Productivity @ Home

What's for Dinner on Halloween

In case you're like me and don't have little ones to take out trick or treating tonight, I thought you might enjoy this article with ideas for a special themed dinner party.  It even gives me a good excuse to carve a pumpkin or two!  What are you doing tonight or this weekend to celebrate? 

A Dinner Party for Allhallows Eve - FamilyTime.com -

Never Give Up, Never Surrender

On Fridays, I share my thoughts on Health and Fitness. 

A big hat tip to my personal coach, Greg Cheney, for posting this fabulous video on his blog over at FaithFirstFitness.com.  It's an opportune thing to post on a Friday, when the thought of skipping a workout or quitting on a nutritional program sounds oh, so appealing!

Leave it Lance Armstrong to put things in perspective...

Another thing that helps me when I quit are some legendary words from a movie you might have heard of once or twice.  The speech goes something like this:

         

Well, boys ... I haven't a thing to say.
          Played a great game...all of you. Great game.
                   (He tries to smile.)
          I guess we just can't expect to win ‘em all.
                   (Rockne pauses and says quietly.)
          I'm going to tell you something I've kept to myself for years --
          None of you ever knew George Gipp.
          It was long before your time.
          But you know what a tradition he is at Notre Dame...
                   (There is gentle, faraway look in his eyes as he recalls the boy's words.)
          And the last thing he said to me -- "Rock," he said -
          "sometime, when the team is up against it -- and the
          breaks are beating the boys -- tell them to go out there
          with all they got and win just one for the Gipper...
                   (Knute's eyes become misty and his voice is unsteady as he finishes.)
          I don't know where I'll be then, Rock", he said - "but
          I'll know about it - and I'll be happy."

Don't Give in to the Madness

On Thursdays, I share my thoughts on Family Finances. 

When we flip the calendar to November on Saturday morning, a certain mania will set in. 

In case you haven't already noticed, the stores have had Christmas stuff up for sale since late August.  Perhaps we've been distracted enough by all of the Halloween stuff they're trying to sell us that we haven't noticed the Christmas stuff.  But it's there, just waiting to be swooped up.

What would happen this year if we didn't give in to the pressure - if we made this the year that we simplified the celebration of the holidays and concentrated on spending family time making happy memories instead of spending too much money?

I'm going to make a concerted effort in my family this year to make this the case.  We've already had discussions with some family members about the simplifying or limiting of gift giving.  I'm also seriously rethinking the whole Christmas card situation - I love receiving them, but is there a better way to share photos and family news with my friends in a way that won't impact my time and finance budgets so severely?  Do I need new Christmas decorations, or even really need to put out all of my old ones?  I don't think so...

So Saturday, I'm going to spend some time planning our holiday season, and simplifying is going to be a special part of the planning.

Care to join me?

How to Handle "I Hate Homework"

On Wednesdays, I share my thoughts on Professional Development and Learning.  Today's column is by guest author John Bishop of TeachingMoments.com.     

I HATE Homework

If you’re like most parents, you may hear this many nights.

How do students get excited about homework when they are bombarded with other options that seem far more exciting? Let’s face it - homework is no more exciting today than when we were kids. It was tough for us to do our homework and we did not have nearly as many distractions as today’s students.

Their world includes instant communication, muti-tasking, cell phones, exciting video games, texting and social-networking. Homework is competing for your child’s attention against some tough competition.

How can parents minimize the nightly homework tug-of-war with their kids?

Some students think homework is a waste of time. Others understand the intrinsic value of homework and take responsibility for doing it correctly and handing it in on time. However, the majority of students are somewhere in between these extremes.

The students that do their homework without a nightly battle view their education differently. They understand that for a couple of hours school work is the priority and then they can do something else. They understand that homework teaches them where their strengths are and where they need to spend more attention.

For most students the problem may not be the homework, but in how they look at it. In the “good old days” we did our homework because it was expected and because there were far fewer options for our time. Don’t compete head-on with today’s distractions, try a different tactic.

To compete with the distractions parents must get more buy-in on the importance of homework. Your job won’t be easy, but perhaps this list can help.

10 Benefits of Homework:

1. Homework teaches students about time management.
2. Homework teaches students how to setting priorities.
3. Homework helps teachers determine how well the lessons are being understood by their students.
4. Homework teaches students how to problem solve.
5. Homework gives students another opportunity to review the class material.
6. Homework gives parents a chance to see what is being learned in school.
7. Homework teaches students that they may have to do things - even when they don’t want to.
8. Homework teaches students how to take responsibility for their part in the educational process.
9. Homework teaches students how to work independently.
10. Homework teaches students the importance of planning, staying organized and taking action.

School and homework teach students important life lessons that they will use as an adult. For example: It teaches them how to read and comprehend information, communicate ideas with others, listen and take notes, remember things, solve problems, how to develop a plan, set priorities and take action. Homework also teaches students how to concentrate, write reports, spend time alone and helps develop their curiosity about new subjects.

Parents are competing with the Internet and instant communications for their child’s attention, and it’s not a fair competition. Simply put, their world moves faster, and in more directions, than our world. Our challenge is to mentor them without lectures, inspire them and show them how take action on their dreams. We must help them learn “the ropes” but understand that they will use those skills differently than we did.

We have to show our children that homework is not boring. It is not a waste of time. There are numerous benefits to doing homework correctly and handing it on time. Students can benefit from the life skills they learn by doing homework, and then go back to the instant communications world of high-speed computers, the Internet, cell phones, text messaging, social networking and instant messaging.  Homework then becomes a win-win situation for parents and their students.

www.GoalSettingForStudents.com

Online Mags for Moms and Dads

On Tuesdays, I share my thoughts on Family Life. 

Yesterdays feature on Feed Front Magazine left me thinking about other magazines I have received over the years that now have great websites online.  In an age of trying to save money, help with environmental protection, and decrease household clutter, turning to online resources makes sense for many reasons. 

So here's a peak at some of the websites of our favorite magazines for making the most of family life.  Each of them offers great web resources that are sure to leave you inspired:

• Working Mother - Whether you work at home or in an office, this site has great tips for you.  Dads, you might learn a thing or two as well!
• Family Fun - Great stuff for those, like me, who are craft impaired or always forgetting to decorate for holidays.  Super printables and realistic recipes make this a great stop.
• Real Simple - It's simply the best when it comes to helping you get your act together at home!
• O, the Oprah Magazine - Many of your favorite features from the mag are available on the site, including recipes, quick columns, and great family finance tools.

Minimizing magazine clutter could go a long way towards helping your family get more organized, and with many of the best features of the mags online you can still get many of the benefits without having the actual magazine in hand.

Free Magazine Helps Affiliates

On Mondays, I share my thoughts on Working @ Home.

If your work @ home involves use of a website, chances are you've investigated the world of affiliate marketing to optimize your site's income.  Over the years, I've honed my affiliate relationships to those with the highest yield and the most effective tools and interface. 

A great resource for helping you make the most of your affiliate relationships is the free and fabulous Feed Front Magazine, the official magazine of Affiliate Summit.  I'm not sure how it happened, but somehow I landed on their mailing list and have been the happy recipient of their first few issues.

Each of the issues contains a wealth of helpful articles, tips and suggestions written in language that even an inexperienced affiliate marketer like me can understand.  I have a lot to learn about this particular potential revenue stream, and receiving this free magazine has given me some added motivation to pay some attention to this particular resource on my sites. 

If you're an experienced affiliate, Feed Front is currently soliciting articles for their next issue.  Check out the details here. 

What periodicals do you find the most helpful in your work and productivity @ home?  I've been streamlining my subscriptions, so I'd love to know which resources offer you the highest yield?  In the age of so many fabulous RSS feeds, magazines need to be really great to be on our subscription list.

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

On Fridays, I share my thoughts on Health and Fitness.

During the month of October, you’ve likely been seeing a lot of pink, owing to the fact that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

I’m guessing that a lot of you reading this haven’t yet experienced the joy of your first mammogram and may be thinking to yourselves that you can just skip this post and move along in your reading.

I’d like to ask you to pause though, and take a few moments to think about breast cancer and how to care for yourself and your family.  According to statistics on the NBCAM website, an estimated 178,480 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007.  Of those diagnosed, an estimated 40,460 women lost their lives to breast cancer in 2007.  So many of us have a mother, a sister, or a friend who has been impacted by breast cancer.

Because I have a family history of breast cancer, I had my first mammogram before I turned 35.  I’m going to share with you that I’ve been a slacker when it comes to getting the annual mammograms my doctor routinely prescribes.  I’ve used the “I’m too busy” excuse, the “It hurts too much” excuse and even the “I forgot” excuse.  Pretty dumb, when it’s clearly shown that mammography screening is the best available method to detect breast cancer early, thereby maximizing treatment and cure potential.

So this month, in honor National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and because I love my family, I’m treating myself to my annual mammogram.  Along with this routine screening, I am going to really focus this month on decreasing some of my risk factors for breast cancer by staying physically active, decreasing my fat intake and increasing my intake of fiber, and making fresh fruits and vegetables the stars of my meals. 

Care to join me?  We owe it to our families to take care of ourselves spiritually, emotionally and physically.

Image credit

Controlling Your Credit Score

On Thursdays, I share my thoughts on Family Finances.

Chances are, you're feeling like there's little you can control when it comes to finances these days.  The market is crazy, gas prices are erratic, your child's college savings are dwindling and your retirement party has been postponed by ten years.

That's why I was happy to come across Ron Lieber's New York Times article this week entitled One Thing You Can Control - Your Credit Score.

With the reality that borrowing opportunities will most definitely be more limited in the years ahead, now is the time to put a little productive effort into shoring up your credit score.  When was the last time you checked it?

Leiber gives a few proactive tips that will help you feel more in control of the situation and start working towards a higher credit score.  Most are easily accomplished and will likely help you overcome the sense that absolutely everything is out of control - this ball is in your court!

Related Resources:

Why Don't More People Set Goals

On Wednesdays, I share my thoughts on Learning and Professional Development.  Thank you to John Bishop of Goal Setting for Students, author of today's post.

Why Don’t More People Set Goals   

If you are going to set and achieve a new goal, something in your life must change.  

In today’s hectic, non-stop world we are all extremely busy.  Time is a precious commodity and there is simply not enough of it.   That means setting priorities and that is not easy.  We understand that setting goals are important.  The media often shows us examples of people who have achieved great things because they set and achieved their goals.  So why don’t more people set goals?

Setting and achieving goals is not easy.  If it were, more people would be doing it.

Setting priorities is the one step most goal setting programs overlook.   In order to free up time to reach your new goal, you will have to reduce, alter or eliminate a current activity.  Many goal setting programs give you the basics.  These programs are good but without fully understanding the importance of setting priorities many people will get sidetracked before reaching their goal.

Let’s say your goal is to go back to school and finish the education you were not able to complete earlier in your life. You want to start slowly, so you take two courses and you’ve figured the time commitment for class and homework activities will be seven hours per week.

What part of your life will you change to reach your new goal? Where will you find those seven hours? Will you watch less TV, see your friends less often, sleep less, spend fewer hours with your family or eliminate a hobby you really enjoy, etc? There are only so many hours in a day; something has to give if you are sincere about accomplishing your new goal.

Are you ready to make the necessary life style changes to succeed?  Are the people closest to you willing to help you? Will they help you find the courage and determination to reach your new goal? Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: “Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong.  There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right.” 

Setting and achieving goals is a wonderful and rewarding experience. It propels us forward in life and challenges us to reach new, sometimes unimagined, heights. But, if it were easy, more people would be doing it. Goal setting is hard work.  It means setting priorities and making some difficult choices.  George Matthew Adams said: “In this life we only get those things for which we hunt, for which we strive, and for which we are willing to sacrifice.”

Goal setting programs will help you learn the fundamentals of how to set and achieve goals. They teach you the importance of defining the challenge correctly, writing down your goal, developing an action plan and setting a completion date.  The good programs teach you how to remain positive and determined and how to overcome obstacles.  Many will teach you to set realistic, attainable goals and then build your self esteem on the successful completion of your goals.

Setting priorities and sticking to those choices, even when it is difficult, will give you the determination to succeed.   It is an often overlooked but extremely important part of goal setting.

Points for Discussion:

1. Are you good at setting priorities on what is important in your life?
2. How can your friends help you succeed?
3. What does courage mean to you?

www.GoalSettingForStudents.com

Related Resources:

Busy Body Calendar Review

On Tuesdays, I share my thoughts on Family Life.

One of a mom's key productivity tools is the family calendar.  Yours may be "day at a glance" or online or stuck to the wall with a thumbtack.  Regardless, you need a system that will help you keep track of your family's activities and communicate the schedule to others who need to be involved in that process as well.

One of the best calendars I've seen to meet both of those goals are the Family Organizers from BusyBody Book.  Their planners have evolved and now come in a variety of styles.  I'm happy to have had the opportunity to review the all new 2009 Busy Body Wall Calendar.  Some of the features of this calendar include:

• seven spacious columns for your larger family or your additional planning needs
• a week-per-page layout that can hang as a one- or two-week view
• two six-months-months-at-a-glance pages to help plan ahead for the holidays, vacations, or special events
• a page for next year's important appointments and events
• key contacts pages for your emergency contact information and the phone numbers of doctors, coaches or babysitters
• a 4-inch pocket on the inside back cover to hold important papers, receipts or coupons

I love the "grid" system used by the BusyBody calendars, as it enables me to focus on both my family's activities and some of my own personal productivity areas.  The seven columns enable me to track each family member's "stuff" plus my own business activities, workout/nutrition goals, and spiritual disciplines.  If you have a large family, you'll have plenty of space to keep track of the gang.  The calendar's date spaces have plenty of room for even your most activity packed days.

I love the idea of placing this calendar in a centralized place where everyone can communicate about and plan for events, homework assignments, rehearsals and more.

For more information on the BusyBody Family Organizers, visit them at www.busybodybook.com.

Related Resources: