As a work from home Mom, one of my goals is to help other women succeed! Many times you come across people who only care about their own success, and I am trying to change that! I truly believe that if we all work together, support each other, and believe in each other, then we can all succeed! If you have visited my page Work From Home Moms, or Work From Home Mom’s Networking, you see multiple chances a day for ALL women to share how they work from home.

Summer Shopping Catalog

Our Summer Shopping Catalog is a new great way to help women support each other! For a few years, we have done a Christmas Catalog, but after so many requests and great results, we decided to try doing one a few times a year! This way anytime you need to shop for a gift, or something for yourself, you can use this Summer Shopping Catalog and let your business support other women!!!

Please take a few minutes and view all these great businesses in our catalog.

Feel free to share it with others.

Remember, each time you support a small business owner, you have the chance to change their lives and their families!

Thank You!

Summer Shopping Catalog

For Christmas, my Mom got me some bath bombs and they were AMAZING! There were ones to help me relax, some for muscle pain, and some just to smell good. I love a nice bath to relax, so they were such a great gift! One I used up way too quickly though. I decided I needed to make my own that way I always had some on hand and I could customize the essential oils in them to fit my personal needs. Turns out it was a bit harder than I thought, but after a lot of trial and error, I found a good recipe for DIY Bath Bombs!

DIY Bath Bombs

First though, I want to share a little about what bath bombs are and why they are so popular right now. Bath bombs usually feature a type of essential oil in them to give them different benefits. Essential oils have been gaining popularity over the past few years as more and more people have realized they have great benefits for your health. Essential oils come directly from plants, and are usually extracted from the stems, petals, leaves or flowers. Different oils are known to have different qualities. Such as lavender is good for relaxation, anxiety, and helping with sleep. Peppermint is good for allergies and helping with headaches or nausea.  Lemon helps with allergies, digestion, and cleansing the air.

They are very concentrated so remember a little goes a long way, never ingest them, and keep them away from children unless being supervised. One or two drops is usually all you need!

I began using essential oils last year and I was amazed at how much they can help with all different health issues. I first began using them for severe headaches, then allergies, and other things like helping my son with his asthma and ADHD, and me with my autoimmune disease. I am by no means an expert, but I have found lots of great resources and books online that teach you what oils to use for what conditions. One of my favorite books is the Essential Life as it has a lot of great tips and ways to use oils.

Essential oils in bath bombs allow you to have a nice relaxing bath, but have help with your health at the same time! I made some that helped with body aches, helped with allergies and congestion, helped with relaxing, and then just some fun, good smelling ones. My kids LOVE them! Although they informed me the “relaxing” ones didn’t work as they didn’t fall asleep right away (they were nice and calm all evening so I see that as a major WIN!) You can add different oils to each one to customize it for what you want!

Another fun thing about bath bombs is the color! I used all natural coloring (you can find some on Amazon, at Trader Joes, or in the health aisle at many stores) as I’m a toxin free person, and was able to create some very pretty bath bombs! Just remember the food coloring with make the bath bomb mixture wetter, so only do a little at a time!

Ingredients:
1 cup Baking Soda
½ cup Citric Acid
½ cup Corn Starch
½ cup Epsom Salts
3/4 tsp. Water
10-20 drops Essential oils (I split this into smaller amount to make all different ones)
2-4 tsp. liquid carrier oil like Coconut Oil, Almond Oil, etc
Food coloring if desired (optional)
Plastic or silicone mold

Directions:

1. Combine all the dry ingredients EXCEPT the citric acid in a glass or metal bowl. When you’re sure it’s mixed well, add the citric acid and mix again.
2. Very very very slowly, add the wet ingredients. If you pour it in too fast, it will activate and begin to fiz. I poured it in slowly and mixed the whole time to avoid this.
3. If you are going to use different oils, make sure to split your mixture up into different bowls before adding the oils. Always use glass or metal bowls with essential oils.
4. Add in your essential oils last. The mixture should still look dry, like breadcrumbs, and feel like soap flakes. It will hold together when you squeeze it hard, but shouldn’t be too damp. I found it was better to add less liquid, then add a little more if I needed it.
5. Add your coloring. I split mine up and did more than one color, but you can use all one color.

1. Pack the mix into your mold. If you’re using the round ones, overfill one side before you snap the halves together.
2. I found the longer you left it in the mold, the better! I recommend 24 hours. Then let them sit and dry for another 24 hours.
3. Store them in an air tight container, or by wrapping in paper.
4. Drop in the tub when ready to use and enjoy!

Summer months can be hard for Work From Home Mom’s. Not only do we now have kids with us all day who need to be watched, but our whole schedule has been turned around!! Another problem is the people we work with, now are going on vacation or have kids home with them too. Not to mention people are on the go a lot and money can be tight with vacations and fun summer activities. And yet some people find the summer to be their most successful time EVER. How is that, and what are there secrets to being successful during the summer?

Summer Success Tips

I interviewed multiple work from home Mom’s who find summer to be their most successful season. They shared some of their summer success tips on what to do, and what not to do during the summer. Remember at the end of the day, your success doesn’t rely on your team, but on YOU!

What NOT to do….

• Never ever ever take the whole summer off. If you take two months off from a job, you get fired. The same with a work from home job! If you take 2 months off, when you come back your business will not be the same and you will have to work harder to rebuild it. Plus it makes your team feel unsupported if they know they won’t be able to rely on you.
• Don’t let your attitude effect your business. Many people think summer is slow, and so that mindset makes it seem slow. Other people think summer is the best time for their business, so they work hard and it  IS successful for them!
• Don’t get overwhelmed! Learn to manage your time during the summer, even if it means you only work 15 minutes a day.
• Don’t be unprepared! Always be open for a conversation everywhere you go and make sure business cards and samples are on you at all times!

What to DO….

• Be creative! Summer usually means a busy schedule for many people, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have time for get together’s.
• Focus on YOUR market and what appeals to them. If your market is mostly Mom’s with kids, plan play dates! Most Mom’s would love a chance to get together, and have their kids use up some energy.
• Have unique incentives! Ask a friend to host a party for you, make it a fun theme, and have a fun hostess gift! I base my hostess gift on the number of people they invite. That way they are encouraged to invite more people to get a better incentive for themselves.
• Never leave a party without booking another party! I always bring a small gift with me for the first person to book their own party! This keeps your schedule full and constantly meeting new people.
• Find fun ways to incorporate your products into the Summer Months. If I have a play date, I have products out that are good for kids to use during the summer! I also will use my products to make things such as smoothies for kids, healthy popsicles, home made bug repellent, and more!
• Have fun Summer Challenges for your team! Base it on their activity, but also who has the most success. That way everyone has a chance to win AND it keeps them motivated.
• Find a friend from a different work from home company and partner up! Have a party where you both invite guests and share BOTH your companies! This gets you a new market and you could repeat it over and over with different companies!
• Ask current customers for referrals! Summer is a great time as most people do not have as crazy of a schedule, and they can meet up for coffee or a play date!
• Join Mommy Groups if you have young kids! This is a great way to meet more people! You can find lots of Mommy groups on Social Media!
• Enroll your kids in sports or activities, this is another great way to meet more people!
•  Join a fun activity for YOU! Such as learning to do a hobby you enjoy like cooking, or getting in shape with a yoga or other type of fitness class.
• Check out local events in your area. Most cities have fun summer events where you can meet new people.
• Look for vendor events or tables. These are very popular during the summer and you can get a table to display products, or just walk around and meet new people.
• Spend time saying ‘Thank You” to those who support your business. This might not seem like it will help your business grow, but without support from others, your business will stand still so always remember to give thanks!
• Have incentives for people if they REFER friends to you!
• Make it FUN!!! Summer is a short time, find ways to make your business work, but remember to have FUN!

Summer Party Ideas

• Margarita Monday ( and a movie for the kids)
• Muffins and Manicures
• Chocolate Party
• Water Party (pool party, sprinkler, slip and slide, water balloons…so many options!)
• Bubbles and Breakfast (have fun bubble activities over breakfast)
• Spa Party
• Sangria and Sandals (manicures or spa party with a drink for the Mom’s)
• Sunday Brunch
• Coffee and Cones (afternoon iced coffee for the adults and ice cream cones for the kids)
• Sunday Sundaes
• Play and Preview
• Pizza and Play
• Ice Cream Social
• Back To School Bash
• Coffee and Cupcakes
• Christmas in July
• Mommy and Me
• Tea Party
• Dress Up Party
• Wine and Cheese Party
• Lawn-chairs and Lemonade
• Sunday Funday
• Cupcakes and Cocktails
• Popcorn and PJ’s
• Mom’s Night Out
• Taco Tuesday

One other great tip I share with people is to PLAN! I sit down with my team and we plan out what we are going to do in the summer ahead of time. We share tips, ideas, and get creative to find things that will work best for US! Remember to focus on what works for YOUR market of people, keep a positive attitude, and lead by example for your team! Summer is such a great time to grow your business, you just have to find fun ways to do it!

motivating:  to provide with a motive :  impel questions that excite and motivate youth She was motivated by a desire to help children.

b: the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way.

Motivation is so incredibly important and is necessary in life to reach certain goals, and yet it seems some people have it and some people don’t!

Why is that?

How do you stay motivated?

Motivation

For me personally, I’ve always been pretty good at motivating myself, but the truth is I usually have a reward for myself at the end! That helps me stay on track, but for others they might need a different way to motivate themselves. They may need a friend to check in and push them or a detailed plan on what happens when they reach their goal.

Each person is different, so one of my best tips is to find what motivates YOU!! The same thing does not work for everyone, but once you find what works for you, it will help you stay motivated and reach your goals. No matter if they are career related, education related, health related….motivation is needed for everything. And as a parent, it’s something you also want to teach your kids. Here are some of my best tips on staying motivated

1. Write down your goals. Goals and motivation go hand in hand. If you write them down, you can look at them over and over when you lose your motivation.

2. Tell your goals to a friend and ask them to help hold you accountable. You are 78% more likely to stick to your goal if you tell others about it. Plus they can call you out if you lose your motivation.

3. Write down how your life will be better when you hit your goals. This was big for me! If I found success working from home, my kids could take their first ever family vacation! Or do extra coricullar activities! That’s pushed me as it was things my kids would be able to do if I stayed motivated.

4. Make a weekly plan on how to hit your goals. Break down what you need to do, and it helps keep you on track. I make a plan every Sunday night.

5. Reward yourself along the journey. When I hit small goals, I give myself a reward.  For example we went on a fun animal Safari we never could have afforded before I started working from home…that was my reward for a job well done.

6. Watch motivational videos from others on a similar journey to yours. I love seeing other people on the same journey as me, and finding out how THEY were able to stay motivated. It also inspires me when I hear of people who have the odds stacked against them, still able to succeed. It motivates me by reminding me that if they could do it, so can I!

7. Ask others to support your goals, and help remind you of them. Involve all your friends and family. The more people who know about your goal, the more to help keep you on track! They can remind you it’s worth it, and why this is so important to you.

8. Lead by example. As a parent, I won’t let my kid quit no matter how hard things get…so I set an example and don’t quit myself either. Yes it’s hard, life is hard, but our kids learn from watching us and one of the best life lessons we can teach is not to quit when things get hard!

9. Take a break…not a month break,  but I always take a day or two off where I do nothing but recharge and have time for me. You don’t want to exhaust yourself so you need to have time off! Just don’t make it too long as it can be hard to start again.

10. Believe in yourself. No matter how hard it gets,  you deserve to succeed and you can if you keep going and don’t quit. Believing you can reach your goals is one of the best ways to motivate yourself.

And never ever quit!!! That sets you farther back from where you started and sets you up for a cycle of quitting things when they get hard! Stick with it, ask others for help, and try and find new ways to motivate yourself, Your goals are worth all the hard work!

As a tired Mom of three kids, the most common thing people say to me is “It will get easier”. But does it? Does parenting get easier? Because with each stage, comes new challenges! When I had my first child, people use to say “it gets easier when he sleeps through the night” When he was one and into everything, they said “it gets easier when he’s more independent” When he got more independent, I heard “it gets easier when he’s in school”

The truth is, parenting never gets easier, it just changes over time to different stages!! I never knew I would be so paranoid the first few days my son was at school. And when my daughter started school I figured that one would be easier since it was my second time around…NOPE! I had to rush out of there before she saw my tears.

Does Parenting Get Easier?

It doesn’t get easier, and I’ve found myself no longer caring about it getting easier. Instead I focus on how at each stage, they become more amazing!!! Parenting is not meant to be easy. We are shaping someone’s life…that is hard work! They are finding their own personalities along the way and testing us is part of how they grow. It’s truly amazing that these little kids, are the future of the world, and we as parents play a part in that! They all have so many different qualities too, as a Mom of 3, I have learned to stop looking for it to get easier, and instead focus on every precious moment as they fly by so fast! Especially focus on their good qualities as they all have so many!

• My 7 year old is a creator and can build anything!
• My 5 year old has a great memory and loves to dress up and perform!
• My 3 year old loves everyone he meets, but especially animals…even snakes!!

I’ve learned parenting doesn’t get easier but with each stage there are hard things but also so much JOY!! Especially when their little personalities begin to show and you see the amazing people they are going to be.

They love without worrying about being hurt.

They trust us 100% percent.

They don’t believe bad people exist in the world.

Every person they meet is their friend, no matter they status, race, gender etc.

They are pure, and we get to help shape them!

Yes parenting is hard, but hold on Momma as they grow up way to fast and before you know it, you created an adult who can change the world!