Promote Your Online Business Using a Podcast

We've discussed several ways to promote your business online. The ways we've discussed have been article distribution, blogging, videos and teleseminars. Another way to successfully promote your business, product or service is by using a podcast. Podcasts are perfect for self promotion as well as sharing information and educating. Podcasts can be done with audio and with the popularity of videos you can incorporate a video into your podcast as well. Technically a podcast is an online radio show that one can subscribe via RSS feed or via iTunes or by simply downloading from your existing site. Podcasts can be recorded in advance and placed on your blogs or on blog directories. One of the benefits of a podcast is that your listeners can download the episode to their mp3 players and listen...

Teach Your Little Girls Early - How to Have Pretty Feet

I am blessed with two boys and never had a sister. When I see other parents with girls or my friends so close to their sisters, I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have a sister or a daughter. But I wouldn't change any of the memories I have with my sons. Instead God blessed me with three nieces and my best friend's daughters, sisters and granddaughters. They are all my family now. God knew that I needed boys, but he gave me a small gift of girls so I would know I had the right mix for my life! But what do boys know about having pretty feet and pedicures? One day my brothers' families came to the house for a pool party, when my nieces were still very young. I told my nieces that we were going to get pedicures. I had to explain what a pedicure was and that we were getting...

How to Make Chores an Act of Love

My husband got up yesterday morning and reminded me he had to leave early for work as he walked out the door for his run. His reminder was so I wouldn't forget to make his lunch first. "Why can't he make his own lunch?" I thought, as I hurried through writing my blog so I could get done in time to make his lunch. My youngest daughter announced in the grocery store yesterday that she no longer liked the lunch I had been fixing her, and she wanted something else. "Really?" I thought. "Isn't it enough that I make your lunch every day?" My oldest daughter was unhappy from the moment she woke up yesterday after a restless night. She woke up in tears and went to bed in tears. "Why are you crying now?" I thought as I tucked her in last night. By the time everyone went to bed, all I wanted...

What to Expect When You Become a Parent for the First Time?

Parenthood-And I thought I knew what to expect When I was pregnant with my daughter, I spent hours reading books and articles on parenting. I knew what to expect at birth and for the following months. I knew all about sleep cycles, feedings, diaper changing, rashes, creams, etc... I also knew what the Canadian Pediatric Guidelines were for vaccinations, breastfeeding and sleep. I was confident I was ready to be a parent. The delivery went smoothly and the baby followed the books. I recorded her first bowel movement and counted her wet diapers on the sheet provided. And then, we were discharged home! I didn't understand how these nurses and doctor could entrust us with such a responsibility. It took almost an hour to put her in the car seat: we decided on the most appropriate outfit...

Baby Shower Decorations and Favors

It is always nice to see baby shower decorations and favors that are coordinated and match the theme of the baby shower well. A shower is often centered on the gender of the new baby, the theme the parents have chosen for the nursery, a favorite childhood character or story of the parents or a specific color scheme that the new parents will be using in the nursery. Many times the baby shower decorations and favors are chosen simply because they are very cute and stand out in the shop or online catalog as those throwing the shower begin to look for ideas. While certain colors or themes remain popular choices, such as the jungle animals theme or the storks or teddy bears theme, some great and more unique and elegant ides have also emerged. One theme, which is especially great when the sex...

Little Things Can Make You Happy As You Experience Joy, Satisfaction, and Contentment

Happiness is an emotion where you can experience intense joy, satisfaction, and contentment. Happiness is more mental than physical and needs to be nurtured. It is the ultimate achievable purpose in life and is healthy for your body. It isn't uncommon for young people to be more aware of negative emotions than are the elderly. This may be a result of childlike selfishness, which may be the result of a lack of consideration for others. Keep an open mind and attempt not to be concerned chiefly with your own personal profit or pleasure. When young people have a close relationship with family have an early plus. If they have relationships combined with friendships they have two pluses. Get together with friends and family as often as possible. Life is full of little wonders that can make...

Sarcastic Responses: We All Do It But How Does It Affect Our Children?

We have all been guilty of uttering sarcastic responses from time to time  and most likely feel a twinge of remorse as soon as we hear the words come out of our mouths. But how do sarcastic responses directed toward our children affect them? You are late for work, the dog hasn't been fed or taken out for his morning ritual and is clawing at the door, your daughter can't find her left shoe and now the telephone is ringing...as your 4 yr. old, holding her right shoe innocently looks up at you and asks, "Mommy, what should I do?" you suddenly realize the sarcastic response you are thinking in your mind you actually just heard out loud in your voice, "Guess you'll just have to go barefoot!" Now you have compounded the problem because your...

Benefits of Creating a Passive Income

As your business ebbs and flows, the idea of having a passive income is probably becoming more appealing. Basically, a passive income comes from a source of profit that requires little or no effort on your part to keep the flow going. There are a number of other benefits to creating this type of income. Here I'm sharing just a few. One of the most recognizable benefits of creating this type of income is that there is very little overhead. Most of these incomes are information based, so you do not have to worry about storage, delivery costs, or even the cost of raw materials. That way, more of your passive income can be transformed into profit. Another advantage of passive income that you might not realize is that it is a lot easier to distribute in mass quantities. By using a website...

A World of Hurt - A Bigger World of Love

The other day I hauled my bod out of bed bright and early to play some tennis. I was feeling chipper. The weather was perfect. I had my morning coffee. This had all the earmarks of a good day. Trouble is I looked at the morning paper before I left to play tennis. There on the front page was the sad story of a very sick man who had sexually abused some young boys at Penn State. Phooey! My heart went into free fall. Damn! Why? What makes grown men sink so low as to take away the innocence of children? I could feel my upbeat mood going south. Some days you're better off NOT reading the paper. In a considerably more subdued frame of mind, I drove to the tennis courts, hopeful that some vigorous exercise might put the thought of wounded children behind me. As I made my way to the tennis...

A Woman's Place is in the Home - With Her Home Based Business!

Forget barefoot and pregnant. Forget the traditional 'mommy' track. Women are historically survivors. Today's tough economy is merely another hurdle for women to overcome. Women are known for their ability to multi-task. Building or supplementing the family income is no different. A woman's place is in the home with her own home-based business! Due to the economic times, the number of women entrepreneurs is on the rise. Over 9.1 million businesses in the U.S. are women-owned. Minority women owned businesses account for about a million of these. Home based businesses for women worldwide have been conservatively estimated to account for over $3.6 trillion. That figure is more than the GNP for some countries. Here's why: • Most high income businesses requires significant infusions of...

Baby Wearing - Why It's Good For Baby and Mom Too

Whether you're a new parent or you have children, it's not secret that babies love to be held. The old rules of parenting require babies to learn to be on their own, set them on the floor, in a playpen, bouncy chair or swing and let them figure it out. Yet more and more parents are finding that this not only results in an unhappy child, it results in an unhappy parent. The solution, adopt a practice held around the world, and wear your baby. What Is Baby Wearing? Baby wearing is the practice of wearing or carrying a baby in a carrier - most often a sling. Baby wearing is part of the attachment parenting philosophy which believes that a strong emotional bond with parents during childhood is a precursor of secure, empathic relationships in adulthood. While baby wearing is a factor in the...

Satin Doll

Dad was not dead, but Mom decided to give him a funeral anyway. "He's dead to us," she said. We were sitting in the back yard at the ragged end of the day, watching the darkening sky toss up handfuls of stars. Mom shook her red halo of hair, and gathered the edges of her blouse together with her fist. "I'll stuff a coffin with clothes and fake-books. I'll slap the lid shut with some double paradiddles." She drummed on her glass. "He'll get tired of her." I offered it like a prayer, prayed without faith. It had been two weeks since he'd taken off, and it didn't look like he was coming back. "Not this time," she whispered. "Look, a liar's moon." A hoarse laugh died in the long, smooth throat that always smelled of lilies. She stared with her wide green eyes at the badminton net Dad had...

Growing Up With a Bipolar Mother

When I was a kid, everyone said my mom was brilliant, and indeed, she was. She didn't finish high school, but had my older brother instead. Once she decided she wanted to learn something, she just learned it! She had an upbeat personality. People liked her energy and witty sense of humor. She was a young mother of seven children. She also had bipolar disorder. How Her Mental Illness Progressed At first, she started doing strange things like running outside barefoot in her nightgown at night in the middle of winter. Her temper became worse. I told myself that most of these symptoms would have occurred in anyone because of the pressures of raising a large family on a farm. Then, one day in a fit of temper, she tried to kill me with a carving knife. My older brother and I placed a cowbell...

Pamper Yourself on Mothers Day

Mother's Day is coming up. If you're a mother, why not just take the day off to pamper yourself? Why not buy yourself a nice, luxurious gift? These days, comfort and style go hand in hand. You can feel beautiful and relaxed at the same time. To get you started, here is a list of three brand names you will be hearing a lot of in the future: o Barefoot Dreams. These soft robes made on a list of Oprah's "Favorite Things". This company began in 1994 and has created clothing lines for children and adults alike. If you really want to pamper yourself, you need to get yourself a soft, warm robe that comes in a variety of different styles and colors. If you want to get your daughter or mother something to match, you can do that also. Barefoot Dreams is setting the standards for comfort and luxury....

The Best Mower For Mom

More and more women today are playing the role of groundskeeper as well as homemaker. They count themselves lucky to have a yard to take care of, but in their busy lives, finding the time to do it all can be quite a challenge. They know that choosing the right mower can make a huge difference in how much they get accomplished! Mothers are busy enough trying to maintain home and family, but they know that having a well-maintained yard is important, not only for the look of the neighborhood, but for the health of their children. Having a place for children to run and play barefoot is a big blessing and for those who are lucky enough to have their own piece of lawn, they wouldn't trade it! For many women, electric lawn mowers are a godsend! No more cords to pull over and over again until...

Work At Home Parent: The Life Of A Daughter Of Parents Working At Home - True Story

Mateo and Cecilia, my parents came as immigrants to the United States 22 years ago, they came with only few dollars to the U.S and knew nobody. Like everyone else they wanted the American Dream and possibly make money for their upcoming baby, me. I was born in Los Angeles and after the hospital I came to a small bed-room, living with my mom and dad along with other people in the house. The room was so small only a small twin bed and a small furniture could fit. My parents didn't have enough money to buy me shoes, sometimes I was barefoot and if I was lucky enough I would get some shoes from the 99 cents store only. My dad had a job and my mom was working for a small family who owned a small business but it was still not enough. A year later, they noticed they needed more money because my...

Choosing Mother of the Bride Shoes - 10 Do's and Don'ts

As we get older, our backs and feet aren't what they used to be.  So what's a mom to do when she knows she must wear fancy dress shoes at her daughter or son's wedding?  Don't use excuses about comfort to avoid looking the best you can on your child's wedding day. Your shoes can make or break your outfit.  Those wedding photos will be around forever, so make sure you look your absolute best, from your feet up, on the big day.  If you're not sure how to make the transition from sneakers to stilettos, then here are 10 Dos and Don'ts for choosing the perfect pair of Mother of the Bride shoes. 1.    Don't buy shoes that can be dyed. Perfectly matching the color of your shoes to your mother of the bride gown is very passé. Plus, when your feet sweat, your...

Take Off Your Shoes and Walk Barefoot

Have you heard that people are beginning to take part in the "new" barefoot running exercise based on the new book, "Born to Run"?  I grew up when life was simple and natural. As a kid it was normal to go outside and play in our bare feet. I remember the feel of the grass on my feet and the fun of jumping in a pool of water barefoot. I also remember bee stings, cuts and bruises that my mom or dad would always "fix" for us and send us on our way back outside. I recall putting my bare foot to the metal pedal of my bike and feeling the power of speed. There were only two times we wore shoes: 1) at school and 2) at church services.  Kids wear flip flops or some foot covering now when they play outside. However, the sensory perception and knowing...

Memories of Brooklyn

I was born September 9, 1927 in a house (1075 60th Street) in Brooklyn, New York, delivered by an old Italian lady who was an amateur mid wife. My poor mother! I was 9 lbs! No hospital. In a feather bed. We lived in a 3 family apartment house owned by my Grand Father who spoke little English but tried. If we got on his nerves, he used to say, "Go uppa stairs!" I remember a big party when he got his citizen papers. I used to help him study for his test. When he went before the judge, he said, "I'ma no speka Inglish too good but I study hard. I hopa you maka me a citizen." The judge said, "Nuncha worry, Nunzio, I'ma gonna passa you." Judges haven't changed much. In my early years we lived on 58th street in Brooklyn between 11th and 12th Avenues. There were few cars then. I remember the...

Kill the Wasps - How One Mommy Saved Summer

I love the summer. I love being barefoot, sleeping with the windows open, and spending as much time as possible outside. I love baseball, Frisbee, and the Fourth of July. I love barbecues and picnics and afternoons at the pool. Unfortunately, wasps love the summer as much as I do. I had childhood run-ins with all kinds of wasps-hornets, mud-wasps, paper wasps, and wasps of unknown origin. I actually bled from a yellow jacket attack on a hiking trip when I was 11. I learned to hate them. And they apparently hate me back. Early this summer, I discovered a little papery wasp nest inside my Weber grill when I was preparing to kick off grilling season. I shooed Jasper and Emilie, 10, inside and was able to scoop the nest into a plastic bag and heave it into the garbage cans by the driveway....

Selecting a Mother's Day Gift

Every year I wonder what I can get mom for Mother's Day. This article provides useful tips with getting mom that perfect gift. We will help you find a great gift that will last and be just as perfect as mom. First, let's look back and see how Mother's Day got started to give us a better understanding. Mother's Day started out in the 1600's as honoring mothers in which was called, "Mothering Sunday." Employees were given the day off to visit their mothers and be with them on that special day. In 1872, Julia Ward Howe, a Boston poet and suffragist, organized "Mother's Day" meetings in attempt to create a day of peace. Then, in 1907 a woman named Ana Jarvis started a campaign for National Mother's Day to be held the second Sunday in May in honor of mothers. Finally in 1914, Woodrow Wilson...

3 Adventure Moms, 7 Kids, and 2 Months in Greece Set the Tone For My Life and Gave Me The Travel Bug

Thanks to my mom, I have an adventurous spirit, and KNOW beyond the shadow of a doubt that I can do anything I want in life. She gave me the gift of an open mind and an adventurous spirit. The first really clear memory is from when I was seven but my mom has always done adventurous things like this... When I was seven, my mom and two of her girlfriends decided to go to Greece for a week. They signed up for Greek classes and started to study. But they soon realized that one week would be much to short considering all the effort they were putting in for the trip. So they upped it to two week... but what about the 7 kids???? The answer of course was "Let's take them too, but let's go for two MONTHS." So off we went in the summer of 1976, taking the last month off school, and planting some...

Why Be A Stay-At-Home Mom?

In this article, we list some of the benefits to answer - why be a stay-at-home mom? Each woman has her own set of priorities and reasons why she chooses to do things. I've listed some benefits for women working from home and divided them up into these categories: expense factors, time factors, stress factors and relationship factors. They are NOT listed in any order of importance. Naturally, for each woman, some factors will weigh more heavily than others. Time Factors  Your schedule is your own. Imagine having no boss or time clock that shapes your day for you. Flexibility to do more things you enjoy like reading, gardening, shopping, bubble bathes with your favorite music playing, playing an instrument, walking barefoot along the beach, etc. More time to manage the financial...