Who is Internet Secret Investigator- Mommyfest

I am a stay at home mom who is trying to find her way into being a work at home mom. I have 2 wonderful, but very active, little boys ages 3 and 2. I have loved being home with them and doing all that fun stuff like play groups and gymnastics, but now I need to find a way to be able to be here for them and make some extra money for the household and the future. I currently have a very small accounting practice (payroll, data entry, bank rec's), but this is generally a work at someone else's home business.
So now here I am on the internet with my blog homeworkermother.blogspot.com and my website secretsworldwide.com, using this as a central location to provide useful information and internet secrets to others out there struggling, whether that be with family or work.
I also am a meetup up organizer for our local community group meetup, I am helping out my community participating in a strategic planning committee. I have also volunteered many years in the Elmhurst Relay for life.

Mom Poem

This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, 'It's okay honey, Mommy's here.'

Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.

This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.

For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes . And all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.

This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors.

And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars. And that when their kids asked, 'Did you see me, Mom?' they could say, 'Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world,' and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who
count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens.

This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the (grand)mothers who wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.

This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat.

For all the mothers who read 'Goodnight, Moon' twice a night for a year. And then read it again, 'Just one more time.'

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls 'Mom?' in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home -- or even away at college -- or have their own families.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches, assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away.

This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them. For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14 year olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting.

For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war.

What makes a good mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?

Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache she feels when she watches her son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time?

The jolt that takes her from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put her hand on the back of a sleeping baby?

The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when she just wants to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in her home?

Or the need to flee from wherever she is and hug her child when she hears news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation... And for mature mothers learning to let go.

For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.
Single mothers and married mothers.
Mothers with money, mothers without.
This is for you all. For all of us...
Hang in there. In the end we can only do the best we can. Tell them every day that we love them. And pray. And never stop being a mother...

5 Things about me

1. I love being home with my kids, but need to get back in the "money" world again.
2. I love chocolate, ice cream and cookies
3. I have way too many cookbooks and I'm not the greatest cook, I have gotten better.
4. A distant relative of my invented or brought Rump Roast to the market
5. I love taking walks to think, relax and exercise, they always clear my head.

MommyFest Potluck

I have a quick and easy dinner that doesn't take much work and has been a crowd favorite so far.
You will need
1 Crockpot
1 Roast of choice
1 Jar of Gardinaire ( I do NOT recommend the hot)
Rolls
Cheese of choice ( I use provolone)

Put the roast in the crockpot cover with gardinaire, set on low and let cook 9-10 hours as you get near the end of the cook time take a large fork and start pulling the meat apart to use for the sandwiches.
Heat up the over to 350 open the sandwiches and place on a cookie sheet with a piece or two of cheese and warm, toast in over.
To complete put the pulled meat on the bread and serve with your favorite side.

What I've learned since I became Mom

Well lets see

1. I can survive on no sleep and no coffee, but not on the same day.
2. You WILL always love your children no matter what.
3. Strawberry milk puke doesn't come out of the carpet (we have 3 stain spots now, I guess I should stop with the stawberry.
4. Your life IS changed forever
5. Your children will find the pens, markers, ect no matter where you hide them.

Mother's Day

Yep it's that time again, well tomorrow. Time to show appreciation for our mothers, now that I am a mother it has taken on a whole new meaning.
In the past I have always stuck to just honoring the "mother's" in my life, after all there is a grandparents day. So of course to all the mother's I know my mother, mother-in-law, friends, sisters ect... Kudos to all of you and all that you do.
But, this year it's a little different as my grandmother passed away a few months back, so I will do my best to honor her here today. Although I honored her as my grandmother, to be honest most of my life she was my second mother. We spent most of our summers at their home in Arkansas and they spent most holidays and many other times visiting and helping my family. She was a warm, loving, talented woman, who was always there with a gentle hug or nudge when needed. She was an excellent seamstress, doll clothes and our clothes too (until the styles got too outrageous for her). She could make a mean Thanksgiving dinner or any other dinner for that matter. She will always be an important part of my life and someone that I look up to and admire. She left behind a husband, 2 children, 5 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren and she always had love and kindness for us all. She never forgot a birthday or special occasion. So here's to you Grandma on Mother's day, sorry for all the years I left you out.


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Budgeting

I am continuing my discussion on tips and tools for mothers. I am going to try and provide some helpful tips for the family budget.

Create a family budget vision. Talk to your spouse and children about whatever budgetary constraints you are facing, or whatever financial goals you intend to set. By being completely honest about the bills and loans you have to pay, or your intention to save a certain amount of money for a family emergency fund (or a college fund, for that matter), you can help your family understand better your collective financial situation. This will allow them to change their perspective on purchases they make, and will help you make sure that whatever money crunching strategies you utilize won’t be counteracted by a subsequent spree by your teen.

Another good technique is to create a list of usual expenditures per member of your family. Together, identify which items you can do away with in order to save up some extra money from your monthly income. By doing this altogether, you are making your family participate better and see the contributions they can make into making your family’s finances better.

Should your child have the habit of continuously asking for money for minor and oftentimes unnecessary purchases, you can let your children learn to manage their own week’s allowance. With their limited money to budget, they will realize the value of money.

Put a cap on the amount of expenditures you make in a week. The best way to do this is set aside a fixed amount of cash that you will spend for a week. By putting this limitation on your spending, you are forced to prioritize spending on the most essential over other things.

Make it easy for your family to save more. How often do you eat out? Most family budgets are blown over because of the frequency of dining out and the accompanying exorbitant expense of that activity. Eating at home will reduce your expenses, not to mention allow for your family to bond over cooking at home. Do you spend on routine purchases like coffee and newspapers? Cut back on the latte and the paper, and put aside the amount you would otherwise spend. Your family’s collective saving will surprise you.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to create a most efficient driving route, as well as grouping together activities into one car trip. This way, you can save a lot on time and even on gasoline and car expenses.






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