blow-dry your hair, put your hair in some Velcro rollers while you get breakfast ready. They will add body and style to your hair. Take five minutes to put on some mascara and lip gloss; and don’t forget to add a spritz of perfume.

If the last time you bought yourself a new outfit has been so long the clothes you are wearing are coming back in style for the second time around, that is a clue you need to update your wardrobe!

When you accomplish a goal, celebrate by getting a manicure or pedicure. Keep your hairstyle fresh by getting a trim every few months. You may be a WAHM but you are still a woman!

You deserve to feel special!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Create Your Own Money


Creating your own income opportunities, you can do it!

Have you been looking for a way to earn money from home? Why not take the skills you currently have and build a business around them? You will be able to create your own work schedule and can choose to work with local businesses or with people you meet online.

People that are proficient in web design can easily find work. Many people want to start an online business but don’t know the first thing about building a website – just visit any work at home message board and you will see many posts asking for help!

Are you creative? If so, you can find work as a graphic designer. Many people need help designing logos and advertising for their businesses. If you enjoy writing, you can find work as a copywriter – the person who writes the information you read on websites. Do you enjoy social media, find a way to market your skill.

If you would rather work offline, there are still plenty of opportunities for you. Just market your services creatively – let businesses know how you can help them. For instance, if you were a teacher, now you can be an “Educational Consultant” and coordinate lesson plans for local daycares or homeschooling parents! If you were the manager at a restaurant, you can turn that into a “Catering Consultant” and help caterers and restaurants come up with new recipes or help brides plan their wedding menus.

Moms are expert organizers – offer up your skills as a “professional organizer” and get paid to clean out closets, attics and garages. Are you an expert at throwing birthday parties? Many busy parents would hire you to take care of planning their children’s parties.

Are you good at sewing, knitting or scrapbooking or some other craft? Hold classes to teach others. If you do not have room at your home, ask your local hobby shop if you can hold classes there or in our area you can use the Panera "room" for free.

As you can see, there are many ways to turn your skills into ways to work from home. Once you decide on something to do, get out there and let everyone know you are available for hire! If you do not ask for work, you won’t find any!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Tuesday Toot

I almost forgot about Tuesday Toot



Wow, it's Tuesday Toot time. I took last week off as I really didn't have anything to Toot about, and then I almost forgot this week.

Personal Toot: We had a fabulous birthday party for my 4 yr old on Sunday at their gymnastics center. The kids has a blast!

Starting to get caught back up on work!

Monday, November 10, 2008

The dishes can wait? Stay Focused

If you are like me and get easily distracted, staying focused on your business can be harder than doing the actual work of your business! It is very easy to procrastinate, especially when you are a WAHM. There are always ‘so many other things to do’ and so many social networks to visit.

Here is a secret that you may not have heard yet: The dishes can wait! The laundry can wait! So feel free to make those phone calls or answer those emails. The laundry and dishes will still be there, waiting for you! However, if you wait too long to call a client back, they may move on to someone who gets back to them faster than you do.

Why did you become a WAHM in the first place? Did you need to bring in an extra $500 a month to pay off credit cards? Was it to put money away for your children’s college fund? Or was it to save for retirement? Whatever the reason, write it down and put it where you will see it on a daily basis. When you are feeling distracted, look at what you wrote down. It will be easier to work when you remember why you are working in the first place.

You may want to team up with another WAHM. Send each other your goals and keep one another accountable. Call each other at the end of the day and discuss what you accomplished; you can share your successes or lend each other a sympathetic ear over things that didn’t go as you planned.

Stay motivated by setting daily, weekly and monthly goals. If you “work backwards” you will create a road map to your success. For instance, if you are in direct sales and your financial goal is to sell $1500 in product that month. Do the math and you’ll see that you need to sell $375 of product each week. Now, how many home parties do you need to hold each week to accomplish that? How many phone calls do you need to make each day in order to schedule those parties?

When you accomplish your goals, give yourself a little treat to remind yourself that you worked hard and achieved success!

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Enter the Holiday Giveaway Extravaganza

Enter the Holiday Giveaway Extravaganza, sponsored by Moms United in Business LLC, http://www.momsunitedinbusiness.com celebrating the launch of Resources for Work at Home Moms, http://resourcesforworkathomemoms.com! Come celebrate with us, and enter for your chance to win an awesome prize package, just in time for the holidays! Over $850.00 in prizes! You will NOT want to miss this! Enter at http://tinyurl.com/5b7hvm

Monday, November 3, 2008

Recession - Teach your kids to save


Economic recession is taking its toll on the country. Many Americans right now are feeling the heat of these tight times as more and more people are losing their jobs and losing their homes. High prices on basic commodities is also making it harder for American families to survive without additional income.

During these times, people are thinking of ways on how to save. This is especially true with families that support one, two or more children. Between feeding them and sending them all to school, these families will surely have to scrimp on some areas in order to survive.

But parents should not be the only ones who should be scrimping. When it comes to saving money during economic recession, your children should also play important roles. In fact, you can use these tight times to teach your children about saving for the future and saving money. This will help them deal with tighter times in the future should they experience it when they have families of their own. Below are some of the ways that you can teach your children about saving up.

1. Explain to them
You may not realize it but kids do know what is going on and when you explain the situation to them clearly with examples that they can relate to, they will be able to understand the situation. Some will even help out of their own volition without you telling them to do so.

Telling them why they should do something is more effective than telling them outright what they should do. The latter will sometimes antagonize them or will cause them to rebel because they feel that you are ordering them. Kids, as you well know, do not want to be "told" what to do.

2. Give them piggy banks.
Having coin banks may seem outdated in this digital age but it is nevertheless still effective in teaching kids how to save. Tell them that saving will allow them to have some money should they need to buy something that they really want. A portion of their "chore" money, for instance a quarter or two, is a good way to start.

3. Get what they need
Controlling what they put on their plates during dinner will help control the urge to get more than they eat. Ask them to clean their plates every time. This will teach them about saving and buying only the things that they need. This is a great training in the future so that they will not grow up with maxed out credit cards, buying things that they do not really need in the first place.

4. Being a role model
Face it. Whatever your child does is only a reflection of what you yourself are doing at home. So if you want the kids to start saving up, make sure that you are also doing your part in saving in this times of economic recession.

Although when it comes to your kids, in bad times or good, they should learn how to save.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

A few toys works for us.

I guess it's never to early to start the Holiday Spirit. It seems to be that time of year again. Halloween is over and we need to start focusing on the Holidays.
While we try to keep the presents to a minimum with our 2 boys. With my older one's birthday being in November and then Christmas we end up with an overload of toys at year end. So we put some away for later, go through old, undamaged toys and donate them and of course play, play, play.
I have always been a big proponent of toys that teach something or improve some sort of motor skill - now not all our toys fit the bill - but most of them are "good" toys.
Through the last four years, we have always thought highly of all the Leapfrog toys that we have received, purchased or played with. They are great learning toys that are made with quality materials. Check them out.


 

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