Many moms fret over getting their little ones prepared for kindergarten.   I found that what worked best for my son Isaac was the use of fun interactive activities that held his attention.

Well, my son is now in the 2nd grade and I recently stumbled upon a program called Kids Activity Calendar. Boy, I sure do with I would have found this 3 years ago (smile).

With Kids Activity Calendar: http://www.reallifesolutions.net/kidsactivities.HTML each week you will receive coloring sheets and worksheets in your email along with craft and activity suggestions and even a snack list that incorporates the letter of the week.  What a fun way for your little ones to learn the alphabet and much more.

This is the perfect solution for stay-at-home moms, daycare providers, homeschoolers, or any mom who just wants to give her child a boost in language development.

Here is a sample page for you to check out.  So, enjoy the letter “A” free — http://www.kidsactivitycalendar.com/letter-a-sample.htm

Take Care,

Aurelia

PS. Feel free to share the free sample with a friend if you’d like.

Who has hundreds & hundreds of dollars to throw a party anymore.  What, with school in session, Valentine’s day around the corner - Parties are all over and some can really break the piggy bank.

I ran across a great article on Budget Party Planning and I hope you take a look at it. It is filled with Great Low Cost Party Tips!

Be sure to check out our Party Themes page and take a look at all of the discount party supplies, gifts and goodies that we have available!

Take Care!

Mom Masterminds™ is a hands-on mentoring community headed up by Alice Seba and Kelly McCausey for mothers who are ready to work past the fluff and re-focus on making real money from their online businesses.

They offer a free 9-day course that gets right to the nitty-gritty of creating a thriving online business.  When you sign up for our 9-day course, you’ll also receive an exclusive invitation to a free 7-day trial at Mom Masterminds.

I have been a MM Member for over a year now and my business has grown by leaps and bounds!

I hope to see you all there http://reallifesolutions.net/MomMasterminds.HTML

Ahhhh cho!

You know it when you see your little ones approach you with runny noses and the sniffles or when you feel that tickle/scratchy sensation in your throat. It’s the dreaded common cold.

The common cold generally involves a runny nose, nasal congestion, and sneezing. You may also have a sore throat, cough, headache, or other symptoms like a mild fever. Did you know that there are over 200 viruses that can cause a cold?

Hand washing is the simplest and most effective way to keep from catching and spreading the common cold. Drinking plenty of liquids can help relieve the cold symptoms as well. Water, juice, clear broth or warm lemon water with honey helps loosen congestion and prevents dehydration.  Please note that nonprescription cold remedies may relieve some cold symptoms but will not prevent, cure, or even shorten the duration of illness.

Here’s to your health!

Take Care,

Aurelia Williams

P.S. Need more tips on how to keep from catching and or spreading the common cold?  Grab them here: http://reallifesolutions.net/personal/common-cold.html
P.O. Box 92439
Washington, DC 20017

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We live in such a fast paced world and finding ways to simplify your life can help to create a more relaxed and satisfying life for you and your family.

Simplicity involves freeing your time, money, and energy so that you can pay more attention to what is important to you.

Here are just a few tips on how to simplify your life:

1 - Control your time. Take a good hard look at your dialy schedule and then begin to tweak it so that it is more manageable. You may have to say “no” more often. It is amazing how cutting out just 1 activity a week can provide more down time for yourself.

2 - Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. I know this is easier said than done, but learning to let things go once in awhile is key. So what if the house goes 1-2 days without getting vacuumed or the laundry is put on hold for an extra day. It is important to elieviate some stress that we put on ourselves to get ALL of those little things done at once.

3 - Get Help. If you get to the point where you are feeling overwhelmed with your personal and faimily obligations please get help. There are many places that offer babysitting swaps, you can hire a teenager to help with small cleaning tasks or go to a friend for support. Delegation of tasks is another way to get help. Be sure to use all of your resources and delegate some tasks out to others.

4 - Clear out the Clutter. I know you have heard this one before but I can’t stress it enough. Clearing out your clutter is a huge step in living a more simplified life. Make the time to go through your home and sell, donate, or throw out items that you no longer use. This is a large task, so don’t try to do it all in one day. Try to set a goal of doing some every week.

5 - Take Care of You. During the course of your day be sure to take out time to relax. Carve out at least 30 minutes a day to take a break, stretch or go for a short walk. Be sure that you are getting the proper amount of sleep so that you have the energy that you need to face each day.

Remember that your life is blessed with many different aspects. Keep them all in balance, and they will all be of much greater value to you.
Take Care,
Aurelia Williams

P.S. If you have been looking for ways to work on your Relaxation and Stress Reduction then this workbook is for you. http://www.reallifesolutions.net/stressworkbook.HTML
  
 

Hi,

A new Parenting My Teen show is up and ready for you to tune into. You can listen by visiting Parenting My Teen  and clicking on the ‘Listen Now’ Button.

Our guest on this show is LaTara Ham-Ying. I invited LaTara to join us to talk about her relationship with her teen son. We speak very candidly about issues concerning communication, teens being defensive, the step parent relationship and many other concerns.

You don’t want to miss this very informative segment. You can tune in at http://www.parentingmyteen.com

Feel free to pass this e-mail onto your friends!

Take Care,
Aurelia Williams

The SAT that our teens take today isn’t like the one we took years ago. 

Did you know that in March 2005, the SAT became a longer, more challenging, and a lot different? The SAT is now 3 hours and 45 minutes long. What was known as the Verbal Section has been renamed Critical Reading and the Analogies questions have been eliminated and replaced with Short Reading Passages.

An SAT Writing Section has been added, which contains multiple-choice grammar questions and a 25-minute written essay. Finally, the Math Section has been expanded to include three years of high school math — in other words, it now includes harder questions in the area of algebra II.

For your teen, taking the SAT is a huge, life molding event.  It marks the beginning of a countdown to your child’s high school graduation and has us, parents, thinking seriously sending our teens off to college.

Helping our teens prepare for the SAT is crucial!  It is important to not leave this preparation solely in the hands of your child’s school.  It is important to arm your child with other materials that help them gain the test taking skills that will propel them to higher SAT test scores.

Here is a very popular and proven guide to help your teen obtain a higher SAT Scores.  The book is filled with exercises, drills, and full-length sample exams that create a true-to-life testing experience: http://parentingmyteen.com/SAT-Preparation.HTML

Here’s to helping your teen do his/her very best!

Warmly,
Aurelia Williams
Parenting My Teen
http://www.parentingmyteen.com
 

We all know how busy mom’s are and organizing seems like a never-ending task.  Well, if you have just 10 short minutes, here are 5 great organizing tasks you can do in ten minutes or less:

1. Clean out your medicine cabinet. Get rid of old makeup, expired medicine and toiletries you haven’t used in months.

2. Clear off your desk. Take everything off your desk and clear the surface, even if you have to temporarily put everything on the floor in categorized piles (i.e. paper, supplies, electronic media, etc.).  Once you can see your desk, you’ll have a surface on which to begin organizing everything you just removed from it.

3. Delete, delete, delete. For the next 10 minutes, delete as many messages as you can from your email inbox. This includes forwarded jokes, unsolicited messages and email you can simply read and chuck.

4. Organize a drawer. Whether it’s your junk drawer, a drawer in your bedroom dresser or a desk drawer, spend 10 minutes emptying out the junk, and arranging it so that similar items are being stored together.

5. Make a Donation Box. Simply get a large cardboard box and label it ‘Donation Box.’ Every chance you get, place items that are in good condition, but you no longer use, inside the box. When it’s full, call your local charity to come pick it up, or drop it off if they don’t offer a pick-up service.
 
For more free organizing resources, visit: http://www.reallifesolutions.net/personal/getorganized.html

P.S. Visit http://www.reallifesolutions.net/getorganized.HTML  for a collection of 1,300 organizing tips, ideas and techniques to help you organize your home, your office and your life!

Are you a busy mom? Well, what mom isn’t (smile).

Do you strive to lead a more balanced life but just can’t seem to find the time to organize things (your thoughts included)? If so, why not try a Personal Life Coach?

We’ve all been there — too much to do and too little time! Trying to be a super-mom and at times neglecting ourselves. Just imagine living your life fully empowered… Living every day in a way that fully honors who you are and what is important to you. Feeling less stressed, anxious and burnt out. This way of life is exhilarating and peaceful at the same time. It is a life of freedom and joy. You may know this is possible, but find it difficult to obtain.

In a personal coaching relationship you design the life you want. I commit myself to keeping my clients on a self-honoring track to make their dreams a reality. As the everyday challenges appear, I am here to help you to reconnect with your inner voice that will guide you toward the life you desire.

Visit my Personal Life Coaching site, learn what having a coach can do for you and also read what others are saying! You can receive a totally free coaching session to see just how coaching can help to enhance your life.

Aurelia

Here are a few of my favorite Time management Tips:

1. Meal Planning: Try planning 1 - 2 weeks worth of meals at a time and write them down on a calendar. Do your shopping accordingly and prep tomorrows dinner today. You will be AMAZED at what a time saver this is.  (Read My Meal Planning Article for more information)

2. To-Do Lists: I know most people HATE them but they actually do work. Just take a few moments out of your day (either in the morning or in the evening) to make a list for that day or the following day. Be sure to only put down the items that you MUST finish on this list.

3. Delegate: Do you have friends, a husband, children that can pitch in and do a few things for you? If so, be sure to use all of your resources.

4. Morning Rush: Scooting the children out of the door can be a huge time eater! Be sure to prepare lunches, lay out clothes and plan your breakfast the night before. This will make your mornings run a tad smoother.

5. Just say “NO”!: Such a small word that carries a might punch! If you truly can’t fit something into your schedule and it is not urgent, just say No!. Keep a list of non-urgent things that you can do on hand for when you do have some down time.

Well, those are just a few of my time management tips. I personally set aside about 15 minutes a night and sit down with my Palm Pilot and make a short TO-DO list for the following day and it is amazing at the time this save.

Also be mindful of your own body. Are you a morning, afternoon or night person? Try to schedule your most time consuming tasks when you have the most energy.

Take Care!

Aurelia

Real Life Solutions