Stay at Home Business 101: Freelancing

One of the stay at home businesses that you can do is freelancing. What is freelancing? It is about being a freelancer or an independent worker, not on salary, hired instead on a project basis. If you have the skills of a writer, information processor, web designer, software developer, photographer, translators, graphics artist, transcriptionist, accountant, legal adviser and the like, you can earn by freelancing.

GetAFreelancer.com is a website that helps freelancers find projects to work on. It is owned by Innovate It (a Swedish company) and was started on February 2004. Now, it is one of the top players on the online freelance area.

How does GetAFreelancer.com work? Freelancers or service providers who want to make money can sign up with them for free. They can browse on projects that are posted on their website and bid on projects that is in line with their expertise. If you get hired by the service buyer or outsourcer, you get to work on the project.

To protect both service buyer and provider, a safe escrow environment is provided. This ensures that the freelancer will get paid, while the service buyer won't lose money by not releasing the money until the project is completed. GetAFreelancer's goal is to provide the best freelancers at the best possible price.

So, if you want to make money as a freelancer, sign up with GetAFreelancer.com to start.

Do-It-Yourself Mom

As a stay at home mom, it is an advantage to have some do-it-yourself skill. Many of the little things that needs to be fixed at home like changing the light bulb, hanging a picture frame on the wall, fixing a clogged sink, etc don't have to be done by a service man.

First of all, it saves you time. Why wait when you can do it yourself? Second, you save some cash. You don't have to pay somebody else to do it if you can do it yourself, right?

All it takes is having the right knowledge about a certain task. You can read about it or ask someone who knows how to do it. Don't do the mistake of presuming you know how to do it. Ask first to avoid accidents or unwanted results.

Another thing to consider is having the right tools. If you have on hand the right tools to go about the task, what's stopping you from doing it yourself. And talking about tools, here is a new tool called the HammeRule - a combination of a hammer and ruler - thought of to be a useful tool. Care to share your thoughts on this new tool in this Conversation sponsored by dNeero?

Stay at Home Business (SAHB) 101

I've thought of starting a new series of blog posts. I'm calling it SAHB 101 - Stay at Home Business 101.

For many moms, they have no choice but to stay at home to care for the family especially the children. However, it doesn't mean that they cannot have a Stay at Home Business. That would not only mean additional resources for the family, but it also gives a sense of fulfillment for the stay at home mom.

So what will SAHB 101 be about? It will be a compilation of 101 different ideas on Stay at Home Businesses. These businesses should be feasible to start or do from home; requires 0-low cost budget to begin with and can be done part-time or full-time from home.

Hopefully, the information and/or reviews presented here will spark your enthusiasm and creativity to start your own business from home. This will be a one post a week series. Look out for the first posting.

And feel free to share your experiences about the SAHB idea being presented.

Taking Care of Our Children's Eyes

One of the greatest gifts God gave us is our pair of eyes. We should take care of them. I regret that somehow we fell short of doing this in the lives of our 2 boys. They are now wearing eyeglasses either because of genetics or because of early exposure to the use of computer and Gameboy. But I still thank God because it may not be too late yet for both of them.

My older son, who was diagnosed with astigmatism and hyperopia can still improve his eyes until he no longer needs the aid of the eyeglass. As for the younger one, he was diagnosed with astigmatism and myopia. It's sad that the child ophthalmologist said that he would be wearing eyeglasses forever unless he gets LASIK at age 18. But I'm still hoping and praying that God would heal his eyes. Nothing is impossible to God.

So the important question that needs to be answered is "How can we take care of the eyes of our children?"

1. Make sure that they get ample lighting when they are reading or writing or even playing games. Proper sitting position is also necessary so that their shadow will not block the light.
2. Give them plenty of opportunities to eat healthy foods like carrots, yellow and green leafy vegetables which contain vitamin A that help maintain good eyesight. Omega-3-fatty acids in fish is also said to help our vision.
   
3. Regulate the use of the television, computer, gaming paraphernalia like PSP and Gameboy. Encourage breaks within 30 minutes so that their eye muscles would have the chance to relax and prevent eyestrain. Proper distance to the television or computer monitor and right picture quality should also be set to the optimum condition for the eyes.
4. Make sure to schedule them to a regular eye check-up. They should have their first eye exam before they go to school unless an eye problem is detected earlier.

If I have any additional good ideas, feel free to share them in your comments. To our child's healthy eyesight!

Are Your Kids Drinking Enough Water?

Now that summer is here again, kids lose more body water. If they don't drink enough water, they might suffer from dehydration. How do we know whether they are drinking enough water? Is the 8 glasses of water a day enough?

It depends on how active the kids are. The more active they are, the more they will sweat and lose body water. So, how do we know if they may be dehydrated?

1. Watch out for the physical signs: The lips are dry and the mouth feels a bit gummy or sticky.

2. Watch for other signs like difficulty concentrating on tasks; feeling tired for no reason at all; a bit elevated heart rate and having headaches.

3. Check the quality and quantity of their urine. When the urine color is dark and has a strong odor, it is a strong indication of dehydration. (Take note that medicine, multivitamins, some foods or beverages sometimes influence this.) Low urine volume over the course of a day is also associated with dehydration.

Watch this video which gives a very clear explanation as to how dehydration can be prevented especially in kids.

How Customer Service Affects Travellers

Last year, my family went back to the Philippines for a vacation. Airlines used to allow either a baby carrier or a baby stroller as a hand carry for a family who has a baby with them. However, when we were about to board the plane, they did not allow it and took our baby stroller into the baggage area of the plane.

We tried to reason with the service attendant, telling him that we have 4 kids including a 6-month old baby. Moreover, we have a 3-4 hours stop-over in another airport before our final destination, so the baby stroller is a must for us. But he did not allow it.

In short, we found it hard to travel because the baby and our 2 year old daughter needed to be carried, aside from our hand carries. It's a good thing that a kind lady helped us along even though we just met on the plane.

Not a very comfortable travel experience for us thanks to that airline's customer service. On top of that, when we reached our destination, we got back our baby stroller broken. For that, we never got even a word of apology.

That experience is just one demonstration of how bad customer service affects people like us. Would you like to share your thoughts on this conversation "Customer Service or No Customer Service" sponsored by dNeero?

Making Bedtimes Pleasant

Why Do Children Get Fussy Before Bedtime? Babies tend to cry at bedtime because they're tired, irritable, and don't wish to be separated from their mommies. As they grow older, they'll require more of your attention at bedtime.

That is so true. My daughter, Kristel who is turning 4, still acts that way before going to sleep, sometimes. In order to calm her to sleep, I have to stay beside her in bed and caress or pat her.

Well, that should not be that hard. The only thing is, I have 4 kids. The oldest has kind of outgrown that demand. But the next 3, a boy and 2 girls compete for my attention at bedtime. Three of them sometimes want to lie beside me all at the same time. Sounds like trouble, huh?

It is, and I feel guilty because sometimes such a scenario ends up in a scolding and crying. That is so sad. As much as possible, I don't really want them to go to sleep unhappy or with the sound of an angry parent's voice in their ears.

Do I have another choice? Sometimes, I hope that they would just grow up. Anyway, I'd better make the best of things just by being there for them at bedtime and make it pleasant for them as much as possible.

Here are a few tips for making bedtime pleasant:

• Settle into some routine that the child needs in order to sleep - a story, a song or a gentle game.
• Do everything to make him calm and happy before sleep.
• Forego scolding for a minor dismeanor.
• If your child has become attached to a comfort item - a doll, a blanket, a pillow - or habit - rocking, thumb-sucking - don't take it away from him. He will give them up in his good time.
  

Are Birth Month Tags True?

Well, I don't think so 100%. As an example, not every tag that is written down for the month of May, which is my birth month, is true of me. But one thing I know for sure, only me can be me. I am God's workmanship. He created me not to conform, to compare, to compete, or to compromise. Instead, He created me to contribute to God's kingdom and make a significant difference with my life. That I can do, only after I've been created anew in Christ Jesus to do the good things He prepared for me to do (Ephesians 2:10)

The art of being yourself at your best is the art of unfolding your personality into the person you want to be...
Be gentle with yourself, learn to love yourself, to forgive yourself,
for only as we have the right attitude toward ourselves,
can we have the right attitude toward others.
Wilfred Peterson

--- The tag starts here ---
Thanks to Catherine for tagging me with this love birth month tag. It’s simple and fun. Let’s see what is it about…

Here are the rules:
1. Mention the person who tagged you and create a link back to them.
2. Copy-paste the traits for all the twelve months (see below).
3. Pick your month of birth.
4. Highlight the traits that apply to you.
5. Tag 12 people and let them know by visiting their blogs and leaving a comment for them.
6. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve done it!

Now I’m going to pass this tag to my blogger buddies. Feel free to pass it to your friends if you have done it already. Cheers!
pinaymommy, pinayjade, housewife@work, littlekarl, Yuwie friends, and Friendster friends.

The Twelve Months

JANUARY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people’s flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.

FEBRUARY: Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes.Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.

MARCH: Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful . Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.

APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.

This is my birth month:

MAY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally this. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain) . Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck . Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing . Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children . Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift .

JUNE: Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.

JULY: Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

AUGUST: Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.

SEPTEMBER: Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.

OCTOBER: Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.

NOVEMBER: Has a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.

DECEMBER:Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

--- The tag ends here ---

Any Idea How to Make Mom Special?

Moms like many of you and me are special. That's why there is such a day called "Mother's Day". To know a little more what we are celebrating Mother's day for, here is a brief history clipping:



What am I going to give my mom on this special day? Am I going to make her a breakfast in bed with this recipe? or a special family dinner?



I can't. She is a thousand miles away from me. Do you have any other suggestion aside from sending beautiful flowers and making a phone call just to tell her "I love her"?

To ALL THE MOMS OUT THERE:

Oh! Mother

A mother experiences great joys and intense sorrows. But if she submits her life to God, every season of her motherhood serves His eternal purposes. - Herb Vander Lugt

Happy Mothers Day !!!

Share your favorite Mother’s Day quotes and place your blog/name right after the piece of artwork.

1. Irresistible Fascinations / Naomi 2. Manna from Heaven/Lena 3.And Life Goes On/Lena 4. Mommyallehs up-close and personal/mommyallehs, 5. A Mother’s Stuff / Crissy 6. Stay at Home Blessings / Chin chin 7. Your site and name

I am tagging wonderful mommies now: pinaymommy, pinayjade, and future mommy Catherine.

Teaching our Kids to Pray.

Teaching our kids to pray is a privilege and blessing for us moms as it is a Christ-honoring task. To raise up children who knows how to pray is sowing into the future generations a people who would stand in the gap.

How do we teach our kids to pray? As for now, I can think of 3 words to do this: modelling, motivation and consistency.

Modelling: Just as Jesus gave a model prayer to his disciples (Matthew 6:9-13), we should also model to our children how to pray. It may consist of memorized prayer for starters such as "God is great, God is good, thank You Lord for our food" for the young ones. But most importantly, is to pray with them, so that they will actually see how we talk to our heavenly Father. How will they pray if they don't see us pray?

Motivation: There is no greater motivation to pray than having received answers to our prayers. And this is a promise of Jesus in Mark 11:24 "Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." It is up to us to share with them the promises of God's Word to motivate them to pray. Then, when our kids see that their prayers are answered, they will be more enthusiastic and faithful in praying.

Consistency: Jesus said "when you pray..." (Matthew 6:5) meaning it is expected of us to pray. If we want praying to be a habit in our children, we have to encourage and initiate praying consistently with them. Then, when they have developed the habit, it would be something that they would do themselves.

Prayer brings blessing and power to the lives of the prayerful. Wouldn't we want our kids to be blessed and be a blessing? When the children are blessed, the mother is more blessed.