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The Editor's Desk - From Beneath the Clutter
Feature Article - Moms - Take Care of Yourself Too!
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Guest Article - Staying Sane in a Home Business - An Overload Rescue Plan
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It's my daughter's 4th birthday today! I can't believe how the time has flown.
Of course, since she's in preschool there are a lot more kids to invite to her birthday party. Should be interesting. Despite their popularity, no we are not getting one of those jumpers for the party. However, we do have a bubble blowing machine I think will keep the kids pretty busy.
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Original Mother's Rings
Tell him you want something really special this Mother's Day
When you’re a mother, it’s easy to neglect yourself so that you have more time to do all the little things for your family. It’s not healthy, but most moms do it. There is much to be said, however, for making some time to care for yourself.
Start out right in the morning. Make time for a decent breakfast for yourself, not just a quick glass of milk, juice or coffee. Getting your breakfast can help you control your weight, as well as your mood. It has been shown that people who eat breakfast have more consistent moods, which can be a big help in dealing with all your everyday stresses.
Know when to take a moment - or more - for yourself. It can be as simple as a bubble bath after the kids are in bed or as much as a day to yourself with your husband taking care of the kids for you. Just make sure you return the favor sometimes.
Keep up with your hobbies. You can find time to do things you enjoy if you really want to make time for it. Depending on your hobby, you could have your kids help, you could do it as you watch television or you could find some other time for your hobby. Keeping up with your own interests is a great way of reminding yourself of who you are beyond being a mother.
Make an appointment at a spa. I’ll leave it up to you to decide what you want to do there... massage, facial or whatever makes you feel totally relaxed.
Keep up with your friends. Talk on the phone, email or even find time to get together. If you have kids who want to play together, this can be relatively easy, but if this is not the case you may have to work at it a little more.
One great way to get time for yourself is to send your kids off to spend the night with friends. It’s a great way to get free babysitting, and a date with your husband. After all, part of taking care of yourself is taking care of your marriage. Of course, you don’t have to go out with your husband. There are plenty of romantic things you can do at home.
Take a walk. Trust me, you will feel good after a nice walk by yourself. Don’t even think about the exercise aspect of walking. Just find a place where you can enjoy the scenery. You can also go with a friend if you prefer. Walking with a friend is a great way to get quiet time to talk.
Remember that you can do things after the kids are in bed too. While going out after the kids are in bed does limit you somewhat, you can still go see a movie or get together with friends while your husband is at home.
It’s easy to feel guilty whenever you indulge yourself, as many moms can sit there and think of things they could be doing for their families. However, you should also remember that the better you feel about yourself, the better mother you can be. So go ahead, indulge yourself just a little, have some fun and come back a happier Mommy.
Stephanie Foster is the owner of Home with the Kids, a resource that knows that there's more to staying home with your family than just business. For more stay at home tips, visit the site at http://www.homewiththekids.com/ and subscribe to the free newsletter.
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Well, you finally did it, you've escaped the break your back, away from home work force and are now self-employed. You started your very own home based business. There you sit, in your nice new office, whether it's in the corner of the sitting room or in a converted bedroom, surrounded by your equally brand new toys, your computer, desk and some strategically placed shelves.
Your new multi-function center will print stuff, fax stuff and copy stuff. (It won't hang out the washing, but hey, you can't have everything.) You've even got work coming-in and the immediate worry about making a living has vanished. Hooray! You really can work from home!
At first, working from home is pure bliss. Then you get a week when everybody and their dog seems to want your services. After putting in a few late nights, you meet all the deadlines and think; phew, I'm glad that's over! You decide to relax and give yourself a day off. After all, you worked all through the weekend and earned it, right?
Unfortunately, the following week you find yourself off to a bad start trying to make-up for your day off. Before you know it, you find that you're dropping further and further behind. You reflect gloomily that when you were working for someone else, at least at the end of the day you were finished, what didn't get done didn't get done!
Well, it's time to take heart and set a few simple strategies in place that will keep you in control of your time, and your sanity. Consider the following:
1. Do NOT Accept Any New Work This Week. Take a good look at what you have on your plate now, and carefully plan the week ahead. Your aim is to regain control. Tell new clients that you are fully booked, but you can put them on a priority list to be phoned next week. This will not only allow you to catch up, but make your services appear highly in demand.
2. Build In Time For Leisure and Rest. Not only for this week, but EVERY week. A half hour walk; a twenty-minute break in the sun with a cup of coffee; a quick swim or a movie outing with friends, all these activities can recharge your batteries. You will find that you can achieve far more when you are rested and alert. How many times have you sat at the computer staring at the screen, achieving very little, because you're over-tired?
3. Tackle Urgent Tasks First. If you're behind, your first step must be to contact all clients and arrange firm new deadlines. Make sure you base these new deadlines on what you can achieve, not what you hope you can achieve. If any existing client needs your services or products urgently, bump them up the queue.
4. Prioritize Remaining Tasks. Scrap anything that is not essential, and delegate what you can. Consider involving family, business associates or friends to handle some tasks. Do not hand over tasks that must be carried out only by you as the principal of the business. Your reputation is important.
5. Set Achievable Daily Goals. If you finish a task ahead of schedule, begin the next, but adhere to a definite cut-off time each day. What you are doing this week is establishing a system that will continue to work for you.
Getting out of trouble when your business is in overload is just like getting out of debt. Your business rating is similar to your credit rating, nothing can be gained by denying that a problem exists. Nothing can be gained by slipping deeper into the mire. Call a halt; contact the main players, set workable strategies in place and you can quickly regroup. Before you know it, your home business dream will be on track once more.
Ed Rizzo has been involved with internet marketing for 10 years. He has created a step by step formula to starting and growing a work from home business that anyone can follow. Learn more about how you can achieve your dream of working from home At his website, http://www.dpdhomebusiness.com
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