welcome to the blog

Don’t Hit Snooze on this WAHM Business Opportunity

Sleep Coaching is a business option for mothers who want to maintain their own flexible schedules while helping parents and children, many of whom otherwise would not reap the benefits a good night’s sleep offers. Many current coaches site their career as being “extremely rewarding and exhilarating when they help children get on a path to success.”

Most moms prepare for their babies for months, sometimes even years. Diapers, clothes, classes, books, child proofing, bottles, medicine, toys… the list goes on and on and on.

We moms pour over every book known to man (and woman) so we know exactly what to do in every circumstance that may happen in a baby’s life. We’re ready for labor, midnight feedings, illness, diapering, and doctor’s appointments, but what happens when baby sleeps all day and is up all night? Or worse, when baby won’t sleep at all? Mom and dad’s lives are turned upside down by sleep deprivation, which eventually can affect job performance and parenting abilities, maybe even a marriage or relationship. It can get really frustrating when baby’s sleep problems last through kindergarten or worse, through grade school. Most doctors don’t have good solutions.

To fill this void in the parenting world, a newer field has cropped up in the past decade –

Sleep Coaching

Trained professionals consult with moms and dads in person, by phone, or via Skype to create a workable plan for getting children to sleep. Oftentimes, parents see improvements in as little as 2 to 3 days to a week. Sleep coaches don’t just help babies. Many coaches can help children with long standing issues, including children up to age 6, with gentler methods than the old fashioned “ferberizing” technique, which leaves children in their cribs to cry until they eventually give up.

One of the first programs to teach this profession is from Kim West, LCSW, known as The Sleep Lady to her clients. She is also the co-founder of the International Association of Child Sleep Consultants. The result of Kim’s four month course is a certification as a Gentle Sleep Coach. These Gentle Sleep Coaches help tired parents all over the world who are desperate for help. Dozens of coaches have already graduated from the program and are located in various cities in the United States as well as Ireland, Turkey, Canada, South Africa and the UK.

This is a business startup, so there are costs associated with the training, business setup (such as websites and marketing materials), and ongoing education. Coaches report being able to charge hourly rates of up to $200 for coaching after their initial training is complete. Depending on which education program you choose (there are only a few for now), the tuition ranges from around $2,000 to nearly $8,000.

If you are interested in becoming a Gentle Sleep Coach, visit www.gentlesleepcoach.com for more information. A quick search also found programs by Deborah Pedrick, www.familysleep.com, and Dana Obleman, www.sleepsense.net.

Posted in The Blog | 2 Comments »

Mompreneur with a Little Buyers Remorse

When I first began building my website, I found resource after resource. Some helpful, some not so much. Some were free, some cost money. There were guru’s upon guru’s and I felt like I knew nothing.

I was confused, in need of support and on a tight budget.

Webinars, courses, memberships… they all looked so enticing. I couldn’t resist. I bought in. And kept buying in. Knowledge is power, right?

Sales pages would hook me every time. I jumped from this expert to that expert, filling notebook after notebook with little bits of insight on this subject and that. Some things I learned I actually put into use.

After many courses and the like, I found myself looking for the next thing. I was always trying to figure out what else I might need to know. A light bulb finally went off — I was an addict.

An addict to marketing, could it be so?

Maybe I was too afraid to make my own products. Fear of failure, fear of success, whatever. I simply wasn’t moving forward with the business I set out to create. I wasn’t looking inside myself for the uniqueness and value I could offer others.

It finally came to a head when I started to think, I could totally do better than this… or something along those lines. All those “guru’s” weren’t THAT impressive to me any longer.

I read somewhere how Microsoft started out in a garage and the initial beginning start-up was something so minor. It evolved, of course, but it didn’t start out as the Microsoft giant it is today. Reading about this caused something in me to click.

I’ve decided I’m finally going to put together my own stuff. Sell my own things that I create. It won’t be easy, I know. But, I’m convinced it will be great. With all I’ve learned, it has to be.

I know it’s inside you too. Time to let it out.

Do yourself a favor and unsubscribe from those 9,000 guru’s you’re following. Pick your favorite one or two, and start getting to work. If you haven’t already, come to a decision on the first product/service you’re going to offer.

If you don’t have all the answers, that’s okay. No one really ever does.

There’s a chance you’ll only make a few dollars from your efforts. There’s also a chance you could make several hundred or thousand. The important thing is, your momentum will have started.

And you have to start somewhere, right? Just like Microsoft did.

Posted in The Blog | 2 Comments »

Double your Recipe for Work at Home Efficiency

Experienced cooks know that making a double recipe isn’t much more work than making a small portion. Chopping an additional carrot or onion takes minimal time compared to the overall work of making a pot of soup.

Our work at home ventures are similar. Regardless of what you do to earn money at home, if you can do it in batches—grouping similar tasks and making a “double recipe” of that task—you will discover greater productivity.

Doubling Recipes: An Example

In my case, I am a blogger and content writer. These are some of my recurring tasks:

• Dealing with photos:  taking the photos, downloading and editing the photos, uploading photos online
• Writing articles and posts:  brainstorming, drafting, editing
• SEO:  researching keywords, tagging articles and posts, updating and pinging articles
• Social Media:  scheduling tweets, bookmarking

Instead of writing a single blog post by taking a linear trip through all the steps one by one, I can make a “double recipe” at each step and increase my productivity. The completion of that single article may be delayed a bit, but overall I will complete more work relative to my time investment.

Here is how that would look:

• Brainstorm multiple ideas for different platforms
• Do keyword research on lots of ideas at once
• Spend a whole hour on photos and images for a variety of projects
• Focus attention on drafting several different articles

Set up Takes Time

Think of the time it takes to get ready to work before you even begin—getting your materials arranged, finding passwords, remembering how to use a certain computer program, setting up a camera, etc. These necessary precursors to our work take precious time away from the more important tasks.  You can minimize the negative effect of set up time by working in batches.

Shifting Gears Wastes Time

I have found that distractions are most apt to creep in when I am between tasks. It’s too easy in those in between times to be lured away by something that is not on my to-do list. By continuing on a single task, making that double recipe of it, I prevent the downtime of shifting mental gears.

How to Apply Working in Batches

Look at the work at home tasks that you perform regularly and group them into categories. Think about how you could do a double or triple recipe of a task before moving to another, especially when you find yourself in the flow.

In your day to day goal setting, focus on time management instead of fully completed projects. With this batch method, there may be days of working at home when you don’t bring any single project to completion because you have been working on batches of preliminary steps. For example, I may spend all day working on photos and drafting but not publish a single blog post. Since I know I have used my time most efficiently by working in batches, I don’t lack a sense of accomplishment. I know the payoff is coming when I have a huge burst of completed projects to show for my investment.

Working in batches is a strategy that pays off in the long run. Take the holistic approach to your work at home goals and give it a try.

Posted in The Blog | 3 Comments »

Tips for Staying Organized at Home

Clutter drives me nuts. When dishes pile up or an average day’s to do list is too jammed, I find myself agitated. I can’t function when things are messy or out of control.

Doing my best to keep things in order requires a ton of flexibility and discipline. Moms don’t get days off. So, I found my weak spots. I know what I need to ensure my days run smoothly. And, I plan ahead.

I like to keep my calendar updated and precise.

With my new Kindle Fire my husband got me for Christmas, I have a planner that is color coded for the weeks events. It’s portable and awesome. I also have a dry erase board for the rest of the family to track our doings.

But, a pen and paper will work too. Or an online program like Cozi (it’s free). Different strokes for different folks. You simply need to find a system that works best for you.

To keep my finances organized, I had to find a system for that too. And, it took a lot of trial and error until I was able to feel comfortable and feel in charge.

Again, there are a ton of online applications that can be used, excel spreadsheets - if that’s your thing, pen and paper, or home-made-DIY-get-it-in-order systems. I prefer the last option.

It’s not something I’ve put together overnight. Tracking our monthly expenses, controlling our spending and housing our receipts, recording important log-in information and passwords, keeping a budget etc. All this takes time and patience, not to mention flexibility.

But, it is so worth it when you find what works. I happened to put together the same DIY system together for my sister. She just exclaimed to me how much fun it is to do the money management for her family, thanks to finding something that has finally worked.

It’s the sense of control and ease you feel that let’s you know the system you’re using is the right one. If you’re feeling agitated or your home - or finances - are unruly, try a new system.

And keep trying until you find the perfect match. It’s out there, waiting for you!

Posted in The Blog | 3 Comments »

I Didn’t Choose This Job. The Job Chose Me.

The 1970’s/’80’s indie band, Talking Heads, said it best in their song ‘Once in a Lifetime.’ “You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?”

But, seriously, how did we all get here? Through the years, I’ve had friends and peers who’ve always known what they wanted to do with their life.  I could see their fire and drive in the way they simply talked about their future profession and the triumph when they finally achieved their goals.  And, I’m talking about years of school and residencies and internships to become doctors, lawyers, and professors, all resulting in some pretty lofty careers.

Me…well, when I look back, I wonder if my goal was to be Paris Hilton. As a little girl, I never talked about what I wanted to be when I grew up; however, my best friend and I would corral unwilling neighbor children (and our brothers) into ridiculous productions of “Grease” that we would premier in my garage and then force the adults to watch.  We also ran a short lived neighborhood newspaper where we reported the “hard hitting news.” We only made one paper, but it was a highly compelling issue where we followed an ambulance to a neighbor’s home and then speculated about what had happened to the poor man.  Unfortunately, he died and my mother made me go back, in shame, to our “subscriber’s” homes and request the rag back.

Interestingly, even with the productions and hard hitting journalism, I never thought I would end up as a writer.  I just wanted to be “big.”  Nothing specific, mind you (which is probably why the Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian title would be most fitting), but I just wanted to be really awesome.

Unfortunately, having an extremely happy and overly easy childhood may have squashed any real drive inside me to be big.  I found lots of fun, but even in college, fun was great, career direction…well, I changed my mind as often as I changed my hair color.  The funny thing is that I always wrote, but only for fun. If I needed a blow off class in college, I’d take a writing or fiction class. Still, it didn’t dawn on me I should actually “do” that for work.

It was only until after I brought my oldest child home from the hospital that I started to think about writing–because it was easy and I could make some money.  I wish I could say because I had the great American novel burning inside me or because I was a hard hitting journalist.  No.  I wanted to stick close to home to take care of him and make money.

That was 14 years ago and I’m still trying to stick close to home and make money. I’ve often thought about doing something different, maybe doggy daycare or going back to school to be a nutritionist or even a personal trainer.  But every morning I wake up and still write. Now in middle age I marvel at the foresight many of my friends had as children.  They knew what they wanted and put forth the effort to be the best in their fields.  They went for the brass ring and got it.

And while I wish I paid closer attention to focusing on the bigger picture as a child, I have to say…I am probably doing exactly what I was supposed to do in the first place. I just didn’t know it.

Photo Credit: Celeboy

Posted in The Blog | 1 Comment »

Got Big Hairy, Scary Goals This Year?

I’ve always been a risk taker. I never really thought of it as “taking risks” though. It was more like sheer determination, with no adequate thought behind it.

Like the time I decided I was going to teach myself how to do back-handsprings. No spotter, just the strong desire and no-quit attitude I had about it. There were other girls in my elementary class that could do them, and I thought it was cool.

Why shouldn’t I be able to do them?… I literally gave myself a concussion when I landed smack on my head in the back yard. But, I didn’t give up and eventually I was doing back-handsprings with the best of ‘em.

I like challenges. I also like trying new things. I welcome change.

Deciding to be a stay-at-home mom took courage, no doubt. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I made the choice with my heart, not my head and I will never, ever regret it. Me becoming a stay-at-home mom was a goal my husband and I worked towards, and although we had to sacrifice some material things in life, it’s been a blessing.

With the new year, I continue to challenge myself.

This year I’m choosing to become healthier through exercise and diet. I’ve formulated a plan that works best for me. Enough to involve some hard work, but not enough to stress myself out.

I’ve also got some plans for my work-at-home business. New products on the horizon have got me freaked out a little, but I’m confident the end result will not only benefit my family, but other families as well.

Here are five strategies I recently read that will increase our chances of success…

1. Acknowledge your wins… it will build your confidence. If you are proud of an accomplishment, big or small, it’s a win. Believe in yourself! As moms we continually do, do, do (not to mention all the dodo we deal with, literally). Pat yourself on the back for crying out loud. You work hard.

2. Be your own CEO… make yourself a priority and take responsibility for your actions. Your choices should align with your goals. This year, having health as one of my top priorities, I’ve declared it my year with no beer, because really it’s just not healthy.

3. Determine what success means TO YOU… If finally getting all those stacks of photos into a scrapbook spells success, then have it. If it’s important to you, it will bring you energy and fulfill you. Don’t chase other people’s dreams. This is your life, not theirs. Live YOUR truth.

4. Focus on a goal… We all need something to work towards. Do yourself a favor and set a goal that excites you. Then, take small steps, regularly and you’ll find continuous improvement. Small steps lead to big results.

5. Build your team… Surround yourself with people that want to see you succeed. Your team should energize and fuel you.

What big hairy, scary goals have you set for yourself this year?

Posted in The Blog | 2 Comments »

Vacation ROI

During winter break we decided to bite the bullet and take the kids back to Disney World.  Living in South Florida has its advantages if you have little kids–theme parks are only three hours away. Although you save some cash on the plane fare, everything else is game.  Every parent in the world knows that Disney is a gold mine for a few very wealthy executives–$12 corn dogs and $4 sodas are just the tip of the iceberg.  Plus if you stay at one of the many Disney properties… well, let’s just say we doubled or even tripled our holiday expenses.

When our children were younger, we’d take them out of school during the first week of December to avoid the crowds, but still have the advantage of the cooler weather and holiday decorations. It was almost as if we had the park to ourselves–no long lines, lots of photo ops… it really was somewhat magical.

However, with a ninth and fifth grader, you certainly can’t yank them from Algebra and reading groups for Mickey and Donald.  So we sucked it up and went the week leading up to Christmas.  My husband’s rationale was, “Everyone will be too busy getting ready for Christmas that they are planning their trip after the big day.” He was so, so wrong.

You could tell something was different, pulling up to the Disney hotel. Was there a convention leaving or could there actually be this many people?  My daughter and I headed to use the hotel bathroom and were stopped by a long line.  We should have known this was a harbinger of what was to come.

I’m not going to get into the gross details, but Disney was bursting at the seams.  In fact, the following week two theme parks had to close at noon because they exceeded capacity–something that hasn’t happened since well before 2008.

When you visit Disney, or go on any vacation, it’s all about getting a decent return on all the money you’ve shelled out.  Since your productivity factor for theme parks is ride times and photo ops, you generally want to ensure you get to “do everything” you planned on doing while there. The only problem is that if you wanted to “do” anything, you had to wait about 100 minutes.

While waiting in line, bored to tears, as a family of 15 standing in front of us decided to start their own personal ‘fight club,’ my husband and I (who were beyond exasperated) decided to give the kids a very basic lesson in economics pertaining to why daddy is forcing us to spend 12 hours at the park today.

Usually we casually walk through the parks, hit the rides then retreat back to the room to rest before dinner and more park time.  This year, because the waits were so long, there was no rest for the weary.

I explained to the kids that Disney is one of the more expensive trips to take and in order to get your money’s worth, you had to ride the rides and pose (whether forced or not) with the characters.  The rides and photo ops were the “return” on our investment.

Following this discussion, our entire four day trip became a game of measuring the ROI (return on investment).  One night we walked into Epcot and a lady gave us five fast passes to our favorite ride (all Disney fast passes sold out at noon everyday)–ROI way up.  Had dinner, but ran to get to the ride in time but missed it by only one minute.  ROI sunk really low.

Overall we determined that the ROI was high for my husband and daughter, who pushed it for each ride until late at night.  My son and I, well…..we would have preferred to just chill by the pool and relax.  Our ROI was not as high.  But they don’t have to know.

Photo credit: Krismast

Posted in The Blog | 1 Comment »

Marriage and Money

My husband and I had a wonderful New Years Eve dinner together (no kids). This is the fourth time we’ve actually had a “baby-sitter” for our three children (6, 5 and 2). I know… We don’t get out much. I’m not complaining; it’s just the choice we’ve made.

During our fabulous two hours away, we reflected on the past few years. From the time the kids were newly born, to the most recent whirl wind of events. We know that within our short nine years of marriage, we’ve scaled many mountains. We’ve been handed many challenges and amazingly, we’ve had the tenacity to make it through, together.

Our financial hurdles are among those challenges.

For the first four years of our marriage, we had separate checking accounts. We split the bills and for the most part, whatever we had leftover, we each used at our own discretion. Our money issues were null. No fuss, no muss. I was putting away money for the kids into their savings each paycheck and we both contributed healthy amounts to our retirement. Smooth sailing. Until…

I decided to give up my career. So, we were forced to work together.

Money fights began, debt climbed and it got ugly.

I did what any other struggling mom and wife would do, I got an education in finance. I read books on how to get out of debt. I learned the best strategies on creating financial security including saving, investing and yes, even how to manage your finances as a couple.

We are astounded at the difference in our attitudes towards money. We work as a team and most surprisingly, we’ve made huge strides in becoming totally debt free and saving for our future.

Through all of the books, courses, seminars, webinars, etc. I dove into, I found that nothing was brand new or cutting edge information. It was all the same stuff, reiterated over and over again, packaged in different ways but ending with the same results.

Having a solid, healthy, financially fit family is achievable. We are proof. And, working as a team is key.

Posted in The Blog | 1 Comment »

An Organized Life: Really?

Being a mom of three kids (ages 2, 5 & 6) as well as a start-up entrepreneur, organizing my days can be a challenge.

Keeping the kids on a schedule (school work, personal care, feeding, etc.) is a total full-time job. I’m constantly worried whether their meals are healthy, if they’ve taken their vitamins and if they’ve had enough water for the day.

Keeping them entertained and making sure their school work is done, refereeing any sibling rivalries and making sure they all have some good “mom time” takes plenty of planning. Add in a cold or other ailment and my job just gets a lot harder.

Then, on the other hand, building a website and adding content that will hopefully change lives is no easy task. It takes research, time and patience. It’s a balancing act that requires thinking outside of the box and comes with a bunch of uncertainty.

So what’s a girl to do?

1. Exercise

I’ve created a morning ritual that involves some cardio, weight lifting and abdominal work (3-4 times a week). I’ve setup our basement into a play-land / exercise area. I get to watch the kids as I work-out, with my i-pod blaring in my ears to keep me motivated. It’s now become such a habit that I sincerely look forward to the time and seeing the results on my body are an excellent bonus.

My mind is clearer and I simply feel better once the work-out is done. I make sure that when I’m working-out, I’m not thinking about my to-do’s or worrying about what I’m making for supper. My mind is focused on the moment… on my breathing and my body.

2. Work Schedule

I try to stick to a schedule when it comes to working on my website. I get almost two hours in the afternoon when my little guy takes a nap and my girls are at school. I’ve purposefully carved out my day and prioritize my kids above everything else (I feel better when I do this and they are the reason I quit my corporate career after all). I also get some time in the evening after they’ve gone to bed.

Keeping a daily planner and organizing my week ahead of time is a life saver. It takes a little time and thought, but the week runs so much more smoothly.

Creating the perfect plan requires some flexibility and trial and error… but you soon find out what works best through this process.

3. Faith

I’ve been a part of an incredible bible study group for several months now and my personal faith and belief has been strengthened enormously.

One major thing I learned… rather than waiting on an event or for success, I simply sit back and wait on God. He will strengthen you in the meantime and bring you more than you’ve ever dreamed.

Don’t spend your time depleting your energy waiting for “the thing.” Enjoy your time now; be present and take a lot of conscious, deep breaths.

Posted in The Blog | 4 Comments »

Hoping Santa Brings Me a Berbie Dreamhouse

No matter which holiday you celebrate, the season often evokes fond (and maybe not so fond) memories of how you celebrated as a child. Growing up in middle-class suburban Detroit, my brother and I never needed a thing–we were lucky to live the American dream and had, dare I say, pretty much the perfect childhood.  Again, we were lucky.

My parent’s childhoods were not as fortunate as mine.  While both remember having happy childhoods, my parents grew up without money.  In fact the term “dirt” poor comes to mind as my mom recalls eating cereal and water for days on end as her widowed mother put herself through college while working several jobs.  My father, on the other hand, while not living high on the hog, came from Italian immigrant parents who believed that less is more.  To this day, I can see him recalling his favorite Christmas when he received three tin soldiers. In fact, I think a tear may even come to his eye remembering those soldiers…good times.

As a result, my parents wanted to give us the childhood that they never had.  We were never overindulged, but my parents saw to it that we went to the best schools, had numerous scholastic opportunities and never went without.  Of course, Christmas was part of the package.  Luckily for us, we came from a “theatrical” mother who loved to tell stories, was big on the dramatic entrance and exit, and made you think that Santa really was coming. In fact, I wonder where that guy is these days as I could really use some help.

I can’t really put my finger on it, but Christmas in my house growing up was truly magical. TV was not allowed from Christmas Eve until Christmas night, Christmas music permeated every room of our home and we always had all the neighbors over to our house on Christmas Eve.  Like many families, my brother and I could open one gift on Christmas Eve–somehow it was always the socks and underwear gift we would manage to choose, but we were happy to get to open something.

Then, Christmas morning, the rule was that you could play with whatever Santa brought to you (always unwrapped) and then we would spend the entire day slowly opening gifts.  Each family member had to watch as one person would open a present.  We’d do a few rounds and then take a break to appreciate the gifts.  It was absolutely spectacular–now, the wild animals that I’ve raised, race down the stairs, rip everything open and then sit there with their mouths hanging open, wondering what happened.

However, as an adult looking back I now appreciate my parent’s tricks and strategies, only now realizing that old habits die hard.  Exhibits:

A)  Santa always left price tags on gifts.  Perhaps Santa wanted my brother and I to appreciate the value of a dollar OR comment on how Santa was able to “make” (why we never questioned it is beyond me) something for such a reasonable deal.

B) Santa liked the off-brand.  While my neighbor Janice was enjoying her Barbie Dreamhouse, complete with hot tub (and probably a stripper pole), I got the “Berbie” Dreamhouse (or something like that). Instead of Barbie pink, somehow the off-brand folks went with a pallid orange and substituted the sexy winding staircase for a freight elevator.

C) Santa liked you to learn a language.  Keeping in line with the “off brand,” sometimes Santa’s toys weren’t in our native language.  So, once again, while Janice enjoyed the futuristic 1976 Barbie talking oven, Gina’s Berbie oven told her the roasted goat was done in Creole.

Of course because my mother was so smart, she would probably deliver some line about how, “Santa wants us to learn a language” (of course she was a Spanish teacher).  And…of course, I passive aggressively “rebelled” against authority and didn’t learn that language.  Who’s the big dummy now?

The great thing about my off brand Christmas is that I’m finding others who experienced the same thing.  One of my good friend’s husband told me all of his toys and clothes were always discounted or off brand.

So while I was playing with my Berbie Creole Urban “Dreamhouse,” he was rolling his Tunka trucks and learning Japanese.  We both don’t speak a second language, but we sure know the value of a dollar.

Happy Holidays!

Posted in The Blog | 2 Comments »