Guard Your Time

Every minute you have is an asset. It is a gift. If you were handed a one- hundred dollar bill for every hour in your day, you wouldn’t hesitate to put it in the right spot and guard it. 
That’s how you should treat your time. It is at least that valuable.
Get a system in place to guard your time.
 
Each day and each week I follow a basic routine:
I always start by reviewing standing priorities. I need to know when to show up and where to show up!
Here is a peek into my life - examples of my standing priority list. These are things I work around, things that are already scheduled: Church, family dinner together, family time in general, Bible Study, homeschool classes, sports and workout, speech and debate competitions, date night with hubby, Team Meetings, Mom's Night Out.

Then I . . .

• Review my goals (daily, weekly, and monthly).
• Review other commitments.
• Create priorities 
• Determine the time needed for each task not already calendared in. 
• Determine what tasks I can fit in where. 
~~> I try to be realistic yet creative about where I can multi-task.
~~> I decide what I can delegate or do ahead.
~~> I take a look at what needs to be culled or changed.

I have learned these time management skills through the years, but I have to credit my company and their ongoing educational opportunities with honing them. So, what to do after creating that list of things that need to be accomplished? 

• Dive in with a smile!

I know that my attitude makes all the difference. Anyone can tackle the busiest day successfully if they decide to do so. One of the best things to remember is that failures, pitfalls, challenges make us better at what we do if we simply resolve to learn from those things.

It is all about the right attitude. If the attitude takes a nose dive, so does the whole day. As a Mom, it is crystal clear to me that a positive attitude becomes a family habit. So guard your time and dive in with a smile. 
As a working parent, the ramifications are even greater than your paycheck.

Curious about my company?  That's great because we are looking for like-minded people to work with us. I have been working from home with my company for 18 years. The ongoing support and is invaluable. The paychecks are consistent and generous.  
It allows me to re-arrange my calendar as needed, put family first, while supporting my family financially. 

Working with this strategy allows a fresh start at any time. You didn't like how you handled something? No problem, do it again and learn from the last time. You don't know the answer to a question? No problem. We will help you find the answer. You missed a deadline? No one is going to fire you. Use it as motivation to do better next time.

Maybe this is what you have been looking for. If you want to chat or text, feel free to leave a comment. 

Verso l'alto!

Peggy Cortez 

Safer Home Cleaning Products Are Not Just Nice To Have--They Are a Must!

Guest article by Mary Lee

Ideas like going green, living healthier lifestyles and using safer, more natural products seem nice but most of us don't give it much thought. We choose consumable goods like household cleaners and personal care products based on smells we like, stores that are convenient and of course, most importantly, the lowest price.

But what if it did really matter? What if the choices the you made about the consumable goods in your home had not only short-term risks of accidental poisoning but also serious long-term impacts on predisposing your family toward diseases like cancer, MS, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and more. IF that were the case, then it could be worth it to be careful about what consumable goods you allow into your home.

I vividly remember (what is now over 30 years ago) what was to be the last week of going to the babysitter everyday while mom worked. We were there so often that we affectionately called the sitter "Auntie." I was going to be starting school as a Kindergartener in the Fall and my mom had weeks of vacation time to spend with us during her Summer break from teaching that was just about to begin. My older sister and I were playing chase that afternoon with Auntie's two children. We blurted out, "You can't catch me!" and "Oh, yes I can" as we started running circles after each other on the tile floor of the babysitter's two story home. The chase came to an abrupt halt when my sister (who was in the lead by far) slipped on something wet that had gotten all over the floor outside of the bathroom. As she slid into the substance, it splashed back at me and I stopped short while my sister screamed and cried in pain right before me.

Auntie threw us in the tub to rinse us off as fast as possible. It wasn't working though. The burning just wouldn't stop. From the tub, we ran screaming into the backseat of the babysitter's car. I remember peaking over the seat and seeing the little holes eaten into Auntie's pantyhose. My sister was screaming and sobbing as the chemical had eaten through her clothes and skin as well. We ran into the ER and were quickly stripped naked and directed to showers and I remember it seemed so hot and so rough and my dear sister was crying so loud. She was screaming as her skin was peeling off her backside and elbow where she slid into the chemical.

It was a long summer of healing. That summer didn't feel so much like a vacation at all.

A defective bottle of a powerfully corrosive bathroom/drain cleaner had burst open and spilled all over the floor that day at Auntie's house and, unfortunately, we didn't notice until my sister slid right into it. It spilled into our lives, too, to influence my sister to become a physician, to work in the ER and also with wound care AND to influence me to help people create safer homes where harsh, caustic chemicals like that never even make it through the front door.

Today I am proud to be a home safety consultant with an Idaho-based Wellness company and part of an incredible Support Team of like-minded, caring people at EveVenture. If you want more info about how to affordably convert your home to safer cleaning products, I invite you to ask me for more info at: www.evsaferhomes.com/peggy.


For More Great EveVenture Community Articles About the Value of Safer Home Cleaning Products, visit:

• My House Was Making Me Sick:Toxic Black Mold By Linda Salvaggio
  
• Let's Stop Poisoning Our Children By Peggy Cortez
  
• Uncontrolled Experiment on American Children By Peggy Cortez

What's for Lunch?

YES, YES, YES lunch is a HUGE topic for Work at Home Moms (WAHM) and homeschooling families for the simple fact we eat just about all of our meals at our homes for a good portion of the year. These idea are also helpful for all families for the weekends, stay-cations and the summer months when kids are home. Remember, the menu is just not about ideas, but about planning. It's really about both.

Lunch monotony drove us to expand our menu!  Here are some ideas:

• Freeze lunch portions of dinner. It is great to have a  hearty, home cooked meal.
• Buy fresh tamales and freeze them (you can safely do so for up to 90 days!)
• Canned croissant rolls are a big hit in our house. You can roll just about anything in a croissant! Lay them flat and join several together to make a bigger portion. Some ideas include ~~> Generic Stromboli with spaghetti gravy, cheese, fresh spinach, pepperoni, sausage and/or ham.  ~~> Turkey and cheese.  ~~> Scrambled eggs and bacon.  ~~> Pappas con huevo.  Serve with raw carrots with ranch dip.
• ANYTHING we can roll in a tortilla is fair game.Tortillas with pepperoni or turkey pepperoni,  black olives and tomato sauce is very good. I love peanut butter in a rolled cool tortilla!
• I buy the baked tostado shells and top it with cooked ground beef or cooked chicken and black beans. Top it with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, picante sauce and avocado slices.. Warm the shells in the oven while the meat and beans warm.
• Baked potatoes are easy and you can top them with so many different things: chili, left over chicken or stew, ham, cottage cheese, cheese or bacon.
• Homemade pot pies are fun because they are delicious made with leftover cooked meats and veggies!  Store bought organic pot pies cost a little more but worth it in a pinch.
• Ramen noodle soup becomes more like a meal when you add an egg or meat. You can simply boil the ramen soup and while it's boiling, crack eggs into it and stir.  Add any other ingredients in the same manner. There is NO getting away from the ridiculously high sodium content so be sure this is not a weekly choice!
• Hot sandwiches, quesadillas or good ole stuffed pita bread. Who can resist grilled cheese and tomato soup? We like using Monterrey Jack cheese in our sandwiches. Or, get creative with your grilled cheese!
• We keep leftover cooked meat in the frig (I always try to make a bit extra) so we can make quick tacos.
• Chicken or tuna salad is a hit. You can also mix and serve with grapes and can eat with crackers instead of bread. Or, add raw veggies or apples and nuts and eat it like a salad.
• Egg Salad sandwiches on toast with canned pears are a great combination.  Topping the pears with mixed cream cheese and cherries  is DELICIOUS!
• Pasta salad is a huge hit, too. It doesn't take long to boil macaroni and add ingredients that your family likes.  Fancier Pasta Salad ideas 
• Also, click on over to  Bentos Boxes for some more ideas

SOURCE: Tina Robertson
Most of these ideas are Tina's (New Beginnings Homeschool Leader). I simply tweaked to add my 2 cents.
Thanks, Tina!