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Happy New Year & Feliz AÃ±o Nuevo everyone! Hope you all have a wonderful time with your families and loved ones. See you next year! ;) lol I just had to say it! 
technorati: happy new year, feliz aÃ±o nuevo, see you next year Posted by Melanie Edwards at 2:11 PM 2 comments Links to this post



Puerto Rican Coquito & other fine Navidad traditions

Before I sign off for the holidays, I couldn't leave without sharing the recipe for coquito (let's call it a Puerto Rican version of eggnog - but better! lol). Coquito - from http://www.elboricua.com/coquito.html

30 ounces coconut milk
14 ounces condensed milk
1 cup Bacardi rum

Mix all ingredients in the blender. Taste and [add] more rum if you like it stronger. You need to add the water because it will get thicker later in the fridge. Pour into a bottle and refrigerate well. Make ahead for richer flavor. Serve in small glassware.

You can also read up on the traditions of a Puerto Rican Christmas and another great dish - pasteles.

My baby girl had her first pastel earlier this month when we had the all day cooking fest. I'm not sure if she liked it, but she ate some of it, actually, most of it got on her clothes, but such is toddler feeding.


technorati: coquito, navidad, pasteles, puerto rican eggnog, puerto rican christmas, feliz navidad Posted by Melanie Edwards at 11:44 AM 7 comments Links to this post

Labels: puerto rico, recipes

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, etc etc

Just wanted to wish everyone a great Christmas! Hope you all have a wonderful time with your families and loved ones. See you next week! Christmas Myspace Graphics

technorati: merry christmas, happy holidays Posted by Melanie Edwards at 10:06 AM 3 comments Links to this post



Success For Work At Home Moms

I have yet to find my calling/business for becoming a WAHM, but am working on it. Hopefully with the new year, I will be able to dedicate more of my time and effort to developing my business. Things are just too hectic right now with the holidays and such. However, I still like to be in-the-know and read up on tips for being a WAHM (or SAHM for that matter - since these tips can apply to any mom).

Here I share with you 7 tips for success for the WAHM:

7 Ways To Guarantee Success For WAHM (Work At Home Moms)
by: Kara Jankowski

Are you a WAHM (work at home mom)? Or maybe you’d like to be one?

You’ve made a great decision. As a work at home mom you get the best of both worlds. You are home with your kids so they are being raised by you instead of a daycare worker, and you also are making an income to support your family. Work at home moms have it all – the joy of their children, the mental stimulation of a career, and a stress-free, comfortable work environment.

“Wait!” You say, “WAHM jobs are not stress-free!” Well ladies I’m here to tell you it can be done. Consider me your personal WAHM resource for solutions to your work at home problems. Follow these simple steps to create an organized and effective work at home environment.

Key to Success #1: Create A Flexible Schedule

Babies need to be on a schedule right away. In fact they thrive and actually cry less knowing that they can count on their needs being met regularly.

For most babies you can follow a simple schedule of feeding time, followed by activity time, then sleep time. The length varies for each step depending on the age of your child.

Activities also vary according to age. Your baby could be staring at a mobile turning above her, playing with brightly colored toys, reading a book with you, or banging away on a drum and singing.
Here’s the key – your baby needs to learn how to play on their own as well. So during part of activity time you should allow your baby to enjoy playing alone. This will give you a little “you” time. You can keep a watchful eye on them from across the room, or depending on their age and if they are in a safe area, you can use a baby monitor.

Be sure to watch for signs of your baby getting tired. If you delay putting them to bed you can actually miss the window of opportunity and you’ll have a very fussy baby who won’t go to sleep. At the first sign of a yawn or face and eye rubbing, it’s time to put them down for a nap.

Then you can knuckle down and accomplish your work tasks. It’s very important for you to list your goals and action steps and do the most important tasks first. That way if baby wakes up early you have already done the most important thing for your day!

Repeat this schedule throughout your day so you and your baby know what to expect and when. They won’t adapt to this overnight, be patient and keep at it. And remember that the length of each cycle will continually change as they grow. Stay flexible while still maintaining the cycle of feeding, activity then sleep.

Key to Success #2: You Can Only Do What You Can Do

This is so important for WAHM work at home moms. Think about it a second. You can only do what you can do. There is no sense in worrying that your day didn’t go as planned and you didn’t achieve this or that. Get used to it!

You have an important job here, and that is taking care of your little one. Work is important and has its place but you have a responsibility to keep yourself healthy and sane. If your baby has a meltdown and you’re unable to get to your work for another hour, so be it. Don’t waste energy worrying or fretting about it.

If you’re going to be successful you’ll have to work at odd times and make sacrifices here and there. Maybe you’ll do a little work after baby is in bed for the night, maybe you skip some TV time. Do what you can, when you can, and feel proud that you are taking steps every single day towards your goal – a happy baby and a successful mommy!

Also, consider working for yourself in a home business instead of working an at-home “job”. You’ll have much less stress because you’ll answer to you, not your boss, and you won’t feel like you’re trying to compete with the others at the office. Plus, you’ll be earning money for yourself and growing your business instead of working to make your boss rich.

Key to Success #3: Practice Good Self-Care

During your baby’s alone activity time and his sleep time you can get a lot of work done. But don’t forget that you need to take care of YOU! Without you at your emotional best even the smallest thing can turn you into a walking time bomb.

Take the time to relax in a hot bath, read an inspirational book, get a massage, take a walk alone, or whatever helps you to clear your mind and focus on you. You are the most important part of this equation!

Key to Success #4: Ask For Help

So often we think we’re alone, or that we’re weak if we ask for help. This is a time in our lives that we need help more than ever. We just can’t possibly do it all.

So ask your family, friends and neighbors to assist your efforts. Whether it’s for babysitting (even if you’re there at your desk working) or buying groceries, enlist the support of others so you can have a break or accomplish a task. You deserve it!

Key to Success #5: Exercise

It doesn’t matter if you do yoga, go to the gym, walk the neighborhood, hike the trails or use a climbing wall. Be active every day. Exercise keeps you young, stimulates those “feel good” hormones in your body, refreshes you mentally, and helps get rid of those pregnancy pounds too.

Don’t beat yourself up with an unrealistic exercise program. Just work it into your day. You can even space it out. Studies show that 10 minutes of exercise three times a day is just as beneficial as 30 minutes at one time. The important thing is to do it regularly, and preferably every day.

Key to Success #6: Be Grateful Every Day

This is so important. Do this in the morning while you brush your teeth, shower, or even while feeding baby. Run through in your mind everything you are grateful for.

You can begin thinking “I am so happy and grateful that…my family is healthy, we have this roof over our head, we are warm and safe, my parents live close by, we have food in the pantry, I have the ability to work from home, I have the skills I need to succeed, I have access to the internet to maintain a business” etc…

Don’t skip this step. It will put you in the right frame of mind to accomplish your goals every day.

Key to Success #7: Maximize Your Work Time

As a work at home mom your attention is constantly being pulled in many directions. It’s so important that the time you spend working is maximized.

What do I mean by maximizing your time? I mean be sure that your efforts have a clear and substantial reward. It makes no sense to take time away from your children if you’re not well compensated. In my business I make at least $1000 per transaction, so I always know my time is well spent.

You also want to utilize the concept of leverage in your business. There should be a system in place so that you do the work once, but keep benefiting from those initial efforts later on, without more time or input from you.

Using these keys to success will create a happier and healthier you and baby, as well as a more productive business. As a work at home mom you need to be so careful to maintain balance in your life. Using a WAHM resource such as this, as well as other books or articles, can help you eliminate stress and accomplish more each day. For more information visit http://www.FollowALeader.com/wahm. Remember these keys to success to protect your sanity and live at your best, and your personal and business success will grow every day.

technorati: WAHM, SAHM, work at home, keys to success Posted by Melanie Edwards at 3:06 PM 0 comments Links to this post

Labels: articles, motherhood, sahm, wahm, women, work


Madness Keeps Going...

Life is still extremely busy and hectic, so I'll leave you with a lovely picture of my baby girl for now... technorati: hectic, madness, busy life Posted by Melanie Edwards at 4:48 PM 1 comments Links to this post

Labels: motherhood, the monkey


Speaking of memory loss...

To go along with that last post...

I have been having a major case of forgetfulness. I have lists everywhere and for everything and I still can't seem to get everything in order or remember everything. Perfect example - my husband's company Christmas party was this past weekend.

He went to work for a while and I was to meet him there in time for the party. He asked that I buy him a sweater and bring it with me so that he could wear it to the party. I bought him a nice sweater and put the bag next to the counter in the kitchen, so I wouldn't forget it. Guess what? You got it! I forgot the stupid bag and only remembered as I'm 2 minutes away from my husband's job. Luckily it wasn't very cold that night, so he was ok, but still, I forgot. And, I've been like that for a few other things lately.

Ok, I'm done whining now. I'm sure there are more important things to worry about, but being a person who used to remember everything and who was very organized, it's hard to realize you can't keep up with everything anymore. All this from just having a baby???!!! lol

technorati: forgetfulness, lists, organized, whining, motherhood Posted by Melanie Edwards at 3:10 PM 4 comments Links to this post

Labels: husband, motherhood, pregnancy, sahm, wahm, women

Mommy Poem

I was browsing around and found this poem about losing your memory once you become a mom. As I read through it, I couldn't help but think that's how I feel. I certainly have "lost" some of my memory and at the same time have gained so much more. I have a new perspective on life and see everyday things as mundane. Well, anyway, enjoy the poem and try not to cry. ;)

From http://www.thelaboroflove.com/prose/poems/lost.html

Lost Some Memory
I think I've lost some memory
since Miranda was born
I don't remember sleeping late
on a lazy Sunday morn

I don't remember quiet dinners
with candlelight and wine.
Or getting up and ready for work
and making it there on time.

I don't remember summer days
just lounging on the beach
And those memories of "girls' night out"
are somehow out of reach.

I don't remember long warm baths
with bubbles and a good book
Or my favorite TV program
or a movie worth a look.

I can't remember all those things
I spent time on yesterday
And I can't remember life
being any other way.

And as I lay her down at night
and kiss this little girl
I can't remember so much happiness,
such love and joy in my world.

(c) 1997 Juli All Rights Reserved
technorati: memory loss, motherhood, lost memory, poem, life Posted by Melanie Edwards at 2:51 PM 0 comments Links to this post

Labels: motherhood, pregnancy, sahm, wahm, women


You know you're a hot mama!

With all the madness and chaos I currently have going on in my life, I certainly don't have much time for pampering and pretty-ing myself up. But, I definitely need to take some time to take care of myself, because let's face it - I am too young to be a frumpy mama! Also there's that other little fact that if I ever want to have another child, I will need to entice my husband! ;)

So, I came across the Hot Mama Makeover! I think I'll be following these steps to get myself ready for the holidays and the new year. I think you'll enjoy it too. Let me know what you think and how your makeover goes! Looking forward to meeting all the hot mamas! lol :D Oh, and for other tips on health, money, pregnancy, children, free offers, etc. and a mom's forum, check out this site.

technorati: hot mama makeover, hot mama, frumpy mama, pampering, makeover, motherhood, free offers Posted by Melanie Edwards at 2:44 PM 2 comments Links to this post
 Melanie Edwards

melanie (at) modernmami (dot) com
 
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