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How to Get Organized Quickly and Easily in 2012

December 30, 2011 By 3 Comments


NeatDesk

 

Hands down, one of the best investments I’ve made is purchasing a NeatDesk desktop scanner and digital filing system!  This thing is so slick and easy to use, it literally takes the guess work out of filing receipts, important documents and notes.  This system has great software to go with it to, so that you can easily categorize your purchases.

This is really great for me with running my two businesses from home and keeping our household purchases separate.  I can’t tell you how many times this system has saved me when I needed to return something I purchased for the kids.  I could easily find the receipts quickly and took them to the store for returns and refunds.

The most incredible thing is the lack of clutter.  This was worth the investment in itself!

Organize your paper and simplify your life with the scanning and software solutions from Neat.

If you don’t have many receipts, you can use the personal/portable scanner.  But if you run one or more businesses from your home, I strongly suggest the desktop version.  You can even scan your kids artwork into this thing to save online!

If your New Year’s resolution includes getting more organized and reducing clutter, you NEED to get this!  Get the receipts out of your shoe box and make your taxes easier in 2013!

Buy from The Neat Company for the latest software version and a 30-day money back guarantee!

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How to Host a Successful Cookie Exchange

December 29, 2011 By 2 Comments

Yes, I know the holidays are over.

But if I don’t take the time to write this post now, I will forget by next year (like I did last year). :)

This was my second year of hosting a cookie exchange and I have learned a lot in 2 years.  You would think something like this would be fairly easy and fun endeavor.  It is, but it takes some work and preparation to ensure everything goes smoothly.

So here are my tips for hosting a successful cookie exchange.  But please, if you have other ideas or tips that have worked for you, please share!  I plan to make this an annual event so I should be doing pretty well by year 5!

  1. Post directions when you publish the event.  (This will save you from answering a ton of emails on the same thing.)
  2. Your instructions should include the following:
  • Cut off date for RSVP’s – at least one week in advance of the event so that everyone knows how much they have to bake.  Also, the exchange date should be around Christmas Eve but not too early.  Some cookies and/or treats do not last too long depending on the ingredients and storage solution.  Ours was December 23 this year and it worked well, last year it was on December 22 and worked well too, but this year was closer to the actual holiday.
  • Request for recipes by cut off date to avoid duplicates.  (At my first cookie exchange, 3 of us made the same thing).
  • Requesting recipes also helps alert everyone in case of nut allergies.
  • Ask people to post if they have pets in their home.  Some people are allergic to pets and food prepared in a home with pets can get complicated.  It’s best for people to know this upfront so that they know how to “handle” that item that is exchanged.
  • Packaging requirements – I recommend everyone bring their dozen cookies individually portioned in bags, ziplocs or a Styrofoam plate with plastic wrap.  This makes things so much easier for pick up time!
  • The number of dozen cookies to make – this sounds silly but you would not believe how many people were confused.  If you have a total of 7 RSVP’s (including yourself) you should make 6 dozen cookies to exchange and how ever many you want to keep for your family.  It got really confusing when people made 7 dozen (including for themselves) then got confused about why they still had their own cookies and they felt they missed out.
  1. Set the time and date for the cookie exchange.  This is important so that everyone is there at the same time to make the exchange.  Open house formats to do not work for this type of event.  If some people cannot attend the actual exchange, have them drop off their cookies early and arrange for their pick up the next day.  As the hostess, you would ensure that their exchange would be complete that night and they are taken care of as if they had attended themselves.
  2. Print all recipes and give to everyone the night of the exchange.  I think this is a nice touch if you can get all the recipes ahead of time.  Plus, it makes a great way to commemorate the event.  You can really jazz this up any way you want, even make nice borders and a cover for the mini recipe book.  This would be a great way to use up your left over scrapbook supplies too!
  3. Have fun – in the rush of the holidays it’s easy to get consumed with the overwhelming to do list.  This is a great time to just get together with friends and have a good time.  The goodies are just an “extra” to getting together and having some fun! Remember, a cookie exchange doesn’t have to be just cookies – any handheld treat will do.  Here’s what I made this year and they were delicious if I may say so myself!  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/apricot-oat-bars-recipe/index.html
So, have you attended or hosted any cookie exchanges?  What was your experience?  Did you have fun?

 

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Win An XBOX 360 & Kinect from LOL Shirts!

December 29, 2011 By 1 Comment

Even though the holidays are over, there’s still time to win something for yourself!

LOL Shirts is giving away an XBOX 360 & Kinect!  I just registered to win because I love the “no remote” option with the Kinect for exercising.  Even though I finally got a Wii, I have to hold on to all the remotes and put on belts to exercise.  It gets pretty awkward.  Still better than nothing, but, ya know…

Anyway, all you have to do is enter at www.getsubmit.com/enter/sweepstakes_refer/212/5109.  By using this link we’ll both be entered to win, so if you win, I win too! Once you fill out the super quick entry form, you’ll get a special link to share with your friends for more chances to win.

Hurry though, contest ends soon.

Good luck!

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Grieving During the Holidays

December 28, 2011 By 4 Comments

Bad news during the holiday season just sucks.  

There, I said it.

On Wednesday, December 21, 2011 I got a ton of bad news.  All in one day.  To say that this tested my strength and spirit is an understatement.

On that one day, I found out that a high school classmate of mine lost her short fight with cancer, a friend of the family was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer, and a friend I had lost touch with had actually passed away on 3/6/2010.

Whew…hard to get in the holiday spirit with so much bad news and grief.

First, my high school friend: We had only reconnected in the last year (some 20 years after graduating.)  All I can say is thank goodness for Facebook!  :)

Anyway, we had just reconnected and this past summer, they found skin cancer in her cheek, then that was cleared and November 12, they found a cancerous cell in her arm.  She turned 41 on December 12 and died December 21.  I had no idea the prognosis was that bad (I had never heard of anyone dying from skin cancer), otherwise I would have visited her in the hospital.  Nonetheless, she passed away after much suffering and a valiant fight.  She leaves behind a husband and 3 sons.  My heart is heavy.  I was unable to attend the services this week because I’ve been sick.

Our friend of the family had some “stomach” pains that got so bad she had to go to the hospital.  There, they did scans and immediately did surgery just to confirm the diagnosis.  Now, the true fight begins for her and her family.

And lastly, my friend who had passed away last year and I had no idea.  The only way I found out is that I got a Christmas card from her husband.  The card had a picture of him and the kids ONLY.  So I Googled her name and found her obituary.

I don’t deal with bad news “well” on a normal basis, but during the holidays just drained me.  It was very difficult to be happy with so much sorrow around me.

My only saving grace was my children, who in their wonderful innocence were excited about Santa.  Thank God for them, because otherwise I could have been consumed with sorrow.

My sorrow in no way compares to those whose family members are actually experiencing this difficult time.  However, it has done my soul good to find the blessings of the season, and remember my friends in better times.

Plus, it has made me VERY grateful for all the wonderful blessings in my life.

 

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Limited Time: Holiday deals on Android EVO 4G or EVO Shift

December 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sprint. All opinions are 100% mine.

Who doesn’t want a new Smartphone for Christmas?  I would love a new one!

I currently own an Android phone and really enjoy it.  The apps make my phone work double duty for me – as a phone and a mobile office.  As a work at home mom, I depend my phone for personal and business calls.  I honestly don’t know what I would to without my phone!

Here’s your chance to get one of the Android™ powered EVO 4G devices…

Thanks to Sprint, you can make someone’s holidays a little better with Android™ powered EVO 4G devices.  For a limited time, Sprint is offering the HTC EVO 4G or the EVO Shift FREE!  But you have to act fast – this is an online only special offer and you can only get it at http://bit.ly/rBqHmY.

And if  FREE Android™ powered EVO 4G devices wasn’t good enough, Sprint is also waiving the activation fee on new lines of service and FREE shipping here:  http://bit.ly/rBqHmY.

So what are you waiting for?  Head on over to http://bit.ly/rBqHmy now to get this special offer on Android™ powered EVO 4G devices.  A FREE phone, FREE shipping and FREE activation…what could be better? 

Nothing!  Go get yours now at http://bit.ly/rBqHmY !

Let me know if you get one and how you like your Android phone!  Maybe we can share a few apps :)

Visit Sponsor's Site

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My Halloween Tie Dye Project

October 18, 2011 By 5 Comments

I actually LOVE to do arts and crafts!

Before I had kids, I was an avid crafter.  My favorite crafts are paper crafts because I get instant gratification :)

Now that my kids are a little older, we are doing more crafts and I am having fun crafting again.  We do lots of coloring, painting and stamping.  I had seen a Halloween Tie Dye Kit by Tulip in the stores, and wanted to make my girls some shirts.

However, when I went back, the Halloween kit had sold out, so I bought a large kit.  I figured I would have lots of colors and options to make lots of different projects.  I’ve always wanted a tie dyed shirt for myself so I thought it would be a great opportunity to make myself one.  So I bought the mega kit (pictured below), T-shirts for my girls and I, fabric paints and an extra drop cloth.  I was all set.

I found the Tulip page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/lovetocreate and asked them if they had the Halloween directions on their website somewhere because I couldn’t find it. They were so nice to email me a PDF so I could make the shirts!

This weekend I got busy and made the shirts.  It was quite a messy but fun project.  I set up a work space outside and it was quite warm on Sunday, 92 degrees!

The girls’ shirts came out nice.  I was very happy with the end result.  I have all sorts of ideas for Thanksgiving and Christmas too.  However, my shirt didn’t come out too well.  Turns out, the little packets of dye weren’t labeled.  So I picked the darkest color thinking it was black, but when I mixed it – I found out it was blue!  So my idea for the black and orange Halloween shirt turned out to be a blue and orange “creation”.  If only I was a Denver Broncos fan…

Even though I love the kit and I’m very happy with my girls’ shirts, I have to say I’m honestly disappointed with my shirt and the fact that the color packets weren’t labeled. I feel like I wasted money on my shirt and that packet of dye because once you mix it, you have to use it immediately. You can’t store it for later use so I had to commit to the project. I’m not sure what kind of design I will paint on my shirt now that it’s blue and orange, but I will post it when it’s done.

What do you think of my girls’ shirts? Have you tried a Tie Dye craft project lately? How did it turn out?

 

 

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Dunkin’ Donuts Now Has K-Cups for my Keurig!

September 9, 2011 By 2 Comments

Woo hoo!  I got an early birthday present this week!

I just saw the commercial that Dunkin’ Donuts now makes the K cups for my Keurig coffee machine.  Happy Day!

For those of you who didn’t know, I had been searching for a coffee maker for a while and finally decided on the Keurig B30 because it was on clearance and it was small and compact enough for my kitchen.  My only regret was that because of the model I got, I could not use the My K Cup filter which allows you to use any kind of ground coffee for the machine.

No worries now!

I guess I wasn’t the only one who was bummed that I couldn’t get my favorite coffee for my coffee maker!  Now, my only challenge is to actually find it in stock to buy.  We only have two Dunkin’ Donuts stores in my city and the one that is “closest” to my house was sold out.  *sigh*

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Video: Why Busy Moms Need SendOutCards

August 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Every mom is a busy mom.

Whether you work at home or outside the home, or you are a stay at home mom…life gets crazy! There are hardly enough hours in the day to get things done, let alone eat sometimes!

One of our “challenges” is keeping up with family birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions. Then there’s those times when you want to send someone a greeting card or a little gift “just because” you’re thinking about them.

But who has time to go shopping? Besides that, who WANTS to go shopping with the kids.

Yeah, neither do I!

But there is a solution to this problem. There’s no more spending $4 or more on a greeting card and no more going to the store to pick a card, then going to buy stamps. SendOutCards is the perfect solution to this problem. Simply pick a card from over 15,000 options or create a unique card with the kids photos, personalize it online and enter the recipients address. SendOutCards will print it, put it in a real envelope and mail it…for just $.98. That’s 75% off a greeting card from the store! And, you can even send a gift if you need to!

Please watch this 3 minute video to see how SendOutCards can help busy moms everywhere save time, money and their sanity! Then visit my website at www.BuyCardsAndGifts.com to find out how you can get started. I look forward to helping moms everywhere!

P.S. Even if you don’t need the service yourself, but know someone who could benefit from SendOutCards, please send them the link to this post or give them my contact information. I’d be happy to help them AND send you a nice thank you gift for the referral!

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Is Extreme Couponing the New Hoarding?

April 8, 2011 By 27 Comments

I set my DVR to record the new Extreme Couponing show on TLC and I watched it at 3:30 a.m. this morning.  (I couldn’t sleep thinking about all the things I need to do today.)

I have to admit that I was both fascinated and disturbed with the show…let me explain.

As a former “couponer” I am in awe of how the people featured on the show can get over $1000 worth of groceries for about $100.  When I was a college student, I would go through the Walgreens insert in the Sunday paper and cut out all the coupons of the things I needed for my weekly shopping trip.  If there were “extra” coupons in the paper for the same items I was going to buy, it was a bonus day for me.   I used to love getting all my hair spray, mousse, makeup and snacks at a great price.  As a working college student, I had to stretch my paycheck to the max.

Unfortunately over time, I’ve gotten away from that.  I still look at the coupons and cut a few of them out on occasion, but I don’t always remember I have them and I am certainly not organized about it.  Truth be told I need to get back on the coupon wagon.  So to see these people organize their coupons and strategize their shopping trip truly fascinates and inspires me.

But here’s where I got a concerned and frankly disturbed:

As part of the show, TLC highlighted two families and both that were featured on the episode I watched had stock piles of inventory. Their houses looked like a grocery store!  They had shelving to hold all their merchandise like:

  • 130 rolls of paper towels
  • 100 boxes of cereal
  • 120 bottles of hand soap

And the list goes on.  At one point, the commentator said that one family had enough inventory to last 3 years!  One of the ladies bought something like 72 bottles of mustard just because she had coupons. What is anyone going to do with 72 bottles of mustard????

While I must say that both families were extremely well organized and their inventory looked neater than the grocery shelves at some of the stores I shop at, I have to ask “why“.

In reality, both families had so much at home, they really didn’t need to shop for staples anymore.  Maybe just fresh fruits, produce, meats, dairy and bread since those items can spoil.  But I just don’t understand why they have all that stuff.

Is it a visual sign of their accomplishment?

Do they sell it?

Are they greedy?

Or, are they a new “breed” of hoarders?

I definitely enjoyed the Extreme Couponing show on TLC and I’ll keep watching to learn.  I’m sure I could save our family a few hundred bucks a month on groceries if I really pay attention and make it a priority.  But I’m still concerned with all that inventory.  It’s not a good deal if they aren’t going to use it. But I can tell you now, I won’t be stock piling inventory.  A shopping trip to Sam’s for one industrial package of toilet paper is enough for me.  We don’t have room in my house to keep a mini grocery store.

What do you think?  Did you watch the show?  Am I being over critical or has extreme couponing gone too far with the stock piles of inventory?

One last thought: I have to wonder if the major companies like Proctor & Gamble and the grocery store chains are going to see this and pull the plug on their rewards cards, doubling the face value of the coupon and imposing limits on how much you can buy.  Can this type of behavior ruin the extreme couponing experience for the rest of us?

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Why is the Decision Making Process So Draining?

April 4, 2011 By 6 Comments

Lately, I’ve had to think long and hard about my VA business.

And I am exhausted – why does this have to be so hard?

For the most part, I’m trying to decide whether to continue growing the business or leave it as it is.  The kind of jump in with both feet kind of decision that rocks your world.  The last time I had to make a decision like this was easy, because I had just had my first daughter and going back to work wasn’t an option.  There’s NO way I could’ve done 60+ hours a week with a new baby.  There was no way I was going to let someone else raise my child!

But this time, it just feels like it’s more difficult.  Maybe because I have more at stake.  I have two little ones to help support and if it’s the wrong decision it effects everyone – not just me.

The dilemma really is how much do I want to ramp up my business.  I’m at that point where I either need to go big or go home.  The status quo doesn’t work anymore.  If I change my business model, I’ll be taking on a lot more responsibility but earn more.

The challenge is, do I really want to work that hard?

I never really saw myself  as a multi-VA business owner.  I am very content to just manage my own time, my own projects and my clients.  I’ve seen the challenges that multi-VA business owners have and it scares me.

There, I said it, I’m scared.

I’ve always had management positions in my other jobs.  I’ve always had a team of associates or a staff, so I was more than happy to be on my own and not have to worry about anyone else.

The “problem” is I am maxed out.  I can only earn so much money working by myself.

I have one fabulous client that is a dream to work with!  She knows exactly what she wants, when she wants it and is flexible when needed.  She listens to feedback and together, we try to improve our processes one step at a time.  The work is consistent, I know exactly how much I’ll work for her each week and she pays her invoices on time.

I have a few other great clients that I work for on special projects.  They contact me when they need something and I see if I have room in my schedule to work with them.  Lately, I’ve had to turn down a few projects because I was busy with others.  I felt badly about having to say no and my clients were understanding, but disappointed at the same time.  While this is a nice problem to have, it’s still a problem that needs to be solved.

That’s what got me thinking about expanding my business.

If I expand my VA business, then I’ll have less time for my direct sales business.  Is that really what I want?

Decisions…decisions.

I need a nap!

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