Your words, your dreams, and your thoughts have power to create conditions in your life.

What you speak about, you can bring about.If you keep saying you can’t stand your job, you might lose your job.If you keep saying you can’t stand your body, your body can become sick.If you keep saying you can’t stand your car, your car could be stolen or just stop operating.If you keep saying you’re broke, guess what? You’ll always be broke.If you keep saying you can’t trust a man or trust a woman, you will always find someone in your life to hurt and betray you.

Menu Plan Monday ~ May 5th

Well here we are at another week -  I can’t believe that May is in full swing.

Nothing fancy this week for us here:

Tonight:  Spaghetti

Tuesday: Baked Chicken, Scalloped potatoes, salad

Wednesday: Left Over Spaghetti, salad

Thursday:  Tacos

Friday: Pizza night

Every mom deserves a break. You can’t always take a day off just for you. However, you can pamper yourself any day of the week, right at home. These quick pampering tips for moms are sure to give you a quick boost!

Listen to your favorite music - When was the last time you bought yourself a new CD of your favorite artist? Turn on some motivating music for yourself. Listen to music to relax or pump up the volume and dance while you do the laundry.

Light some candles - Gather a few scented candles and light them for a soothing effect. Be sure to keep a few of the scents you like best on hand so you never run out.

Bubble bath - Fill your bath tub with hot water. Squirt in some nice-smelling bubble bath. Scents like lavender, mint and vanilla contribute a calming aroma.

Rose petal soak - Instead of using bubble bath or bath salts, drop some rose petals in your water just before you get ready to soak.

Rose petal foot soak - Soak your feet for twenty minutes in warm water with rose petals. The smell from the rose petals have a calming effect and the foot soak is sure to be a treat for mom’s tired feet.

Manicure and pedicure - What mom doesn’t deserve a nice pampering manicure and pedicure! Plan a special day out alone for this special treat. If you can’t afford to pay for this, invite a girlfriend and take turns pampering each other.

Save face - Buy an inexpensive tube of facial mask and soothing cream. Give yourself a facial while relaxing in the tub or soaking your feet in a rose petal foot soak.

Mother-daughter pampering - All moms need special pampering, but don’t forget to include your daughters from time to time. If you have a younger daughter, use some of these pampering tips we’ve provided for a fun mother-daughter night. Take turns giving each other facials and manicures, rubbing lotion on your feet or combing your hair. If you have an older daughter, save and plan for a special mother-daughter pampering day at the spa.

For more ideas on taking a break and giving back to yourself - visit Journey To Joy

You have a family budget in place. Now the hard part begins—sticking to your family budget.

 With the demands of all the wants and needs of kids, it can be challenging to keep a close eye on your money matters. Here are some simple tips to save money and help you stick to your family budget:

* No satellite – On average, the least expensive satellite package can run anywhere from $35-$40 per month. Multiply that times twelve months and you end up with a whopping $420-$480 per year! Do away with this single bill and your family can save almost $500 every year. Now that’s an incentive!

* Limited video rentals – Many families choose to rent movies for a family night instead of going to the movies. While rentals are a huge money saver, it can still get expensive if you go overboard. Limit your rentals to two every two weeks, for example.

* Return videos early – Another cost that adds up quickly is overdue rental fees. For the cost of a few past due days on one movie, you could purchase that movie and watch it forever if you wanted to. Write yourself a note so you won’t forget to return your movie rentals on time. Even better, try using an online video rental service like Netflix. You’ll pay the same each month, pay no late fees, and get new movies every time you return one.

* Plan meals before shopping – Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. You will want to buy everything you see on the shelves. You may think it’s silly, but you will be amazed at the results if you try it.

* Buy off-brand products – Most off-brand products taste much the same as their counterparts. There are a few, like mayonnaise for example, that taste slightly different. For the most part, if you are trying to stick to a budget, buying off-brand products can save you a lot of money. And don’t forget to clip and use coupons, too!

* Bring your lunch to work – Once again, let’s do the figures. If you spend a minimum of $5.00 per day on lunch (that’s a cheap lunch!), at the end of the week, you’ve racked up $25.00. With gas prices on the rise every day, that extra $25.00 could come in handy if you drive to work, too. Instead of eating out, fix your lunch to bring with you.

* Drink water – Sodas are easy to grab and run with, but water is much healthier for you. Instead of spending money on canned drinks, buy a family-size pack of bottled water. You’ll save money and drink healthier.

Some Awesome Resources for you:

Living On One Income - Here are some tips for those that are living on one income.

Refinancing Your Home Mortgage Loan - Refinancing your home is a great way to save thousands of dollars over the length of your mortgage loan. Here is an article that can help you.

Establish Credit - There are many ways to establish credit and to start  building a good credit history. Here is a resource for you.

Women and Money - learn how to make money work for you instead of the other way around.

Financially Surviving a Divorce - Even though you may hope that divorce is something you never have to face, it’s smart to start planning ahead if you’re being plagued by marital problems.

Creating a Household Budget - Easy to follow steps to create a household budget.  

Creating a Family Budget and Sticking to it - Great easy to follow steps on how to stick with a budget

Saving Money at the Grocery Store - Looking for ways to cut your grocery bills in half? Take these easy steps to save money on groceries.

Tips To Save Money - Looking for ways to cut your overall Bills in half this article is for you.

Hello there,

I hope this message finds you all well.

Think small! Yes, I know we accustomed to being told to think big, but for just a few moments, I would like you to think small. Take a moment to look at yourself. Not just the outside, but also on the inside.

Look at your life, your personality, your habits, home, etc. and just think of one (or a few) small positive changes that you could put into action today and do it. So, if your change is to simply walk to the post office instead of driving there, start today. If your change is to eat more fruits and vegetables, do not put it off, start today.

It is amazing how just one or a few small positive changes that we make can transform into very positive habits for our future.

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Action Step
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Make a list of some positive changes that you can make in your life and start to incorporate them into your daily life. Keep adding new and positive changes and be sure to take notice of how these changes make you feel.

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Real Life Coaching Freebies
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There really is nothing like coaching. The best way to learn about it is to experience it yourself! I would love to introduce you to the world of coaching in a free, no strings attached session. If you are interested, simply e-mail me at info@reallifecoaching.net

Don’t break the bank trying to keep your children active, engaged and  having fun this summer.
Entertaining your children when school is out  for the summer can become quite expensive but I have
some cheap summer fun ideas for you ==> http://www.reallifesolutions.net/family/summerfun.html

One of the ways I keep my 7yo busy and happy in the summer is to pull out our craft box.  Try some or all
of these fun summer crafts for kids to open up their imagination. ==>
http://www.reallifesolutions.net/family/summer-crafts-for-kid.html

I am passing this on to you because it definitely works, and we could all use a little more calmness in our lives.

By following simple advice heard on the Dr. Phil show, you too can find inner peace. Dr. Phil proclaimed, ‘The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started and have never finished.’

So, I looked around my house to see all the things I started and hadn’t finished, and before the morning was over I finished off a bottle of Zinfandel, a bottle of Bailey’s Irish Cream, a package of Oreo’s, the remainder of my old Prozac prescription, the rest of the cheesecake, some Doritos, and a box of chocolates.

You have no idea how freaking good I feel right now.

Pass this on to those whom you think might be in need of inner peace.

We all know the adage, “A mother’s work is never done.” In fact, this could become a modern-day mother’s theme song since we all have overbooked schedules and everybody wants something done yesterday.We teach our children from a young age that it is impolite to say the word, “No,” which was a lesson we learned in childhood, too. Now as adults, it is increasingly difficult to say, “No,” to anyone for fear of being rude or being seen as unreliable.Mothers need to learn that saying, “No,” as an adult is not rude. Rather, it is a sign of someone who is in control of her life and her schedule. She knows what she is capable of accomplishing and she is aware of her other commitments.Here are a few ways to gain back control of your life, simply by learning how to say, “No”:1. Be selective when choosing to volunteer your time. Being involved in your child’s school IS important but that does not mean you have to serve on every committee. Instead, choose one or two activities or committees that interest you and schedule that time on your planner. 2. Set limits on after-school activities. Sports teams or dance lessons are fun and help improve social skills but that does not mean your children have to be on a different team each season or take multiple lessons a week. Instead, teach your children how to choose activities that are most important to them and keep their focus on their studies.3. Set boundaries with your clients. Your clients should not run your life. Instead, you should have a clear, working partnership in which each partner knows what is expected. If you can still give your clients good customer service during set office hours, then do so. Chances are they would not want you calling during their family time so why should they interrupt during your family time?4. Be honest about your skills. If you are not qualified to complete a particular project, whether it is a paid or volunteer project, be honest with your client and recommend someone with the right qualifications. Passing the job along to someone else who is qualified will show that you are in control of your schedule, you are honest about your skill level and you value the importance of the project by giving it to someone who can complete it properly. 5. Keep your calendar or planner up to date and use it. Schedule everything on one calendar, even exercise and family time, and keep it near the phone for easy reference when someone calls asking for a favor. Bad habits are hard to break and saying, “Yes,” to too many things can be considered a bad habit. Before committing to anything, spend some quiet time with yourself and decide what things you want to be a part of and how much time you have in your days. Sometimes we must compromise so we can successfully balance our family, work and volunteer lives.

Many parents find communicating with their teen hard. Here at Real life Solutions we like to offer tips, tricks and just some good old fashion support. With our teens today so many parents are always talking about how hard it is to communicate with their teenagers so we created this FREE 4 page report titled “Talk the Talk: Communicating With Your Teens.”

Here is your free download…. Talk The Talk: Communicating with your teens.

We all need a little support when it comes to talking to our teenagers and this is just that little bit of support that may help you and your teenager communicate on a whole new level.

Please Let us know what you think..

Last week we posted a great contest asking for suggestions for a “tag line” that would be used for Real Life Guidance. We received TONS of great suggestions and honestly, Tricia and I had a hard time choosing a winner.  Check out all of the entries here.

Well, as hard as it was to do, we had to choose a winner and the winner and the winning tag line is……..

Real Moms … Real Guidance … Really Easy

This suggest came from Tiffany of NatureMomsBlog.  For her winning suggestion,Tiffany will receive:

1. A button on this site for a full month

2. A free report of her choice from www.reallifeguidance.com  

3. $5 Cold Hard Cash into her paypal account

We’d like to thank ALL of you for participating! Your suggestions were greatly appreciate and keep your eyes peeled out for more fun contests like this!

Note: Tiffany - Contrats and please email me at at info@reallifesolutions.net as soon as you can