Suri Cruise has new shoes. Why is that noteworthy here on a parenting tips site? Not because the shoes are adorable. Not because they were featured on Oprah. And not because they belong to Suri Cruise, a celebrity baby - daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.

Suri Cruise’s shoes are mentioned here because those cute ladybug shoes came from a small, upscale children’s boutique - Skimbaco.com owned by mompreneur and fellow blogger, Katja. Because of Katja’s hard work and dedication to her business the shoes were ultimately promoted by Tom Cruise on Oprah. What an accomplishment!

And it is this success that Katja achieved that should serve as motivation to all women, moms, and parents who are trying to make it on their own and raise a family at the same time. In Katja’s own words:

Why I want everyone know what just happened to me? So I can hopefully give people hope and inspire. There are so many mompreneurs and bloggers who are just waiting “it” to happen. “It” doesn’t “just happen”, you have to work hard, and only place where you might get is to be down and fear it will never happen - and then it will happen.

To read the whole motivational story about Suri Cruise Shoes, visit Katja at Skimbaco. And to get your own pair of ladybug mary jane’s just like Suri Cruise, visit the store with the same name - Skimbaco.

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Ever consider working from home…by clicking one of “Those Ads” ???
By Joe Grushkin, Internet Entrepreneur

Did you ever see one of “those ads” on the internet… you know, the kind that looks “too good to be true”… I mean, if it’s offering big money, little effort and freedom, it’s gotta be a scam, right??? No one makes huge, incredible money like that… no one has freedom to do what they want, when they want to…and working from home a few hour a day and enjoying your family without any concerns about money is just unheard of… if that is what you think…think again…

About 8 months ago, I was “surfing” around the internet and actually clicked on one of “those ads” and it kind of pulled me in… I was intrigued with the sophistication and simplicity at the same time. As I moved through the process, I found myself getting more and more excited about what this “business” had to offer, and then I came to the end of the process and it gave me the option to enroll, so I did!

I was amazed…no one called me to sell me on joining, I didn’t have to attend any meetings, I was told I didn’t have to call friends and family and it was totally automated online… so far, everything as explained was happening to me…and what I experienced made sense, I figured if it made sense to me, it would to others as well.

I figured that I would “pay my money to peek behind the curtain”, so to speak. What I found was way more than I ever anticipated.

I found a community of real people; moms, dads, grandparents, single parents and people in their early 20’s from all over the world who were offering advise, guidance and insights into how to succeed in this new business I just “bought”… I learned how to work 2 hours a day and earn anywhere from $3000 to $10,000 every week. I learn how to market on the internet, which is a skill I can now apply to any business, product or concept. I also learned, that “Those Ads” are sometimes very real!

You see, a person can only really see those ads when they are looking for them, something in their life has drawn them to the ad. As you read this, is there something driving you to consider this right now…??? The desire for more money time, freedom or to be with your family more…??? The challenge is, most people continue to get in their own way and block anything new and different from happening. So many people continue to (or painstakingly watch their spouse tirelessly) commute to a job that is just barely paying the bills, working for a company that doesn’t appreciate their efforts and kidding themselves that they have security in the future. By having your own home based business, you have total control, you will never miss a kid’s activity, you can be present in your family’s lives and own your future… not to mention the incredible tax advantages that can save you thousands!

My story isn’t done yet. I earned over $100,000 in my first 6 months, never called anyone on the phone to sell them on this business, didn’t have to prospect friends and family to do it and found a freedom that allows me to be where I want, when I want. I don’t have to travel, unless it’s for pleasure and I am part of a community of like minded people, who are all doing the same things in their live. This community has generated over $11 million in commissions in the first 8 months, and that is expected to double in the next 8 months. The question is…will any of that next $11 million be in your pocket?

If you or someone you know is being financially challenged by the economy, feeling the pressure to choose between raising their kids and making money or they are just “sick and tired of being sick and tired”…now might me the time to click on one of “those ads”… here it is…go ahead… give it a click…follow the process and see what the rest of us already know… www.SoSimple4u2.com

Wishing you the best of success, unlimited wealth and freedom…

Onward & Upward,
Joe Grushkin
Internet Entrepreneur

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I know this book was all the rage a few months ago - but like anything else around here - I get to it when I get to it. So if you missed all the hoopla the first time around then you are at the right place.

Anyhow, in a nutshell, Tim’s methods of reducing a workweek down to four hours can be summed up in two words - efficiency and delegating. If you don’t waste time on all the mundane tasks, and completely eliminate the unneccessary ones then you will free up a lot of time in your day. If you delegate the mundane, even better.

The problem is that, in order to make this work, you need to have a pretty good business sense. You also need to have a good idea for a business that will take off, and you need to be willing to take risks. After all, income is well, - important.

If you are fresh out of college - the methodology in The 4-Hour Workweek is great for you. But if you have one or two or three or four children to support and you kind of need health insurance, or college is looming in the not too distant future, hmmm, it is a little risky.

However, if you already work from home or stay at home and even if you don’t, The 4-Hour Workweek offers some good advice, that could qualify as hidden parenting tips, for getting things done quicker and in a more efficient manner. Things like checking email often and taking phone calls as they come in are all big time wasters. Stuff is another time vacuum. And if you have a family then chances are you have a lot of stuff. I spend a good portion of each day putting things away. Imagine if we just got rid of a lot of that “stuff”. Think about the time you would gain.

And delegating is another thing that I don’t do often enough as a parent. Sure the job may be done quicker if I just do it myself - but I may be doing everyone a disservice with that attitude. My kids are more than capable of taking over some of the responsibilities of the house. My husband is a sweetheart and already does a fair share of house upkeep - but sometimes delegating to the husband is also necessary. And those volunteer activities - PTA, Board of this or that, fundraisers, etc. - lots of room for delegation!

So, parents do have something to gain from The 4-Hour Workweek. But now that I can do one of my jobs in four hours, I wonder what parenting tips exist for handling the other 21 jobs that I juggle as a mom!

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Often when a family makes the decision for mom to stay home and raise the kids, they ensure that the family can manage on one income. If mom eventually decides to launch her own business she will usually put family first. If the business takes off - great, but if not then the family is no worse off than before. This approach may work for some people either due to luck or charisma or both, but for most that type of effort is just not enough.

(more…)

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For those of you that stop by NeenMachine.com regularly to fill up on my parenting tips, you know that I usually post a Friday Giveaway Roundup. This is just a list of links to sites that are giving away free stuff.  And the stuff they are giving away is pretty awesome. So, obviously, I am not only writing about it but am entering the contests as well. Well, here is proof positive that real people actually do win and it is definitely worth the effort to enter.

This Valentine’s Day will be extra sweet for me!

And if you are not familiar with the MomGadget site, take the time to head over and discover all the wonderful things that Gayla writes about. In addition to hosting fabulous Giveaways, Gayla introduces her readers t0 new products, websites, and services, and of course gadgets that moms will love. A successful, work at home mom herself, Gayla provides guidance and inspiration to the rest of us.

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Happy New Year! And with the new year comes something called Blog 365. The challenge is to write a blog post for each of the 365 days of 2008.

Crazy, I know.

But the rules are flexible. You need to write 1 post per day on any of your blogs, NOT each one.

I happen to collect blogs like Imelda collects shoes, so between all of them - blogging once a day won’t be too bad. You can check out two of my other blogs at Blog Resources Online and I Love A Good Sale (don’t we all?).

Why did I sign up for this torture? Well, in November I participated in NaBloPoMo, where you had to post a blog entry once a day for the entire month. Some days were harder than others but I struggled through, and lo and behold, my blog improved! My RSS subscriber count grew (if you are not a subscriber, don’t miss another post - Subscribe Now!), my search engine hits grew, I met other fantastic bloggers, and the creative juices were a-flowin’.

Then December came along. Without the motivation of NaBloPoMo, I became a bit more lax and my blog showed it.

So here I am at the cusp of 2008 and I am up for the challenge. Visit my page at Blog 365 to say hello, or leave me a comment here. Misery loves company, you know!

Don’t forget to subscribe via RSS to my blog or fill in the email form in the sidebar to get my posts directly in your inbox!

Happy New Year!

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Here are my reflections on the past month:

• The number one way to overcome writer’s block is to write. By posting every day, I have gotten the creative juices flowing. I am always on the lookout for a good topic. And my family is a great subject (much to my son’s chagrin)
• Increased readership has been a big bonus of daily posting. My subscribers have doubled from 38 subscribers on October 30 to my all time high of 73 subscribers on November 27. (If you haven’t yet subscribed be sure to click the big orange RSS button on the right or enter your email address to receive my posts in your inbox).
• Through NaBloPoMo I have found so many other great blogs and met other parenting bloggers like myself.

So while the task has been tough, the results have been so worth it!

Now my blogging buddy Sherri - The Rebel Housewife has asked the big question - “Will I continue this daily blogging pace?”

I am sure going to try. But I think I will keep weekend blogging to a minimum. My family will appreciate that!

See you on Monday.

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Once upon a time, I took tons of pictures. As the kids grew, I snapped less and less.

Usually my hands were full. Try as I might, I couldn’t juggle the babies and the camera. As they moved into toddlerhood, I couldn’t keep them away from the camera long enough to snap the pictures.

Now, I just plain forget to take the camera.

With the holidays upon us, I am making an early resolution to take tons of pictures during the month of December.

And while we are on the subject, does anyone have any good tips for keeping their digital photo libraries organized?

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Huh? Here is a good RSS guide and tutorial. But if you don’t want to bother, just know that it is a way to get instant updates from my blog.

Before I was a blogger, I had no idea what RSS was, and I really didn’t have time to figure it out. When I found a site I liked, I would just bookmark it and check back every so often. But I would miss some good stuff because I didn’t check back often enough.

But now there is another way to get regular updates from this blog. Just enter your email address in the form on the sidebar or right here. It will be kept PRIVATE! I hate spam - and will not distribute your email address in any way. You will then get a daily email with all of my latest posts. Easy - the info comes to you. And, of course, you can unsubscribe at any time.

Give it a try! And for all you web power users - please subscribe to my feed!

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Anyway, pezlady (whos blog is called Mom Interrupted…) had a nifty little widget in her sidebar that is a map of the world. On this map are little blips to show where each visitor is coming from.

I thought it would be interesting to add it to my sidebar as well. So, if you look way at the bottom of the right side you will see it.

But the thing is - it is only great if lots of people show up. I mean, we all have a need to be popular - don’t we?

Maybe the widget won’t last here too long. Check it out while you can.

UPDATE: Apparently, according to MapLoco’s site, the real time maps are down. So, my visitors aren’t showing up. If they don’t fix this soon I guess I will have to remove it, lest you all think I have no friends.

UPDATE: Sorry guys - the widget had to go. The site kept saying the maps were down - and the numbers weren’t jiving with my stats. But it was fun while it lasted!

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