Are You Drinking Enough? Water, that is.

My biggest issue is not getting enough water/fluids during the day. Despite my coffee addiction, I have learned that you can only drink so much coffee in a 24 hour period. So today I found an app called Water Your Body developed by NorthPark, and it is exactly what I need.

You enter your weight (granted if anyone opens the app on your phone they can see your weight), and it calculates how much water you should drink each day. As you drink water during the day you add it to your shelf.  The app records the amount of water you drank and the time of day.  If you are not drinking during the day you get friendly reminders complete with water sound effects.

So far I like it.  I'll keep you posted on how well it helps me in getting enough fluids each day.

Great information about knowing how much fluids you should get in a day: http://www.doctoroz.com/blog/leigh-vinocur-md-facep/how-much-water-do-you-really-need

Disclaimer: Logo is the sole property of NorthPark. I am not an affiliate of NorthPark.  I make no warranties as to the accuracy of their app. Consult a physician before making adjustments to your diet

Inspire, Instill, Ignite: Be an Example in 2014

In December 2013 I took time to review the past year and set personal and business goals for 2014.  I soon discovered 3 simple words that would become my inspiration for 2014.

Many times as entrepreneurs we try to separate our personal life from our business life.  I've learned over the last 10 years this is virtually impossible.  Whether you are a solopreneur, mompreneur, or entrepreneur with a large staff, embrace the gift that comes with entrepreneurship, melting your two worlds together.  Use this gift to leverage the opportunities that arise to better yourself and those around you.

Because of this I have decided to find ways to:

1. INSPIRE Others to be Better
2. INSTILL Values in Others that I Display, and
3. IGNITE in Others a Passion for Excellence

By doing this one can not only improve who they are personally, but also improve how they handle customers, and this allows for building strong relationships.

What will you do in 2014 to be a better person, better business owner, and better member of your community?

3 Reasons Why A Cruise is the Best Vacation for a Mompreneur

View I Enjoyed from the Cruise Ship Deck

Any Mompreneur realizes that we find ourselves in a unique situation.  First we are a Mom.  This means that if our little one has a fever or upset stomach a project or phone conference has to be pushed back or rescheduled in order to tend to the sick child.

Secondly, we are a business owner.  Often times this means we wear many hats.  We are the sales rep, marketing expert, manufacturer, account receivables enforcer, branding guru, and the list goes on and on.

As a Mompreneur I experience what the majority of Mom business owners experience, not enough time to relax.  If you're a WAHM (Work At Home Mom), and you have small children at home with you during the day, every day can become an overwhelming mix of emotions that often affect your business.

Taking a break is a must.

Here are 3 reasons why I feel a cruise is the best vacation for a mompreneur.
**I am not an affiliate of any cruise line referenced in this post.

1. You Get to Disconnect
   
   Most cruise lines offer Wi-Fi or Internet access for a fee, and most mobile carriers allow you to connect to your data plan for an extremely high price while cruising.  Because of this a cruise is a great way to force yourself to disconnect. No Internet and no voice distractions.  You can still make phone calls, and your mobile carriers will gladly charge you more per minute than anyone should have to pay.
   
   So set your smartphone to "Airplane Mode" and use this time to reconnect with your family. Spend time talking to your spouse and children.  Take advantage of the activities on board the ship.  You can do this guilt free, because after all, there is no email or voice mail to check.  No Twitter feed to read or Facebook page to check. You have no real mobile service.  Even if you port in the USA, lock the smartphone in the room safe, and enjoy your freedom.
   
   
2. You Are Catered to and Treated Like Royalty
   
   You can start your day with fine dining breakfast.  Hit the Lido deck at lunch for gourmet pizza, and finish your evening with an upscale dining experience.  Don't want to leave the room?  24 hour room service is there to enjoy.  You can experience all of this and never have to cook it yourself.  Unlike vacationing at a beach house or cabin in the woods where Mom is still expected to cook for the family, a cruise offers a full staff ready to do all the cooking, gourmet style.
     
3. Awesome ALL DAY childcare.....Yes, I did say ALL DAY
   
   I was a nervous wreck with the idea of leaving my precious girls at Camp Carnival**.  They have never gone to daycare, so this was a challenge for me.  I quickly got over the uneasy feeling when they both ran into camp ready to play.  They loved camp so much that when we got to port and started sight seeing they asked if they could go back to Camp Carnival instead.
   
   It was great for my husband and I to be able to spend the day together, just the two of us, knowing the girls were in good hands on board the ship.  On another day it allowed me to get some much needed me time.  During the cruise I was able to eat lunch, BY MYSELF, on the lido deck.  Enjoying a good book and fresh sea air.

Vacationing on a cruise ship allowed this mompreneur time to rest, enjoy my family without distractions, spend time with my spouse, and reconnect with myself.  I highly recommend any mompreneur start planning their next family vacation on a cruise ship.

How @Target Made My Monday Better

 It was 26°F when I woke up this morning.  Some reading this post would love to see a 26°F morning at the end of November, but for this California girl living in South Carolina it was a brutal morning to have to get out of bed and take the kids to school.

Work went fairly well for a Monday, and then we got the brilliant idea to visit a fast food restaurant where kids eat free....during peak dinner time.  An hour later I had dealt with tears because the 4 year old couldn't go to the playground.  The 9 year old was torn between keeping her book from her kids meal or getting ice cream; so I was happy to be heading home.

While I waited for the kids to finish brushing their teeth I checked my Pinterest account and was overjoyed when I saw the message "Target Pinned to Brunch for Mommy Friends". I was like a nerdy school girl getting asked to go to prom by the most popular guy in school.  Who knew such a simple message could make this Mommy's day.

How I Got Target to Pin to My Board

I can't recall if it was from a Facebook post or a tweet on Twitter that I learned about Target's latest promotion "Best.Party.Ever. with David Stark".  I quickly followed the steps on the board to participate (promotion ends 11/27/2013). After many anxious hours of wondering 1) would Target really follow me on Pinterest? 2) would they really pin to my board? and  3) would they really offer me great party suggestions catered to my tastes? My wait was over.

By Sunday afternoon I received the answer to my first question, and at the end of a frustrating Monday my last 2 questions were answered.  All with a resounding, "YES".  I simply followed the directions, to the letter, that Target gave participants.  Target delivered on their promise to provide "personalized inspiration to help (me) create (my) Best.Party.Ever."

I LOVE the great suggestions Target & David Stark pinned to my board.  While it is still secret, follow me on Pinterest, and soon I will make the board public for everyone to enjoy great party planning inspiration.

Easy Spinach Tortilla Chips

I've had some left over Toufayan Savory Spinach Wraps* and decided to see how they would do as tortilla chips. It's an easy recipe...and they turned out GREAT!

Prep Time: less than 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes


Ingredients:

1 pack Spinach Wraps
Non-stick cooking spray (or oil of choice in Misto* Sprayer)
Salt (to taste)
Salsa
Sour Cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Spray cookie sheet with oil
3. Cut spinach wraps diagonally to make your triangle chips
4. Spread "chips" on cookie sheet
5. Place cookie sheet on middle rack in oven for 7 minutes.
6. After 7 minutes move cookie sheet to bottom rack for 2-3 minutes to crisp chips
7. Take out of oven and sprinkle with salt
8. Enjoy with salsa (I love Tostitos* Mild Chunky Salsa) and sour cream
   
   
   
   
   * I am NOT an affiliate of any of these brands

Last Minute Kids Party Tray

If you ever find yourself in a hurry to put together a party tray for kids try this quick and simple party tray.  I made it recently for a family get together and the kids (and adults) devoured it.  It's also great when you need to create an allergy friendly party tray for kids.

Prep & setup time: less than 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 pre-packaged peanut free marshmallow bars (Rice Krispies Treats or similar)
• 16 sandwich cookies (Oreo cookies or similar)
• 1-2 cups multicolored marshmallows
• Kid safe toothpicks
• Party tray (a chip and dip tray works great!)

Directions:

1. Cut each marshmallow bar into 4 pieces. Put a toothpick in each small piece. Set aside.
2. On your party tray alternate placing a marshmallow bar piece and sandwich cookie on the tray until it is covered.
3. Stack another sandwich cookie on top of the cookies already on the tray.
4. Arrange remaining marshmallow bar pieces nicely on the tray.
5. Creatively place multicolored marshmallows on tray.  If using a chip and dip tray place the marshmallows in the "dip" section of the tray.
6. Serve and watch all the smiles as the party guest enjoy!

List of Items for South Carolina Sales Tax Holiday 2013

The 2013 South Carolina 

Sales Tax Holiday 

August 2-4, 2013.

It's a great time to save some money whether you have children going back to school or not.

What is included?

1. Clothing;
2. Clothing accessories including, but not limited to, hats, scarves, hosiery, and handbags;
3. Footwear;
4. School supplies including, but not limited to, pens, pencils, paper, binders, notebooks, books, bookbags, lunchboxes, and calculators;
5. Computers, printers and printer supplies, and computer software;
6. Bath wash clothes, blankets, bed spreads, bed linens, sheet sets, comforter sets, bath towels, shower curtains, bath rugs and mats, pillows, and pillow cases.

These items ARE NOT included:

1. Sales of jewelry, cosmetics, eyewear, wallets, watches;
2. Sales of furniture;
3. A sale of an item placed on layaway or similar deferred payment and delivery plan however described;
4. Rental of clothing or footwear;
5. A sale or lease of an item for use in a trade or business.

You can download the "official" Department of Revenue list here