Tell us about YOU and Enter to Win a Mexican Vacation!
Tell us a bit more about yourself and ENTER to WIN!
We’re inviting our readers to enter to win a one week, all-inclusive stay at the Crown Paradise Resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, a five-star rated, family-friendly resort!
This trip will give a family of four (2 adults and 2 children) the chance to spend a week together on sandy beaches, in the surf and exploring local culture, anytime. Crown Paradise Resort will furnish the lucky group with a gift certificate valid until 12.31.2011, meaning you can jet off just as next winter’s snow starts dumping on your driveway!
This prize is available to both US and Canadian residents. (Airfare NOT included.)
Besides being all-inclusive to every traveller, the resort offers three added values to the contest winner:
- A Dine Around: A free lunch or dinner, with a set menu, at either of two specialty restaurants in Puerto Vallarta — The “Blue Shrimp” or “Si Señor”. One free meal per person per stay*.
- A Tropical and City tour: A beautiful sight-seeing tour for each guest per stay, visiting local attractions, like the mountains and a tequila distillery show*.
- Unlimited Golf: Unlimited golf for the guests – as many rounds as they wish at any of three renowned golf courses in Puerto Vallarta: Vista Nicklaus, Vista Weiskopf, and Marina Vallarta.
Need more incentive? How about a destination playground on Puerto Vallarta’s most beautiful beach, an activities pool, water park with pirate’s ship, a castle, nine water slides, outdoor family game area, great options for fine dining and lounges, and activities programs. And that’s just for the kids!
Please fill out our quick survey. We’re gathering information so that we can better know our community, and keep offering newer, better content, contests and programs. Trust us, all of your private information is completely confidential – you won’t be spammed or put on any 3rd-party mailing lists.
The fine print: This contest is a part of the EverythingMom Network contest that runs from February 14th to 28th, 2011. One (1) entry will be accepted from each household for each (1) survey that is completed on participating EverythingMom Network properties. On March 18, 2011, EverythingMom Network announce one (1) Grand Prize winner from all all of the entries gathered.
Please fill out our quick survey – it”ll just take a few minutes. Remember, to be entered into our Mexican Vacation Contest, you must: Complete the following survey in it’s entirety and click submit at the very bottom. This is your official entry into the contest. (One entry / survey per household please)
Clean Your Clutter – Clutter Zone: Home Office
The home office is a place to get things done. But it’s hard to concentrate when piles of bills and files call for your attention. Here are a few tips to improve the productivity in your home office.
Empty your Email
Between spam, advertisements and legit emails from friends and co-workers, we have a lot of mail to sort through on a daily basis. If your inbox is getting out of control take a few minutes every day to go through old emails and delete or file them. Start from the oldest emails and work your way to the most recent. If your email hosts provides features such as labels or folders, create a digital filing system that works for you.
Beat the Bills
Forgetting to pay a bill can lead to steep penalties. Develop a simple filing system such as an Inbox for new bills, and an Outbox for bills that have been paid. Marcia Ramsland, author of Simplify your Space, suggests getting a 13-slot accordion file to store all your bills and receipts for the year.
Also, consider online billing. Not only will e-bills save trees but owed amounts will be withdrawn from your account automatically so you’ll never miss a bill again.
Mail Melodrama
Take a little lesson from MOMeo expert Karen Turner and apply O-H-I-O (Only Handle It Once) to all your mail. Either deal with your mail as soon as you receive it or leave it until later, but don’t waste time partially handling it. Practice the four T’s: Tackle it, Task it (designate it to someone else) Toss it, or Transfer it (to the right recipient).
File it Away
Overstuffed filing cabinets are a point of stress in most offices. The problem is it’s difficult to know what financial records you should keep and for how long. Bankrate.com offers a quick chart to answer that very question allowing you to clear out that filing cabinet with ease.
The Big Picture
Between birthday invites, social events and soccer games it’s difficult to plan your week if you don’t know what’s happening. Keep a large calendar in the office to keep track of everyone’s obligations. Designate certain colours for certain actions such as red for when bill payments are due, blue for play dates etc. Invite your family to participate to help keep everyone organized.
Wacky Wires
Computer, telephone, and printer wires can be unsightly and can clutter up your desk. Get some cheap cord ties and group your wires together for a neater look. Try to keep the front two-thirds of every countertop or desk clear, says Ramsland.
Trash all the Post-It Notes
Post-It notes with little reminders often multiply and before you know it your desk is a sea of yellow. Scrap post-it notes for a little notebook or day planner. Write all your daily tasks in the notebook and begin each sentence with a verb such as “Write,” or “Call.”As you complete these tasks take pleasure in crossing them off your list.
Go Through all the Desk Drawers
Test all your pens, highlighters, markers and other writing materials and toss out ones that don’t work. Look for duplicate items lurking in desk drawers, like calculators, rulers etc and throw away items you no longer need or use. Purchase desk trays to organize all of your supplies.
Say no to Schwag
Free stuff is hard to resist, but you must resist. Cheap corporate schwag is a home office’s worst nightmare because it ends up littering your desk. Instead of gathering corporate schwag write down the company name and contact info in your address book.
Assemble one Address Book
Collect all your business cards, important numbers and other information and put them in one address book as opposed to several small ones. Not only will this allow you to recycle excess paper, but it’ll make it easier to access the information you need when you need it.
Spare Time Superstars: Meet three amazing MOMeos with three amazing hobbies
Sharks never sleep
When Cheryl Belanger isn’t inspecting houses, studying for her 6:30 a.m. algebra class or looking after her three kids and two golden labs, you can find the 45-year-old SCUBA diving.
Belanger is part of a growing class of super moms: successful in the workplace, able to balance family life and still find time to pursue their hobbies.
Seven years ago, Belanger left her nine-to-five job behind, because she was spending too much time away from her family on business trips. Although she admits she misses the six-figure salary and 401K matches, the mother of three started a business to be in control of her own schedule, closer to her family.
Now, Belanger’s home inspection company is enjoying one of its busiest years. What’s more, she’s gone back to school to finish her degree.
“I was in college when I got a job offer and after a while I was making money and I didn’t really see a need in finishing it,” says Belanger.
“But, after awhile I was like, I really do need to finish it because what kind of example does that give my kids?”
Taking on a full course load, Belanger, also president of the Entrepreneurial Mothers Association, is up and at ‘em from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday to Friday.
“Every day is different. I have a 6:45 class in the morning — algebra, which is probably the reason it’s kicking my butt — but, I go to school in the morning, I’m usually done at 10 a.m., then I actually start my workday,” she says.
“I work until probably 6 or 7 p.m., sometimes as late as 8 p.m., and then family time, which isn’t a whole lot of free time, and then homework and then collapse in the bed and do it again the next day.”
It’s sometimes hard to stay motivated, especially driving to math class at 6 a.m., says Belanger, but points to her supportive family as a source of strength.
“You can’t quit when your kids are watching you, you know,” says Belanger, laughing.
“You can’t even get a bad grade when your kids are watching you.”
Belanger admits there’s not a lot of free time left over. However, the SCUBA diver has been able to incorporate her clan into her hobbies; all three of her kids are SCUBA-certified.
Both Belanger and her husband are ardent photographers, and a large part of their family vacations are spent doing underwater photography, a passion that even landed a photo on the cover of Scuba Diving magazine.
Free as a bird
Julie Watson’s friends call her a daredevil.
The mother of three works as a real estate broker, and despite the daily rise in foreclosures, Watson’s Arizona business is booming — it’s the busiest she’s ever seen it.
But it’s not just her job that has friends question her sanity – Watson is an avid skydiver. How avid? When pregnant with her third child, she waited to tell anyone as long as she could – she was hoping to get in just one more exhilarating dive.
“More than the thrill I think is that, every care, every issue is gone,” says Watson.
“For those several hours I’m not worried about anything. If you can…completely block out the rest of the world and not be caught up with anything bothering you or worrying you – then that’s good recreation.”
Watson left her job soon after she had kids, and is now reaping the benefits of her hard work. The broker warns, however, that it’s easy to get carried away, and stresses the importance of taking time off. She has started to put family commitments and her own “fun time” on the calendar and works around these personal commitments.
“What keeps me motivated is liking what I do for living and loving my time off, loving to go skydiving,” says Watson.
“I work to have more time to do the fun things I really love to do.”
Around the world in 80 days – or less
Norma Bastidas, a single mom from Calgary, Alberta, may see her hobby turn into a career.
Bastidas started running to cope with stress after her son has diagnosed with Cone-Rod Dystrophy, a rare kind of progressive blindness.
After numerous trips to eye doctors, specialists and school counselors, the mother of two realized it was impacting her job, where she had been working towards a management position. She was forced to step down.
“I just wanted to turn something negative around and make sure that never happened to me again, people looking at me and saying ‘she has a son with a disability, it’s a liability’,” says Bastidas.
“These things happen and we need to embrace them and try our best. I wanted to teach my kids that this isn’t something we should be embarrassed it about, it happens and we can succeed.”
So Bastidas did what any busy mom would do, she started running ultramarathons: races longer than 50 kilometers (31 miles).
Bastidas is attempting the 777 Run for Sight, a journey of more than 1,400 km (870 miles). To raise $100,000 for Operation Eyesight Universal, The Foundation Fighting Blindness, and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Bastidas is aiming to run seven ultramarathons, on seven continents, in seven months.
“There was nothing I could do to stop it from happening, so I decided to use it as my greatest strength,” she says.
The Calgarian’s shortest race on the tour is 100 km — in Antarctica. The longest is a 350 km trek through the Swiss Alps. In between she’ll hit China, the Arctic Circle, Namibia, Brazil, and Australia.
Now the 41-year-old is watching her hobby blossom into a career. She is working as an athletic ambassador for Impossible 2 Possible, a non-profit organization that aims to empower youth to tackle environmental sustainability. She has been offered inspirational speaking jobs across the globe.
More than anything, however, Bastidas, Watson and Belanger stress that by pursuing her hobbies, it not only allows some time of their own, but sets a great example for those they care most about.
“At least my son can look at me and say, you haven’t given up,” says Bastidas.
“We’re both in this together and we’re giving it our best.”
The Business World’s Best-Kept Secrets: Some of the best business resources are left ignored and untapped
Working in the midst of other MOMeos on a daily basis, I am surrounded by some of the most creative people in business today.
Constantly in awe of their resourcefulness and out-of-the-box thinking, I was surprised to find how few are familiar with some of the best business resources available. Perhaps we’re making things harder than they need to be, or maybe these resources simply aren’t talked about enough.
Whatever the reason, some of the easiest and most accessible tools for business building are going unnoticed and untapped. Luckily, that need not be the case any longer. The following are four areas to find the business resources and tools to help businesses profit and grow.
Universities and colleges
Students offer a continual supply of new blood. Forging relationships with department heads at local colleges and universities can prove invaluable for small, medium and large businesses alike. That goes double for entrepreneurs who take the old standard of being low on both revenue and time to new extremes.
By becoming a part of the curriculum in classes such as International Business & Logistics and Marketing & Public Relations, you have access to passionate, enthusiastic students each semester. For school credit, they can perform business analysis, design marketing campaigns, and keep your business on the cutting edge for little to no revenue.
Students are hungry to learn first-hand. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of their enthusiasm.
Government and non-profit organizations
Although perceived by some during his campaign as out of touch with small business owners, President Barack Obama’s administration wasted no time drumming up plans to support entrepreneurs. MOMeos should be on the lookout for new business incubators – programs intended to accelerate entrepreneurial opportunities and foster growth in start-up companies.
Usually non-profit organizations (NPOs) backed by government funds, these incubators are a main focus of the new plan for small business growth in America. Since they’re often attached to universities, they’re also another reason to connect with local colleges. With a wide variety of structures available, there is an incubator to fit almost any start-up.
Offering grants, education, office space, administrative support and more, a well-matched incubator can truly be almost one-stop shops for business success. In fact, incubators like these are credited for encouraging Silicon Valley’s booming growth. Plus, the unique focus incubators place on entrepreneurial success gives MOMeos an edge in their utilization.
One such NPO dedicated to the education of entrepreneurs and small business owners is SCORE, “Counselors to America’s Small Business.” A resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Association, SCORE has 11,200 volunteers and 370 offices nationwide.
They offer mentoring both online and in-person, low-cost workshops, informative how-to articles, even business templates. The mentoring is doled out by the organization’s volunteers – working and retired executives and entrepreneurs with years of experience and wisdom to share.
Local associations
In a global economy, it’s far too easy to lose sight of local associations – they can make all the difference.
From the Mall Association where our brick-and-mortar stores are located, to the casual monthly breakfast group founded and run by other local entrepreneurs, membership is worthwhile. Even if your initial participation is limited to social interaction, these associations offer an in-person support network otherwise hard to come by –filled with other forward-thinking business people.
Added to the value the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and local Chambers of Commerce offer, local associations are often an integral contributor to lasting success. Accreditation with the BBB can aid in establishing credentials and legitimacy for small and startup businesses.
Online associations
Equally as important as local associations are online groups. They offer feedback and support day, night and every hour in between.
Twitter and Facebook have taken the social networking world by storm, but online resources for professionals don’t end there. Some communities like ideablob are geared specifically for entrepreneurs and inventors. They offer space not only to connect with like-minded people, but financial incentives to do so.
In fact, the user-submitted idea voted best by the community each month is awarded $10,000 by the community’s sponsor, Advanta.
No matter the stage of growth your business is at, utilizing every tool available is always good advice – especially those specifically designed to support entrepreneurs.
If momma ain’t happy… MOMeo’s 30 Day Challenge continues with Mollie Marti
When I get invited to support other moms – especially those birthing and raising businesses along with their children – I jump at the chance.
My challenge is honing in on a single topic to cover in a short blog. There are so many areas we need to pay attention to in order for us to thrive as MOMeos. Common stressors include inadequate amounts of sleep, poor quality diets, mismanaged finances, and insufficient stress outlets.
We need to attend to all of these pieces as part of our ongoing renewal rituals. Without them…well, you know how it goes: If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.
Chronic stress affects us mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and behaviorally. Stress hormones released when we make poor choices leaves us feeling disconnected, emotionally unstable, irritable, short-tempered, mentally cloudy, fatigued, overwhelmed … and outright cranky.
Not the ideal state for an empire-building MOMeo!
So what’s a MOMeo to do?
We need to take smart action that provides greater clarity and re-connection to why we do what we do, allowing us to better handle the challenges that surface throughout our day – and help us take better care of those we love.
One exercise I use to make better choices (and thus improve my health, mood, and results) is based on something I learned long before becoming a mom or running my own business.
The 5 “Ws” and the “H”
As a college student majoring in public relations, I spent a lot of time with this formula: identify the who, what, when, where, why, and how. This remains a powerful starting point today when I want to quickly break down overwhelm and get more clarity about the stress I’m feeling.
Here’s what this process might look like.
Take a deep breath (or two…or three) and ask:
WHO: Who is involved in the stressful situation? Is it your children, your husband/partner, your parents, friends, employees, assistants, or other?
WHAT: What are the circumstances in which you are feeling stressed? Are you under a deadline, over committed, micromanaging, seeking to please others, trying to control others, disconnected to what you really want, or other?
WHEN: When are you most likely to experience feeling stressed? Is it when you compare yourself to others? When you lack clarity about your daily goals, or aren’t taking care of yourself? Before a certain type of event, or at a specific time in your day or specific days of the week?
WHERE: Where are you when feeling stressed? Are you at the office, at home, running the kids around, looking at a dirty house, spending time in certain activities, or other?
WHY: Why are you experiencing stress? Is it because you’re playing the victim, setting unrealistic expectations, focusing on your faults or limitations, engaging in negative self talk, caving in to your inner critic, or being triggered by other thought patterns?
HOW: How is your body reacting to the stress? Do you feel a general sense of overwhelm, feel mentally scattered, boil with anger, have heart palpitations, breathe more shallow, or other?
These simple questions can increase your awareness – always the first step to bringing about positive change. Can you see how this process will help you build momentum as you give greater definition to what you want in your daily life?
Once you uncover how you’re leaking energy and close those negative drains, use these basic questions to discover untapped skills, latent talents and higher aspirations!
Going through this process can highlight all-or-nothing thinking. This sets you up for failure with the expectation that if you are not perfect, you’ve blown the whole thing and all that’s left to do is give up. Stepping back with the objectivity of a reporter allows you to see that fluctuations (you know, those “bad days”) are simply a normal part of life.
This process also can highlight unrealistic expectations. What is your idea of a good MOMeo? Is it a woman who always looks put together, never loses her cool, has well-behaved and high-achieving children, and manages her home, business and family with grace and ease?
That sounds so…perfect. And unattainable; as perfect things tend to be!
I’m all about the pursuit of excellence. Set and embrace high standards for yourself and your family. The key is to do this from inside out. Get clear about what YOU want, why you want it, and stay connected to your why as you jump into the pursuit of creating what you want.
Relaxing unrealistic expectations acts like a release valve for self-pressure. Whoosh. I feel you breathing easier already.
When you embrace realistic expectations and forge a broader middle ground of “it’s all good,” you will find yourself more engaged in setting goals and taking more consistent action toward what you truly want. You will feel a greater sense of control, which improves your health, self-esteem, resiliency and well-being.
When you allow yourself to be YOU and to be human, you accept that you’ll trip. Giving yourself a softer place to fall, from inside out, prevents that trip from turning into a full slide down the hill. Failure becomes an event, not a person. A set back in one area is contained to that single area. And today’s defeat becomes today’s defeat only…not tomorrow’s too.
The bottom line? Being a MOMeo isn’t about being a Super Mom. It’s about being an empowered mom. Next time you feel overwhelmed or stuck, take a step back and apply a reporter’s eye to get your business and life back on track.
Below, let me know what questions you ask as a MOMeo to help you find better answers – or share your best tips for quickly putting challenges in their place and moving FORWARD!
Sign-Up for the 30 Day MOMentum Challenge: 30 Days to Build Unstoppable Momentum
Dr. Mollie Marti is a performance psychologist and founder of BestLifeDesign.com, a life design resource that provides tools, advice, and inspiration in all areas of life design, including health, fitness, relationships, finances, career, spirituality, and success.
Mollie is a successful entrepreneur and coach with a prestigious list of clients, including Olympians and business superstars. She is widely published in academic journals. She also shares her work in peak performance and success in her books, The 12 Factors of Business Success: Discover, Develop and Leverage Your Strengths and Selling: Powerful New Strategies for Sales Success.
As a psychologist, lawyer and trained mediator, Dr. Mollie has years of experience in conflict resolution, negotiation, facilitation, group dynamics, team building and alignment, motivation, performance effectiveness, communication strategies, strategic planning and change management.
With her unique ability to combine the science of success with the art of living well, Mollie is a popular trainer and speaker. She is a frequent resource for local and national media, and has been featured in Self, Newsweek.com, and Parents Magazine, on the Montel Williams show and more. She lives with her husband, 3 children, and large family of pets on an apple orchard in scenic northeast Iowa. Now this is a woman who really knows how to take a bite out of life!
Eat the Frog – MOMeo’s 30 Day Challenge continues with Jennifer Haubein
I ate the frog today, did you?
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you’re not alone. I first heard the phrase “eat the frog” from my client who is a professional organizer. It comes from a book by Brian Tracy called “Eat That Frog.” As a busy MOMeo, eating the frog and a few other momentum-changing techniques are my secrets to getting so much done.
I’m probably a lot like you. I have two young kids, a four-year-old and an 18-month-old. My husband is in the military and gone quite a bit. Just like you I’m a MOMeo. I run my own business and have been for five years now.
I just recently shared my story at a conference I attended and they all asked “how do you do it all?”
I didn’t quite know what to say to that. I just take it day by day. One task at a time. I celebrate my little accomplishments and of course, I now always try to eat the frog.
Now let’s take a step back. First I want to say I don’t have it all figured out. There are some days I don’t feel like eating the frog, and to be honest I don’t get much done. Then there are those amazing days like last week when I got absolutely everything on my to-do list done, while my son was taking his nap.
So first, give yourself a break. Next, apply the following suggestions and techniques to your day and watch your momentum rise.
Back to the frog and why you want to eat it. To eat the frog means you are tackling your biggest task first. This frog is usually a task that will give you the biggest results, or maybe even be something you’ve been procrastinating for a while.
Instead of opening your email inbox first, answering phone calls, or other smaller tasks – just eat the frog in one big bite. It might not taste good, but once you eat it you’ll have tons of momentum to tackle other smaller tasks.
Some examples of tasks to eat first thing in the morning: writing an article, recording a video, writing a chapter in your new book, or the home page of a new web site. The possibilities are endless and geared towards your type of business and needs.
Once you get the big task done you are so excited and ready to tackle everything on your to-do list. But maybe you’re a little overwhelmed right now and wonder how to even structure your to-do list.
For me, I don’t put too much on my to-do list, because otherwise I get overwhelmed. Usually it’s about three to ten things I’d like to get done that day. Then I break these tasks down.
Even though I’m a high-tech gal, I love my pen and spiral notebook. So I write everything down in my notebook. Next to each task I write how long it should take me to complete this task.
For example, writing an article should take one hour. To edit a video should take thirty minutes. Once I have the times f, I schedule the tasks for the day. So from 9:00 to 10:00 I will write my article. Then from 10:00 to 10:30 I will edit my video.
As I’m going along, I take note of the actual time it took to complete the task. I don’t beat myself up if it took longer than expected. I just become aware of it, and next time, give myself more time for that task. This also helps me stay out of email, twitter, and other things I’m not supposed to be doing then.
Then I celebrate! I’ve knocked out one big task and other tasks I wanted to complete that day. I think it’s important to celebrate your accomplishments in small ways, because no one else but you will do it.
Whether it’s sending out a Tweet about how you’re happy you got it all done, or rewarding yourself with a trip to the park with the kids, make sure you do one little thing every day, or at least take a few minutes to recognize your efforts.
So who’s ready to eat the frog in one big bite? Got any tips on to make that frog taste better or how to get more things done? I would love to hear about it in the comment section below.
Sign-Up for the 30 Day MOMentum Challenge: 30 Days to Build Unstoppable Momentum
Jennifer Haubein has a passion to help other entrepreneurs and those who want to be entrepreneurs. Jennifer is a bit of a technology/social media geek who loves to help everyone take their business online in a BIG way. She owns two companies; Websites 2 Grow and Best Biz Web Site Solutions. Jennifer helps others easily get online with a web site that actually works and will grow as their business grows.
Jennifer has been featured in the technology blog Mashable, several radio shows and events, and hosts her own show Websites 2 Grow TV.
If you’re confused about all of the technology and social media tools out there to market your business, Jennifer is the person to talk to.
You can sign up for her free report “5 Reasons Your Current Web Site Just Isn’t Working” at www.Websites2GrowReport.com.
Easy-Peasy recipeezys! MOMeo Kitchen–Easy Lunches
There’s just something special about a lazy weekend brunch – sitting back and sipping your latte while the kids gobble up pancakes soaked in maple syrup and crisp bacon. Mmm….
What’s not to LOVE breakfast for lunch? Especially when the recipes are given the stamp of approval by a dietician for balanced nutrition and tummy-tested by kids!
Introducing our latest MOMeo Kitchen column for busy moms: Easy-Peasy Lunches! Fast, simple, AND healthy lunch ideas for when you get tired of the same old thing!
Milk Pudding
2 cups of skim or 1% milk 3 tbsp. corn starch 1/3 cup sugar 1 tsp. Vanilla
1 egg, beaten 1 tbsp. soft tub non-hydrogenated margarine or butter
1. Mix cornstarch and sugar together. Add milk and stir until dissolved.
2. Cook on the stove in a pot until thick (be sure to stir frequently while cooking).
3. Whisk in beaten egg quickly.
4. Cook another 1 minute and stir in vanilla and margarine/butter. Cool.
Pineapple Upside-down French Toast
What you need
8 thick slices of bread
5 eggs
1 ½ cups milk
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp. soft tub non-hydrogenated margarine
¾ cup brown sugar
8 round slices canned pineapple (14 oz/398 ml can)
How you make it
1. Place slices of bread in a large shallow pan.
2. In a large bowl beat eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon. Pour mixture over the bread. Turn bread over and allow to soak for at least 10 minutes (up to overnight in refrigerator)
3. Brush margarine over the bottom of a 13 X 9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle bottom evenly with brown sugar, pressing sugar into bottom of pan. Arrange slices of pineapple on sugar in a single layer. Place a piece of soaked bread over each.
4. Bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes or until bread is puffed and browned. Remove and cool 5 minutes.
5. Cut around each slice of bread and serve each piece upside down with a slice of pineapple and some juices on top.
MOMeo Reader Question: How do you get your kids to EAT THEIR VEGETABLES?
Share your comments below and you may be the next mom featured in our From our Readers column!
MOMeo Kitchen: Recipe Swap – Crockpot Cooking
If it’s possible to love, Love, LOVE an appliance, then that’s EXACTLY how I feel about my crockpot.
In fact, whenever my husband eyes the counter space occupied by my somewhat rotund beloved, I give him a dirty look and say that HE doesn’t understand our relationship.
Oh the bliss of quickly plopping in random ingredients at lunchtime to spend the afternoon in my office with the smells of my favorite comfort food simmering away. And the relief to wrap-up a busy day, knowing that dinner is already done.
Oh my love – how I adore you! Ahem…sorry about that! Back to my point…
Seriously. My crockpot is the key to my survival as a mompreneur. Balancing work and family commitments means that both need to get a LOT simpler and cutting out a night of cooking is one way to do it.
Calling all crockpot lovers! Unite and share your favorites!
Join me in sharing your favorite crockpot recipes in the comments below! The best ones will be featured in our next MOMeo Kitchen recipe feature!
BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Pork roast (shoulder or tenderloin)
1 onion sliced
1 can diced tomatoes
¼ cup chicken stock (or to cover)
1 bottle BBQ sauce
Place pork in the crockpot and add onions, tomatoes, chicken stock and half the BBQ sauce. Cook until pork is fork-tender and shreds easily (5 to 6 hours on high or 7 to 8 hours on low).
Remove pork from liquid and shred. In a separate saucepot, combine the remaining BBQ and 2 cups of the onion tomato mixture. Thicken over medium heat (puree if desired).
Add to the shredded pork and serve on crusty rolls.
Don’t forget to share a bit about your recipe – why you love it, when you use it and what you serve with it (oh…and tell us your name and your business too)!
Innate Momentum: MOMeo’s 30 Day Challenge continues with Christie Schultz
When Carla invited me to talk about momentum I thought about how I “get” my momentum.
I thought about peppy music, hot baths, extra sleep, tropical vacations, ski weekends, wine, inspirational lectures, and of course the real-life human connections to which I always refer as my “fuel.” But as I pondered how to structure my thoughts and my list of sources for my momentum, there was something disingenuous about my message.
I realized that I don’t believe for one moment that we “get” our momentum from external forces, but rather that we have to find our innate momentum when it gets occluded by the common dark cloaks of fatigue, overwhelm, insecurity, isolation, and worry.
So I share with you my belief that momentum is not something to be initiated by us in a willful way, but rather an inner force that we innately possess. Does a baby need to be told to start holding its head up, rolling over, or sitting up? Do we need to artificially incentivize a two-year-old who asks 20 times per day “What’s that?” or “Why?”
Of course we don’t.
We are innately gifted with momentum – a primordial need to master a skill, then take that skill to the next challenge to build upon it. We are hardwired for achievement. It isn’t until our higher-level thought processes begin to interfere that our innate momentum takes a hit and we begin to slow down.
As toddlers we run fearlessly around in our diapers, leaning on luck and dodging household dangers until stubbing our toes on that wall we circled 10 times – alas. Fear now steps in the way of our momentum, and give us pause. Certainly fear holds a place and purpose to keep us from mortal injury. But the unfettered child has a magnificent way of compartmentalizing the fear and reasoning they should just steer a little clearer of that wall next time. The diaper parade recommences and the valuable lesson was learned, with momentum fully restored.
For us adults it’s not so simple. We fly off in full stride, ready to run the big race with undaunted enthusiasm. But when inevitably stub our toes – maybe more than once – we fail to compartmentalize the lesson to be learned and falsely determine we shouldn’t run at all.
We look over our shoulder to see who saw us fall, and don’t want to face the embarrassment of falling again. In the absence of cheering voices urging us back to our feet, we surmise the race might not matter after all. Our intellect allows the clutter around us, the insecurities we develop, the fatigue that becomes chronic, and the worry we grapple with to obfuscate the innate momentum inside of us.
What’s an over-intellectualized, multi-faceted, uber-dynamic, plugged in, tapped out, overscheduled, under-rested Entrepreneurial Mom to do? Try these three tips to uncloak your bright, pure, innate momentum:
Do something else hard
Try something tangential and unrelated to your work, but something that feels like pulling an ox uphill. It might be tacking the unwieldy laundry pile, running full stride nonstop for five minutes, or making that phone call to the volunteer organization you’ve been dreading, letting them know you can’t give any more hours.
Remember the feeling of achievement and savor the aftertaste. That satisfaction for accomplishment is truly an addictive, human element.
Clear out the clutter
In deafening noise, even the best innate talent won’t shine through, so evict all unwanted tenants. This might mean ditching the piece of furniture you hate in your office, getting rid of the pile of bras that you no longer like/ fit, but haven’t wanted to justify throwing out (you know the ones), or becoming your own peaceful Buddha by engaging in total media deprivation.
Turn off the BlackBerry, hibernate the computer, take the battery out of the iPod, unplug the TV. Silence yields wisdom. The moment you find yourself alone the creativity of your soul emerges. Let your own thoughts break out of the white noise. Just as we must only provide space for the toddler’s joy to propel him, all we must do for our passions is provide the open venue to hear their own “playcalls.”
Practice one week of fairly radical clutter and noise reduction – elimination if you can get away with it. After the initial week, practice clutter removal and noise reduction daily. Slip off to your bedroom when the kids are playing nicely and safely in their playroom. Experience quiet, and in that “moment” find “ohm”- your momentum. It’s inside you – keep the pathway cleared and loosen the harnesses holding you back.
Surround yourself with cheerleaders for your soul
This one is near and dear to me. This is the heart of my work – the key to rediscovering my momentum when it’s hiding behind muck.
Cheerleaders for your soul aren’t people who tell you what you want to hear, or love everything you do, or simply retweet your initiatives, but rather they get you.
They help you push the clutter aside, and hold you accountable as you do something else hard. Simply sharing with like-minded, soulful women can literally and instantly clear clouded thoughts, jumbled fears, unfounded anxieties, and put a check on the runaway train of your over-intellectualized, multi-faceted, uber-dynamic, plugged in, tapped out, overscheduled, under-rested Entrepreneurial Mom mind.
There is something irreplaceable, unmistakable, and inexplicable about the healing powers of connection between amazing women. Connect regularly with women who live and breathe your struggles and celebrate your successes with you. Find your posse, make a plan to see them regularly, and feel your wings expand.
Love, touch, smiles, laughter, and tears reconnect us with our innate humanity, and thus our innate momentum. Find a group that will support your dreams, tell you the truth, hold you accountable, and cheer you on in the background as you get up after stumping your toes. The power of momentum lies within you!
Sign-Up for the 30 Day MOMentum Challenge: 30 Days to Build Unstoppable Momentum
Christie Schultz is the Founder of Entrepreneurial Moms International and the mom of three rugrats under the age of 5 – two insatiably spirited preschool boys and a baby girl.
EMI was recently featured in The Globe and Mail and will soon be featured in a national television show on Entrepreneurial Moms. Christie has been honored to serve on the Advisory Panel for the SavvyMom.ca Mom Entrepreneur of the Year Award, as a judge in the Glinda Girls Pitchfest to award entrepreneurial women, and to be recognized as an inspirational figure in the entrepreneurial mom community by esteemed fellow Entrepreneurial Mom-run organizations including Go Go Mama Go, Lovin’ Lovely, and the Empowerment Group.
EMI is launching new local chapters geographically centered around active, passionate Entrepreneurial Mom communities, as well as an International Community launch to service expatriated, transient, rural, or physically handicapped Entrepreneurial Moms, those on short global contracts, or spouses of military members.
Stay tuned for news of a new partnership with MOMeoCommunity.com!
Weekend Warriors: Are you an info-addict who never implements?
It’s time for a little bit of tough love because I see people doing this all the time and it drives me crazy. How do I know? Because I was guilty of it myself. And hey, I still do – it’s a tough habit to break!
Are you addicted to information?
Come on…you know you are. Reading business how-to books, following trendsetter web sites, the leading business blogs, listening to teleseminars and podcasts, attending big-ticket seminars?
But what good is information unless you use it? On his way to the Senate, Julius Caesar was warned about the plot against him. That’s valuable information! What did he do with it? Nothing. What happened? Let’s just say he should have listened.
Did you know? (This statistic just drives me crazy)
90% of people who attend a seminar, listen to a podcast, read a business book, take a home-study course do absolutely nothing with that information! ZERO.
So really you’re worse of because you #1: wasted your time, #2: wasted your money (because rarely are these things free), and #3: feel guilty about #1 and #2.
Why bother? Seriously!
So instead of sitting in that uncomfortable chair, freezing your buns off, scribbling notes that you never look at later, much less implement, go get a pedicure and refresh and rejuvenate.
It will boost your business more than wasting your time on stuff you’re never going to do anyway because if you’re anything like me, you’ll feel GUILTY about the stuff you aren’t doing.
Take the implementation challenge!
Shift your thinking about information!
1: Quickly scan or read the summary to gauge if there’s anything of value to you today! If yes, place it in a learning queue until you have time to implement. If no, go get your hair done instead.
2: Read, listen, or participate with implementation in mind. Don’t take notes, create task lists, send out marching orders to your team, schedule in follow-up activities.
3: Implement the ideas FULLY and completely before moving onto the next resource in the queue. If that means missing an event, don’t worry. There will dozens more to follow!
Raise your right hand and repeat after me:
I solemnly pledge not to read anything, study anything, or participate in anything UNLESS I do something with the information IMMEDIATELY!
AND I promise not to consume any additional information until I have a chance to fully implement the new ideas in front of me – no if’s, and’s or but’s!
Please indicate your consent by adding your name to the comments!
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- I love that @AlyPain tells it like it is --> STOP Blaming Your Children - Why YOUR Failure Isn't THEIR Fault - http://t.co/LPo51mgI
- Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, "Make me feel important." ~Mary Kay Ash
