WAHM - Work At Home Mom’s

Fort Collins Parents of Multiples Sale also known to some as the Twins Sale.  Yes they are having their spring sale April 23rd and 24th of 2010.  We enjoy going to the sale every year.  We have saved hundereds of dollars in clothing and books.  This year we are even going to sell some of our previous purchased clothing.  We have been able to cloth both of our boys for the entire year and spend less than $200.  That equals out to be about $100 each sale.  Yes they have a sale again in the fall.  This spring it is being held at the Edge in Fort Collins.  Be sure to come early for it is a mad dash to pick up all the good baby furniture, baby swings, baby high chairs, baby strollers, and of course baby clothing.  You can find more information at https://www.bigtent.com/groups/fcpomc

There is a new buzz word online and that’s wahm. No we are not referring to that dated 80s band that rocked the world of the teens in the 80s. This time this stands for work at home moms; moms who work at their homes either by personal choice or pushed by circumstances beyond their control. And this kind of job outside the traditional office is gaining a lot of attention this time, no thanks to the current situation of the economy. If you will survey the economic landscape and read what the papers have to say, then for sure you will be aware of the fact that lay-offs are not just done by tens and hundreds but by thousands. And this is where home-based jobs and work at home moms get into the picture and provide inspiration to those who are seeking new modes of employment without ever needing to leave the comforts of their home.

There are two ways on how you can start your work at home and become what they call as a work at home mom. The first way is for you to start your own business and there are a number of business ideas out there and the second way is for you to work for other people and other business yet you still work in the comforts of your home. The latter choice is a popular way of employment right now for those looking for looking for work. There are a number of jobs which you can choose from if you decide to work for other’s business and decide to work at home.

Here is a listing of some of the popular jobs which a work at home mom can get:
• Freelance writing. If you have the writing skills and you have been part of your school paper during your student days, then there is a big chance that you can hit it big in freelance writing. You can look for your projects and assignments from freelancing sites or if you know someone who does freelance then you can start there and ask for projects.
• Data Entry. Work at home moms can also earn from data entry services. You will get paid just to process the data for many companies. This is normally an easy task.
• Virtual administrative assistant. You can earn online by becoming a virtual assistant for someone. Of course in order for this set-up to work, you need a computer and a fast internet connection like a broadband connection
• Other technology related jobs. A number of freelance sites will look for freelancers that are knowledgeable in web designing and the like. This can of job can be an option too for those looking forward to work at home. Read the rest of this entry »

The earliest and most recognizable sign of pregnancy is missed periods. Woe to the women who do not keep a track of their periods or have an irregular menstrual cycle, for it will take a while for them to register their pregnancy. Nausea or morning sickness is another early sign of pregnancy. Increase in hunger or total loss of appetite follows the missed period and nausea pregnancy symptoms. These signs may vary and swing either way with each passing day.

Early Sign of Pregnancy - Tracking the Symptoms

Author: Apurva Shree

The earliest and most recognizable sign of pregnancy is missed periods. Woe to the women who do not keep a track of their periods or have an irregular menstrual cycle, for it will take a while for them to register their pregnancy. Nausea or morning sickness is another early sign of pregnancy. Increase in hunger or total loss of appetite follows the missed period and nausea pregnancy symptoms. These signs may vary and swing either way with each passing day, as the body prepares itself to welcome a new life. Every woman, rather every pregnancy, differs in pregnancy symptoms.
 
 Pregnancy Symptoms  
There is no standard checklist for determining pregnancy. Different women have different symptoms. It is very important to listen to what your body tells you and recognize any untoward signs. This way you can even recognize early signs of pregnancy much before any testing takes place. Some women experience pregnancy symptoms within weeks of conception, some may have no symptoms other than missed or delayed periods. Some of the most common pregnancy symptoms are listed below.
 
Nausea or morning sickness: Most well known early sign of pregnancy are experienced between 2-8 weeks after conception. This queasy feeling is due to the changes in the hormone levels the body experiences as it prepares for embryo implantation. Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t know about you, but whenever I start to think about a long road trip, especially now, I can’t help but thinking about the huge gas bill.

Well if that is you too, then I might have stumbled on something good for both of us. Hypermiling! You are probably thinking what is Hypermiling, its real, it is not a gimmick. And there is absolutely no cost and nothing to buy.

Hypermiling is just a cool, clever method by which you, “the hypermiler”, by using certain driving techniques, can enormousely improve both your mileage per gallon and its good for the environment too!

Dan Bryant, expert hypermiler, says that hypermiling could mean taking a road less traveled, but simultaneously it also means being more comfortable with people overtaking you while you’re driving. He criticizes rash drivers who’re always trying to be ‘the first at every red light’. There’s no point overtaking everyone on the road, since no race is on.

Some experienced Hypermilers are reporting that they can get a fuel efficiency of 70 miles per gallon of fuel, and that is not dependent on the journey being a long straight run, but any trip short or long.

I have a warning for you, don’t be too amazed. Yet. Because there is more to come. Read on.

Hypermiling techniques are, to some extent, like using cruise control. Hypermilers try to anticipate road and driving conditions about half a mile ahead. This, consequently, reduces the number of surprises, sudden starts and stops, all in the name of fuel efficiency. Dan Bryant, expert hypermiler, says that hypermiling could mean taking a road less traveled, but simultaneously it also means being more comfortable with people overtaking you while you’re driving. He criticizes rash drivers who’re always trying to be ‘the first at every red light’. There’s no point overtaking everyone on the road, since no race is on.

Instead, driving a little slower could translate into a HUGE saving for you. Bryant saves 600$ per year on gas, and only refills once a month. Now isn’t that incredible? Hypermilers navigate the road like cyclists, and it means big cutting downs on their gas bills. Infact, at the end of our drive with Bryant, to our utter amazement, the fuel efficiency rating stood at a magnificent 85 miles per gallon!!

Instead, driving a little slower could translate into a HUGE saving for you. Bryant saves 600$ per year on gas, and only refills once a month. Now isn’t that incredible? Hypermilers navigate the road like cyclists, and it means big cutting downs on their gas bills.

Infact, at the end of our drive with Bryant, to our utter amazement, the fuel efficiency rating stood at a magnificent 85 miles per gallon!! Read the rest of this entry »

People want to eat healthy foods today, and a good way to accomplish that is
through poultry. There are some chicken cooking tips that can help you in the
kitchen and protect your family as well.

Here are a few of the best chicken cooking tips available.

• You must take care to always wash your hands, knife, and cutting board in
hot soapy water after preparing raw poultry.

• You should never use the same utensils and cutting board for other
ingredients without thoroughly washing them first and after use. This
prevents cross contamination.

• You should always marinate poultry in the refrigerator. Never leave it out
in the open.

• Do not use the poultry marinade for basting.

• If the marinade is to be used for the basis of a sauce, bring it to a boil
and boil for 2 minutes.

• Never put cooked poultry on the same plate that was used to transport raw
poultry. Again, this prevents cross contamination.

Here are some chicken cooking tips for storing your poultry:

• Fresh poultry is a very perishable food. You should not leave it out in the
open air. Instead, wrap it in plastic as soon as you get it home from the
store and always store it in the coldest part of your refrigerator. You
should use it within two days; if this is not possible, place it in a freezer
bag and freeze for up to three months. You should always freeze giblets and
livers separately from the whole bird.

• Cooked poultry dishes can be frozen. However, you should not freeze poultry
dishes that contain mayonnaise or hard-boiled eggs.

• Allow small poultry dishes to cool completely before wrapping and freezing
them. Allow larger items to cool in the refrigerator and then wrap airtight
and freeze.

• You should never freeze stuffed poultry.

Some of the most important chicken cooking tips involve proper thawing of the
bird.

It is especially important that the poultry be properly thawed before cooking.
 Allow it to thaw in the refrigerator while it is in the original wrapper.
You can place it on a tray to catch any drips that may fall as it thaws.  

When thawing in the refrigerator is not possible because there is not enough
time, there are two other alternatives. For rapid thawing, you can put the
bird in watertight wrapping and then submerge in cold water. You should
change the water frequently as this will help quicken the process. Smaller
birds require about one to two hours.  

The other alternative is to leave the bird in its wrapper and put it into a
heavy paper grocery bag. Close up the bag and put it into a cool room. You
will need to check it frequently, and once the bird is thawed, you must cook
it immediately.

Now for the Turkey!

Turkey is a long time favorite of many families and now there are some great
cooking tips tricks that anyone can learn and use to better prepare these
wonderful birds.

Selecting the proper size:
You should plan on about 3/4 pound per person for generous servings. You
should understand that this will not leave much in leftovers. If you like to
have more leftovers, plan on 1 to 1 1/2 pounds per person.

Hens or Toms:
It may surprise you but the only real difference between a hen and tom is the
size. Hens are classified under 16 pounds and toms are over 16 lbs. A
somewhat secret cooking tips tricks is that both will be a young turkey, just
a few weeks old at the time of processing. They will be equally tender and
moist.

Roasting your bird:
Remove the neck and giblets from the neck and body cavities. Rinse the turkey
inside and out with cold water. If you want to stuff the bird, you should
loosely stuff the body and neck cavities and then fasten the leg clamp back
onto the legs. Read the rest of this entry »

So you’re going to write an e-Book. Good for you! It’s a great way to generate passive income and to establish yourself as an expert in your field. Make sure you get to know your reader before you start writing. Find out what they need or what they want; the problems they face. The style of your writing as well as the tone and length will depend on your reader. Do a little research and determine your reader’s age range, gender, interests, socio-economic group and whether or not they’re computer literate. The more you know about your reader, the easier it is to reach them. The original Chicken Soup series sold many more copies when they began addressing specific segments of the market – for the pet lover’s soul, the Veteran’s soul and the gardener’s soul to name just a few.

The first sentence is often the hardest part of writing. Break it down into steps and the first sentence of each paragraph will come to you. Start with a title. Brainstorm different titles to help you focus your writing on the topic. You can also add a subtitle especially if it adds to the marketability of your e-Book. You only have eight seconds to hook your reader and compel them to buy. Once you’ve come up with a title and/or subtitle, write two or three sentences or thesis statements that describe the problem you are addressing and how your e-Book will solve that problem. Next put together an outline of what you want to include. Each section should relate back to the topic and your thesis statements.

When you’re putting together your outline, decide how you want to form your chapters. Keep the format from chapter to chapter consistent. Make each chapter a main heading on your outline and add as many subtopics as you can think of. Don’t worry if they really belong or not at this stage, just brainstorm areas to include in each chapter. Think about how to divide your book. Perhaps you’ve decided that you are going to concentrate on five specific steps in your book and you’ve included that in your title, you would likely have a different chapter for each step. You will then probably also have an introductory chapter and a concluding chapter. So your outline would include seven chapters.

Once you’ve decided how you’ll divide your book and you have listed areas to include in each chapter or section, it’s time to decide what stays and what goes. Eliminate anything that doesn’t directly relate to your thesis statements. Keep the rest. Write the introduction to your book next. Include the problem you’re solving, why you wrote the e-Book and the benefits for the reader. Explain how the book is formatted. Keep the introduction to one page.

As you’re writing, remember that you need to keep your reader interested. Be sure to include current and relevant information as well as anecdotes and real life examples. Use photos, advice, tips and testimonials throughout your e-Book. You can use sidebars to increase white space and break up text blocks. Try using a conversational tone as people seem to enjoy it more than a formal tone. Pretend you’re having a conversation with someone when you’re writing. Read the rest of this entry »

Going into the wholesale steel jewelry business can be a very lucrative endeavor if you take it seriously. For one thing, there are a good number of great suppliers out there who can offer you good bargains and smart deals that cannot be beaten. One such provider of wholesale steel jewelry is the company called stainless-jewellery.com. This company specializes in wholesale steel jewelry and is the leading manufacturer of such, known all over the world.

When you buy wholesale steel jewelry, you will be met with an exciting array of designs that will surely be appreciated by a wide and very diverse clientele base. How do you know if you have good quality wholesale steel jewelry? It is very simple – you just have to look at the grade of the material that you are considering and it should be 316L stainless steel that is deemed as ultra high grade.

This type of wholesale steel jewelry is the exact kind that is being offered in the website, and it is just like the platinum type of jewelry but only better because it is one thousand times stronger than this metal and is less than half of the cost. If you order wholesale steel jewelry, you will also know that this type of material is the kind that does not rust and each piece is individually and personally made.

This type of wholesale steel jewelry is actually hand cut straight from one piece of high quality stainless surgical steel – having said this, there will be no exposed seams or some weak spots which usually come out for machine-processed or shaped type of jewelry. The trend in wholesale steel jewelry also includes some really radical styles to add to the ever growing collection of the trendiest and hottest styles and pieces that are very much affordable.
Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever experienced the joys of Christmas shopping in July? Beginning with Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, the Christmas shopping season kicks off and millions of people cram themselves into malls and stores trying to find that perfect Christmas gift.

Should you put yourself through all that hassle, crowds and annoyance? Perhaps it may be wiser to shop during the blistering summer month of July when everyone is outside enjoying the nice weather.

If you hate crowds and fighting them during the Christmas season, then this is just the way to go.

Retailers usually have slow summers, due to the lull between Mother’s/Father’s Day and Thanksgiving, and they often have many great deals hidden throughout the store in an attempt to bring people in.

Going shopping in July for all those Christmas gifts will not only save you money, as some retailers will often have sales in December with prices higher than they are in July, but it will help you beat the crowds.

Of course, this does not work for everything. Certain things, such as video games released in the Christmas season, pets and food cannot, of course, be bought in July.

However, minus those few exceptions, July Christmas shopping is something not enough shoppers do.

One thing to take into consideration is the hiding of presents. Instead of only hiding gifts for a few weeks, you will be hiding them from your loved ones and friends for nearly six months, so choose a spot wisely!

Another way to save money, but not fight the crowds, is to shop throughout the year on various sale weekends like Columbus Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day.

These long weekends provide you ample opportunities throughout the year to slowly pick up the presents you need. Granted, there will be crowds but the sale prices will be excellent and the crowds will be nothing compared to those of the Black Friday to Christmas Eve sort. Read the rest of this entry »

Work At Home Job Or Work At Home Business - What To Do?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Tammy_Embrich]Tammy Embrich

If you’re new to the World Wide Web, then this can be an overwhelming choice for you to make.

First of all…you need to to be aware upfront, the differences of a work at home job and a work at home business. All too often newbie Internet surfers that want to work from home does not distinguish between the two. Let me tell you…there is a significant difference! And I think it should be addressed. But, I’ll get to that in a bit.

Everyday I see individuals on forums that are desperately searching for a way to earn money from home. And when they are asked what they would be interested in pursuing, they don’t have a clue…except that they want to earn “instant cash.”

Well, the hard truth is there is no such thing as “earning instant cash” online. If there were, everyone would be following suit.
Right? Hopefully the above statement gets a unanimous vote. You can search all you want, and you won’t find such an opportunity.

So now, let’s explore the differences of a “job” and a “home business” and the fees involved.

A “job” is when you are hired by an employer or company to perform specific duties in return for a set hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly wage. Usually you are required to have specific skills and/or experience, and will be asked to supply a resume. Routinely, an interview will follow to determine if you are fit for the job.

Sometimes you will find a position where there is no experience required. And you will be trained or you will have to take an online test. It all depends on the employer or company.

There should not be any fees required for a job…except for a few instances.

For example: Sometimes a headset is required for customer service positions. Or, a foot pedal is required for transcription positions. Also, there may be a background check with a minimal fee attached. These fees are all normal and necessary in order to acquire the requested position. You are paid as long as you complete the job to the employer’s expectations and satisfaction.

Here are some examples of online jobs:

1. Customer Service

2. Data Entry

3. Admin Assistant

4. Transcription/Medical Transcription

5. Tutoring

6. Blogging or Writing Jobs

A “home business” is a whole other situation…

With a “home business”…your success depends on sales. And for the most part, it takes a lot of patience, motivation, and hard work, as well as initial fees to get one set up and get off the ground. The fee amounts will depend on your particular situation and needs.

Here are some examples of home businesses:

1. You may have a particular craft skill and desire to sell products created by you.

2. You may have a passion for scrapbooking and wish to start a scrapbooking business. Read the rest of this entry »

Fed up with eBay?-Work At Home by 

 For many people, their first experience of working online involves selling products on eBay. This was how I got started back in 1998 and I know countless other people that have done the same.

However, it is important to remember that eBay is not the ‘be all and end all’ - there is a much bigger online world out there. My reason for mentioning this is that I have spoken to three people this week who each make a decent full or part-time income on eBay but who are fed up with it and looking to move in other directions.

Having sold on eBay myself, I can understand why sellers do get tired/bored/frustrated with the auction site - it is highly competitive and it takes an incredible amount of hard work to succeed. In addition, it is normally the case that the more successful you become, the harder you have to work. Listing auctions, handling customer enquiries, packing, shipping, sourcing/buying stock, keeping up with feedback, monitoring the competition - selling on eBay is a tough job and it is no wonder that after working in this way for a few years, many people wish they were back in the land of the employed!!

Don’t get me wrong, there is good money to be made on eBay for anyone willing to put the effort in and many people enjoy trading on this huge auction site. But it isn’t for everyone.

Having spoken to numerous eBay sellers in the past, it seems to me that of the ones that don’t enjoy working on eBay, the particular task that they enjoy the least is the packing and shipping of products. Funnily enough, this is exactly the bit of trading that I grew to dislike too.

I (and the sellers I have spoken to) didn’t have a problem with creating sales descriptions, dealing with emails, collecting payment (naturally!) and the other administrative tasks involved in running an online business. But wrapping things up and taking them to the post office is something completely different and for me and many others that’s where it all started to fall apart Read the rest of this entry »