I’m a single, working mommy… and I know firsthand how crazy wild our days can get! So I bring to you a new, weekly feature… “Working Mom Wednesday!” Hopefully, it’ll help other working moms reduce stress and simplify their busy lives!

My first tip is… Have a cooking day for meals during the week, and store in your freezer!

I personally love preparing and cooking every meal, each and every day… but I work for myself from the comfort of my home, and my son is pretty freakin amazing with this whole mommy & Jroc teamwork deal, so household routines usually run smoothly in my crib, yo…

But for the Super Mommies out there with more on their plates… multiple children, working outside the home, much more difficult circumstances, etc, I suggest you set aside several hours on the weekend to cook enough food for the week and store them in the freezer. You’ll reduced the “what’s for lunch/dinner” stress during the week!

I hear casseroles, soups, pasta, veggies, and burgers work really well for this. You can even divide each meal into individual servings and store them in baggies, if you have kids who can heat & serve on their own. You can do the same for desserts! (Mmmm #nomnomnom) When y’all are ready to chow during the week, just thaw & heat em up!

XOXO

I’ve been going through this massive SHIFT and I have just about every aspect of my life in order… and balanced out. It’s pretty cool, yo… and I’ll tell you more about it in a future post – I promise!

So I figured today would be the perfect day to post my very first “Tackle It Tuesday” post! The idea here is to share projects and tasks I want to knock off from my must-do list this week… to make myself accountable for them.

Ok… so here are 2 business-related things I MUST complete this week:

1. Create & Publish my Bi-Weekly Podcast for Fri 5/24
   My last podcast was published back in ’05… even before I relocated to Vegas. Isn’t that sad? I have so much fun creating them and my listeners loved em… Crazy thing is, I’ve recorded maybe 8 more podcasts since, but never published them because I’ve been a wimp.

   One will be posted by Friday… that is a FACT.

2. Record and Publish my Weekly Video for Mon 5/27
   This has been in the works for about 2 months now… and like the podcast, I have a few videos already recorded and ready to post, but I just never took that next step because… I’m a sad, sad, scaredy cat. I have a difficult enough time posting photos of myself on my personal FB page… so to broadcast a VIDEO would require a miracle and plenty of sugary desserts.

   However, I’ve decided my first vid will be posted on Monday… and this is also a FACT.

There you have it… 2 projects I’ve been putting off for… YEARS but will finally bring to fruition in the next few days. Do YOU have things you’ve been putting off that you feel maybe it’s time to just… do them? Tell me!!

XOXO

Attraction Marketing is about captivating your target market to want to do business with you because of who you are. The concept behind this is simple: Before “pitching” your product or service, you must brand and promote… YOU.

When done properly, your prospects will approach you willingly without having to “sell” to them. No pressure… no stress… instead, the process flows naturally.

You may be aware of “Attraction Marketing” being used by many successful multi-level marketers… however, let it be known that this concept is not used only by the MLM industry. It’s an incredibly powerful method utilized by home-based entrepreneurs like myself. Show people who you are… what you do… how you’ve built & continued to maintain your lifestyle… and help those who want the same, do the same.

I know I don’t like to be “sold” to. When I need a solution to a problem, I turn to people I trust for advice and recommendations. This is because it’s easier and more comfortable to relate with people we know and trust… people who we feel are looking out for us… who share the same values and goals as our own. So the key to Attraction Marketing is to build a positive and trusting connection with your IDEAL clients.

How? While the majority of marketers are busy trying to make a sale, YOU stand out by removing the dollar sign from your prospect’s face and focusing on their needs and serving them. By being the “go-to” person and directing people to helpful solutions, you establish yourself as the trusted expert in your field and become more attractive to the very people you want to draw in.

Finally… STOP talking about yourself, your business, your qualifications, etc., because this is not about you… it’s about THEM. Make your prospects a priority and you will increase YOUR value by leading with value. Focus on attracting the right people who need your solutions, and you will have pre-qualified prospects approaching YOU when they’re ready.

Have you ever looked at something that’s been a part of your life for almost forever (furniture, pets, even family), and suddenly find yourself *seeing* it for the very first time? This has been happening to me quite often lately, and it’s creepy weird.

Why does my room look different? Are those my sandals? Is this the same laptop I’ve been working on for the past year? When did I finish designing that website? What happened to my golden highlights and green eyes?!! ( << just kidding... lol...)

If you think I’ve lost my mind, you’re right. But not how you might think…

You see, I’ve always believed in living life in the present and with a purpose. I thought I’ve been practicing it all this time. However, my recent “awakening” forced me to realize and accept that at some point, I’ve become a mere spectator of my own life. I wasn’t fully participating and simply waited to see what was going to happen next.

• I went through the motions without actually *living* the moment
• I relied on the weather, current events, and other people’s moods & actions to determine how my day was going to be
• I gave up my freedom to choose my own actions and my effectiveness

While I’ve always made it a point to *actively choose* positive thoughts and moods and to complete all of my daily responsibilities, at some point, I began to unconsciously live a life dictated by habits, routine, and weaknesses. Somewhere, somehow, I lost control of ME.

And now that I’m aware of this, I’ve made a conscious decision to take back control of my mind and practice being proactive. I will choose to think positive thoughts and take back responsibility of my own effectiveness. I will openly recognize and accept my weaknesses, learn from them and make constant improvements. And although I cannot be responsible for someone else’s thoughts and actions, I have full control of how I respond to them.

I accept the responsibility of being a true master of my life. I will not allow myself to be acted upon.

So today, I’m fully and actively ‘present.’ Writing this entry… playing with my son… doing my laundry… talking to clients… I know for every moment that passes, my opportunity to live in the moment and create a change in my life would’ve also passed. I now realize just how crucial this is because when you do these things, you force your life to shift in the direction YOU are guiding it towards.

It’s January 1, 2013… I’ve taken back the keys and I’m driving again.

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+… Which social sharing sites to use for yourself and your audience? This great infographic shows just that, depending on your content and purpose: