10 Tips To Avoid Work At Home Mom Burnout

Working from home is a great way to stay home with your kids while still supplementing the family’s income. On the flipside, it can be challenging to be mother and employee at the same time. Your stress level will rise quickly when you have deadlines to keep or phone calls to make while your little ones are acting out. Implement a few of the ideas below to prevent Work at Home Mom Burnout. 


1. Don’t work more than you have to. Money isn’t everything. You family needs a happy and sane mom.


2. Create a schedule or to-do list both for work and your personal life. Just realize that you won’t always get everything done and don’t worry if you don’t. There’s always tomorrow. 


3. Designate an errand day. Spend one day a week running around town getting everything done for the week. This is when you will grocery shop, drop things off at the drycleaner, go to the post office and anything else you need to do. 


4. Enjoy your kids. Take some time to play with them every day. Have a picnic lunch in the yard, take them on a little field trip or just play catch for a while. You’re a work at home mom because you want to spend time with your kids. Work and house chores can wait while you play. 


5. Go out on a date with your spouse. Make date night a regular occurrence and connect with your lover. 


6. Have lunch with a girlfriend. We need some adult conversation every now and then. Make time to stay in touch with your friends. 


7. Call a friend. If you are having a bad day, call a good friend and just talk for a little while. You’ll be relaxed and rejuvenated when you get back. 


8. Get some exercise. Go for a walk, join a gym, or try a Pilate’s class. Exercise will not only keep you in shape, it’s also a great de-stressor. 


9. Play some upbeat music and dance around the living room. Who cares if your kids and the neighbors think you’ve lost it? You are having fun and are releasing all that build up physical energy. 


10. If you own a business, stick to one until it more or less runs itself. Don’t burn yourself out by trying to run several businesses at the same time. 


Start implementing a few of these ideas today and watch your stress level go down. You will prevent work at home mom burnout and get to enjoy life more. Your family will appreciate spending time with a fun and relaxed mom. That’s what it’s all about – spending quality time with your family

8 Hot Social Media Marketing Tips You Need To Know

This is a little different from my usual post, but today I want to showcase a free webinar entitled "8 Hot Social Media Marketing Tips You Need to Know."

This free live event is this coming Tuesday, April 6.  The webinar will feature social media experts Mari Smith (author, Facebook Marketing), Chris Garrett (author, Problogger), Denise Wakeman (founder, Blog Squad) and Michael Stelzner (founder, Social Media Examiner) , who will talk about what's new and what you need to know about social media marketing.

Social what?

The "in-the-know-marketing-guru" name for how to leverage Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Mixx, MySpace, blogs, mobile, and other platforms to grow your business.

Who cares?

The reason this matters to me, and I think it will matter to you, is that one of the things I have been doing over the last year to move my own business forward is to participate in a certification course through the International Social Media Association (ISMA), the completion of which entitles me to call myself a -ahem- Certified Social Media Specialist.

No kidding.

Anyone who is a friend on Facebook or follows me on Twitter has probably bumped up against my challenge of combining my personal and professional interests.  I joined Facebook to connect with my daughter and her friends, which quickly spread to friends from church, then youth ministry, then eventually politics, pro-life interests, old friends from a million years ago, and then marketing.

As an old MLM'er, I now had to figure out whether to continue to promote network marketing companies, or my newfound "legitimate" status as a social media professional.

I still have not quite figured it out. My marketing peeps still get their share of Bible verses and blog posts about homeschooling, and "my kids" get invited to opportunity meetings.

Whatever. I am who I am.

The last six months I have been so busy doing social media consulting, I have not had a lot of time for personal blogging, or network marketing either, for that matter.  Internet marketing has taken an exciting turn in the road, and social media is a big part of that.

The webinar is limited to 1000 seats, so if you have ever wondered how to take your home business/small business to the next level online, this is the event for you.

And don't think it isn't for you because you are a stay at home mom who is somewhat the other side of 40 (50?) with a little home business. Did you know that most social media marketers are aged 30 to 60 and have only been using social media for a few months?

In fact, even traditional businesses like Ford Motor Company, Clorox and State Farm Insurance are heavily focused on social media.  This is not some "young kids" phenomenon.  As a matter of fact, most young people don't "get" Twitter at all. The most successful users of Twitter are over 40.  And the fastest growing group of Facebook users (at least it was a few months ago, not sure if that is still the case) is women over 55!  Go figure!

There will be a recording of the event for those who are registered.

In the spirit of full disclosure, the webinar is a promotional event for the Social Media Success Summit, for which I will receive a commission if you should decide to attend.

But I guarantee you, you will walk away with plenty of useful information even if you just attend the free webinar.  The four social media experts who are running the webinar are tops in their respective fields.

I will be there - if this sounds like something that will benefit you, join me.

If not, catch me later when I am talking about homeschooling again. I still have not addressed the "Titus 2" part of the question about whether homeschoolers ever really retire.

Because at the end of the day, I am still a homeschooler.

Why Women Start Businesses - And Why Men Should Pay Attention

Today's guest blogger is Melissa Mashtonio.

Ask any female business owner you know why she decided to be her own boss and the answers you get may surprise you. For women, it’s rarely about money.

Currently there are 11 million women-owned businesses in the United States. What’s motivating women to start their own businesses? According to a survey by Ladies Who Launch, women launch a new business to:


* Have more freedom and control over their schedules and lives.
* Pursue their passion and dreams.
* Create revenue and make money doing what they love.

In study after study, women are more likely than men to cite personal interests, a desire for self-fulfillment, and job satisfaction as their reasons for starting businesses. Male entrepreneurs are much more likely to say that they started their businesses because of the desire to make money or to build a company.

In her article, “Women Entrepreneurs – Doing Business in a Feminine Way,” author Kim DeYoung (aka "The Metromom") found that while specific motives for starting a business are unique to every woman, they reflect a clear pattern: “Women want their work to fit in with the rest of their priorities and values in life.”

Home Office Tips for Working Moms

This informative article was posted on October 29, 2008 at the Family Bliss channel of Blissfully Domestic, under the header "Working Moms." Perfect for the person who is just starting out working at home.

*****

We’ve talked about the essentials for your home office, those absolute necessities. A large-enough work surface and a comfortable chair. A different phone number, some sort of reminder system, and a surge protector. Your mileage needs may vary, but generally, those are the basics.

Now what about the things that make your day just that much easier? The things that make you smile simply because they’re within easy reach? The items that make you grateful because of their time saving or money saving features?

Visit Ree at Blissfully Domestic to view the rest of this article.

"Sarah Palin has an eye-lash problem."

If you are looking for political commentary, forget it. I'm not as brave as Mrs. Fussypants.

I didn't even watch the debate. Why?

I was torn between not wanting to see Sarah maybe embarrass herself and not wanting to be put to sleep by Biden.

Not to mention that there will be plenty of instant replays and YouTube to fill me in.

But I am publishing this article, which is quite a departure for this blog, because I spent three days last weekend learning personally from Joe Schroeder, the man who wrote it, at a marketing conference in Newark, NJ.

It's a sales letter, really. Written by a guy who makes $250,000.

In a month.

I figured I could learn from someone like that. This is, after all, about how to mix home schooling and home business.

In the Drudge Report poll, people are saying Sarah kicked butt.

Here's why.

"Sarah Palin has an eye-lash problem."

===========================================================
As of 2:07 am this morning, people were already bickering back and forth about whether or not Sarah Palin had an eyelash problem.
===========================================================

They were also wasting their minutes asking, "does she Have tattooed lip liner?"

I swear on all that is holy they actually are debating this on blogs from were I live, which is due west 56 miles of NYC to Timbucktoo.

Meanwhile:

And so it goes. Last night, on Oct. 2, 2008, this country got a crash course in likeability.

Some say Joe Biden won.

Others say Palin won by a Wasilla mile.

As a social scientist, I wasn't studying the debate from a political "he said-she said" vote now angle.

Not on a long shot.

All I was doling was trying to doggone DECODE the "it" factor" of Sarah Palin.

And it's about WHY people like her.

Great. Maybe you can't stand her.

Great. Maybe you are a card carrying Obama fan.

Whatever.

There's still major lessons to be learned on how this Hockey nut from Alaska got to be a VP elect for Petes sake.

And studying LIKEABILITY can help you.

Especially, if you yourself are trying to DRAW a crowd and have people vote for you as you daily-cash Flow yourself and campaign for yourself as a living.

I do.

We all do here on the internet.

In Washgington, it's called POLITICS

On the internet, it's called Social Networking

IT's still about LIKABILITY.

Yown own.

Yes, likeability, as in, if you "network" on the internet as I'd bet you dollars to donuts that you do, your own "Q" rating either makes you money or in fact, pushes those pay-pal paydays further and further away from you.

Are you likeable? I mean really likeable?

How is your own "Q" rating?

Q-Rating = Hollywood jargon used to measure people's likeability

Before I show you an oft hidden secret

Remember, I teach the psychology of selling

Remember, if you can draw a crowd and get them to feel you, as say, a Bill Clinton or Dani Johnson can

Likabilitycounts. Especially at Paypal

You all know me. I am a mail-order nut.

I am a salesman in print just as you are.

Now, before I teach you an "X" factor that can soak more whales for you on-line and add more
sales into your bucket of gravy trains, lets review:

As of 3 am this morning, here were the reviews of the Biden and Palin show down

AOLU took a poll and it resolved like this

**Iit could change, this was per 3 am on 10-3-08

LIKABILITY FACTOR

Biden scored 3.39
Palin scored 3.64

Now, on an overall who creamed who analysis

On the MATT GRUDGE site -grudgereport.com

Over-all sweepstakes were

Who won? Well, per the votes at GRUDGE REPORT

Biden 30% = 76,882 votes
Palin 68% = 173,623 votes

2% were undecided

Now, remember those stats.

Also remember that this is NOT a political lesson.

Politics isn't my first user advantage, nor anything I count sheep over. However, when I can watch something as historical as that debate last night and locate the "X" factor

YA-HOO!

Then THIS is something worthy of singing over moons about.

Mail-order, ad copy and sales psychology are my bag.

Yours probably too.

That said, here is some "math" that you won't hear many analysts tinker about or needle each other with.

Here is some "X" factor and hidden magnetism finds.

SARAH PALIN uses, what in direct response is called

** COLLOQUIALISMS*

And that is her SUBLIMINAL magnetism.

(I'll explain)

You're probably a word-smith like me.

Sometime today look up the word (colloquial)

Which means LOCAL language = tribal slang.

If you look at one of my "home run" full page ads

See attached PDF

You will see me use the subliminal effect of coloquilisms

Do you remember PALIN entering the stage and "charging" up to Congressman Biden and asking, "Great to meet you, can I call you Joe?"

BECAUSE that is what's called, "enter closing."

She entered the stage using common everyday "local" language and she said, "Can I call you Joe."

How familiar is that?

I loved it.

It was like, "lets pretend that we already know each other."

How provincial was that?

I loved it.

"Greta to meet you, can I call you Joe!"

Wait though.

Because

Just

An hour later, she flung that back at Biden and said

** After he made some remark she questioned

"Say it ain't so Joe!"

She also used a colloquial when she said, "bet'cha" rather than bet you.

I used a "colloquial" seconds ago when I said

"Creamed" instead of won.

USING localized language, while sparing the King perfect grammar endears you to people.

It DRAWS larger crowds if you use LOCAL verbiage over sanitized.

Consider it as the HIGH ART of social science and the Psychology that exists between the leader and his/her tribe.

It's simply using words as whipped cream (smooth) rather than peanut butter.

How often have I suggested to you crazy cats that the MORE PROFESSIONAL YOU are on-line the less you earn.

Case in point: PALIN breaks the perfect English rule.

Did you remember her saying "heck-uv-a-lot?"

Again, she is pulling more likeability to her

How?

By speaking LOCALLY vs. like someone doing a thesis at Harvard.

Here's another one

Do you remember the hockey-mom say, "Gonna" versus going to?

Study her VIDEO from last night.

Learn something.

Because she markets herself (naturally) as well as any Madonna.

So the game is:

Learn to speak on a LOCAL level.

Throw out perfect English and watch your own "Q" rating and likeability double almost overnight.

Who cares if Mother Palin gaffed when she referred to the U.S. commander in Afghanistan as "Gen. McClellan".

She goofed. Err----His name is Gen. David McKiernan.

Who cares if she flubbed his name!

Because

The POLLS said people LIKED her over Joe Biden.

Who will win the PRESIDENTAL race?

Who knows? Who cares?

This isn't a political overview.

Who is more credible as a VP?

Who cares. This isn't an opt-ed about that.

All I know is this.

IF YOU have a sensory advantage and can gain the empathy of others, you have the upper hand.

And a better arrangement of WORDS gives you that advantage.

All I know is that what separates me and you from income, especially in our line of work, are WORDS and in fact, without properly USAGE of words you can not properly "effect" people.

Therefore and to sum this up

If you believe that people "buy" with more emotions than they do using better facts and figures, which they do

Then this sort of SUBLIMINAL colloquial advantage is a supreme lesson.

My idea of using localized language (colloquialisms) isn't about using OMIGAWD vs. oh my God.

I am not suggesting we say, "oh, he or she dissed me."

I am not suggesting that you pitch a tent in the "hood" and Study the verbal blood-letting of a Fitty cent or P. Diddy.

Hark into me.

Tsk.

Tsk.

Tsk.

Not even close.

However, to localize your language is to endear yourself to your list and to ADD to your own likeability factor.

Here are some that I use

USE and ADD these to your letters

"I'd bet you dollars to donuts"

"No shot in hell"

"Heck-uv-a-lot"

"Call me nutso but"

"Maybe I won't win any popularity votes for this but"

"I won't promise you a gravy train to happy highway but I can, ect,ect"

"The mouse is loose and if I don't get this off my chest I'm gonna bust"

To order my direct response (Volume I) course. "Cash Flow Machine.,"

It's $97 + $20 shipping

$117

Manual and double CD kit

You can pay-pal Susan Critelli here

www.paypal.com

Account: momzilla@netzero.net

See and learn how to use words and SUBLIMNAL marketing Mastery to create bigger lists, have bigger pay-days and learn the Sales psychology that makes the gap wider between the ones getting Paid versus the little guys who never make a penny.

My course, CASH FLOW MACHINE is worth $10,000 to you.

To others, it's EXAMPLES and templates are priceless

Your value is just $117

Feel free to ADD your own LINK to this letter and pass around.

(Psst. here it is www.moreincomeonline.com - it is the base site to this whole blog)

Everyone wants and needs relevant "copy" and articles to add to their BLOGS and social media platforms

Feel free to share-ware this report.

Kindly

Mr. Words-Smith

Joe Schroeder

PS: My late great father, people called him "Jack" (short for John)

Dad used to say and tell me

"Son, people like people who like people."

Once I asked dad, "what in blazes does that mean."

And Pop used to tell me

"People like people who like other people."

As a grown up who uses sales psychology and who earns a living assembling first words, and whose words then assemble people, I learned that to use LANGUAGE that is "localized" endears more people to you.

You become more attractive the more "local" you sound and appear.

** That's also the hidden "X" factor of

David Letterman, Tom Hanks and anyone else who Hypnotizes you with their personality. (Go ask Arnold)

That's the lesson here I hope it was apparent.

www.moreincomeonline.com

The Proverbs 31 woman had a home business

We have talked about whether you CAN work and home school - but you may be wondering if you SHOULD?

The Proverbs 31 woman had time to purchase fields and plant vineyards with her earnings, work vigorously, provide food for her family, oversee profitable trading, make bed coverings and sell homemade linen garments, AND faithfully instruct her children. Nowhere does it criticize her for trying to do both.

Now it is certainly possible that in your personal circumstances you will decide that God is not calling you to work at all, but to be a keeper of the home. Or you may feel that you do not have the energy or self-discipline to teach your children at home. Only you can know what He is asking of you, and you should do that. But I do not see that Scripture precludes working from home, even for a mother with children. He will not ask you to do anything that He will not also empower you to do.


10 [c] A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.

14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.

15 She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.

16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.

19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.

21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

31 Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Imagine being so successful at generating referrals...

...that you were able to buy the company you worked for.

The man who did this created a simple system for generating referrals that was so successful that he eventually purchased the insurance company that he worked for!

The company was called Lone Star Life Insurance. The insurance agent was Walter Hailey.

Walter was not terribly successful. But he discovered a method of getting clients that was based on naturally existing economic relationships. Naturally, he called it N.E.E.R. ( "Naturally Existing Economic Relationships" - duh)

Using this system, his life insurance company went on to sell over one billion dollars in insurance in less than 8 years! More...

This was originally posted at My Private Classroom on February 15, 2008. My Private Classroom is a FREE training site for home business owners. Join free to read the rest of this post and learn how to explode your business using social media.

Do you have Time to Home School?

You just spent eight hours making reports, filing papers, fielding phone calls, and placating your boss at the office. So, when you get home, do you rest?

Not really.

There’s a dinner to prepare, stories to share with your husband, and doing homework with the kids.

Such a scenario is — and will still be — typical among working mothers, who balance the countless demands of career and home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The problem with this is that the children are the ones who are always at the losing end.

Why?

Because parents - especially mothers - who are always busy with their work, tend to take for granted that the institutional school will provide the best education for their children. Sometimes they don't realize their children are falling through the cracks, or being bullied, or are being taught subjects that are in direct opposition to their religious faith.

However, in today’s changing world, some parents realize that sending their children to school is no longer necessarily the best way of providing the education that their children need. That’s why they have opted for home schooling, in order to provide the kind of learning that they want for their children, in the kind of values-laden environment they wish to promote.

In home schooling, most parents devote their time and try to provide their children the best education at home. They know that they are the ones who can provide the most appropriate teaching approach for their children because they know their children best.

However, it does not necessarily mean that parents have to devote more time to home schooling than they would to their other chores at home.

It is true that home schooling requires time to come up with the teaching approach that your children need. It is also through a committed schedule that you can identify the methods you need to employ in order to teach your children well. But it does not mean that you have to give your whole life over to teaching your children through home schooling programs.

Because home schooling uses the “one-to-one” teaching method; hence, it needs less teaching time than the typical classroom setting. You do not have to teach to the broad middle ground of a classroom, which usually leaves behind the slow ones and bores the bright ones. You can tailor the amount of material and its difficulty to the exact level of your child's ability.

So, the amount of time to be allotted in home schooling will still vary depending on the many factors that may affect the progress of the teaching process.

Here is a list of some factors that should be considered in order to decide what is the proper amount of time needed in home schooling:

1. Learning style of the children

There are instances wherein the children’s learning style might affect the time requirement in home schooling. For instance, if your child is a visual learner, he may be able to grasp concepts more quickly. An auditory learner can benefit from tapes that can be played over and over without you having to be there repeating the lesson. You may require more time on the front end setting up a project or other object lesson that will engage your kinesthetic learner - and then find that he learns fastest of all and retains more of what is taught.

However, if your child needs more time to grasp things that are being taught to him, then you have to devote more time in explaining to him or her the concept of the subject matter you are teaching. The good news, of course, is that you can take all the time you need without holding up the rest of the class.

2. The type of methods used

There are various teaching methods available for home schooling. Each has its own teaching approach. Many parents have chosen computer based curriculum or online academies to reduce the amount of preparation time and administrative tasks required. Others spend more time doing a unit study, which is a program that integrates a topic across all disciplines. There are unit studies that are already prepared for you including lesson plans, and then there are unit studies you can build yourself. They require much more preparation time on the part of the teacher, but for certain types of students they are far and away the best method, enabling far greater retention of the subject matter.

3. The number of children within the family

If you have several children who are at different grade levels, this is another area where a unit study can help you, because you can present the same material to several children at different grade levels and use it to achieve various objectives. It is NOT true necessarily that you must spend longer hours teaching a larger group of students. The older children can solidify their knowledge of the topic by reading aloud or teaching the younger children. They can even be trusted with small administrative tasks as they become more responsible.

I think it is actually easier to have several children just a few years apart than it is to have only two who are many years apart. It is taxing to try to teach a young child to read AND an older one algebra. When you have a high schooler and a preschooler you are working with completely different types of courses of study.

4. The age of the child

Younger children need more teacher interaction than older children, but you can also work with them in short bursts rather than trying to make them sit for hours on end. Some young children grasp concepts quickly, others are daydreamers who need to be carefully monitored. There really is no hard and fast rule about how the age of your child affects the amount of time you need. By the time you children are older, if you have been home schooling any length of time, you have already taught them time management skills and shifted into the role of a coach who doesn't have to be sitting with them all day.

It is fair to say that even a mom who works outside the home can do some home teaching with an older child, but justice will probably not be done to either work or school unless your child is a self-starter. But you CAN work and home school if you are willing to consider working at home - either via telecommuting, or having your own home business.

Next time we will look at some work-at-home options.