Need a Confidence Boost to Get Your Big Ideas Out There?

Are you tired of staring at that one particular item on your to-do list? You know the one that you know is important but you just can’t figure out how to tackle it or where to get started…

Kim DeYoung aka the “Get It Done Girl” is a business coach of mine. I have personally taken her Get It Done Challenge. I also really enjoyed listening to her share on a call how she gets things done so quickly. She shared great tips for busy entrepreneurs with tons of great ideas in a recent call – Get It Done 101 – How to STOP Procrastinating and Tackle Your BIG Ideas with Confidence…So that You Can Make More Money and Help More People.

If you missed it, I have good news for you! Here’s the link for you to sign-up and access the recording- http://bit.ly/KPBuD.

On this information-packed call you’ll learn how to:

1. Get clarity around your ideas and your vision (like which projects on your to-do list are going to generate the most income and the most momentum)
2. Break down your project into “bite-size” manageable pieces so you never feel overwhelmed by your big ideas
3. Learn the art of resourcefulness (you don’t have to know HOW everything gets done)
4. Get out of your own way and stay focused as you move towards your big goals
5. Use Kim’s 5 strategies to get whatever you want done, done (won’t that feel great??!)

Here’s a tip – don’t wait too long to listen. Kim has a special new program called The Get it Done System that you’re going to want to check out.

Here’s that link again to access the replay: http://bit.ly/KPBuD

P.S. As you probably know entrepreneurs have LOTS of great ideas but implementing them is easier said than done. Let Kim walk you through her steps to getting it done! Here’s that link again: http://bit.ly/KPBuD

P.P.S. I am an affiliate of Kim’s because I have personally received high content and results using her system. In full disclosure I will receive compensation if you end up purchasing products from her using these links.

 

Are You Having a Frozen Waffle Crisis at Your House?

One of the first things I heard this morning was that there was a frozen waffle shortage that could last into early next year.

As a fan of home cooking and eating fresh, whole foods, I do favor homemade ones. If I’m being totally honest, I may have had a moment of jubilation that there was one less processed food option in the marketplace.

However I also know that there are lots of you moms and your families that depend on this quick and easy breakfast choice. So what can you do to replace this family favorite?

One option is to make waffles at home, prepare extra, and freeze for future use. When you need them, just pop into the toaster to reheat and eat. And leftover pancakes can also be frozen and ready to heat and eat at a moment’s notice too!

There are box mixes available but if you (and your kids) want to experiment making waffles from scratch, I searched the web for healthy recipes that have a short ingredient list:

~ A recipe without oil or sugar from Recipezaar “Healthy Waffle”
~ A recipe that uses bread instead of batter from the Cooking Light website  “French Toast Waffles”
~ A recipe that uses oats to replace the flour and has no eggs, oil, or milk from RecipeLand “Very Healthy Waffles”

If you are looking for a total splurge, don’t miss this one from one of my favorite sites:
~ Art Smith’s “Sour Cream Waffles” from the 101 Cookbooks Blog

After making your own waffles, you and your family may decide that yours are better than anything you can buy ready made at the store. You can easily bring one of your favorites back to the breakfast table no matter what is going on in the grocery frozen food aisle.

 

The Great WAHM Giveaway!

I want to let all you work at home moms (or your friends who are) of a great resource that has just been released tailored especially for you.

A group of women business owners, including myself, have provided f*ree, helpful information bringing you tools to help you enjoy your business, your family and your life!

It’s called the Great WAHM Giveaway and you can check it out by clicking here!

 

What Are You Really Craving?

FEED YOUR SOUL
Do You Know What You Are REALLY Craving?
“Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself”
Cicero

How do you make sense of the craving maze?

The important thing is to understand why you crave what you crave.

Perhaps you are living a lifestyle that is too boring or stressful. Your body wants the best for you and tries to correct any imbalance by sending you a message: a craving.

A craving for something sweet could mean you need more love in your life. So instead of raiding the cookie jar, the key is to understand what kind of
“sweetness” will satisfy your craving. Do you need a hug, time with someone you love, or just treating yourself to some “you” time?

We all need sweetness in our lives, and sometimes you really do crave sweet tasting foods. But how many of us turn to food first and never consider we have other needs that aren’t being met?

Your body knows best and is always trying to create balance.

No book or theory can tell you what is best – for you. Only awareness of your
body and its needs can tell you. Of all the relationships in your life, the one with yourself is the most essential.

It takes communication, love and time to cultivate a relationship with yourself.

As you learn to understand and respond to your cravings, you will create a deep and lasting level of health, happiness and balance.

The next time you have a craving, treat it as a loving message instead of a weakness.

You are so worth taking the time to get in touch with what the message is telling you!

 

Would You Like to Make Your Dreams Come True?

FEED YOUR SOUL
WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE?

When you were a child, do you remember how excited you felt when it was time to make a wish and blow the candles out on your birthday cake?

Did you just know in your heart that whatever you wished for was going to come true? You didn’t even consider that it wouldn’t happen. No doubts, no worries, it was a done deal.

Today when you get ready to blow out the candles, do you still make a wish? Do you still dare to dream? If not, what happened to make you feel that there’s no point in wishing anymore? Did you give up because you felt that wishes and dreams can’t really come true?

Maybe it’s time to reconsider.

Is there something that you’ve always wanted to do, be, go, or see that you’ve tucked away in your heart? And no matter how important it is to you, have you told yourself things like:
– It’s too late/early
– It’s too expensive
– I’m too young/old
– There’s no way
– It’s selfish
– Maybe later
– When the kids get older
– When I retire
– It’s too much work
– It will take too long
And on, and on, and on?

What would happen if you brought those hopes and dreams out into the light and took another look?

Could you overcome your doubts and listen to what your heart is longing for?

Could you take one step and then another to get closer to making it reality?

How would living your dream change your life? Can you feel it? Can you see it? How would your life be different if you decided that now was the time to live your dream?

Can you believe?

 

How Do You Deal with Aggravation?

FEED YOUR SOUL
How Do YOU Deal with Aggravation?
“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do you have those times when you’d just like to scream at the kids, yell at the driver in front of you, or pick a fight with your husband because you’ve reached the point of no return?

Have your tried to keep your irritation and aggravation under wraps, only to end up feeling like the next thing, no matter how small, would push you over the edge? And then the “next thing” shows up!

There are many things in life that you have absolutely no control over. Actually if you really think about it, you really don’t have control over too many things.

There is, however, one thing you do have control over and that is your reaction to the people, places, situations and things around you. Only you get to decide how you will deal with what’s going on.

No one else can make you mad, irritate you or make you eat something out of spite unless you decide to react in that way. Remember it’s your reaction and you are in control!

Easier said than done? It’s really simple. Not necessarily easy but definitely simple. And don’t make the mistake of thinking this is so simple that it can’t make a huge difference in your life.

It starts with you making a decision. The decision to stop for just a moment and remind yourself that no matter what’s going on, YOU get to decide what happens next. It may mean walking away, or just listening to what someone else is saying, or deciding it’s something that’s just not worth getting upset over.

Just take a moment to think about how you want to react.
Try it and see what happens:

How did you react differently?
Did you feel different? How did you feel?
Was it easy/hard to do it differently?
What was the reaction from others? Did you care about their reaction?
Will you do it again or try something different next time?

Once you make the decision, the outcome will be different because you are “being” different. Decide, react, refine. You may try many different things until you find what feels right to you.

You and only you get to make the decision each and every time. Don’t let things or people drive you over the edge. Remember to take a moment to decide how you want to react and see the difference in how you feel!

 

The What and Whys of Organic Food

FEED YOUR BODY
The What and Whys of Organic Food

When you think of organic food do you have some questions? Here’s a quick Q & A on the subject.

Q:Is it expensive?
A: It depends on the food and where you buy it. As consumers have demanded more organic food to be available, the prices are coming down.

Q: What’s the difference between organic and “regular” foods?
A: All food used to be organic, meaning raised without synthetic and chemical products added. Organic foods are grown in soil full of nutrients because crops are rotated (planting the same food season after season depletes the soil). Pests are controlled naturally where conventional farming uses pesticides.

Q: Is it just fruits and vegetables that are organic?
A: No. There are many organic foods including dairy and eggs, meat, poultry, beans, grains, nuts, and sweeteners. You can find organic versions of almost everything – even cookies!

Q: What are some of the reasons I would want to buy organic?
A: Some people say that they can tell the difference in the taste – taste test a conventional apple and an organic one and see what you think

Synthetic and chemical additives can be absorbed into the food and even washing doesn’t remove all the residue

The chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides used in conventional farming can be absorbed into the ground water and run off into water sources downstream

To support organic farmers as they bring more environmentally friendly means of growing and raising our food while rebuilding the soil

Q: How do I know if I’m getting organic foods?
A: If you are buying at your local farmer’s market you can ask if the food is organic or very often they will have a sign proudly stating that they are certified organic or in the process of being certified

If you are shopping at the grocery store you already have lots of information at your finger tips about the fruits and vegetables you’re considering.

The sticker that’s attached (the PLU code sticker) tells you whether the food is conventionally grown (4 digits), organic (5 digits starting with the number 9) or genetically modified (GMO 5 digits starting with the number 8). For example conventional bananas have the sticker code 4011, organic 94011, and GMO 84011.

Other foods will be marked or if you have any questions about whether something is organic be sure to ask.

Some people decide on organic because of health concerns, some for environmental reasons, some because of what the people in the fields are exposed to. Deciding to buy and eat organic is a personal decision and only you can decide what is best for you and your family.

So are you ready to try the apple test?

 

The Inspiration Celebration

FEED YOUR SOUL
The Inspiration Celebration
“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate” Oprah Winfrey

Have you read Mitch Albom’s “The Five People You Meet in Heaven”?

The premise is you never know how what you do and who you are being impacts and inspires others and can even change lives. And it could happen even if you don’t remember the person or event.

Other people often see you differently than you see yourself. They don’t have all your mind chatter clouding their view. They have a clearer idea of how amazing you are.

Have you noticed how when you’re listening to someone that has a problem, you can be supportive and make suggestions? You can look at the issue without thinking “What would my mother-in-law’s reaction be if I did this?”.

Because you are often overwhelmed with all the what-ifs and just living life, it’s easy to overlook the amazing things that are a part of you. Your self-esteem and confidence may suffer at times because you start to wonder what’s special about you.

What can you do to see with a clearer eye?
Speak up and share what you see in others, right now.

Sharing what you see will help you and others realize there is cause for celebration. It’s the journey not the destination that makes life so interesting.

Whenever you see someone who inspires you, tell them.
Whenever you see someone overcome an obstacle, tell them they are amazing.
Whenever you hear them put themselves down, tell them what you see that makes them so special.

And don’t forget to tell yourself the same things!
Start seeing yourself as you really are – magnificent!

It’s time for an Inspiration Celebration!

 

Heart Felt Gardening

FEED YOUR BODY
Heart Felt Gardening

After the article a few weeks ago about ways to eat local, my friend and author Jill Russo Foster told me about her life-long love with home gardening. For her it is really heart felt.

Living in the woods, I’ve never been able to have a garden. After Jill shared her experience, I was inspired to start growing heirloom herbs from seeds in peat pots.

There’s a small bright, sunny patch waiting outside for the tender plants to season our summer meals.

Read Jill’s thoughts on gardening and how you can grow food and memories for your family as well.
Gardening Thoughts and Memories by Jill Russo Foster

I think it’s so interesting that Michelle Obama is showing us the benefits of having a garden. It’s like second nature to me.

No matter where I have lived, even in an apartment, I have always had a least tomatoes on the balcony.

My earliest memories of my grandmother Nanna (my father’s mother) was of her working in the garden which was half of her backyard. She was always tending to the plants with her kerchief on top of her head to keep the heat off.

When I was at her home, she would be out in the garden from early May to late September. I would be able to get the greatest tomatoes fresh picked off the vine and eaten within minutes. She tended to her garden until the age of 93 doing all the work herself. Now I have my own garden, smaller in size than hers but manageable for me.

I started my garden a few weeks ago as seeds this year – something I usually don’t do. In my windows right now I have about 100 plants growing – everything from lettuces – mixed greens, arugula, spinach, iceberg, beans – green, wax, peas, green and yellow squash, cucumbers, and herbs – basil and parsley. Tomatoes don’t start well for me in seed form, so I buy them as plants.

From my experience there is nothing better than walking into my backyard and making a decision about what I want to eat. It’s like having a supermarket with all my favorite choices. I can’t grow all my favorites so I make trips to the local farmers market on Saturday mornings. There’s a farmer who has exotics like dandelion greens (not the yellow ones from the backyard, but blue dandelion) and squash blossoms. He is always there from mid May to late October, so it’s a regular part of my Saturday morning routine.

My Nanna passed down to me the love of working in the garden and being rewarded with eating – and enjoying – the “fruits” of my labors.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Click here to check out Jill’s website and book Cash, Credit and Your Finances: The Teen Years. She shares her years of expertise to help our kids learn about and how to handle money. Thanks Jill!

 

What You Need to Know If You Really Want to Lose Weight

FEED YOUR SOUL
Diets Don’t Work – So Trust the Expert – YOU

You can’t turn on the TV, drive down the road or go to a party without being confronted with America’s hottest obsession: weight.Diets are a billion-dollar industry; companies spend millions and millions luring you to try
the latest diet (low carb, high protein, low fat, no fat, you name it) with promises that this will (finally!) be the solution-your shortcut to a thinner body. Advertising efforts also deeply affect our children, who develop distorted body images and are often on diets as early as nine or 10 years of age.Our culture touts diet pills, celebrity workouts, convenience foods and trendy diets to help us achieve our desired weight, but these quick-fix solutions have backfired. America’s populace has reached its highest weight in history. About half of Americans are overweight; one-third are obese.

Diets steer us away from our common sense and dip deeply into our pocketbooks while eliciting few, if any, lasting results.

Diets don’t work because each person is unique, with different needs based on gender, age, ancestry and lifestyle; how could one diet be right for everyone? Diets don’t work because they are extreme solutions. As in
physics, if a pendulum swings to one extreme, it has to swing equally to the other.

A diet might work for a short amount of time, but research shows that almost all diets result in a 10-pound gain once off the diet. Diets don’t work because they are too restrictive. People who fail on diet plans are not flawed and weak. Diets by nature require discipline and restriction at levels that are unsustainable by a healthy human body.

Most people are disconnected from why they gain weight and see diet as the only culprit. For example, ignoring or discounting emotions is often the first thing to cause weight imbalances. In our fast-paced world, we have lost sight of many aspects of life that truly nourish and balance our bodies, such as slowing down, eating a home-cooked meal and spending quality time with loving people. Eating consciously and making simple lifestyle changes will create positive results and release you from the endless cycle of dieting.

Balance and a sustainable weight are your birthright. Given half a chance, your body will balance out by itself, but this is only possible by getting out of the diet mentality and listening to what you truly need. Imagine taking all of the outward energy you expend on diets, fads and gimmicks and turning it inward, so that you can listen to your heart and inner wisdom.

There is no such thing as a quick fix; you already have everything you need within you.With careful thought and loving reflection, you can feed yourself wisely and purposefully and be completely nourished. Working with your body rather than against it will bring about increased energy, stabilized weight and sustainable health.Take some time to clear your mind daily and check in to see what messages your body is giving you. Trust the expert on your life – YOU!

Used with Permission from Institute of Integrative Nutrition