Stay at Home Blessings

So You Want to Be a Work-at-Home Mom

2009-11-26T01:00:00.002+03:00

This book is a very practical and timely help for every stay at home mom who wants to work at home. Read the attached first chapter below and see if working from home is for you and how you can make it fit into your life as a stay at home mom.

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card authors are:

Jill Hart

and

Diana Ennen

and the book:

So You Want To Be A Work-At-Home Mom: A Christian's Guide To Starting a Home-Based Business

Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City (August 15, 2009)

***Special thanks to Jill Hart for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHORs:

Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com. Jill is a co-author of the upcoming book So You Want To Be a Work-at-Home Mom (Beacon Hill, Sept. 2009). Jill welcomes work-at-home questions at http://AskJill.cwahm.com/.

Visit the author's website.

Diana Ennen is the President of Virtual Word Publishing. Diana has worked from home for over 25 years and is passionate about PR, Publicity and Marketing & helping others Start their Own Virtual Assistant Business. Follow Diana on twitter at www.twitter.com/dianaennen.

Visit the author's website.

Product Details:

List Price: $15.99
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City (August 15, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0834124661
ISBN-13: 978-0834124660

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Making the Choice to Stay Home

Today’s moms are passionate women who want both careers and families without having to give up precious time with their children. They’re searching for ways to have it all, and they’re finding that it’s possible to work from home and at the same time balance a family.

It may sound like a dream, but it’s not. It does start with a dream, though.

A few fortunate women fall into a job or business that allows them to work at home, but it isn’t that easy for most women. To find a way to stay at home while still contributing to their family financially is something that many women long for but few know how to achieve. We hope to make it easier for you.

Being Content at Home

You might have expected us to immediately launch into a chapter about how wonderful life can be if you work at home. However, with the authors having worked from home many years, we realized that you first need to be content in your home life to make it work. The focus of your mind is where true happiness lies. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).

Before beginning your search for a career that will allow you to work from home, it’s important to remember that God has put you where you are for a reason. It may be for a season of your life, or it could possibly be long-term. Either way, trust that God will provide what’s best for you, and that may look a little different than what you think is best.

Being a mom and working outside the home can be incredibly challenging. Coordinating schedules, running kids to and fro, and being so tired by evening that you don’t have the energy to enjoy your kids take their toll. However, being a work-at-home mom every day, all day, presents its own unique challenges. It can become monotonous, even tedious. The kids, the house, the responsibilities—the list goes on and on. In either case, it can feel downright impossible to have an attitude of gratitude. The road can be hard, but in the end, your life will be less stressful and more satisfying if you can overcome discontentment. Following are some ideas for building contentment.

Be Grateful

One of the hardest attitudes to achieve is that of gratefulness. It’s easy to get caught up in the negatives that happen each day. However, it’s important to be grateful for each and every blessing that God gives.

Make a list of things in your life that you’re grateful for. You can start your list with your family and the opportunity to work from home, and continue from there. Take the time to thank God for each of the things on your list. As you begin to develop a grateful attitude, you’ll begin to notice more and more things each day you can add to your list.

Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that (1 Timothy 6:6-8).

Give Back

Changing your attitude is the first step to finding contentment. Reaching out and helping others is a proven way to change your attitude. When you extend help and graciousness to others, it can’t help but benefit you as well.

Find someone who needs a friend, and make a conscious effort to reach out to him or her every week or every month. Or find a ministry that you admire, and get involved. You’ll be surprised what investing something of yourself in others will do for your attitude. If you’re running a business from home, you may be able to bless others with a product they can’t afford or a special discount that will brighten their day. Maybe you can mentor someone. Be careful, though, that you don’t get so involved in helping others that you neglect your own business.

Choose to Accept Your Situation

A key component of contentment is acceptance. Acceptance doesn’t mean you don’t strive to better your life. It simply means that you make peace with where you are in life at this time.

There will always be more to attain—more money, more prestige. If you spend your life focused on what you don’t have or what you haven’t attained in life, you’ll be sad indeed. Celebrate each and every success, no matter how big or how small.

Examine your life and see all that is good in it. Each good thing is a gift from God. Accept that He is with you at this point in time. He’ll be with you in every success and every setback. Nothing you do will make Him love you more, and there’s nothing you can do that will make Him love you less.

We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

Focus on Christ

This may sound like a cliché, but it’s easy to allow focus to move from the Lord to self. When moms work at home, the needs of family, business, and self can sometimes be all-consuming, leaving little time to meet spiritual needs. But focusing on your relationship with the Lord is what should come first. If your relationship with Christ is weak, all other relationships will be affected.

Here are practices that will help keep you focused on Him:

1. Read your Bible every day. Make the commitment to read at least one verse every day. The Book of Proverbs is a good place to start, or start with verses from the Gospel of John for a close look at the life of Christ. As you progress to reading more each day, consider purchasing a Bible that will guide you through reading the whole Bible in a year. There are also versions available that will lead you through the Bible in ninety days.

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful (Joshua 1:8).

2. Cultivate an active prayer life. You can pray anytime and anywhere—when you’re driving, putting on your makeup, cooking, even as you drift off to sleep at night. Take advantage of these precious moments to spend them with your Heavenly Father.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

3. Meditate on the Word of God. When you find a verse or verses that have deep meaning for you, allow your mind to dwell on them, and let them soak into your spirit. A good starting point might be Romans 8:38-39—“I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Make note of the verses you’ve chosen, and jot down thoughts or ideas that they bring to mind. Keep your mind focused on Him, and be in prayer that He will open your eyes to what He would have you learn from the verses.

4. Wait. Contentment will not be attained overnight. Feelings of discontentment will push their way in. When they do, look through your life to bring to mind the ways God has changed you, the things He’s done to bring you closer to an attitude of contentment. Contentment comes in His timing, so allow Him the time to work in your life.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him

(Psalm 37:7).

If the temptation to wallow in discontentment continues to present itself, find someone who will hold you accountable—someone you can trust to be kind but firm who will speak the truth to you lovingly.

When you’re feeling dissatisfied or frustrated, give your accountability partner a call, and be honest about your feelings. Every mom gets frustrated; you’re certainly not alone. When you find someone you can talk with honestly, it will be an excellent help in overcoming negative thoughts and feelings. Accountability partners know each other on a very real and honest level and still accept and love each other. This allows both of you the opportunity to be supported as well as supportive.

Contentment may seem elusive, but with prayerful deliberation it can be achieved and will bring you more joy and peace than you can imagine. Start working toward an attitude of contentment today.

When your mind and heart are in a good place, it’s time to begin thinking about the choices that are available to you. Can you work from home? Should you work at home? And how in the world do you begin your search for success?

Setting Priorities in Business and at Home

Working from home, particularly if you’re running your own business, is a time-consuming endeavor—especially for moms. You’re responsible not only for the success of the business but for your family as well. You must be self-reliant, self-motivated, and self-disciplined in order to attain success in both areas.

When you work at home, it’s easy to let phone calls, e-mail, and paperwork keep you tied down and cause you to feel you don’t have time to take a break or choose to spend top-quality time with your family. Maybe you’ve noticed that you spend more time in front of your computer or on the phone than you expected to when you made the decision to work at home. Maybe you see your kids acting up and trying to get your attention. Maybe the work-at-home dream you envisioned isn’t happening.

You started out with noble intentions, but now the excitement of success in your business has caused you to lose sight of the primary reason you chose this path. It happens to many of us who work at home, so don’t worry. Help is on the way.

She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard (Proverbs 31:16).

Here are five tips for setting priorities in your life and business:

First, be honest. You probably didn’t start your work-at-home career to climb the corporate ladder. Spend some time in prayer, and ask the Lord to show you the things you need to change.

Take a few minutes to answer the following questions about how you’ve been handling the time commitment of owning a business.

• Are you spending too much time on the phone with clients?

• Do you think about business to the point that you’re distracted when you’re doing family activities?

• Is television getting more top-quality time with your children than you are?

• Do you snap at your children because of the stresses of your business?

Second, make a list. Sit down and write out a list of things you see that you would like to change. This can be a list of tasks you can do differently, such as limiting the time you spend on your business or ways you can reduce stress so you can deal kindly with your family.

Third, log your time. Buy a notebook or create a spreadsheet to log the time you spend on business. Make a column for each day across the top and a row of half-hour increments down the side. Time yourself every time you sit down at your desk by writing “in” in the box that corresponds to the time and day. Every time you leave your desk or complete a task, write “out” in the appropriate box.

At the end of the week, total up the hours you’ve spent each day on business tasks. Take special note of how much time you spend on e-mail and things that aren’t billable. Are you surprised, or is it about where you thought it would be? This can be a real eye-opener and show you in black and white if your priorities have gotten off track.

Fourth, take a break. If you’re in shock after examining your time log, it’s time to take a break. If you normally work during the weekend, make it a point to take this weekend off. Shut down your e-mail, turn off the ringer on your business phone, and shut the door to your office.

Plan ahead and schedule your time. Prioritize your workload, and have the work that will require the most effort and concentration scheduled for your peak time. Try not to get sidetracked; stay on task and focus on what you need to do. For example, you’ll be amazed by how much more you can accomplish by changing the way you handle e-mail. If you answer it only at scheduled times, you’ll find you have more time to do the tasks at hand.

Reevaluate the ways you’re spending your time. Try to plan when you can work on your business without losing time with your children. If your children are in school, make it a point to stop working when they get home. If your children are still small, try to plan your time accordingly. Perhaps a babysitter for several hours or days a week is necessary. Another possibility would be to have a grandparent or neighbor watch them once or twice a week to allow you time to work without interruptions.

Fifth, plan an activity. Now that you’re ready to make a change in your routine, why not plan an activity once a week? This can be an outing with your children or something simple, like setting aside time to make cookies together. You’ll notice that when you plan for these times, they actually happen.

If possible, find another work-at-home mom, and hold one another accountable to keep to your new schedules. Make a weekly play date for your children to spend time together. You and your friend can talk business if necessary, or you may decide to make it a “no business talk allowed” time.

Remember that the years you can work at home and have time with your children are a gift; your business is a gift also. How that will work for you and your family will take a little time to determine and will be different for each family. Take the time to find what works for you, and set your schedule accordingly. Reevaluate your priorities every few months to make sure that you’re making the best use of your time. The rewards will be well worth it. Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him (Psalm 127:3).

So You Want to be a Work-at-Home Mom, by Jill Hart and Diana Ennen © 2009 by Jill Hart, Diana Ennen, and Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, Kansas City, MO. Used by permission of Publisher. All rights reserved. Visit www.beaconhillbooks.com to purchase this title.

What To Do When My Baby is Teething

2009-11-24T01:00:00.000+03:00

My baby girl, who is now 10 1/2 months old, has one lower front tooth out and I can see one more upper front tooth starting to come out. The gums are red and swollen and I can feel a hard lump underneath.

During this time in a baby's life called teething, these are the signs that are observable. She drooled or salivated more than usual, put her hands in her mouth, pretty much bit or chewed anything nearby that she can grab, even bit my nipples when breastfeeding, and sometimes was very irritable. It has also become quite difficult to feed her probably due to painful eating.

Here are some of the things that can be done to ease the pain of teething. (1) Give her something to chew on like:

Cool, wet washcloth
Teething Toys (especially those that vibrate because it massages the baby's gums)
Teething ring - cold not frozen
The pacifier
Teething biscuits
Firm-textured foods such as carrot fingers or pieces of apple

(2) I've also read from a forum that Hylands makes some teething tablets that are sweet and milky tasting and dissolve almost instantly when placed under the child's tongue. They say it helps a lot though I have not tried it. (3) Massaging the baby's gums.

Below is a video which gives a short demonstration of things to do when the baby is teething.

Take note also that other symptoms such as high fever, loss of appetite, diarrhea or vomiting are never caused by teething. If the baby suffers from these, a pediatrician should be consulted. As an example, my daughter had 3 days of fever during this teething time and was found to have roseola infantum.

Parenting Tips: Character Building - 5 Ways to Help Your Child Tell the Truth

2009-11-17T10:20:00.001+03:00

Has your child ever told you a lie? How should we deal with that? Did he eventually tell the truth? It is sad when our children tell a lie. But it is not hopeless. We can teach them to tell the truth.

For me, I let them know how wrong it is to lie and the consequences of it. I do try to talk to them calmly but firmly. And when they do tell the truth afterward, I affirm their action.

Below is a helpful parenting article by Jean Tracy about building the character of truthfulness into our children. This is reprinted here in my blog with permission from Jean Tracy. Hope you enjoy her parenting tips.

Is your child telling fibs? Would you like 5 parenting tips to help her tell the truth? Inside you'll find five suggestions you can use.

Quote on Truthfulness:
"What people say, what people do, and what they say they do are entirely different things." - Margaret Meade

Parents, if you have a child who tells fibs, are you frustrated? Perhaps you've discussed the problem with her but she keeps "exaggerating." What can you do?

Let's say your child feels like he or she lives in the shadow of a successful older brother or sister. Sometimes s/he says, "I did that too, only better." Then, tells a story about his or her success. Everyone knows it isn't true.

In our last newsletter we briefly discussed the 4 reasons children misbehave - power, attention, revenge and helplessness. The one that sticks out for me in this case, is attention. If you have such a child, consider the following 5 suggestions.

5 Parenting Tips for Building a Truthful Character:

~ Use parent affirmations. Tell your child specifically what is special about her. Put love notes under her pillow and read them to her when it's bedtime. Then talk about the affirmation. If you do, she won't feel the need to exaggerate her own importance. She'll enjoy bedtime too. Of course, love notes can go inside lunch boxes, a pocket, or a handy kitchen basket. You'll need to do the same for your other children to avoid jealously. This will increase your bond with each child.

~ Create a truthfulness chart. At the top of the chart write, "My goal is to tell the truth." Give your child a sticker to put on the chart when he admits he fibbed, when he tells the truth, and when he praises his older brother or sister for their success. He'll love the stickers and the positive attention, especially if the chart is posted on the refrigerator for all to see.

~ Hold family meetings. If your family already knows your child tells fibs, ask the members to kindly tell her how her fibbing affects them. Let her talk about it too. Ask everyone to make a commitment to help her be more truthful. Maybe they'll give her a special look, say her name in kind but special way, or give her a special gesture. These can be reminders to help her tell the truth.

~ Ask your local librarian for children's storybooks that help children tell the truth. Share these books with your child. Discuss them too.

~ Boost your parenting skills. If you get angry when your child fibs and you say hurtful things, make some changes. Catch yourself. Make a commitment to become kind as well as firm.

Character Building Conclusion:

Stop worrying about your children's fibs. Choose these parenting tips to help your children do what they say and say what they do truthfully.

Building character in your kids is the best way to create a happy family. Your own behavior in handling problems, giving love and attention, and using character building stories will become bonding experiences. You'll also enjoy the feeling of being a good parent.

Jean Tracy, MSS, publishes a free Parenting Newsletter at www.KidsDiscuss.com.Subscribe and receive 80 fun activities to share with your kids.

Subscribe to Jean Tracy's blog at http://ParentingSkillsBlog.typepad.com and pick up a new tip with each post.

Contact the Author
Jean Tracy, MSS
Discipline Tips for Parents
More Details about parenting tips for building character here.

Taking Care of Kids Teeth

2009-11-09T08:52:00.000+03:00

If we want our kids to have healthy teeth, we have to start early and start the right oral care habits. The other week, our whole family went to the dentist to have our regular check-up and teeth cleaning. I also picked up a hand-out about basic oral care for kids. I would like to share some of the important points to remember when it comes to taking care of our kids teeth.

How can I help keep my child's teeth cavity-free? Their teeth should be brushed properly with a fluoride toothpaste at least twice a day (morning and before bed, after every meal is ideal) spending at least 2 minutes brushing. Generally, kids under 8 will need help brushing, which means brushing for them the areas they might have missed on their own. It is also important to give them healthy snacks like bread and fruit and to stay away from too much sweets including softdrinks.

How should I brush my child's teeth? It is helpful to stand behind your child and tilt his or head back then
1. Start by cleaning the chewing surfaces using short back-and-forth strokes.
2. For the outer tooth surfaces, place the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle toward the gumline.
3. Move the brush back and forth in short gentle strokes.
4. To clean the inner front teeth, hold the brush vertically and use gentle up-and-down strokes with the tip of the brush.
5. Make sure the gumline and back teeth are cleaned thoroughly.

How can I teach my kid to brush her own teeth? This is challenging because sometimes the child resists your brushing their teeth. My 3 year old insists on brushing her own teeth, so she needs to learn how. Start off with simple brushing technique, for example, a small circular brushing motion.

It is also important to keep the child enthusiastic about brushing their teeth. I found this video with a nice teeth brushing song to help make tooth brushing time fun for our kids.

Stay at Home Business 101: I Got Paid To

2009-10-22T14:35:00.000+03:00

This is the 4th post of the series about Get Paid To programs. Here, I will reveal those GPT programs I joined which have paid me. Finally, I have proven to myself that these are indeed legit sites. Sad to say there are many which have closed. Good for me, I did not really invest any money though I did invest time in it. Anyway, now, no more guess work. I know the GPT programs that I will stick with. These are:

1. Neobux - paid me 2 times: $2.02 and $3.20 instantly - payment proof 1 & 2
2. Palmbux -paid me $1.86 instantly - payment proof
3. Cash Harvest -paid me $2.01 in 3 days - payment proof
4. Jill's Clickcorner - paid me $1.12 as scheduled with mass pay - payment proof
5. Donkey Mails -paid me $1.08 as scheduled with mass pay - payment proof
6. 70cents -paid me $1.00 - this actually came as a surprise. I didn't expect that they will pay in 12 hrs. from request - payment proof
7. PaidToClick.in - paid me $0.06 - this is a new site pays out automatically when you reach $0.02 - payment proof

You might say, the earnings are too little. It is. I would have earned a lot more if I promoted my referral links more also. Anyway, this is one of the easiest ways to earn online.

Protecting our Children by Immunization

2009-10-15T20:22:00.000+03:00

Today, Angel will get her immunization for measles which is scheduled for an infant 9-months old. Though she will cry because of the pain for a while, it is for best. Why is it important for babies and children to get their immunizations or vaccines?

Though newborn babies get antibodies from their mothers, their immunity to many diseases may last only a month to about a year and only to the diseases mom is immune to. When these antibodies are gone, the child becomes vulnerable to diseases.

Newborns, babies, and toddlers can all be exposed to diseases from parents and other adults, brothers and sisters, on a plane, at child care, or even at the grocery store. If they are not vaccinated, their bodies may not be strong enough to fight the disease.

Many of the diseases vaccines protect against like whooping cough, measles and polio can be very dangerous to babies. Before vaccines, many children have actually died from these diseases. Thank God for vaccines, we don't see these diseases as often.

Let us not delay to protect our baby and risk these diseases. Let us take them for immunization when he or she needs it. There are immunization schedules to be followed. For more information on this, you can download the Parents' Guide to Childhood Immunizations.

Parenting Tips: Protecting Our Children

2009-10-06T15:00:00.000+03:00

As a mom, I am very concerned about the safety of my children. Daily news prove that anybody can be a target of predators especially our children. What can we do as parents to protect our children?

We must be committed and smart parents. Being a committed parent means knowing our children, listening to them, and being aware of what they're doing and who they're with. Being a smart parent means putting in place safety precautions to keep our children safe from predators.

Let me suggest 2 specific actions we must add to our to-do list to protect our children.

1. Know what type of people our child gets to be around with and that includes their friends, their friends' parents, the nanny and even the friendly plumber or cable man. Before we let them go out for a party or any type of gathering, it would be good if we could know about the people our children are socializing with.

Do you know we can conduct our own people search investigation to find out about anyone online free? Search engines are a powerful tool that scans all web pages for relevant information linked to a person's name. It would add an extra protection on our part if we would do some background check on people whom we don't really trust.

2. Each day billions of children log onto the internet to do research, email, chat, and play games. A large majority of content available on the internet is not suitable for our children like pornography and violence.

It is important to set up our computer's parameters so that they cannot access these websites. Protectyourchild.org gives a free step-by-step instruction to do that and it would only take 2 minutes to do so. Installing an antivirus, anti-spyware and anti-identity theft software on your computer is almost always a must.

Here's a helpful video about Teaching Your Kids to Be Safe Online. I think every parent should watch this.

There is simply one thing you cannot get enough of these days: safety.

Parenting Tips and Blog Hop: Three Things Every Parent Should Teach Their Kids - 9/28/2009

2009-09-28T08:51:00.000+03:00

This is my entry to the MckLinky blog hop for this week's theme: Three Things Every Parent Should Teach Their Kids. This is not a list of the MOST IMPORTANT. This is just a part of what other parents, like me, think we should teach our kids. Please do visit the other blogs listed in this blog hop to check what other moms and dads think.

My 3 things every parent should teach their kids are 3Ps.
1. Patience in waiting. I've noticed that my children are so impatient. When they want something, they want it NOW. Well, they have to develop it slowly because it comes with maturity, and their childishness right now still gets in the way.

2. Perseverance. Another thing I've noticed is that when they have to do something like their school homework, for example, when they see it's hard, they want to give up easily. I need to teach them that in order to gain something it takes a lot of hard work. I guess this generation is getting more used to the "instant" solutions made available by technology.

3. Prayer. Praying means they have trust in God. This is most important because when they learn to trust God, even when things are long in waiting or the going gets tough, they will always lean on God for hope and strength.

Special thanks to Purell Hand Sanitizer for sponsoring this blog hop.

Stay at Home Business 101: Get Paid to Read

2009-09-20T03:44:00.000+03:00

This is now the 3rd of the series about Get Paid To programs. The first two were Get Paid To Click and Get Paid To Programs. Now, it is Paid To Read or PTR programs. In PTR programs, you will agree to receive email from the site and get credit for reading them. Why not? If you have the time and means.

As a tip, it would be wise not to use your primary email address in registering with PTR programs. You don't want your primary email inbox bombarded with tons of email ads, right? So, it is best to use a separate email account solely for GPT programs (as already mentioned in the first 2 posts). I use Gmail. Because with Gmail, I can easily set up a filter label (See picture below) for each PTR program. This makes my inbox more organized and easy to navigate.

Most of the PTR programs I know pay 0.25 cents to 1 cent per email read. Some are much lower. But beware of those which offer $1 per email, most of the time, they are scam sites. Example PTR sites are:

DonkeyMails - 0.25 cent per email; approx. 5 emails every other day; minimum cash out $1; you can earn also by PTC and get paid to sign up.
MatrixMails - 1 cent per email; minimum cash out $2; you can earn also by PTC and get paid to write articles.
Wordlinx - 1 cent per email; minimum cash out $10; you can also earn by PTC.
Ads for All - 0.2 cent per email; minimum cash out $1; you can also earn by PTC.
Adsquik - 0.5 to 0.1 cent per ad read; (This is not really a PTR site but an ad exchange site. You earn points by reading email sent to you. In return, you can post ads using the points earned. The owner is just generous that cash rewards are given. This is a wonderful site for me.)

So that's it for now. Next post on Stay at Home Business 101, I'll post some proof of payments to the GPT programs I joined.

Blog Hop: Show Off Your Art 9/14/2009

2009-09-14T15:16:00.000+03:00

This week's Blog Hop theme is "SHOW OFF YOUR ART". This theme was suggested by a blog hop fan this week. Many of you are artists, wanna be artists or have kids who love art. This blog hop is your chance to show off your art. Don't be bashful or shy, you don't have to be a professional, it's not a contest. Drawing, painting, scrapbooking, crafts or just one of your kid's masterpieces... let's all enjoy it! NOTE: if you don't have a scanner, just take a photo and put it online.

I would like to share some of my son's drawings using the Paint software. My son drew these when he was 7 years old as a practice assignment for their Computer class. I was surprised that he can "paint".

My son's drawings may not be perfect but for me they are wonderful works of art. I support my son 100% in his efforts at drawing. God would want us to nurture our children's talents. Who knows, some day his art talents would be used by God for a special purpose.

Show me a person who doesn't know his talents or hasn't developed them for service to others, and I will show you a person who has little sense of purpose, meaning, motivation and value. Tom Paterson

Parenting Tips: Dealing with Dawdling

2009-09-14T10:49:00.000+03:00

"Hurry up! You're gonna be late for school again. If only you would eat as fast as when you're told you can play PSP." Why is it that it is difficult for children to hurry up? Why is it that they don't seem to care about the passing of time? Why do they dawdle? Do you have to deal with this with your school children?

According to the book Discipline Without Shouting or Spanking, which I'm reading, this is because "time has no meaning to a child under 6 years old (maybe older?), hurrying has no great advantages." To help prevent dawdling, some of the suggestions are:

Try to allow lead time. Give more time to prepare. This may mean waking up earlier to prepare for school.

Establish and maintain a schedule. Set a time limit and regular pattern for eating, playing, bathing and sleeping to develop consistency in the child's activities.

Turn instructions into fun, not frustrating orders by running races with her instead of urging her to just hurry up.

Don't nag. Nagging usually just makes him to dawdle more and give her attention for not moving.

Be a role model. Being an on-time person helps your child understand the importance of meeting time goals. Don't dawdle yourself.

Well, these are good tips. I do need to work on these myself. Let's give it a try.

Tips on How to Declutter Your Home

2009-09-07T10:36:00.000+03:00

All of us like a house that is organized and clutter-free. Moms, like me, are usually left with the unending task of keeping the house clutter free. What are we to do with the lots of things that have become unwanted clutters around the house. For me, my children's toys are on top of the list. For others, it can be tons of clothes in the closet, shoes, books, novelty items, etc.

One time, I watched Ophrah's show that featured tips on how to organize and keep the house clutter-free. Let me share what I learned. To know which of the things we have that we should keep or dispose of, it will be helpful to have 5 boxes that are labeled Trash, Keep, Donate, Sell and Swap.

Trash - These are the things that are totally unusable and are just cluttering up the house, i.e. broken toys, slippers without the other pair (really), etc.

Keep - These are the things that you decide that you want to keep. They may just need some washing, recycling or a touch of creativity.

Donate - There are a lot of charities that we can share old but usable clothes, shoes, bags with. That is where our children give their old toys to.

Sell - A lot of things that we buy we rarely use. What we can do with these is to sell them on a yard sale. If you can sell it online, like ebay or TripleClicks, you can earn 4-5 times more than a yard sale. Be sure to ready your handy camera and take a picture of the items to make it more saleable.

Swap - Among the things that we don't want to keep but are still good, are items that we see and immediately someone comes up to mind that we want to give that item to.

Be sure to do these from time to time so that your clutters at home won't pile up. And you would have more free clean space to enjoy at home with your family.

I found this site where you can get more tips for Decluttering delivered to your email for FREE. Get more quick, interesting and helpful free tips to show you how to Declutter Fast in your email! Mimi's Declutter Fast Tips have been tested by people all over the world. Sign-up now. (You have to scroll down the page a little bit to see the sign-up box.)

Learning to Read at Home

2009-09-01T10:37:00.000+03:00

Finally, Kristel is reading. It took a while before Kristel learned to read. She is now 5 and I've been homeschooling her for almost a year now. Unlike her 2 older brothers who were already reading at age 4, Kristel learned to read a year later. I had to exercise patience because her attitude toward studying was quite different from that of her brothers. Let's just say that it is not her inclination. But I'm just so glad that my efforts paid off and now she's reading and voluntarily doing so.

Here are some of the things we can do to help our child learn to read:
1. Talk with and listen to your child. Hearing you talk is a baby’s very first step toward becoming a reader. It helps her to love language and to learn words. As your child grows older, engage her into talking and listen to her. By doing so, she is encouraged to think as she speaks.

2. Read together with her. Children love stories. Try to spend at least 30 minutes each day reading to and with your child. At first, read for no more than a few minutes at a time, several times a day and choose books with many pictures. As your child grows older, you should be able to tell if he wants you to read for longer periods. Most of all, make sure that reading stays fun for both of you!

3. Show your child that you read. When your child sees that reading is important to you, she may decide that it is important to her, too.

4. Help your child learn about books and print. Reading together is a perfect time to help a late toddler or early preschooler learn what print is. As you read aloud, stop now and then and point to letters and words; then point to the pictures they stand for. Your child will begin to understand that the letters form words and that words name pictures. He will also start to learn that each letter has its own sound—one of the most important things your child can know when learning to read.

5. Encourage your child’s early writing efforts. Writing and reading go hand in hand. As your child is learning one, he is learning the other. Take every opportunity for him to practice both. Even at about age 2, he can be encouraged to draw and scribble using crayons and paper. He will have fun choosing which colors to use and which shapes to make. As he holds and moves the crayons, he will also develop muscle control. When he is a late toddler or early preschooler, he will become as eager to write as he is to read. Using laminated wipe-clean pages were very helpful to my children in their first efforts to learn to draw, write letters and numbers.

Here are some web resources that were helpful in teaching my kids to read:
1. www.Starfall.com - Where children have fun to read because it is animated and uses interactive learning. Primarily designed for first grade, Starfall is also useful for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and second grade. It is perfect for homeschooling. Most of all, it's free to use.

2. www.Headsprout.com - This learning to read program is not free but highly recommended for K-2 or older struggling readers. It uses fun, online interactive lessons, offers printed stories and gives a progress report of your child's reading.

"As parents, the most important thing we can do is read to our children early and often. Reading is the path to success in school and life. When children learn to love books, they learn to love learning.”
- Laura Bush

Download your free ebook about helping your child Learn to Read.

Blog Hop: Time to Laugh - 8/24/09

2009-08-23T22:36:00.000+03:00

I saw the link to Mcklinky from SitedandBlogged.com. I think this Mcklinky Blog Hopping is cool and fun, so I joined in.

This week's Blog Hop theme is "TIME TO LAUGH". Post your favorite joke, cartoon, funny picture, or video. We all need a good laugh sometimes, what a great way to start the week. Here's mine:

Have you seen a dog skateboard? Watch the Skateboarding Dog video from You Tube.

Love your enemies? We need to learn a thing or two from this picture courtesy of cheezburger.com. It brought some smile to my face.

more funny pictures

3 Parenting Tips - Helping Your Child Build Character and Overcome Pouting

2009-08-22T10:49:00.001+03:00

This is a helpful parenting article by Jean Tracy for moms like me who have children we want to build character into. This is reprinted here in my blog with permission from Jean Tracy. Hope you enjoy her parenting tips.

Would you like some parenting tips when your child pouts with lips turned down and drooping eyes? Do you feel stressed, nervous, or angry with the pouting? Look inside for 3 ways to understand, help, and build character in your pouting child.

I know how difficult it can be when your child pouts. Pouting affects your feelings and stresses you on the inside. ‘Oh, no,' you think. ‘I must make Joey happy.' If the pouting continues, your mind, like a rubber band, can snap with anger. ‘He shouldn't pout. He has no reason.' You yell, "Joey, wipe that look off your face right now! I'm sick and tired of your pouting."

Kids Who Pout - What You Need to Know:
When kids pout, they're drowning in a sea of negative thoughts. They need your parenting guidance because they don't know how to pull out of it. If you yell, they sink further. How can you save them from developing a habit of thinking dark thoughts?

3 Parenting Tips for Building Character and Stopping the Pouts:
First Parenting Tip -- Learn What's Behind the Pouts -
Kids who pout think negative thoughts like the following:
You love my brother more than me
You give her everything
You never do what I want
Nobody likes me
Poor me.
Second Parenting Tip -- Ask Questions --
Take your child off the "pity potty" within his mind. When your child is in a good mood, talk with him. Time alone like going for a walk or a private dinner can provide the atmosphere you need.
Ask questions like the following:
What was your pouting all about?
Tell me about the pouting. What was going on?
When you pout, what kind of thoughts are you thinking? Would you be more specific?
How do you feel inside when you pout?
Would you like to be happier and overcome the pouting?
Third Parenting Tip -- Listen Carefully, Avoid Criticism, and Then Brainstorm -
Your child's answers will give you the information you need. Don't interrupt to deny his thoughts, feelings, or tell him why he's wrong.
You don't want him to think, "Mom never listens." Or "Dad doesn't understand me." Ask, "Is there more?" Keep asking this question until your child is all talked out and has no more to say.
Assure your child of your love. Avoid criticizing with blame, 'you should have', or guilt. These tactics can shut communication down faster than a slamming door.
Now is the time to suggest, "Let's brainstorm how you can help yourself stop the negative thinking and be happier." Have your child go first. Make sure all the suggestions are positive.

Conclusion for Saving Your Child, Building Character, and Stopping the Pouts:
Learn which negative thoughts flood your child's mind. Pull those thoughts out by asking questions. Listen well and get him to trust that you really care. Brainstorm solutions together.
Follow these steps. Save him from a ‘pity potty' life. Teach him how to stop drowning in negative thoughts. Give him a better future by taking the time to ask, listen, learn, and brainstorm. He'll build a better character for solving problems too.

Jean Tracy, MSS invites you to receive 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids when you sign up for her newsletter at http://www.KidsDiscuss.com Bond with your child. Have fun being the parent.
To help your child overcome negative thinking, pick up Jean’s Thought-Stopping Kit at http://www.kidsdiscuss.com/parent_resource_center.asp?pr_id=kd005 Change your pouting kid into a smiling child.

Contact the Author
Jean Tracy, MSS
Parenting tips for children
More Details about parenting tips and character here.

Stay at Home Business 101: Get Paid To Programs

2009-08-14T16:29:00.000+03:00

Get Paid To (GPT) Programs, just like Paid To Click (PTC) programs, pay you per action. But the way to earn is not limited to getting paid to click ads. You also get paid to shop, to read email, to search, to surf, to complete offers, to take surveys, to sign-up to programs, to play games, to watch, and to promote. In this sense, GPT sites allow you to earn more and faster.

As with PTC programs, there are many GPT sites that also turn out to be scams. However, there are websites which help us determine which GPT programs are legit. If you want to know which GPT program pays go to www.beenpaid.com. If you want to know which sites are scamming people, go to www.GPTboycott.com. If you are still not sure about a GPT site, you can always Google search it "name of program + scam?" and see what the search results are.

Here are some of the GPT sites that I have signed up with. Hope you will sign-up through my referral links. Just a reminder, as with joining PTC sites, be sure to use an email that is solely used for this purpose, not your personal email.

GPT click, read ads, sign-up, link exchange
Revbux - New but has a Been Paid Seal of Approval
The Clickers - Online since 2007
Cash Harvest - 12 months online, 23,000 members

GPT click, complete offers, take surveys, play games,
Jill's Clickcorner - Launched March 2006

Get Paid to Search
TrekPay - New but now with 4,000+ members.

Will post update when some things up including payment proofs.

Carpet Stain Removal

2009-08-04T20:14:00.000+03:00

My kids love to drink chocolate milk. My 3-year old girl, at one time, even tried to make one glass for herself by mixing powdered chocolate with water. Imagine the spillovers staining the carpet. And not just once did my kids accidentally stain the carpet with spilled chocolate.

How can we clean up those chocolate stains on the carpet? I've searched the net for some tips and here are some of them.

It is easiest to remove the stain if you do it immediately after the carpet is stained.

Blot, don't scrub or wipe the stain on the carpet. When you scrub or wipe the stain, it will just spread and the carpet fibers will be damaged.

Mix mild detergent and lukewarm water and apply it on the stain. Blot with paper towel or cloth to absorb the stain. Repeat this several times until the stain is removed.

Lastly, sponge with clean water and blot.

For tough stains, you can apply baking soda and vinegar or household ammonia with water to the stain and blot it off.

Hope this helps when it comes to keeping your carpet clean. Additional suggestion or tips are welcome.

Simple Things, Great Joy

2009-07-30T00:59:00.000+03:00

Life today is very fast paced. People have become so busy that they fail to spend time for themselves and their family. Well, I don't want to make that same mistake. So I'm listing down the simple things that bring me great joy so I don't forget to spend more time on it.

The unpretentious laugh of my 6-month old daughter....
The "I love you Mommy" of my 5-year old daughter after being disciplined and previously saying "I don't like you" ....
The relaxing dip in the bath tub with my 3 little girls....
The fruit of my 2 boys' labor in school ....
Meditating on God's goodness. He is the joy of my salvation ....
My husband oh my husband ....

You think, people don't forget about these? Are you still surprised as to why there are many juvenile delinquencies, divorce and violent crimes? Take time out to think about your simple things that bring great joy.

I have an additional simple joy today. I have searched high and low. Finally, after having changed my blog design 4 times, I found it. I found the perfect design for my blog that's here to stay. Many thanks to Gisele Jaquenod. I really like her simple and cute yet very detailed designs.

If you like this site's new layout, why not drop by Gisele Jaquenod and Birdie and see what she has to offer. She can make custom blog designs. She also makes designs for t-shirts, mugs, bags and other novelty items available at cafepress.

Stay at Home Business 101: Get Paid to Click

2009-07-19T09:02:00.000+03:00

One of the easiest ways to earn online staying at home is by joining Get Paid To Click (PTC) sites. It's free and it is so easy, sometimes you can get bored doing it.

With PTC sites, you get paid to click and view ads within a time frame. The pay range is from $o.o2 - $0.0001 per ad viewed depending on the view time, the PTC site and your membership level (there are paid upgrades which pay more). After reaching the minimum cashout, you can request your payment through Paypal or Alertpay.

To start with, you need your computer - internet connection with internet security in place, new email account (use Gmail) and Paypal / Alertpay accounts ready. These are bare necessities before you can sign-up for some PTC programs.

Now, join at least 5-10 PTC sites. It would take about 30 minutes to 1 hour to do your daily clicking from these sites. If 1 hour is not enough, you have joined too much. That's alright, if you have plenty of time to spare.

I am listing below some of the PTC sites I joined. These are, in my humble opinion, trusted and paying though some are fairly new. I did some background investigation of these sites by looking at the forums and at other sites that reviews good PTCs. There are many PTCs out there that turnout to be scams also. So, be wary.

I have chosen those which give the best value for your time (meaning $0.01-$0.002 per click for Free members) and with low minimum cashout. I hope you will sign-up through my affiliate links. I get to earn some from referrals and so would you if you refer somebody to the program.

Neobux - Minimum cashout: $2
PalmBux - Minimum Cashout: $2
Revbux - Minimum Cashout: $5
Qualitybux - Minimum Cashouut: $5
ClixSense - Minimum Cashout: $10. Paying since February 2007

There are still many trusted PTCs out there, but I'll post them next time plus my payment proofs when I have them.

Potty Training

2009-07-14T01:23:00.001+03:00

Yahoo! At last, my 4th child, Janel - 2 yrs 9 months old, is now potty trained. YES!

Janel has not been wearing any diaper during the daytime since 2 years old (she doesn't want to) and even at night time since 2 1/2 years old. What a great savings on money paid to diapers.

The problem is she can pass urine in the potty but she always poops in her underwear. We've been encouraging her to sit down on the potty, when she feels like poops ready. But she always messes up.

About 3 weeks ago, she had very loose bowel movement and made a lot of mess on the bed. She cried that time. But that was a turning point for her. Since then, she has been pooping in the potty. We always praise her for her big accomplishment. Even she praises herself for a job well done.

After having potty trained 4 children, here are some tips on how to potty train your child:
1. Start by giving your child his own potty chair.
2. Let your child see you or his father using the toilet. It was easier for my younger children to be potty trained because they see their older brother or sister doing it.
3. Let him sit on the potty chair fully clothed just to have a feel of it.
4. Gradually, let him sit without a nappy.
5. When he soils or wets his nappy, sit him gently on the chair after cleaning him while you get fresh things.
6. Once he is interested, let him sit 2 or 3 times a day.
7. When I have a hint that he is about to pee or poop, I ask him and sit him on the potty.
8. Lastly, don't pressure or scold the child. Children who are pressured into early training tend to be bedwetters and soiling than those children who develop at their own pace. Praise every success.

Just keep doing these tips and you'll have success at potty training your child.

A-Z of Biblical Parenting

2009-06-22T10:06:00.000+03:00

I was able to watch one episode of World Impact with Billy Wilson about Parenting. I took some notes and want to share with you the A-Z of Biblical Parenting.

A- Avoid provoking our children to anger. Col 3:21.
B - Become examples for our children.
C- Care for our children.
D- Discipline our children. Prov 13:24; 23:13.
E- Encourage our children. 1 Chro 28:10.
F- Forgive our children just like the father of the prodigal son.
G- Guide our children. Prov. 22:6.
H - Hug our children.
I - Inspire our children. 2 Tim 1:5
J- Journey with our children.
K- Keep our promises to our children.
L- Love our children. Titus 2:4.
M- Motivate our children. Gen. 49.
N - Nurture our children. Eph 6:4.
O- Offer our children to God like Hannah offered Samuel.
P- Pray for our children.
Q- Quiet our children. 1 Tim 3:4.
R- Release our children especially when married.
S- Shield our children. Hannah makes a coat for Samuel every year.
T- Teach our children. Deuteronomy 6:7
U-Understand our children.
V- Validate our children's dreams.
W- Worship with our children.
X- X-ray our children's activities unlike Eli.
Y- Yearn for our children's salvation like the father with demonized son.
Z- Zoom in on our child's needs.

What Your Hair Says About You

2009-06-06T11:24:00.001+03:00

I got short, layered cut hair. It's a bit boyish but I like it because it projects simplicity, which is really me. It makes me move with ease while I work around the house especially when caring for my baby. I don't have to worry about my hair landing on her face.

When is it time to change my hairstyle? I'm not sure, maybe when I feel it's time. Join the conversation at dNeero's about "What Your Hair Says About You?"

When you know it's time to change your style, we bet it's because of how you're feeling ... and don't tell me that that the shaved look in the military doesn't have as much or more to do with fitting in, and it does with functionality. How important is our hair? Do a search for 'hair' in Bing.com (Microsoft's new search engine) and you'll be loaded with 249 million pages ... search for 'shoes' and you'll only get 152 million pages ... it ain't scientific, but it sure is suggestive.

Baby's First Foods

2009-06-03T22:49:00.001+03:00

Angeline is now almost 5 months old. She has been eating her first solid foods for the past 3 weeks once a day in small amounts. She had already eaten rice cereal, lugaw (rice congee), pureed camote (sweet potato), and pureed potato. But breastmilk is still her most important primary food.

Here are some tips for feeding the baby her first solids foods according to the Baby and Toddler Food book published by Konemann:

Rice cereal is the best choice for the first solid food as it is easy to digest. Dilute it with breast milk, cooled boiled water or formula.

The cereal should not be runny and you may have more success by making it quite thick. Half fill a very small spoon and do not give her more than a couple of spoons at these early feeds.

The best time to try first solids is at the mid-morning feed when the baby is settled and in a cooperative mood.

Serve food at room temperature. Always check the temperature before serving.

The baby's swallowing has been associated with sucking until now. So she may cough, splutter, spit out at the first try of feeding. Be very patient and give very small amounts each time.

Do not keep leftover food for the next meal - if any saliva has touched the food, bacteria may grow.

Once your baby is enjoying cereal, she can try small amounts of pureed fruit and vegetables. Mash the boiled vegetables with a fork or push them through a sieve and then dilute with little boiled water or formula.

Fresh fish can be given when the baby is over 6 months. Remove the skins and bones carefully.

Baby has no craving for sugar, salt and cream so think of her future eating habits and don't add extra sweetness or fat.

Stay at Home Business 101: Earn With Your Digital Photos

2009-05-23T13:51:00.000+03:00

How would you like to use your digital camera to earn some cash online? Do you know that there are free legitimate photography opportunities available in the world wide web even for amateur photographers like us?

The good thing is we can do these part time while staying at home. It is practically cost less. We only need (which probably you already have) a digital camera, a computer and an internet connection. We don't need any special printers or expensive photography equipment because all of the pictures will be uploaded directly to the internet.

Let me share with you how to earn with your digital photos online. If you're fond of taking pictures, you can submit them to stock photo websites. One that I recommend is CanStockPhoto.com. Sign-up is free. If you meet their criteria, which includes submitting 3.0 Megapixel images, you can apply as photographer.

If you qualify, they pay a 50% commission for guest & member purchases on Can Stock Photo, and a flat $0.25 for subscription sales. Photographers are free to submit as many photos as they like, and will never be charged a cent. You always retain ownership of your images, and once you earn $50, you can request PayPal cash-out, or $100 for a mailed check or Moneybookers transfer.

If you wish to pursue this opportunity and earn more, I recommend reading this ebook which details a system as to how to maximize your income through digital photography. This is a must read to get started right.

Lung Cancer - It's Not Only for Smokers

2009-05-18T17:40:00.000+03:00

Lung cancer kills more people annually than breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, melanoma, and kidney cancer combined! The 5-year survival rate for lung cancer is only 15 percent. Sixty percent of lung cancer cases are now diagnosed as nonsmokers or former smokers. Two-thirds of nonsmokers diagnosed with lung cancer are women.

Saying that lung cancer is not only for smokers makes a lot of sense to me. I, myself, am hypersensitive to the smoke given off by cigarettes. When exposed to smoke, I feel like I'm going to die if not because of asthma maybe of lung cancer.

How about you? What do you think about this? Join dNeero's Conversation on this.