Real Life Solutions

What an awesome weekend!  I spent Saturday with the kids running errands and then we hit a community fair and yesterday I met as friend for Movie and Lunch yesterday. We saw Righteous Kill (Al Pachino and Robert DiNero) and had a great time.

Here we are on Monday and its time to get back to the “Real World”  As always, the 1st step I take in organizing my week is to carve  some time out to get cozy with my BlackBerry on Sunday evenings and review the upcoming week and add in my appointments as needed.  I’m an lean mean organizing machine and I find that if I take a look at EACH day of the upcoming week and make sure to move items around so that they aren’t all piled up on one day — it makes my week much more manageable.  Also, the fact that I love to outsource (both at home and within my online businesses) makes it great.

On my list of things to accomplish this week are:

1. Monday – Re-connect with my awesome VA and be sure that we are on the same page.  She emails me each Friday with her list of things that she has completed and I always use Mondays to reconnect with her and check my list – and be sure that she has room for me (smile).   
2. Monday - Have you seen the new look at Parenting My Teen lately? Well a new show airs today and I will be sure to send an email out to my list letting them know they  I have some “ear candy” for for them .      
3. Tuesday - Hit the grocery store (I love to grocery shop)  and I shop every OR every other Tuesday.  I created my meal plan on Saturday and I already have all the fixins for this week but I make a weekly Tuesday trip to the grocery store using the coupons and ideas I get out of the Sunday paper.
4. Wednesday - I’ve declared Wednesdays content and guest blog days.  I will spent time adding content to my Real Life Solutions site and posting to all of the awesome guest blogs that I belong to. 
5. Thursday – Coaching the Elementary School Girls On The Run Team.   I have a team of 15 3rd – 6th graders and we are training to run a 5K in December

Daily:

1. Dont go to be bed mad or with a dirty kitchen
2. Wipe the bathroom sinks down with a Clorox Wipe before leaving out of the house each morning
3. Pick Isreal up from Softball Practice
4. Smile, Meditate and Pray

Every Monday & Tuesday

1. Get Isaac off to Tae Kwon Do

We all seek more of these things or know a woman who does.

Built on the principle that every woman deserves happiness, Journey to Joy is an inspiring 46 page eBook that will help you or a woman in your life, explore and overcome the many obstacles that keep happiness at bay. 

Those obstacles will weaken a woman’s overall perception of herself, which affects not only her, but those around her as well.  Her husband, children, other family members, friends, colleagues, and others.

Every woman has the tools inside her to create a life filled with peace and joy.  Discontentment is not what life was created for.  We are not born to be unhappy, so why spend life believing you were?  Let Journey to Joy show you how to overcome those beliefs.

This eBook provides women with various tips and resources to help them realize they are important.  Offering specific action steps and worksheets at the end of each chapter, Journey to Joy gives women exactly what they need to rise above the ‘down in the dumps’ feelings and negativity in their lives. 

Why wait?  Start the Journey to Joy today.  As a thank you we’ve thrown in a free bonus audio, “Balancing Your Life”, to help you along your way to a more balanced life.

One precious commodity that everyone has a problem using wisely is time. One thing is for sure – we all have the same 24 hours in a day – no more, no less. However, there are things you can do to make the most of your day so that you can accomplish a lot yet still manage to have some free time to do things that you enjoy.

Make a plan and write it down. Make it a habit to write a daily list of things to do and things you need. Life gets so busy sometimes especially if you have kids. It is going to be helpful to have those lists handy. You can easily save an extra trip to the store if you have a list of things to buy. You can also figure out how you can run all your errands so that you do not have to drive back and forth. Try to shop in the evenings when stores are less busy. There is no need to waste an hour standing in line when you can do something more productive with that time. Don’t care to stand in line? Try shopping online.

Plan your meals. You can use a blank monthly or weekly calendar to list down your meals for the upcoming week. Once you have the meals figured out, it will be easier to come up with a shopping list based on the meals. Keep your planned meals posted on the refrigerator door so you know what needs to be prepared. Even if it is tempting to sway off the planned meals, do your best to stick to it – you can save lots of money this way and keep with in your budget.

Shop in bulk. If space for groceries is not an issue, plan to shop in bulk. This will allow you to save time because you do not have to keep on going to the grocery store. You also save money because buying in bulk costs less in the long run.

Figure out your best bill payment option. If you have the means, set up bill payment electronically. Writing checks may seem like a simple thing but you can save time writing checks for bills when you pay electronically. If you can’t pay bills electronically, set up a workstation complete with all the supplies you need when paying bills like: your checkbook, envelopes, stamps, pens, and a calendar. If your workstation is stocked and organized, then you won’t waste time searching for supplies you need.

Do a little housework when you can and don’t let work pile up. If you do a bit of housework each day, then you do not have to spend an entire weekend cleaning or catching up on housework. Laundry is one thing that easily piles up. Do a load or two each day and when you can, put the clean clothes away as soon as possible. Picking up around the house and making sure things have their own place will lessen the stress when it’s time to clean up. Do these and you are able to enjoy more family time.

Stay organized. Spend some time organizing your house. This will take time but will be well worth it. Give everything it’s own place and make sure that it makes sense. For example, have hooks near your front door for keys, umbrellas and hats. This way you can hang them as soon as you come in. Hold a family meeting to let everyone know where things belong.

Applying the tips mentioned above will definitely help moms save time and enjoy their family a little bit more.

Being a mom is extremely rewarding, but it’s challenging. Get the help you need at Real Life Guidance. It’s your place for instant downloadable help for moms, day or night.

I don’t have to tell you that today’s woman is BUSY. She has so many roles in life from career woman to mother to wife and more. And often times, as women, we end up working so hard caring for everyone else’s needs that we sometimes forget about our own.

If you need a little more balance in your life, time to care for yourself (without ANY guilt) and a little confidence boost, I recommend picking up the “Journey to Joy” toolkit by Aurelia Williams.

I am a Certified Life Coach and I put together some practical resources to help you find that joy in your life. There’s no need to spend your days pretending to smile on the outside and being a stressed out wreck on the inside. It is possible to have it all…on your own terms.

The toolkit includes:

- Journey to Joy guide that will help you
 - Get rid of negative thoughts and “Mommy Guilt”
 - Breaking bad habits and choose healthier ones for a happier and healthier you
 - Easy-to-use to tips to boost your self-confidence
 - Techniques to reduce your stress levels
 - Finding more positive time for yourself

 Plus you can download extra audio recordings, guides and worksheets to help you with everything from balancing your life, reducing stress and taking action on what you’ve learned in the Journey to Joy guide.

Get all the details and grab yours at: http://www.reallifeguidance.com/journey-to-joy.html

You would think moms exercise more than anyone else; between taking care of their children, cleaning the house, and running errands.  The truth of the matter is, as a mom, you need specific exercises to remain healthy and fit. Here are four exercises which will not only give you the energy you need, but allow you to face daily challenges head on.

Lunges: To perform the lunge just stands with their feet apart, and step forward, landing with the heel first. The motion is continued until the back knee is nearly touching the ground. Return to the starting position by pushing forward with the front leg, and repeat the exercise by stepping forward with their other leg. This exercise strengthens your leg muscles and hamstrings. You can even perform this work out by dusting your living room coffee table, or cleaning the bottom of your kitchen cabinets.  Make it a fun thing to do!

Lateral Shoulder Raise: Work your shoulders and upper arms by sitting straight in a chair, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Beginning with your hands at your side, raise them both up and out at the same time. Slowly bring your arms down; repeating this move at least ten times.  Now, if you do not have any dumbbells, use a gallon container of laundry detergent.  You may not reach ten, but you are certainly on your way to it. Don’t put the laundry detergent away; you’re not finished with it yet!

Back Exercise:  Again, using the containers of laundry detergent, hold one in each hand… Stand with your legs apart. Bend your knees slightly and bend your body forward at the waist. Let your arms hang down in front of you, but don’t lock your elbows. Keeping your back straight, abdominal muscles in, and knees bent, pull the containers upward towards your chest. Then, slowly lower the weights back to starting position. Now you can put the detergent back in the closet!

Stomach Exercise:  Lay on the floor with your right foot resting on your left knee.  Lift your shoulders and neck as if you are doing a regular crunch. Reach your left hand above and over your right foot. Lower your head to just above the ground. After ten repetitions, repeat the exercise with your left foot and right knee.

All of these exercises are quick and are proven to show results.  So, get started Mom!  Be sure to email me and let me know what exercises you are going to start with.

Take a look at “Get Fit While You Sit” and get 36 Exercises you can do almost anywhere, anytime!

If you’re like most moms, there never seems to be enough time in the day to get everything done. Whether you work outside the home or at home, it’s tough to balance all your work and family responsibilities.

If you’re ready to put an end to being frazzled and exhausted – it’s NOT good for you OR your family – I recommend checking out the very helpful “Real Life Guidance to Balancing Work & Family” report.

I personally put this report together and  it’s a life saver for moms who need a little hand finding that elusive balance in life.

In the report I cover:

- How to analyze your time in order to use it more wisely
- Saying no WITHOUT the guilt
- Negotiating with your boss for the optimal work situation for you and your family
- Working at home – finally draw the line between work and home responsibilities

The report is instantly downloadable (no need to wait when you need help NOW) and a concise 18-pages, you can read through it and start making important changes to your life and relieving all that built up stress.

If you’re feeling like you’re burning the candle at both ends, you really aren’t alone. Learn more and grab your copy at http://www.reallifeguidance.com/super-mom-trap.html

Every family should incorporate money saving ideas into the picture. You have a budget, no matter what their financial status is. A budget tells you exactly how much your have coming in, and how much goes out on a monthly basis for the absolute necessities like housing, food, utilities, insurance, transportation and health care.

But what about the future?  That’s another place where a budget comes in handy. When you’ve allotted a portion of the household’s weekly income to the necessities, what’s left over is your discretionary spending amount. These are the funds available to you for short-term expenses, or long-term investments, like your children’s education, and your own retirement funds.

Every family should incorporate money saving ideas into the picture. You have a budget, no matter what their financial status is. A budget tells you exactly how much your have coming in, and how much goes out on a monthly basis for the absolute necessities like housing, food, utilities, insurance, transportation and health care. But what about the future?That’s another place where a budget comes in handy. When you’ve allotted a portion of the household’s weekly income to the necessities, what’s left over is your discretionary spending amount. These are the funds available to you for short-term expenses, or long-term investments, like your children’s education, and your own retirement funds.When the children are growing and requiring more in the way of expenditures, there might not be a lot left over. But even 5% of your income can be a healthy start on an education fund. Extras like bonuses or perhaps half the amount of a raise, will make those future savings grow. Since they aren’t in the budget to start with, they won’t be missed, and you’ll still have a portion of the unexpected income to add to your regular budget.Consider financial counseling at your banking institution, or from a professional. They are often the best sources for learning how to get the most out of the dollars you have to save, and the most out of the future benefits they are going to earn for you. 

Why not give yourself a much-needed break — cook ahead today so you can relax tomorrow!  Meal planning and bulk cooking are both wonderful techniques you can use and modify to fit your families needs. The idea behind this is simple. The principle is that you cook and or prepare your meals ahead of time and then preserve them by either freezing or fridgerating them. Also, meal planning you can cook one large meal and get 2-3 other meals out of it!
Here are some free meal planning tips for you    http://reallifesolutions.net/personal/meal-planning.html

I love to meal plan so if you have any tips for other moms out there – feel free to post them in the comments!

I love getting my “tackle it” list onto by blog.

Here is what I need to tackle today and during the entire week:

1. Connect with my VA and pass along some tasks for completion while I am away Thurs & Friday. She is awesome and now handles the bulk of my email.

2 . Keep working to get a sponsor for the Parenting My Teen Podcast and I am also on the lookout for a great guest.  We have a great advertising sale going on during the summer.

3. Prepare, Pack and clean up the house so that the family and I can head off to Disney World on Thursday (YAY). Finally a real family vacation were we all can kick back and have fun.  We fly out early Thursday morning and will be back Late Sunday afternoon .

4. Continue on my mission to add 1-2 articles a day to Real Life Solutions.  It really is growing into such a nice content site for moms.

So, do you care to share what you have already tackled and/or still need to tackle today?

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.
 
=====================
Related Resources
=====================

Your resource for free tips, ideas and articles to help you get
organized. Learn how to organize your life, home and business and life clutter free! http://reallifesolutions.net/personal/getorganized.html

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