There are plenty of cool savings happening online for entrepreneurial types just like us.  This is definitely just a “short list” but hopefully you’ll find some worthwhile nuggets.

Black Friday StudioPress Style

Using the code THANKS at checkout (don’t forget that), you can save 25% off of anything you’d like at WordPress design shop, StudioPress.

1. Get the Genesis Framework for only $45.
2. Snag most Genesis/design combos for a song and save close to $20.
3. Wipe the entire shop clean and get the StudioPress Pro Plus All-Theme Package.  Get Genesis plus every design they’ve made, plus every design they make in the future, and save more than $74 off the regular price and over $875 off the retail price — and that’s just the existing 43 designs!
4. All you need to do is use the code THANKS when you check out and you’ll save 25% on anything and everything at  StudioPress.com .

This deal ends promptly at 7:00 pm Pacific time on Monday, November 28, 2011.  Hurry up claim your new WordPress theme and before the code expires!

Black Friday PLR

• “366 Tips Bundles” {Marketing, Crafts and Cooking} Use Them for Social Media, Email Marketing, Daily Tips and More  (Ends Wednesday, November 22nd so hurry)
• Creative Video Marketing Bundleincludes the following illustrated tutorials:* Turning Slideshows into Video* Creating On Screen Presentations* Google+ HangoutsAnd a handy checklist or idea list with 50 Creative Video Marketing Ideas for you.

Black Friday for Charity

Save the Children: Make a Donation to the Global Action Fund and receive a bonus gift for your generosity. For more details visit Save the Children.

 Black Friday Business/Charity Hybrid

Every year, Ryan Deiss does a free live training known as ”Black Friday Bootcamp” … and every year it’s amazing. This year Ryan really raised the bar. He will be teaching his “30 Days to $10k” blueprint. According to Ryan, a complete newbie can take this plan and build a $10k a month business by New Years Day. And you’re invited! You need to RSVP now to reserve your seat at Black Friday Bootcamp.

And when the dust settles, we’ll be making a very generous donation to charity, just like we did after last year’s BFB.

Other Cool Things

TechBased Marketing Plug-In Freebie

This is neat little plugin lets you add links to your social network profiles without taking up any premium sidebar space. It quietly hangs out on the left (or right) of the screen, enticing readers as they scroll up and down. Get your social media plug-in today.

Digital Marketer Pro

For only $49/year you can get access to the monthly digital magazine that covers that month’s highlights from DIgital Marketer LABS (the membership site) + monthly columns from MaryEllen, Deiss, Richard Lindner and other hot shots on their team. They keep their fingers on the pulse of internet marketing today.  If you want to keep in the loop visit Digital Marketer Pro.

Free ebooks you’ll get with your subscription

#1. Partnering With Amazon - How To Give Amazon Permission To Sell Your Products To Their Over 275 MILLION Registered Buyers

#2. Partnering With Apple How To Get Instant Access To Apple’s Database of More Than 300 Million Active Credit Cards On File

#3. Partnering With Facebook 7 Steps To Leveraging the Largest Site In The World For Free, Targeted Traffic

#4. Partnering With Google How To Make Google Your Biggest Affiliate and Crush Your Competition In The Process

 Livescribe - CyberMonday Sale

I love my Livescribe pen. It is an excellent way to take notes, record conversations with your clients so that you don’t forget a single detail as well as the ability to have your handwritten notes converted into type. I’ve had mine for about a year and a half and I can’t recommend it enough.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Yes, homeschoolers DO care about the state of public education. Shocking, huh? I come from a family of educators ranging from elementary school to the university level. Teaching is very near and dear to my heart.

Imparting knowledge is very important to me and I find it extremely frustrating listening to teachers lament over the things they’d like to do for their students but are constrained by budgetary cuts and bureaucratic nonsense.

And that’s why I’m hoping that everyone that reads these words will help the parents and teachers of P.S. 40 to raise the money that they need to make their student’s educational experience one that they won’t soon forget.

We can all help by making our shopping dollars count. You can find the fundraising details below.  I hope that you’ll be able to help — and since we all buy books, magazines, DVDs, etc. I’m sure that won’t be a problem.

• Fundraising Dates: Saturday, October 15th through next Friday, October 21st
• Rules: If you order your products online (www.barnesandnoble.com), be sure to include the P.S. 40 Code #10558682 when you checkout. Barnes and Nobles will donate a percentage of every sale (except gift cards and memberships) to P.S. 40.

  If you need to stock up on gifts for birthdays or the holidays, or are maybe due a treat yourself, please shop at Barnes & Noble between from October 15th – 21st and use code #10558682 at checkout so P.S. 40 can benefit.

• Purpose: The money B&N donates will be used for classroom supplies, teaching assistants, chess instruction, arts programs, teacher development and many other items and programs that help support and enrich our children’s education at P.S. 40.

Living in my own personal zoo (two cats and two dogs with a bevy of fish), summer heat is something that my family has to take into consideration especially since we don’t have air conditioning.  Here are some tips for making sure your pets stay cool and healthy this summer.

Water
The importance of easy access to fresh water at all times is crucial, especially during the summer. If your animals are indoor/outdoor, make sure there is water outside as well as inside. 

To keep the water cool, you can put ice cubes in it or, to help keep the supply fresh and cool, freeze a plastic container of water (such as a margarine container) and unmold the ice block into your pet’s water bowl. It will slowly melt, providing a supply of fresh, cool water. Animals can lick the ice, too, and cool their tongues (the tongue is the primary way a dog cools itself).

And water isn’t just for drinking. My golden retriever likes nothing better than sitting inside the wading pool to cool off. And on really, really hot days I’ve even caught our cats taking a quick walk through it too.

Shade
Shade is vital for keeping pets cool outdoors. If you have dogs and cats that are exclusively outdoors, make sure to provide shady areas besides just a doghouse or one tree. Remember, at noon one tree doesn’t provide much shade.

Grooming

This is probably obvious to most of you, but keeping your dog’s hair short in the summer can be the best thing you can do for your pet. My golden really seemed to appreciate the coolness as she sported her  golden Labrador Retriever look last summer. (And I definitely appreciated not having to vacuum all the shedding hair.)

In or Out?

If you have pets that are indoor and outdoor, try to restrict outside time (especially exercise time, like brisk walks) to early morning and evening, when the sun is not strong or is even below the horizon.

If you have to walk them during other times during the day, I take the dogs on an abbreviated walk — instead of doing our regular mile I’ll do a quarter of a mile and try to make up the difference in the evening.

Signs of Heatstroke
Heatstroke is a dangerous condition that your pets can develop after long hours (or even minutes) in the heat. In dogs, heatstroke is signified by excessive panting, agitated behavior, rapid heartbeat, fever, and lethargy.

Cats are a bit different – panting for more than a moment or two is cause for concern in felines, as are rapid pulse, agitation (like pacing), and fever. Ironically, cats may stop drinking or drink very little when experiencing heatstroke. (Cats always want to be special don’t they?)

If you suspect heatstroke here’s what you need to do:

• Get your dog out of the sun right away and into air conditioning if possible.
• Bathe your dog in cool water or cooled peppermint tea and wrap him in cool, wet towels.
• Cats should also be removed from the sun and heat, and placed in the shade in front of a fan or in an air conditioned room or vehicle.
• Try to get cold water into your cat by dropping ice water into the edge of the mouth.

Fish

I was going to skip the fish, but Cat in the Hat (the mayor of our fish tank) took exception so here’s a fish tip — monitor the heat of the water inside of your tank during the summer months.

Fish like a consistent temperature so keep the tank out of direct sunlight. The ideal temperature for most fish-only aquarium is between 76 degrees and 82 degrees Fahrenheit. If you only have fish, the aquarium is stocked properly, and you only need about a 2 to 6 degree temperature drop, here’s a few things you can try:

• Buy an air conditioner! Sometimes this is the only solution.
• When the water heats up, the oxygen level in the water can drop, so aerate your tank with a strong air pump. It will also aid heat exchange at the surface.
• If your aquarium is well-covered, open the covers on your tank, and place nylon netting over the openings to prevent fish from jumping out. This allows heat to escape. You can aid this process further by directing the air-flow of a small fan across the top of the tank.
• Close the shades on windows in the room. Even indirect sunlight will raise the room temperature by a degree or two and every little bit helps.

Now, I’m far from being a fish expert, but the guys over at Aquarium Pros are, so if you have questions I recommend you give them a visit.

Cars

No discussion of summer pet safety is complete without a warning about leaving pets in hot cars. Even if “it’s not that hot” or “it’s just for a minute,” do not ever leave your pet in a car on a sunny day. Even with windows partly down (most pet owners can’t leave the windows all the way down because their pet would escape), the heat in a car can kill your pet in a matter of minutes.

So, how do you plan on keeping your pets cool this summer?

This year’s Summer Skill Camp 2011 has a great lineup of eight 90-minute clinics including:

• Success Strategies for Creating a Social Media Monitoring System
• Creating and Promoting a Compelling Facebook Contest
• Tips and Tactics for Building an Effective Social Media Measurement System
• Discovering the Fine Art of Setting Rates and Building Packages for Your Services
• Creating an Effective Mobile Marketing Campaign for Local Businesses
• Setting up an Ecommerce Platform with 1ShoppingCart
• Mastering New Tactics for Increasing Your Search Engine Listings
• Maximizing Productivity and Enhancing Communications using Google Tools.

Watch this video for a more in-depth view of what to expect.

To gain more information about the Summer Skill Camp visit VAClassroom.

Please Note: I am a student at VAClassroom and do have an affiliate relationship with them as well.

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dad’s out there that go the extra mile to ensure their families are safe and happy.

The cute in the picture is the star of Father’s Day over at the Khalid household. He has earned the right to watch movies unencumbered by wives who talk all of the time (can’t figure out who that could be) and children who want to be taken to the beach to play.

This is the first Father’s Day that we’ve been able to celebrate as a family in a long time. He works weekends two states away and it’s hard to get time off. But thanks to our growing business he was able to sneak away without worrying about the effects on his paycheck (yea home business!)

And although I would have opted to uninterrupted sleeping with a couple of trays of food being delivered by the children, today he’s taking them fishing in the Father’s Day Fishing Derby.  And then they’re going swimming at our local pool. It’s because of sacrifices like this that he is our Dad of the Year!

(And the crowd roars)

Happy Father’s Day Akraam!

When you hear the term “Summer Camp”, nostalgic thoughts of campfires, canoe trips and camp fire sing-alongs might come to mind!

Well, our friends at VAClassroom with re-invented the concept with their new Summer Skill Camp designed to equip you with high-demand skills that businesses are seeking today.

Sorry, no campfires, just top-notch, virtual skill-based webinars certain to give your business a much needed boost heading into the last half of 2011. This year’s Summer Skill Camp features eight high-calibre 90-minute webinars happening at specific times throughout the month of July.

Here is a sneak peek at some of the timely topics that will be covered this year:

• Success Strategies for Creating a Social Media Monitoring System
• Creating and Promoting a Compelling Facebook Contest
• Tips and Tactics for Building an Effective Social Media Measurement System
• Discover the Fine Art of Setting Rates and Building Packages for Your Services
• Creating an Effective Mobile Marketing Campaign for Local Businesses
• Set up an E-commerce Platform with 1ShoppingCart
• Master New Tactics for Increasing Your Search Engine Listings
• Maximize Productivity and Enhance Communications using Google Tools.

Each webinar will include practical checklists, templates and resources to ensure that you can effectively apply what you learn to your business. Our friends at VAClassroom have established a good reputation for creating training programs that produce a very positive return on investment for their students.

Currently, they are offering an early-bird registration and a $100 discount, making this a very affordable training program. To join this year’s Summer Skill Camp and get all the details, visit this page here:

http://www.hs-wahm.com/VASummerCamp2011

Oh, and one of the best benefits for me is that all of the sessions are recorded and yours to review anytime you need them.  With all the science camps, swimming lessons, karate, parties, family reunions — hey, you get the idea — I usually end up missing a couple of the live classes.  So, if you’re hesitant about joining because of your summer schedule, you don’t have to be because the classes are yours forever.

Enjoy!

photo credit: Paulo Fassina

There are some people who never seem to be able to get work. I mean they have top-rated skills, lots of knowledge, but no employers. Ever wonder why? Here are the Top 7 reasons that I’ve seen this happen.

1. Your Website. Now, I’m not to crazy about my own website at the moment, so I”m not casting stones. But here’s an honest observation — if you are promoting yourself as a Facebook Fan Page designer, a WordPress guru or Twitter Background creator, the least you can do is make sure your own website is pulled together.Using substandard graphics (I’m talking  cartoon clipart straight from Microsoft!), unattractive templates, etc. I’m pretty sure that you’re not getting the job.

 

2. Argumentative. Disagreements happen. Misunderstandings happen, but when you’re a control freak trying to dictate to your potential client how they should run their business, you’re probably not going to last long.  Here’s an example of what I mean — you’re a VA and you’re contacted by someone who wants you to do sub-contractor work for them. If the rates aren’t to your liking just politely decline and move on.Picking a fight over why they should pay you more or better yet, why their client should pay more for the service is the fast track to being blacklisted as a nut. See the beauty of being a VA means you can accept and decline jobs at your whim. Not that you can badger someone into doing your bidding (no pun intended).

 

3. Taxes. As VAs we’re all accountable for our own taxes — the good and the bad. Jabbering on about your personal accounting system when you get your 1099 at the end of the year is counterproductive and annoying.  If you don’t want the work for December tacked on at the end of the year, don’t submit your invoice until January. Can’t we all just get along?

 

4. Mis-communication of Availability. Things come up.  Sometimes you may get a project and BLAM! something happens so you need to extend the deadline. Most people understand that computer have a mind of their own and technical problems arise. But when this is chronic (with a litany of excuses tacked on for good measure), you’re not going to last long in this business. Word gets around fast in this industry.

 

5. Payment Systems. Okay, this is my husband’s pet peeve. When the job of paying  you gets to be harder than the job itself, it’s time to get someone else to do the job.  Most employers prefer to pay through Intuit, Paypal and other electronic means that don’t include finding stamps and mailing checks and money orders. If you’re a virtual assistant, getting paid virtually shouldn’t be a big deal, right?

 

6. No Communication. If your client emails you with a need to have something done and gives you a deadline, it behooves you (if you like getting paid) to answer them in a timely fashion. You see, you’re working for them, not the other way around.

 

7. Rounding Up Hours. As a VA we get paid for the work done. Most of us use timing systems to provide our client with accurate records. So, thinking that you can round up the time to the next hour is a good way to not work long in the industry.One of the largest selling points for our industry is that we only get paid for the time we are working – nothing less, nothing more. So stop trying to manipulate the clock, unless of course you’re trying to lose clients.

So, those are my Top 7. If you have any to add to the list, feel free to comment below. Who knows, we might help some people to finally find satisfying work!

I’ve been on Weightwatchers for awhile now and am learning better eating habits. But sometimes eating better gets a bit boring especially if you’re eating a lot of green salads. Here’s a nice and easy (always a requirement for me) dressing that’s pretty tasty.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup plain non-fat yogurt
• ½ tbsp white wine vinegar
• ½ tbsp freshly chopped parsley
• 1 tsp freshly chopped chives
• ½ tbsp Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients until you get a smooth dressing.
2. Allow to stand for a few minutes, then mix with your favorite pasta salad.

photo credit: i_hate_u

photo credit: Tavallai

We often equate our self-worth with the amount of money we have. What does that mean for families with low incomes? Money doesn’t have to define us if we know how to use it properly. Here are some strategies for saving money when you don’t have much to work with.

The economy has led to a lot of families taking big hits. Lost jobs, changing to lower-paying jobs and other factors have led to loss of income in this country. But, you can battle back if you are in this situation. It takes a little time in the beginning but you’ll get the hang of it soon.

Here are the strategies that might help you to save money.

• Create a budget – This is a tool to help you to know where you are right now and which direction you need to move in for the future. If the low income is a new situation, this is needed to know how short you will be on current bills. You can look at options for ways to cut costs.

• Talk to utility companies – Most utility companies have programs that allow you to pay the same amount each month based on your average monthly usage. This can help you to balance your books each month with no surprises.

• Investigate ways to lower energy costs – Try setting your thermostat at a lower temperature. If you are cold, use blankets. In the summer, use ceiling fans or wall fans to get the air moving. In the evening, open the windows for some natural breeze. Switching to CFL light bulbs will save money on lighting. Try other handy tips for lowering fuel bills. Over a year, it will pay for itself.

• Go grocery shopping – Eating out can be expensive, especially for a family. Buy meats and dry foods in bulk. Fix meals and freeze leftovers to be eaten at another time. Use coupons from the Sunday newspaper to lower food bills. Try a butcher shop for a better price on meats.

• Brown bag your lunch – Taking lunch to work and school saves about twenty dollars or more a week per person. You can invest in reusable lunch bags and water bottles.

• Hold a yard sale – There are sure to be items in your home that you don’t use and are gathering dust. Someone else may want them. A yard sale cleans out the clutter and also puts more money in your savings account.

• Revamp entertainment – With money pressures, take a look at your entertainment expenses. You can check out movies, CDs and books at your local library. Buy movies from Wal-Mart when they are on sale so the family can watch for movie night. Cancel book clubs, movie memberships and gym memberships to save money.

When the money is slim, you can still make ends meet with a few strategies. It doesn’t mean that you have to live without fun, just new ways to have your laughs.

photo credit: pshegubj

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ lbs ground beef (or lamb if you prefer)
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped basil
• 1 tbsp freshly chopped thyme
• 1 tbsp freshly chopped rosemary
• 1 tbsp freshly chopped chives
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• Lettuce leaves
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• 2 Baguettes
• Ketchup/mayonnaise

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, knead the herbs into the ground beef until well combined. Add the lemon juice, breadcrumbs, egg and season with salt and black pepper. Mix well. Shape the mix into eight patties, round or rectangular.
2. Heat up your BBQ. Lightly oil your barbecue grill and cook the burgers until well browned on each side and just cooked through.
3. Cut the two baguettes into half, cover with mayo/ketchup, tomato slices, lettuce and the burgers. Cut into sizable sandwiches and enjoy immediately.

photo credit: Bob B. Brown