Here's how it works:

For $12 , I will take your existing header graphic and create a 125 x 125 and a 150 x 150 matching buttons for you to use to on your own site, or to advertise on other people's sites, button exchanges, etc.

Your buttons will look something like this:

Email me at momkaboodle at gmail.com with "button request" in the subject line.

• In your email, please include your name and your blog's web address.
• Payment should be sent via PayPal to momkaboodle at gmail dot com (no credit card transactions, please).
• Once payment has been verified, I will start working on your blog buttons and send them to you upon completion.

Thanks!

Are you a WAHM? How does being a Christian affect how you run your business?

How about as a blogger? Inquiring minds want to know!

For me, the Lord is my inner compass. I want to be transparent in my dealings with others, and I don't want to feel like I'm being fake. There are a lot of people out there who will teach you different aspects of business and blogging. If you are uncomfortable with doing something....don't do it. I'm not saying to let fear hold you back from taking the next step, of course. But if the methods go against your morals in any way....stay strong and don't make those kinds of sacrifices. It's just not worth it, and it will only make you feel bad in the end.

"Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess." --Deuteronomy 5:33

Oh, while you're here, I'd love to know what I can help you with. I'm focusing on WAHMs/Bloggers on this site, and all things Mommy on my sister site, The Helping Mommy. Thanks, and don't forget to link up to the blog hop while you still have time!

Balancing your work-time and your family-time can be overwhelming sometimes, but by following a few simple tips, it can be done.  AND you get to keep a shred of your sanity as part of the bargain.  :)

You have the ability to set your own hours, so take advantage of that right now. If you can handle some tasks at “odd hours” of the day, you will have more family time during the day. Are you a morning person? If so, try to get up an hour before your family to take advantage of some “quiet time” to focus on your business; night owls can take care of emails and other administrative tasks after they have put their children to bed.   (Just don't  stay up TOO late, especially if you need to be up and "on" for the kids first thing in the morning!)

If you pick your children up from school, use the time you spend waiting for them to return customer phone calls.  A wireless headset for your cell phone will allow you to keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road if you make calls while driving.

I once did a Service-based home business, and we received our training via emails and training websites.  If you are in a similar type of business, print out your training info and stash it in your purse.  You can take it out while you're sitting in the car waiting for the kids (with the car in "Park", please!), in line at the Supermarket, or even while you're waiting at the doctor's office.

During the week, when schedules are busiest, plan quick and easy dinners. Let your kids help out in the kitchen while you cook – you’ll be spending time together and teaching them skills they will need. There are plenty of cookbooks out there dedicated to “kid friendly recipes” if you need some inspiration on what to make.  Also remember that the Crock Pot is your friend!  You can put a whole chicken or even a lasagna in some of the bigger crock pots, and you don't have to worry about trying to cook and simultaneously distract cranky, hungry kids (or husbands!).  Try planning your meals at the beginning of the week (this saves you time and money!).  If you need some additional meal-planning tips, try an online service like Dine Without Whine - A Weekly Menu Plan & Grocery List Delivered To Your E-mail Box or Menu Planning Central.

Get the kids involved in your business as much as possible. Smaller children can put stamps or mailing labels on envelopes;  older children can help hang flyers; and teenagers can take on some administrative tasks like data entry.  This method allows you to have a little extra "face-time" with the kids while they're doing these tasks for you, and will hopefully free up some of your time that you can invest back into the kiddos.  Which brings us to the next tip:

Set aside some time each day to spend with your children with no distractions (that means no phone and no computer!). You don’t have to go anywhere special; the time can be spent reading a book, playing a game, or spending time outside together. The point is just to let your children know that they come first, and the business comes second.

Remember – you became a work at home mom so you could spend time with your family. Don’t forget to take some time out to enjoy them!

Your Name: Elizabeth Henderson

Your website(s):

www.poshlittleshop.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/poshlittleshop

Your Twitter handle: @poshlittleshop

A little about you:

I am a Christian mom of an 18-month-old little boy and a 9-year-old little princess. I am also a military wife, incredibly blessed to be married to the love of my life and best friend, Ryan. You can usually find me chasing my little angels around with a camera. I never leave home without it.

How long have you been doing this business? I started Posh Little Shop in June 2009 and it has been an exciting and very busy adventure! I love being able to stay home with my precious children and being able to work from home.

Tell us a little about your business: Posh Little Shop is a unique online baby boutique that offers it's clients socially responsible shopping. We donate a percentage of every sale to a precious orphan in need. By doing this, we are enabling customers to help simply by shopping. There are many companies who donate some of their proceeds, but what sets us apart is that we have created an entire business dedicated to social change and philanthropy. We want people to know that when they choose Posh Little Shop, they are choosing to make a difference in the life of a child! Posh Little Shop offers unique baby gifts, bumpyname bottle & sippy cup labels, pettiskirts, nursery decor, bedding, car seat covers, designer nap mats, seat belt covers for older kids, and so much more!

What is the #1 tip that you have for WAHMs or moms who want to be WAHMs? Find balance. At first, it may seem impossible, but you can find balance. It is a beautiful thing to be able to love what you do and love on your kiddos at the same time.

It is our heart to one day be able to support all of the orphans at Casa De Hogar Orphanage through the sales of Posh Little Shop. If you want to learn more about the children who we love and support, please visit Living Among Them

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. - Ecclesiastes 9:10]]> http://momkaboodle.com/2010/07/wahm-spotlight-posh-little-shop/ Hey there!

Today is iFellowship day on Seeds of Faith. If you have a blog, join up in their blog hop. You can find new friends this way (visitors to your site), and you may find a few new blogs that you didn't know about previously!

Here's how it works:

Write a post today about iFellowship, and link up your blog (directly to your iFellowship post) below. Don't forget to visit our host site, Seeds of Faith. We also ask that you visit 1 or 2 blogs that were listed just before yours so that everyone is sure to have visitors. (and hey, if you can visit more we welcome that, too!) Who knows, you might just meet your next lifelong bloggy friend!

Have a great day!

It may not be easy, but it isn’t impossible, either. By using some simple time management tricks, a WAHM can find time to get the important things done without having to be "SuperMom". One thing every WAHM should have is a planner. This can be a fancy-schmancy electronic planner, or it can be a simple paper day-planner. Always make sure you schedule your family time first! Then schedule in the time you are going to work your business. Once you have your “work time” scheduled, make it a priority to stay focused on your business during those hours. It is very easy to procrastinate when you are a WAHM.

If you are on Twitter, Facebook, etc., it's easy to get sidetracked very quickly. Social media is a very important method of networking, and I am in no way discounting that. But if you find yourself Tweeting a lot about things that really don't pertain to your business or surfing the internet for non-business purposes, set a timer for yourself. Give yourself 15-minutes to "play". Once the timer does go off, make sure you adhere to your time restrictions and get back to the money-making aspects of your business.

If your work requires you to do lots of different tasks, instead of bouncing from one thing to the next, try to group similar tasks together. For instance, if you are in a direct sales business and you have a team under you, designate one day to be your “training day”. Instead of helping various team members throughout the week, schedule all of your mentoring sessions for one day. Set aside an hour in the morning and an hour in the late afternoon to respond to email and/or return phone calls. By scheduling that time in, you will find that you are able to get more work done and feel less scattered.

You might also consider outsourcing some of your activities. If you find that you are spending too much time on responding to email, returning phone calls, or updating your website, hire a virtual assistant to do those tasks for you. This will free your time up to work on your business, and by spending more time on the parts of your business that actually bring in money, you will be able to increase your profits.

You can also save time by setting aside a block of time each week to do your “regular” errands, such as grocery shopping, going to the post office, etc. If you plan your meals for the week and go to the grocery store once, you will save lots of time during the week by not taking those daily “quick trips to the market” (you'll save a lot of money this way too!). And while you are planning your meals, try to schedule a few days where you cook everything once, but spread it over more than one meal. For instance, you can plan on having spaghetti on Monday and tacos on Tuesday. So, on Monday, brown the hamburger you will need for both days. On Tuesday, half of your work will already be done. And if you are making a meatloaf or lasagna, make two and freeze one for later.

Most importantly, do not feel as if you have to do it all by yourself. As much as we would love to be (or think we are) SuperMom, we can't get it all done on our own. If you have a spouse or significant other, ask them to chip in on household chores. Children love to help out, and depending on their ages, there are many tasks that they can do, be it around the house or even with your business. And when it is all said and done, don’t forget to take out some time for yourself. Everyone needs a break– WAHMs included!

WAHMs are proving everyday that women can contribute to the family financial situation and nurture their families. Both online and off, a network of support has been created for any woman who wants to consider an option that will help them meet their financial needs while being able to set their own hours and be available for the family.

How to get started?

When you talk to your family about the possibility you want to have an idea of the direction you will take. Check out sites like justaddsweat.com, internetbasedmoms.com and wahmtalkradio.com. They offer helpful hints to moms getting started with a work at home enterprise and also a network of opportunities for connecting with other WAHMs. You can also sign up for a free 9 Day eCourse from Mom Masterminds. If your income has been a big part of the monthly family finances, then switching to a work at home enterprise will cause your finances to take a hit. Be sure there is enough financial cushion in your bank account to weather the first six months of your new career. It will take time to establish your business.

Opportunities

First, figure out your interests and skills. WAHMs can find business opportunities to work for someone else doing everything from audio transcription to writing articles to accounting. Be aware that there are scams about and that legitimate companies looking for professionals won’t ask for money upfront from you. Some WAHMs carve out their own niche and begin an online business. If you are skilled with crafting, you can create a website to promote your crafts and sell products. A blog is also another idea. Blog about your area of expertise and develop a following. Combine that with affiliate or search engine marketing to generate revenue.

Making it work

With new career comes the issue of balance between home and work. Just because you are home doesn’t mean you won’t need help around the house or time away from the kids in order to work. Consider these tips for creating a balance:

• Develop a set schedule for work and play on a weekly basis
• Discuss dividing up household chores between you, your spouse, and older kids
• Do prep-work such as fixing lunches, prepping breakfast, choosing clothing the night before
• Hire a babysitter once or twice a week
• Separate home office space inside the house

Your website(s) -

www.kimberlyr.scentsy.us

www.christlikemommy.blogspot.com

Tell us a little about you: I am a Christian mom of two boys, ages 4 and 1. I am married to an awesome man of God. We have been married for 5 years and have enjoyed every day!

How long have you been doing this business? I started selling Scentsy in January this year, so almost 7 months. It has been a fun experience, and I have learned a lot about direct selling.

Tell us a little about your business Scentsy is a wickless candle system. The temperature never reaches over 120 degrees, so there is no chance of your or your kids being burned. Also, since the warmer is warmed by a low watt light bulb, there are no toxins released into the air, no flame, and no soot! Scentsy has over 80 scents to choose from and for the month of July only we are running a promotion called, "Bring Back my Bar" which is made up of 20 of Scentsy's most popular, discontinued bars. We also sell car fresheners, and room sprays!

What is the #1 tip that you have for WAHMs or moms who want to be WAHMs? Just try it! And make sure you are selling something that interests you, if you are not excited about it, your customers aren't going to be either!

If someone was looking to join your team, what is the best way to contact you/find out more info? If you are interested in selling Scentsy, you can sign up at my website! www.kimberlyr.scentsy.us/join Our starter kit, which is $99+tax, comes with all 80 scents, and a large warmer. Also included are catalogs, and other items to help kick start your business. Scentsy is a business where the product really does sell itself.

In the month of July I am offering an online order incentive. Whoever places the largest order on my website will receive a free plug-in warmer of their choice! Are you interested in hosting a party? We can do an online party! All you have to do is direct your friends and family to your personalized party link, and the items will be shipped directly to them! Our hostess rewards are great! Take a look at what you could earn for free here! https://kimberlyr.scentsy.us/hostess_rewards.

Thanks so much, Kimberly for participating in MomKaboodle's Moms In Business Spotlight! If you have a Mom business (whether it be direct sales, or a mom-made product) and you would like to have your business in our spotlight, please email mailto:momkaboodle@gmail.com.

If you are a returning visitor, you may notice that some things have changed. Part of that is due to the fact that I lost some things when I was transferring the site over to my own servers. I have tried to recover as much as possible, and I look forward to making this great site even better.

My goal is to spotlight WAHMs who sell handmade products and help them get more exposure. If you are one of these WAHMs, please email me at momkaboodle@gmail.com.

This is FREE advertising for you. I will give you a short survey to fill out so readers can get to know you. All I ask from you is that you link back to my site. The beauty is that you'll be linking to YOUR spotlight - double the exposure!

Family-friendly products only, please. (Keep it G-rated). Looking forward to working with you!
Thanks!

1. Love for kids - This may seem obvious, but we do need to remember that we home school because we love our children and want the best for them. When times get tough, if we remember how much we love them we can keep their best interest at heart and know that we are doing the right thing.

2. Commitment to relationship - Let's face it, home schooling is about relationships. Homeschoolers need to commit to building their relationships with their children and keep the lines of communication open. For those who are Christians, they are also committed to their relationship with God and look to Him for guidance in their other relationships.

3. Desire for Success - If there is no underlying desire for success, then on those days when no one wants to do anything, the parent will allow it. If you want your children to be successful and if they want to be successful, they will need to commit to doing the work they need to do each day to succeed in the end.

4. Structure of environment - While playing games and having fun can definitely be a part of home schooling, structure is also needed. Students need to know what is expected of them not only with school work but also in maintaining the household.

5. Openness to different styles of learning - In schools teachers have to teach a certain way to keep order and also to make sure students perform well on tests so they can keep their jobs. In home schooling you can explore many different learning styles to find better ways to help your children learn and retain what they are learning. So if you have to have them hop up a step every time they get a math flashcard correct, then let them do it an enjoy the smile on their faces.

6. Commitment to Boundaries - Just as your day needs some structure and guidelines, your children need to know that if they aren't pulling their own weight or are stepping out of the boundaries set for them, there will be consequences. You can lovingly enforce these knowing that you will help them be better adults in the long run.

7. Ability to have fun and laugh at yourself - Kids love to have fun and laugh. Don't get too caught up in your to-do list and forget to enjoy your children. There should be lots of smiles and hi-fives flying around your house. Your children probably won't remember many lessons they had, but they will remember the fun times and how you treated them.

For more tips on how to homeschool, grab your free report "How to Homeschool using the Best Resources" at http://www.hjresources.com/freehs. Heidi Johnson specializes in helping families find resources to simplify and improve their lives. Heidi Johnson may be contacted at http://www.hjresources.com or khtimes3@verizon.net ]]> http://momkaboodle.com/2008/04/7-habits-of-successful-homeschoolers/