I woke up and declared that today was National Aurelia Day and I set out at 9:45 am to hit the streets solo.  Treated myself to a great breakfast and a Caramel Frappuccino (Yummyy why didn’t you ladies tell me these were so damn good).

After that I hit a few stores or 10 (lol) and caught some awesome sales.  Got some cute items from NY & Co., picked up all of Bubby’s Bday items (is birthday is on the 20th)  a new pair of shoes for Isreal and some Jeans and Uniform School Shorts for Isaac.

After all of that shopping, I seemed to have worked up an appetite so I treated myself to lunch then came home to drop off my goodies, hide the gifts and then headed back out to go get my eye examination.   I am 6months late in getting my eye exam and oddly enough, my script is the same as it was 1.5yrs ago but I swear my sight is worse.  (Perhaps its old age).  To celebrate my non-changing eyesight I splurged and ordered 6mo’s of contacts and purchased some New Frames that are really cute. 

As I was in the store, Isreal called me to ask me what was for dinner — I told her I wasn’t cooking a thing so whatever she and the family whipped up would have to do.  I’m home now and hear talks of us going out to eat (works for me).

I’m all logged onto my laptop and will do a bit of work as I let the Olympics watch me.

With the start of school getting closer, parents will be taking their children to purchase school clothes and supplies.  Many parents want shopping with kids to be made easier and less stressful.  The following tips may help accomplish this yearly task.  They can also be helpful when going shopping with your children at other times.

Start out by knowing which items need to be purchased.  Go through your children’s clothing and see if there are some items that can be used again this year.  Decide how many items you need and make a list of all items needed for each child in your family.  Determine to stick to your list while you’re in the store.

After you’ve made your list, check out sales papers for several stores.  If you can’t find a sales paper for a particular store you’d like to visit, check online to see if they have a website.  Decide which items you’d like to get from each store so you won’t be running all over and wasting fuel.

Feed the kids first.  Misbehavior, especially in younger children, could be due to being hungry.  Either wait until after you’ve eaten to leave for shopping, or take some snacks the children can eat during the time you’re out. 

Set forth rules.  Before you go to the stores, tell the children the rules they should obey while you’re there.  Children need to stay with you, there should be no horseplay or running, and let them know what their consequences will be if they disobey.  Have a plan in place in case you’re separated during the trip (to meet at the service desk, for example).  If they’re especially good in the store, you may want to reward that good behavior.

Let them help.  Give them a particular task while you’re shopping.  If you’re looking at blue jeans, have them search for their size or find a shirt in their favorite color.  By giving them something to do, they’ll be less likely to misbehave.

Allow them to decide.  Instead of making all of the decisions about their school clothes, let them choose some of the items.  Give them a choice as to styles, colors, or brands as long as their choices are within your budget.  By allowing them to choose their own clothing, they’ll be able to wear things their friends have and will feel less out of place.

Buy online.  If you can, purchase as many items online as possible.  You can have it delivered to your front door, you don’t have to fight to keep your children in line, and you may actually save money.  Look online to see if there are coupons or sales at your favorite stores.  Some stores offer free shipping, so look for that benefit.

Can shopping with kids be made easier?  Of course it can.  Go when the children are fed and rested, follow the suggestions above, and this may be the easiest year of shopping yet.  Maybe you won’t have to dread shopping with kids ever again.

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!

Well - I’ve been working really hard on my Real Life Guidance Site and finally got someone to really work wonders with the site, sales pages and the layout of things and I am beyond happy with how it is coming together.

I’ve been working very hard lately to inspire my affiliates and I’ve also been working on adding new graphics, articles and tools to use in order to make their promotion easier. I am tooting myself because I am in the process of having ALL of the sales pages Re-done, tweaked, and optimized for better conversion!! YAY This makes me so happy because while the reports were selling well, now I believe they will sell even better and that means more commission for my affiliates as well as myself!

You can check out the recently revised Getting Out Of The Super Mom Trap page.

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. 

Even if you only have a half a minute to spare, you can actually get some chores done! With a busy, overscheduled life we seldom have extra time to take care of anything. These quick chores will only take part of a moment of your time.

1. Empty the trash in the bathroom — Those small trash cans in our homes can sometimes be overlooked until they are overflowing. Make this chore easier and more quickly accomplished by storing extra liners in the bottom of the trash can. It will only take a moment to wrap up the used liner and open up the new one.

2. Dust the TV screen  - The television screen seems to always need a good dusting. Try a used dryer sheet to help keep dust from resettling.

3. Clean a mirror - Try using vinegar and newspaper to clean your mirror. The vinegar will help the mirror dry streak free. Newspaper will leave less fuzzy residue than paper towels.

4. Wipe down an appliance -  Take a moment and wipe down the outside of your dishwasher, refrigerator, oven, washing machine, or dryer. Don’t forget about the outward appearance of the machines you depend on. Wipe up spots and spills quickly, and your appliances will only need an occasional thorough wipe down.
 
5. Test your smoke alarm - Smoke alarms should be tested monthly and batteries should be replaced at least annually. Try testing the battery on the same day of the month to help you remember. 
 
Don’t worry about getting it ALL done in one day MOM - There are no Super Moms here - just take it one day, one task at a time

For an amazing collection of 1,300 organizing tips, ideas and  techniques check out http://www.reallifesolutions.net/getorganized.HTML

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!

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.
 
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Related Resources
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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

It is up to us as parents to provide financial prowess in teaching kids how to handle money. Here are some tips on how to accomplish this difficult process.

Kids learn by example.  If you are in debt, odds are they will be too.  You need to teach fiscal responsibility at an early stage.  The earlier you discuss money with your kids, the better prepared they will become.  Open up a savings account with your kids; allow them to deposit and make withdrawals. Give them the option to use the account in whichever way they decide. By allowing them this freedom to choose, you are also giving them the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them.  Always be there in case they need your advice in this regard.

Give them an allowance. If they run out of money before the following week; do not replenish it.  This will teach them about choices; the good and the bad.  This is especially true if they are saving to buy something special. If they use their money unwisely, and cannot buy that which they were saving for, a valuable lesson will be learned.

Do not spoil your kids by giving them everything they want.  Give them just enough money via a weekly allowance and no more.  If they choose to buy something you think is not appropriate, discuss it with them.  Teach them about the importance of saving money and what they can look forward to as they get older.  Give them examples of your own experience as a child, particularly if you had a problem handling money.

Finally, teach them the pitfalls of borrowing. If they ask for money to buy a certain item; inform them they will have to pay it back with interest.  Tell them exactly how much they will have to pay back and figure out together how long it would take.  Undoubtedly, they may change their mind; but if not, stick to the terms you set.  Teaching your kids how to handle money begins with you. Whether you were a saver or a spender, it is incumbent upon you to pass on to your child all the tools he or she needs to make worthwhile decisions; now and in the future.