Home with the Kids Newsletter May 9, 2006

The Editor's Desk - From Beneath the Clutter
Feature Article - Necessary Items For Your Home Office
What's happening on the discussion boards?
Guest Article - Healthy Living for You and Your Children
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The Editor's Desk - From Beneath the Clutter

Phew! I survived Ariel's birthday party and now here comes Mother's Day!

While theoretically Mother's Day is supposed to be a day for me to relax, I don't get much time off. My husband's family has a tradition of having a picnic at the beach on Mother's Day as well as on Father's Day. Of course, since my mother-in-law is there, we have to go. Then it's time to spend time with my mother. It's a bit more run around than I'd ideally like for Mother's Day, but then again I'm grateful to have mothers to run around to see. Lots of people aren't so lucky.

Saturday should be a lot of fun, though. We're going to the Renaissance Faire. It's fun for us to get dressed up in our garb and go wander the faire. Lots of fun people to talk to, and having a pretty, 4 year old daughter is pretty nice sometimes, just seeing how much fun the various vendors and entertainers have talking to her. At the last one we went to, she made great friends with a female troll, and decided that she wants to be a troll next Halloween. Could get interesting.

Now I can get back to working on updating this site. I pretty much didn't get any of that accomplished last week; too busy with the party and other work. Now I'm catching up on a small backlog and planning my next steps.

Don't forget, you can contribute your articles or tips anytime for consideration. Just use the contact form.

Feature Article

Necessary Items For Your Home Office

Ok, so you have decided to start your own home-based business, what next? Well there are a few things you should do before you open the doors. Since you will be working from home you will have many distractions from crying babies to barking dogs so it is very important to designate an area as your home office exclusively. This should be an area of your home that is only to be used to conduct business . Try to find an area that does not have a lot of traffic. For example the corner of the kitchen or family room would not be a suitable option for a home office. Maybe a spare bedroom or invest in some movable walls and take over part of a finished basement as your new office.

Next you'll want to invest in a good computer desk with adequate working space. This desk must suit your needs so take some time and check out the many different styles of office desks that are available. And no, an old folding table and extra kitchen chair will not be an adequate substitute. This is where you will be spending the majority of your time so make sure that it works for you. Your desk should be large enough to hold everything that you will be utilizing to run your business from your computer monitor to your office phone plus any other items all within arms reach.

The next article of importance is an office chair that is extremely comfortable yet provides incredible support. I cannot stress this enough. For years I worked out of a home office with a desk chair that was salvaged from a dumpster. I simply would not break down and purchase a new one even though I viewed working at my desk as a form of medieval torture. There is nothing worse than spending many hours in a chair that gives you a backache, a neckache, and a headache. Save yourself money now by investing in a good office chair and avoid the chiropractic bills later.

Another important item you will need is a separate phone line dedicated to your home-based business only. This phone line will be used for nothing else but your business. This will also save you the hassle of trying to figure out which percentage of your monthly house phone bill was used for business come tax time. Also there is nothing more unprofessional than a four-year-old answering the phone when a client calls or a busy signal because you cannot pry the phone from your teenagers red and swollen ear. The phone should be equipped with a speakerphone and a headset jack so that you can talk to clients hands-free enabling you to use your keyboard or search for important papers without missing a beat.

Next thing you'll need is a filing cabinet. Now I know you are saying, "but I have nothing to file!" Trust me, you will and if you already have a filing system in place you will be able to file your paperwork, bills, invoices, and bank statements as you acquire them rather than sorting through a stack of papers months down the road. Hand in hand with the filing cabinet would be a paper shredder and a waste basket. You will have sensitive documents that you will need to dispose of and the best way to do this is to shred them right into your wastebasket. With identity theft at an all-time high you will want to do everything you can to protect yourself.

After this you can personalize your space however you would like. Some people like working to music, some like fish tanks to help soothe them when they are feeling stressed. Many people like plants in their home office and yes they do make great listeners. Personalizing your home office is up to you just make sure you are comfortable and that the space is a place that you will look forward to working in. You will be spending a lot of time in there so make it yours. Remember, a happy office is a productive office.

Linda Costopulos
www.WealthAndFreedom.biz

A successful home based business mentor. If you are looking for home business success, WealthAndFreedom.biz can help you get there!

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Guest Article

Healthy Living for You and Your Children

We all want what is best for our children. In my case, it has been very important to me right from the beginning that my son live a healthy lifestyle. I didn't exactly know back when he was first born what all that would entail, but I have learned three essential rules that I believe promote healthy living for the whole family.

*Eat a nutritional and well-balanced diet. Before my son was able to eat "real" food, I never put much thought into the quality of food I was eating and/or preparing for our meals. Once he was able to join us for meal time and ask/beg for food, I realized very quickly that the food I provided for us ALL had to be healthy. I could no longer feed him the "good stuff" while my husband and I inhaled a greasy pizza. He wanted to eat what Mommy and Daddy were eating so things had to change - FAST!

This wasn't as difficult as I had expected. I simply sat down and made a list of the foods I wanted him to eat based on their nutritional content - this included lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, and very little processed and sugary foods. The next time I went to the grocery store I stuck to that list. Whenever I had the urge to throw in a box of cookies or potato chips I just asked myself, "Is this something I want my son eating?" Most of the time the answer was "NO" so I would keep on walking by. I'm happy to say that my son eats a very healthy diet. Instead of begging for candy or chips, he begs for bananas, grapes, and blueberries...SERIOUSLY! The bonus to all this is that my husband and I are eating healthier and feel great. Being a good example for our son has benefited us as well!

*Get moving. As with everything I'm discussing here, it's all about being a good example for our kids. They so much want to be just like us, that they will do EXACTLY what we do, whether it's good or bad. If we show our kids from a young age that exercise is fun and worthwhile, they will enjoy it as well. My son is now two years old and loves to dance, chase bubbles, run with his dogs, and go for walks. These are things he already enjoys doing and when we do them together, we both get a great workout!

*Drink plenty of water. Some parents probably think I'm crazy but my son is over two years old and has probably only had juice 4 or 5 times. He went directly from breastfeeding to milk and water. Occasionally I will give him some watered down orange juice because, of course, he sees Mommy drinking it and wants to be just like me. But in general he only drinks water. He doesn't beg for soda because he doesn't know what he's missing and that is fine with me! Plus, he sees Mommy and Daddy drinking water all day long so he knows it's the "cool" thing to do.

The most important thing I've learned in these 2 short years is how impressionable children are. They want nothing more than to be just like us. It's quite an honor, actually. But also a great responsibility. I believe that by following these three simple rules my entire family will be healthier and most importantly, my son will grow up having already developed healthy living habits. I hope you find these tips helpful and I wish you and your family very healthy living!

Jennifer Tarzian provides valuable information on the importance of natural products at http://www.naturalskincaresite.com . And for moms and dads, be sure to check out her parenting sites at http://www.youngparentsmagazine.com and http://homeschooling.youngparentsmagazine.com

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