10 Ways to Make Your Work from Home Experience Successful

With the economy in a constant flux, more and more people are taking on second and third jobs just to make ends meet. If you've considered, or are working from home to suppliment your income, Lesley Spencer Pyle, MSc. has shared 10 tips to help you on your way.


1. Whether you are dealing with a customer over the phone or via e-mail, it should always be done with the utmost professionalism. You want your current and potential customers to feel confident in your abilities. This should include stepping into a quiet area to make a call to a client or getting a company dedicated phone number so you can answer the call with a company greeting. E-mails should always be spelled checked before hitting the send button.

2. Schedule your day and create goals to ensure you are completing all the tasks that need to be done as well as making a set number of marketing contacts each day. This will help you remain focused and productive, despite any distractions that might be taking place in your home.

3. Create a business plan to help keep you on track. It is a lengthy and miserable process for some, but once completed, it is so advantageous to the success of your business. Even if no one else ever sees it, a business plan creates a tool for you to make sure you have thought through the entire process running a successful business.

4. Determine your strengths and weaknesses and what responsibilities take up the majority if your time – either in the workplace or your household. These are the functions that should be considered for outsourcing. It will help you find a balance, but more importantly, focus on your strengths which will help thrust your business forward.

5. Participate in local and online networking groups to help build resources and a support group. There are several online groups such as: http://www.cwahm.com/, http://www.hbwm.com/ and http://www.wahm.com/.

6. Get yourself up to speed with new technologies. Whether it is taking a class online or at a local community college or having someone come in to train you, you will keep up with your competitors by being technologically literate.

7. Set parameters with your family so they know that when you are working, this is your work time. This may be challenging with little ones, but should get easier as you continue to emphasize the importance of “work time”. Be sure to hire help when needed. Your business needs your full attention as do your children. Don’t try to do both at once.

8. Set a limit so you are not overwhelmed by taking on too much at one time. Be comfortable with letting people know that you are not available to watch their kids, do volunteer work, etc. It is OK to say that your schedule is really booked right now, but maybe in the near future they can call on you when things have settled down.

9. Create emergency back-up plans. This would include back-up daycare, what to do if your computer system goes down, or if a huge project comes in, who can you rely on for assistance. This prevents you from scrambling at the last minute.

10. Make time for yourself. Points 1 – 9 will not make any difference if you are not looking out for yourself. You need to be healthy and happy to be there for your family and your business. Prioritize time for you, your faith, your family, your friends and your home in addition to your business.

Lesley Spencer Pyle is the founder and president of the HBWM.com, Inc. Network which includes Home-Based Working Moms (http://www.hbwm.com/m.com/) and HireMyMom.com (http://www.hiremymom.com/). Pyle has been featured in numerous publications including Forbes, Entrepreneur, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Parenting, Dr. Laura’s Perspectives, Family PC and many others. She has 4 children ages 2 to 14 years and has been working from home since the first baby was born!

The Secret Language of Money - Review

“Money Talks.”

We’ve all heard and probably used that expression at one time or another, but do we truly know what it means? And if the old adage is correct, what exactly is money saying?

Spend. Save. Reinvest. Donate?

If you’re like me, money has definitely been speaking some alien language that even the most devoted ‘Trekkie’ wouldn’t be able to make sense of. Sound familiar? Well keep reading as I’ve got some great news for you.

The Secret Language of Money – How to Make Smarter Financial Decisions and Live a Richer Life, by David Krueger, MD is the translator we’ve all been looking for.

The Secret Language of Money is more than just a ‘book about finances,’ but rather an in depth, self-help guide that just happens to focus on money. This book breaks down ‘money’ into its basic and primal form. Each chapter is designed to give the reader a closer look into their own ‘money-mentality’ with quizzes and questions that prompt immediate and often times very ‘telling’ answers. Krueger also uses real-life examples of people and situations to further demonstrate his points.

In addition, The Secret Language of Money is broken up into three parts:

• Part One - Your Money Story: Helps the reader identify where the importance of money lies in their lives and how they relate to it. “Our money story isn’t only about money: It’s about everything. It permeates everything we do and ghostwrites every aspect of our lives. What we eat, drink, read, fear, plan and buy are all affected by our money story…” p.g 65.

• Part Two – Plot Twists: This section takes a good hard look at our brain vs our emotions when it comes to finances. “Emotions seize and hold hostage the rational investment mind…” p.g 105. Part two/chapter 7 also looks at 18 common neural traps that our minds have a tendency to fall into, hindering our money-mindedness, with the “Rx” to rectify them. As well as “17 Common Investing Pitfalls and Their Remedies.”

• Part Three – Writing a New Money Story: This section is designed to help us take a closer look at ourselves. “Your money story begins with determining not what it is you want to have, but who it is you want to be…” p,g 210. Scientific studies show that if we can dream it and believe it we can achieve it. (chapter 13). “Your life is the manifestation of your beliefs. Change begins when you recognize that the story you’re living is the story you are writing…” p.g 231.

I would highly recommend ‘The Secret Language of Money,’ to anyone. This book gives great insight, whether you’re struggling with financial indecision or not. Everyone will find a situation or story they can relate to among the pages of this book and the helpful, practical advice is invaluable.

About the Author:

David Krueger has worked for two decades as a psychoanalyst, served as CEO for two healthcare organizations, and has for the last decade been an executive mentor coach whose clients include multinational CEOs, professional athletes and other prominent achievers. He is bestselling author of fifteen books and seventy-five papers and book chapters on success, money, wellness and self-development. (His Success and the Fear of Success in Women [Free Press] was ranked on the Master’s List of the 100 Most Influential Professional Books of the 20th Century.)
His regular column “Your Story” has been a favorite of Networking Times’ readers for years.

Important Note: Dave will do "An Evening With The Author" discussion of his book just released by McGraw Hill, The Secret Language of Money on Tuesday evening, November 10 at 7:00 PM Eastern by Teleseminar.

Registration, which includes free downloads of excerpts, is at http://www.TheSecretLanguageofMoney.com/Evening

Don't miss this awesome opportunity :)

A Perfect Nest for Mrs Mallard - Review

Come on a journey with Mrs Mallard as she looks for the perfect nesting spot.

Is it by the pool’s edge, where the Coot’s have taken up residence? Maybe under the rhododendron bush would be better? Or perhaps, on the islands edge where the swans, Canada geese and herons make their home?

After Mrs Mallard finally decides on a nesting spot, who will she trust to help get her babies safely across the parking lot and to the pond?

Mrs Mallard has some tough decisions to make in “A Perfect Nest for Mrs Mallard,” by Angela Cater. This beautifully illustrated picture book chronicles the path of one mother duck and her quest for the perfect nesting spot. In addition, Cater has sprinkled in facts of mallards and various other water foul, as well as actual photographs of “Mrs Mallard” and her babies.

This would make the perfect gift for the little nature lover on you list. A Perfect Nest for Mrs Mallard is available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and Borders and online at http://www.tabbycatpress.com/

Inexpensive Mini "Staycation"

Looking for a chance to get away from it all, but tight on funds? What if you could journey through the past on a trip through the Egyptian ruins with leading archaeologist and Egypt’s own “Indiana Jones,” Zahi Hawass, as your tour guide? Or learn about the “Calendars of Stone” and the “City in the Sky,” Machu Picchu? Or maybe travelling along the trail of Viking navigators is more your style?

What if you could search for the source of the Nile, go on a polar exploration, travel to the ends of the earth, go on a quest for mineral riches, or seek a new species of human known as “Hobbits”?

Sound like fun? There’s more.

You’re not limited to the past and present. Take a journey into space and the future. Map out Mars. Take a look at the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Or view the astonishing auroras’ magnetic rope tricks. You can even learn about NASA’s Kepler Telescope.

Now what if I told you it would only cost you around $35 to have all these incredible experiences? Impossible, right? Wrong. You can do all this and more.

TIME Great Discoveries: Explorations that Changed History is your one-stop source for all these great adventures, and it won’t break your budget. This beautiful coffee table book is 135 pages of fun and interesting facts. Plus, its large, glossy pages are loaded with visually stunning photography, making you feel like you’re right there.

This book would make a great addition to any collection, and with Christmas right around the corner, those hard-to-buy-for folks are now taken care of. Pick up your copy today at leading booksellers or online at Amazon.com.

Take the journey with TIME Great Discoveries . . . you’ll be glad you did.

Forget the Piggy Banks - Check this out!

THREEJARS GIVES KIDS REAL LIFE LESSONS IN MANAGING MONEY - Smart New Web Service Transforms How Kids Think About Cash

ThreeJars introduces the future of allowance! In a first of its kind service, kids are able to responsibly earn, track and safely use their own money online, learning important lifelong financial lessons along the way. With ThreeJars, kids divvy up funds into separate categories: Save, Spend, Share. They decide how much to store up, what to spend, and how much to donate to charity.

ThreeJars was developed by father of six, Anton Simunovic, as a way to instill healthy money habits. "The 2008 meltdown taught us about the need to be financially self-reliant. ThreeJars is an empowering and fun service which gets kids thinking more positively about their own money. It also helps them understand the importance of helping others. I'm proud that these values are the core of ThreeJars."

The service is extremely easy to use. Parents set the allowance limit for each child, and come payday, the site adds the new money to their total. It automatically keeps track of how much is owed and what has been paid. What's more, ThreeJars is a real mechanism for showing that money is a limited resource. And it goes beyond just cash for candy and clothes, by encouraging long-term saving and charitable giving. Here's how:

SAVE
Kids instantly develop the savings habit by setting aside a portion of every dollar earned from day one. They also learn savings fundamentals: like set and stick to long-term goals, practice patience, and don't break financial commitments. Savings options include certificate of deposits, parent bonds, double-ups and more. Interest is paid by the parent. Just like real life, if kids break their savings commitment, no interest is earned.

SPEND
Kids spend their own money, not yours, and learn to value a dollar. With parent’s approval, kids withdraw cash from their personal ATM, or can buy gift cards from more than 30 of their favorite retailers (Amazon.com, AMC Theaters, American Eagle, Toys "R" Us, Walmart, iTunes, and more)

SHARE
ThreeJars gets kids involved, with helping people, animals, and the environment - and every child gets to share. By using points earned on the site, kids direct ThreeJars' monthly donation to causes they are passionate about. Kids can also donate from their own Share Account to causes on or off ThreeJars (Save the Children, CarbonFund.org, Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, Nature Conservancy and many more.)

With ThreeJars, kids are also encouraged to earn extra dollars through one-time projects around the house, even lemonade stands. With more than 200 ideas on ThreeJars, parents can spur the entrepreneurial spirit in their child.

Parents can sign up for a 15-day free trial. After that, it's just $30 per family per year. http://www.threejars.com/

10 Tips for Breathing Easy This Fall

Chicagohealers.Com Practitioner Dr. Ian Wahl

Brings Relief to Allergy Sufferers

(CHICAGO, IL) – Fall is here and allergens are in full force! Pollen, ragweed, and mold are still taking their toll on allergy sufferers. These are harmless substances for most; but for some they take the enjoyment out of Fall. According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, roughly 20% of Americans suffer from allergies and another 20% suffer from hypersensitivities to food, environmental substances, or stimuli.

So what can you do if Fall allergies make you miserable? ChicagoHealers.com Practitioner, Dr. Wahl, DAc, LAc, CH is a Doctor of Acupuncture and herbalist who specializes in the treatment of children and adults with allergies and hypersensitivities. Dr. Wahl brings relief to sufferers with 10 tips breathing easier this season:

1) Take a whole food based Vitamin C.
Vitamin C acts as a natural antihistamine. Dr. Richard Podell, author of When Your Doctor Doesn't Know Best: Errors That Even the Best Doctors Make and How to Protect Yourself, recommends 1000 milligrams of vitamin C (Ester-C) twice daily to help with allergies and asthma.

2) Magnesium eases breathing
Some immunologists suggest taking 400 milligrams of magnesium daily helps with nasal allergies and breathing problems. Taking more than that can cause diarrhea. If you want to supplement your diet with magnesium–rich foods, the best sources are nuts, beans, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, and bananas.

3) Wear sunglasses when going outside
Allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, creates a certain amount of photosensitivity. Wearing sunglasses helps reduce your sensitivity to light and thus helps your eyes from excessive watering.

4) Bring a cold pack
When you are at an outdoor sports event, periodically place a cold pack over your eyes and on your face to reduce inflammation and help relieve some of your symptoms.

5) Drink a lot of cool water
Rehydrating is one of the best ways to eliminate toxins from your body. It cools you down and provides some symptom relief.

6) Stay away from dairy
If you have hay fever, eating dairy will produce even more phlegm and make you feel worse.

7) Use your bathroom exhaust fan when taking a shower
This will help prevent to growth of mold in the shower. Replace your liner every month or two, if you have mold sensitivities or asthma.

8) Keep your dryer vent clear
Build-up of lint in the dryer vent will cause an excess of dust in your house. Have your vents cleaned regularly to avoid aggravating your allergy symptoms.

9) Get rid of clutter
Allergy sufferers need to be especially careful about controlling dust in their homes. Clutter is a major source of dust and dust mites.

10) Get tested for food allergies
Many people who have allergies are also sensitive to different foods. These multiple sensitivities build on each other and stress the immune system. Find out what foods you are sensitive to and either eliminate them from your diet or get treated for them so you can eat those foods symptom-free.

For more information, please visit http://www.chicagohealers.com/

Wellspring Camp

Did you know?

· Research indicates overweight children and teens perform worse on some measures of intellectual functioning and in school.

· Obese children are absent from school an average of 20% more days than healthy- weight children.

· Significant weight loss has led to improvements in a measure of academic competence.

We all know what the effects of being overweight can bring – physically, mentally, and socially. When you’re an obese child or teenager “just trying to fit in,” the added strain is only intensified.

The number of obese children has increased explosively over the last ten years and continues to rise. Let’s face it, we live in a “fast-food-computer-generated” era, where food is prepared for the taste buds and ease of preparation and exercise is looked upon as a leisure activity, rather than a way of life.

So what can we do to help our overweight kids? Of course we start by setting an example, eating healthy, and getting daily exercise, but sometimes that’s just not enough.

Wellspring Camp, the leading weight loss program for teens and young adults, may be the answer to your problem. Wellspring has a scientific approach to diet and activity management that helps campers change behaviors in order to adopt a new, healthy lifestyle. Campers lose an average of 4 lbs. per week and, best of all, 70% of Wellspring campers maintain or continue losing weight at home.

Wellspring takes kids as young as five years of age and has fourteen locations located in California, Hawaii, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida, Pennsylvania, and in the UK and Canada. Family camps, retreats and adult programs are also available. Wellspring Camps isn’t only a place to get healthy; your kids will meet others struggling with the same issues and have a lot of fun doing it.

This organization just launched an early enrolment deal of $1,000 off their summer 2010 programs from now until January 31, 2010. How does it work? Any parent who registers his or her child will immediately receive the discount upon completion of the form. Summer programs start at $6,000 and many guests will be eligible for health insurance reimbursement.

To see more of what Wellspring Camps are all about, or to take advantage of this great offer, check out their web site at http://www.wellspringcamps.com/

H1N1 Virus...Is your Pet in Danger?

(reprint from Catster http://www.catster.com/)

Swine flu, also known as H1N1 influenza, has been dominating the news recently. The viral strain appears set to cause the first influenza pandemic in a generation. Influenza pandemics are big deals. The pandemic of 1918-1920 caused more people to die from flu than from bullets or bombs during World War One.

Influenza viruses are known for infecting multiple species–as the name would imply, swine flu developed in pigs and then spread to people.

This may lead pet owners to wonder: can cats and dogs catch swine flu?

The answer appears to be no. DVM Newsmagazine reports that there is no evidence cats or dogs can contract, carry, spread, or suffer illness from H1N1 influenza.

H1N1 influenza has been isolated from a ferret. Fortunately at this time there is no evidence that ferrets can spread the disease to people.

Although it appears we can rest easy about our cats and dogs catching swine flu, remember that cats are susceptible to an even scarier form of influenza: bird flu (also known as H5N1). Cats contract bird flu by preying upon or being fed raw bird meat. The virus does not appear capable of spreading from cat to cat. That is a good thing, since the fatality rate among cats infected with H5N1 appears to be 100%.

Fortunately, it is easy to protect your cat from H5N1. If you feed your cat commercial or cooked food and keep him indoors, his chances of catching bird flu are nil.