Becoming an Entrepreneurial Mom

Becoming an Entrepreneurial Mom

            Raising children is demanding enough for most women alone.  Starting a business and being successful at it along with raising children is even harder in today’s economy.  My ultimate goal is to become an Entrepreneurial mom by owning and running my own business.  I have taken a lot of steps to make this goal a reality for myself one day.  Even though you don’t need a degree to run a business, I am taking the steps to earn one.  I believe having a degree will help your business tremendously.  I have learned that most business will show if they succeed or fail within the first two years. I will receive an associate’s degree in business management in the summer of 2012.  Then I plan on earning a bachelors’ degree through Delta College’s 3 in 1 program and that transfers to Northwood University.

            Working for other businesses has also helped me learn and prepare for becoming my own entrepreneur.  Being self sufficient and learning to take charge of the situation by guiding and helping others on being successful with their job.  I believe having a business plan on steps to follow will help you become a successful entrepreneur mom.  I find this web site helpful with planning and making goals.  

http://www.business.com/startup/business-plans/

Having a business plan allows you to set goals, identify company problems, distribute resources, identify threats to your business, determine your strengths, and identify the weakness of your company.  This is the first start to becoming an entrepreneur mom and gets your business started. Having a well drafted business proposal will help when it’s time to present your proposal to the bank for loans to open your business.

  http://www.proposalkit.com/htm/sample-business-proposals-links.htm#sbpfp

"Mom's Holiday Stress"

“Mom’s Holiday stress”

            The Christmas season is approaching soon.  There is so much to do and prepare for that mothers work is never done.  With the holiday season stress can become over whelming.  There is no better time to start planning then now.  I find it less stressful to start a lay-away plan a few months in advance.  K-mart has a great plan.  With as little as five dollars down and make payments over the next few months. You can get all your shopping done with paying what you can afford without paying out of pocket all at once. You can even make payments on line which I find convenient. If k-mart is not your ideal store there are other stores with law-away plans that can fit any budget. Sears, JC penny, Toys-r-us, Wal-Mart, and Meijer’s just to name a few.

http://www.kmart.com/kmart-layaway/dap-100000000053509

            Sometimes you don’t have any idea what to buy someone on your shopping list.  I find it convenient to buy gift cards, because they can purchase what they want.  Money can be tight around the holiday season.  A single mom’s income does not stretch that far and can barely pay the bills. There are programs that can help with food, clothes, and toys for low income families. Toys for tots, food banks, and local churches help out families.  http://www.toysfortots.org/

            If you plan ahead and use helpful resources you can take a lot of the stress out of the holiday season that is approaching.  I find using a plan and starting early saves our family money and we avoid all the last minute shopping.  

Mothers work is never done!

Mothers work is never done!

            Mom’s today have busy work schedules.  Long days and long nights taking care of house work and their children.  Always busy with taking the kids to their soccer games, football, baseball, and dance resettles.  No time is ever wasted with cooking, cleaning, and running errands.  Even the dog is fed. Moms meet every ones needs before their own.  When is it moms turn to pamper themselves?  We neglect that we need time to ourselves.  There are a few ways I find relaxing and enjoy to do when I am over worked and stressed.

            I like to take time out for myself by getting a good book, run a hot bubbly bath and soak, read, and relax.  It relieves my stressful day and puts me in a relaxed mood.  I like to take long walks with headphones on listening to soothing music.  This gives me serenity.  Or just relaxing by our pond always puts me in a good mood.  The sounds of the water are tranquil and peaceful to your ears. You can also find many good ideas on pampering yourself and taking away some of the stress from those long over worked days. http://www.parenting.com/gallery/easy-ways-to-pamper-yourself   This website has over thirty easy ways to pamper yourself even if you only have fifteen minutes to spare.

            Most moms do not take time to relax or unwind.  Over time this will wear you down and you will feel over worked and stressed.  There is a website that can help recognize the signs of burnout.  Some signs are depression, lack of energy, lack of desire, and inability to relax.  http://www.davidsonstaffing.com/articles/career-burnout.aspx  Learning to distinguish normal stress from the deeper issues that lead to career burnouts is important in order to effectively deal with the problem.

Back to school mom's

Back to school Mom’s

            It’s hard to juggle school and also being a full time mom.  Working and taking care of yours family is a full time job as it is.  With today’s economy mom’s need to better prepare themselves with an education and degrees. There are alternative choices to earning a degree or expand the degree you already have.  There are on line classes that you can choose from.  This would be extremely helpful with working mom’s because it allows you to take the classes on the convenience of your own time.  I found these helpful sites to help you choose which online class is right for you. There are over 4000 degree programs in all subject areas from all over the world, offered entirely over the internet.  http://www.degrees-online.com/

            With today’s hard economic times money is also tight for families and single moms.  I found these helpful sites to help moms with grants to help them go back to school.  Are you a hardworking mother looking to take the next step in your education or your career?  If so, you may qualify for a $10,000 college scholarship.  This program is a small private fund, serving parents and working families throughout the United States.  They have been helping moms like me compare accredited study programs and go back to school since 2006.  http://www.scholarships4moms.net/

            You could also apply for FAFSA federal student aid to help pay the expensive costs for returning to college.  This helps me a great deal with paying my college expenses.    http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

Freedom Writers

Freedom Writers

            I think Erin Gruwell is a great teacher and inspirer. The techniques she used and the books that she chooses. Such as Shakespeare novel or the Diary of Ann frank. I think that brought value to her student through her method of teaching. Most students cared more about survival than Shakespeare. She had faith in her children and was a positive role model for them.  “Mrs. G” as the students called her, Helped her students put there feeling and emotions in there diaries. The students wrote them anonymously, calling the book “Freedom Writers”. That book won an Ann frank award. The students grades went from D’s and E’s to A’s and Bs’. The greatest gift Mrs. G gives her students is a second chance. Some students were the first to graduate in their family. Mrs. G first wanted to be a lawyer; but after looking at her students, she wanted to teach students that were less fortunate than others. Some students did the Michel Jacksons moon walk as they turned their papers in.  The students sang cambia’s songs. Mrs. G taught over 150 students most were below the 25^th percentile. I think that the toast to change was a great start for the students to show their true feeling and start to open up. Students learned to put down their fists and could relate to their writing for the first time in their lives. Mrs. G and the students sent there book out like a “message in a bottle” as she called it. “The little book that could” now became a number one seller in America. This sent all 150 kids to college, some took as long as six years and some ten years to graduate college but they did it. I believe the effort from Mrs. G help them succeed.  

Mom's on the go

“Mom’s on the go”

In today’s busy world everyone is on the go. To busy and don’t have much time to cook. People want thing today to be fast, convenient, and easy.  Everything from meals to cook that the whole family will love and at the same time saves money. When it comes to planning meals I want them to meet those requirements and also taste great. I like meals that you can make fast and the whole family will love.  You can find a lot of great ideas at Campbell’s kitchen t here are hundreds of menu items to choose from.  You can also make a meal planner guild to  help plan healthier meals  without losing the great taste.

 http://www.campbellskitchen.com/?pd=yes&fbid=8sRwxnfAPmu

            I like to find meals the kids will love to eat and can make fast and easy, or with a little help from mom. Disney family fun has everything your children will love.  From food they can make themselves. Also there are great craft ideas the whole family will love.  If you’re planning a party for the fall there are a lot of great ideas and with Halloween approaching there are a lot of fun ideas for costumes and Halloween fun.

http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/cooking-with-kids/