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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Work From Home Wednesdays:

It's Work from home Wednesday, and I want to share two good websites that share great information on how to earn money from home, and their tips on how they succeeded.

The first is PaidOpps. The blog owner is a stay at home mom who has earned around $20k/year working from home with various companies. Her blog has great tips and leads on ways to earn money from home.

The other is Paula Mooney's blog. On her blog she states that she made around $44k/year last year by working from home with various online companies. Reading her blog is a treat, and you can learn great information about how to increase your online earning power. A great article that she wrote on Associated Content provides inspiration for making good money online here.

I enjoy reading both of these blogs. They have provided innumerable resources for me in earning money from home, and I wanted to share them today. Please check them out if you have time.

Happy Wednesday!!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Prayers for the President

President Obama has been this nation's president for a little over a month now, and so many people are attacking him. A lot is going on in the nation, I know. There were financial problems and unemployment problems before he took over the presidency, but somehow, people continue to blame him for the problems, and saying that he is not doing a good job.

I don't think that it is fair to say that he is doing a good or bad job at this point, because enough time hasn't passed to really give an accurate judgement. Our country is in a financial mess, and we cannot expect it to be turned around in one month. I hope that more people can pray for the President, instead of judging him and blasting off that he is not doing a good job.

I pray that God blesses him with the wisdom and foresight to make good decisions, and that will be part of my prayers each day. I hope that we all can take the time to pray that God helps him and leads him, instead of wasting time talking negatively about the job that he doing so far.

Just my two cents on this Tuesday.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Feminine Friday: Tea and Shabby Chic

So, I'm typing at almost one a.m. on this Sunday morning. My last post was on Wednesday, and I have been meaning to post since then, especially to write my Feminine Friday post, but as we all know, life gets in the way.

For the past few days, I have been busy trying to clean and organize, search for an apartment, take care of the kids, etc., and I haven't had time to blog. I do wonder sometimes, how do women find the time to blog everyday? I have come to really enjoy blogging, and I think of a post, and can't wait to write it, but then the time to write it just does not come. I like to blog during my kids' nap time, but for the past few days, as soon as one falls asleep, the other one wakes up.

Anywho, I wanted to do my Feminine Friday post. I had said that I would write about dressing femininely and such, but I will revisit that next week. I just had to share two feminine loves of mine: Tea and Shabby Chic.



First, the tea. Well, I enjoy watching Peter Perfect on the Style network, and last Saturday, the shop that he chose to give a makeover to was a tea shop!! I was so excited! The tea room is called La Tea Dolly, and oh, how I enjoyed watching the show. The makeover was fabulous, beautiful, and elegant. The shop is run by three sisters, and they do children's tea parties, and teach etiquette. How wonderful! You can watch a clip of it here. Just click on the My Little Princess clip. La Tea Dolly is located in Ohio, so if you live in the area, maybe you can take your princess in for a tea party. You can learn more information at www.lateadolly.com.

Now, Shabby Chic. I have said before how much I love Shabby Chic decor. I absolutely love Shabby Chic decor. I have written articles about decorating around a Shabby Chic theme.

So, imagine my dismay when I heard that Shabby Chic was filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy. They are closing down stores. I do not know if this means the beginning of the end of Shabby Chic, but I seriously hope not. In honor of Shabby Chic, I thought I would post some beautiful pictures of some of their items, for your enjoyment.





I just wanted to share some beauty and inspiration with you. I hope you continue having a great weekend!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Work From Home Wednesdays



Work From Home Wednesdays is here again, and here are a couple of ways to earn money from home:

1. Idapted

www.idapted.com Idapted is a company that hires tutors to help foreign language students learn to master the English language. You do not have to be fluent in any particular language, because the students can speak English, they just haven't mastered it, and want to improve their English. I know a young woman who has enjoyed great success working for this company. If this sounds like something that would interest you, be sure to check out their website.

2. Cash4books.net

If you have old books laying around or just books that you don't read and want to get rid of, go to cash4books.net to sell them. I did it once, and earned about $25 for some old college textbooks that were simply collecting dust on my bookshelf. It's not much, but it's worth looking into if you need some extra cash.

3. Mturk.com

You get paid to perform hits for this website. Some people rack up serious cash with this company. If you have the time to devote to it, you can earn a significant amount. The pay ranges from about $7.50 to .50 for performing a hit.

Need inspiration?

Check out a wonderful website that features profiles of successful work at home mothers talking about their businesses and how they started. You can go to www.startupprincess.com .

If you know of any great ways to earn money from home that you would like to share, please feel free. Have a happy Wednesday!!

Monday, February 16, 2009

Feminine Friday: Dressing Femininely

I was out of town on Friday, so I was unable to write my Feminine Friday post. I do want to talk about being feminine, and dressing the part. On Friday I went to my mother-in-law's 50th birthday party celebration, and I enjoyed myself. I wore a nice little black dress that was fitted in the waist, and flared a bit. The dress came to my knees, and it had small straps. I wore a pretty shawl to throw over my shoulders, complete with some cute, high heeled silver shoes. I wish I had taken a picture to post here, but I didn't. Sorry.:( Here's an example of the dress:



The dress was made similar to the middle dress, except it had straps, and the dress had sequins on it. I loved wearing it. I felt so feminine to be dressed up and in high heels again. I absolutely love a cute dress with nice heels. I feel so ultra feminine. While I was pregnant with my second child, I basically always wore a cute dress and shoes, and I felt so beautiful.

I say this because I think that all women should take the time to dress themselves in a way that makes them feel beautiful and feminine. Dressing that way on the outside can have a tremendous effect on how we present ourselves, our mood, and the way we carry ourselves. Now, I'm not saying that it should be all about how we dress, because it definitely is not. But, I encourage all ladies to take effort and care in how they present themselves to the world.

Since having my daughter I slipped into a rut, because I was basically home all the time. I usually wear things that are not ultra feminine, and it does affect my mindset. When I shower and throw on something pretty and feminine, I feel so much better, and much more motivated to do what I need to do for the day.

It's okay to be a pretty mama. Just because you have children, or are at home most of the day, does not mean that you don't put forth the effort to be pretty and feminine. I think it's wonderful to cultivate our beauty on the outside as well as the inside. What a wonderful way to minister to our husbands and children!

On Friday, I hope to post more about this subject for Feminine Friday. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Here's to a happy Monday, and getting the week started off right!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Retraining Our Minds

On Sunday, while at church, I thought about how I need to develop a new mindset in regards to cleaning and organizing. I need a lot of work in that area. When I wash dishes, fold and put away laundry, and organize my home, I do feel a great sense of satisfaction. But, I still wasn't looking at cleaning with joy in my heart.

As I just typed that, I thought to myself, "Joy in my heart? That sounds cheesy." But, on Sunday I decided to change my thinking about cleaning. The main reason was that my husband motivated me to think differently about it. He loves, loves, loves having a clean home. I like having a clean home, but my idea of a clean home doesn't quite measure up to his idea.



I understand why, because my mother in law keeps her home spic and span clean and neat all the time. Like, no dishes left in the sink at night, no matter how tired she may be, she will wash them. Nothing is out of place. Her house is basically spotless. Mine is not. Now, I know I shouldn't compare exactly, but my husband has grown up like this, and my cleaning skills are definitely not there. And, it's mainly because I looked at cleaning as a drudge.

This week I have challenged myself to think differently about cleaning, and tackle cleaning with a new heart and mind. When I clean now I think about it as being a blessing to my family. And, it gives me much more motivation to clean. I'm working on different cleaning and organizing projects this week, and I feel such a burden lifted off of me, and a renewed sense of peace just by cleaning and organzing!

Next week I will try to post pictures of my cleaning progress. I need some new batteries for my camera, and I should have them next week.

Have a wonderful day!!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Work from home Wednesdays





Today is Wednesday, and as promised, I will feature more ways to earn money from home. Site Build It or Site Sell, is a company that helps people earn money from creating websites around topics that they are passionate about. It's a great way for stay at home moms to earn money from home with a website that is about a subject that they love. I have heard many great things about this company.

This link is a link to A Work At Home Mother's Guide To Successfully Building A Real Business on the Net. You can download it for free, and read through it whenever you have time. It took me awhile to read through it in my free time, but I think it's worth checking out.

You can see if you want to start a website through Site Sell or not. But, even if not, you can learn interesting information that can help you earn money with the blog or website that you already have. If this seems like something that interests you, I encourage you to consider it and pray about whether this is a good step for you to take.

Feel free to share comments about anyone you know who has enjoyed success with Site Sell, or share about another great way to earn money from home.

Have a happy Wednesday!!

Monday, February 9, 2009

A Very Hectic Day

My day today did not go as planned AT ALL!! Fortunately, I did wake up at 7 a.m., and I was able to tackle a few writing assignments. But things quickly went downhill as the morning progressed.

I fixed breakfast for my son and I nursed my daughter. Oh, and I just finished a quick dinner of tacos a few minutes ago. That's all I have accomplied today, because I had a bit of an . . . incident. I really was not feeling well at all, and I had to tend to this incident for three whole hours. Thankfully, my son took an early nap, and my daughter slept through quite a bit of it. But, I was in so much pain.

Happily, I can report that I feel much better now, although I still feel a bit of pain. My goals for the day have been dashed for the most part, but that's ok. During my pain all I could think about was how happy and blessed I would feel to be back to normal.

It made me take even greater delight in tending to my home and taking care of my family. It really brings me so much joy. Although money is tight sometimes, I am so glad that I am able to be home with my children. I miss them sometimes when they nap too long! I don't even want to imagine what it would be like to be away from them for eight hours. I shudder to think of it.

I hope everyone else has had a good start to their Monday. I feel so inspired and uplifted from the church service yesterday. The preacher talked about anger, and how important it is to manage your anger, and to be slow to anger. That's a lesson that I think is really important for mothers. It can be easy to give in to frustrations, and blow our tops. But, it's sooooo much better to just be calm about things, even in the midst of a storm. You feel so much better knowing that you conquered anger, instead of letting it conquer you.

Have a happy Monday!

Friday, February 6, 2009

Feminine Friday: Tea Parties





I have been hearing of Feminine Friday on a few blogs, and I decided I wanted to join in on it. So, on Fridays, I will try to post about feminine things that I love. Well, one love for me are tea parties. I love visiting tearooms and having afternoon tea.

I developed this love for tea parties when I was a little girl. I had my cute little pink tea set that I would set out for myself and my dolls. I would love to have some sort of tea party business. It's something that I have thought about before, but I'm not sure.

I think tea parties can be wonderful ministry tools as well. You could invite young ladies to your home for afternoon tea, and have a Bible study, etiquette lesson, or teach lessons on how to be a lady and biblical womanhood. I think it would be really cool to do something like that, and I guess it's better to just try it, than to keep thinking about doing it.

My sister, who is in college, used to kind of laugh at me for loving to go to tearooms for tea. But, then I dragged her to one, and she fell in love with it too. She has even raved to her friends about it, and encouraged them to go to tearooms with her.

Of course, tea parties and afternoon tea are not just for ladies. But, usually tearooms are very feminine. I love the dainty teacups, the pretty and feminine decor, the scrumptious food, and . . . just everything about it.

Here are pictures from my bridal shower tea held a few years ago. It wasn't a traditional afternoon tea, but it was beautifully presented.




I have never made scones before, but I would love to try making them. I hear that they are difficult to make. Right now, I'm trying to conquer making my grandmother's homemade biscuits. They are the best biscuits that I have tasted. If I can make them like her, I would probably make them at least every other day.

If you want to find a great tearoom in your area, you can go to www.teamap.com and put in your zip code. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Don't Ever Take Your Life For Granted

It's a little past midnight as I type, and my daughter has just now fallen asleep. I have been trying to get her to sleep for the past hour, and she simply refused to go. I started to get frustrated and angry because she did not go to sleep so that I could get some work done before I go to bed.

I uttered a prayer to God to grant me extra patience, and proceeded to hold her and nurse her while I tried to get some writing done. While stopping by the SITS blog, I happened upon a post about Cynthia, and I felt so sad for her and her loss. It brought tears to my eyes. All I could do was look down at the baby in my arms and thank God for her.

Here I am getting frustrated with my baby because she wouldn't go to sleep when I wanted her to go to sleep. It can be easy to lose sight of your blessings, and take things for granted. I don't want to take God's precious blessings in my life for granted. Not for a moment.

Please stop by Cynthia's blog to show her some love, if you have time. Please pray for this hurting woman.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

More Ways to Earn Money From Home

I wanted to share a few more ways that I know of to earn income from home. If you have the chance to work at these opportunities, it's great. I told you last week about freelance opportunities from home, that provide a steady stream of income if you are willing to work at it.

Here are a few more income opportunities:

1. wwww.Lovetoknow.com.

They are looking for freelance writers and you get paid $20/article accepted.

2. About.com guide

If you are accepted to become a guide for about.com, you are guaranteed to earn at least $725/month. You must write at least four articles each month. Sounds like a great job. I would love to write for About.com, but I haven't yet found a topic from their listings that I have enough expertise in. If you are interested, go to www.beaguide.about.com .

3. Tutor

Tutor.com, and writeathome.com are great companies to work for. Writeathome.com allows you to tutor students in writing via computer. If you are interested in helping kids write, then it's worth checking out. Also, www.scoreessaysfromhome@pearson.com is another website worth checking into.

I just wanted to share those three opportunities, and if you know of more along those lines and you want to share, please feel free to leave a comment about it. I think it's great when women can share various ways that they earn money from home. If there's one opportunity that I know of that could possibly bless someone financially, I am eager to share it. I would love for all moms who desire to stay at home with their kids, to have an arsenal of knowledge about the various income earning possibilities out there, to help them in their choice to be an at home mother.

Every Wednesday I will share work from home opportunities, or highlight businesses that are owned by work at home moms, because it might inspire someone to do the same thing.

Everyone, have a happy Wednesday. And, for a treat tonight, tune in to Top Chef. Watching the show is such a guilty pleasure.

Monday, February 2, 2009

What's Wrong With Clingy Babies?



**



Happy February everyone!! I haven't posted in a couple of days, and I had been meaning to, but I was really busy. I'm so happy to hear about people finding work from home opportunities. I think that it's great!!! On Wednesday, I will post some more work from home opportunities that have worked for me, and will hopefully help someone.

Over the weekend I went over to my cousin's house for a little get together. I brought my daughter along with me. In the email invitation my cousin said that it was a ladies hour, and I was kind of excited to go. When I went, I found out that it was basically to get us together so she could pitch a product to us. It was about health pills and such, and undergarments that women can wear to help them contour their bodies, and help them to loose weight. I was a bit disappointed that the gathering was for that purpose, but I tried to enjoy myself nevertheless.

I can't remember the name of the company, but it was the kind of thing where you buy a kit and you can start your own little business by selling the stuff that was part of the kit. One of the ladies that was there did it, and she's a stay at home mom, and she said it worked well for her. The products sell themselves, and such. I was kind of interested in one of the corsets, because I need one to help me lose my little post-partum "pouch" but it cost, $168! Hmmm. I don't think I need it quite that badly. I will stick with my Pilates tape!!

Anyways, while I was there, my little Princess(who turns 5 months old tomorrow!) continued to throw fits. She cried up a storm whenever someone even looked like they were approaching her to try to hold her. An older lady that was there gave me this sage advice: "You need to get out more, and leave your baby. She obviously spends too much time right up under you. She's not used to strangers. You need to take her and leave her around strangers more often, so she won't cry when people try to hold her."

Right. That's exactly what I will do.

Another lady chimed in and said it was because I am breastfeeding her. She had nursed all of her children, and all of them were so clingy. She said it like it was a bad thing. Now, I for one, know that just because you nurse a baby doesn't mean that the child will be super attached to you. I nursed my son, and he has yet to meet a stranger. He is the friendliest baby. Even as a young baby, he would go to anyone who held their arms out. He never cried when a stranger held him or anything. So, I know that is not true.

Then of course, I was asked repeatedly when I was going to return to teaching. And, what did I do all day and such. I said that I planned on continuing to stay at home, and that I freelance write.

I continue to be amazed by people giving me baby advice, and throwing subtle hints to return to teaching. I don't understand how it affects them. I know that some people mean well, but, generally, I don't offer advice unless I'm asked. Aren't babies supposed to be attached to their mothers? Who cares if they cry around strangers? My friend from college was telling me that her adult relatives have been doing the same thing to her, basically disagreeing with the way that she's raising her baby; nursing, co-sleeping, holding her often, etc.

She asked me how I dealt with it, and I just told her that I listen and nod my head, and just continue to do what I want to do. That way, I'm not being disrespectful, there's no ensuing argument about which way is right, no hurt feelings. They eventually get the hint and hush when they see me continue to do what I feel is best for my baby. This is what I think, You had your chance to raise your children the way that you wanted, now please grant me the same respect with my children. If someone is being too pushy, I think this comment can stop them in their tracks.

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