Working Mother

Get The Word Out About Your Biz

2010-03-29T06:54:00.001-05:00

If you are looking for low and no-cost ways to Get the Word Out about your business, check out this free call featuring Carrie Wilkerson, The Barefoot Executive and President of AWHW.org.

Carrie is so excited to share her 5 favorite ways to market your business!

Don't get sucked into paying for lots of ads, guaranteed 'hits' - banners or 'miracles in marketing'...

Go register now - a gift to you as my reader! --> www.awhw.org/public/awhw2010.cfm?affID=dawntrenee

There is a replay if you have a time conflict!

Get the details now
--> www.awhw.org/public/awhw2010.cfm?affID=dawntrenee

Funnel Traffic to Your Site Via Article Directories

2010-02-23T13:22:00.001-06:00

Content is one of the main reasons people keep coming back to the Internet. Providing the information they seek can lead readers back to you again and again. If you are a writer, use your skill to promote your website through article directories and if you’re not, you can still hire someone to help you!reading content online

Article directories are places where website owners can go to find useful content in their niche. People simply surfing the web can also find this content during their topic searches.

The easiest way to create content is to write about something that you know – your niche market. Within those parameters you have plenty to work with. You can write about business issues: starting a business in your niche, defining your niche and promoting your business, write articles that relate to your niche and that give your readers quality content.

Keys to Driving Traffic Your Way

• Always have an engaging headline. Include the same keywords that you use on your website. Articles that include steps or processes catch a reader’s eye. Why? They usually include bulleted points or numbered steps which are easy to skim or read quickly. Reader’s like to get their information in as useful a format as possible.

• Use keywords throughout the article. For an article of 400-500 words, a particular keyword can be mentioned about six or seven times to be effective and not considered “keyword stuffing.” For maximum effect, if you have more than one keyword you want to use, write a separate article for each.

• Submit your content to popular article directories. Some people may have their favorite sites like About.com or Ezinearticles.com to find helpful information. There they can search within the site to find helpful articles. If you are there with your expertise in the form of submitted articles, they will find you. Once they have some information from you they can use and trust, the chances of them following through to your website to learn more increase.

• Use your bio box. This is one of the most helpful tools for free website promotion when writing and submitting articles to directories. Here, you have a chance to tell others what you want them to know about you and your business. And, you can include links to your website here for readers to follow.

Even with audio and video showing up more and more, written content is still royalty on the Internet. Drive traffic your way by submitting quality content to popular article directories, along with those other types of content for maximum exposure.

Need help with this or other ways of promoting your business? We can help! http://ping.fm/JxBMG

Just Launch It

2010-02-22T17:04:00.001-06:00

Just Launch It

Filed Under teleseminar

I wanted to let you know about a HUGE complimentary event that I am a speaking at and I will be talking about Face. The Just Launch It Event is all about helping you over the hurdles in launching a business or re-launching your business with success and grace. There are 10 Entrepreneurs and Experts who started out just where you are and each are providing incredible information you don’t want to miss.

Check out the details http://ping.fm/bxhq5

At the Just Launch It Event, you will learn about 5 key areas:

1. FOCUS: Align your passion and purpose with your business idea
2. FACE: Find your target audience and learn how to approach them
3. FOUNDATION: Discover how to build a solid base for your business to grow
4. FINANCIAL: Learn the key elements for financial success and how to set them up
5. FREEDOM: Unravel the mystery of taking the leap from employee to entrepreneur FULL-TIME
Don’t miss this http://ping.fm/YsfMG

Pool Your Resources, Get Noticed

2010-02-22T10:26:00.001-06:00

Just like exercise, business marketing is cumulative. Each effort, though small, builds on the ones before for a magnificent result. As you work to get yourself known in the Internet business world, it may be time to capitalize on the resources and knowledge of others in the form of business partnerships.

Going into business with others can be scary but it can also be quite profitable. Once you begin getting your name out there and building relationships with others, you’ll find people will start seeking you out for your information. Before long, you’ll have requests for any number of things beneficial to your website. Many won’t cost you a dime, but will still create exposure and advertising.
Two ways that you might find to do so are via guest blogging and joint venture giveaways. You can find bloggers who are in your niche and offer to guest blog for them. This gives you exposure and showcases your expertise.

You can guest blog for a day, a week or two, or even on a continual basis. Depending on the blog owner, you may get a byline where you can list your website link. If they allow links in your blog posts (where relevant), then use them to promote your websites, blogs, and products or services.

Guest blogging is a two-way street. You can ask others to guest blog for you too. They will, in turn, let their readership know where they were will be appearing and that means extra promotion for your website and blog too!

Partnering with others can also be a great idea. One of the ways you can do so is through joint venture giveaways. To become a contributor, you have to be invited to participate. With the giveaway event, you offer a free gift to members who sign up to come to the event. To receive your free gift, members have to visit your website and sign up to your list to gain access.

Not only are you getting your name out there with the members but also with the other contributors. One stipulation of your contributor status is to promote the event. Through the other contributors, you’re also getting some free promotion for your own website. Members who enjoy the information available at these giveaways will most likely share with those they know who would be interested as well.

Through these and similar events you open the door to relationship building again and again. Business associates may find that partnering with you again is advantageous to both them and you. As with any partnership, each half will bring strengths the other person may not possess. For instance, if you have a product, but lack the technical resources necessary to increase your marketing efforts for it, try partnering with someone who may not have a product but can handle the more technical aspects of the partnership.

Start your Work At Home Career

2009-08-24T12:53:00.000-05:00

Mom, Here’s How You Can Start a Work at Home Career

Thanks to the rising costs of daycare and transportation and the desire to have a parent home with the children, today many moms choose to work from home. This arrangement is sometimes called “telecommuting”, and it allows parents the opportunity to set up a workspace in their homes to earn a living instead of having to leave the home daily.

They might also choose to start their own businesses, instead of working for another company. Working from home is rising popularity and the Internet is offering many different types of careers and business opportunities to moms. And for proof that the work at home dream is possible, be sure to check out the success tips from moms just like you in the Full Time WAHM eBook.

So how can you start a work at home career? This is a frequently asked question that can lead to a lot of confusion about on where to start. Here are just some of the work from home careers currently available to moms:

· Party Consultant (beauty, health, jewelry, home decor, adult, etc.) We all know about companies like Avon and Tupperware, but there are so many more opportunities for moms and they are still a popular way to earn an income. From home and garden products, to jewelry and makeup and even adult novelties, home party plans are great ways for moms to work from home. Earnings vary by company and commission schedule.

· Virtual Office Service. Are you a people person who likes to do customer service and to provide other office services? Then a client service job might be perfect for you. Many large firms are hiring Mom’s to work from home answering customer calls and providing other office support virtually. These jobs can pay between $8-12+ an hour. You can also start you own business providing customer service directly to clients and increase the amount you charge per hour.

· Selling on Auction Sites or Craft Boards. Many Moms sell their unwanted items on auction sites like eBay.com or sell their crafts on boards like Etsy.com for a source of income. If you are a creative person who enjoys making beautiful things or you want to earn a little extra money for the clothes your kids outgrow, why not sell them!

· Starting on Online Business. The Internet offers the chance for you to create just about any type of business they desire. Whether it’s creating an information-packed website that helps others (and earns money through advertising and selling products for commissions), creating your own products or selling products at wholesale, the choice is yours.

There are any number of opportunities just waiting to be tried by enterprising Moms looking for fulfillment and extra money.

Recommended Additional Resource:

Working from home doesn’t come without it’s challenges. Learn from 21 moms just like you have been there, done that. Full Time WAHM provides practical mom-to-mom advice on who to balance work & home and how to turn into a work at home success.

How Is A Blog Good For My Business?

2009-08-20T10:12:00.000-05:00

It isn't long after you start your business before you hear people begin to tell you, it's a good idea to get a blog started. Unfortunately, some times people don't tell you why or are only able to give you a sketchy idea why. How is blogging why. How is blogging helpful to your business, particularly if the business is offline or when you are a service provider, like a belly dancer who belly dancer who performs at private functions for example.

Here are some ways having a blog could help generate more interest, leads or bookings.

It Exhibits Your Expertise

It is alright to put up videos and pictures on web pages to show others what yo to show others what you can do for them, but I'll bet you have more and newer videos and snap shots. Also, some orders are unique. These are all good reasons to show off and what better way than to use blog because it is so easy to update. A belly dancer can display videos where a client has requested something unique which forced her to think outside the box and come up with some creative choreography.

It Can Demonstrate How You Will Solve Client Problems

You know the old saying, people buy solutions, not productons, not products or services. You can explain this on a regular web page but on a blog, it all becomes more believable, more tangible.

It Shows You Are Actively Using Your Skills

If you are currently working with clients, any post you make about your job is a good testimonial. It shows that there are people who already trust you to do what you claim you will do. Better still if your customer can contribute to your blog or allow you to quote them.

You Can Get To Know Your Prospects And They Get To Know You

This is true particularly when you offer a service because people usually want to work with others whom they can get along with. Because a blog is interactive, through the comments people can begin to experience you and get a feel of how the company handles their customers.

It Can Help Increase Website Traffic

When you write good, content that is relevant and also promote it, people will take notice. When they do, they are more likely to share it on their own blog and their social networks and even decide to email it to their newsletter subscribers. All good ways to get fresh traffic.

It Can Reduce The Need To Answer Questions Over And Over

There are questions in every business that people tend to ask again and again. Whenever you answer these questions on your blog, you help your prospects out by giving them the information they are seeking, you plant the seed of trust, you add fresh content to your website, stuff that search engines and people alike love. And finally, you reduce your work because now you don't have to type your answer again and again.

Blogging can be a quite rewarding. The down side is, keeping it going with fresh new content can be tough. Private label articles are OK but you still have to re-write them. The people at Blog Energizer have an alternative idea. Blogging prompts. Sometimes what you need is a jump start. Instead of staring at a blank computer screen, prompts help you write 100% original content. Blog Energizer provides you with 30 blogging prompts every month, one for every day of the month. They will also help you promote your posts, contests or any viral report you may have. Worth taking a look at.

Are you networking with other moms?

2009-08-19T10:06:00.000-05:00

If you have been searching online for work at home opportunities, you have probably come across several websites, message boards and forums. These message boards and forums will allow you to meet and network with other WAHMs (work at home moms) across the world.

Networking online with other moms on message boards is very easy! Find a forum that you like, register an account and post an introduction message right away. Let the other moms know where you are from and what you want to accomplish with working at home. The women you meet there will provide you with advice on how to start a business, information on a wide variety of subjects, employment opportunities, and they will be more than happy to lend an ear when you need to complain about a bad day.

Start reading other people’s posts – you will notice that there is a section where the poster can list their business website. Visit the different websites – eventually you will find a few work at home moms that have businesses similar to the type you would like to start. Send them a message and let them know you admire their business and ask for advice on how you can get started in the same type of field.

Keep reading and replying to posts regularly; you will find that people have questions about things you are an ‘expert’ in. By building relationships and establishing credibility, people will come to you when they have a need for the product or service you provide.

Seek out the services of other home based moms when you need help with something. If you have done business with a certain mom, recommend her services to others when they need them! Your work at home friend will appreciate your help and will recommend your services to other people.

Eventually, someone new to the WAHM community will seek you out and ask for your advice on how to get started. Take them under your wing and show them a few helpful pointers. You may not be able to pay back all of the mothers who have helped you with your business, but you can definitely pay it forward by helping others!

2009-08-18T08:22:00.000-05:00

If you spend a ton of time online you likely run across websites, articles, recipes, and more that you want to come back to again at some point. A great way to be able to do so is to bookmark the site. These days there are a variety of ways that you can "bookmark" your favorite places on the web, and all the great sites, articles and other things that you want to "store" for a later time.

Social Bookmarking is also good for online businesses.

Social bookmarking, it's just one of the various social media sites that has helped so many small business owners with their marketing efforts. Social bookmarking like other forms of social media is a great way to market your small business for free. So, if you're a small business owner YOU should definitely be utilizing social bookmarking.

Although it can take some time to truly benefit from social bookmarking, which allows you to save your favorite links for anything and everything you find online and then share those links with others. Your aim as a small business owner would be to share links from your own site, services and promotions to be quickly and easily found by others. You would also aim to have others bookmark your endeavors, your promotional blog posts and anything that points back to your site.

Your aim is to begin to create a following, so that over time they repeatedly look to your social bookmarks to find what they need in your area of expertise.

Why not try out social bookmarking for yourself? Try out Digg and Delicious to get started.

To learn more about social bookmarking : Unlocking the Secrets To Social Bookmarking

Back to School Means Ugh Whats for Dinner?

2009-08-17T09:52:00.000-05:00

Is school really just around the corner? You know what that means - early morning scrambles, after-school tizzies and ragged nerves at dinnertime. Run, Run and meals get pushed out of your mind.

But it can still be possible to have pleasant family mealtimes even after school has begun. Check out these back-to-school dinner tips for busy Moms:

1. Have a meal plan.

The most important key to having relaxed family dinners even on school nights is having a meal plan. This will simplify both food shopping and meal preparation, and help you save money to boot.

If you need help, check out Dine Without Whine's meal and grocery planning service.

2. Try freezer meals.

Cut down on cooking time by cooking large batches and then freezing them for future use.

3. Simplify your schedule.

With school comes extracurricular activities that could have you running - or driving around - like a headless chicken. Keep things to a minimum. Overloading children with too many after-school activities is not good for them. They need downtime too.

4. Get the kids involved in cooking.

Get some help by mobilizing your own troops - your husband and children - as your kitchen helpers. Cooking is an important life skill and now it's bonding time as well.

5. Have an emergency plan.

No matter how well you plan in advance, something always comes up. Plan for that as well. Always have emergency supplies in the pantry so you can throw together a home-cooked meal at a moment's notice.

It could be a frozen dinner you prepared during the weekend. Mine is pasta, a can of tomato sauce and whatever vegetables are in the refrigerator.

6. Post your family schedule.

Keep a large calendar on the wall where you can see every family member's schedule at a glance. It will also help you plan activities around your family dinner times.

7. Set a routine.

Decide on an earlier dinner time, bedtime and wake up time and start following them a few days before school officially begins. This way, everybody's adjusted when the real thing comes.

8. Stay flexible.

Sometimes you just can't afford disruptions to your meal times. An occasional missed family dinner is no big deal - when you know you'll have more throughout the week.

9. Consider school schedules.

Take note of school events and other activities in your family calendar - so you can plan your family dinners with them in mind.

10. Cook once, eat twice.

Every so often, cook a double batch of meals that can easily be transformed into another entree or side dish. For example, roast 2 chickens. Have one for tonight's dinner. Chop up the other for chicken salad for later in the week.

11. Organize your kitchen.

If you haven't done so yet, now's the time to take stock of your kitchen. Make sure the items you use most often are accessible from your food prep area. Replace the tools that are broken, and get those gadgets that will help you get dinner ready faster.

12. Have a special meal.

Make Friday night Teen's night - which means they plan and prepare the meal. That is, if you have teens or any child old enough to prepare meals. They'll learn how to cook, you get the night off (from cooking), and everybody has fun. The only condition is: everybody has to eat what's prepared.

13. Make it educational.

This idea is for preschool-age kids. Make or buy a special placemat with letter or numbers. Laminate it with Con-Tact paper so it becomes a wipe-off board. Use it only for dinnertimes.

14. More mealtime learning opportunities.

Plan some meals to coincide with specific topics your child is studying in school. For example, on the night after a field trip to a pioneer town, have a pioneer-style meal.

15. Celebrate school successes at dinner.

Celebrate school successes with a special family meal. Prepare the child's favorite meal and prepare a nice dessert. It's more important to have a meal that's relaxed and delicious, than one that tool hours to prepare.

16. Nurture school relationships.

Get to know your children's closest school friends by inviting them to dinner once in a while.

Follow these tips to make family mealtimes simpler, easier and more fun. For meal planning and grocery shopping help, go to Dine Without Whine.

Your monthly subscription includes a weekly meal plan with recipes for main dishes, side dishes, 2 desserts and 2 brunches.

You'll also get a weekly grocery shopping list of everything you need to create the recipes. The list is categorized according to grocery sections, so your shopping will be easier and faster.

For a limited time, you can try Dine Without Whine for a penny. Click here to find out how.

Time Management

2009-08-16T09:22:00.003-05:00

The computer is a useful tool when it comes to increasing productivity and implementing various time management techniques. There are many ways that you can implement the use of a computer in daily activities. However, it is essential that you ensure that your computer is up to performance standard and you know the right tools to make the best use of your time. By doing this, you can easily increase productivity by using your computer for time management.

The first way that you can implement the use of your computer for time management projects is to ensure that the internal components match those that are required for you to engage in the activities that are required. Key components that you should research on the computer that you are working with includes the memory capacity, the speed of the processor, the amount of space that your hard drive has, as well as important accessories, such as a printer and/or fax machine. You want to make certain that your computer is able to handle the processes that you require of it. If the computer does not have the performance level to complete the tasks that you need to complete, it can affect your overall productivity.

The second way that you can increase productivity by using your computer for time management is to ensure that all the software that you require is installed on the system. For example, if you require a program to type up various letters or assignments on, and need a spreadsheet program to track changes of various things you may select to purchase Microsoft Office. If you do not have the right tools to perform your job, your overall productivity will be greatly affected. You will want to avoid installing games and similar programs on your computer as they may affect the productivity of the time management method that you are trying to implement.

This leads us to the topic of distractions and the impact that they have on time management. There are many distractions that may occur when working on a computer. These distractions include internet games, children, checking email consistently, surfing various websites, instant messenger programs, and many other things that are similar in nature. If you find that you are having trouble getting distracted by these types of things while on a computer, simply close them out, well except for the kids :). You can designate times each day in which you can chat on messenger programs, check your email, play games, and surf the internet. This is a really good idea, especially if you are trying to work from home. If you are attempting to increase your productivity, just do not schedule these things while you are working on various projects. Allow time in your schedule for your family and your work. Doing too much in either area will result in failure.

The last step in increasing productivity by using your computer for time management is to make sure that you organize your files in an appropriate manner on your computer. You may separate certain projects into various folders on your network. If you do not want others to view these files, simply encode them with a password. Remember to backup copies of all of your files. This way, if a technical issue arises, you still have those files tucked away safely. This becomes important if you are crunched for time or in a rush, being able to find things quickly is a life saver.

The first tool that I would recommend to help save time on the computer would be Robo Form. RoboForm is the EASIEST and MOST SECURE way to manage your passwords, securely log into websites, fill long online forms, search the web, and more. I have been using this tool for over 2 years now and really reap the benefits. No more having to fill in forms, no more trying to remember what that darn password it. There is a free version download by clicking here. You can upgrade at a later point if you have too many passwords, the free version has a limit. Check it out enjoy and save time.

You Can Have Power of Gratitude

2009-05-10T07:14:00.001-05:00

Assessing the Power of Gratitude

The practice of gratitude as a tool for happiness has been in the mainstream for years. Long-term studies support gratitude’s effectiveness, suggesting that a positive, appreciative attitude contributes to greater success in work, greater health, peak performance in sports and business, a higher sense of well-being, and a faster rate of recovery from surgery.

But while we may acknowledge gratitude’s many benefits, it still can be difficult to sustain. So many of us are trained to notice what is broken, undone or lacking in our lives. And for gratitude to meet its full healing potential in our lives, it needs to become more than just a Thanksgiving word. We have to learn a new way of looking at things, a new habit. And that can take some time.

That’s why practicing gratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks for all we have, instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing.

Remember that gratitude isn’t a blindly optimistic approach in which the bad things in life are whitewashed or ignored. It’s more a matter of where we put our focus and attention. Pain and injustice exist in this world, but when we focus on the gifts of life, we gain a feeling of well-being. Gratitude balances us and gives us hope.

There are many things to be grateful for: colorful autumn leaves, legs that work, friends who listen and really hear, chocolate, fresh eggs, warm jackets, tomatoes, the ability to read, roses, our health, butterflies. What’s on your list?

Some Ways to Practice Gratitude

• Keep a gratitude journal in which you list things for which you are thankful. You can make daily, weekly or monthly lists. Greater frequency may be better for creating a new habit, but just keeping that journal where you can see it will remind you to think in a grateful way.

• Make a gratitude collage by drawing or pasting pictures.

• Practice gratitude around the dinner table or make it part of your nighttime routine.

• Make a game of finding the hidden blessing in a challenging situation.

• When you feel like complaining, make a gratitude list instead. You may be amazed by how much better you feel.

• Notice how gratitude is impacting your life. Write about it, sing about it, express thanks for gratitude.

As you practice, an inner shift begins to occur, and you may be delighted to discover how content and hopeful you are feeling. That sense of fulfillment is gratitude at work.

It's Okay to Quit!

2009-04-27T12:24:00.003-05:00

I just received a great email forward from a friend of mine and I had to pass it along.

"It's okay to Quit" by Motivational Speaker Verunda Jackson

1. Quit arguing with people about the same old foolishness! Respect their position and keep it moving!

2. Quit telling people your secrets when you know they are not going to keep them! And if you keep telling them, then quit getting mad when they tell your secrets!

3. Quit trying to pull people on your journey who don't want to travel with you. Either they believe in you and value you...or they don't!

4. Quit complaining about things you can't and won't change!

5. Quit gossiping about other people! Minding our own business should be a full time job!

6. Quit blaming each other for things that in the big picture aren't going to matter three weeks from now! Talk solutions...and then implement them!

7. Quit eating things you know are not good for you! If you can't quit...eat smaller portions!

8. Quit buying things when we know we can't afford them! If you don't have self control, then quit going to the stores! Quit charging things, especially when you don't NEED them!

9. Quit staying in unhealthy relationships! It is not okay for people to verbally or physically abuse you! So quit lying to yourself! It is not okay to stay in the marriage for the children! Ask them and they will tell you that they really would prefer to see you happy and that the misery you and your spouse/partner are living with is affecting them!

10. Quit letting family members rope you into the drama! -Start telling them you don't want to hear it! Quit spreading the drama! Quit calling other relatives and telling them about your cousin,uncle,or aunt! Go back to #5 minding your own business should be enough to keep you busy!

11. Quit trying to change people! IT DOESN'T WORK! Quit cussing people out when you know that they are just being the miserable and jealous people that they are!

12. Quit the job you hate! Start pursuing your passion. Find the job that fuels your passion BEFORE you quit!

13. Quit volunteering for things that you aren't getting any personal fulfillment from anymore! Quit volunteering for things and then failing to follow through with your commitment!

14. Quit listening to the naysayers! Quit watching the depressing news if you are going to live in the doom and gloom of it all!

15. Quit making excuses about why you are where you are or why you can't do what you want to do!

16. Quit waiting on others to give you the answers...and start finding the answers for yourself! If what you are doing isn't working for you...then quit it!

17. Quit settling and start making your dreams a reality!- Quit being afraid and START LIVING YOUR LIFE! CREATE THE LIFE YOU WANT! If you want something different than what you have had in the past...you must quit doing what you have done before and DO something different! JUST QUIT IT ...... and START DOING something to create the experience you want!

Why you should try for more family meals at home?

2009-04-14T12:17:00.002-05:00

When was the last time your family had a meal together? I don't mean sitting in the car munching on burgers from the drive-through. I mean sitting down at the table and sharing a home-cooked meal. (Family dinners are truly a challenge in my home, as my husband is generally working at dinner time. Many times for us it's lunch or breakfast that becomes our "family" meal)

If you can't remember when you last enjoyed a family meal, make plans to have them more often. Experts have found - and continue to discover - plenty of benefits for both children and adults when families have meals together at least three times a week.

I know...I know, it's not always easy, so
click here if you need help with meal planning and grocery shopping.

Here are 10 reasons why you should have family meals more
often:

Good For The Body

1. When families eat together, everyone tends to eat healthier. People who have frequent family meals consume more calcium, fiber, iron, and vitamins B6, B12, C and E. It could be because home-cooked meals are healthier than fast food and restaurant meals. (Source: Archives of Family Medicine)

2. Children tend to eat more fruits and vegetables when they frequently have dinner with their families. They also tend to eat fewer snack foods. (Source: American Dietetic Association)

3. Children in families who eat dinner together are less likely to be overweight (Source: Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine). This makes sense, given the findings in #1 and #2 above.

Good For The Brain

4. Children from families who eat meals together get better grades than their peers who don't have lots of family meal times (Source: Lou Harris-Reader's Digest National Poll). So family dinners are not only good for the body; they're also good for the brain.

5. When families eat together frequently, children have better language skills compared to kids from families who don't have family mealtimes often. (Source: Harvard University)

Good For Emotional Health

6. Children of families who eat together report feeling happier and are more optimistic about the future, than their peers who have infrequent family meals. (Source: Lou Harris- Reader's Digest National Poll)

7. Teenagers are less likely to use drugs, smoke, and drink alcoholic drinks, when their families eat together regularly. (Source: Columbia University)

8. It may come as a surprise, but among Moms who work outside the home, those who have family mealtimes reported feeling less stress than those who had family dinners less often. (Source: Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal)

9. The more often teen girls had meals with their families, the less likely they were to have symptoms of depression and suicidal behaviors. (Source: University of Minnesota)

Good for Family Bonding

10. Eating together gives family members the chance to communicate and build relationships, something that both adults and children appreciate very much. (Source: Nutrition Education Network of Washington & Oprah Winfrey's "Family Dinner Experiment")

I hope these reasons motivate you and your family to try and eat together more often. We're all busy - even children have plenty of after-school activities. But as the list above shows, family meals are worth every effort we put into them.
It helps to plan ahead so that we're not scrambling to get dinner ready or panicking because we don't have all the ingredients we need.

To make it easier to get the family around the table with a home-cooked meal, check out Dine Without Whine's menu planning service. It cost just a penny to try it out!

Support us in the 2009 StartupNation Leading Moms in Business Competition

2009-02-17T13:11:00.002-06:00

Support us in the 2009 StartupNation Leading Moms in Business Competition

Please vote and support the moms entered here, including me.

Posted using ShareThis

2009-02-11T08:01:00.001-06:00

Happy Rainy morning today, it's better than snow.

2009-02-10T17:47:00.001-06:00

Time to take boys to dinner, fundraiser for the school. I'll be back on later tonight

2009-02-10T16:38:00.001-06:00

Gotta go clean up the house a little and get ready for my date with the boys.

2009-02-10T08:01:00.001-06:00

Feeling like I got some work done this am, emails still piling up, but time to attend to the family. Be back later.

Motherhood Lessons

2009-02-02T15:09:00.003-06:00

I haven't blogged here in quite some time but, I was tagged by my friends Alyssa Avant who posted at Mom's Resource Blog to do a post on Motherhood Lessons.

"You never really appreciate what your parents did for you until...."

From the day I was born I had asthma, although it did take time a few scares before it was diagnosed correctly. Over the course of my young life I spent lots of time in doctors offices and ER's. While my family did not stop doing the things they wanted to do, I was always taken care of.

Let me preface this by stating that from the day my second son was born, I knew he was going to be the one affected with my asthma. You have a 50% chance of passing it down, and with two children I figured one would have it.

So last August after 2 prior visits and 1 time I didn't take my son to the doctor and spent the night with him in the bathroom with shower running so he could sleep. My son was having problems breathing again. This time I wasn't taking no for an answer, 3 times in 3 months is not a cold or whatever else they wanted to call it and tell me to wait it out.

I took him to our local immediate care (our family doctor is over 1 hr away and closed on Thursday which is when my kids always get sick). They said yes he was wheezing, but refused to call it asthma. Did breathing treatments to no avail. Sent to ER where he was given another breathing treatment and meds and finally started getting better.

My little guy was being very good about it the whole time, as we kept telling him that this would make him feel better or that would make him feel better. (side note: I am starting to cry just trying to retell the story). Right before my husband arrived at the hospital to join us, my little man but Mama I'm not feeling better. I just about lost it.

I am very calm and cool when it comes to asthma and dealing with it, but when your 2 year old tells you the doctors aren't making you better it is very hard to take.

So thanks mom for all those years you Took care of me. I finally learned what it truly means when Moms say this hurts me more than it hurts you.

Discount Code/ Black Friday

2008-11-28T00:01:00.002-06:00

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.

Always Give Thanks Today and Everyday

2008-11-27T06:00:00.000-06:00

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

Family Thanksgiving Ideas - At the last minute

2008-11-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

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.

Thanksgiving Dinner - Now what

2008-11-25T16:40:00.000-06:00

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

2008-11-25T15:50:00.002-06:00

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.

Take a Break

2008-11-20T08:00:00.001-06:00

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.

Steppin Out to Grow

2008-11-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

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!

Blog Energizer is finally here!

2008-11-18T12:10:00.000-06:00

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.

Blogging Idol

2008-11-17T18:49:00.008-06:00

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?

2008-11-17T18:14:00.004-06:00

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

Finding that balance

2008-11-15T08:00:00.003-06:00

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.

It's not just about "them"

2008-11-14T08:00:00.002-06:00

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!

Create Your Own Money

2008-11-12T09:00:00.000-06:00

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 Toot

2008-11-11T19:18:00.001-06:00

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!

The dishes can wait? Stay Focused

2008-11-10T08:00:00.000-06:00

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!

Enter the Holiday Giveaway Extravaganza

2008-11-08T17:28:00.000-06:00

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

Recession - Teach your kids to save

2008-11-03T06:45:00.006-06:00

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.

A few toys works for us.

2008-11-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

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.

You are a great WAHM, Remain Confident

2008-10-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

If you are a WAHM, there will probably be some or many point(s) where a relative, friend, or even a stranger will ask you “so, when are you going to get a real job?” Those kinds of questions can hurt, especially when, in reality, you are working very hard. Here are some suggestions on how to deal with those insensitive comments.

The important thing to remember is that most people have no clue as to how many ways there are to make money from home. If they have never researched the subject, the only time they probably heard about someone working from home is from a report on the television about someone who, unfortunately, got scammed. However mean their words may sound, the person is probably just trying to protect you from getting hurt.

If the person asking you this question is someone that you do not see on a regular basis, you can just try to laugh off the question and change the subject. However, if the person is someone you are close to and have quite a bit of contact with, try to educate them about your business. Explain to them what it is that you do, how much you enjoy it, and why you chose to work at home versus working in a traditional job.

Once your critic understands that working at home is a real option and that you are not involved in a scam, they will most likely be supportive of your decision. They may end up being a little jealous of you and wish they had the courage to leave their job and work from home, too!

Most importantly, never let anyone make you feel “less worthy” because you work from home. It doesn’t matter if you work on the highest level of the tallest building or if you work on card table in your living room – you are still a working mom, you are contributing to your family, and you are a wonderful role model to your children. By keeping your confidence high, you will be more successful in all aspects of your life.

Free Halloween Fun

2008-10-28T17:52:00.001-05:00

Halloween is just a few days away, so just for joining my Secrets Recipes and Tips email you will receive a wonderful Halloween Fun E-book with lots of fun recipes, fun activities and fun games.
FUN FUN FUN

Tuesday Toot 10/28/2008

2008-10-28T09:05:00.000-05:00

It has been a crazy couple weeks, dog problems - then we were both sick. Busy with kids, working on potty training. Whew

My Toots for this week.
1. I was a blog posting maniac and pre-posted to my blogs so I didn't have to worry about it this week.
2. My son is going pee on the potty - we were having a hard time even getting him to sit on the potty. We aren't out of diapers yet, but we are on our way. I can't wait to have no more diapers in the house.

WAH - Letters to Santa

2008-10-27T16:13:00.004-05:00

Just Add Sweat Guide to Start a Santa Letter Business

If every kid loves sending letters to Santa, imagine how delighted they’d be to actually RECEIVE a letter from Santa. Of course, Santa is a very busy guy, so he needs helpers to get his letters out and thus, the growing opportunity for starting a Santa Letter Business from home.

The “Just Add Sweat Guide to Start a Santa Letter Business” offers a very good overview with handy tools to break into the business.

The package includes:

- An instantly downloadable and printable e-guide.
- 10 sample letters that you can use for your business.
- Spreadsheets to help you track sales, costs and profits.
- Free printable sheets that you can add to the letters you sell.

Format:

Instant download with PDF (Adobe Acrobat Reader), .doc (Microsoft Word), .xls (Microsoft Excel). If you don’t have Microsoft Office, you can easily use Google Docs to open the files and it’s free.

Content:

The guide includes a bunch of topics including -

How a Santa Letter Business works and what’s involved.
Who business is suitable for and skills that will come in handy.
Required and optional equipment and supplies.
How to get special North Pole postmarks for your letter for added authenticity.
Understanding and setting yourself apart from the competition
Pricing your product.
Putting together letters that parents and kids will be glad to receive.
Theme letter ideas (ex. baby’s first birthday, new home, etc.) – plus templates are included with your purchase.
Business startup checklist.

Extra Stuff:

The guide and all the goodies actually come with lifetime updates, so anytime they update anything, you automatically get the updates without any extra charge.

Thoughts:

The guide itself already covers a decent amount of detail in getting started with the business, but the extra tools like the sample letters and spreadsheets should make it easy for anyone to get started.

Where to Buy:
Click here to visit the Just Add Sweat website and learn more

Share Don't Compare - Joint Ventures

2008-10-27T06:00:00.001-05:00

Have you ever heard of a term called “healthy competition”? Competition can be a driving force when used properly. For instance, when two or more WAHMs get together and see who can sell the most product in a month or who can make the most customer follow-up calls in an hour can be fun. Having that competition going can give you something to work for and you may end up accomplishing more than you would have otherwise.

However, things can turn unhealthy when you start comparing yourself to your WAHM friends. If you have you ever found yourself thinking “Gee, Sally is so successful. I wish I was more like Sally. My life would be perfect if I could be like Sally.” You are comparing yourself to others. It may seem like human instinct – but do not fall into the trap!

You need to be proud of who you are and what you've accomplished. You do not have Sally’s life – she may have older children and eight hours a day to work on her business whereas you have a newborn and a toddler and only a few hours a day to work. It is important to set realistic goals. Remember the old saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day?” It applies to your business as well! And who knows if Sally is really as successful as she "seems"? Maybe she is saying she is more successful than she actually is. Sally may actually be comparing herself to you!

It is normal to wonder if your business is going as it should be, or if you are making as much as you could be. Seek out advice from someone who has been where you are now. They can offer an honest opinion and can tell you what they did to achieve their success. Remember to use their advice as a guideline. You need to set your own deadline. It doesn’t matter if it takes you a bit longer to achieve your goals. Building a successful business is not a race – it is a marathon! By working consistently on your business, you will achieve your goals.

So instead of comparing yourself to Sally you could form a “joint venture” with her and create a way for you to promote your services together. You will both share in the work and the profits. For instance, maybe you are an expert in affiliate marketing and you have a WAHM friend who loves to write. You two can team up on an e-book about affiliate marketing! Or perhaps you have a friend who is awesome at creating podcasts, have her interview you about affiliate marketing and the two of you can sell the mp3. The choices are limitless!

If you have an idea about something you would like to create but do not know anyone to team up with, start researching people that have the skills you need. Send them an email and let them know you like their work and might like to team up. You can also ask for recommendations from WAHMs you already know or put up a post on a message board about what you would like to accomplish.

Whatever method you choose to find potential co-workers, interview several people before you make any decisions; you want the project to be a success. Look at samples of the work each person has done in the past. You will also want to make sure your personalities do not clash, as you will be spending a lot of time working together. Do not choose someone just because they are your "friend", this is your business.

When you find someone you are interested in working with, make sure you both understand how the work will be divided, when the deadlines will be for each step of the project, how you are going to sell your product and how the profits will be divided.

Keep looking for other joint venture opportunities as they are win-win situations – you can offer a new product or service to your current customers and the new product can also bring you a whole slew of new customers!

Could Use Some Time Management, WAHM Please

2008-10-25T07:28:00.005-05:00

Many people assume that work at home moms have it easy; however, if any of those people have ever lived a day as a WAHM they would know it isn’t so easy. There are children to take care of, a house to clean, a dog to walk, groceries to buy, dinner to cook, laundry and dishes to wash the list could go on and on. Oh, and then there’s that business to work!

It may not be easy, but it isn’t impossible, either. By using some simple time management tricks, a WAHM can find time to “get it all done!” One thing every WAHM should have is a planner/date book. Schedule your family time first! Then schedule in the time you are going to work your business. Once you have your “work time” scheduled, make it a priority to stay focused on your business during those hours. It is very easy to procrastinate when you are a WAHM.

If your work requires you to do lots of different tasks, try to group similar tasks together. For instance, if you are in a direct sales business and you have a team under you or a coach, mentor, ect..., designate one day to be your “training day”. Instead of helping various team members throughout the week, schedule all of your mentoring sessions for one day. Set aside an hour in the morning and an hour in the late afternoon to respond to email and/or return phone calls. By scheduling that time in, you will find that you are able to get more work done and feel less scattered. The same thing is you need to have contact with clients, schedule it all for one day, keep in touch, but schedule those "social" calls.

You might also consider outsourcing some of your activities. If you find that you are spending too much time responding to emails, returning phone calls, or updating your website, hire a virtual assistant to do those tasks for you. This will free your time up to work on your business, and by spending more time on the parts of your business that actually bring in money, you will be able to increase your profits.

You can also save time by setting aside a block of time each week to do your “regular” errands, such as grocery shopping. If you plan your meals for the week and go to the grocery store once, you will save lots of time (and money for that matter) during the week by not taking those daily “quick trips to the market”. And while you are planning your meals, try to schedule a few “cook once, eat twice” days. For instance, you can plan on having spaghetti on Monday and tacos on Tuesday. So, on Monday, brown the hamburger you will need for both days. On Tuesday, half of your work will already be done. And if you are making a meatloaf or lasagna, make a double batch and freeze one for later.

Most importantly, do not feel as if you have to do it all by yourself. You are not a super hero. If you have a spouse or significant other, ask them to chip in on household chores. Children love to help out, and depending on their ages, there are multiple things they can do. And when it is all said and done, don’t forget to take out some time for yourself. Everyone needs a break– WAHMs included!

WAHM and childcare: Solutions that work

2008-10-17T19:19:00.003-05:00

I started out as a SAHM who became a WAHM in order to help with the family budget. I enjoy the time spent with my children. However, there are now times due to business that I need to arrange for childcare. The following are some creative solutions to mine and your childcare dilemmas.

WAHMs in direct sales are very often faced with childcare predicaments. A main portion of their business is conducting sales presentations, usually held at someone else’s home. If you are a party plan WAHM, the most obvious choice would be to schedule these presentations when your partner can watch the children, but what if your partner has an odd work schedule or you are a single parent? You can hire a local high school student to come to the party and be the “party nanny”. Check with the hostess first, but she will probably love the idea (and so will the other guests – since they won’t have to worry about getting a sitter for their children, they will be more likely to come to the party and the more guests you have, the bigger your profits!). This is something you could actually use to promote attendance at your shows. I always end up having to bring my boys to parties and I always feel bad about it.

If you just need an occasional sitter, try setting up a “child care group” with your friends and neighbors. Each woman can designate a time frame on a certain day of the week or month to be “the sitter”. Any of the Moms in your “child care group” who need a sitter that day can drop their kids of at the “designated sitter’s” house. The children will get to play and interact with one another and each Mom can get free childcare on an “as needed basis”.

Check with your place of worship as they may offer a “Mom’s Day Out” type of program where you can drop your children off for a few hours per day, a couple times per week. This may be a free or low-cost service. Also, check with local library as they may have “story hours” where you can drop your children off and the librarians will read the children a book and after the book is read, the children can participate in a craft, game or activity.

If you just need some “quiet time” to do some work, you can hire a neighborhood teenager to come over and play with the kids while you are tucked away in your office. You will have some uninterrupted “work time”, but will still be there in case ‘something comes up’. This should cost less because you can use someone younger with less experience. If you have regular meetings that take you away from the house, check with friends and family to see if they can help out by watching the kids. Offer your product or service in exchange for their time. They may jump on the offer!

The one big thing I use is Grandma, she generally give me 1 Saturday per month where so comes and plays with the boys all day and I do whatever it is that I need to do that day.

And don’t feel guilty if you need to put your children in daycare part-time. Yes, you may have had every intention of working at home in order to spend time with your children, but, there may be times when your business will need your total focus. By taking that time and completing your business tasks, you will be able to focus 100% on your children during family time.

A new week, a new outlook

2008-10-13T16:22:00.004-05:00

A new week has begun, the stock market is up and I'm sick, tired and busy. Yes the fun of being a WAHM. Trying to start a new Social Media - Virtual Assistant Business has been stressful in this crumbling economy of the past few weeks.

I hired a web designer to build my new website at OperateItRight.com and she did a great job and is wonderful to work with. I had the pleasure of working with Beryl directly and she is very knowledgeable in the best way to run a business and the design/setup of a user friendly, customer friendly, future growth capable website. Not to mention the other necessary items like logo, banners, and more. I can't wait to see where the future leads. Beryl offers coaching, web design, business guides and more.

I look forward to a strong and prosperous future thanks to Beryl and OperateItRight.com

Tuesday Toot 10/07/2008

2008-10-07T22:05:00.002-05:00

I am back to let you know ... Sorry thinking about Dirty Dancing today, while updating my profiles on social media.

Back to my toot
I managed to find a specific toy my son had been asking for, put it in the cart and purchase it without my son seeing it while he was shopping with me. - Mind you he's 3 almost 4. I thought I was going to mess it up at the check out, but I stuck it under my jacket and the cashier took it, scanned it, threw it in a bag for me very quickly and nicely.
On a business note:
My new Social Media VA site (besocialworldwide.com) is just about done. Yayyy

Schedule

2008-10-05T10:57:00.002-05:00

Wow, another week has gone by without me blogging very much. While in the process of preparing for the launch of my Social Media Virtual Assistant Site. I am learning the meaning of setting up schedules, planning and finding ways to make life easier.
Somehow I keep getting away from what makes the days go best. Schedules - knowing what to expect. It works great for the boys and it can work great for businesses.
I am working on a weekly schedule and trying to progress from there.
Unfortunately my husband will still have to eat mostly frozen meals for a little while longer.
But when I am ready I will be trying out Menu Planning Central's Learn How to Plan Meals.

Working Hard

2008-09-29T18:07:00.002-05:00

Sometime it is quite ironic how hard you have to work, so that you won't have to work so hard. I am in the process of opening a Virtual Assistance business that will specialize in Social Networking. I am putting in many long hours to get it right, I know in the long run this will make my business run smoothly and make for happy clients.
My scheduled launch date is 10/06/2008, so I will keep you updated. The site is going up soon and then the tweaking begins.
Thanks to anyone who is patiently waiting for me to get back to blogging.

Twitter Moms Rock

2008-09-24T22:51:00.001-05:00

View my page on twitter moms

Saga of the Big Boy Bed

2008-09-17T15:03:00.002-05:00

So my husband and I decided that our eldest son (31/2) was ready for a Big Boy Bed. His toddler bed (once crib) converts to a regular bed. So we had been pumping up our little man about this for quite some time. Now that he doesn't wet the bed at night, he's ready.
First we find out we have to order the side rails to convert, those finally come in the mail - we're ready.
Saturday night we decide we should start the search for the mattress and box spring - in the pouring rain. Went to two stores and then home.
Sunday we start out trying to get sheets and stuff. Meijer's only has twin bed size in characters, but we get a nice set for our younger son (2) for his toddler bed, just so he doesn't feel left out.
We tried JCPenney no luck, we then went to Target - they had what we wanted and he went with Speed Racer.
Now, its really lunch time but we tried to go to one of our favorite sandwich shops, but sign on the door said closed due to economy. Sad.
On to the mattress store. Pick out the mattress, pay and decide it's going to take two trips to bring home.
Get home I start getting ready to wash all the new stuff, my younger guys set from Meijer's is missing the sheets. So now my husband has to stop and get something from another store for him - he ends up with Cars.
Get everything washed and bed put together (which was another challange, you have to take the end pieces off the side and switch them out with the end pieces of the "foot board" - not in the directions.
Start putting the clean sheets on bed and one of the pillow cases is ripped, luckily he only has one pillow.
But we are all together now and loving our new bed.
My question is - Is the quality of workmanship really getting that bad. I realize that I didn't go shopping at Macy's, but Target should have better quality.
And my son's set, I believe someone kept the sheets and returned the package with just the comforter, that is so dishonest. We did get our money back, no problems - BUT REALLY!

Kick in the be thankful

2008-09-13T08:31:00.002-05:00

Last night while I was starting to prepare to make dinner for my husband and myself - I opened up a cabinet and got a little kick in the be thankful for what you have.
The Reason:
This cabinet that I opened was our "snack" food cabinet, because I don't have enough room in the pantry, and it is loaded with food to eat. We have animal crackers, granola bars, fruit snacks, chips, popcorn ....

Most days lately I walk around in a daze of stress and confusion. Why we can't seem to get things right lately. My husband and I are both working our rears off to keep on keeping on and yet we are not making ends meet. I feel the pressure on me to get this Internet Marketing up and running, plus keep up the household, animals and foremost my children.
We have invested too much money into training in the Internet Marketing arena and still not seeing the spoils. Although it makes me press on, I need to start earning some money, we are much to invested in this now to just walk away. I often ask if this is really what I should be doing? I always praise God when I do make a sale, but at the same time blame him when I don't. In the end though I blame myself and struggle to keep my confidence up.

So back to the snacks, how can I complain when I have a cabinet full of "snacks" for myself and my children. A beautiful house to live in, a vehicle to drive and a family worth risking it all for.
"I know I should praise God everyday for what I do have and stress less about what we don't." I must repeat this to myself every minute, hour, day.

Tuesday Toot

2008-09-09T23:14:00.001-05:00

It's Tuesday Toot time. Were I will only share the positive stuff. Today was my eldest son's first day of preschool - he was great neither of us shed a tear and we all got through it without a scrape. I was so pleased when he ran and gave me a big hug and told me he loved me when I came to pick him up.

Thats it for today the rest of the day was not so good. Next will be better.

Blog Trip Winner

2008-09-09T09:48:00.004-05:00

I have all the names in a buck, those who commented and those who set up a link to my blog. Thank you to everyone who participated in the Blog Trip, it sure was fun. Please come visit again and lets get to become friends.

And the WINNER is Bunny B for he comment on Day 3 of the Blog trip.

Weekend Recap

2008-09-08T09:00:00.001-05:00

Weekend Recap Meme

This week went by like a whirl wind.
Spent last Saturday and Sunday preparing for the blog trip that was hosted by Mommy Community. Did some blog hopping during the trip and made some new friends, hopefully. I hosted a contest for this blog trip.

Worked on my 2 squeeze pages ourasthma.info and secret recipes. I have been selling some secret recipes, it seems to be a popular item. I really want to get the word out about drug free asthma relief more.

My son starts preschool this week, so last week we had supply drop off and meet the teacher day.

I still spend alot of time learning and trying to figure out the best way down the internet path for me, which includes many prayers and bouts of low self confidence, I have struggled with this for many years now, but working on the net can be very hard on self confidence. I am working hard on this, any suggestions?

I guess thats it for this week. Sorry this is late.

Blog Trip - Day 5

2008-09-05T00:01:00.001-05:00

We are not much of tourist attraction here in Gilberts, IL.

But next door in West Dundee we have a great park with petting zoo, Randall Oaks.

Last weekend we went to the Union, IL Railway Museum for Day out with Thomas, but its great to go anytime.

Elgin Library has a great play area for the kids if it's not so nice out and your in the area. They also have a great park - Festival Park.

Cantigny Park and Cosley Zoo in Wheaton, IL we went there many times growing up.

Navy Pier is a good place to go with much to do and many attractions - warning costly and generally crowded.

Just a few things today around the area.

Win a Year's worth of PLR

2008-09-04T21:56:00.003-05:00

You read that right. Can you believe it? The bigger and better special report club is here and they are having a contest.
As a newbie to this business I keep reading how PLR can really help you along the way to writing some great articles, possible content for you website and much more.

So now you want to know what you can win?
The prizes you can win:

1st prize: 1 year’s subscription to the special
report club.

2nd prize: 3 month subscription to the
special report club.

3rd prize: Choice of 2 individual PLR reports.
Which can be seen here: http://www.specialreportclub.com/individual-reports.html.

Sounds good right?
So hop on over and check it out.

Secrets to the preperation of working at home

2008-09-04T17:47:00.003-05:00

How do you prepare to work from home or telecommuting jobs? We've put together a list that can help in preparing to work from home.

Basic Needs to work from home:

Strong work ethic is the most important tool to working at home, if you can't push yourself to work, who will?

Your own computer with standard office and fax software in addition to a respectable quality scanner and printer.

High speed Internet connection. The technological advances in software and hardware are rendered useless in most cases if you have a slow Internet connection.

Phone service in your home for the reliability and voice clarity, most companies offering telecommuting positions will require that you have a land line phone installed in your home. This is the case definitely if you are seeking a position that will require you to communicate by telephone as a part of your job, which then might want a dedicated business line.

Quiet and separate working environments in the home dedicated for work. Keeping work separate in a dedicated office or other room of your house will also be a requirement in most positions. It will give you the motivation to treat your work-at-home job like the real job that it is.

So you have the basics, no how do you start to prepare to work from home?

First and foremost, unless you are just moving your office job into your home, there will be some "down time" in the finances. So the first thing that needs to be done is sit down and set up a budget and how to cut costs until you are up and earning a regular income. Even if you are keeping your full-time job and working part-time there will be expenses and costs somewhere on your road to your working at home, you need to budget for these purchases/costs.

Second is time budgeting. It can become time consuming and addicting to work from home, you can't leave it at the office, you have access to it anytime, just one more minute, I'm just gonna check/do one more thing. You will need to set up a budget for your time budget time for work, family, chores. You life still needs to include those things you did when you got home from the office. You need to set aside improvement time, you need to read books and study the online world to grow and improve.

Quick time budget:

1. Evaluate your daily routine schedule. Think about everything you do during your day and the length of time it takes you to do those tasks. Are there any tasks that can be shared or adjusted to use time more effectively.

2. Create a weekly schedule of all activities and going on that week, including work. Schedule work time during times that young children are taking naps or are in school.
Make sure to include periodic breaks for quality time and activities with the children. This will help lessen behavior problems that may pop up because the children are seeking out attention. Then post schedule where the whole family can view.

3. Go over the weekly schedule with the family. It gives the family time to voice any changes or upcoming events that may need to be penciled in and allows everyone the chance to work out problems that may come up with the schedule.

Third is to keep your work and home organized. A organized work space will be a productive work place. This would take a whole other article to cover.

Blog Trip - Day 4 Shopping

2008-09-04T00:01:00.001-05:00

Shopping: Where do I begin, we are very lucky in this area.

Outlet Malls: Huntley Outlet Mall - while it might not be the biggest or the best - its great for clothes and shoes and it's only 5-8 minutes from our house.

We have 3 Target's, Walmart's and Kohl's, 2 Meijers, Best Buys and JCPenney's within 10 minutes of our house.

We also have an indoor and outdoor mall within 10 minutes, I really like the outdoor mall, just hard to shop in the winter. But they also have some uncommon stores that you wouldn't probably find in a normal mall. Office Max, Best Buy, Trader Joes.

Woodman's is a great grocery store around here, if you don't like the chain stuff. Sometimes it's too big for me.

The only thing we are missing close to home is the small down town shops like downtown Glen Ellyn, Wheaton or Bloomingdale. Although it's not too far of a drive to visit these shops.

We are also close enough to the mag mile of Chicago and Long Grove to visit when the desire arises.

I'm sure I have missed a few along the way but these are places that I shop at.

Blog Trip - Day 3 FOOD

2008-09-03T00:01:00.003-05:00

We don't go out to eat very much (I like to make restaurant recipes at home). But we do have a few good places to eat when we do, we will skip right over the chain stuff - what fun would that be.

For Pizza - We love Randall Road House - we have never actually gone into the restaurant to eat - we order pizza, sandwiches and calzones for delivery. They are pricey compared to some of the others, but they really are the best.

For Italian - Biaggi's (this is a chain, but we really like it)- we go there sometimes for special occasions. Great food, great atmosphere. My husband loves the steaks and I got pasta the last time we were there.

For Mexican - Our favorite is La Campana (but they are back in the old neighborhood, don't get there very often) we do like our little hole in the wall El Faro though. We usually get steak tacos and sometimes my husband gets a burrito.

For breakfast - We eat at Burnt Toast very often. We love the name and the food. My boys always have to order burnt toast to eat, yes they really order toast and only toast to eat - it is too cute. We love everything about this place, the food, the staff, the location.

Don't forget to leave a comment and/or a link to enter my contest for a $25 GC.

Tuesday Toot

2008-09-02T22:33:00.001-05:00

Very short and sweet this week. I sold some affiliate products this week. Woo Hoo, now to just keep it comming.

meme. tuesday toot

Blog Trip - Day 2 GAS

2008-09-02T00:01:00.001-05:00

Gas here in Gilberts, IL has been around $3.95 to $4.05.
Although I have a Meijer CC and if I fill up at Meijer I get $.10 off every gallon and even if I don't fill up at Meijer I still get $.05 off.

Much to others dismay we own a large SUV, it makes life easier traveling with the two boys, stroller and whatever else. But, when we go out with other we try and take as many as we can fit to reduce other cars on the road. So gas prices has a huge impact on our family budget.

We have cut back tons on driving, of course that means not seeing friends and family as much as I would like too. I try and combine my trips and just go out less (which is actually a good thing for the wallet also).

Labor on Labor Day

2008-09-01T11:18:00.001-05:00

Shannon over at Rocks in My Dryer, has decided to talk about labor on Labor Day – so I thought I’d join in.

How long were your labors?

Kid #1 – 8 hours, but had the epidural whole time
Kid #2 – 4 hours

How did you know you were in labor?

Kid #1 - water broke
Kid #2 – thought water broke, but just leaking - major labor pains with 1 hour of this.

Where did you deliver?

At the hospital

Drugs?

Epidural with the first, absolutely nothing with the second, by the time they actually decided I was having the baby it was too late for anything.

C-section?

Who delivered?

Our family doctor of 12 years for both.

If you want to play along with this meme, just cut and paste the questions into your own blog, and leave your link at Shannon’s site.

babies, birth stories, birthing experiences, labor stories, labor day, holidays, meme

Fear Doesn't Help - Teach your child these breathing techniques

2008-09-01T09:53:00.001-05:00

Having had asthma my entire life, I tend to take for granted the things my parents did for me as a child to assist me with asthma. They never let it get in the way of "our life". I still participated in sports, we still went camping, and had/have pets.

The one thing that stuck out in mind were the classes that I took at a local YMCA that taught me to take control of my asthma and not let it control me. I am not afraid, nor do I get stressed out when I have trouble breathing. To people with Asthma you should understand what I mean.

The main way to deal with an asthma attack and not let it take control over you is the breathing exercises that I was taught. (Asthmatics who undertook regular breathing exercises reduced their preventer medication levels by up to half and reliever use by up to 86%.) These breathing exercises were drilled into my head over and over again from the classes, from my doctors, from my family.

The aims of breathing exercises are:

* to get back the natural and automatic diaphragmatic breathing, and not the thoracic type of breathing
* to concentrate on exhalation especially at the commencement of an attack.
* increasing the flexibility of the chest wall and to relax the accompanying muscles of the respiratory system and
* to correct other problems commonly associated with chronic asthma.

There are now many different forms and versions of breathing exercises for asthma.

Basic breathing exercise for Asthma:
1. Breath in for 10 seconds
2. Hold breath for 10 seconds
3. Breath out for 10 seconds

There are many variations of breathing exercies out there in the world today.

Hum breathing exercises for asthma:
1. Hum as you exhale slowly, trying to prolong the breath without straining.
2. Then repeat, but this time make a buzzing sound. Notice when the sound changes and when you become breathless.
3. Stop breathing for a moment then breathe in gently. If you need to gasp for breath you are trying too hard.
4. Breathe in, purse your lips then breathe out in a series of little puffs. Work against the pressure of your lips and cheeks, contracting the abdomen not the chest as you blow.
Blow out an imaginary candle. Again your abdomen not your chest should contract as you blow. Your attempts to blow out the candle should be fairly quiet. You should be breathing in naturally at the end of the blow.
5. Repeat as many times as is comfortable but stop if you begin to feel breathless.

Baby Breaths
1. Sit on the edge of a chair. Feet flat on the floor. Back straight. Rest your hands on your thighs.
2. Take some "cleansing breaths" first. Close your mouth and breathe in through your nose. Gently. Follow the breath all the way down to your belly. Slightly part your lips and allow the breath to exhale. Gently. Do this 3 times.
3.Adjust your posture. It is important that you are sitting up straight so that your lungs are fully open. Continue breathing as in the "cleansing breaths". But, this time, stay conscious of the breath. Follow it to the belly, watching it rise, then draw it up and out through your nose. Keep your mouth closed.
4.Do at least 10 of these. Less if you get dizzy. Stop if it is making you sick or causing any asthmatic symptoms. Work your way up to 10 during the following days.

Lung Lights
1.Start with the same posture as before.
2.Again, begin with cleansing breaths.
3.This time, close your eyes, draw the breath in through your nose. Follow it into your lungs and down to your belly.

There is no evidence to favor one breathing technique over the other. Instead any form of breathing exercises were associated with a dramatic reduction in reliever use. Using any form of breathing exercises for asthma was effective in markedly reducing the use of reliever medication.

For more on Asthma without Drugs check out OurAsthma.info

Blog Trip - Day 1 My house

2008-09-01T00:01:00.001-05:00

I am going on a blog trip and today we start out at home.
This picture is of the boys playing in the back yard. I didn't have any pictures on my computer of the front.
We live in Gilberts, IL. Its a small town nestled among many bigger towns. My husband found it by accident, trying to find a different builder. We have been here over 4 years now, and plan to stay here till we are too old to care for it. We have great location, scenery, schools, and neighbors who could ask for more.
We have tons of parks in the subdivision and in the area. We have 3 library's to visit (all other towns though), and access to almost any store you might need.
We are close enough to the city to do museums and sporting events, and the Brookfield zoo.

Who am I? Who are you?

2008-08-31T11:00:00.000-05:00

This is the introduction of me for the Blog Trip hosted by Mommy Community.
Let's see, last night I was thinking about what I should say, I should have written it down.
I am a wife, SAHM (2 very active boys), daughter, sister (to 3), friend (to a few) and then WAHM. I know it reads weird to have SAHM and WAHM in the same sentence. I am fairly new to the internet working world and learning the ropes. So I still consider myself a SAHM since I am not yet contributing to the household finances. On the other hand I am spending many hours trying to be successful in this WAH world.
I have been married for 15 years, we were married for 10 years before we had kids. Sometimes I think it's harder because we waited to long and got so set in our routines and now it's all changed.
My boys are 31/2 almost 4 and 21/2 (16 months apart). They love to play and fight and I love them with all that I am. My 21/2 yr old just got diagnosed with Asthma, I have saying it since he was born. I have asthma also and just knew it.
My husband is in sales, and works alot of long hours, sometimes I feel like a single parent. He is a good father and loves the boys with all that he is.
Our lives have been turned upside down the past few years with starting a family, loss of some very important family members and this darn economy. Hence why I am trying to start an internet business, so I can still be home with my boys.
So what do I do, I am taking a stab at affiliate marketing. I would love to someday be able to show someone what I did that worked, and encourge someone to make it. I enjoy helping people and always cheer for the underdog.
Thats me in a quick nutshell. If you like what you read stick around, sometimes I actually have something interesting to say.

Oh yeah during the blog trip don't forget to leave a comment for an entry into my contest to win a $25.00 Gift Card. One entry per blog post and 1 extra entry for a link back to my blog (1 per day) let me know if you make a link so I can verify. Don't forget to leave contact information in your post so I can contact you if you are the winner.

Weekend Recap

2008-08-30T16:24:00.002-05:00

Weekend Recap Meme

This being a holiday weekend, hopefully everyone worked hard and is able to take a little fun time.

Me on the other hand, I'm spending the weekend trying to catch up with my blog. I am participating in the a blog trip and don't want to be lacking in the content category.

I have been very busy this week learning and working. I updated my Secret Restaurant Recipes and OurAsthma.info if anyone has an opinion, please share your thoughts.

I have started trying to design my own websites with Kompozer. I used to think I knew what I was doing.

This was my week of dealing with problems
1. Problems with my mentor program not answering questions.
2. Problems with an upgrade not fulfilling it's promise (shouldn't I get my money back?)
3. Problems not getting some ebooks I ordered - actually got this one resolved. Thanks bestchoiceforebooks.com

Maybe next week I can get the other two resolved.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend? Maybe.

Tuesday Toot

2008-08-26T22:04:00.001-05:00

I have finally found the only 2 things that bring a calm to my world. Our lives right now are really upside down and not going very great. Most days I feel like I can't handle another thing. With deaths, finances, problems, failures and such the small world I live in has become more than I can handle. But over the last two days I have realized that I haven't been better, more positive.
Why
1. I have gotten back into my devotional book and back into reading the Purpose Drive Life - both are causing me to stop and realize that I need God to handle what life has to offer and he will guide me and show me the way. I haven't found my purpose yet, but I'm on my way
2. I am putting more effort in taking this time I have with my boys and enjoying it. We have been enjoying the gifts God has given to us, the nice weather, open windows ( I really don't care for air conditioning), our swing set, our new puppy and many more.
So for today, I have lots to stress over and yet have somewhat of a calm to how I spent my day.

I'm going to join the blog trip

2008-08-26T12:02:00.002-05:00

Come join the fun and go on a Blog Trip - no packing, or long drive necessary.

Organizing Relieves Stress in Your Business

2008-08-22T10:43:00.001-05:00

A little less stress is a good thing.

One of the great things about being an employee and working for someone else is that when the clock hits five you are basically done for the day and you jump in your car and you are gone. You do not have to worry about anything until the next day when work starts again. Your mind is free and you own it.

When you own a small business it really owns you and there is always some aspect of your business on your mind. But sometimes this can cause stress.

Organizing has a huge impact on your home and your home business and the stress of it all. Being organized reduces stress. When someone is disorganized, they often feel a lot of stress, anxiety, and generally overwhelmed. They may not be able to locate missing items, they may find their selves constantly running late or forgetting things, and they may be prone to missing work deadlines.

When someone is organized they will be able to find what they are looking for, will be less likely to forget things, and will find that will be more likely to arrive for meetings on time and turn work in before the due date. An organized person will feel more confident because of those things and their stress levels will go down.

Another great reason to get organized is that being organized increases your productivity, and therefore, can increase your bank account. When you are organized, you will be able to get more work done. Depending on the type of job you have, the more work that gets done can generally lead to bigger paychecks and a bigger bank account.

Being organized can help you create a sense of calm and peace in all aspects of your life. Once you have organized one area of your life, you will start to notice that things seem to run more smoothly in all areas of your life.

From my own experience the more I let my work space become disorganized the more stressed and unproductive I begin to feel. I have learned very quickly when this begins to happen, take a few minutes clean up/organize the work space and once again I will be ready to go. It is worth those few minutes of organizing.

For Step by Step directions on getting your home organized, check out Organization for busy moms.

Weekend Recap

2008-08-17T15:47:00.002-05:00

Weekend Recap Meme

I have not been keeping my goal of 2000 words for my blog this week. As a matter of fact I believe for the last two week, I have not been a good blogger.

I have been working hard to get a new program up and running. Those who have read the blogs I have posted know that my son has been diagnosed with Asthma, which I also have myself. The doctor has put him on Singulair, again is what I have been taking for sometime now. It was pointed out to me that this drug can cause mental issues, so I will be looking into this because we do have some mental health related problems in the family. I have also been looking into more natural - drug free solutions for asthma.
So along with this, I am working on a site to help others who have small children or they themselves have asthma. This should be a venture that I can truly get into. My parents were very good about teaching me about and getting me into classes that taught me how to live with my Asthma. I hope to do the same for my child and others out there. For now you can go here to check out the book about drug free asthma treatments.

I have been revamping my first website - trying to find its focus. I like the site, but some experts say "needs focus" and "not ready".

I did spend some of my "free" time this weekend doing surveys and little junk like that. At the end of the day I enjoy it and although it's not going to pay my bill - I do make a little money and I just enjoy it.

Next week I will hopefully get back on track. The boys have a week off from gymnastics and music class is over, so I will have more time to work.

Tuesday Toot Meme

2008-08-12T17:33:00.001-05:00

I am finally back and working hard, after having to take some time off to avoid a mental break down. I was getting so frustrated and unfocused just trying anything and everything to make some cash.

I now know where I want to spend my time, and although it is a new venture, it is something that means alot to me and I will be able to help my family, myself and many others at the same time.

I hope to continue my current website, but will be focusing on my new venture for the time being.

Wish me luck and patience.

Diagnosis - Asthma

2008-08-12T17:24:00.001-05:00

Well many of you may have read about my really bad Thursday a few weeks back. If not you can read about it here.
What a morning

So last Tuesday we had our follow-up visit with our family doctor. I was a little nervous about the appointment. I knew something needed to be done for my son, but most doctors nowadays don't want to "label" children at this age (21/2). I also had my checkup scheduled at the same time, so over all it wasn't going to be a good visit.

Well for all my worrying and trouble, the appointment for my son went better than planned. My doctor agreed with my personal diagnosis and agreed to putting my son on medication. We are trying out singulair - which is what I am on. The doctor said just like heredity of diseases, heredity can hold true for treatment also. Plus I really didn't like the idea of using a steroid for daily use, although growing up that was all that was used on me.

Along with that she gave me a nasal spray for those times we know we are going to be spending more time outside.

So there we have it. I have been doing some research online, asthma treatments have change alot since I was a kid. I do miss the days of just getting a shot of adrenaline (haha). We will see what I come up with.

I am looking into a no drug theory current, it would be great for myself and my son if we didn't have to take drugs - oh and save some money too. We will see.

Tuesday Toot

2008-08-05T21:36:00.002-05:00

Today I was able to focus on my work and get more than normal done during my "work time". I added some copy to my website and worked on some research and a couple other things. It felt good to get alot of work done.
We have also took care of some doctors appointments today and still managed to walk the dog and play at the park and take baths.
So now this will be the last of my work for the evening, to toot myself for such a great day. There is still more than can be done, but today is enough - time to visit with my hubby.

Budgeting secrets for this new frugal world

2008-08-04T16:38:00.003-05:00

Want to save money and willing to learn? Let's review the secrets to budgeting with frugal finances.

The budget will tell you the truths of your financial story: how much money you have available, where your money is going and where it SHOULD be going. If your budget isn't telling you these things you might want to reconsider its layout.

1. Assess your monthly expenses: Make a list of all of your regular monthly expenses, including any money that you spend on fun things like eating out, entertainment and hobbies; and any minimum payments that you have to make towards your debts. Using a budget form makes this easier.
Teamwork is extremely important - spouse, children should be on board with the budget. The family needs to have a clear understanding of what the monthly expenses are and where the money flow is headed

1a. Clarify Your Income and Expenses: First, list all sources of gross income. Second, list all of your fixed expenses and subtract them from your gross income. Fixed expenses include savings, credit and loan payments, insurance payments, mortgage or rent, and taxes. The amount left is what you have for variable expenses. Variable expenses, being the easiest to reduce, include groceries, clothing, auto expenses, eating out, and entertainment.

2. Prioritize: This is a serious Must-Do. Once you have written down all of your expenses on paper: get a clean sheet of paper and rewrite them in order of Priority. If your house is your biggest priority, put your mortgage at the top.

3. List your Goals: Most budgets don't plan to fail, but many fail to plan. If you haven't discussed with your family what your goals are, you will not reach them. On the bottom of your Budget, Write your Goals down. If your goal is to have your house paid off and be entirely debt free, write it on there. If your goal is to Retire at age 55, put it down on paper.

4. Track Your Spending: Use a small notebook, your checkbook register or financial software to track all of your expenditures. I find it easier to use a small notebook and the check register, because I can carry it with me and stay current. Financial software, like Quicken or Money 99, does an excellent job and will even show your spending graphically.

5. Analyze Your Spending: After tracking all of your spending for at least a month, look to see where you can reduce your spending. Is your long distance phone bill too high? Do you spend too much on lunches out?

6. Put your budget to work: Once you've created a budget that covers all of your monthly expenses and financial goals, it s time to put your budget to the test. Try to live within your budget, and see how it feels.

7. Rework your budget: If your budget comes out on the negative side, rework it until your numbers crunch. To do this, go back over each expense, and look for places to make cuts.

8. Reward Yourself: Frugality takes time and effort. Reward yourself for your progress, but not with financial rewards. For example, play soft music and spend the evening lying in bed reading a good book - borrowed from the library, of course!

Solid budgets are realistic, flexible and are not made in one sitting. This will be a process that will continually change as your needs, income and desired output change.

Don't Forget: Build in money for debt reduction. Build in your savings and investments.

Weekend Recap Meme

2008-08-03T15:18:00.001-05:00

Weekend Recap Meme

This was a week for thinking and struggling.
This week was a busy week although some things didn't get done. Next week might be worse, need to get back on track.

Monday was week 2 of Podcasting Bootcamp with Kelly McCausey. It is really an eye opening class. Kelly really makes you think about your purpose and be able to back it up.

I finished up changing over my autoresponder for my website. I worked on a domain name for my newest website and started doing some research.

I have accepted a challenge to write atleast 2000 words per week on my blog. Whew, last week was a bad blog week, I was so busy getting everything else done, that blogging just didn't happen.

I purchased a program that has to be loaded onto my hosting server, that is not going well for me. Hopefully I can get that taken care of this week.

I am still struggling with time, I have taken on multiple projects to try and start earning some income for the house, and really need to start spending some quality time completing those projects. But I am a SAHM first and no one can do this for me. Ugh Ugh I enjoy working and being a mom. I must strive to make it through these hard times and then the prize will mean so much more. I want it all and I want it now! At one time I made a schedule, I guess I need to review that now that I have added more projects and set up a new one.

I did get 3 or my 5 email account cleaned up. For the time being I have made the decision that I will be unable to do surveys and have set that aside to revisit when things are running more smoothly. While I enjoy doing them and you make some money, it's not in the range that I need to help with the household finances.

Until next time.

Tuesday Toot

2008-07-29T19:07:00.001-05:00

Just a quick toot today on a personal level. I got my kids outside today and played in our sprinkler. My older son just wants to stay inside and watch TV.

Oh yeah I finished email copy for a mailing and finished adding my email opt-in to my website.

Podcasting Survey

2008-07-28T13:41:00.006-05:00

Contests

2008-07-28T09:32:00.001-05:00

Check out this contest:Seven Dogs and A Baby: Who are Phineas & Ferb?
You could win Phineas & Ferb DVD

Seven Dogs and A Baby: Be the talk of the town at the next birthday party!
You can win a Balloon Time Combo Kit.
An Island Life » Giveaway: Trendy Tadpole
You might win a Trendy Tadpole Tee for your Trendy Tadpole.

There is a Blog Carnival going on at Mom Giveaways - check it all out here. There are more contests that I haven't entered, that might be of interest to you.
An Island Review: Giveaway: Veggie Tales Tomato Sawyer and Huckleberry Larry's Big River Rescue
Win a Veggie Tales DVD

Weekend Recap Meme

2008-07-26T12:27:00.000-05:00

Weekend Recap Meme

Another busy week here at working mother. Not all good, but not all bad either.
Let's Monday night was the first night of podcast bootcamp and it was great. I need to fully define my website's mission statement, platform and target market - by tomorrow night.

Tuesday night's - I have been attending a webinar by Business Shrink on Developing and Building a successful affiliate website. We have been working on research and stuff so far.

All week long I have been updating my website with my autoresponder. I finally finished updating this and a few other things on Saturday.

I worked on an invite for my accountant for a summer bbq she is having. That was a nice break from my normal "work". I'm even invited to it. It also forced me to load a new program that I have been wanting to check out. I ended up not using it, but atleast it's loaded now.

Thursday was a bad day, you can read my blog from that day to find out all about it.

Saturday always seems to be my most productive day of the week. I made a logo for my blog and finished my email copy, which is now sent of for review. I'm sure there will be some changes.

Check back often, there is always something to share.

Sweepstakes Friday

2008-07-26T08:25:00.001-05:00

I know there are many, many sites out there that list
Sweepstakes. This is just my little part to help out. I enter all the
sweeps that I have listed here, and there is nothing else to do but
enter. You don't have to write a story, you don't have to .... just
give your information.

Always check the site for official rules and regulations for each sweepstakes. Don't forget you have to us the links to enter.

Lifetime warrior in pink sweepstakes Win a New Food Mustang.
End Date: September 13, 2208.

Lifetime Look good naked Win $5000 for a shopping spree.
End Date: August 15, 2008.

Lifetime London sweepstakes See Coldplay in London 7 day/6 night trip for two.
End Date: August 18, 2008.

Marie Claire Win 15 Reisenthel mini maxi shoppers
End Date: July 31, 2008

My bargain buddy One entry will give you the chance to win $50 Target GC, $50 ITunes GC or $50 Macys GC
End Date: July 31, 2008

Tired of having to enter all that information on your own. I don't any longer. I use ROBOForm.

What a morning

2008-07-24T15:25:00.003-05:00

Somehow I knew today would not be a good day, I just didn't expect this. Since my younger son was born, I have been convinced that he is going to be the one that gets my Asthma. I have had it my whole life and thanks to my parents have always been able to handle it and whatever it may bring. There have been a few signs here and there, running noses on a regular basis, very sensitive skin - which now has developed into a mild case of eczema. But since the spring has started this year he has really been showing some signs, that noone else wanted to see or as the doctors state they don't want to label him. He gets a stuffy nose that eventually turns into wheezing. The first time it happened I had taken him to the doctor for the cold that turned into a bad cough, after getting home and starting the meds he started wheezing. I called the office and they told me to wait it out. The second time it happened I waited it out but ended up spending half my night in the bathroom running a hot shower (the steam clears your lungs) just so he could get some sleep. So this week when he started the runny nose - I knew what was coming.
Jump to today now
This morning my son wakes up at 6 am wheezing and very labored breathing. This time I'm not letting just going to sit there and watch my child be unable to breath. The immediate care center by us opens at 8, so we hang out till then. I pack up the boys and off we go. I was in such a rush to leave that we didn't have breakfast and all I grabbed for the boys were their milks. I really didn't expect to be gone long. They checked him out and while we were there gave him two breathing treatments and an x-ray. The wonderful doctor make the treatment fun, he called it making dragon breath, so we had a little fun with that. Anyone who has used a nebulizer knows the fun they are not. After the second breathing treatment and he is still wheezing we are sent to ER. Luckily Dad shows up with some rations for us. There they end up having to take a new x-ray and he was given a third treatment. When were finally able to go home, he is not 100%, but he is feeling better and in much better spirits. Then off we go to drop off prescriptions to keep this under control until we can get back to our family doctor. So finally 5 1/2 hours later we are home, and boy am I behind.
I will have to say every person that we dealt with today was great with me and my son. It is so nice to atleast have people who take into consideration that they are dealing with a 2 yr old. Not to mention I had my 3 yr old.

Secrets Wednesday

2008-07-23T21:46:00.001-05:00

Do you have a secret tip or information to help our other readers out there?
Well then give it to us.

Today I picked two tools that might benefit you one for personal use and one for blogging/twitter.

Was looking through my emails today and found this

Ever wondered how you could harness the power of Twitter to drive massive amounts
of traffic to your sites - and how to convert that traffic into cash?

John Merrick and Soren Jordansen have just come up with the perfect solution for you,
with their new product called Tweet My Blog.

It's a Wordpress plugin that makes it super easy to combine the powers of Wordpress
and Twitter - driving massive amounts of traffic to your blog.

And the best part... It's 100% free!

I checked it out, it seems pretty cool. I don't currently use wordpress, but is seems worth checking out.
I signed up, I will be looking into wordpress in the future. They will try and upsell you, but the product that they are promoting is press with some bonuses. Check it out here.

AceMoney Lite is free account-management software. It will help you keep a tight rein on your spending habits, your stock portfolio, your 401(k), and your bill payments. With more than 100 transaction categories, support for password protection. Check it out here

Secret Places to visit:
Need some help with household items get the secrets here
Blogging Secrets
Secret to saving money by not eating out - eat in
Do you know the secret truth about your dog food?

Tuesday Toot Meme

2008-07-22T15:47:00.002-05:00

Saturday I produced my first newsletter for my website. It only promoted 2 products and took me only about 3 hours with the kids and making sure the website had the correct information. Oh well can't wait to do it again.
Finally decided who I would use for my email marketing and autoresponders - of course it couldn't be where I currently sent the newsletter from right. Now I have to move all my info over.
Today I actually go in some exercise and spent some quality time with the boys before working.

Dare To Learn the Secrets of Affiliate Marketing

2008-07-21T17:44:00.002-05:00

New online marketers tend get into affiliate marketing with some misconceptions. Here we will reveal the secret realities and facts of affiliate marketing.

The four basic secrets of affiliate marketing:

1) It is necessary for you to invest some money if you really want to succeed. You will need to have your own website, an autoresponder for your website and the ability to track your advertisements.

2) Affiliate Marketing will take some work and effort on your part.

3) You will always need to be learning and improving. Internet marketing is very dynamic, and there are always new ways of promoting your website. (Social Networking, Web2.0)

4) You need to have confidence and faith in yourself.

Secrets of affiliate marketing:
1. Always Cloak Your Affiliate Link. Whether it is a link you use in email marketing or a website link, be sure to hide the ugly looking link that tells the whole world it is an affiliate link. People get a bit sensitive and are not likely to click when they see that it is an affiliate link. Use affiliate cloaking tools or php redirects.

2. Use Article Marketing. Article marketing is a powerful workhorse in affiliate marketing and is one of the deadliest secrets of affiliate marketing used by the top affiliates. Brand yourself as an expert and you will have loyal customers. Not only so, your articles will drive targeted traffic from the search engines and indirectly from other related websites that post your article.

3. Target Specific Niche For Marketing. They target specific market niches rather than going for broad markets. It is easier for you to publish content that gets high ranking in the search engines for tight niches than broader markets as it can be overwhelmingly competitive with big established sites taking top spots in the search engines.

4. Create Presell Pages. Never send your prospect directly to the affiliate sales page. That is a big mistake made by newbie affiliates and even some veterans. Presell your prospect first with a review website or even some testimonials from past customers. This gives you a tremendous edge over others.

5. Follow Up With Your Prospect. While most affiliates would agree that driving traffic is a never-ending task and can be quite challenging even for experienced affiliates, many do not optimize their traffic. Many focus on bringing in fresh traffic but fail to capture them for follow up.

These secrets of affiliate marketing make a difference between struggling to pull in a good income and comfortably making hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Secrets of Affiliate Marketing Failure:

1. Perhaps the most common misconception about affiliate marketing is that one can rake in huge amounts of revenue simply by slapping up a low-quality website with no original content and tossing in some affiliate links.

2. Failue to promote yourself and your web site is a big part of ensuring the creation of affiliate income.

3. Another mistake is not choosing products that have some relevance to the content of your web site.

4. Keeping the same old look and the same old text with nothing new to entice people
back is a sure way to limit your chances at being a successful affiliate marketer.

Weekend Recap

2008-07-19T22:45:00.003-05:00

Weekend Recap Meme

This week was kinda busy with the boys, we had more playdates than usual (3 this week), I got to see an old playgroup friend who had moved out of state and become better friends with a mom and her 4 kids that live close by.

I learned something very profound on a personal level, even though you try to make it look like you have it all together - people can see through that and sometimes if you reach out you just might find some friends.

Today was my best work day of the week. I mailed my first newsletter for my website, it was very long, but I did it.
I also won a ticket to Kelly McCausey's Podcasting Bootcamp with SparkplugU that starts Monday, I am so excited.

I am still hesitate to write my own promotional copy for my website email campaign, that just isn't my stong suit and I don't want to mess it up. Maybe next week it will be completed in my recap.

I did do an email campaign promoting the giveaway I am participating in and got some sign ups for my website (whatever works, right?). Hence the first newsletter...

Oh and our air has been out for 2 days - longing for a laptop so I can work in nice cool basement. dream a little dream with me.

Just 19 Words

2008-07-18T20:01:00.002-05:00

I received this email forward today and just had to pass along what it had to say.
It is such a simple thing and yet so profound.

Just 19 Words

God our father,
Walk through my house
and take away all my worries and illnesses;
in Jesus name
Amen

So simple and yet, I bet I would have better days if they started with this prayer.

Sweepstakes Friday

2008-07-18T16:02:00.001-05:00

Hickory Farms Sweepstakes The backyard of your dreams.
End Date: September 1, 2008

Redbook There are several sweepstakes to enter.
End Date: various

Truth ExplosionLaw & Order: Criminal Intent Contest Season 1,2,3 DVD pack and t-shrit
End Date: Saturday July 26, 2008.

Truth ExplosionMichael McDonald Contest Michael McDonald "Soul Speak" CD and iPod Shuffle!
End Date: Tuesday July 22, 2008

Country Weekly Summer Food Prize Pack
End Date: Sunday July 27, 2008.

Tired of having to enter all that information on your own. I don't any longer. I use ROBOForm.

Saving Money - You can too

2008-07-17T22:44:00.001-05:00

There are many different areas in life that you can learn to save money. Check out some suggestions:

1. Credit Card Savings - If you have a hard time managing your credit card, then these pointers can help you.

Get organized - First thing's first, obtain your credit card records to have a better idea of your spendings. Be sure to double check the records for errors and ensure its accuracy. A good example would be to find out if you have outstanding debts that should not be there as well as the accuracy of the listing of your former and present address.

Evaluate your credit card - Go over your recent credit card records and look at the interest rates. Some credit card companies have promos wherein they offer lower interest rates for a period of time and this promo may already be over yet you have no idea and are already paying at a higher interest rate. Also take note of the membership fee which they charge annually since some have very high membership fees. Consider canceling this if you are not using the benefits of membership.

Pay on time - It is important to pay your bills on time since it can have a negative effect on your credit record or rating. You will also be able to avoid getting late payment fees.

2. Gas Saving Tips - The price of gasoline is outragous. This is truly a great concern for almost everyone these days. So how can you save some money on gas? Read these tips.

The carpool system - This is a great idea for employees and students alike. Since all of you will have the same destination, there is no need to bring extra vehicles if you can all fit in one car or van. If you are with your co-workers, it is a good idea to bring your cars alternately or on rotation. If you have children that you bring to school or social events, exchange driving responsibilities with your friends.

Commute to work - You can always take the public transportation system when going to the office. This is also a good way to relax since you are not driving.

Look at the prices of different gas stations - Take time to drive around and check the pump prices of the gas stations near your neighborhood.

Sweat a little - A good way to save money on gas and keep yourself healthy at the same time is by walking or riding a bike to your destination.

Keep your car in very good condition - It is necessary to keep your car's engine in good running condition so that it will not consume a lot of fuel.

Check your car's tire pressure - Keep it a habit to check your car's tires so each one has the right amount of pressure. Having unequal pressure can greatly affect the car's fuel economy.

3. Save Money on Groceries - We mainly buy necessities in groceries. It would be of help if you list down goods you have to buy together with their prices (if possible) so as to ensure yourself that the budget allotted for food is exact or there is a shortage. If so, you could trim down your list or think of a better replacement. To furthermore avoid shopping shortages, here are some tips.

Plan your weekly meals ahead of time - This would avoid you overspending on goods invaluable or missing some ingredients that are needed. This would not just clear your worries but it would also save your time.

Don’t buy branded goods - instead choose a product that has the same quality of those expensive goods. You’ll get the same benefit without spending more.

Dual purpose goods - A good example of which is mayonnaise. You can use it as a sandwich spread or make macaroni salad instead. In a way, you could enjoy eating both without spending too much.

Buy less expensive cuts of meat - List recipes that the cuts won’t matter. At least, you won’t be sacrificing the taste of the food and at the same time you’ll have the chance to buy a larger quantity.

Pay in cash - You wont be tempted to buy unnecessary goods.

Shop only once or twice a month - In that way, less time will be spent on going to a grocery store and at the same time, chances of overspending will be minimized.

Tuesday Toot Meme

2008-07-15T23:27:00.001-05:00

I think I need to start participating in this. I never toot my own horn.
Not really much to toot about but,
I designed my own banner today. Thats a first for me.
I am attempting to set up my own gift for a giveaway, the first one I let the organizer do for me. Now it's time for me to start doing things myself.
I am getting better a socializing and participating in forums.
My children are bathed, in bed, and sleeping.

What a day bring in affiliate marketing

2008-07-15T23:03:00.002-05:00

A Day In The Life Of An Affiliate Marketer

Being in the affiliate marketing business is not that hard now with the internet at your disposale. It is much easier now compared to the days when people have to make use of the telephones and other mediums of information just to get the latest updates on the way their program is coming along.

So with technology at hand, and assuming that the affiliate is working from home, a day in his or her life would sound something like this…

Upon waking up and after having breakfast(well not always), the computer is awoken to check out new developments in the network. As far as the marketer is concerned there might be new things to update and statistics to keep track of.

The site design has to be revised. The marketer knows that a well-designed site can increase opt-ins from visitors. It can also help in the affiliate’s conversion rates.

That done, it is time to submit the affiliate program to directories that lists affiliate programs. These directories are means to attract people in joining your affiliate program. A sure way of promoting the affiliate program.

Time to track down the sales you are getting from your affiliates fairly and accurately. See if they are any new clients checking the products out. Noting down the contact information that might be a viable source in the future.

There are lots of resources to sort out. Ads, banners, button ads and sample recommendations to give out because the marketer knows that this is one way of ensuring more sales. Best to stay visible and accessible too.

The affiliate marketer remembered that there are questions to answer from the visitors. This has to be done quickly. Nothing can turn off a customer than an unanswered email.

To prove that the affiliate is working effectively and efficiently, inquiries need faster responses. Nobody wants to be ignored and customers are not always the most patient of all people. Quick answers that should appear professional yet friendly too.

In the process of doing all the necessities, the marketer is logged on to a chat room where he or she interacts with other affiliates and those under that same program. This is where they can discuss things on how to best promote their products.

There are things to be learned and it is a continuous process. Sharing tips and advices is a good way of showing support. There may be others out there wanting to join and may be enticed by the discussion that is going on. There is no harm in assuming what opportunities ahead.

The newsletters and ezines were updated days ago, so it is time for the affiliate marketer to see if there are some new things happening in the market. This will be written about in the marketer’s publication to be distributed to the old and new customers.

These same publications are also an important tool in keeping up to date with the newly introduced products. The marketer has put up a sale and promotion that customers may want to know about. Besides, they have to keep up with the deadline of these sales written in the publications.

It is that time to show some appreciation to those who have helped the marketer in the promotions and sale increase. Nothing like mentioning the persons, their sites and the process they have done that made everything worked.

Of course, this will be published in the newsletters. Among the more important information that have been written already.

The marketer still has time to write out recommendations to those who want credible sources for the products being promoted. There is also time to post some comments on how to be a successful affiliate marketer on a site where the up and coming go.

Two objectives done at the same time. The marketer gets to promote the product as well as the program they are in. Who knows, someone may be inclined to join.

Time flies. Missed lunch but is quite contented with the tasks done. Bed time….

Ok, so this may not be all done in a day. But then, this gives you an idea of how an affiliate marketer, a dedicated one that is, spends the marketing day.

Is that success looming in the distance or what?

Entrecard

2008-07-15T22:47:00.001-05:00

I have looked into this and just haven't had the time to sign up and progress with this social arena. I guess I should put some time aside for this.
Joe Tech » Top 10 reasons why the Entrecard - SezWho partnership is Important for Bloggers

Weekend Re Cap

2008-07-12T22:29:00.001-05:00

Alyssa Avant had the great idea to do a week in recap meme on her blog every Saturday night, that is such a great idea I thought I would join along.

Here is a recap of my goings on this past week. This week has kinda gone by with a whirl.

I have been participating in Forums more (received some helpful tips on where to design a banner)
Learning how to be a better tweeter. I finally looked and saw you can respond to people's tweets with the arrow. DUH Thanks to all my twitter followers.
I have done some more work on my website, trying to get it ready for an email campaign.....
Learned a few things from some webinars that I attened. Microsoft actually has a template to help with research on niches.

Spent more time with the boys and the new puppy. It is nice being forced to be out side more. Finally took the time to check out our new sprinkler toy for the boys and my 3yr old just loves it, last year he hated them.

Sweepstakes Friday

2008-07-11T13:14:00.002-05:00

In Touch Weekly Diamond Leaders Sweepstakes win an Aqua Master Diamond Bubble Chronograph ladies watch.
End Date: Tuesday, July 22, 2008 @ 11:59pm ET

MyBargainBuddy Target Gift Card Giveaway A $50 Target gift card.
End Date: Friday, August 1, 2008

Cinema Confidential The Dark Knight Giveaway The Dark Knight movie merchandise.
End Date: Friday, July 25, 2008

Kids' Turn Central The Perfect Game Giveaway The Perfect Game movie merchandise.
End Date: Thursday, July 31, 2008 @ 11:59pm ET

Marie Claire Gotham Skincare Sweepstakes A $50 Gotham Skincare gift certificate.
End Date: Thursday, July 31, 2008 @ 11:59pm ET

Shape Magazine/Crystal Light Pump It Up Sweepstakes A $100 music gift card.
End Date: Sunday, August 10, 2008 @ 11:59pm EDT

The Outdoor Store Gear Giveaway A Copper Canyon 6 pole cabin style tent.
End Date: Sunday, August 31, 2008 @ 5:00pm PT

The sweeps listings today came from CashNet Sweepstakes.

Tired of having to enter all that information on your own. I don't any longer. I use ROBOForm.

Opinion Outpost - is your opinion worth it?

2008-07-10T16:06:00.002-05:00

Opinion Outpost is a survey company that has been in business since 1987. Opinion Outpost works with leading marketing research companies all over the world as well as many Fortune 500 companies, helping them find out what you think about products, ideas and issues of the day. This is your opportunity to give your opinion and earn rewards while doing so.

After completing a brief profile you will then be eligible for surveys. You can expect to receive 2-3 surveys per month from Opinion Outpost. You also have the option of participating in phone surveys. These are completely optional, you will never be called unless you choose to. As with the online surveys, these will generally be no more then 2-3 a month.

I have been a member of the site since 2007. I receive survey invitations all the time and they are generally fun and quick. Surveys are easy to understand, pretty interesting, and can usually be completed in 20 minutes or less.

Compensation for surveys is good, averaging anywhere from 10 to 100 points, which amounts to $1 to $10 per survey. You can redeem your points for cash when you have 50 points = $5.

The frequency of surveys is not bad, and can easily be increased by completing your member profiles. The surveys are interesting, and they pay well for the time spent.

Easy navigation with links for accessing your rewards balance and profiles.
Access to a detailed history of your paid survey results, and current survey studies
Referral page where you can refer your friends and earn even more points.

Joining Opinion Outpost is absolutely free. They currently accept members from the US and Canada. This is a good panel to join to help add to your monthly earnings for taking surveys. Definitely Recommend!

Related Posts:

Survey Sites - Is it in you

Survey sites

Secrets Wednesday

2008-07-09T16:11:00.001-05:00

We are back and ready to rock n roll with secrets Wednesday.
Do you have a secret tip or information to help our other readers out there?
Well then give it to us.

My secret for today is:
Even though you are working online, don't forget your offline promotion. Give out those business cards, put your website on your car, and don't be afraid to tell people what you do. You never know, the next person you talk to just might be able to help you out.

Secret Places to visit:
Need some help with household items get the secrets here
Blogging Secrets
Secret to saving money eating out - eat in
Do you know the secret truth about your dog food?

Finally - Puppy Picture

2008-07-07T22:02:00.004-05:00

Finally I am getting to posting a picture of our new puppy. We got him on Friday 7/4/2008 we will never forget when we got him. We got him from a pet shelter. It is believed that he is 4 1/2 months old, and he weighs 39 lbs. Louie, Louie is his name and he is German Shepard and Great Dane. Louie, Louis looks all German Shepard except for 1 white sock (paw) and some white on his chest. But his size is leaning towards the Great Dane part of him. We are happy to have him and for his age he is a VERY good dog.

Are you worried about the food you are feeding your dog? Check it out here.

Survey Sites - Is it in you

2008-07-07T16:10:00.002-05:00

Is participating in online survey sites really for you? Read below to make a more informed decision.

1. Do you have the time to sign up for the many different programs out there? There are many sites that give you listings of all the different survey sites - when you join a survey site you usually have to fill in a profile, some are very lengthy but they use this information to qualify and match appropriate surveys to you. The good news is there are auto-fill programs out there.

2. Do you have the time to check your emails and fill out the surveys daily or at least on most days. The more you do the more money you get. Even when doing this you still may end up not being eligible for some of the surveys. Surveys can take from 2 minutes to 30 minutes per survey. I tend to give up on some of the longer surveys.

3. Do you have time to wait to build up enough money to get paid. The third thing you should know is it takes time to earn the money. All sites have a minimum balance before you can claim your reward/money check each sites FAQ'S for more information.

4. Are you only looking for a little extra side income? Paid Surveys are ideal for those of you who are looking for a little extra cash without much effort. Keep in mind, though, that you will not be making $1000s each month. Making $100 per week is more achievable.

5. Are you okay with sharing information. I enjoy participating in surveys and try my hardest to keep up with them, but I don't like sharing some personal information like credit card balances or the like (I know the end user has no idea who I am, and you never give out credit card numbers) I still don't care for these types of surveys. I am sure I have missed out on some great opportunities in this area.

6. Do you enjoy sharing you opinion? Taking surveys is a great way to share information where it might make a difference.

7. Do you like trying new products, but not telling your friends and family? I do on occasion get to try new products, but you are not permitted to share this information.

If you can answer yes to all or most of the questions above, online surveys sites just might be the right answer for you. Just remember you shouldn't have to pay to join a sight or to receive your payment. You should never have to give out personal banking or credit card information.
Now get out there and start shaping the products of the future.

Weekend Re Cap

2008-07-05T16:36:00.001-05:00

Alyssa Avant had the great idea to do a week in recap on her blog every Saturday night, that is such a great idea I thought I would join along.
Here is a recap of my goings on this past week.
I have been struggling with what direction my online business needs to take. I have been jumping around and not having a direction or a focus for my blog.
This week I have decided to cover two different areas of the internet in my blog and on the website. Although the paths will cross from time to time.
My website - the plan is to make is a place for people to find information and tools geared towards affiliate marketing, but I don't want to stop there, it will also be a place to find information to help with household items - I would like my website to be a place where you can get the tools and information you need to start an online business, and the tools and information you need to keep your home product while you start your new venture.
My blog - I really enjoy survey sites, sweepstakes and ppc (although this is more of an addiction, than a money maker). So I will explore those avenues of the internet world.
Those are the decisions I have come too this week.
But the best thing that happened this week is we got our new wonderful puppy on Friday. My camera would load the pictures on my computer, but I will get a picture up soon of our new addition.

List Building Opportunity

2008-07-04T18:11:00.003-05:00

Check out this great giveaway. I normally don't do things like this, but this giveaway runs till the end of the year. How can you go wrong.

And if you're not sure about adding a gift yet, don't worry!
Once you sign up you will still be ready to download all the
FREE gifts that the top marketers are giving away. :)

Happy 4th and puppy update

2008-07-04T08:07:00.006-05:00

Happy Independence day to all those here in the USA. We don't have much planned for today, as my husband (being in sales) normally works. The store he works at this year is closed today, so we will actually be going to the fireworks tonight. We are having our big family celebration Sunday at my mom's house.
But, we are finally getting our puppy today at 3pm. I don't know if I am happy or scared. It is just so much to take on a new puppy. It's so hard to have gone without a dog for so long and now get back into the groove of having another "child". No really I am very excited. It will be nice to know whenever someone is at the door, and someone to make me take a walk everyday. We are going to call him Louie, Louis - my husband always names the pets, but it is so cute hearing the boys say the name that I couldn't refuse. He is going to grow up to be a very big boy, I guess I need to find all the sweepstakes for puppy food and supplies. I will try and post some picture once I have some.

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