Fazzles Creative Living Newsletter Archive
 

Creative Living - Home, Business and Family...

Welcome to the Eighth Edition of "Creative Living."

Tuesday, June 3, 2003

In this issue we have:

 1.) Article:  Job Description of a Parent
 2.) Hot Craft Tip:
 3.) Recipe:
 4.) On Parenting: -
 5.) Home Tool Tips:
 6.) Car Tool Tips
 7.) Tasteful Joke
 8.) Reader's Questions:
 9.) Editor's Word Pick
10.) Last Minute Reminders
11.) Inspirational Quote

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A recent Ann Landers column "Parenthood is not a job
for the weak at heart" caught my interest.

Job Description for a Parent

Position: Parent

Job Description: Long-term player needed for
challenging, permanent work in chaotic environment.
Candidates must possess excellent communication
and organizational skills and be willing to work evenings and
weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts. There is some
overnight travel required, including trips to primitive
camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports
tournaments in faraway cities. Travel expenses not
reimbursed.

Responsibilities: Must keep this job for the rest of your
 life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily. Must
be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Must possess the physical
stamina of a pack mule. Must be willing to tackle stimulating
technical challenges such as small gadget repair, sluggish
toilets and stuck zippers.

Must handle assembly and product safety testing , as well
as floor maintenance and janitorial work. Must screen
phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production
of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and
organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and levels of
mentality. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute and
an embarrassment the next. Must assume final, complete
accountability for the quality of end project.

Advancement and Promotion: There is no possibility of
either. Your job is to remain in the same position for years,
without complaining, constantly retraining and updating
your skills so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass
you.

Previous Experience: None required, but on-the-job
training is offered on a continually exhausting basis.

Wages: None. In fact, you must pay those in charge,
offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment
is due when they turn 18 and attend college. When you
die, you give them whatever income you have left.

Benefits: There is no health or dental insurance, no pension,
no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock
options. However, the job offers limitless opportunities
for personal growth and free hugs for life.

This article is of special interest to those of us who work
 out of the home. Seeing this Ann Landers column made
my think about why so many of us wanted to work out of our
homes. One of the big reasons being to spend more time
with our families. Balancing a family life and a home-based
business can be a delicate one, especially when you look
at all of the duties we have as a parent. Truthfully, it is
amazing we get anything done at all.

If both partners or spouses are running the business
there are some very different and other important factors to
consider. Since we have already addressed and written
articles on these issues, I will direct you to our website to
the articles, Business / Marriage Partners: Will the Marriage
Survive (Parts I & II)
http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com/homebusiness

There are some good rules however, to help you balance
family and business.

Rule #1 - This is one of the most important rules. Yes,
 this is your home, but it is also my office. What that means
is the things you use in your business (like computers, files,
fax machine, business phone, supplies, etc.) are off limits
to them.

Rule #2 - Set office hours. This lets your family members
and friends know when it's okay to disturb you; when your
day is done. This will avoid them taking you away from your
work.

Rule #3 - No one but you answers your business line,
and if your office is in part of the house, there is to be
quiet when you are on the phone. I know sometime
pandemonium breaks lose. Well on those occasions it
does, don't answer the phone, let it go into voice mail and
call back as soon as you can get away or get the situation
under control. Almost all phones today have a mute button,
use it, especially with young children that cry and scream.

Rule #4 - Establish rituals. Just like when you worked
an outside job, you if dropped them off at the daycare,
or their bus stop or school, even if you don't leave the
house, when you are ready to go into your office, tell them
good-bye. When you are done for the day, say "I'm home",
or if you take a break say "I'm back for a bit", but be sure
 to tell them when you leave again, so they know you can't
 be interrupted.

Rule #5 - Follow the other rules. Be sure that the above
rules are followed. This is the most important rule. Rules not
only help you, they help your kids, family and friends draw
the line between your work and your home day.

Some other tips are:

1. Keep a stash of kid stuff in your office. Get a variety
of things like paper, stickers, crayons and games, in case
your children are in your office and you need to take a call.

2. Get a cordless phone as an extension to your business
line. When you enter the "home" part of your house, take
the phone with you. If it rings, answer it and walk back to
your "work space". Let your children, family and friends
know that when this happens, they should try to be quiet
until you are out of earshot or ask the person to hold, and
press your hold or mute button until you are back in your
"work area" or quiet space.

3. Understand it may not be easy, but if you train your
children, family and friends to respect your time, space
and need for concentration, both your work and family life
will be easier.

Copyright 2001, DeFiore Enterprises.

===========
Interested in having your own successful, home based
creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue
have been helping folks start successful home based
businesses for over 17 years, and we can help you too!
To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com
for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products
and coaching in creative real estate investing and home
based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our FREE
"how to" Home Business Solutions Digest, it's like having
your own personal coach: mailto:subscribeHBS@homebusinesssolutions.com

================================

Teresa King's latest book is
Your Attitude-Your Self-Esteem
http://www.tipsfortop.com/attitude.html
********************************************************
Her fun and enjoyable book to read is
"What Did Mama Forget to Teach You?"
http://www.tipsfortop.com/whatdid.html
********************
Craft Tip:

Easy way to thread a needle with an illustration:

http://www.stitchersneedle.com/article1002.html


~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~
Recipe:  Southern Banana Bread
********************
2 c  Unbleached flour
      1 ts Baking soda
    1/2 ts Salt
    1/2 c  Butter or margarine
      1 c  Sugar
      2    Eggs
      1 c  Mashed, ripe bananas
    1/3 c  Buttermilk
      1 ts Vanilla
    1/2 c  Chopped pecans

Banana bread is made all over the Northern
Hemisphere but this recipe is from the South.
 
Combine flour, soda and salt in a mixing bowl. 
Cream butter with sugar and beat in eggs with bananas,
buttermilk and vanilla.  Stir into dry ingredients and
fold in nuts.  Spoon into a greased 9 x 5-inch pan and
bake in a preheated 350F oven for about an hour, or
until bread tests done in the center.
 
Makes 1 loaf.
 
>From the San Francisco Chronicle, 11/16/88.
 
~~~~~~~~
If you did not spray your plastic container
with a light oil spray before putting tomatoes
in, sometimes, leaving the container out in the
sun will bleach the stains.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Weight Loss Tip:
~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you purchase snacks for your
kids or spouse, pick things that you
don't like to eat.  When my boys were
small I would stock up on Peanut Butter
Cookies as I am not that fond of them.

In that way, they were in the house but
did not tempt me. And, the kids loved them.
~~~~~~~~~~
Safety Tip:

When using a sponge to wash you counters,
you are more than likely spreading bacteria.
Sponges carry mass germs. 
Best bet, use a fresh clean cloth with fresh
soap and water, or use a paper towel with a decent
household cleaner.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Parent Tip:
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Make sure your kids/teens wear light colored
clothes at night, or have something shiny
so that cars can see them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Household Tip:
~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can use the inside tube of paper towels
to stuff your plastic grocery store bags in.
You can then pull out a bag when you need
one.  You can dress this up with contact paper,
or other creative ideas to make it look nice.

************************
Car Tip -

Keep a kit in your car with a flashlight, flares,
and some tools.

Also: If you have automatic windows, get one of
those gadgets that you can smash the window
and slice your seatbelt with in case you land in
deep water. Keep it handy.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Tasteful Joke
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Son:

I have become a little older since I saw you last, and a few
changes have come into my life since then.

Frankly, I have become a frivolous old gal. I am seeing
five gentlemen everyday.

As soon as I wake up, Will Power helps me get
out of bed. Then I go to see John. Then Charlie Horse
comes along, and when he is here he takes a lot of my
time and attention. When he leaves, Arthur Ritis shows
up and stays the rest of the day. He doesn't like to stay
in one place very long, so he takes me from joint to joint.

After such a busy day, I'm really tired and glad to go to
bed with Ben Gay.

What a life. Oh yes, I'm also flirting
with Al Zymer.

Love, Grandma

P.S. The preacher came to call the other day. He said at my
age I should be thinking of the hereafter. I told him, "Oh I do it
all the time. No matter where I am, in the parlor, upstairs, in
the kitchen, or down in the basement, I ask myself, "Now, what
am I here after?"

********************
Editor's Word Tip on Commonly Misspelled Words
~~~~~~~~~~~~
cashews
through - go through the door
threw - he threw the ball
supersede
*************

I found money in my PayPal Account!

The fr-ee download software for
the new way to search the internet is paying.
Whenever a new program comes out, we can
be skeptical and wonder if it is worth telling people
how to make money by telling people to download
a free software.  It's not exciting yet, but one lady
made 77.00 - and she was paid. I made a little
over 47.00 for my first month with them.
http://Teresa.PlugUsIn4Cash.com/

When you get the software you just type in
" my account " without the quotes in your
browser window and login to your account.
Anytime, you want to search for something, you
just type in your search words right in the navigator
bar. It's easy.
~~~~~~~~

If you have a question that pertains to this
newsletter, please hit reply and send it in.
If you have some advice in any category to offer,
please hit reply and send it in. If you have any hot
craft tips or an article, we are interested
in those too!  And recipes, and anything else you
would like to share.

Inspirational Quote:

"Make your vacation your vocation."

Mark Twain

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you for being my reader!

Teresa King

Creative Home Living
is sponsored by
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eBooks and Marketing
and by
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Personalize Candy Bar Wrappers
for Fun or profit with Ryan Sawyer

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