Take a Break

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steppin Out to Grow

Stepping out of the WAHM comfort zone

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blog Energizer is finally here!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blogging Idol

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

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

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

WAHM - Do you have what it takes?

What it Takes to be a Successful WAHM

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

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

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

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

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

For more help check out WAHM Success Blueprint

Finding that balance

Simple ways for WAHM's to balance work and relationships

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

Here are some ways to keep it front and center.

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

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

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

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

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

It's not just about "them"

Remember to take care of yourself too!

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

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

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

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

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

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

You deserve to feel special!