Stylish in Your Own Skin

By Erin Nowak

As a business owner, it’s my job to look at, assess, and revise my business plan. This is often a sobering task, but one that needs to be done in order to move my business forward. But after sifting through a pile of year-end financial stats, I started thinking about more than just the state of my business. I suddenly wondered, what about the state of ME?

We’re all faced with these sorts of thoughts at the end of a year. We’re even encouraged in our culture to look back over the past twelve months and do a little life assessment. Isn’t that what New Year’s resolutions are all about? Resolutions might start as a noble endeavor, an attempt to change for the better. But while these annual walks down memory lane seem harmless at first, I find they’re much like that report QuickBooks spits out at me—depressing, or at the very least discouraging.

Financial statements may get me down, but as I mentioned before they are useful and necessary to a business’ health. Always up for a challenge, I decided to face my questions about the “state of me” and make 2008 one of my healthiest years yet. I looked at my business, my family life, my home, and my social life, and I found that while there were things about these aspects of me that need improvement, for the most part I’m happy with them. It was then that I turned my gaze inward. It didn’t take me long to figure out that when you are busy giving most of your time and energy to a business and a family…there is little, if any, time left over for one’s self.

This time crunch is not a new concept, especially for moms or entrepreneurs. When I look around at the women I know I am impressed with just how much we do, and get done. But in the race to be wonder woman there is always something that has to fall by the wayside or get shifted to the back burner. We simply can’t do everything. I bet you’re wondering,”where’s the STYLE in all this, Style Mama?” Well, as I reviewed my year-to-date personal statement, “style” was one column that definitely came up short. I dutifully keep up with fashion. I’m well versed in the latest trends. Consistently applying them to my own life? Well, that’s not always as easy as it looks. I mean don’t we all have a few sweaters from college lurking in our closet?

Those sweaters from college, the fact that I can barely manage to moisturize in the morning, and my less than healthy sleep habits, caught up with me this year. I may know a lot about style, but the truth is I don’t always feel super stylish. Let’s face it; it’s tough to feel chic when you’ve got a dried blob of spit-up on your shoulder!

I’ve left the house wearing certain outfits while praying “please don’t let me run into anyone looking like this!” Somewhere in the past few years’ makeup went from a fun, optional embellishment to a prerequisite for not looking like death warmed-over. My main purse is a diaper bag. Need I say more? But before you call the fashion police, I also realized that 2007 was a year filled with more than just bad hair days and Glamour “Don’ts.” I also had a few shining, style moments where I felt beautiful and confident. In contemplating those moments, I realized I don’t need a wardrobe overhaul; I need to overhaul my attitude!

As the iconic Yves Saint Laurent once said, “Fashions fade; style is eternal.” I’ve been clinging to old makeup routines and the same dependable outfits. I’ve held onto some pretty unrealistic fashion and beauty expectations. What may have worked in the past, may not work for me now. As I’ve moved through life, I’ve had to adapt to my new roles as a wife, business owner, and mom of two. I need to allow my sense of style to change and adapt as well.

Some of the style changes I made this year were definitely for the better. I started using mineral makeup. I don’t wear it every single day, but when I do wear it I’m always thrilled with how easy and fast it is to apply and how wonderful it makes my skin look. Since my primp time went from hours (yes…hours!), as a single woman to minutes as a mom, I’ve also stripped my makeup collection down to the essentials. No more trying to decide which blush shade to wear. I’ve got one. The one that looks best on me.

Another keen observation I made this year is that I wear jeans almost every day. If there is one piece of clothing you wear all the time, invest in it and buy versions that fit flawlessly and make you feel fabulous. I might not sport jeans on a night out or at a business meeting, but since style is a mindset, it’s nice to have items you use on a daily basis that make you feel chic.

My business has also offered me the opportunity to meet and barter with other creative women. This year, I managed to grow a lovely little jewelry collection. As Bling Mama said in her column last month on jewelry “bling is something that we moms need in our lives…” Isn’t it true? Even on those not-so-stylish days, I smile when I look down at my fingers tapping away on the keyboard or fixing my daughters’ lunches and see my favorite rings. It takes no time and little effort to throw on a pair of earrings or a necklace, but it does wonders for my mood.

The biggest style change I plan to make in 2008? Go easy on myself! Much like Rome, businesses aren’t built in a day and personal comfort zones are not always easy to move past. As one friend and fellow mom, consistently reminds me “This too shall pass.” She’s right. The days of sick babies, carpool craziness, and dinners on the run, won’t last forever. Until then, I’ll have fun wearing plain old jeans and soaking up the compliments my two year old gives me when I wear my satin pajama pants. Because one cannot help but feel stylish (even in pajamas) when they hear the words “Mommy, you look sooooo pretty!”

About the Author: Erin McKenna Nowak, is an entrepreneur, wife and the mother of two stylish little girls. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design and printmaking, she worked in New York City, Chicago and Providence, RI. Having been everything from a children’s book designer to the art director of several magazines, in 2004 Erin struck out on her own and started Bride Design. Bride Design features Erin’s fashion-forward, custom wedding and event stationery and accessories. Each of her one-of-a-kind creations reflect her clients’ personal style and highlights the unique details of their event. Erin is also the pen and paper portion of Invitastions™—edible cookie invitations—the tastiest trend in event stationery! An author and illustrator, Erin loves just about everything pop culture has to offer. When she’s not busy designing or chasing after her kids, she can be found chasing after the latest styles in beauty, fashion, home interiors, music and more!

http://www.bridedesign.com
http://www.invitastions.com

Ack! My kid’s playing Doctor!

You know the scenario – your kid and his pal are playing quietly – too quietly – and you check on them, only to discover a busy little game of “doctor” going on! You might feel shocked, surprised or confused, but rest assured, a little “I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours’” or sex play, is developmentally normal for the pre-school set.

Pre-schoolers are very curious about the world and this includes bodies and all the magical things they can do.  Parents of pre-schoolers get to hear a lot of potty talk, questions about pregnancy and birth, and conversations and comments relating to differences in body parts.  Showing and looking at private body parts and self-stimulation in public and private are also part of the fun.

All of this is developmentally normal and just because it’s normal or common, doesn’t mean we have to be comfortable with it. However, as parents who want their children to be comfortable talking to us about any and everything, we need to be careful about monitoring our sometimes-strong reactions to their normal sex play.

Sex play is play and emerges from play.  It should be spontaneous, mutual and good humored. Here are some tips about how to manage sex play, from an excellent report from the Swedish Government, Sexual Abuse of Children: Child sexuality and sexual behavior:

1. Calmly and non-judgmentally label the behavior “I see you are looking at each others’ privates.” This clearly describes the behavior and gives the children the language to discuss the behavior. It also communicates that the adult is willing to talk about such matters.

2. Redirect the play “Let’s get your clothes back on and play a game of Snakes and Ladders”.

3. Assess the situation before jumping to the conclusion that there are problematic dynamics. And be sure to contact the other family if there has been a problem or any cause for concern.

When to worry: Imitating adults sexually (sexualized play), sex play using force, threats, dominance, violence, aggression, and/or compulsiveness.
Remember, children who are engaging in sexualized play may need help and their parents should be contacted.

Kids need information about okay touch and not okay touch and regular reminders about keeping their bodies safe. They need to know that they are the “boss” of their body and have the right to say no to any kind of play, sex or otherwise. Young kids also need to know about reproductive biology because it gives them a reference point for sexual activity i.e. it’s something adults do, not kids.

If you are concerned about your own child or another child you have contact with, there are many excellent resources. www.stopitnow.org or the Harborview Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress,
www.depts.washington.edu/hcsats offer great support and information. If you’d like more information about childhood sexual development, please attend a BBK 101 workshop. We cover this topic in depth.

www.stopitnow.org

Sexual Abuse of Children: Child sexuality and sexual behavior, IngBeth Larsson, Department of Health and Environment, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Linkoping University, Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare, www.sos.se/FULLTEXT/123/2001-23-20/2001-123-20.pdf

About the Author: Through her business, Birds + Bees + Kids, Amy Lang teaches parents how to talk to their children of any age about sex, love and relationships. She has a 16-year history as a Sexual Health Educator, a Masters in Applied Behavioral Science and loves to help people learn about this vital part of parenting.

Launch a Business on a Budget

Launch A Home Business On a Budget

by Debra Cohen

Despite what many think, starting a business doesn’t have to deplete your life’s savings. Many successful businesses have been launched from home with a little investment and a lot of determination. Several years ago I launched a Homeowner Referral Network (HRN) business with a $5000 loan from my husband’s retirement savings plan. Not only was I was able to repay the loan in less than six months but my business has grown into a cottage industry nationwide grossing more than $2 million in revenue to date.

If you have the desire to start your own business but have limited resources, below are three tips to help you stay on budget:

1. What do you (really) need?

Before you head out to purchase the latest and greatest technology for your home office, assess your needs. Decide what equipment will be essential to your business start-up and then shop around at local retailers for the best price. Basic office equipment generally includes a computer, printer, fax machine, telephone, answering machine, desk and file cabinet. Unless your business is in a computer-related or hi-tech field, chances are that you can do everything you need with your existing equipment, last year’s computer model or refurbished equipment that includes a warranty or service contract.

TIP: Computer and office supply stores often offer credit cards with 0% financing for 6 months to one year which will help buy you more time to launch your business and start generating some revenue.

2. Seek out free resources.

Whether you need advice on how to set up your business’s legal structure, marketing strategies or accounting techniques there are numerous free resources available for entrepreneurs. Before you invest in costly outside advisors to help you launch your business locate and visit a local SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) chapter in your area. SCORE is a nonprofit association run by volunteer business counselors who donate their time and talent to provide free and confidential business advice to entrepreneurs as a community service. (To find a SCORE chapter near you, visit their website at www.score.org.)

The U.S Small Business Administration (SBA) also offers the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Program to provide management assistance to current and prospective small business owners. Entrepreneurs can find an SBDC chapter by visiting the Small Business Administration’s website at www.sba.gov.

Finally, the Internet is an amazing source of information and support. Search online for websites and other business owners in your field. Join chat groups where others in your industry meet to share ideas and offer support to those just starting out.

TIP: Not all resources are free. You may also need to hire professionals with a specific area of expertise (i.e. lawyer, graphic artist, website developer, etc.) to help you with certain aspects of your business. Decide what tasks you can handle on your own and outsource other tasks to people with training in that field. Colleges and Universities or Retirement Centers can also be great places to find new talent or part-time help for your business.

3. Don’t overspend on advertising.

Many new business owners invest in expensive advertising campaigns that don’t produce results. Paid advertising isn’t always the best promotional tool. As a new business owner with limited start-up capital, seek out promotional opportunities for your business that are less expensive or—better yet—free!

For example:

- Contact the Business Editor of your local newspaper and pitch your business to them for a story or offer to serve as an expert for an upcoming story on a topic related to your industry.
- Donate your product/service as a giveaway at a local charity event.
- If you have a website, seek out other businesses with websites that generate traffic from your potential customers and offer to put a reciprocal link your site.

TIP: Networking is an effective and inexpensive way to generate business. Look for opportunities where you can meet other professionals who can help generate word of mouth referrals for your business. Make a list of trade organizations, merchant associations, Chambers of Commerce and/or networking groups in your target market and ask to attend a meeting to see if the group is a good fit for you and your business.

Debra Cohen is President and founder of Home Remedies® of NY, Inc. For more information about the HRN business, visit her website at www.hrnbiz.com.

November Momtrepreneur

This month’s featured MomTrepreneur is Karyn Ranzau. She creates beautiful, durable Boutique hairbows and ribbon sculptures for your little one. All the bows are hand sewn to keep everything where it should be, and the clips have an amazing grippy liner to stay put in fine or wispy hair.

Design your own, or choose one of the dozens of designs that have been put
together for you. Little Pink Lady Bug also offers a patent pending Grow Along blanket line. They are collectable memory quilt squares for building a blanket of families, lifetime events or achievements.

All custom blankets are handmade to order, to incorporate your special design, photo or memory. If you have something in mind that you don’t see on the site, please just ask! Their talented staff will be happy to work with you!

Shop fast as November is the last month to place orders in time for
Christmas! Free shipping if you use code: freeship4u

Enjoy!

Laura

Chief Mom

Reinvent Yourself

By Tory Johnson

Tory Johnson is the CEO of Women For Hire and the Workplace Contributor on ABC’s Good Morning America. 

 Connect with her at www.womenforhire.com.

The world around us is constantly in a state of reinvention. Just look at your toothpaste-whiter, brighter. Cars are safer and more luxurious with better fuel economy. Reinvention is another word for change. Women are always changing, whether it’s our hair, clothing style, favorite haunts, even friendships and political attitudes. But reinvention is not just change. Reinventing yourself means change with a twist, with a new face, a new outlook on life or career. Reinvention is the process by which you take everything you are and everything you’ve learned, and switch direction to head off on a new path. Sometimes it’s a fork in your road: you stay in the same field, but in a new capacity, or you stay with your company but in a completely different role. Sometimes, however, you take a detour onto a brand new highway by entering a totally new line of work. Sometimes you have to reinvent yourself to accommodate a fast-paced, ever-changing world. Sometimes, the need for change comes from within. Which of these apply to you?

• Your interests have changed.
• The market for your current skills has dried up.
• You’ve figured out your passion.
• You’ve discovered that your college major really isn’t what you want to do.
• You’ve uncovered new talents you never knew you had.
• You’re tired of the rut you’re in.
• Your life’s circumstances have changed.
• You have more time to devote to work.
• You need more money.
• You don’t need the money.
• You need flexibility in your schedule.
• You want to be your own boss.
• You want to change the world.

Reinvention is not always a choice. Sometimes we’re hit with a sledgehammer and we have to make a u-turn. Was your world suddenly flipped upside down? A baby can do that to you, but so can a heart attack or other illness - yours or someone close to you. You’re widowed or divorced, the bottom fell out of your husband’s job, and the bank account is awash in bright red. Your company phased out your job, a new boss brings in her pick to take your place, or your partner was transferred to a new city. Sometimes life forces you to assess your situation and begin to search for a new career.

Once you have pinned down your new industry or career choice, you can begin packaging yourself to your new target market. You don’t have to start over from scratch. What you’ve learned in one job can serve you well elsewhere, in ways you may not ever have considered. Instead of discounting your previous work history, look at it in a different light. Highlighting different aspects of your skills and experiences will give your work history the makeover it needs to attract employers in your new industry.

• Learn everything you can about your new field. Before you even consider your skills, you have to know what will be valued in your new career. Have you decided to go into human resources? Make a list of all the skills, experience, training, certification or education human resources professionals should have. What is the job description of the position you are looking for? If you don’t know what is essential in your new career path, ask a professional in that field. Look at positions in your field advertised in the classifieds or online job databases. What are the employers asking for? Conduct a search online for the title of your desired position, and you’ll retrieve valuable information and resources.

• Compare the essential job skills with your experience. First take a look at your general skills, such as computer skills or communication skills. Many skills are widely transferable and valued in several industries. Dig a little. If you were an accountant and want to be a news reporter, your number crunching has given you great attention to detail and accuracy - two highly valued skills in journalism. Now think more about your specific experiences, such as organizations you belonged to, companies you worked for, and titles you held. They probably don’t line up exactly with your new industry, but how have they prepared you? For example, your position as a social worker taught you how to handle disagreements and evaluate clients’ well-being. Use specific experiences or anecdotes to illustrate how efficient you will be in customer service.

With all the information you gathered from your self-assessments, tweak your resume to include your transferable skills. When switching careers, it is often beneficial to use a functional resume format, rather than the traditional chronological style. A functional resume focuses on specific skills, not necessarily based on a progression of specific jobs you’ve held. A chronological resume includes a run down of your employment history starting with the most recent. In either version, you’ll want to include your previous experiences, but with a twist. Rewrite your resume with an emphasis on your new career goal. The most important point here is to make potential employers see the you that you want to be, not the you that you used to be. Make sure your personal appearance matches the new you. If that needs repackaging too, start early, so all your face-to-face contacts see the new you. If you were a sales clerk in a funky retail boutique, and you’re going into corporate life, check out what women are wearing in the boardroom before showing up in a mini skirt and fishnet hose. With your goals set and your resume in hand, you also have to determine how you’re going to make the leap.

• Try to make an internal transfer. If your ideal job is right under your nose, build your skills and network effectively to make a transition right in your company. This kind of reinvention has the advantage of comfort level. You already know the people, they know you, and you probably won’t lose benefits or seniority. The key here is to ask - to find out what’s available and what you have to know to get it. Large companies sometimes offer an intranet of available internal opportunities.

• Attend job fairs. If you are taking a plunge into a completely different career, chances are you don’t know a lot of contacts in that field. Job fairs can provide a great opportunity to network and meet people in your new industry.

• Volunteer. Forget the old maxim about never giving it away for free. Your talents and skills are your strongest selling point, and strategic sampling is a wonderful way to let people know about you. If you’re starting a career as a fundraiser, offer your services to local schools and charities. If you want to work for an art gallery, work with local restaurants and lounges and offer to coordinate art shows with paintings from local artists.

• Ease yourself into a new career. If you’re a nurse, but you want to be in sales, take a part time job as a salesperson. Try an industry, like pharmaceuticals, that values your nursing knowledge and experience. Don’t burn yourself out, but try a taste of what seems like the ideal job before abandoning a sure thing.

• Go for it! If you’re at your wits end, be prepared to quit and jump cold turkey into a new career. But don’t expect instant success, tons of money or a quick ride to the top. This is often the least effective way to make a successful transition, unless you have financial security or something lined up.

• Network. Let your network know that you are looking for a new position. Explain what field you are looking for, and why you’ve decided to make the leap. If you’re launching a new career, hold an “expert” party to introduce yourself to those who can help you. If you’re looking for a position as a paralegal, invite your cousin whose wife is a lawyer to a “family barbeque.” If you just got your massage therapy license, invite salon managers, gym trainers, or facial specialists who work in spas.

Tory Johnson is CEO of Women For Hire.  As the workplace contributor on ABC’s Good Morning America, Tory shares advancement and advice with millions of men and women. Here is your opportunity to meet her and listen to inspiring and informative tips on how to get the most out of your career. Sign up to get great free tips on the front page banner!

Fitness And Exercise: How To Stop Battling Frustration To Lose Weight

By Amy Lundberg 

Women who battle frustration and silently scream from failed weight loss attempts, poor health, and lack of will power are not alone. It’s not all about exercise and diet. If your spirit isn’t with the program, even the best discipline might just lead to injury or worse yet feeling you failed even when you gave it your “all.” Statistics show “dieting has a 95% failure rate and just by switching from a bad lifestyle to a healthier one, one can expect to add as much as 14 years to their life.”  But what do you do when you think you have done everything and the results don’t last? 
Over the years, I have discovered that teaching women how to exercise in order to help them become well again was the easy part. Teaching women to motivate themselves to exercise beyond the initial stages of accomplishing a goal was quite challenging. Most women don’t look at the whole picture when it comes to losing weight and getting in shape. For ultimate health you must balance obligations, desires, job, family and self-care. Women must pause long enough to look within to see if exercising is going to be an added task to their list for the day or a more nurturing practice that elevates them to a higher well being.  

To look at this, I believe women must take a holistic approach to their exercise.  The good news is there are three major components in making ultimate health a living reality, giving you a balanced, healthy, joyful lifestyle. 
I realize we have heard a lot about body mind and spirit; however, this is part of our infrastructure that makes us unique.  All three are part of who we are.  If we forget about one or the other we set ourselves up for failure every time.  Taking a holistic approach to your exercise program allows for effortless integration into your lifestyle and have results stick.   It would be simple if a cookie cutter quick fix approach worked for most people. This hope is the constant lure of new diet books and programs. If I take steps 1-10, the same as my neighbor, we should get the same results, right? But that science class approach does not ring true for diet and fitness programs. Each of us is unique. We have unique needs and causes, often time’s emotional ones, for why we need to improve our physical fitness.   When we honor that, it allows us to exercise with enjoyment and safety.

To be successful, you must focus on building an inner foundation to support your physical fitness program, before you add on the exercise component.  This may seem backwards to many women, but without this foundation, most women fall off the exercise program once life distractions occur.  By looking at your life balance, examining your self talk (mind), uncovering the things that drain your energy (spirit) and learning how to nurture yourself (body) ones fitness program becomes an easy part of your world. It draws you toward the health, vitality, and toned body that you strive for, instead of pushing and exhausting yourself and getting nowhere.

To examine your self-talk, look at what you want to be.  If you want to be a toned, fit, healthy person - pay attention to what you tell yourself when that image or thought comes to mind.  If you’re inner self-talk is negative, take notice and replace your thoughts with positive thoughts.  If you tell yourself “no matter what I do I will always have fat thighs” reject the thought – you do not know that is of truth - and replace it with something that is of truth.  “I have strong thighs that help me enjoy my favorite activities.”  “I am exercising and my thighs are firmer and stronger.”   The self-talk you express give instruction to your spirit of how you want to be.  Start expressing positive thinking and beliefs instead of berating yourself continually about being fat, flabby, and out of shape.  Rather, express how full of energy and strong you are and how you are taking inspired action to living a life of being fit and healthy. 
To listen to your spirit, practice taking the time for silence, or meditation.  Here is where you can listen to what your body needs and take action from there.  If under chronic stress, mediation, yoga, tai chi, pilates, or easy gentle walks may be more appropriate exercise to start out with.  If feeling good, having little stress and pressures from the world, your spirit and your inner need may lead you to a more focused workout that elevates your heart rate, and challenges your body to a moderate or vigorous level.   Taking an inside out approach towards your fitness goals will help give increased clarity, inspire you towards actions that honor and value you, leading you to a more joyful experience.  

Amy Lundberg owner of Aim For It – Fitness Coaching LLC helps women build an inner foundation to find balance and to bring about a healthier fit body and lifestyle.  She has developed Self Care Before Sit-ups E-book and 10-week course.  Helping women take the failure and frustration out of fitness.  Go to www.aimforfitness.com for more information and instant access to her amazing E-book.

Tech Support

 

By Kirstie Freimuth 

Fall is finally upon us and mommies are busier than ever!! Work, school and holidays run us ragged but never fear, Tech Mama is here!! I’ve got the solutions so let’s get organized, ladies!!!

 

First on my goodie list is MAPILab’s Toolbox. Oh.My.Goodness. Have you heard about this yet?? This is one of my faves for raves. The toolbox contains 18 (yes, EIGHTEEN!!) add-ons for Microsoft Outlook. I know, I know. You’re already using folders and subfolders…how much more organized can you get?? Lemme tell ya! You can send files to a specified list of recipients automatically. Reminders can be sent to your pager, cell phone or PDA via e-mail.  You can redirect rather than forward email. The possibilities are endless! Okay, not endless but definitely worth a look-see. These add-ons will cut you some slack in your schedule so you have more time with the kiddies (or at the spa if that’s how you roll!) MAPILab offers a free trial and subscription prices start at $24.00. Also, no charge for updates during the first year! Much more generous than some people but I’m not naming names! 

Okay, you’ve got your work schedule well in hand but the kids’ calendar is out of control? Check out Famundo and you’ll all be on the same page in no time! Famundo is the online calendar for families on the go. “Another online calendar,” you ask?? Yup! But here’s the difference: you can synchronize your schedule with Junior’s Scout Troop, Jennie’s dance school and the PTA! Famundo offers memberships to organizations in your local community so you can subscribe to their events, which then updates your calendar. Easy-peasy! Cool, huh? There’s even an option to synch with Outlook! To encourage participation, membership is free to community organizations. They offer a free membership for individuals though some features are available only with the PLUS membership - $9.95 per month or $99 per year. Kinda pricey but if you can’t find your fridge under all those sticky notes, it’s probably worth it! For some of you, that may still be a bit more than you need – and if that’s the case, check out Cozi. Cozi is available as a software download or web version. It allows you to share calendars, send messages to others in your household – individually or en mass - via phone or email and even organize your shopping list. Cozi has an Outlook toolbar in beta version but the best news is: Cozi is FREE!! You know how I like that! The layout is a bit simplistic and when I last looked, customization was minimal but……it’s free! ‘Nuff said!! 

Wish List

After much deliberation, this month’s addition to my wish list is (drumroll please) the Blackberry Pearl 2, soon to be released. I’ve heard enough about the iPhone. Yada, yada, yada. I’d prefer to stick with something tried and true! (Honey, if you buy this for me I promise dinner will never be late again!) Since she’s not out yet, I’ve no official pics for you this month so you’ll have to trust me – she’s a ‘beaut!

Given the fact that I write what I want, I say we have two additions to the wish list. It gives the guys more to choose from and Christmas is right around the corner! After countless hours spent uploading and emailing photos (goodness, no one had gotten pictures of my beautiful son since AUGUST, people!!) I’ve decided that I would willingly shell out the bucks for the Eye-fi. A combination between a camera memory card and a wi-fi card, your photos are uploaded as.you.take.them! I just wish I found it sooner! 

Odd & Intriguing

On the list for intriguing is the Driinn Mobile Device Charger Holder.

 

No, it doesn’t look as pretty as the Pottery Barn caddy-charger-holder-thingy and it certainly won’t do for any household with tiny kiddies but if your gadget count doesn’t run into the double digits, this serves the purpose just as well.

Now, you may disagree with my vote for odd but here goes: any computer device that looks like food. Why, oh why would I want to tempt myself on a regular basis with the Freshly Baked USB Drives. Especially their Frosted Donut series. I’m well beyond the point where I can blame this weight gain on the “baby” and this stuff definitely doesn’t help! That’s the last word coming from Tech Mama this month! Please, feel free to share your wish lists, make fun of the odd and promote the intriguing! Next month’s memos: harnessing the holidays!

About the Author: Kirstie Freimuth, wife and mother of one, started her home-based business in order to spend more time with her family. She is the owner of Xpress Assistant and BILLINGxpress, providing varied virtual support to small businesses and client billing services to legal professionals.Kirstie is also the author of Xpress Tips, a blog of productivity tips for solopreneurs, small businesses and SOHO professionals. Prior to launching her business, she spent over 10 years honing her skills by providing administrative support within a variety of industries including legal, non-profit, manufacturing and retail.Email Tech Mama at techmama@mommyscompany.com.

Scents and Sensibility

by Erin McKenna Nowak The holidays are nearly here and as usual I’ve got more than one scent on my personal wish list. A self-described perfumista, I can’t help but share my love for fragrance when gift-giving time rolls around. To look at my overflowing vanity tray, brimming with bottles and atomizers, one would think I could easily navigate my way through the worst holiday shopping rush. But with the wide variety of scents available today, and friendly but aggressive spritzers at every turn, even this Style Mama gets overwhelmed! Buying perfume for myself is easy, though I rarely purchase it, preferring to leave the final decision up to the nose closest to me, my husband. I do make sure he leaves the house with that wish list I mentioned in hand. But I enjoy the thought of him sniff-testing various brands, deliberating over which bottle to purchase, ultimately emerging with the one perfume he feels is superior to all the others. This method may work for us, but I also know first hand that buying a fragrance for someone is often not a simple task. Over the years I’ve learned that perfume is a personal choice, and its selection is almost always best left to the person who will be wearing it. With that in mind I’ve come up with three tried and true ways to find the perfect fragrance gift for the nice (and maybe even the naughty) on your list. The first is the common sense approach. Ask the person you intend to purchase for what fragrance they wear or if there are any scents they’ve considered purchasing lately. If they wear more than one fragrance, ask if they’re running low on a favorite. It might be obvious that you’re trolling for gift ideas, but most loved ones don’t let on that they know what you’re up to. Everyone loves to receive a signature scent, or the new fragrance they’ve been dying to try. And having an inkling about what you’re getting surely beats opening a present to find the overpowering scent your old co-worker three cubicles over used to wear, or a complete “scrubber” that just refuses to work with your body chemistry. I purchased several fragrance gifts last year, and I found this second method fun to use with sisters, mothers, or any woman you have a close relationship with. My best friend lives half way across the country and comes to visit my family biannually. Since she was my college roommate we’ve been borrowing, sampling, and coveting each other’s clothes and beauty products for (gulp!) more than a decade. She always fills me in on the best new conditioner, gifts me with fun beauty products, and when visiting she loves to test-drive my collection of perfumes. During her stay last summer she kept telling me how she loved one particular fragrance. When November rolled around, I made a beeline for that bottle, purchased it, and checked her off my holiday gift list. My friend was delighted and I appreciated the hassle-free shopping experience. The only downside is…it smells better on her! This last solution is my favorite, allowing you to “wow” the recipient with a bunch of scents and letting her make the call on what she wants to wear. The Sephora Brand Fragrance Gift Certificate - For Her includes eight samples of Sephora’s top selling women’s fragrances for the lucky recipient to try, plus a gift voucher of equal value that can be redeemed at any Sephora store for a full size bottle of any one of the samples included. It retails at $45.00 and is also offered in a men’s version. Keep in mind that while it is available for online purchase, this product is not available for online redemption. So make sure there’s a brick and mortar location near the intended recipient. Luckily this beauty giant has more than 500 stores in 16 countries. Last year, I gave The Sephora fragrance Gift Certificate to Style Sister and she raved! Besides the fact that she enjoyed sampling and choosing her perfume, she noted that the sample vials are perfect for travel (and help perfume packers comply with airline regulations regarding liquids). Speaking of samples, Sephora.com includes 3 free beauty product samples of your choosing with every order. Who doesn’t love a few freebies for themselves, when they’re busy shopping for others? Which brings me to my next point… As I mentioned earlier, I love perfume but I don’t often buy scents for myself. This is especially true now that I’m a Mom. All those diapers and macaroni and cheese have seriously cut into the fragrance allowance I once had. Good perfume costs money, but there are a few ways to come up smelling like roses (or amber, jasmine, and vanilla) even when you’re on a budget. Many cosmetic companies give out free samples upon request. Saving you money and allowing you to test a fragrance conveniently during different seasons and times of day. I’ve also noticed that body lotion versions of certain expensive perfumes deposit just the right amount of fragrance for everyday wear, with the added bonus of being at a lower price point. Let’s face it, as a Mom and business owner there are also meeting-free days when I’m not in the mood to don a fancy fragrance to just pick up my daughter at pre-school. It’s those days when I break out my best budget (and mood improving!) scent tricks. This winter when you’re snowed in with the kids, forgo the perfume and slather on some leftover suntan lotion or sunscreen. Next thing you know, that block castle on your living room floor is a sand castle on a beach! And you’ll find yourself perfectly rested for that holiday-gift shopping trip! Let the shopping begin… About the Author: Erin McKenna Nowak, is an entrepreneur, wife and the mother of two stylish little girls. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design and printmaking, she worked in New York City, Chicago and Providence, RI. Having been everything from a children’s book designer to the art director of several magazines, in 2004 Erin struck out on her own and started Bride Design. Bride Design features Erin’s fashion-forward, custom wedding and event stationery and accessories. Each of her one-of-a-kind creations reflect her clients’ personal style and highlights the unique details of their event. Erin is also the pen and paper portion of Invitastions™—edible cookie invitations—the tastiest trend in event stationery! An author and illustrator, Erin loves just about everything pop culture has to offer. When she’s not busy designing or chasing after her kids, she can be found chasing after the latest styles in beauty, fashion, home interiors, music and more! http://www.bridedesign.com http://www.invitastions.com

Is Bling Really the King for the Momma!!!

By Amy Schwarzrock

If we watch TV and some of the more sensational programs bling means huge jewels, the likes of which most of us cannot afford. I am here to tell you ladies, bling is something that we moms need in our lives and there are affordable options and every momma has her own style of bling. So, I am the Bling Momma and I am indeed a mom like all of you I have a beautiful 5-year-old daughter and I feel blessed that we became a family through adoption.  I am also a single momma who works hard to balance work and family life like most of you.  In fact, as I write this first posting, my daughter is playing with play dough right beside me and we are enjoying our evening. 

Now, I will be the first to tell you that material things are just that material and not the most important things in life.  I will also tell you from experience, that when I am feeling down or under the weather the first thing I do to prop myself back up is to dress up.  It just seems that when I am dressed up and take the time to curl the hair, put on the makeup, and don the jewelry that I feel better.  I think the reason why is simple, when we are in dressy clothes we hold ourselves different and walk taller all these things make us feel better.  I also think that even if you are a mom at home and you go to the grocery store and few other places, you can benefit from a little bling in your life.  Its those days when there are mounds of laundry to do, a mess to clean up and oh by the way, you need to work on your home-based business yet that you can use the pick me up of feeling pretty.  One of my bling sisters told me that a bracelet is the perfect piece of jewelry as you can always see it, so pick a fun bracelet that you love to gaze upon.  So we begin, with the Rules of Bling.

The Rules of Bling

Bling, otherwise known as jewelry can be something that you buy for a onetime occasion or hopefully if you follow the Rules of Bling you will make sure that your jewelry can serve several purposes with several outfits.  Just say no to the one outfit wonder.  Versatility is the name of the game.  Can you think of a way to wear a necklace three ways?  Does the pendent come off like a slide so you can interchange different slides with different chains or cords?  It is amazing how a pendent placed on a gold chain or an omega looks incredibly dressy and then placing it on a leather cord make it more casual to wear with jeans and very often people will not even notice that it is the same pendent or slide.  Are the beads in your necklace able to pick up different colors?  I have a long necklace that I can double or triple and depending on the outfit I am wearing it will look different.  In fact, two of us were wearing the same necklace and I had to point out that it was the same piece. (Please see my special for names of the jewelry listed in this article)

Not only should your jewelry be versatile, but it should do the important job of jazzing up your outfit that you have had for four years in your closet and the right pieces of jewelry will give it a new look.  I am certainly not opposed to a good clothes shopping trip, but we all have the outfits we love, the timeless things, but we don’t want people to think that is all we have.  With the right selections you can totally make the outfit look like something new just because you had the right eye popping necklace.

Rule #1: make sure your jewelry can serve several purposes with several outfits.  Just say no to the one outfit wonder.

If versatility is the first rule then the second rule cannot be far behind.  Rule #2 goes like this, layering in not just what you do in Minnesota when it’s cold.  You layer with your jewelry.  Layering provides the pop effect close to your face with a shorter necklace and a pendent or slide but the longer necklace is the one that I love.  That long necklace gives an instant slimming effect and that is something that lots of us reality everyday momma can appreciate, who doesn’t like to feel and look just a bit slimmer.  The layering effect works in several ways, one of the simplest is to tuck the longer necklace under the collar of a blouse or jacket, otherwise you can simply have more going on up front.  This can be something that some mommas have trouble with as they don’t want to draw attention to either the ampleness or lack of cleavage.  Let’s try to get over this and I think the right necklaces can really make a different along with a visit to one of the various shops that carry every type of bra there is, even the ones with air pumps in them.  Yes, in fact I was the friend who helped the friends try to figure out how to pump those air pillows up so they could try them on and the pumping occurred prior to trying on the said bra.  Now that is a true bonding experience amongst girl friends. 

Rule #2:  Keep layering in your jewelry vocabulary and look for pieces that will work to pop the face and slim the body.  Don’t let the size of your chest intimidate you.

So now the question is where do you get this jewelry?  The magic necklace that looks different depending on your outfit or the pendants that can look dressy or sporty depending on the chain, omega, or leather.  Well ladies, I have the best job in the whole world.  I am a Lia Sophia advisor and I have all these items and many more waiting for you.  I have a job that allows me to have beautiful jewelry and I get to go into people’s homes and show them the jewelry.  I am not so much a sales person, because the jewelry sells itself and thanks to technology I can offer it to you.  Please take a look at my bling specials page for my website and browse through the catalog online.  Also, look for the specials.  For those of you not familiar with Lia Sophia, there are several advantages to this jewelry.  It has a lifetime guarantee, so keep your receipt!!! Then if it breaks and you can find one part of it (a bead or two) you can return it and it will be replaced.  If it is no longer carried you will get a merchandise certificate for the value. (this will become clearer in a few sentences)

Lia Sophia treats its customers well, there is ALWAYS a special.  The everyday special is that you purchase two items at regular price and get a third at half price, now if you were in a regular store, say it with me, the half price item is the least value.  Not so with Lia Sophia!  Your regular price items are the cheapest and the most expensive is the half price item.  So if you need to return an item, then you get the value, it doesn’t matter that I bought it for half price.  Lia Sophia has a wardrobe guarantee (that is my term for it). 

If you buy a piece of jewelry and three years from now don’t wear it, please don’t keep it, keep the receipt and send it back, it will cost $5, but for that you will get a new item or a certificate for the value and now you can get a piece that you will wear!  I’d like to see that from any of the jewelry stores.  Lia Sophia is good to the customers, our hostesses, and the advisors.  More to come next time on the hostess benefits, how to have a party from afar, and fundraising with me and Lia Sophia.  Also, stay tuned for more Rules of Bling including textures, colors, numbers, and to mix or not to mix.  Long live the Bling Sisterhood.

Amy

Please visit my website at:  www.liasophia.com/amyschwarzrock

Amy Schwarzrock, besides being Bling Mama, is Karina’s Mom, a job she is most proud of.  She and her daughter became a family through adoption and she feels blessed to have her daughter and committed to the cause of international adoption and all the children left behind.  She has worked in a variety of areas of healthcare and education and she also serves in several paid volunteer positions including as a Paramedic and a Death Investigator. She also has started her own home business with Lia Sophia and enjoys this arena of her life as she can spend more time with her daughter.  Amy has an ability to help women work within their budget to get some key peices of jewelry to help spice up their wardrobe no matter their style.  Amy enjoys traveling and has been on several mission trips to Russia and Ecuador.  Her focus now is to build her home-based business to help other moms make a great living with beautiful jewelry and in turn making more time for her to spend with her family.  Amy is always looking for other motivated women who want to get some great jewelry and earn a great commission.   She is thankful for her many friends who have been a blessing in her life and she works with her business to bless other single moms in her community.