10 Tips To Avoid Work At Home Mom Burnout

by Nell Taliercio

Working from home is a great way to stay home with your kids while still supplementing the family’s income. On the flipside, it can be challenging to be mother and employee at the same time. Your stress level will rise quickly when you have deadlines to keep or phone calls to make while your little ones are acting out. Implement a few of the ideas below to prevent Work at Home Mom Burnout.

1. Don’t work more than you have to. Money isn’t everything. You family needs a happy and sane mom.

2. Create a schedule or to-do list both for work and your personal life. Just realize that you won’t always get everything done and don’t worry if you don’t. There’s always tomorrow.

3. Designate an errand day. Spend one day a week running around town getting everything done for the week. This is when you will grocery shop, drop things off at the drycleaner, go to the post office and anything else you need to do.

4. Enjoy your kids. Take some time to play with them every day. Have a picnic lunch in the yard, take them on a little field trip or just play catch for a while. You’re a work at home mom because you want to spend time with your kids. Work and house chores can wait while you play.

5. Go out on a date with your spouse. Make date night a regular occurrence and connect with your lover.

6. Have lunch with a girlfriend. We need some adult conversation every now and then. Make time to stay in touch with your friends.

7. Call a friend. If you are having a bad day, call a good friend and just talk for a little while. You’ll be relaxed and rejuvenated when you get back.

8. Get some exercise. Go for a walk, join a gym, or try a Pilate’s class. Exercise will not only keep you in shape, it’s also a great de-stressor.

9. Play some upbeat music and dance around the living room. Who cares if your kids and the neighbors think you’ve lost it? You are having fun and are releasing all that build up physical energy.

10. If you own a business, stick to one until it more or less runs itself. Don’t burn yourself out by trying to run several businesses at the same time.

Start implementing a few of these ideas today and watch your stress level go down. You will prevent work at home mom burnout and get to enjoy life more. Your family will appreciate spending time with a fun and relaxed mom. That’s what it’s all about – spending quality time with your family

Nell Taliercio is the owner and founder of http://www.TelecommutingMoms.com – which is a leading resource website with work at home jobs and everything a telecommuting mom would need. Come visit us today!

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/10-Tips-To-Avoid-Work-At-Home-Mom-Burnout/13097

World's Greatest Sugar Cookie Recipe

This is my mom's sugar cookie recipe. It's been in my family for a long time.

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 Tbl. milk
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
various colored sugar sprinkles

Directions: Cook on ungreased cookie sheet. With electric mixer mix sugar, egg, and shortening until blended. Add 1 1/2 cup flour and rest of ingredients and blend well. Mixture should be thick. You can refridgerate the dough for easier rolling. Use additional 1/2 cup flour to roll out dough with rolling pin. Take 1/3 of dough and roll onto counter top sprinkle with flour. Add some flour to rolling pin. Roll to desired thickness about 1/4 inch. Use cookie cutters for desired shapes. Put on cookie sheet. Add colored sugar sprinkles. Bake in oven at 325 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven when lightly browned and let stand for 1 minute before removing from cookie sheet. These cookies taste the best when they are still soft not crispy.

Enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

Just took a break from wrapping Christmas presents and wanted to wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season!

Christmas and Families Far Away

So many families nowadays live miles, states and even countries apart. This makes it hard for families to really get to know each other and share their lives . Traveling to visit relatives is usually reserved for holidays and special occasions like weddings. So how can you share experiences when you can't visit?

I was reading somewhere of an idea of how to share your holidays with families. Most newer computers come with a web cam built in. If your's does not they can be purchased separately very cheap from any local department store or online. Set up your web cam on Christmas Eve ready to go for Christmas morning. Then turn it on and record all the present opening festivities for family members. You can post the video to a secure site.

If you are not comfortable with posting a video to the web. Upload it to your computer's hard drive and send it to them as an email attachment. They will be able to open it at their leisure.

I thought this was a fun way to share the holidays with family and friends. Feel free to share your thoughts or experiences using a web cam.

No Money - No Christmas

I know some of you are thinking, "How can I have a nice Christmas when I have no money?" Believe me I understand I'm thinking the same thing. The thought of no presents under the Christmas tree for my kids is so depressing!

I come up with a couple ways you can relatively quickly save your Christmas.

First of all, go through your stuff and the stuff of your family. Find toys, clothes, or anything your family has outgrown but is still works. Now list them on eBay, Craigslist, take them to a pawn shop, or hold a yard sale.

If you don't have anything to sell; go door to door offering to rake leaves, cut grass, put up Christmas decorations, or anything else you can do for others. Charge them a reasonable amount.

Once you've made some money, now you need to stretch that money as far as you can. Your first stop should be your local thrift stores. Shop a couple different ones if you have more than one store in your area. Some have a better selection than others. I've found Monday's the best day to shop, because people are more likely to drop off their donated goods over the weekend. Thrift stores are a good place to find toys, shoes, etc.

Another place to look is eBay. This is where I start if my child has to have a certain item. Last year it was the shoes with wheels in them. This year it was the Nintendo DS. They are sold at stores for $129 and I got one gently used with 3 games, and a case for $90. You can really save a lot if you shop around.

If you are not able to raise any money at all. Go on Freecycle.com. Sign up for the listing in your town then post your wants. Please remember to offer items you no longer need when you get back on your feet. If you are particularly crafty you can make gifts for your family. You can also contact your child's school and local churches to see if they may be able to help. No one will know you need/want help unless you ask.

There are ways to still have Christmas for your kids even if you have no money. Seek the help of those in your community. As always try to focus on what you DO have and not what you DON'T have!


Kimberly Shavatt is a wife, stay-at-home mother of 3 and owner/editor of HelpingMomsAtHome.com. Find lots of helpful hints and tips to help you save time, save money and save your sanity. Get my free report "10 Ways to Have an Inexpensive & Fun-Filled Christmas" at http://helpingmomsathome.com/HMAHInexpensiveChristmas.pdf.

Fun Printables and Resources for Parents

Great resource for homeschool parents or even parents of young children. Lots of FR+EE printables. Including letter sounds, flash cards, certificates, sticker charts and lots more. My favorite is located under the Share tab. It is the Christmas Page Borders. I plan on using these in with my Christmas cards.

http://www.sparklebox.co.uk/index.html

Free Digital Photography Guide

Free Digital Photography Guide - Get Your Questions Answered

If you’ve ever wondered how to take better digital pictures, no matter the lighting or subject, here is a handy free guide that will help you with many of your digital photography questions.

It includes answers to questions like:
- What is the biggest mistake made by beginning digital photographers?
- How to decide on the right digital camera?
- How to decide if a picture is worth taking?
- How to get the white balance right?
- How to take clear shots for indoor sports?
- What are the best settings for low light/nighttime conditions?
- How to get high contrast natural light black and white pictures?
- How to avoid redeye in dim light?
- Small object close up pictures.
- How to photograph gemstones and jewelry?
- How to take a picture with both strong sun and shade?
- Capturing personality in photos of people.
- How can I understand depth of field?
- Settings and techniques for photographing birds and wildlife.
- How to take good pictures in the snow or on the beach.

Get the answers by downloading your free 28-page guide:
Click here to get yours.


It is a PDF document and you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software to view it. If you don’t have this software, you can get it here.

The Mom Song

This is the "The Mom Song". Everything a Mom says in a 24 hour period, set to the "William Tell Overature" (lyrics by Anita Renfroe)


It's hilarious!!! You have got to listen to this!

Review of Lysol Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner

I've used this product for a couple years now and love it! I spray it on my kitchen counters and appliances like my toaster, microwave and stove top. If I have a difficult spill or stain I simply spray it on and leave it for about 5 minutes then wipe it off. With 3 kids, a husband, 2 dogs, and 2 cats, it's hard to catch every spill right after it happens.

The company claims it can:
Help protect your family from the spread of foodborne bacteria.
Kills 99.9% of germs* on hard, nonporous surfaces. It is effective against Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. Help protect your family from the spread of foodborne bacteria.
Effectively cuts tough grease and grime.


This one I would definitely give ***** (5 stars out of 5). Can't live without this product!

Review of V Smile TV Learning System

My family received the V Smile TV Learning system last year for Christmas as a present. I wanted everyone to know the pros and cons of the system in my opinion.

First of all the pros:

Name brand games appealled to my kids because they love Scooby Doo and Bratz.

Price appealled to my family because it was considerably cheaper than Wii, Playstation, etc. that were out at the time. The system and the games were much more affordable.

Now the cons:

Do you remember the old Atari games? Well the V Smile games are made almost identical and all the problems with the Atari games apply to the V Smile games. If you had Atari games you probably remember blowing on the game cartridges hoping to get them to work again.

Some of the games were extremely easy and some where a tad bit difficult for my 7 and 6 year old. By the way I went by my kid's ages (6 & 7 at the time).

The old saying applies: You get what you pay for. After a couple months of normal use, we threw the system away because it no longer worked.

My recommendation is * (1 star out of 5). Pass on this product. Like I said in the beginning, this is my opinion. Take the good and the bad reviews and make your own informed decision before you buy.

Vtech - V.Smile TV Learning System

Thanksgiving on a Budget

Copyright 2008 Kimberly A. Shavatt All Rights Reserved

The table is set with your best dishes, the smell of the food fills the whole house and friends and family came from all over to join the celebration. Your mouth waters just thinking about the juicy turkey, the creamy mashed potatoes, and the wonderful gravy. Then you wake up and realize you're running low on cash and short on time.

How are you going to feed everyone? You want it to look nice, but you don't want it to cost a lot.

It's easy if you follow these simple tips.

Food
The most important item for your Thanksgiving dinner is the turkey. Right now almost every grocery store is offering some type of sale or special. Some even give you one free if you spend a certain amount of money within a month or so.

Mashed potatoes can be from scratch or instant - they cost about the same. Instant are a little quicker to make. It all depends on your preference. Do you like lumpy mashed potatoes or creamy ones?

Visit your local discount grocery store (Aldi's is my favorite). Their prices are usually cheaper on all the essentials and let's face it green beans taste the same no matter where you buy them.

To really save on food you need to ask your guests to bring their favorite side dish or dessert. This will cut costs and save you time in the kitchen.

Table/Decor
Find an inexpensive white table cloth. You want white because it's easy to clean and it can be reused for other occasions throughout the year. Simply change the centerpiece and accessories to change seasons. Ex. Red roses for Valentines Day, Green clovers for St. Patrick's Day, etc.

Make your own centerpiece out of fresh flowers or use a Thanksgiving decoration. Another option is to shop at your local dollar store or discount store for inexpensive decorations. You can usually find a nice selection of candles and candle holders that would look wonderful on your table with a few leaves and pine cones from outside.

Make your guests feel really welcome with personalized place cards. Create them using construction paper or print them out from your computer. Let your kids help by decorating them with stickers or drawing leaves, turkeys, pies, etc.

Help your younger guests feel welcome also, by making their eating environment more kid-friendly. Try putting a plain white paper tablecloth on the "kid's table" along with a couple crayons. Some restaurants do this. That way the kids can draw on it before or after they finish eating. This could give the adults some time to get the food ready or finish up eating.

Atmosphere
Do the sport fans in your group a favor and have at least one television in the home set to football game. There's always at least one person who wants to check the score, and some who watch the entire game.

With all the people and cooking going on your home can get hot really fast. Do everyone a favor and crack open one of the windows.

Play some soft music in the background. Nothing fancy and you don't need to plan a play list or anything. Just turn on the radio to a easy listening station.

Maybe offer a game to play after everyone eats. It's better to pick group games like Trivial Pursuit, Scene It, Scattergories, etc. This way everyone who wants to can play.

There really is no need for expensive decorations or lots of fancy foods. One trip to the local dollar store and your discount grocery store is all that is needed to create a very enjoyable Thanksgiving meal for everyone. Good food doesn't have to cost a lot and fun doesn't have to be expensive. Save some money and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Fun Thanksgiving Printable

Here's a fun place to create Thanksgiving place cards. Great for kids or parents. My kids and I have been playing with the site making cards for all the Thanksgiving Day guests.

http://fun.familyeducation.com/thanksgiving/childrens-art-activities/59204.html?WT.mc_id=FE_Printables_2008-11-12_email

Have an awesome day!

It Really Works

I bought my kids the "Fisher Price Computer Cool School" at Aldi's the other day. I have to say it really is cool! They haven't wanted to stop playing with it. It is easy to set up and easy for them to use. My youngest is 4 and hasn't really gotten too much exposure to our computer, but she is still able to use it with very little assistance from me. She is still learning her numbers and letters and she's having a lot of fun with this system. She actually tried to trace the letters with the stylus and I've been trying for weeks to get her to try writing letters to no avail. I have to give this ***** (Five Stars out of 5). I would highly recommend this product.


You can find it on Amazon.com. Click below.
Fisher-Price Fun-2-Learn Computer Cool School

Make Your Own Halloween Costume

After visiting our local Halloween costume store I decided it would be cheaper to make my kids' costumes myself. After searching the internet I found a really fun site. It's called Coolest-Halloween-Costumes.com It shows tons of great costumes ordinary people have made. It provides lots of ideas and some even give you directions/instructions on how to make your own. There are costumes for kids, groups, adults, theme, etc. You name it they probably have it. Lots of pics.

Here's the link: http://www.coolest-homemade-costumes.com/index.html

Make Exercise Fun

Who says exercise has to be boring and painful? Just look at kids -- they run around chasing each other, climbing on things, spinning and dancing, and riding their bikes. They don't know that all those activities are considered exercise by adults.

As adults we just need to find an activity we enjoy and then do it. Don't think about all the requirements doctors say we should do, like 30 minutes 5 times a week. Just think of it as "scheduled playtime" or recess. Besides it's a wonderful stress reliever and who couldn't use that nowadays!

One of the easiest activities to do is walking. It doesn't require any exercise equipment and can be done almost anywhere. If you're neighborhood isn't very safe - go to a mall, a nice community or get a walking buddy. One thing that gets me moving is music, so I break out my mp3 player and start walking. The time really does fly by when you're listening to music you enjoy.

If walking is not your thing, do something you enjoy that gets you moving. Whether it be dancing, soccer, running, jogging, swimming, basketball or golf.

Break out your inner child and have fun. Exercise can be enjoyable - just give it a try!

* Note always check with your physician before you start any exercise program.

New School Year = A Fresh Start for At Home Moms

September signals back to school for most of the children in the U.S.A. What will us moms do with all our free time? LOL

Whether your kids are in preschool a couple times a week, 1/2 day kindergarten, or are full-time in grades 1-12, you now have some time to yourself without children or at least less children. Use that time wisely because a new school year can mean a new start for moms also.

Make a List
Start by writing a list of everything you want to accomplish during your lifetime. Do you dream of going back to school for a degree, start your own business, or simply work on craft projects you've been putting off. Maybe your goal is to finish reading a book or perhaps write one of your own. Do you want to learn a new skill like photography, computer programming, knitting, gardening, or scrapbooking? It's completely up to you!

Break out your calendar
Set aside time each week to work toward your goal, just like you would for a doctor's appointment or meeting with your child's principal. By taking small consistent steps toward your goals you will build momentum and ultimately reach your goal quicker than you thought possible. Consistency is key!

Don't Make Excuses
If you dream is to take courses toward your degree consider distance learning through online courses. These allow you to do the coursework when it's convenient for you (during naps, bedtime, etc.)

If you want to learn a new skill check out some books from your local library or try a correspondence course. Many offer affordable monthly payment plans and it doesn't matter where you live.

If you plan to return to the workforce once your kids are in school full-time; practice your skills and keep up on the trends in your chosen field. Perhaps you want to train for a new career. There are other options to taking college courses. Try reading and learning the skills from books, videos, online, etc.

With your little ones in school now is your chance. Schedule some time, even if it's only 10 minutes, to work toward the life of your dreams. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" -- Tao Te Ching

Let Back to School Shopping Begin!

The kids and I were in our local Wal-Mart on Monday and saw that they were putting out all the Back to School supplies. Yippee! I love school supplies! Well, we actually picked up everything on their lists while we were there. I couldn't control myself. I could shop all day for school supplies. Plus when you shop early in the season you get the best selection.

Now the only thing we need to get is a couple of new outfits. My DD is growing like a weed, and my DS is finally hitting a growth spurt. The poor boy has been is a size 4T for almost 3 years. He's 6 almost 7 and is just finally fitting into 5/6s.

Tips of the Week #4

Tip #10 - Never Lose a Message Again
Keep a spiral notebook near the phone. Record all phone messages that can easily be deleted from answering machines or go unchecked by family members. Also, use it to write notes while talking with people or making appointments. Since it's all in the notebook and it's all in one place; it's less likely to get lost.

Tip #11 - Bathroom Reading Material
Scan your mail quickly and toss the junk immediately. Anything you need read more thoroughly, put in a folder and set aside. When your waiting in the doctor's office, waiting for one of your kids, or waiting on the phone for someone -- break out the folder.

Tip #12 - Group Doctor's Appointments
Group all your kids appointments on the same day. Ex. doctor's checkups, dentist appointments, etc. This way you and your kids only miss one day of work. * Make sure you leave enough room between appointments in case the doctor is running late.

My Awesome Trip to the Store!

I just had to share my latest trip to the grocery store. I was approached by a lady in the snack eisle who told me about an incredible savings she discovered. This wonderful lady mentioned that if you buy 7 Kraft Macaroni & Cheese boxes the computer will automatically give you a $5.00 rebate.

Well, when I got to the register I did get the $5 rebate just like the lady said. Plus the item was on sale. I managed to get 7 boxes of Kraft Mac-n-cheese for $.60 total not each.

I am a strong believer in using coupons, club discount cards and planning my family's meals around the sale ads. It can save you a lot of $$$.